Tag Archives: Gurkha

by | November 14, 2012 · 7:04 pm

A 1502 Black Gold, an East India Trading Co. Red Witch and a Visit to Goose’s Lounge

It’s a special treat when I get to smoke two spectacular cigars in a row. I thought Saturday’s La Aurora Cameroon was as good as it got, and it was a fantastic smoke. Sunday afternoon was stunningly gorgeous so I grabbed a larger cigar, which turned out to be a 1502 Black Gold Torpedo that Gary Griffith had recently sent my way. Somehow I managed to miss this booth at the Delaware Cigar Festival, which is a great disappointment to me. The 1502 line is named for the year that Nicaragua was founded officially, and the cigars are all Nicaraguan puros. The cigar is visually beautiful, the maduro wrapper glistens with oils. The wrapper is cut a little long and folded over the end of the cigar, giving a nice burst of wrapper on the light-up. I spent the afternoon sitting in the sun thoroughly enjoying this cigar.’s deep dark, rich flavors. As I was smoking it I kept thinking that I am very happy that Gary sent me two of these torpedos and I really am looking forward to trying the other lines in the 1502 portfolio. Another darned yummy cigar!

 

Monday evening I ran across the Red Witch from the East India Trading Company arm of Gurkha. I find myself with a growing collection of Gurkha cigars where my experience with them is limited to a few lines, the Seduction being a personal favorite. I still haven’t tried the Wicked Indie, perhaps I’ll grab a couple the next time I see them. This toro sized cigar was very handsome, the Habano wrapper was quite nice. For a cigar that should set you back right around $5, this was an enjoyable smoke. the first few inches give you the impression that it’s going to be a butt-kicker, but it mellows out into a nice, smooth smoke. Gurkha has so many lines it’s dizzying, which is one of the reasons I’ve tended to steer clear, just because I can’t wrap feeble head around all the variety (much the way I feel about Rocky Patel’s cigars). I am going to make a conscious effort to pick up more of their cigars as they have proven to be well made, beautifully presented and generally tasty. Any suggestions?

 

Tuesday I got wind of an event going on at a local shop that I’ve been meaning to visit. Goose’s Tobacco Outlet is only about 15 miles from home, and I found out through the grapevine that Willy Herrera and Chris Stone from Drew Estate were doing an event there. I like to catch the Drew Estate events when I can. It gives me the opportunity to catch up with the local rep and usually score a good deal on some smokes I like. This time I was able to score another Joya de NicaraguaCabinetta lancero! I picked up a few of the Antaño Dark Corojo El Martillos and couldn’t get one lit fast enough. Delicious cigar! I ran into a couple of guys I had met at another recent event who are members, as well as Rob and Mike (?) the two DE ambassadors, one from New Jersey and one from Ohio. These guys travel considerable distances to help spread the word about cigars they love, it’s a pretty cool thing. Anyway, I got to hang out with Willy Herrera a little bit, but I got there too late, he had already stopped rolling his new Hererra Estelli cigars. I look forward to trying one when they come out in January.  The store is huge, I actually drove past it Herrera Esteli Box from the IPCPR Showonce because I was looking for a smaller place.  They have a neat walk in humidor that’s “U” shaped, and I look forward to going back to explore it further  as I said, I was late and wanted to get a cigar lit, but it looks to be well stocked.  The lounge is a Montecristo Lounge and is probably the same size as the retail area, which is enormous. I spoke with John Sr., the owner, and he gave me the grand tour, and his son, John Jr. provided excellent service in the humidor.  If you find yourself in the shadow of the Limerick Nuclear plant’s cooling towers in PA, stop in and pay Goose’s a visit.  It’s a really nice place to sit and relax with a smoke.

 

That’s all I have for this episode.  I’m off to find a good cigar to smoke while I walk the dog, or she walks me, as the case may be.  So, Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | November 3, 2012 · 8:46 am

My Visit To The New Cigars International Superstore In Hamburg, PA

Friday I took a vacation day so that I could visit the newest super store in the Cigars International empire in nearby Hamburg, PA.  My eldest son, Corey, and I drove up for the grand opening celebration. The first thing one sees when approaching the location is the Cabela’s store that sits on a hill, you can see this place for miles.  The Cabela’s is enormous.  In the shadow of Cabela’s is the newest Cigars International store.

Mike, who appeared to be the general manager, gave us a little tour of the place, along with Joe Winder, our local Perdomo rep.  He walked us through the cigar store area, pointed out the downstairs bar and lounge complete with a pool table, then took us upstairs to the second bar and lounge.  We walked around the outdoor deck and saw the view of the surrounding area.  Across the parking lot they have an amphitheatre.  He told us that they have a state of the art sound and entertainment system, if there’s a band playing in the amphitheater he can pipe it into any or all of the bars and lounges in the building.  They also have what they call the “Man O War room”, a private meeting room overlooking the store as well as a lounge dedicated to the armed forces.

Corey and I bought some cigars and sat down in a couple comfy leather chairs to enjoy a smoke and take in the surroundings.  The waitstaff is very attentive, they have waitresses moving throughout the store, inside and out, taking care of your beverage needs, and rumor has it that they have an agreement with the neighboring Red Robin restaurant where you can place an order and have it delivered in fifteen minute intervals.  Did I mention the size of the store?  You may or may not have visited the Cigars International Super Store in Bethlehem, PA, or JR‘s in New Jersey, or even Corona Cigars in Orlando.  If you haven’t, you’ve probably seen pictures or heard stories about the enormity of those stores (the JR’s in North Carolina don’t count, as the cigar stores are located inside big outlet stores with every consumer good imaginable).  This new location is easily twice the size of any of the aforementioned shops.  I’d venture to say that Corona in Orlando may have them beat in variety of cigars, they just have a ridiculous number of facings, and I can’t speak to the 2 Guys and Smoke Inn chains as I have yet to have the pleasure of visiting them.  It’s the biggest full service cigar store and lounge I’ve seen.  At 4 o’clock they had the official opening, and half of the place cleared out to get in a line outside that went clear out to the parking lot. Everyone received a gift bag with a Gurkha Beauty cigar, a $5 CI gift card, and a commemorative pint glass, which Corey and I got on the way out (prompting a return to the cashier to purchase some more cigars, clever bastards!

It was nice to hang out in a comfortable setting and have a cigar with my son for the afternoon, get a chance to hang out with Dave Lafferty of Drew Estate for a while and see Nick Perdomo again.  These pictures don’t do the place justice.

Antelope: is that Undercrown lion looking at me?

 

While there I smoked another Alec Bradley MAXX Brazil robusto that was delicious, and Corey had a Diesel Grind Robusto (I picked up a couple on his recommendation and smokedone on my evening walk, a very nice, smooth smoke!)

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | September 26, 2012 · 10:43 pm

This Week’s Cigars – Gurkha, Cuenca y Blanco and Inka

I’m trying to get back to a normal routine after my recent move and all of the videos from the trades show. I figured I’d smoke some cigars that I just wanted to smoke. Sunday was a beautiful day and after doing some moving stuff I sat down with a cigar that came from Gurkha a few months ago. This was a large torpedo with an uncut foot said to be from Mr. Hansotia’s private stock. While at the IPCPR show I named a point to visit Gurkha’s booth and introduce myself to Oliver Hyam, the marketing director, and thank him for his kindness and support over the last year. He gave me a rundown of some of their new releases, but didn’t let me drive the Rolls Royce they had parked in the booth! The new Ghost release looks really good and I’m looking forward to smoking one in the near future. Anyway, the cigar I smoked Sunday wasn’t bad, it had a little tunneling which was only a problem for about an inch in the middle. Overall, it was a nice smoke, but perhaps I had built it up in my mind more than I should have. I look forward to smoking another of these after some additional age.

 

Monday I figured it was about time to smoke the new Cuenca y Blanco Toro Supremo. For the two of you out there that don’t know, this cigar is a collaborative effort between Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca, the owner of Joya de Nicaragua, and his new Senior VP, the inimitable José Blanco. I have a personal connection to the Joya de Nicaragua factory, having visited it and being a huge fan of most of their cigars, and I have met Dr. Cuenca and José several times, so I was confident that this would be a spectacular smoke. The first half of this solidly medium bodied cigar had flavors that were reminiscent of many La Aurora cigars I’ve smoked. There’s a flavor in those cigars that I always taste, so I’m guessing the Dominican leaf in the blend may be similar to the leaf that La Aurora uses. I admit that this flavor is not one I generally gravitate toward, but the cigar was burning and drawing well, so I kept on enjoying the smoke. About halfway through that flavor that is familiar to me went away and it was just an exceptional, well balanced smoke that I enjoyed a great deal. I will try some of these in a smaller vitola when I get a chance, just to see if there’s much of a difference. Another stellar smoke from the Joya de Nicaragua factory.

Me with my amigos Blanco y Coop

 

Tuesday evening I got off to a late start, so I grabbed a smaller cigar. When we were in Orlando for the show we spent a fair amount of time with our good friend Mitchell Orchant, of C.Gars Ltd. While there, Mitch handed me a couple cigars to try with no information other than a band that says “Inka” and “Secret Blend”. There was a really small torpedo shaped cigar, perhaps 4” x 52, and a Mareva size, about 5” x 42, of which I selected the later. I was in a petit corona kind of mood. My only expectation was that it would be an excellent cigar along the lines of Mitch’s favorites, which are predominantly Cuban, given his business is selling Havana cigars. I was not disappointed, it had a nice bit of spice and power, and was exceptionally constructed. I spent about an hour with this little guy and hated to finally put it down. These are made in Peru and are really quite good! I can’t say I’ve had a Peruvian puro, if that’s in fact what these are, it’s too bad the blend is “secret”, I’d love to know what’s in there. Nice job blending these, Mitch, and I look forward to smoking that little torpedo!  I understand these are currently sold out.  If you ever get a chance to try these, give them a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Editorial

 

Many times during my ritual of listening to podcasts or reading other blogs I often find myself thinking that I could start a new site criticizing others work and it would probably be a big hit. The trouble is, everyone would then hate me and I don’t want that. I won’t start it up anonymously, so if someone runs with my idea, just know that it’s not me. I reserve the right to toss out little things here and there, like if you’re doing a review of a Dion Giolito cigar, don’t call it a Tatuaje. There are other things, but I’ll leave them for another rant. I really need to start making lists…

 

That’s it for now, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

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by | August 12, 2012 · 5:50 pm

An Almost Regular Sunday Cigar Post

Since coming back from the IPCPR show earlier in the week I’ve been working on getting some of the videos we shot during the show.  I actually haven’t been smoking a lot of cigars lately, and really didn’t smoke many while at the show!  I started getting a cold while there, and everything has tasted funny for the last week, so why bother!  I had made a decision that while I was on the show floor, I was going to abstain from smoking cigars for two reasons: first that it’s one more thing to have in my already full hands, and second, I hate walking into one persons booth with another person’s cigar, it just seems rude.

 

On the opening night I smoked an Emilio AF1 athe “Gala” dinner, followed by an Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto at their after party.  I had brought both of these cigars along with me, and they were both exceptional.  The one cigar I did smoke on Friday was a pre-release ORTSAC San Andrés robusto, which was amazing.  I’ll get more when I can because I really want to experience it without the distractions of the show. Friday night we went to the Joya de Nicaragua party which was in an enormous tent in the parking lot of one of the Corona Cigar stores.  These Corona stores are amazing places, by the way.  They are set up in a super market style, with everything out on display in rows.  I purchased a pair of the new CLE Corojo Preferidos for future enjoyment while there, and went on to enjoy a wonderful Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Lancero at the party.  I know, I should have smoked the new Cuenca y Blanco which we were there to celebrate the release of, but when the lancero calls…

 

Saturday was our last day on the show floor.  At this point I just propped myself up with various over the counter cold remedies and soldiered on.  As you can see, and will see in the coming weeks, we shot a fair amount of videos over the course of the day.  After the show closed, we visited the Toraño hospitality tent for a smoke where we ran into our friends Mitch and George.  At the hospitality tent we had our choice of the new size they were debuting at the show, the LFC, which is a 4½x60.  Charlie talks about these in the video I did with him which I posted last week. I selected an Exodus 50 years, but they also had the Vault, the Loyal and the Master.

Mitch and George with an old car that had the steering on the wrong side

From there we went to see the downtown Corona store with Mitch and George.  We sat and ordered a pizza from across the street and from someplace a Gurkha Cellar Reserve Perfecto appeared which I smoked and enjoyed. I have Mitchell to thank for that, as well as the food and drinks, he really needs to take a couple bucks for this stuff one of these days!  George gifted me a very special cigar which I will report on when I can taste again, thank you very much! I would love to have smoked it then, but it would have been criminal in the state I was in.  The volume went up on the music at Corona, so we found where I parked the car and headed back to the other Corona location for the Miami Cigar/La Aurora party in the tent.  They had a live band there, it was very loud and smokey and a lot of the party had spilled out into the driveway, which had been closed off.  Everyone seemed to be there again, many of the manufacturers, retailers and bloggers.  It was very kind of Corona Cigar Co. to host all of these fine events.  I understand the Sunday night Drew Estate event was fantastic. We packed it in around midnight, it had been a long day and we had my 18 year old son and his friend to worry about.

 

We spent Sunday at the Magic Kingdom, riding the rides and having a nice day. Monday we made the long drive home, stopping for dinner at a Waffle House in NC, just because I didn’t think it would be right to drive down and back without eating there once!  We had a great trip.  Took too few pictures, smoked too few cigars, but had a great time seeing old friends.  I have to thank my publicist/ videographer/wife for putting up with me dragging her around the show floor and helping me out along the way.

Here’s a few random pictures:

Uncle Sam getting the most of the second hand smoke!

 

Kiss My Ash Radio going live from the show floor

Fake Cubans in a little grocery in Kissimmee near our hotel. I told the girl they were fake, she didn’t care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had asked for input into what you wanted to know from the manufactures, and I’m afraid I avoided the questions about the FDA.  I did this because I really want to remain positive about it, and I thought asking what plans they have should the FDA regulate cigars would result in being told that it would shut down all but the largest players.  In retrospect, maybe having a library of videos of people saying they’d be put out of business would make a point to the government, but I didn’t really want to bring down the excitement of the show and new products.

 

Stay tuned for plenty more videos over the coming weeks.  I’ll try to pair them with smoking the samples, if my taste buds ever return to normal!  I’ve  smoked a cigar or two since getting back, but have felt that it was a waste to have done so.  I didn’t even have a cigar in the pool today!

Anyway, until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | June 13, 2012 · 6:49 pm

A Gurkha, An E-Doble, a Romeo and Some More News

Sunday my wife and I decided to take nice long walk before the heat of the day kicked in.  We needed to tire out the son’s dog, so she came along.  I grabbed a Gurkha Cellar Reserve Churchill since I wanted something reasonably mild for an early cigar, yet big enough to last the entire walk.  For some reason I have trouble walking now without a cigar!  Anyway, this is a nice enough cigar, it’s pretty big at 7″ x 54, and it’s well made.  The dog got a kick out of running into the creek, and we managed a 3 mile walk (through the park with the “no dogs” signs….oops!  what’s next, no smoking”)  I’m not a huge fan of Criollo wrappers, but I like this one enough for it to hold my interest through out the smoke.

 

After a day spent doing something other than what we had planned, I finished the day with an E-Doble from Smoke Inn.  This is such a beautiful cigar, burned perfectly even, has a terrific flavor, it’s hard to believe it’s a $50 per bundle cigar.  I can’t even begin to recall how many cigars I’ve smoked that have cost two or three times the price of this and was dissapointed by them.  Eric Espinosa (of EO Brands, 601, Murcialago, etc.) has a winner with this one.  I can see myself getting a bundle of these at some point, and I want to turn my brother-in-law on to them as well.  This is a cigar that he will enjoy, as will just about anyone especially if you don’t have a lot of cash to drop on cigars.  Really, really good. Thanks to Abe at Smoke Inn for sending me samples, I’m super impressed.

 

Monday evening my hand came out of the humidor holding a Romeo, the new offering from Altadis and Romeo y Julieta.   There are a few in the Romeo y Julieta range that I like, but most of them don’t do it for me.  This was a good cigar, the ash held for nearly half of it’s 5″ length, which I found to be impressive.  I suppose it was stronger than many cigars in the range, it wasn’t unpleasant at all, it just wasn’t really my cup of tea.  No fault to the cigar, it’s just me.  Technically it held up it’s end of the deal, it burned perfectly, and produced mouthfuls of smoke, and the wrapper was very pretty.  Try it if you get the chance, never rely on my tastes, I like Hamburger Helper for crying out loud!

 

News

 

Lot’s of news coming out recently!  Emilio Cigars had the Draig K leaving the factory at the end of the month.  The Draig K is a terrific cigar if you like a good maduro.  Gary also has the AF Suave hitting the shelves by the end of this month.  I haven’t had the opportunity to smoke this one, but it’s an Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapped cigar reportedly on the milder end of the Emilio range.

 

General Cigar has the Hoyo Reposado Box a Day Giveaway going on, the CAO Last Stick Standing promotion, as well as a Father’s Day contest on the La Gloria Cubana site.  I’ll have more on the Hoyo de Monterrey contest in the near future.  Follow the links for information on these promos.

 

Butthead’s Tobacco Emporium in Connecticut will be hosting what’s belived to be the first Virtual Cigar Workshop with José Blanco of Joya de Nicaragua on Thursday June 21.  José does an excellent presentation on cigar blending that’s a real eye opener.  He has cigars made with 4 different wrappers so one can taste how the wrapper effects the flavor of a cigar.  There’s some video and my impressions on my post from last year’s IPCPR show where I caught his blending session.  It’s a pretty cool experience and I recommend it highly. there is info available on the Butthead’s Tobacco Emporium site.

 

That’s about all I have for now, except to announce that if the winner of this month’s contest doesn’t contact me by Sunday, I may have to select another winner! I e-mailed directly, I shouldn’t have to work this hard to give stuff away!  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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