Tag Archives: holt’s

by | June 19, 2016 · 9:15 am

A La Aroma de Cuba, Serino Cigars and Cornelius & Anthony’s Daddy Mac

Happy Father’s Day! I have a special cigar lined up for later, it’s been a tradition since esperanza2000 that I  smoke an Esperanza para los Niños every year. I’ve written about this cigar before, long story short, it was made by Christian Eiroa in 1998 to benefit the children orphaned by Hurricane Mitch, and was pretty much blended by and for members of the Usenet group alt.smokers.cigars. I still have a few left, one from a box I bought and some from the generosity of my friend Mike. Of course, this week I started a new job, which has occupied my thoughts, but I was able to enjoy some great cigars.

 

LaAromaDe Cuba_NoblesseTuesday I posted the great contest sponsored by Holt’s, and I went looking for a La Aroma de Cuba and the only one  found was a Noblesse which was a birthday gift from Will Cooper a few years ago.  He shouldn’t have, but he did and I quite enjoyed this cigar. The Noblesse is the top of the line La Aroma de Cuba, it’s got a Habano rosado wrapper, a double binder consisting of Habano and Criollo, and an aged selection of filler tobaccos from the Garcia family’s farms in the growing regions of Estelí, Jalapa and Namanji (which is about a 45 minute drive east of Esteli). It comes in a 6½” x  toro and they only made 3000 x 24 count boxes in total. I found this to be an exceptional smoke, perfect construction and subtle and refined flavors from the well aged tobaccos, it had some sweetness and some spice, a really nice cigar.

 

SerinoRoyale_Maduro_BelicosoWednesday I dug into a sampler from Serino Cigars. The Serino Royale line is available in four blends, three of which I will talk about today (I didn’t get to the Medio blend, which is a Ecuador Habano Claro wrapped cigar). The cigars are made by Omar Gonzalez Alemán, who was the master blender at Cuba’s Partagas and La Corona Factories before starting the La Corona factory in Esteli (which may sound familiar as the factory that works which Hirochi Robaina, from what I recall). I started with the cigar that probably would have been the second cigar I chose, but the interesting size swayed me and fit the circumstance better. The Serino Royale Maduro in the Belicoso size is a 5½” x 60 figurado with a dark and oily Ecuador Habano Oscuro wrapper.  This was a great smoke with some of the dark chocolate and coffee flavors I like. I’d smoke this again.

 

SerinoRoyale_Connecticut_TorpedoThursday I went with the Connecticut Torpedo in the Serino Royale line. This is a classic 6 1/8″ x 52 torpedo with a Ecuador shade grown Connecticut wrapper. This medium bodied smoke was, once again, perfectly constructed and had fairly typical nutty, mellow flavors, but there was a lot of flavor so it was a very satisfying and enjoyable smoke. The entire range in the Serino Royale line has Jalapa binders and five years aged fillers from Omar Gonzalez Alemán’s own farms, and have been aging in La Corona’s aging rooms since 2014, and the age is apparent in the combustion and flavor of the cigars. These all seem to run in the $12-$13 area, so they are no cheap date, but worthy cigars none the less.

 

CorneliusandAnthony_DaddyMac_ToroFriday I took a break from the Serino line to enjoy a Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac Gordo. I’ve smoked a couple of these in the toro and gordo sizes and these appear to be another great cigar out of the La Zona factory. Actually, last Sunday I enjoyed a Cornelius & Anthony Cornelius toro again, but you can refer back to my past post about that great cigar. the Daddy Mac line has a Brazilian wrapper, Ecuador  binder and Nicaraguan fillers. As with all cigars from La Zona, the construction was right, the burn was right and it was a great smoke. I thought it was fairly chocolaty with some sweetness like a dried fruit and a little twinge of pepper. I have a couple of the smaller sizes in this line yet to smoke, but the 6″ x 60 Gordo was a very nice smoke. I look forward to catching up with the Cornelius & Anthony folks at the IPCPR show. I gotta say, I love the colors in the bands on these cigars.

 

SerinoRoyale_MaduroXX_SublimeWrapping up the smokes for the week was the Serino Royale I would have led off with under normal circumstances, the Maduro XX Sublime (6¼”x54). Once again, this is wrapped in a Habano 2000 Oscuro from Ecuador and is a fuller bodied blend of the Maduro from earlier in the week. After spending the day painting ceilings (vaulted, no less), this was a great way to end the day. The Serino Royale Maduro XX is a strong cigar with great flavors of espresso and cocoa. While it was strong, it was fairy well-balanced, which is a good thing. This is a cigar I’ll be looking for more of. Carson Serino, the VP of Serino Cigars sent me a nice letter and pricelist along with the sampler, which was presented very nicely in a classy cardboard box, which was very helpful, considering they don’t seem to have a website to refer to. I can make the same complaint about Cornelius & Anthony, but at least they have a “coming soon” page. I also will have to find Serino Cigars at the show and ask them to explain the “20th Anniversary” on the packaging, there’s nothing I could find explaining that. These are very good smokes, although a bit pricy, but we better get used to that.

 

Contest Winner

Thanks again to the folks at Holt’s for providing the great La Aroma/San Cristobal ’92-95′ Rated Assortment for this week’s contest! If you get to Philly stop in to their shop and hang out for a bit. They have a nice lounge in the back (and Ashton Cigar Bar is upstairs). Whenever I get in there I am overwhelmed with the selection, and generally walk out with way more cigars than I need. I think they always run a “buy 5, get one free” thing, so that gets me in trouble. Thanks to Lexi there for putting this together. I’ve selected a winner at random and will need Allinton /wattley to send me an address to pass on to Holt’s.  Thanks to all who entered and stay tuned for the next contest (probably won’t be quite as close together as the last two).

 

That’s all for today. Yesterday was the ceiling, today is the floor, followed by the Esparanza and we’ll see what else! Also, check out the special Bobalu Cigars is offering our readers for a limited time!  Until the next time,

 

Cigar Craig

 

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by | June 14, 2016 · 9:09 pm

Father’s Day Cigar Contest Courtesy of Holt’s Cigar Company

OK, I still haven’t delivered the last contest winnings to Tim, who ended up being local to me. I’m a slug, I need to plan to meet up with him, I might have to put it in the mail to get it to him so he doesn’t think I’m a bad blogger! This week’s contest solves that problem as Holt’s Cigar Company will ship the present to the lucky winner.  For Father’s day, they have been featuring a whole bunch of specials (here), so even if you aren’t the winner, you can be by visiting and picking something nice up for your dad, or for yourself! They have lots of great samplers and gifts for every budget and palate, and I’ve always enjoyed excellent service from them, going back nearly two decades both mail order and in their Philadelphia store.
Holt’s has generously offered their La Aroma/San Cristobal ’92-95′ Rated Assortment. This sampler includes 1 – La Aroma de Cuba Robusto (5.25 X 54), 1 – La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Belicoso (5.5 X 54), 1 – La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Maximo (5.5 X 54), 1 – San Cristobal Monumento (7.25 X 49) and 1 – San Cristobal Revelation Legend (6.25 X 52)  I happen to enjoy these lines myself quite a bit, they are made in Esteli, Nicaragua by legendary cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia. What a great assortment!  Thanks to Lexi at Holt’s for providing this wonderful prize!

 

Rules are the same as always, if you’ve won recently, give everyone else a chance, and you must be of legal age to purchase tobacco in your jurisdiction. Leave a comment to enter, one per person, and only comments on this blog post count. I’ll select a winner at random on Sunday, June 19, 2016, which happens to be Father’s Day. The winner will need to send me their information so I can pass it on to the folks at Holt’s.  Good Luck!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | March 16, 2016 · 9:24 pm

Old Henry Best In Show Sampler from Holt’s Cigar Company

OldHenryBestInShowI’ve seen a couple of my fellow blogger types mention this brand lately, but I’m going to give my spin on the contents of this very nice and affordable sampler from Holt’s Cigar Company in nearby Philadelphia. The Old Henry brand has been around for a long time, I have seen them on the shelf at the Holt’s store when I’ve visited, but never paid any attention to the brand until they generously sent me the sampler to try.  I always knew they were made by Don Pepin Garcia, and I knew they paid homage to Old Henry the bulldog who used to hang around the shop. I’ve developed an affinity for the bully breeds in the last few years, and, after smoking through the sampler I realty appreciate the opportunity to try them. I will make a bee-line to this shelf the next time I’m in the store.

 

OldHenry_Maduro_ToroGuess which one I tried first?  If you’ve been reading this site any amount of time you’ll be able to guess that I went with the Old Henry Maduro Toro first.  This was my Sunday cigar, and it was a very good smoke. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that is dark and oily and quite attractive.  It was on the lighter side of full-bodied, with a rich, sweet maduro flavor. This will probably be the one I grab a handful of, as it was my favorite of the bunch. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the others, but the maduro tickled my taste buds the most.  This wet the bar pretty high for the coming days.

 

OldHenry_PureBreed_ToroMonday I selected the Old Henry Pure Breed, their small batch member of the line. These are a little more expensive than the rest of the line, but not by much. They come 20 in a box where the rest are boxed in traditional 25s. The Pure Breed has a “Oscuro Grade” Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, and, like the rest of the line, has Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This was nice, smooth, elegant cigar, with plenty of flavors of nuts and spice. It was quite an impressive cigar, and, like the rest, burned quite nicely.

 

OldHenry_ToroTuesday evening, after an early morning root canal which was no big deal, I went with the original Authentic Corojo wrapped Old Henry. As most will know, my regular cigar routine includes taking our three-legged Pitbull, Macha, for an after diner walk, which gets both of us the exercise we need.  It was a beautiful evening, so we got about three and a half miles in, which is a good mile or so more than usual. This cigar was quite nice for the walk, solidly medium, with nice, savory flavor.  I did have to relight a couple of times, but that was more about me not paying enough attention to it. I also thought I tasted some clove, but I remembered that there was some sort of clove oil used in the dental procedure, so I wouldn’t go looking for that, unless you smoke one after having a root canal.

 

OldHenry_GoldLabel_ToroFinally, tonight I smoked the Old Henry Gold Label, the Connecticut wrapped member of the pack. I assume that it’s Ecuador Connecticut, based on the price-point and flavor. While this wasn’t my favorite in the line (remember, the bar was set pretty high with the Maduro and Pure Breed), it was a very nice, medium bodied cigar with a nice creamy flavor with enough spice to keep it interesting. Something I appreciated with all the cigars was the ease with which the bands came off, something I find consistent across Don Pepin’s offerings. This isn’t really important except that when the bands come off easy it minimizes the risk of wrapper damage.

 

Once again, my thanks to the folks at Holt’s for sharing this excellent, low-priced, yet high quality line of cigars with me so that I could share the experience with you. I truly enjoyed all four of these puppies. If Old Henry looked anything like the image on the bands, he was a handsome fellow, and to be memorialized with a cigar brand he must have been quite a terrific pooch.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | June 14, 2015 · 8:23 am

Fratello Cigars, a Room 101, A Vega Fina Do-over, and a Fuente at Holts

Fratello_H-TownWelcome to another week of cigar stories!  I started off the week with a couple cigars from Fratello Cigars, a Robusto and the H-Town Lancero. The Lancero came first. This cigar is exclusive to Stogies World Class Cigars in Houston (check the ad in the left sidebar for a discount code!). Stogies has a series of store exclusive lanceros from several notable manufacturers and the Fratello joined the ranks earlier this year. I followed the Lancero with the robusto to get a sense of what might have been different. They both share a woody spice, probably due to the Peruvian leaf. The Lancero is a bit milder because of the lack of Ligero in the blend. Both cigars are loaded with flavor and burn perfectly. Omar is a terrific guy, very passionate and charismatic. If you get the chance to hang out with him and smoke his cigars, jump on it. Stay tuned for more on the H-town series as I will be probably working through the line up this week.

 
Room101_NamakubiEcuador_RanflaMidweek I selected a Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador Ranfla from the humidor. I bought this cigar a couple of years ago at an event at a local shop with Matt Booth in attendance. I still hesitate to spend $10 on a single cigar, but I apparently did it due to the price sticker on the paper sleeve. I suppose when Matt tells you should buy that cigar, you listen. Every time I smoke a Room 101 cigar I have to bitch about the same thing: finding information on a website. Davidoff has made such a huge push in the last couple years you’d think it would be easier to find solid info. What is mystifying to me is that there is conflicting information on retail websites as well as reputable blog sites. I measured the cigar at 6½ inches and many sources list the Ranfla at 5½. Seems odd that a well oiled machine like Davidoff wouldn’t provide the right information to retailers (an easy to find website would help!) I wasted too much time searching for info on this cigar, and bitch about it! It was a very tasty cigar, the salamone shape is cool and the cigar worked as it was supposed to.

 
VegaFinaNicaragua_Gran ToroI picked up another of the Vega Fina Nicaragua Gran Toro for one of my evening walks. A couple of weeks ago I put one of these down about two inches in because it pissed me off. This one burned great, I’m thinking over humidification was the problem.  Now that I’ve had a chance to smoke the cigar properly I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s on the milder side for a Nicaraguan, or maybe “smooth” is a better description.  It was a good cigar, not great, or really distinctive, but solid in flavor and balance.  While there wasn’t really anything that grabbed me by the collar and shook me around, it would make a good cigar to keep on hand for newbies, or the occasional smoker. I don’t think it was priced unreasonably (or I wouldn’t have picked some up I’m pretty sure!), so you could certainly do worse. There are other cigars in the Altadis portfolio that I would reach for before this one, but it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye.

 

HoltsYesterday was a pretty good day for my wife and I.  My wife had received a very generous gift from a friend for a Beatles themed massage at a salon in Center City Philadelphia (she has a Beatles blog at Beatles-Freak.com), which just happened to be directly across the street from Holt’s Cigars.  So I was forced to sit around a cigar shop while waiting for her to get her hour-and-a-half massage. Tough, I know. I picked up a few cigars at Holt’s, although they didn’t have the couple specific cigars I was looking for, much to my surprise. I grabbed some Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signatures in maduro, just because I like them, and you don’t see them everywhere, especially priced at $7.65 each. I also grabbed a few RoMaCraft Cromagnon Mode 5, since I’ve heard good things about them. I sat down in the empty lounge in the rear of the hemingwayshop and lit up one of the Hemingway maduros. I love that gnarly broadleaf wrapper on that cigar. Don’t get me wrong, the Cameroon wrapper on the regular line is great, as I said, you don’t see the maduros all the time and I’ve got a soft spot for the maduros!! I had a great time conversing with a travelling gentleman (Vince? I’m terrible with names!) who was visiting from South Carolina, once again proving that you can always find a friend at a cigar shop, whether you are there for the first time or a regular.  That Signature was great down to a half-inch nub, and went real well with the espresso we were offered by a staff member.  After both my wife and I were done with our “treatments”, we walked a block away to Alma de Cuba for dinner. No smoking at this “modern Latin cuisine” restaurant.  One of the highlights was an appetizer of dates, wrapped in bacon with an almond and blue cheese, which was an orgiastic ashtonfeast of the senses. The service was spectacular, the Cafe Cubano was pretty good, and the food was a flavor explosion, almost overwhelming.  Quite the spot if you find yourself in Philly, but you’ll have to head to Ashton Cigar Bar for after dinner smokes (which we did not do). I should have poked my head in the door while I was there, but I didn’t, something for another time. It’s directly above Holt’s.  So it was a great night out, we each got to do “our” things, and then had a nice dinner.

 

That about does it for today, time to get some things done around the house so I can relax with a fine cigar later! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | February 22, 2012 · 6:21 pm

A Few Cigars: A Romeo y Julieta, a Brun del Re and a Humo Jaguar

I got into a little pattern last week while working on my last article, and decided I needed some diversity.  I’ve been working my way around the cigar making countries this week, so here’s a look at some of the cigars I’ve smoked and the circumstances surrounding them.

 

Sunday was my youngest son’s 18th birthday, and for months he’s been telling me that we were going to smoke a cigar together to mark the occasion.  Since his older brother’s first cigar at 18 was a Romeo y Julieta Coronitas, I figured that would be the fairest choice.  I had purchased a box of these almost 5 years ago to smoke and share at my daughter’s wedding, and they went over very well.  It’s not a large cigar, and it’s interesting enough to satisfy the newbie and experienced smoker alike.  I hadn’t smoked one in a very long time so I joined my son on the back deck for his first cigar.  We had originally planned to go to the Cozy Hookah and Cigar Lounge in nearby West Chester to have a relaxing smoke indoors, but when we got there it wasn’t open.  Fortunately it wasn’t bitterly cold so we took the heater out and fired up.  It went well.  Christian enjoyed the cigar, and didn’t turn plaid like his brother had years before. 🙂

 

The next night, eager to try out all of the little things that come with turning 18, my son wanted to buy a lottery ticket.  He had stopped in to the local cigar shop, JMs Cigars, and purchased a little Arturo Fuente, it looked like a maduro Exquisito to me.  I grabbed a Brun del Re Colonial Robusto from the IPCPR show and the three of us (oldest son, Corey, included) took the walk to the convenience store.  I was hesitant, yet currious about the Brun del Re, my first experience with the Don Corazza line was less than fulfilling. I needed to mix things up a little, so I figured what the heck.  The cigar has a nice dark Costa Rican maduro wrapper and a mix of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan fillers.  I think the Indonesian binder takes a little away from an otherwise nice cigar, but that’s just me and my bias against Indonesian tobacco. All in all it was an enjoyable smoke.  Enough different flavors to be interesting and very well made.  I still have a couple of thier other lines to smoke, I’m looking forward to sampling them.

 

Today we had one of those rare February days where temps approach the 60s, so I’m typing this while enjoying a Humo Jaguar Gigante that was a gift from my friend Barry Stein, formerly of ACigarSmoker.com, presently of Miami Cigar and Co.  This line came out of the cigar festival of the same name which was held last February in Honduras.  The word on the street is that all of the Honduran cigar makers submitted blends in a sort of Miss Honduran Cigar contest, and this was the winner.  It seems to me there is some disagreement over who actually won, but this is the cigar with the Humo Jaguar name, and it’s the one I’m smoking now, so I don’t care.  This is a 6″ x 60 monster with a nice, dark Honduran Oscuro wrapper.  I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I’m getting is a really nice cigar!  Rich flavor, perfect draw and burn, and some subtle little flavors that make me raise the occasional eyebrow and say “hmmmm….nice!”  I’m only half way though, but I feel confident in recommending this cigar, and deeply appreciate the opportunity to try it.  I’ll be picking some more of these up in the future.

 

News

It’s a bit of  good news/bad news for those of us in the Philadelphia area.  As reported in last Thursday’s Philadelphia Inquirer:

Center City cigar lounge Mahogany on Walnut (1524 Walnut) will be closing its doors Feb. 29.

Owner Tom Piazza, who opened the bar in 1997 says he’s been operating without a lease since August and that Holt’s Cigar Company, the store downstairs, doesn’t want to renew it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who came in while governor of California, is among the many famous faces who have enjoyed a smoke at the old-fashioned lounge.

Piazza says he hopes to soon open a new location “Within a four block radius.”

“I have some of the most unbelievably loyal patrons,” Piazza said. “I feel horrible for those people. They’re apologizing to me, but I feel bad for them, that I let them down,” said Piazza, noting that the bar survived two smoking bans and two recessions.

Holt’s declined comment on not renewing the lease or its plans for the space.

UPDATED Feb. 18:

Holt’s President Robert Levin got back to me Saturday to say that after Mahogany closes, the space will “Be totally renovated and rebuilt,” and re-open in 5 to 6 months as The Ashton Cigar Bar named after the popular cigar brand Holt’s owns. Levin says the bar will have an updated HVAC system and walk-in humidor

So the bad news is that Mahogany over top of Holt’s is closing, a place many of us have stopped in to enjoy a smoke or two with friends over the years.  The good news, I suppose, is that downtown Philly will soon have two cigar bars!  It will be very interesting to see what Holt’s does with the existing space on Walnut Street, and where Tom Piazza will open his new place.

 

That’s all I have for tonight, now I’m going to get back to this tasty Humo Jaguar!  Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

 

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