Tag Archives: hoyo de tradicion

by | May 10, 2010 · 5:22 pm

The Week in Cigars, Liga Privada Contest Winner Announcement – Monday May 10, 2010

Here’s a little recap of what I smoked over the past few days:  Friday night brought nice weather, and a Flyers playoff game that needed watching.  I lit up a ITC 10th Anniversary lonsdale for the game.  I had been looking forward to smoking this, since I really liked the Indian Tabac line when it came out.  Oddly, Rocky Patel’s cigars have been few and far between in my humidors for whatever reason and I’ve gotten away from the brand.  I know Rocky Patel is the hot ticket in the cigar world, but I just haven’t jumped on that particular bandwagon.  I admit I was expecting something different in the ITC.  I found it to be very strong and harsh, when I expected something smooth and creamy.  Maybe I just expect an elegant smoke from a cigar with two bands, I don’t know.  It burned well and after while the harshness subsided a bit, but it was still a full bodied cigar.  I’ll have to try another one sometime with the expectation that it will be a strong cigar.  It just caught me off guard and wasn’t what I was expecting or looking for at the time.  If I had done my homework I would have picked out something different.  Another thanks to Jason for the opportunity!

The rest of the weekend cigars were ones I’ve discussed here before.  Saturday’s was a very nice Chateau Real Maduro and Sunday’s was a Hoyo de Tradicion Toro.  It was really windy all weekend which reduces the enjoyability of smoking outside. These are both cigars I enjoy quite a bit, the Chateau Real for it’s coffee and cocoa and it’s excellent construction and the Hoyo for it’s mellow chocolaty flavors.

For Mother’s Day I grilled up some shrimp and salmon for my beautiful wife (who has had a rough few weeks taking care of here parents and really deserved to be taken care of  for a while).  The kids pitched in and we had no shortage of tasty food. I used the Punch Grill Box.  I picked up some mesquite chips and it seemed to work, not that there’s a whole heck of a lot that can go wrong with such a thing.  I’ll probably be using this a lot this summer.

I’m sure everyone is saying “CigarCraig, c’mon man, who won the Liga Privada Sampler?”  Well, the response was excellent and I got some really good guesses.  After I started seeing the guesses I realized that I may have a problem selecting a winner.  I decided the only way to determine a winner when no-one guessed the right numbers was to add both temperature and relative humidity together and select the winner that way.  Thanks to all who entered and I hope the new readers stick around a while.  The cooler’s hygrometer (which, incidentally, I recently found in a box and put in a fresh battery) read 62% RH and 66°F for a total of 128.  The closest guess was 65% and 67° for a total of 132 by Joel Scott.  Congratulations and please e-mail your snaily so I can mail this beautiful box of Liga Privada No.9 cigars out to you.  Remember the rule:  If you enter a contest, you have to take the prize!

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

CigarCraig

(go Flyers!)

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by | April 30, 2010 · 6:26 pm

This Weeks Cigars: Oliva Connecticut Reserve and Vegas de Santiago – Thursday April 29, 2010

Wednesday evening I dug into the Jason of Rock’s Smoke Shop stash again and grabbed an Oliva Connecticut Reserve Toro.  I didn’t see any info on Oliva’s website, and I was too darned lazy to Google further, so I dropped a Tweet and received this information from David Wagner, the National Sales Manager for Oliva:

“the Oliva CT Reserve was released last year. It’s an Ecuador grown CT Shade wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers.”

The cigar was beautiful, the Ecuador Connecticut Shade wrapper was golden and flawless.  It started out with very dry woody flavors.  It was a very nice medium bodied cigar, that went from dry to a bit creamy.  I liked it.  I have to admit to a bit of carelessness though.  I set the cigar on the corner of the ice machine when I went into the convenience store, which I do all the time, and when I came out the cigar had fallen from it’s perch!  It suffered some slight wrapper damage, but recovered nicely. It burned through the damage as if it wasn’t there, maintaining a razor straight burn the entire time.  Definitely a well made cigar.  If you like the Connecticut shade wrapper, this is a good cigar to try, it has the flavor one would expect from the wrapper, but there’s more substance to it than some other shade wrapped cigars.

Thursday I received a couple cigars from reader and former contest winner DJ.  The cigars were from Vegas de Santiago, a Costa Rican cigar maker whom I’ve worked with before on a couple of events my wife and I have hosted, but actually haven’t really smoked many of their cigars!  DJ sent a couple of  Don Luis “Secretos del Maestro”. One was a 6″ x 60, which I chose to smoke instead of trying to fit it into the humidor. Very nice looking cigars, the band on the 60 ring cigar actually had a little strip of white paper bridging the gap between the ends of the band.  The manufacturer says that these are two of their best sellers.  Here’s the blurb from Vegas de Santiago:

“VdS Don Luis our “Secretos del Maestro” – (*Trade Marked Black & Gold Band).
(Very Special and Top of the Line) A cigar we created, in memory of our late Cuban master, Don Luis Santana Lamas.Filler from selected and specially cured tobaccos… from  Costa Rica , Binder from the Caribe and Central America and a Connecticut wrapper from Ecuador .”

While not a huge fan of large ring cigars, this one was very flavorful and behaved fairly well.  I got a taste off the wrapper pre-light that was really good, and I usually don’t notice wrapper flavor. This is billed as a double ligero cigar, but it wasn’t the powerhouse that that description would imply.  I found it to be medium bodied, it started out fairly mellow and well balanced.  By the time I was ready to put it down it was developing an acidic flavor.  I’m looking forward to smoking the 6″ x 52 Canionazo and comparing it to it’s large ring brother. In the information I received from Vegas de Santiago, they also produce this blend with an oscuro wrapper, which sounds pretty interesting.  As I alluded to above, VdS has been quite generous in the past in their sponsorship of various events I’ve either held or been a part of.  They are a nice bunch of folks who produce some very nice cigars that are fairly priced.

A big thank you to DJ for sharing these cigars with me and for his participation and interest in the nonsense I frequently spew here.  I appreciate the thought and the chance to enjoy these cigars. Thanks also (again) to Jason for supplying me with a nice supply of cigars to smoke and review!  Variety is indeed the spice of life and I’ve been fortunate to have a great variety of cigars to smoke.

I sent out a five-pack of Hoyo de Tradicion Toros to Chris McCann who was kind enough to send his address after he won my last contest.  I hate to do it, but if I don’t hear from “Wallaper” by this weekend I’m going to have to select another winner.  I had mentioned when I posted the contest video that after shooting, one of the other cats started mauling one of the cards.  I held this particular card for just such an occasion.  One of the unwritten rules here is that if you enter a contest you run the risk of winning it and having to collect the prize!  Sorry, I didn’t make up that rule, I just enforce it.  Must be of legal age and must take the prize. I don’t ask much!  I’ll be announcing the May contest very soon, and it will be a really good prize!

That’s it for now, have a great weekend!

CigarCraig

Update:  I received an e-mail with an address for Brian (aka wallaper) and his cap and cutter are going out tomorrow.  Thanks!

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by | April 26, 2010 · 6:49 pm

CigarCraig Contest Winners! Please Send Snailies! – Monday April 26, 2010

It sure is hard to give stuff away these days!  I’m still waiting to hear from the winner of the Drew Estate Cap and Liga Privada Cutter contest.  “Wallaper” please send me your address so I can mail your prizes!  I love giving stuff away, but it’s so much easier to do when I have a mailing address!

I received a package in the mail today with the Punch smoker box that I mentioned in my last post.  This is a real nice presentation, the box itself must weigh two pounds and it’s very well made.  It has a instructions for use and a guide to choosing what wood produces certain flavors.  The four cigars look tasty and were certainly well protected by the stainless steel box.  I’ll try this out on the grill one of these days, although I’m not sure how much hamburgers and hot dogs will benefit!  These are in stores now.   I love Punch cigars, and have been looking forward to trying the Uppercut.

I did throw out a quick contest in my last post, didn’t I?   A 5 pack of Hoyo de Tradicion Toros will be finding it’s way to Chris  McCann, provided he will send me his address!   Don’t make me hunt you down!!  A big thanks to General Cigar for making this possible.

That’s about enough shilling for now!  Next month will feature another excellent cigar give-away, so stay tuned.  Also, I have a bunch of nice cigars I’m looking forward to smoking and talking about here.

Until the next cigar,

CigarCraig

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by | April 23, 2010 · 9:16 pm

This Week’s Cigars: Puros Indios Viejo and Cain F, and a Contest! – Friday April 23, 2010

I started out the week with another cigar from my buddy Jason at Rock’s Smoke Shop, a Puros Indios Viejo Rothchild.  I really enjoyed this cigar.  It burned well, produced a nice amount of smoke and had a pleasant flavor.  Purely coincidence that I should receive an e-mail from Cigars International advertising these for as little as $19.99 for a bundle of 20 in the corona size, and $29.99 for the toro and Churchill size.  Quite a nice deal for a decent cigar if one were in the market.

I ended the week with a Cain F 550.  I admit to being a bit fearful of this cigar.  It’s billed as a stronger version of the Cain, which I’ve enjoyed the flavors of, but these seem to make me a little queezy.  The Cain F was no different.  I nursed this cigar, smoking it slowly.  It burned razor straight, the draw was perfect, and it had a great flavor.  I thought I was OK, but a half hour after finishing I got the familiar queeziness.  It’s a little annoying to enjoy a cigar so much only to have it make you feel crappy afterward.  Sorry Sam, you make some great cigars, but I will be approaching these with extreme caution in the future.  I have a pretty good tolerance for strong cigars, but these just kick me in the tail!

In the news

This has been reported to death, but in case you didn’t hear, General Cigar announced a promotion in conjunction with CharBroil, The Punch “King of the Deck” .  From the press release:

Consumers of legal smoking age are encouraged to visit their local cigar shop to purchase a Punch-branded steel smoker box while supplies last. Inside the smoker box, cigar enthusiasts will find one each of the following cigars: Punch Magnum, Punch Gran Puro Rancho, Punch Rare Corojo Magnum, plus the new Punch Upper Cut Robusto which is included free. In addition, the smoker box contains a coupon that can be redeemed online at www.charbroil.com for $100 off the purchase of a new Char-Broil grill valued at $399 and above. For the suggested retail price of just $19.99, this special offer also boasts the added benefit of the smoker box itself which, along with wood chips, can be used to add a rich, smoky flavor to the cigar lover’s favorite grilled foods.

Check out the website http://www.punchgrilling.com/ for some nice recipes and cigar pairings.  Kind of a neat approach to matching cigars and grilling.

While I was having a cigar this evening I was listening to the Stogiefresh podcast, which I enjoy every week.  Doc debuted a new segment featuring Adam Estrrem of  the Newbie Cigar Blog, which I also peruse.  The segment is called “Tools of the Trade” and reviews accessories.  He reviewed a Xikar lighter and did a nice job, however I feel the need to point out a thought I had.  He mentioned “wind proof” lighters and being able to blow them out. Here’s my thought:  wind is basically oxygen moving at a higher than normal velocity.  When you blow on a flame, you are basically expelling carbon dioxide which robs the flame of oxygen.  It’s my contention that one’s breath will extinguish the most robust torch flame.  I point this out to educate, not as a criticism, and  hope it’s received as such.  I’m not a scientist, so any scientific evidence to the contrary is gratefully accepted.

As I wait to hear from the winner of the last contest, I’ll throw another quick contest out:  a 5 pack of Hoyo de Tradicion Toros will go to a randomly selected reader who comments on this post.  Thanks to  General Cigars for providing the cigars! Contest ends Sunday April 25 at Midnight.

Until the next cigar,

CigarCraig

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by | April 14, 2010 · 6:02 pm

Mid-week Cigar musings, Hoyo de Tradicion – Wednesday April 14, 2010

Last week I received an e-mail out of the blue from Victoria McKee Jaworski, the Director of Public Relations for General Cigar, asking me if she could put me on her mailing list.  Of course I said “heck yeah”, and sent her the requested information.  Monday a package shows up containing a very nice box of Hoyo de Tradicion Toros.  I smoked one last night and it was a fine cigar, burned straight, didn’t give me any trouble, and had some very nice flavors. Here’s some information from the press release:

Hoyo de Tradición™ pays homage to Hoyo de Monterrey’s time-honored taste in a new expression made of proprietary tobaccos from the world’s most revered growing regions.

According to Modesta Fondeur, executive vice president of tobacco and operations, “Born of volcanic soil into a pedigree of tobacco exclusive to General Cigar, Hoyo de Tradición’s blend consists of hand-selected Honduran San Agustin, and Dominican Piloto Cubano leaves, which are married to Nicaraguan tobacco from the remote island of Ometepe.  Bound with a robust Habano leaf from Connecticut, Hoyo de Tradición is adorned with a Honduran Jamastran Viso Rosado wrapper.”

Rick Chandler, the brand’s director of marketing remarks, “In Hoyo de Tradición, we have developed a cigar that respects Hoyo de Monterrey’s inherent natural sweetness and aroma, while creating a unique new tradition unto its own.  A medium-bodied offering that emphasizes and embellishes Hoyo’s traditional taste profile, Hoyo de Tradición is poised to take its place among the most established cigar brands. We feel that the line will be readily adopted into the smoking repertoires of today’s aficionado.”

I don’t typically smoke a cigar right off the truck, but these looked so good I had to try one.  These will, no doubt, improve with age.  Keep an eye out for these in future contests, I want to spread the wealth!

In the News:

Last time I pointed out the article in Parade Magazine, this time I’m pointing you toward an article on Forbes site that actually takes the stance that other tobacco products, while not safe, are safer alternatives to cigarettes and should be promoted as such.  It’s refreshing to see a major media outlet defending non-cigarette tobacco products.  Here’s the link:  http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0426/opinions-steve-forbes-fact-comment-what-are-zealots-inhaling.html?partner=email.

Also, for the Pennsylvania readers, I just received an e-mail from Dave Mayer,  the proprietor of Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop in Havertown, PA,  announcing that their new store will include one of two Liga Privada lounges. The other Lounge will be across the state at Leaning House Fine Cigars in the Pittsburgh area.  I look forward to visiting the new store when it opens and seeing the new lounge.  I’m sure it will be as good as it’s namesake.

Speaking of Drew Estate, the current contest closes Saturday, and I’ll be announcing the winner on Sunday.  If you haven’t entered already, leave a reply to the contest posts (here) to enter to win a cool DE cap and a Liga Privada cutter.

Until the next cigar,

CigarCraig

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