Tag Archives: JR Cigars

by | March 24, 2024 · 9:59 am

Some Boneshaker Cigars from JR Cigars

This post, and the next couple that follow, are something a little bit different for me.  The folks at JR Cigars shared line samplers of three of their Boneshaker brand cigars, and I have been looking forward to trying them.  I started out with the Boneshaker line, what I assume is the original.  These are made at NACSA, the factory that makes some really great cigars, Mi Querida, Patina and Dapper come immediately to mind.  They also crank out a ton of bundle cigars for JR, who I believe has an ownership interest, along with the Oliva tobacco company.  I’ve been a fan of this factory’s work, which is one reason I was looking forward to these.  The Boneshaker has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  These top out around $4 each, making them an exceptional bargain (five packs seems to be the way to buy, oddly enough). Any links included here are affiliate links, so I’ll get a little juice off of any sales (still waiting for this to happen!).  I started with the largest in the range, the Boneshaker War Hammer.  This is 6″ x 60.  They very nicely kept the vitola names standard across the various lines, more on that later.  This cigar starts with a strong pepper spice, and has a long finish. I think the larger ring tempered the strength a little, as this wasn’t as strong as I was led to believe. It’s still a powerhouse!  

 

Next I smoked the Boneshaker Maul, which is the 6″ x 54 toro.  This one might have been the strongest of the four, with the pepper tingle being nearly off putting.  Naturally, I soldiered on, and really enjoyed the cigar. These have a nice Broadleaf sweetness once you acclimate to the pepper. There’s also a tobacco in the blend that has a cloying effect, like when you eat licorice and it coats your tongue.  So far, this line has a unique flavor that I’m enjoying.  I’m oddly drawn to the band, I’m not generally a skull and bones fan, but it reminds me of another brand I’m fond of. 

 

Saturday afternoon I sat on the porch and watched the first period of the Flyers game with the 4½” x 60 Boneshaker Mace.  This started out with a hint of sourness, along with that licorice-like mouth coating feeling.  This might be the strongest in flavor of the bunch.  It’s amazing how an inch and a half difference changes the overall experience.  Still a powerhouse, loads of flavor.  Might be my favorite of the line.  I can’t help but draw some parallels to JR’s competitor’s house brand (which also has lines in national distribution). As I look a little further, it looks like the Boneshaker brand is available in distribution, so you might find them in your local shop.  

 

Finally, I smoked the Boneshaker Morning Star, with is a 5″ x 56 torpedo, or maybe belicoso. Let’s call it a figurado.  I enjoyed this cigar too! Again, these have a uniqueness to them. It’s almost like it’s enhanced in some way to make it stand out from others (thinking like pipe tobacco is cased, perhaps they use something in the water). I don’t think there’s anything more than tasty tobacco though, and I like it.  I wasn’t overwhelmed with nicotine strength on any of these,  they just hit me right.  I like this line and  look forward to trying the Full Body Cast and Boneyard versions.  In the Boneyard line, they seem to have strayed from the sizes, the Maul is a 6″ x50, and the Morning Star is a 6″ x 52 torpedo.  I find this interesting because they come from the same factory. I suppose I’ll smoke the Full Body Cast this week so when I mention the size thing with the Boneyard it won’t seem so repetitive.  To recap, I think my order of preference is Mace, Warhammer, Morning Star and Maul, which is weird because the Toro is my preferred size.

 

A lot of my friends and colleagues are in Vegas right now for the PCA show. I hope to make it back next year when it’s in New Orleans and in April. This year it just didn’t make sense.  Please use my affiliate links if you shop at JR or Cigars.com so that I can stay in a hotel when I go!  That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | February 13, 2024 · 9:17 pm

Crowned Heads Mother Church a JR Cigars Exclusive and a Contest

Mother Church is a nickname for Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium, the “Mother Church of Country Music”, and it’s the name of an exclusive cigar by Crowned Heads for JR Cigars.  This is a Churchill, I just got it…Church…Churchill?  andyway, I like Churchills a lot. It seems like maybe the wrong time of year for large cigars in the Northeast, but I have the time and a warm enough smoking area, so I’m good with taking an hour and a half or so for a smoke.  The Mother Church is 7″ x 48, has an Ecuador Corojo wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and Nicaraguan fillers, made in the Pichardo factory in Nicaragua. 

 

 

I found this to be a woody and nutty cigar, I didn’t get any real sweetness, but there were some mild spices here and there.  The burn and draw were excellent, it was a very well made cigar.  I’d like to share some of these with someone, so let’s have a giveaway!  I have a five pack of Mother Church, and I’ll add five other cigars to go with them for a total of ten cigars.  Usual CigarCraig rules apply, leave a comment on this post to enter, you must be 21 or older to be eligible, and I’ll select a winner on Sunday, February 18.  The links in this post are affiliate links, any purchases thought those links may put a couple dollars towards my expenses! 

 

That’s all for today, until tomorrow, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | November 26, 2023 · 9:57 am

A Drew Estate Nightshade and a Few Lampert Cigars

Thanksgiving is behind us and we have Christmas and Hanukkah to look forward to, then New Years and we can start this whole mess all over again!  As we’ve done for the past few years, I’ve started a CigarCraig Secret Santa through Elfster.  You can go HERE to sign up.  It’s a simple $40 minimum, send what you like. I send without expectation, it isn’t a trade, I look at it as gifting, I don’t worry about getting!  I think that’s the most healthy way to go into these things.  So far there are 7 people signed up, let’s get a bunch of people this year!  I also have some of the usual holiday giveaways planned, so stay tuned! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend!

 

I smoked a few new cigars this weekend, one wasn’t new but new to me.  I’ve been hearing about the JR Cigars Exclusive Drew Estate Nightshade for quite a while and never got around to trying it, so I ordered a five pack recently. Don’t forget to click through the JR Cigars and Cigars.com affiliate links on the left sidebar if you order from either place!  I got the 5″ x 52 robusto because that’s what was available in a fiver at the time, of course I would rather have had the toro.  This cigar has a maduro Connecticut Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. I think this falls somewhere near a Nica Rustica and an Undercrown Maduro for me, which both have Broadleaf wrappers, so are sweeter. This is a little earthier than those, but it has a nice flavor, for a reasonable price, it’s an interesting cigar.  I think if you like the Liga Privada T52, you’ll enjoy this. I think you can get a box of 20 for around a c-note.  That moves it well into the great cigar for the price category.

 

I’ve recently gotten a sampler of cigar courtesy of Lampert cigars, a company I’ve heard of, but haven’t really seen on local shelves.  I tried three this week and will attache the other three next week.  I tried to arrange them logically, next weeks will be the three in the Nicaraguan 1675 line, this week I smoked the cigars made in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.  The first one was the Lampert 1593 Oscura.  Lampert is another company that devotes one size per blend apparently, with this one coming in a 6″ x 52 toro.  Is it any wonder I was drawn to it first?  It’s listed as having a Mexican wrapper, Indonesian binder and Dominican filers.  The factory is called El Maestro, which is the smaller William Ventura factory, the one that didn’t burn down. I don’t have a track record of liking cigars from this factory, however this one is an exception, it was really good. I questioned the wrapper seed varietal, which is listed simply as “Mexican”. It clearly isn’t San Andrés to my palate, it was more reminiscent of Sumatra, and I was told that it was Indonesian grown in Mexico, and since Sumatra is in Indonesia, I’m going to go with that.  It’s good.  It has some of that cane sweetness I like, along with just good tobacco.  It’s a really nice cigar.

 

Next up was the Lampert Ocean Breeze.  This is a 5″ x 54 Robusto with an Ecuador wrapper and binder and “undisclosed” fillers.  I’m told that some tobaccos in this blend are aged near the ocean, hence the name, and I’m not sure about that, and the name sounds more like a cologne than a cigar, but what do I know, I’m just some cynical old jackass who smokes cigars.  I do know that this cigar, along with the next one, is made at the Tobaccos de Costa Rica factory, the same factory that makes Atabey, Byron, Bandelero, Alphonso, apparently some El Septimos, used to make Mbombay Cigars, and, as far as I know, still makes Vegas de Santiago. I go back 20 years with Vegas de Santiago, they made some great, affordable cigars back then. Last I heard, they got rollers from Cuba on special work visas and sorta rotated them in and out as the visa allowed.  It’s rumored that they use some Cuban tobacco in the blends, but Villiger tells me there’s some in the Exports too, so   believe what you want.  Back to the Ocean Breeze, this was a really well made cigar, and was very interesting.  I found it to be bright and a bit floral, perhaps that’s the saltiness from the ocean? My compadre Kaplowitz likes this cigar, he likes stuff that isn’t necessarily in my wheelhouse. 

 

Finally, the other cigar made a the Costa Rican factory is the Lampert Oro Don Patron.  The band has a top hat wearing, bearded gent who should probably have a monocle, but does not. This is the mild line, with an Ecuador wrapper (obviously a Connecticut Shade variety), an Ecuador binder and Dominican and Peruvian fillers.  This is a really well crafted cigar with a perfect burn and a well formed ash, and when I lead with construction, most of my regular readers know that I’m not excited about the flavors.  True, this isn’t my style of cigar, it’s light, creamy, with some herbal and gassiness.  It’s very good, if that’s what you’re looking for.  I had just had Thanksgiving redux for dinner (day three!), something with more weight would have been better, but I’m not doing this for me, readers…I’d say if you are a fan of the Atabey, this will probably be a good fit for you. No idea what they cost, gotta think it’s less than the Atabey!  So far, the Lampert line is impressing me.

 

That’s all for now, sign up for Secret Santa!  Until next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | September 5, 2023 · 8:30 pm

Havoc by A.J. Fernandez Toro Cigars

This is another Cigars.com/JR Cigars exclusive, Havoc, made by A.J. Fernandez. This is a Nicaraguan Puro, made in four sizes, a Robusto, Toro, Belicoso and Gordo sold in boxes of eleven at a very reasonable price. The imagery is of gladiators, which ties into the eleven cigars, as it was said that if a gladiator won eleven times he’d gain his freedom.  The toro can be had for under $7 a cigar when bought by the box (even cheaper if you use CCRAIG10 on Cigars.com!).  If you are a fan of A.J. Fernandez cigars, and like strong cigars, this might be a great cigar for you!  This cigar starts out with a spicy punch.  It’s realy well made with a perfect draw and burn.  I really have been enjoying these, I especially like the 6½” x 52 format, it’s a half inch better than a classic 6″ toro.  After the initial punch, it settles into to a sweet, yet still fairly heavy coffee flavor, with some cocoa.  While the large band is a little much, it comes off without issue, and the colors and design are visually appealing.  I find myself enjoying the heck out of this cigar, if you enjoy a lot of the same cigars I do, this is a great option.  

 

As with previous Cigars.com/JR Cigars exclusives featured here, the cigars were supplied by the vendor, and the links are affiliate links, so purchase made through them, or the links in the left sidebar, potentially help me out a little financially. Thank you. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | September 7, 2014 · 9:23 am

Aging Room, Black Abyss, and Señorial Cigars, and a Contest Winner!

AgingRoom_M356_ForteAfter staring the week smoking the newest offerings from Villiger Cigars, I figured I’d continue a trend and smoke some other cigars originating from the same factory in the Dominican Republic, Tabacaleras Palma. This seems to be the hot factory these days, and they are, no doubt, making some tasty smokes.  I started on Thursday with the Aging Room M356 Forte. This is a really cool shaped perfecto, measuring 5 7/8″ x 40-56-40, tapering on both ends.  This is a classic, old-school shape, I like it.  The M356 has a Habano wrapper over Dominican Binder and fillers and is NOT a mild cigar. As a matter of fact, every example in the M356 line I’ve smoked has given me a little bit of a butt-whooping, and that doesn’t happen to me often.  That being said, it’s a terrific smoke, it burned perfectly and was loaded with rich flavor.  I wouldn’t smoke these on an empty stomach!  One thing that confuses me about lines which use number in their naming is that I just can’t remember them!  It’s a darned good thing they put it on the bands.

 

Senoreal_Corona GordaFriday I finally got around to smoking José Blanco‘s new cigar, Señoreal, in the Corona Gorda No. 5 size.   My daughter doesn’t buy me a lot of cigars, but she lives a stone’s throw from The Wooden Indian in Havertown, PA, I asked her to grab me a few last week.  This is another cigar made at José’s cousin Jochi’s Tabacaleras Palma.  When José suggests that this may be his strongest blend to date, you can take that to the bank. This is a full flavored cigar with a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos wrapped in the Ecuador Habano wrapper.  This is, perhaps, the perfect size for a cigar, 5½” x 46, and was recommended to my daughter by the tobacconist (I gave her very specific direction…and that was on my list).  There must be a leaf in common with the M356, becuase this cigar also threatened to put a hurtin on me, I needed some sugar after I was done. José has a winner here, his first true solo effort is awesome.

 

BlackAbbys_Hydra BlackAbbys_BansheeI’ve smoked a couple of the sizes of JR Cigars new brand, Black Abyss.  This is a San Andrés wrapped cigar made for them by Boutique Blends/Tabacaleras Palma.  This week I smoked the Hydra (toro) and the Banshee (robusto).  I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this cigar from the start, and I was right. These have a down and dirty, bold sweet and earthy flavor that I really like. It’s a no-nonsense smoke, and is priced very well staring in the $3 range. Both burned perfectly, the toro I smoked on a walk with the dog mid-week, and the robusto was smoked while waiting out a thunder storm in the garage. I got a lot of pleasure form these cigars, and would probably keep some around if I had room for more cigars. I think there’s a torpedo and a 6×60 left in my humidor, I’ll be interested in smoking those to see if one size stands out over the other. I think the toro and robusto were a tie.

 

AgingRoom_Havao_SharpLast night I sat down with an Aging Room Haváo Sharp (Torpedo). I had my reservations, but I wasn’t going anyplace, so if I found another Aging Room cigar that was going to do a number on me I was ready. This line has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, although it’s by no means mild. It’s full of flavor.  Actually the website lists it as “Mild Plus”, but I think it’s a pretty big “Plus”.  I loved the silky, creamy smoke that poured off this cigar, and the dead even burn. One reason I despise this time of year is that it’s getting darker earlier, which makes it hard to see my cigars!  In this case, I stared to get a papery flavor then realized I was burning through the band. I hardly ever do that!  I thought this was a great smoke, and can’t help comparing it to the Villiger Cuelllar Connecticut Krēmē made at the same factory.  Both are bolder than usual Connecticuts and both are loaded with flavor. This is a “must try”.

 

Here’s a video from the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival with Rafael Nodal of Boutique Blends. If you ever get the chance to meet Rafael, you will come away with the impression that you’ve just caught up with an old friend. He’s a tremendously nice gentleman.

 

 

Contest

CAO_Signs Contest_3Monday I promised that I’d select a winner today for the CAO Flathead tin sign and Flathead 554 Camshaft and Sparkplug cigars. there were some great pairings, and some of you threw my count off with replies to replies!  No big deal, I can manage!  So Random.org’s random number generator selected 21 out of 44 entries. By my count, Ray Holthaus is the winner!  Ray, send me your address so I can pack these goodies up and send them along!  I hope you watched and enjoyed the video, I thought jum and Bruce did a fine job of describing their experiences. Thanks to everyone for entering and stay tuned for more contests!

 

I have some yardwork to do today, and we had a PODS container dropped off so we can start getting ready to move sometime in the future!  Plenty of stuff to move, plenty of weeds to pull! I’ll provide cigars to anyone who wants to help! 🙂

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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