Tag Archives: La Palina

by | May 22, 2013 · 7:35 pm

Undercrown, La Palina, CyB and Tortuga Cigars

undercrownI’m still basking in the afterglow of my recent trip to Nicaragua, so Sunday I grabbed an Undercrown Corona Viva for my afternoon smoke. I think I picked this up on a visit to Cigars International’s store in Hamburg, PA.  It wasn’t a very nice spring weekend, but the rains stopped long enough for me to enjoy the heck out of this cigar.  I think this is my favorite size in the Undercrown line, although I have trouble finding fault with any of the sizes I’ve smoked.  Saying that these are the poor man’s Liga Privada would be incorrect, as I still think they are a little pricey.  But they are worth the splurge.  I actually have (as do all of us blogger/media types who were on the trips, a Corona Viva along with four “grado puros” of the Ligero, Viso and Seco which I will smoke all at once some day and attempt to report upon my findings.  I’ve   done this before and it’s a sure way to burn out the palate. Maybe it will be a good subject for a rare video.  Great smokes, the Undercrown, and they will always bring back fond memories.

 

LaPalina_Maduro_ToroMonday I selected my last La Palina Maduro in the toro size.  It’s hard for me not to like a cigar wrapped in San Andreas maduro leaf.  These are nice smokes, heavy on the coffee and dark flavors I relish in a cigar.  It was a humid evening, and this one wasn’t burning as nicely as I’d like. I actually let it go out after the dog took us on a bit of a romp through the neighborhood. She got loose and took a route toward home that we were unable to follow due to the briars and underbrush.  We walked home hoping she’d be there and when she wasn’t I took a walk down the yard and toward the woods and eventually spotted here wandering through a neighbors yard.  I came back with her (leash still attached) and sat down and finished my smoke. Having to frequently re-light and touch up was well worth it for the flavors.  This was a sample graciously provided by La Palina, but I will purchase these to have on hand as they are a darned satisfying smoke. Perhaps in the future I’ll keep these in a slightly drier humidor.

 

CyB_LanceroTuesday evening I was in a lancero mood.  This mood strikes me every now and again and I have a handful to choose from. I decided another refugee from Cigar Safari would hit the spot, and selected a CyB Lancero from Joya de Nicaragua.  This is a cigar that’s probably not on store shelves yet, but when it is, get some.  The CyBs (nee Cuenca y Blanco) I’ve had have underwhelmed me a bit, but to be fair, I’ve only had the toro size from the IPCPR show.  I need to pick up some of the other sizes. A couple of important (to me) factors of this cigar which stood out were the aesthetics.  This is a beautiful cigar, and it burned dead even, and when I tipped the ash it left a perfectly flat coal. This tells me that incredible care was taken to make sure all of the components were arranged in that thin ring gauge so that all of the different tobaccos burned at exactly the same rate. I also really enjoyed the flavor of this lancero.  It was smooth and perfectly balanced. I smoked one on the trip, but it was after several cigars and the nuances were largely lost on me (they usually are anyway, who am I kidding?) I smoked this down to about a half inch, it was so good.  A V-cut was perfect, the cigar was perfect, and I would have been happy if it had been about a foot longer!  It adds to my enjoyment when I’m personally acquainted with the people who blended this, and I had the good fortune to have spent time with both Dr. Cuenca and José Blanco on my trip.  True gentlemen who know what they are doing.  Many thanks to José for making sure I had one of these lanceros to smoke on a fresh palate and truly enjoy!

 

The consolation prize from last week’s contest will be going out tomorrow to Lloyd, but I still haven’t heard from smoke770. I’ll have to go and e-mail him now since he’s slacking on me.  I sure hate having to track down guys to give them goodies!

 

As I write this evening,outside on the deck in lovely spring weather, I’m enjoying a Tortuga 215 Edicion Limitada from Victor Vitale’s Legacy Brands Cigar Company. This is a cigar that is growing on me quite a bit, I’m afraid.  It’s a solid cigar that is loaded with flavor.  These are made in the Domincan Republic, with a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.  This one got an X-cut, that is crossed V-cuts because the single V wasn’t doing it for me and I didn’t have a straight cutter on me.  Do I have to carry two cutters now?  Nice smoke, but I still like the incredibly elusive Tortuga 1950 Natural Aged Maduro better.  Keep an eye on Legacy Brands.

 

That’s enough rambling for one evening, I’m going to try to get to a cigar event Friday, then pick out some good cigars for the holiday weekend.  Be careful out there and enjoy your smokes!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | April 24, 2013 · 8:33 pm

C-Gars Ltd., Club Macanudo, the New Palio Lighter, the La Palina Maduro Toro and a Cain F Cigar

Sunday my wife and I drove up to Manhattan to meet up with our good friend Mitchell and his wife, along with some of his other friends at Club Macanudo.  We got into the city early, so we wandered around Central Park a bit, even rode the Merry Go Round, visited Tiffany’s and just enjoyed a nice spring day.  For those who don’t know, Mitchell operates  C.Gars Ltd., the mail order division of Turmeaus Tobacconists established 1817, along with  Robert Graham,  Global Whisky Shop, Agedcubans,  Humidorsonline,  Havana Samplers,  LCDH Hamburg,  Great Gifts Etc.  Mitchell is also the international distributor outside of the US for Palio, as well as several other brands that he sells in the UK and the rest of the world.  We settled into Club Macanudo to smoke some cigars and socialize.  The club is a beautiful space with a bar, private lockers and a full restaurant, serving a Sunday brunch menu until 7 pm.  Jenn and I shared a delicious french toast and fruit bowl after I finished my first cigar, a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, which Mitchell had handed me when we arrived.  This was a delicious cigar, on the milder side for a Havana, but full of flavor and perfectly constructed.  I don’t smoke many Havanas any more, as much as I enjoy that distinctive little flavor that only a fine Havana has, a twang, if you will.  I think the cigars coming from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Honduras MO_ClubMacare more interesting and superior in many ways.  This was an exemplary smoke though, very nice.  Looking at the cigar menu there was a bit startling.  New York cigar prices are already high, but the prices there were more than double NY retail prices.  I was going to joke that their prices were higher than Mitchell’s, but I try to avoid insulting my host if I can manage it!  I didn’t take detailed notes, but I recall seeing a cigar that is $6.00 here in PA being $25.  As I said, shocking.  Fortunately,  I had cigars with me, but Mitchell shoved a Partagas Serie D No. 4 in my paw so I had to smoke that.  He mentioned that it was young and possibly quite strong, but I’m a fan of the Cuban Partagas line and found this to me a nice smoke.  On the fuller side of medium with a very nice flavor.  Perhaps with five years of age this will be a stellar smoke, but it was pretty darned tasty now.  It’s always a great time hanging out with Mitchell, his lovely wife and his group of friends, and it’s nice to get a day away with my wife!

 

Palio_LighterAs if these special cigars weren’t a treat enough, Mitchell gifted me the new Palio Lighter in matte black, with “Seleccion Orchant 2013” inscribed on it. I’ve been lusting after this lighter since I spoke with Marc Aub of BOTL, LLC at the IPCPR show last August and he was showing it off (video here).  This is a substantial lighter with a large fuel capacity, a fuel window and covers over the jet, as well as the filler hole.  They’ve made it very easy to adjust the flame height with a little drop down turny thing on the adjustment screw (pardon the technical jargon).  This is a brilliant lighter which I’m proud to have in my possession.  It lights a cigar very nicely too.  I’ll use it non-stop (except when I travel) and report on how it performs, but I have no doubt it will be flawless.

 

LaPalina_Maduro_ToroThe first cigar I lit with the Palio lighter was a La Palina Maduro toro.  I fell in love with the Robusto in this line last year when it was released, although I only smoked a few samples.  Its everything I desire in a San Andreas wrapped cigar: smooth, chocolaty, and delicious.  Of course it’s well made, although the draw could have been a little bit better.    I enjoy the heck out of most of the La Palina cigars I’ve smoked, but this maduro is my favorite hands down (who among you who reads regularly is surprised?).

 

CainF_575x50Tonight I grabbed a Cain F 5.75×50 that probably came from the IPCPR show last year.  This turned out to be a poor choice for me, not because it wasn’t a great smoke, it was, but it was just too strong for me tonight. I’m tired and it kind of kicked me in the butt.  It made it more difficult to sit down and write this post! I should have chosen something milder!  Still a nice smoke, but strong.  I think I like the tubed lancero best in this line.

 

News

I came across this in my inbox today and thought I’d pass it along since it struck me as a unique promotion that I’ve never seen before:

Rocky_LandingPage2.jpg

On Thursday, April 25th, cigar superstar Rocky Patel will be here at BestCigarPrices taking your calls!* Order any in-stock box of Rocky Patel cigars between 4-5pm ET for a chance to talk to Rocky LIVE while he personally hand-signs your box of cigars. CALL TOLL FREE 1-888-41-CIGAR.

 

Sunday’s post will be a rare guest post, since I will be travelling to Nicaragua for Cigar Safari.  I’ll be touring the Drew Estate operation along with several of my blogging brethren (and some real journalists :-)).  Expect another full report akin to my last report from March of 2011.   Many thanks to the folks at Drew Estate for this opportunity!  So stay tuned, I’ll try to get something posted while I’m there, internet access willing!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | March 31, 2013 · 1:40 pm

Gurkhas and Nubs, ORTSACS and La Palinas – Cigars and Hockey

Today is Easter Sunday here, and we had the family over for breakfast. Not that I would normally have a cigar in the morning, but I usually spend my Sunday mornings writing, so that’s why today’s post is a bit later than usual.  I will, no doubt, have a cigar later today when things settle down.  It may not surprise you to know that I managed to smoke a cigar or  two this week, here’s the rundown. The last part of the week was kind of a blur, so I’ll do the best I can. I stuck with some favorites, I needed a change of pace.

Gurkha_SeductionThursday I went to the Flyers game with my brother-in-law, Jeff.  On the drive down we fired up a couple Gurkha Seduction robustos.  This is a cigar that really suits me.  I love the flavor of this Ecuador Habano wrapped cigar, and it’s perfectly made.  I’ve been using nothing but my new Xikar XV cutter since I got it, and the V cut worked perfectly. It was a delicious cigar that perfectly fit the hour long drive from home to the Wells Fargo Center in Philly.  I would have preferred it if the Flyers had won, they blew a 2 goal lead then Nub464T_Cameroonlost in a shoot out against the Islanders.  After the game we retired to the cigar bar once again. I find sometimes my time is better spent having a cigar there as opposed to sitting in traffic.  I had a couple Nub 464Ts in my pocket and I smoked a Cameroon.  I hadn’t thought about it when I grabbed these, but I only had the V cutter. As it works out, the V cut on the torpedo wasn’t terrible, and it worked out OK on this tasty Cameroon wrapped cigar.  The 464T is not a short smoke, we left about thirty minutes into the cigars and they just about lasted the drive back home.

 

ORTSAC_1962_HabanoFriday I took a walk with an ORTSAC 1962 Habano.  This is a cigar that was gifted to me by Victor Vitale, cigar maker, importer & distributor a few months ago.  It came in a neat little box with another Habano and two of the San Andreas varieties. It’s no secret that I adore the San Andreas, as a matter of fact, I will be on a mission to get some more of those in the near future.  The Habano is no slouch either.  It has a wonderful flavor and construction, and really works for me.  Here’s a suggestion to Victor: package the Habano and San Andreas in either boxes of ten with five of each, and/or boxes of twenty with ten of each.  I don’t know about anyone else, but that would make ME extremely happy, because now I’m not really sure if I like one better than the other!  If I had both I could continue to argue this point with myself. Please let me know when and where these will be available! 🙂

 

Saturday afternoon my wife an I went to the Flyers game again, this time they beat the Bruins in regulation. (short side note:  At the beginning of every game they bring five kids out to stand with the players during the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. There was one little kid, couldn’t have been more than six, who could barely stand on his skates  Kudos to defenseman Bruno Gervais for holding this kids hand while he was out there. Seems like a little thing, but this little act of kindness was the highlight of the game for me. Well done Bruno!) Circumstances prevented us from attending the unveiling of a statue of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent hoisting the  Stanley Cup after they won it in 1974, which is in front of the Xfinity Live entertainment/dining complex adjacent to the Wells Fargo Center. Also, due to some logistics, as well as the onset of a migraine, we decided to forgo the usual cigar bar visit and head home after the game.  After getting home and medicating, I took the La Palina El Diario Robustodog, and a cigar for a walk.  I selected a La Palina El Diario robusto and gave it a snip with the Xikar XV.  I am loving this cutter more and more every time I use it.  Anyway, this is another nice, Habano wrapped cigar made in Honduras.  It performed quite well, although the draw seemed to tighten up as the cigar burned.  I gave it another cut with the V cutter, making an X which opened it up a little.  By that time I was just about through with it anyway, but it was a great smoke.  The meds I take for migraines can sometimes space me out a little, but the walk along with the cigar took my mind off, and by the time I was done with the cigar, the headache was pretty much gone and I was left with the fatigue which comes along with whole experience.  I enjoy the El Diario line, although I find that they aren’t exactly priced like a “Daily” cigar in my world.  The Classic and the Maduro are also excellent smokes, however I have not had any experience with the initial line of La Palina cigars, which are priced well out of my comfort zone.  As I said, the cigars I have smoked are great, and you can’t beat the people in the company, great bunch of folks!

 

Don’t forget the promo codes currently available for you to use at these two sites:

You can use the code “MPCGRS10” on CigarFromBrazil.com to get %10 off any purchase on the site. The Monte Pascoal cigars are very nice.

ItalianSmokes.com has a special offer code for you, it’s CIGCRAIG10 and will get you 10% off your purchase of their selection of Toscano style cigars.

 

That’s it for today!  Whatever way you are celebrating the day, enjoy yourself.  I know I’m going to go ritually sacrifice some tobacco this afternoon.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | February 3, 2013 · 9:11 am

A La Palina, a Guayacan, Some Upcoming Events and a Contest!

Those of us who live in the colder climates may look forward to cigar events to enjoy cigars and the camaraderie that goes along with them.  While I have been to many events over the years, from Buffalo to North Carolina, and from New York City to Las Vegas, these events have evolved from intimate gatherings to events with thousands of attendees and all of the great cigar makers attending.  I’ve recently run across a couple that were announced that I won’t be attending, but are worth looking into if you want to attend a cigar event.  Of course, keep an eye on CigarEvents.com to find things going on in your area.  The first event to keep an eye on is a charity event in Washington DC, the DC Tweet-up 2013 on March 13 and 14. This event has a meet-up Friday night and a bus crawl Saturday.  In May is the New Jersey Cigar Festival at the Park Avenue Club in  Florham Park, NJ. Next, JR Cigars is having a cigar event in North Carolina on June 8th with cigars and Barbecue and other fun. Of course, Smoke Inn has their Great Smoke on February 16 in Florida, Cigars International’s CigarFest is no doubt sold out as tickets went on sale yesterday, and the Delaware Cigar Festival is generally held in September.  Add these events to the many cigar store events and there should be no shortage of opportunities to hang out with like minded folks and smoke cigars!

 

A while ago I smoked a La Palina Classic and was underwhelmed.  It was a nice cigar, but didn’t really seem all that special. The one I smoked was a sampled from the IPCPR show.  Friday night I picked out another Classic Robusto to give it a second chance. This one came from La Palina as well, but had rested in my humidor for the last four or five months.  I really enjoyed this robusto quite a bit, it was well balanced and had a little bit of savory sweetness that was very nice. It was perfectly built and a nice medium bodied smoke. I think if this came wrapped in the San Andreas Maduro wrapper they used on the Maduro I’d be in heaven!

 

Saturday afternoon I selected a Guayacan Torpedo for my afternoon walk.  This is a cigar that is distributed by Gary Griffith and was included with a bunch of brands in his stable.  So far I’ve been pretty impressed with the cigars he’s distributing, they all have a little bit something special, and this Guayacan was no different.  What a nice smoke!  I love a cigar that burns perfectly, and this one did, as well as having a great draw with only a small bit of the tip cut off.  I’m impressed with this and most of the cigars that Gary has been distributing, every one seems to have something that appeals to my taste buds with few exceptions.

 

Contest!

I think it’s time for another contest, it’s been a month. A couple of weeks ago I told you about the ScrewPop punch. I’ve been using this punch quite a bit lately and it works very well so I have one of those to give away. The size of this punch very nice for a corona or petite corona so I think it would work well on something like a My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish. So how about we also throw in a 5 pack of the My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish and a cool hat to go with it. Not a bad little prize! So you know the rules, leave a comment and I’ll pick a winner on Wednesday. The six month time-out for previous winners is in effect, so if you won something in the last 14 contests you aren’t eligible to win. Thanks to Brett at ScrewPop and Drew Estate for the goodies!

 

That’s enough for today, I understand there’s some game on tonight, so enjoy the festivities surrounding that!  Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | December 5, 2012 · 9:41 pm

A La Palina, a Recluse, an Oja and a Nub (and a little Oliva too)

I had this great idea that I’d try out the WordPress app on my iPod Touch.  It looked like it would be a handy idea, and I already use that device every day.  I used it for the majority of the videos from IPCPR show which I though turned out pretty good.  Unfortunately,  I ran into a little glitch where it wouldn’t connect and sync with the server, so I decided to abort that idea and do it the old fashioned way.  I could have easily gotten away with not boring you with that story, but I decided to do it anyway!  I’ve smoked a few cigars since Sunday, so here’s the recap.

 

Sunday evening I was, once again, in the mood for a San Andreas wrapped cigar, so I grabbed the La Palina El Maduro from the IPCPR show. I really wish I could have gotten a few minutes to talk to Bill Paley this year at the show, but both times I went by his booth it was very busy.  Great for them, lousy for me! Considering my affinity for the San Andreas leaf, I was sure I’d enjoy this one.  This is a dark, sweet and spicy cigar, very well made and smoked perfectly. I really enjoyed the heck out of this smoke, it made me happy.

 

We had a couple days of nice weather, I’ll take 50s and 60s in December any time.  I decided to celebrate with an Iconic Leaf Cigar Co. Recluse Kanu #1.  I got this one at the show as well, and I may not have decided to smoke it if I hadn’t gotten a couple more in the mail recently.  This is a very special cigar, this shape is unique in the industry.  Smoking it was akin to smoking a lancero, it’s a very narrow ring gauge on the ends with a swollen middle.  The box press also makes it unique.  It’s a fun cigar to smoke and it is so full of deliciousness that it’s not funny.  It smokes a little bit different than it’s parejo siblings, which are wonderful cigars, and the Brazilian maduro wrapper is savory.  This is a very nice cigar.

 

Continuing on the Brazilian maduro theme, I decided to fire up the last Oja Anniversary perfecto that I had on Tuesday. The weather continued to be unseasonable, so I took my usual walk and sat outside when I was done to savor every last bit  of the cigar.  This is another hard to find cigar, but it’s another tasty maduro that’s perfectly constructed.  I first encountered the owner of this brand on my trip to Cigar Safari in March of 2011, Luis was staying at Drew Estate while he was working with Kiki Berger on his cigars.  I’ve enjoyed quite a few of his cigars, but none quite as much as the Anniversary, which he made to celebrate his first year.  It’s a darned good smoke.

 

On my way home tonight I stopped at a cigar shop that’s on my way home. I’ve been to this shop several times and had mixed experiences.  Since I moved, I actually pass this store every day and today is the first time I’ve stopped in.  I was actually on a special “12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways”  mission where I met my friend and local Oliva rep Mike.  I picked up a couple of the little Oliva Serie G perfectos and enjoyed one while I waited.  This is a great little smoke and was really enjoyable.  Mike and the folks at Oliva out did themselves, by the way.  Stay tuned for their offerings in the contests starting next week.  When I got home I took my walk with a Nub Cameroon 464T to continue the Oliva and Cameroon theme.  This was a great little smoke, but was gone too soon.  I always joked that these would be better if they were longer, but it’s a great tasting cigar that hit the spot.  I love that special little something that Cameroon leaf brings to a cigar.  There’s a nice, sweet kinda nutty flavor that hits the spot.  It’s not often that I smoke two cigars in an evening, but, in my defense, they were both pretty small.

 

That’s it for now, as I said above, the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways starts in one week.  I have a lot of work yet to do, but it’s shaping up to be pretty spectacular, so don’t forget to check back every day and enter.  As the kids are saying (and the folks at Montecristo, evidently) it’s going to be “epic”!!

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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