Tag Archives: La Sirena

by | April 26, 2020 · 12:08 pm

Cohiba Royale, Providencia Barrel Aged Old Fashion Cigars

I had a busy week working on a side project, and I slacked of on original content and made up for it with a bunch of news pieces through the week. So I had the luxury of smoking some old favorites, some older than others. One notable cigar was a Fuente Hemingway Classic. For along time I preferred the Signature over the Classic, it seemed like the Classics I smoked all had a metallic flavor to them I didn’t like. Granted, this was in the ’90s, and several factors change. The box I’ve had in the humidor for the last three or four years has been spectacular. A La Sirena Trident (Churchill) from he first batch that La Zona made was equally enjoyable. Yesterday I smoked a Nica Rustica Belly from a bundle I bought at the release party in Louisville, KY in July of 2015 that was wonderful, and a Room 101 Uncle Lee from the end of Matt Booth’s Davidoff years. And then, there was the new stuff…

 

It seems like every blogger and his brother has been reviewing the new Cohiba Royale. I apologize for being another one of them. I suppose when General Cigar sends a bunch of folks samples in the mail, and people can’t get to stores to buy new cigars to review or talk about, this sort of redundancy, repetitiveness, repeating oneself, saying he same thing over and over, will happen. I know that my inventory of newer cigars is running low. Enough excuses. This new Cohiba is interesting. It’s also expensive. Granted, it’s less than one third the price of the Cohiba Spectre, but it’s still not a cheap date. The Royale runs from $23.99 to $28.99, which is much more than my usual cigar budget, so smoking this falls into “treat” territory. I suppose the special occasion is surviving another day of global pandemic madness. Anyhoo, this particular Cohiba hits a few milestones for the brand. It’s the first to be made at HATSA in Honduras. This factory makes Punch, Hoyo and the like. This is also the first to use a Nicaraguan Broadleaf wrapper, and this is what really makes this cigar special in my opinion. The binder is Dominican Piloto Cubano and the fillers are from the Jamastran Valley in Honduras and Jalapa and Esteli in Nicaragua. I personally find the cigar to be quite delicious, and I can’t wait to see what some age does to this blend, even though they say that the tobaccos have five to six years age already. It has some sweetness and spice, but there is a little sour note here and there that makes it interesting. I smoked the toro, which is the largest size, and I would have liked a better burn and draw from a cigar in this price range, but that should come with some humidor time as these samples were only about a week off the truck. I look forward to the day when I can catch up with Sean Williams and smokes one of these with him.

 

The other new cigar I smoked  was another one from Providencia Cigars. This one gave me pause, being a non-drinker. It’s the Barrel Aged Old Fashion, and had a pronounced “boozy” aroma to me. After almost thirty years of not drinking, it’s not like something like this is going to make me fal of the wagon, there’s nothing to worry about there. I actually have some liquor in the house for guests, it’s never a temptation. What it means is that I really have no frame of reference for booze related flavors. I don’t think I have ever had an Old Fashion, if I have it was over 30 years ago. I was more of a beer and shots guy than a cocktail guy when I drank. So this cigar was a toro sized cigar, wrapped in a San Andrés wrapper with an Indonesian binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan Ometepe in the filler blend. The magic happens when they age the cigars for four months in barrels that contained Old Fashion cocktail drink from the Little Water Distillery in Atlantic City, NJ. I was a little surprised that the cigars were in the barrel in cello, but that goes to show you that cello

is permeable, and I’m sure it reduces damage to the cigars. The cigar smoked beautifully, like every Providencia cigar I’ve ever smoked. There are a couple small Honduran cigar factories that are making exceptional cigars, and Providencia is one of them. I suppose an Old Fashioned has some sweetness, because there was a nice sweetness to this cigar. This is basically the Providencia Bloodshot blend, aged in the barrels, so the cocoa and dark chocolate are enhanced with the sweetness. I enjoyed it, even if I couldn’t relate to the liquor aspect of the cigar. I may have to root around and see if I have a Bloodshot to compare it to! Providencia Cigars never seem to disappoint, and I am so grateful to Ray for sharing his new blends with me. 

 

That’s al for today, be safe out there, support your local retailers so you have somplace to go when things open up again, and enjoy your day. Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | January 16, 2020 · 9:23 am

A La Sirena, a Villiger and a Few More Thoughts

I’ve had a lot of thoughts rattling around my head lately. I finally have an interview lined up for a job, with another couple possibilities in the pipeline. Historically, January has been a good hiring month for me, twice in the past I’ve started jobs which have lasted 13 years in January. As long as the companies don’t start with “S” I’m OK (every company I’ve worked for since 1989 has started with “S”, I need a change! Why do you think I haven’t pursued employment with Swisher, Swedish Match, Scandinavian Tobacco, Southern Draw…). It’s been stressful these last few months.  Anyway, I’ve been reading and hearing a lot of divisive talk about the PCA and who’s going and not going and all, and I made my position clear in my last post, but I think there’s a big picture that’s being missed. The cigar industry seems to be mirroring what’s going on in  the country politically with the divisiveness. There’s a whole us versus them mentality where everyone really needs to be united now more than ever. I hate seeing it, it really sucks, and I don’t know the answer, but it’s clear that whoever is pulling the strings here is achieving the desired effect. Divide and conquer. The cigar industry already is too small to stand up for itself as it is, fractured it has no shot at all. I’m on the fence. I love cigars from the largest manufacturers down to the smallest without regard for their politics (there are a few brands I avoid on general principle). I have been to both kinds of factories and seen that cigars are made the exact same way. I know it’ll never happen in the cigar industry, or in the country, but is it too much to ask to just get along and do the right thing?

 

On a positive note, one of the smaller cigar companies which has been a long time favorite of mine is going to me at the TPE show, and I’m looking forward to seeing the folks from La Sirena. I smoked a King Poseidon this week, and my supply is dwindling. This is the 6″ x 60 in the line, made at La Zona (did I recently say I seem to have been smoke a few La Zona made cigars lately?), and is really quite good. Lacking a toro in the line, I am partial to the Churchill (Trident) and this gordo, although the belicoso (Devine) is a great cigar as well. I bet I haven’t had a Robusto since they were making them in the My Father factory! The blend is a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan Criollo binder and fillers from Jalapa and Condega, including something they refer to as Erik Espinosa’s “magic leaf”. The La Sirena brand, much like CigarCraig.com, celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary in 2019! Did I mention that the La Sirena is among my favorite brands? I love the line, and the King Poseidon smoked beautifully, and had a rich, creamy flavor with some punch! It’s a bold smoke, although the larger ring gauge perhaps less so than the thinner. I’m going to dig out one of my remaining My Father era Tridents one of these days, and I still have some Dubloons, which are large salomon shaped cigars. I can’t wait to see the La Sirena crew at the TPE.

 

One more repeat, this one was another newer cigar from Villiger, their Cuellar Black Forrest. I smoked this back in November and wrote about it, ironically I also included the King Poseidon in that post. Perhaps my selections are more cyclical than I know. To recap, the Black Forrest is not made in the Black Forrest at all, it’s made at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic, the factory where Jochi Blanco makes a whole bunch of cigars like La Galera, Aging Room, as well as a bunch of other cigars like Señorial, Freyja, Matilde, and probably a ton that none of us realize are made there. This cigar has a San Andrés wrapper, and, as I said before, it doesn’t have the “dirty” taste that that wrapper usually has, but is much more refined and really quite special. There’s a unique spice, and sweetness that’s delicious and wonderful. It has a nice box press and works very well to, so it’s a joy to smoke. It’s a well done cigar. 

 

OK, that’s enough for today, I need to get preparing for interviews, get the suit cleaned up and pick out a tie. 

 

Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | November 10, 2019 · 10:39 am

Villiger Cuellar Black Forrest and Assorted Cigars

I’ve been smoking some random favorites this week, along with revisiting some cigars to re-evaluate my opinions on them. I spent a while with my web host’s support folks trying to iron out some back-end issues I’ve been having and I think something got fixed with the RSS feed and Google indexing. The e-mails seem to be going out again and searches don’t seem to be coming up in Chinese anymore! That was annoying! Spending ten years creating content, I’d like my legacy to be properly preserved in google searches! So it’s all sorted out, I think. I’ve been looking at new WordPress themes too, I’ve been using the same site design since 2012, and it might be time to refresh it a bit. When I find the right layout, you’ll know it! Anyway, Here’s some of my thoughts on some cigars I smoked this week. 

 

Southern Draw Jacob’s Ladder Brimstone – I love the shape, it’s perfectly constructed, and I really want to love the cigar, and it’s great, but I think I like the regular Jacob’s Ladder better. There’s something about the regular line that is richer, maybe the added strength of the Brimstone overpowers he blend for me. If I had smoked this before the regular line I might have had a different opinion, but I feel a little disappointed when I smoke these. I want it to be a better Jacob’s Ladder, and for me it just isn’t, something gets lost. 

 

Cornelius and Anthony Daddy Mac – As everyone should be aware, I have a fondness for everything in the Cornelius and Anthony line, except, maybe the Daddy Mac. I’ve always said I liked it, but it was my least favorite in the line, and the second half of that statement id certainly always been true, but it’s time to stop sugar coating it and just give up on the Daddy Mac. The cigar just doesn’t appeal to me. That’s not to say it isn’t a good cigar, and there are plenty of people who love it, it’s got that leathery, earthy profile that I don’t personally dig. I need to reach out to Steven Bailey and ask him what the future of Cornelius and Anthony looks like. I’ve been seeing a lot of posts from this weekend’s LaZonaPalooza and the name C&A hasn’t come up. Inquiries at a recent visit to El Titan de Bronze, where my favorite Cornelius is made were not exactly positive. I need to know how I should ration my existing stock. 

 

Speaking of cigars made at LaZona, I also smoked a La Sirena King Poseidon, the brand’s 6″ x 60 vitola. This is another small brand that I’ve had a long time affinity for. The 6″ x 60 size was an experiment, and I like it a lot, but I think I like the Trident, the Churchill size, better for a large vitola in this line. I love the Trident and Devine (belicoso) sizes the best in this line.  I still have a couple of the Tridents from a box that was made in the My Father factory, they are Devine…no that’s the Belicoso…you know what I mean. La Sirena’s family of brands, including Merloin, Oceano, and the 10th Anniversary, have a little something for everyone, and I enjoy the heck out of them. 

 

Let’s talk about this new cigar from Villiger, the Cuellar Black Forrest. This is made at the Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic, which is where the Cuellar Krēmē is made, as well as one of my favorite Villiger cigars, the long gone and poorly named Trill. It’t box pressed and has a San Andrés wrapper and Dominican binder and filler and has a really interesting aroma out of the box. They often send samples in really nice little boxes of two or three, and while the presentation is top notch, one can’t help but think they might be better served saving that expense. Just a thought. This is a beautiful smoke, and everyone has been smoking this and raving about it. It was different from what most think of San Andrés wrapped cigars. It didn’t have the heavy earth that is associated with Mexican leaf, but would still qualify as earthy I guess. It was solidly in the medium category and smooth, consistent with it’s Cuellar Krēmē sibling, it compliments it well as the maduro counterpart if that is the intent. I can recall smoking a Krēmē at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival in 2014 and really enjoying it, and I might have one of similar vintage someplace in the humidor. This was a nice smoke that I’ll look forward to smoking again.

 

That’s all for today. until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

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by | September 4, 2019 · 10:31 am

CigarCraig.com Tenth Anniversary Contest

Since last week marked the tenth anniversary of the launch of CigarCraig.com, I figured it would be appropriate to mark the occasion by giving away some cigars from some of the supporters who have helped me along in the journey over the last few years. But before we get to that, here’s a little bit of the CigarCraig.com backstory for those who don’t know it.  In 1996 I developed a passion for premium cigars and ran across a usenet group that talked about such things, alt.smokers.cigars. By 2006 I had grown weary of participating in that group, and the WWW had grown to more advanced avenues of discourse such as websites and forums and such. I never really got into forums, but in 2009, sensing my need to have an outlet to drone on about cigars, my wife set me up with the CigarCraig.com domain for my 46th birthday, and the rest is history. Now, ten years later, I still drown on about cigars, and, oddly, people read my droning. I’ve attended many IPCPR shows, a bunch of large and small events, and made a great many wonderful friends who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. My thanks goes to you, my readers, those who chose to waste your valuable time reading my nonsense! 

 

So, I’ll have another giveaway! I’ve assembled an assortment of cigars from my humidor representing some of my cigar advertisers. I might decide on two winners, in which case I’ll split up the cigars equitably and both winners will get an equally cool assortment!

Pictured is an idea of the cigars that will be included, more might be added! I’ll update on Sunday! So leave a comment on this post to enter! Usual rules apply, legal age, one entry per, yada, yada. I’ll select a winner, or winners, next Wednesday (right before leaving for Miami!)  Thanks to everyone who’s supported CigarCraig.com over the last 10 years! 

 

That’s all for today, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | June 9, 2019 · 10:44 am

The La Sirena Aniversario Especial and a Few Other Cigars

Once again it was a week with a lot of news stories. I expect the next three will be the same as we come up to the IPCPR show. I will not be going once again this year. As much as I hate to miss two shows in a row, and it’s the first time since 2008 that I have,  it just doesn’t make sense this year. Last year it was the lack of a job, this year it’s the presence of a job and the timing of the show plays into it a little bit. You’ll have to rely on the excellent coverage that many of my great friends in the cigar media present. As much news as there is that comes out, I am selective about what I post here. I think that personnel changes and international releases are less interesting to my readers so I skip over those and try to hand pick the news I think is of interest. There are enough other outlets that post every piece of cigar industry minutia that I don’t feel the need to duplicate. Anyway, I did smoke a few notable cigars this week, so let’s get on to those.

 

The most notable cigar I smoked this week was a special new release from my good friends at La Sirena Cigars. I’ve been a big fan and supporter of La Sirena since first meeting Arielle in 2011 when she was still with Miami Cigar and Company and she just had the La Sirena line being made at My Father Cigars. I’ve followed the brand, and the top shelf of my humidor shows it, as there can be found some La Sirenas from La Zona as well as a few from My Father still (some Tridents and Dubloons), Merlions (a few Sealions, this line is made at La Aurora), Oceanos (Quesada), and some of the yummy La Sirena LTs (I might smoke one this morning yet! these are made at Plasencia). La Sirena has been an a supporter of this site too for several years, I think we enjoy a symbiotic relationship. If you search through the site you’ll find a few interviews with Arielle and Mariah which, it should surprise nobody, are among the most viewed videos on my YouTube channel. All this leads up to the 10th anniversary of the La Sirena brand, and the opportunity Arielle and Mariah’s father, Danny Ditkowich, provided me with to try his creation to celebrate the milestone. In the La Sirena tradition of using different factories to make all their various brands, Danny went to the Turrent family in Mexico for the Aniversario Edicion. When I lit this up, having no information on the blend, I had a flashback to my early days of smoking premium cigars, when I started out with Te Amo Maduros. Not to say it tasted that way, but I could tell there was some Mexican tobacco, and I was pretty confident it had a San Andrés wrapper. I happened to notice that Danny was the guest on the latest CigarSnob podcast, which was quite fortunate, because he talked about this cigar and confirmed my suspicions. It seems the wrapper is a 10 year old San Andrés leaf, with a Mexican Criollo binder, and Brazilian Mata Fina, Mexican, Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. This is made by the Turrents at their factory in Mexico. The flavor of this was unique, although there was a hint of sourdough that I find in the regular La Sirena line that I find amusing. Loads of earth and espresso were the main flavors, and it was quite a good smoke.  I have no idea how these will be distributed, heck, I’m not even sure how widely the La Sirena line is distributed now days. I understand this is a pricey cigar, and it’s 5 ¾” x 54, so it’s not a super-long smoke (although I smoked it for nearly two hours), but it’s really delicious if you’re tolerant of strong flavors and Mexican tobacco.

 

I had to reign myself in there, when there’s a cigar line I’m interested in and excited about I get wordy. I did smoke some other cigars this week, of course. I had an afternoon cigar on my day off Thursday while reading a book called “Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons” by Kris Newby, which sheds an interesting light on Lyme disease (which I have). I chose a mild cigar, which was a Serpentino by Pendrey Guillen Cigars. This is a Connecticut Shade (ironically, Lyme is named after a town in that state)/Candela barber pole cigar that was a nice, mild to medium smoke with a great burn for a barber pole wrapped cigar. Pendrey Guillen makes some neat patterned cigars in Honduras, many with a camo theme, but they are good cigars beyond the gimmicky aspect, and I don’t know that they are terribly expensive.

 

One last cigar, and nothing new here, actually one of my favorites, one I go to when I just want to enjoy the crap out of a cigar. This category evolves, of course, and there are several cigars in this class. in this humidor, so to speak, as it’s not a physical humidor, although I suppose I could make one humidor just for go-to cigars, are cigars such as Nica Rustica, Cro Magnon (which I don’t stock enough of), Alec Bradley Nica Puro, La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli and Coleccion Reserva, to name a few. Of course, the one I’m talking about now is the Umbagog from Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust. This is probably my new favorite. I smoked a Robusto Plus this week and, honestly, is was like smoking dessert.  It was like a rich, raspberry dark chocolate cake, it was so delicious. The wrapper on this one was so pretty that Steve Saka commented on Facebook on it, lamenting the fact that Umbagogs were getting much prettier wrappers than they should and they should cost more than they do. Of course, he also announced price increases on Umbagogs recently, so, coupled with shortages of Connecticut Broadleaf, now is the time to stock up on them. Damn good cigars, and Saka always said the ugly ones tasted best. This one was pretty, I can only imagine…

 

That’s plenty for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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