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by | August 23, 2020 · 10:46 am

A Liga Privada Serie Unico “A” and Some JRE Aladino Cigars

Friday wrapped up my first week at the new job, and I felt like it was a success, and my boss expressed his satisfaction, so it seems like it’s going to be a good gig. As I often do, I rummaged through the humidors looking for a cigar, and I wanted something befitting the occasion, but not only did I want something to celebrate the end of the work week (by the way, this is the first time since April of 2018 that I’ve worked Monday to Friday, 8-4:30, like a regular person!), but I also wanted something that would get me fairly deep into game 6 of the Flyers, possibly clinching, playoff game. I was in the NewAir CC-300H and spied a pair of Drew Estate Liga Privada Serie Unico “A”s, one each from two of the Barnsmokers I’ve been to on the top shelf. I also have a coffin with two that’s probably 6 years old in there, but these two were just sitting there on the shelf, vulnerable, so I took one to smoke. I figured this was a great occasion for a 9¼” x 48 cigar. I must have smoked one of these sometime over the past few years, because I should have had one more I think, but I can’t really remember. I took a walk, my usual one mile loop, and got back and had a double corona. By the time the Hockey game started I had a Churchill. The cigar got me through the first two periods. The timing was excellent. Flavorwise it was a nice cigar, T-52ish on the Liga scale. It has the Stalk Cut Connecticut Habano wrapper, which is amazing that the grow the leaves that large.  It starts a little milder than a normal Liga, but the smoke has a mile of tobacco to filter it. It was a great tasting cigar, not overly unique or exciting, but interesting enough to not get bored with it over the two and a half hours I spent smoking it. Would I smoke another one? You bet! 

 

I’m smoking an JRE Aladino Connecticut Robusto as I type this, more as we go along. CigarProp Kevin sent me an Aladino sampler and apart from the Maduro, Toro and Lancero I really haven’t smoked any JRE cigars. I’ve been working my way through the sampler this weekend. I started with the Aladino Corojo Reserva. One can’t help but notice the similarity between the Aladino band and the old Camacho bands, and the similarity extends to the authentic corojo in blend and the fact that the flavor of the cigar harkens back to the many Camacho Corojos I smoked in the 90s and early 2000s, when Julio Eiroa and his son Christian owned Camacho. I actually smoked my first Camacho in 1996, but it was pre-Christian’s involvement I think. This is a bold smoke with rich leather and spice and I liked it a lot, as much for the sentimentality as the flavor. It was perfectly constructed, and a pleasure to smoke.

 

The Connecticut is very flavorful, not at all mild, and quite tasty! Perfect with coffee and staying lit while I’m ignoring it for long stretches while I type my nonsense. I was quite intrigued by the JRE Aladino Cameroon. Any time I see a Cameroon made by someone that’s not Fuente, La Aurora, Partagas, or someone who’s been making Cameroon cigars for decades, I look forward to seeing the interpretation. I love Cameroon, it’s a great tasting wrapper, and even when used as a binder it adds a little something extra (look at the CroMagnon, it has a Cameroon binder and I think that is part of what makes it unique). This is another Aladino that burned perfectly. They really know how to make cigars right in this factory. I’m guessing the whole Bayer Crop Science processes they use on the farms extends to the factory as well, with regards to the quality control processes. The Cameroon had the nutty flavor on top of a fairly full bodied core which is a little different. Cameroon was almost a background flavor and not dominant, as it is in many cigars with that wrapper. That was my take on it anyway. The same can be said for this Connecticut I’m smoking now, although the shade wrapper flavor is a bit more dominant, but the slight sweet grassiness is there, but it’s got a bit off ass to it! It’s no wimpy smoke. I have to say, my favorite Connecticut wrapped cigars hail from Honduras, and this ranks right up there. Very nice. 

 

So far, I have to say that to my palate, the JRE line suits me more than the CLE line. I’ve known Christian personally for many years (and he’s never once given me a cigar, btw 😁, no that it factors in to this), but I haven’t yet found a CLE cigar that trips my trigger. The Asylums I like. JRE, in my limited sampling, are outstanding, remind me of the tons of Camachos I smoked years ago, and get my attention. Thanks again to Kevin for sharing. Speaking of Kevin, and there will be more on this later, but head over to Smoke Inn and buy one of his samplers in their Battle of the Bands! All of the contestants are great, all of them are friends of mine, but I think Kevin is the new guy on the block and the underdog, and has a great sampler. That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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by | May 17, 2020 · 10:13 am

A Tale of Two Undercrown Corona Pequeñas and a Year of the Rat Cigar

I had occasion this week to smoke one each of the newish size of the Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro and Shade, the 4″ x 44 replacement for the Chateau Real Small Club Corona  (at least that’s my theory). The Maduro I smoked one evening after taking a walk with a Liga Privada Serie Unico Velvet Rat (which was quite delicious), and there being nothing on TV, I decided to stay on the porch for another hour and have another cigar. The Shade was a few days later when I had eaten dinner much later than usual and just wanted a short smoke and had taken a nice, long walk earlier in the day. This size fits into those times really nicely, but, for some reason, the Undercrown blend just doesn’t do it for me in the small size. I find that the Maduro lacks the deep, rich San Andrés earthiness that the larger sizes present, and is just kind of there. The Shade is just distasteful to me. There’s a flavor there that I just don’t like. I smoked a Shade Suprema, which, oddly, is another old Chateau Real size, and it tasted great! it had the creamy notes I love in the Undercrown Shade blend. I really wish they would make the other styles in this size. Funny enough, I kinda like the Undercrowns in the tins, the Coronets, however I can’t get passed my feeling that tiny cigars are a cigarette replacement. I think the trick with the Pequeñas is definately to smoked them slowly, I spent an hour with each, and I could tell when I did smoke them faster they began tasting worse. I tried them back in February and wasn’t impressed, so I let them rest, and still feel the same. I have a couple more of each, I’ll revisit them periodically, but I think I just like the Toros in the Undercrown blend! I might have to see if I have some Chateau Real Small Club Coronas left and see how they are (Maduros are the ones I had, I doubt the Connecticuts would have stood up). As with anything else, don’t take my word for it, if you like small cigars, and you like Undercrown, give them a try!

 

I really struggled with whether or not I should post this, I usually let negative experiences slide, but I felt like I had to be honest about these little guys. So when I got a package with some Liga Privada Serie Unico Year of the Rats I had to give one a try. I smoked on at the TPE show and really liked it, but it’s always hard to adequately judge a cigar at a trade show.  The Year of the Rat started out as the shop exclusive for the BB&T center in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Florida Panthers hockey team. Now it’s widely available, at least at Drew Diplomat retailers.  It’s a 5½” x 46 corona gorda with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Brazilian binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras. It’s a little bigger than a Dirty Rat, a little smaller than a Velvet Rat. Corona Gorda is a size I actually really like, it’s probably as small as I like to go on a regular basis. I enjoyed the crap out of the cigar! It was bold, it had the strength and sweetness of the broadleaf and Brazilian and was rich and had a ton of smoke. This one was actually better than I remember the one I smoked at the end of January, although the one I smoked in January was at the end of the day, in Vegas, and it didn’t have the fancy gold foil. I’m sure the gold foil makes a big difference, it is a pain in the ass to remove! It does look spiffy though. This was an exceptional smoke, and I was actually planning to smoke another cigar after smoking this one, however I was left satisfied, and didn’t end up following through on that! 

 

I think I’m way overdue for a contest! I’m putting a little something together for mid-week, so stay tuned!  That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | January 24, 2020 · 6:19 pm

News: Drew Estate Launches Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat to Celebrate Chinese New Year

OK, one more!  Two Drew Estate posts in one day. This completes the Rat trifecta, I guess, you can add this to your Dirty Rats and Ratzillas. Nice looking presentation reminiscent of a Bolivar Gold Medal. I’ll let you know if I come across one. 

Drew Estate Launches Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat to Celebrate Chinese New Year

Drew Estate Launches Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat to Celebrate Chinese New Year

Drew Estate announces today the launch of the Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat for upcoming Drew Diplomat events to coincide with the Chinese New Year. The Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat will be showcased at the upcoming TPE trade show held in Las Vegas, NV on January 29th-31st.

 

The Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat cigars are presented in a 5 ½” x 46 vitola featuring the iconic fan tail featured on many Unico Serie cigars. The cigar is highlighted by a lush Connecticut Broadleaf capa with a flavorful Brazilian binder and rich Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. Each Year of the Rat is wrapped in gold foil packaged in a beautifully embossed, blue Liga Privada Unico box.

This cigar will only be available for purchase at Drew Diplomat Retail events starting in April. Each store hosting a Drew Diplomat event will be able to purchase up to four boxes that will be made available for sale to consumers.

 

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew Founder and President of Drew Estate exclaims, “This one is for all you Dirty Rats out there …!  You hunters, hoarders and enjoyers of everything Liga Privada. For the last few years, the only way to snag this stick was during one of my personal DE events. Now, however, I feel is the right time to broaden the distribution of YEAR OF THE RAT and make it a bit easier for you Dirtys to get at it. So, please do like Chuck and hit up our DDRP events … and “go get some!”

 

The Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat is presented in a 10-count box with an MSRP of $159.97/box of 10.

 

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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by | April 17, 2019 · 8:31 am

News: Drew Estate Flying Pigs Soar into Humidors for their Seasonal Release

Gotta love the Piggies!  There’s a pub in my town called the Flying Pig Saloon that is decorated with every kind of flying pig toy ot statue imaginable. I’m sure they have no idea what the Flying Pig cigar shape is, what Drew Estate has done with it, or what it’s place in history is.  This is another one of Steve Saka’s many contributions to the Drew Estate portfolio, part of his legacy with the company. 

 

Drew Estate announces today the seasonal release of their Flying Pig vitola, including Liga Privada No. 9 and T52, Undercrown Maduro, Shade and Sun Grown, as well as Kentucky Fire Cured.

The Flying Pig is one of the most desired vitolas in the company’s portfolio, presented in a 100mm x 60 ring gauge vitola, and is a favorite amongst cigar enthusiasts worldwide. The shape is based on  a photograph of an 1895 cigar salesman’s size selection case. It is one of the most complicated vitolas to manufacture due to the unique size and signature pig-tail, which requires specialized training of the buncheros and rolleras at the factory.

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew President and Founder of Drew Estate notes, “The Flying Pig franchise has become an iconic Drew Estate vitola. In addition to the flavor, taste and aroma, there’s something unexplainably exciting about smoking a DE pig… it simply commands your attention when you open your humidor at home and makes your mouth water. It’s psychological warfare, the pig versus everybody. We are changing the distribution process to release piggies twice a year, Spring and Late Fall.”

Kicking off this seasonal release is the Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pig, featuring a Kentucky seed tobacco, grown and fire cured in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, along with Nicaraguan and Brazilian fillers. The cigar is wrapped with a Mexican San Andres wrapper to round out the blend profile. Packaged in 12 count boxes with an MSRP of $115.17.

The Undercrown Maduro, Undercrown Shade, and Undercrown Sun Grown Flying pigs are packaged in 12 count boxes with an MSRP of $153.17, with Undercrown Shade and Undercrown Sun Grown Flying Pigs exclusive to Drew Diplomat Retailers. The Undercrown Maduro features a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper, Connecticut Stalk Cut and Sun Cured Habano binder, and Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan Habano filler leaves. The Undercrown Shade Flying Pig features an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Sumatra binder with Dominican and Nicaraguan Filler leaves. The Undercrown Sun Grown features a Sun Grown Sumatra wrapper with a Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut and Sun Cured Habano binder with fillers from Nicaragua.

Rounding out the release, the Liga Privada No. 9 and Liga Privada T52 Flying Pigs are packaged in 12 count boxes with an MSRP of $181.17 and are exclusive to Drew Diplomat retailers. The No. 9 features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Plantation Grown Brazilian Mata Fina Binder and filler leaves from Nicaragua and Honduras. The Liga Privada T52 features a Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut and Sun Cured Habano Wrapper, Plantation Grown Brazilian Mata Fina Binder and filler leaves from Nicaragua and Honduras.

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by | November 11, 2018 · 12:22 pm

La Palina, Tatuaje, Liga Privada and Something New from CigarProp!

Sorry, I’m short on planning this week, but fortunately the mailman left me something neat to talk about yesterday! But, before I get to that, I have a few cigars to talk about. I didn’t really get to anything new this week, while I had a mid-week “weekend”, consisting of two days off in a row, I busied myself with other things, and smoked some old favorites. Tuesday was election day, and between errands I smoked a Merlion Maduro toro and a La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel, both were really good, and cigars I enjoy frequently. It’s getting cold here, and today’s project will be to winterize the smoking porch and get the propane heater working, it wouldn’t light for me last night, much to my dismay! It was in the 30s and less than comfortable with only a little electric heater! Friday evening I had another favorite while I was a guest on the Cigar Hacks Podcast’s 52nd episode, a Cornelius and Anthony Señor Esugars Toro. They are an entertaining bunch originating out of the New England area, and it occurs to me that I listen to five or six podcasts from that area, I must enjoy hearing that accent or something. Event though they can be wicked hahd to undehstand sometimes, they are a funny bunch, I was honored that they invited me on.

 

I ran across a La Palina cigar that I wasn’t familiar with and decided to smoke it, then, ironically, I received a package with a few new samples a few days later. The cigar had a purple band and a “120” on the secondary band. A little research turned up that this was a 120th anniversary release for the brand, which makes sense considering the La Palina brand was launched by Samuel Paley in 1896, and this cigar had been in my humidor for at least two years. Some additional asking around turned up rumor that this might have been a pre-FDA deadline release of the El Año 1896 to get the blend in commerce kinda thing.  If that’s the case, this cigar came out of the PDR factory and is the La Palina 120th Anniversary Oscuro Robusto. I want to say I got this from BnB Tobacco, so maybe they were one of a few retailers who had it?  I can’t do more than speculate. I can say that last year I smoked the El Año 1896 made at PDR and really liked it, and I really liked this La Palina 120th Anniversary Oscuro and could see where it might have been the same cigar, although with age differences and time passed between smoking it’s always hard to tell. I do have some new versions of the El Año 1896 now made at Plasencia that are on deck for sampling this week which I’m very much looking forward to. The cigar was a nice smoke with rich cocoa and coffee note that I like, it burned well and had everything I like in a cigar. I doubt I’ll ever see another one of these, but if the new El Año is this good I’ll be quite happy!

 

The Tatuaje I smoked was a Cojonu 2006 that I had come across in the drawer of my New Air wineador all alone and looking lonely. I had purchased this cigar with a handful of others a while back at one of the Tatuaje bus tour events at Cigar Mojo in King of Prussia, PA.  This cigar is in the Seleccion  de Cazador – Miami range of the Reserva line and has a Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. I’m surprised I hung on to this one so long as I don’t like having un-cello’d cigar in the humidor too long as they sometimes suffer from jostling around.  I’m funny that way.  When ever the cello on/off debate come up I always say leave it on if it’s on.  The people making the decision that it’s OK to put it on in the first place know a lot more about cigar than I do and I trust their judgement. If there was any reason not to keep cigar in the cello sleeves, they wouldn’t go to all the trouble to do it, and trust me, it’s no easy thing to put cigars in cello!  They do it all by hand, I’ve tried it and it’s tedious work. I even get irritated if I try to put one back in, try it some time, then imagine doing it for eight hours a day, five days a week. Anyway, the Cojonu is a really great tasting cigar, it’s earthy, with some sweet notes, and fairly heavy. Now I’m sad I don’t have any more of these, and I’d sure love to try this with the Broadleaf wrapper.

 

Last night I got home from work late and much to my delight there was a package waiting for me from Kevin at Cigar Prop! This is always exciting, as I knew he had a new product coming out, and I was excited to lay eyes on it.  I’ve been a fan of his Cigar Props since he came out with them. They aren’t a new idea, I’ve made rudimentary versions of these myself over the years, but his execution and marketing has been really excellent, and this item is a brilliant extension of the Cigar Prop idea and completes the package. As it was a cold night, and late, I grabbed a Liga Privada T 52 Corona Viva which Pedro Gomez had given me the last time I saw him (note: not an IPCPR sample as I didn’t make it to the show..wink, wink, Joe…:->).  This “Corona Viva is 6″ x 46, not exactly a corona, maybe a corona larga…but not the 5.65” x 46 corona gorda that the Undercrown of the same name is. Lets see if anyone from Drew Estate is reading this: On both the Liga No. 9 and T52 pages on the website it lists the Corona Viva size as 178 mm x 54, which is the size of the Coron Doble. I have print screens to prove it in case they fix it and try to say I’m crazy…serves them right for trying to be fancy and use metric measurements! can’t fool me! Anyway, I actually like the 6″ x 46 format, and it smoked really well, but it was too late to have a cigar, and as happens when I do that, I had really freaky dreams all night.  I hadn’t had a T52 in a really long time, maybe the last one I had was a prototype 60 ring which just wasn’t particularly good, a bit washed out. This one really popped though, the flavor was right there with some sweet earth and leather. I dug it.  To add to the special cigar, I had a new ashtray, complete with a perfect hole to hold my favorite Cigar Prop,

Churchill photo credit to CigarProp

adorned with cigar related quotes (which, regrettably, eventually get obscured by ash). This beautifully hand machined ashtray is called the Robusto, and has a spot for one Cigar Prop rest, and is also available in a larger “Churchill” with places for two Props. The 6061 aluminum (which is used in the automotive industry) is anodized gloss black for a durable finish. I personally like that the tool marks are left in so you know this was machined by hand and not mass-produced.  Kevin launched an Indiegogo campaign yesterday, which was quickly funded, so I’m not sure if you can still get in on it or not, but here’s the link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cigar-ashtray#/ I’m sure these will soon be available on CigarProp.com and perhaps his Amazon store for the holidays, and I’ll include and easy widget on the side here if they do become available on the latter. Like the cigar, this is a luxury product, for sure, but is a worthy companion to the CigarProp. I love the execution and my Instagram followers will be seeing a lot of this item!

 

That’s all I have for today, Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

 

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