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by Craig Vanderslice | June 23, 2024 · 9:47 am

La Union, Cro Magnon, EP Carrillo and JFR Lunatic Cigars

My week started with a really nice Father’s Day with all my kids and grandkids visiting. My youngest stopped at CigarMojo and asked for a recommendation, and, once again, they sold him a very expensive cigar. I’m never super happy about him spending his hard earned cash, and part of me feels like the guys at the shop take advantage, but he does make a good point: it’s not something I would buy for myself. He picked up the new(ish) My Father La Union Black para Tatuaje .This is certainly a cigar that piqued my interest, but there was never any way I was shelling out for it. I’m a cheap bastard, my sphincter tightens when I look at a cigar over $15. This is a 100% improvement over 12 or so years ago. So, it being Father’s Day, and having this wonderful gift, I had to smoke it. The cigar is 7¼” x 50 with a 109 head, the head is slightly tapered and rounded. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers, including Pelo de Oro. I’ve walked through the Pelo de Oro fields, although it’s been 13 years, so probably not the same stuff. This was blended by the Garcias for Pete Johnson’s palate, I almost expected it to be heavier. It wasn’t. It had a very delicate, nuanced flavor, started with an interesting mintiness, some woodyness and some spice. It almost reminded me of a Havana, but loads better. This was a brilliant cigar, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to try it. Later I smoked the now 25 year old Esperanza para los Niños, which has held up well!

I’d been itching to try the new Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapped variant of the RoMaCraft CroMagnon which came out recently, so I had added a couple of the 4½ x 60 Mandibles on to a recent order. I haven’t seen these locally, although I haven’t been out shopping much lately. This version uses a Pennsylvania broadleaf wrapper, Sumatra hybrid binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The original CroMagnon didn’t have any Dominican leaf in the blend. I was hoping to try the Cranium (toro) size, but this was what was available. I thought this was spicier than the original, and it wasn’t for the faint of heart. I thought I got some grilled steak, but that might have been a neighbor cooking. I’ll be on the look out for other sizes, but this one hit the spot, although I’ll always have a soft spot for the original.

E.P. Carrillo is launching a line called the Essence series, the Sumatra and Maduro should be on shelves, with more wrapper variations on the horizon. I smoked the Maduro Friday evening on a drive north. My wife offered to drive the first leg so I could enjoy my cigar. I actually don’t like to smoke while driving my car because it’s a manual and it just isn’t relaxing. Fortunately, we were in her car. Ain’t she the greatest? The E.P. Carirllo Maduro has a San Andrés wrapper, Honduran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. While it’s made in the D.R., note that there is no Dominican leaf. I couldn’t help but remember my first La Gloria Cubana Maduro back in the ’90s. This cigar had some spice with espresso and cocoa, it was right up my alley. Burn and draw were perfect (which is nice in the car) and it smoked for about an hour and a half. I’m excited to try the Sumatra, and add some more of the Maduro to my humidor.

Finally, when we got home last night fairly late, I sat down with the newest Firecracker offering from United Cigars. This year it is the JFR Lunatic Firecracker, Made by Aganorsa Leaf. I’m hit of miss on the Aganorsa cigars, but the JFR Lunatic is a good one, although I haven’t smoked any of the obscenely large sizes (there’s only a few 60 ring and under). This has what they are calling a shade grown Corojo maduro wrapper, and I assume Aganorsa Nicaraguan fillers and binder. It’s 3½” x 50 with the signature “fuse”, which I get rid of right away. Smoking time was the better part of an hour, which is good for a little guy. It had that cane sugar sweetness that I like, and was quite tasty, one of the better Firecracker treatments in my mind. Not that any are bad, this one distinguished itself. Super-tasty and it looks like it might still be available. Grab some to try if you see them!

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Aganorsa, Aganorsa Leaf, cigar, cigars, CroMagnon, E.P. Carrillo, Essence, Firecracker, JFR, La Union, Lunatic, My Father Cigars, RoMaCraft, tatuaje, United Cigars

by Craig Vanderslice | June 26, 2022 · 10:10 am

Nat Cicco, JFR Lunatic and La Palina Cigars

The PCA show is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I’ve decided to go after all. I’m actually going as a correspondent for another media site, so I’ll be doing a little double duty. I know I said I wouldn’t go again until media was invited, but I was going to be in town anyway, and couldn’t be there without spending at least a couple days at the show. I’ll only be there for Saturday and Sunday, so I’ll have to plan things carefully. So I figured I better smoke up some of the cigars I still have from the TPE show! I started with a Nat Cicco HHB Gold. I didn’t really know much about Nat Cicco until they bought Epic Cigars and Dean Parsons went to work for them. This was a toro size cigar with a pigtail cap, Ecuador Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binders and fillers. From what I can tell, this is made at NACSA, the same factory that makes Mi Querida, Patina, and Dapper). This was a nice smoke, with woody and leathery flavors. It burned well, and was on the medium full side. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but nice, nonetheless. I don’t see this cigar listed on their website, but there is a non-gold version, I’ll be interested in seeing what the difference is between the two. I really liked the Aniversario 1965 Liga No.4 that they make.

Not a cigar from the TPE show, but one I recently picked up, was a JFR Lunatic Habano in the Short Titan size. I’ll be honest, I had to look just now because the cigar didn’t seem like a 60 ring cigar, but sure enough it’s 4½” x 60. They call this Habano, yet the website lists the wrapper as San Andrés, wich it neither looks or tastes like. I’m confused. These come in ridiculous sizes, up to 80 ring. I stuck with a normal size, and I really can’t remember if I’ve smoked this blend before or not. I don’t think they were outrageously priced either, and the place I bought them might have had a buy five get one deal or something, my memory is hazy. This was a good smoke, on the nutty side. I have another one, so I will smoke it again, and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up more, I just won’t be getting the larger sizes. They have a toro, I’d like to try that one.

This last one was from the TPE, I talked to Clay Roberts of La Palina there and he gave me a La Palina 125 Años, which is a $25 cigar, made by the Oliva’s in Nicaragua. This celebrates the anniversary of Samuel Paley founding the cigar company that would make the first La Palina cigars back in 1896. The blend is undisclosed tobaccos, but they say that they were given access to Oliva’s private stock of vintage tobaccos. I realized that all three of the cigars featured today have a fancy cap treatment, this one has a fan cap, much like the Goldie had. This was a fascinating cigar. It’s a 6½” x 52 Toro. It had a heavy, almost cloying mouth feel, like a black licorice. Not really an anise flavor, just that mouth coating sensation. It did have a sweetness, and a doughy, nutty kind of flavor. It was different and quite enjoyable. I’m not sure the band was in keeping with how special this cigar is, although I guess it may be reminiscent of the period. these come in jars of 37, which I won’t be pring $975 for, but it’s a really good smoke. Thanks, Clay, for sharing this one with me!