Tag Archives: maduro

by | July 16, 2014 · 9:44 pm

MBombay Classic and Maduro Cigars From Bombay Tobak

This week I want to highlight a new cigar line from Mel Shah, the owner of Fame Lounge, an upscale cigar, wine and microbrew lounge located in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. You may be asking yourself where the MBombay name comes from. Mel was born in Bombay, India, before the name was changed to Mumbai. When he wanted to name his wine Bombay, he found that there was a gin company who had the trademark for Bombay, so he named it MBombay. When he created the cigars, he used the same name, the bands on the cigars are the same as the wine bottle label.  The company is called Bombay Tobak.  The MBombay is available in two lines, the Classic and the Maduro. The blends and sizes break down as follows:

 

The Classic Line

Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut 2001

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Peru

 

The Classic line is available in five sizes: Corona (5″ x 43),

Robusto (4.5″ x 48), Belisoco (5″ x 52), Perfecto (a figurado 6 x

50) and Churchill (7″ x 48). The retail price ranges from $8.50

to $11.50.

 

The Maduro Line

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina 2007

Binder: Peru

Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic

 

The Maduro line is available in four sizes: Robusto (4.5″ x 48), Perfecto

(a figurado 6 x 50), Churchill (7″ x 48) and a Double Corona (7″ x 52).

The retail price ranges from $10.00 to $13.50.

Interestingly, to me at least, these are made in the same factory in Costa Rica that makes the Atabey, Byron and Bandolero cigars for Nelson Alphonso (distributed by David Garofalo of Two Guys Smokeshop, United Cigar Retailers and The Cigar Authority). They are pricey, but compared to the Atabey and Byron lines they are downright reasonable. These are showing up in stores in the southern California area now, and I hope these receive wider distribution so everyone gets a chance to try them. I’ve smoked the Maduro Churchill, the Classic Belicoso, and the Classic Churchill over the last few days.

 

MBombay_Maduro_ChurchillThose who have been following me can guess which cigar I selected first.  Monday I reached for the MBombay Maduro Churchill. The Churchills in this line are nearly the classic size, 7″ x 48, and have a dark and oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  This cigar was a real delight to smoke. It was perfectly constructed, drawing perfectly with a V cut.  The burn was dead even, and the ash dropped in solid one inch chunks.  The flavor was a delicious mix of cocoa and coffee, with a hint of spice and fell solidly in the medium bodied range.  I enjoyed this one until it threatened to burn my fingers, it was among the most enjoyable cigars I’ve smoked in a long time.

 

MBombay_Classic_BelicosoTuesday we went out to dinner to celebrate my wife’s birthday, and it was raining buckets when we got home. I opened the garage door and lit up the MBombay Classic Belicoso. This great looking 5″ x 52 figurado is dominated by the ornate and rather large band.  Once again, the construction is perfect, and once again, I used a V cut, but eventually I lopped the end off with my scissors just to see if it made any difference.  It made the draw a little more open, but I could easily have fully enjoyed the cigar with the V cut, even though it was a Belicoso.  The flawless Ecuador Connecticut wrapper gave it a creaminess that was really nice, and while it was milder than the Maduro, it was very flavorful.  Another winner.

 

MBombay_Classic_ChurchillTonight I chose the MBombay Classic Churchill for my evening walk.  Like the other cigars, this cigar features an uncut foot, so it lights very easily and gives a nice blast of the wrapper flavor right at the start. I like the unfinished foot feature on a cigar, it’s far more useful than a fancy pigtail head. This also had the creamy flavor of the Belicoso,  and shared the exceptional construction of the other two. Once again, I smoked this one to a finger-burning nub. The Classic line appears to be another excellent cigar in the genre of the flavorful Connecticut Shade cigars.  I found them all smooth, well balanced and a very satisfying cigar experience. This particular factory in Costa Rica seems to be routinely producing exceptional cigars, and the MBombay is apparently another. The three cigars I smoked over the last three days were so good I’m afraid whatever I pick for tomorrow evening will be a let down!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

 

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by | October 3, 2012 · 6:41 pm

Maduro Cigar Week! A La Hermandad, a Recluse and a Chateau Real Maduro

After enjoying the heck out of the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapped J.C.Newman Brickhouse, I decided to continue the Arapiraca theme with a La Hermandad Robusto from Sean Williams of El Primer Mundo. These are made by Abe Flores of PDR Cigars at his factory in the Dominican Republic. This was a nice, dark 5” x 50 cigar with a pre-production band that Sean gave me at the trade show. The cigar burned perfectly (a trend I’m happy to report I’ve noticed lately, cigars burning well. Nothing is more annoying than a cigar that burns poorly). and drew well, and was a powerhouse of strong, dark flavors. Sean Williams is a very cool guy and I had a chance to catch up with him at the trade show, here is a short video from his booth.

 

http://youtu.be/QxLHu_2nw0Q

 

Monday evening I continued the Arapiraca trend with a Recluse corona from Iconic Leaf Cigar Company. I’ve see a couple reviews of the Toro recently, and I also received samples this week, but they are going to rest for a while. I spoke to them at the show (see my post with video here) and had some pre-release samples in addition to the samples they gave me at the show, so I opted to smoke the corona. I also have a double corona, but it was just too large for the time I had allotted for my evening smoke, and the Kanu #1 is almost too pretty and interesting to smoke! This is another perfectly constructed cigar, a lovely box press that had a rich and dark wrapper. The flavor was equally dark and rich. I enjoyed this cigar to a finger burning nub. The mystery behind these cigars continues, their website states “Iconic Leaf Cigar was founded by two very well known and well respected legends in the cigar industry. They have chosen to keep their identities private in a pursuit to make the very best premium boutique cigars that can be found anywhere in the world without the influence of their names.” I’ll be very interested to find out who these legends are, and J.R. Dominguez certainly wasn’t spilling anything when I talked to him at the show! It’s a terrific cigar, give it a try if you can.

 

 

Tuesday evening I switched it up and went with a San Andreas Maduro wrapper. I selected a favorite from my dwindling supply, a Drew Estate Chateau Real Gran Cru Perfecto in Maduro. Sadly, these are discontinued, but there are still some around here and there. I bought this box about two years ago and they just keep getting better. These are a really smooth and delicious Maduro with coffee and cocoa flavors that are good to the last drop. I liked these so much that I had them in mind when I created my own blend at Cigar Safari a year and a half ago. My blend turned out to be just what I wanted, loads of smooth and chocolaty flavor without a lot of power. The Chateau Real Maduro is refined and classy and I wish it hadn’t been discontinued, although I probably couldn’t have gotten such great deals on the boxes I bought if they hadn’t been I suppose. This is a perfect cigar for my tastes and I’ll miss them dearly when they are gone, there’s nothing I don’t love about this cigar.

 

For some reason Autumn makes me lean toward the Maduros, always been that way.  I have to go see what else I can scrounge up to keep the trend going.  Maybe I’ll find a nice Broadleaf or another San Andreas wrapped cigar to smoke tonight.

 

That’s it for this installment. Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

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by | June 3, 2012 · 4:20 am

Another C & C Cigar, a La Traviata, a Room 101 and Some News

A few weeks back I picked up a little robusto sampler of C and C cigars that included the C and C Corojo Robusto.  The three cigars set me back a whole $10.  I really enjoyed the maduro, and had high hopes for the Corojo, which I smoked this past Thursday.  It’s a nice looking cigar, nothing fancy, just a no-nonsense robusto.  It was a delicious smoke, well behaved and as good or better than many cigars at twice the price.  Another fine cigar from the folks at C and C!  I don’t know about the orange band though, but that’s probably just me.

 

I got off to a late start on Friday, so I grabbed my last CAO La Traviata Maduro Luminoso and sat on the porch with the dog watching the thunderstorm roll by.  This is a 4½ x 50 Rothschild with the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.  The first time I tried the maduro I wasn’t impressed, which is odd since I usually like most maduros.  I was confused by this, I thought for sure I’d love the cigar.  That first one must have been a dud, because subsequent cigars have been right up my alley, great construction, nice flavor, just what I look for in a maduro cigar.

 

It was a beautiful Saturday yesterday, and I had to work at 9pm, so I wanted a good cigar, no surprises.  I went with an original Room 101305 robusto.  This is a cigar I really enjoy.  It’s a solid, well made, savory and satisfying smoke.  I have long been a fan of Camacho cigars, so it stands to reason I’d like the Room 101.  The whole experience is first rate, from the appearance to the band (although one band would suffice, it seems like half the cigars I find myself smoking lately have multiple bands), this is a really superb cigar.  I punched this one for a change, since there was a little bit of a crack in the cap and I was afraid to make it worse.  It turns out that the punch provided a perfect draw and made for a very enjoyable experience.

 

News

I received the following press release from Ernesto Padilla this week: May 30, 2012

PRESS RELEASE!

Padilla Cigar Company is proud to announce yet another collaboration with Oliva Cigar Company following the recently 93 rated Padilla Studio-Tobac Limited Edition.Since the inception of the Padilla brand, Ernesto Padilla (brand owner), has worked on several successful projects with the Miami Lakes, Florida based Oliva Cigar Company. Oliva will manufacture and distribute the new Padilla Premier Cru cigars to be sold exclusively in the European market. The Padilla Premier Cru will feature the most premium fillers from the Oliva Family Tobacco Farms in Nicaragua. The superb wrapper will feature a Habano tobacco seed grown in the Ecuadorian Oliva plantations. The Padilla Premier Cru will be available in 3 different sizes those being Robusto, Torpedo, and a Double Toro. The cigars will range in price from €8 – €10. Padilla Premier Cru will beintroduced this September at the Inter-Tobac Trade Fair in Dortmund, Germany and will be available through all of Oliva’s European distributors. German distributor Wolfertz, GMBH and Dutch distributor Van Horssen, BV have already agreed to begin sales this fall. For those in the United States feeling left out, Padilla and Oliva have created 2 new blends in Habano and Maduro wrappers. This highly anticipated cigar will be known as the Padilla Reserva and will be exclusively sold in the United States. The Padilla Reserva will also be available in 3 sizes those being Robusto, Torpedo, and Double Toro. The cigars will range in price from $8 – $9 dollars. Padilla Reserva will be introduced at the IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando, Florida this August.

 

In other news, the CAO Last Stick Standing promotion as been extended to July 31, so if you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on the tin of cigars and cast your vote, you now have more time!

 

I haven’t been one to jump on posting press releases as soon as I get them, there seem to be plenty of others that do that.  I will, however, listen to my readers, if this is something you would like to see more often, please let me know!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 20, 2012 · 9:12 am

C&C Cigars, Joya De Nicaragua, a Visit with Nish Patel, Xen, Thunder and News

You may recall earlier in the week I was in a quandary: smoke something rare and expensive and risk disappointment or go cheap and reliable. Wednesday I decided to do a little of both and try out another fairly new, inexpensive smoke.  I was at my local shop a couple weeks ago and came across a three cigar robusto sampler of the C&C Cigars, from the folks that used to be Cusano.  The sampler was $9.95 and contained a Corojo, a Connecticut and a Maduro. As is my normal pattern, I headed straight for the Maduro and I wasn’t disappointed.  What a tasty, well made cigar!  Burn was perfect, it had a nice balance of smooth, dark flavors and was a pleasure to smoke.  It burned very slowly, which was a plus as well.  For $3.32 each, this is a real winner.  Keep any eye out for my thoughts on the other two, as I don’t see being able to keep my hands off them for too long!

 

The end of the week called for a sure thing, and what better than a Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Dark Corojo.  This particular cigar came from a goodie bag from a blogger party that Drew Estate put on at last years IPCPR show, which probably explains why its a size that isn’t listed in their regular product line.  This box pressed cigar measured 6″ x 48 by my figuring (it’s hard to get a good read on a square cigar with a round ring gauge checker.  It’s a great cigar size, and had a beautiful dark wrapper.  I love this line.  I remember smoking one of these in the Joya de Nicaragua factory last year and having to put it down because the combination of heat and humidity in the factory and a strong-ass cigar was conspiring against me.  This was a strong-ass cigar also, but burned well and tasted great, one to try if you like them strong.  Maybe I’m getting old, or maturing or something, but I’m finding more of an appreciation for the mild-medium cigars recently. I’ll have to keep an eye on that.

 

In the News

 

HOYO de MONTERREY KICKS OFF BOX A DAY GIVEAWAY

Richmond, VA—To celebrate the launch of the new Hoyo de Monterrey website, General Cigar is rolling out a “Box a Day Giveaway” to share the unique flavor of the Hoyo Monterrey Reposado en Cedros® brand with cigar lovers across the U.S.

From now through July 31, 2012, consumers of legal smoking age are invited to visit the brand’s website (www.hoyodemonterreycigar.com) to enter to win a box of Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros cigars, which feature a proprietary process called “Inmersión.™”

After being handcrafted by a handpicked team of artisans, each Reposado en Cedros cigar undergoes Inmersión, an innovative method of aging created at HATSA, General Cigar’s Honduran cigar factory. With this technique, each cigar is enveloped in fragrant cedar and left to rest for an extended period of time. The cigar matures to a complex, medium-bodied smoke that has won the brand stellar ratings and praise from the premium cigar category’s most discerning experts.

According to Kendall Rountree, brand manager for Hoyo de Monterrey cigars, “Since its debut, Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros cigars has developed a cult following among serious cigar smokers who are drawn to its uniquely spicy taste. We’re utilizing the launch of the Hoyo de Monterrey website as an opportunity to increase the brand’s legion of fans through the ‘Box a Day Giveaway’ and are confident that cigar lovers will enjoy the brand’s uniquely spicy taste.”

Winners of the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros “Box a Day Giveaway” will be announced every Monday on the brand’s website, as well as on the brand’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

About Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros

Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros features three frontmarks, each packed in boxes containing 24 cigars. At 5 ¼” x 54, Sueño is a classic robusto that is available for a suggested retail price of $6.69 per cigar, while the Liso frontmark, a 7” x 49 Churchill carries an SRP of $6.99 per cigar. Marco, a figurado(6 1/4” x 54) rounds out the collection with an SRP of $7.29 per cigar.

The cigars are packed in rustic wooden boxes, protected in canvas, and surrounded by cedar shavings to maintain the flavor and aroma imparted by Inmersión. Each box is truly a work of art, and continues the artisan tradition of the Hoyo de Monterrey brand.

Hoyo de Monterrey en Cedros cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo®, Cohiba®, Partagas®, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana® and several other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.

® Hoyo de Monterrey, Reposado en Cedros, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, , Excalibur, La Gloria Cubana and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.

™ Inmersión is a trademark of General Cigar Co. Inc.

# # #

 

The Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros is a tasty smoke, so make sure you put your name in the hat to win a box!

 

Saturday afternoon Old Havana Cigars Co. in West Chester, PA had a Rocky Patel event featuring a visit by Nish Patel so I took a ride down to have a cigar.  I grabbed a couple of Xen Short Robustos and a couple Thunder by Nimish Robustos and smoked a Xen while I was there.  The Xen is unique because it has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper but it’s square pressed.  It’s very difficult to make a pressed cigar with a Connecticut wrapper because it’s so thin.  They manage this, I believe, using a double binder.  I really enjoyed the cigar, it had what Nish refers to as “attitude”.  It’s not a mild cigar at all, it’s got a nice little punch to it, along with the flavor from the wrapper.  It was a very nice cigar.  Later, after dinner, I took a Thunder by Nimish Robusto to the front porch.  My son just got a dog, so she sat on the porch with me while I enjoyed this hefty robusto.  It has a nice curly pigtail cap and a dark Habano wrapper.  It had nice, dark, savory flavors. I think this is a nice cigar for someone who likes strong cigars, and I generally do.  Two very different blends, and two very rich, satisfying cigars.  Nish is a very nice guy, and it’s always a pleasure seeing Mark, our local Rocky Patel sales rep.  Old Havana Cigar Co. always has very busy events and despite it being a beautiful Saturday, they had a ton of traffic.

 

 

That’s it for now, and it was a lot!  I probably should have held something back for Wednesday when I’ll be looking for material!  I suppose I’ll have to smoke some more cigars between now and then…

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | April 22, 2012 · 10:36 am

An Emilio Draig K, a Diamondback, and a San Lotano

Thursday had turned into a stressful day, and when my wife suggested a walk into town, I knew I wanted a terrific cigar to take along.  So many choices, so I came across a pre-release sample of the new cigar from Emilio Cigars and Gary Griffith, the Draig K.  This dark, oily toro just looked like it was the cigar I was looking for. I had actually just about settled on a Liga Privada T52 when I was distracted by the Draig.  Made in the Placencia factory, the only details I recall are that it features some Colombian tobacco in the filler.  I love a maduro, and I loved this cigar.  It was exactly the rich, satisfying smoking experience I had hoped for.  There were a couple points where it stopped wanting to burn and needed a relight, and there was a small tunnel about 4 inches in, but the flavor and texture of the smoke kept me relighting it down to a ¾” nub.  Yummy cigar. Yet another cigar I’m going to have to get my hands on when they hit the streets!  Thank you, Gary, for the opportunity to sample this fine cigar.

 

Friday night finally rolled around and I was in an experimental mood, so I reached for the IPCPR show sample of the Diamondback robusto from Altadis.  First, from the department of cynicism, one can’t help but draw a comparison between this cigar and another 5″ x 54 shade wrapped cigar with “diamond” in it’s name.  Pre-conceived notions aside, this was a very nice cigar.  It was solidly constructed, burned even and cut cleanly.  If you like shade wrapped cigars, you may want to try these out, considering you can get them by the box for under $50.  Not a bad cigar at all. My only complaint was that the draw was a little tighter than I’d prefer, making me have to work a little harder than I’d like.

 

Saturday was another beautiful spring day.  Showers were in the forecast for later, so I hit the back deck with a San Lotano Maduro lancero.  I’ve very much enjoyed past San Lotano maduros, so expectations were high, as I love  lancero format as well.  This was a terrific cigar, although comparing it with its fatter brethren is a little unfair.  Certainly, smoking the lancero is a little different experience,  one cannot expect the same flavors as a toro or robusto due to the difference in the filler proportions.  Where I find the larger ring gauges in this line to be rich and creamy like smoking a chocolate bar, the lancero was more like bittersweet chocolate.  In no way do I mean to imply that this is a bad thing, as the lancero was a fantastic smoke.  I spent nearly 2 hours nursing every last bit of tasty smoke from it, awfully sad to put it down when it decided it’s time had come. I had picked this up several months ago when I visited Gary Griffith at his People’s Plaza Cigar-ette City store.

 

News

 

I’m sure most of you have already done this, but if you haven’t, please head over the the White House website and sign the petition that’s there.  Here’s a terrific video from Bill Spann outlining the importance of this fight to keep the FDA out of our humidors.

httpv://youtu.be/7bfqIFGu9WM

It looks like there should be no problem getting to 25,000 signatures, but I think we often over-estimate the number of internet cigar nuts out there.  If cigar smokers are a small subset of the general population, and PREMIUM cigar smokers represent a very small subset of those, then those of us who carry our passion for cigars onto the internet are a VERY small part.  It’s important to spread the word and get others on board with this.  It will not be a happy day if the FDA is allowed to regulate premium cigars!

 

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

CigarCraig

 

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