Tag Archives: Merlion

by CigarCraig | January 20, 2013 · 10:10 am

Cigars and Hockey – Alec Bradley Connecticut and Tempus and a Merlion

The last time I mentioned the cool match holder/striker that was brought to my attention, so this time take a look at this new cigar punch from ScrewPop, who makes a variety of tools that have integrated clips that double as a bottle opener. This is an aluminum body with a stainless steel punch blade and the cover screws on with an o-ring to keep out the crud. Next time I stop by Cigars International I may pick one of these up to see how it works! ScrewPop also has clip-able screwdrivers, knives, flashlights and mini-Bic lighter holders. Pretty nifty stuff. Please note that this is not a paid endorsement, just something that came to my attention that looked pretty cool.

Thursday evening I finally decided to smoke the Alec Bradley Connecticut that Jon Lipson gave me at an event a while back. This is another cigar that bucks the trend of mild Connecticut cigars. While not a particularly powerful smoke, it had loads of flavor and was solidly medium bodied. It had the signature Ecuador Connecticut wrapper flavor, with some real depth and body. I liked this smoke, it was different enough from the similarly wrapped American Classic Blend (which I really like). I almost thought it was kind-of like a Tempus with a shade wrapper, not that that’s a bad thing. Very nice smoke.

Friday evening I went out to dinner with my wife and her father and had a delicious flounder stuffed with crab. I probably would have made another cigar choice afterward if I had chosen steak, but I naturally gravitated to a Merlion Robusto for some reason (aside: did anyone pick up my series of puns in my last post?). I don’t know what I’d have selected if I had eaten duck. Anyway, the Merlion is the sequel to the La Sirena, which is a cigar I really like, but haven’t really smoked enough of. The Merlion is made by La Aurora in the Dominican Republic and is a bit milder than it predecessor with an Ecuador Corojo wrapper and a generous smattering of tobacco from Brazil. I enjoyed this on a post dinner walk and it was a nice cigar to follow an excellent meal. I can’t remember if this is one I bought at the Delaware Cigar Festival or was an IPCPR show sample, but it was missing one of the ornate bands, not a big deal to me as it’s one fewer band to remove, but the double banded presentation is quite nice, much like the impressive bands on the La Sirena line. Another nice job by the folks at Miami Cigar and Co.

I’m a big Philadelphia Flyers fan, and the last several months has been frustrating without hockey to watch. Hockey is really the only sport I like, to be honest. I had the good fortune to attend the opening game of the season yesterday. Unfortunately they didn’t really start playing until the end of the first period and couldn’t manage a comeback over a pretty defensively solid Penguins team. I really don’t like the Penguins much, and I kinda wish the fans would chant “Penguins Suck” instead of “Crosby Sucks”, because Crosby is a skilled player, he’s just a whiny little bi…..sorry, I’m straying from my point. When I got home I decided I’d smoke an Alec Bradley Tempus to see how far off I was on my thoughts about the Connecticut. I can’t really make a judgement on the similarities between the two except that they are both very nice cigars. The Tempus is a bit fuller bodied and was a very nice smoke. I don’t know if there are any cigars in the Alec Bradley line that I really don’t enjoy. There seems to be something for everyone in their portfolio. Even though the Flyers didn’t win, this Tempus was a winner. The Wells Fargo Center, where the Flyers play, does have a Cigar Bar, and I’m trying to get a tour to feature in a future post. Holt’s used to have the cigar concession in both the private club area and adjacent to one of the bar areas. I have been to a couple games many years ago where we could enjoy cigars before going to our seats. Sadly, the indoor smoking regulations put an end to that.

I’m afraid that’s all I have today. The TV will be on at 12:30 to see if the Flyers look better against the Sabres today, and I’ll find something to smoke afterward no doubt. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

5 Comments

Filed under Accessories, Editorial, Review

Tagged as Alec Bradley, cigar, cigars, connecticut, Flyers, La Sirena, Merlion, Miami Cigar and Co, Tempus

by CigarCraig | October 10, 2012 · 10:46 pm

Seafood and Columbus Day – A Merlion, a Trinidad and a Añoranza

Sunday evening my wife cooked an enormous piece of salmon and it was delicious. I wanted a cigar to follow the fish, and I couldn’t think of anything better than the new Merlion from La Sirena and Miami Cigar and Company. I’ve mentioned this cigar before (here) and it’s a solid cigar, made by La Aurora and featuring a Corojo wrapper around a three country blend. I may have enjoyed this one more than the first, it was perfect after the meal and really hit the spot. It’s a very tasty stick, well balanced and smooth. Another winner from Arielle.

Monday was Columbus Day, the day set aside to celebrate Columbus’ discovery of cigars! So I was digging around looking for a San Cristobal (de la Habana or otherwise) and came across a really old Trinidad corona. Someone correct me if my memory is off here, but back in the late ’90s, the Trinidad brand was released in the US, and it was made by Fuente. At some point the brand and production changed to being under the Altadis group of brands. This corona was from the original release, with really yellow cello. I had to cut the cello off, it was so brittle and sticky and beautiful. This actually took me back many years, it still had loads of flavor, but not a lot of nicotine. It was a really sweet, satisfying smoke which burned perfectly. This was the epitome of a well aged cigar. I think there’s one more floating around the humidor, I wonder what another few years of age will do to it?

On Tuesday I was rummaging around for something to smoke and the Añoranza Robusto lept out at me and demanded to be smoked. This dark beauty from Miami Cigar and Company was a sample from the IPCPR show, and I had been looking forward to smoking it. I will have to get my hands on some more, as it was really right up my alley. It was loaded with deep, rich cocoa and coffee flavors that I really enjoy. The wrapper is listed as Habana Oscuro, and while it didn’t look as dark as many oscuro wrappers, it tasted it, if that makes sense. I savored this cigar to a finger burning nub. Here is a quick video from the IPCPR show with Jason Wood, or Miami Cigar and Co., talking about the new La Aurora Cien Años Maduro, which I don’t think I got a sample of, but I will track one down to smoke because it looked really tasty!

There you go, two really nice smokes from the folks at Miami Cigar and Company, and a well aged cigar that you’ll probably never see again! Sorry about the later, but hunt down the Merlion and Añoranza and give them a try (as well as the new La Aurora offering!). Now…I need to see what kind of trouble I can get into for Sunday’s installment!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under IPCPR, Review, Video

Tagged as Añoranza, cigar, cigars, IPCPR, La Aurora, La Sirena, Merlion, Miami Cigar and Co, trinidad

by CigarCraig | September 2, 2012 · 8:48 am

IPCPR 2012 – A La Sirena Merlion and Someone Wins Some Cigars!

Friday evening, the start of a holiday weekend, the (sigh) end of summer, all good reasons to spark up a good cigar. One of the cigars I’ve really been looking forward to smoking from the IPCPR show is the Merlion from La Sirena and Miami Cigar and Co. The sample I smoked was the Toro size, measuring 5½” x 54, which is a nice size for a late summer evening. The cigars are made at the La Aurora factory with Ecuadoran Corojo wrapper, a Brazilian Sumatra binder and Dominican Corojo, Dominican Criollo, Nicaraguan ligero and Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. It’s a very nice cigar. I could certainly taste the influence of the La Aurora factory in the blend, there’s a signature flavor that I’m familiar with that stands out. It performed perfectly and was a nice, satisfying smoke. Another winner from Arielle Ditkowich and the folks at Miami Cigar and Co. Arielle took a few moments to talk to me at the show, here’s the video.

Thank you, Arielle, for being one of my first few interviews at the show. Keep making tasty smokes!

Contest

I know, nobody is interested in video of me talking to a lovely lady about cigars, you just want to know who won this weeks contest! I was pretty amazed by the response, especially considering I was pretty vague about what the prize was (and I’m sorry, there will not be a Taboada in the prize pack! I had one and that was it). What is in the package is a pair of Tortuga LE 2011 torpedoes from Victor Vitale, along with a selection of General Cigar Co. goodies, including some new releases and special cigars that are only available at special events. I also threw in a few favorites from my humidors. As usual, I’ve consulted with the Random Number Generator at Random.org which has produced the number 15, which corresponds to Christian Logay by my figuring. Congrats Christian! Please send me your contact info so I can get this in the mail to you! Again, thanks to everyone for reading along and making the last 3 years very special for me.