Tag Archives: Montecristo

by | November 24, 2016 · 9:16 am

Cigar News featuring Diamond Crown, Big Papi, Psyko Seven and Montecristo

Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. readers! Today will be filled with food and family here in a few hours, so I’m going to be real lazy and put out a post with a bunch of news items that have recently come across my desk (and I slacked off last night and didn’t get a post out). I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Diamond Crown

Diamond Crown Black Diamond Box Open Emerald

First up is the long-awaited release from J.C. Newman, the Diamond Crown Black Diamond. This has been in the works for years, I’ve heard stories of how they settled on a blend, then tweaked it again, and finally have it ready for release tomorrow, Black Friday.  What a coincidence to be releasing the Black Diamond on Black Friday! Something tells me there was some thought put into that.  Anyway, I’m anxious to get my hands on this, I’ve got two Diamond Crown Lounges within about a ten-mile radius so I should be able to find one. I fondly remember smoking my first Diamond Crown in Las Vegas in 1998, good stuff, I can’t wait to try this one.

 

Big Papi

Next we have news from El Artista about the launch of the Big Papi, a cigar that I have on hand and will be smoking in the very near future, along with some other goodies from the company.

 

DAVID ORTIZ MAKES HIS FIRST “BIG PAPI” CIGAR EVENT APPEARANCE

(New York City) – El Artista Cigars hosted the first event featuring David “Big Papi” Ortiz at Central Bar & Lounge in New York City on November 3, 2016. Over 200 were in attendance including pitcher Cici Sabathia, premium cigar shop owners from all over the country, as well as fans, friends, and family of David Ortiz and El Artista. “This is a celebration to recognize the hard work everyone has put into the launch of this new line,” says Radhames Rodriguez, President of El Artista Cigars, “and we are very happy to see everyone enjoying the cigar.”

David OrtizDavid Ortiz was the star of the party. He signed cigar boxes and hats and took photos with partygoers. Jonas Santana, Marketing Manager for El Artista Cigars states, “David will be at several events in the US in 2017, this is just the first of many to come.” El Artista expects Mr. Ortiz will make appearances in California, New York, New Hampshire, Florida, Dominican Republic, and elsewhere before IPCPR 2017. According to El Artista management, “David is all in for Big Papi events and he is committed to the brand 100%; expect big things from Big Papi in 2017.”

El Artista will hold a series of in-store tastings as well as meet & greet events featuring David Ortiz in 2017. The schedule will be posted on the El Artista website: http://elartistacigars.com/

 

Psyko Seven

Psyko Seven is a cigar I really like, in both the original natural wrapper and the maduro, which, of course, I prefer. I look forward to trying this Connecticut as I do enjoy a good Connecticut from time to time.

 

VENTURA CIGAR COMPANY INTRODUCES CONNECTICUT TO THE PSYKO SEVEN COLLECTION
November 2016 – Inviting cigar aficionados to “Reach into the Dark to Find the Light,” Ventura Cigar is pleased to reveal PSyKo Seven Connecticut, the third blend in its much-admired PSyKo Seven Collection.

 

PSyKo Seven Connecticut is expertly crafted in the Dominican Republic with an exclusive blend of premium of seven tobaccos. It sits apart from others in the PSyKo Seven collection with its lighter wrapper, serving up a more mild-bodied experience. This smooth cigar invites enthusiasts to disconnect from chaos and commotion, to take a step back from the reality of the everyday, and enjoy a rich, flavorful experience.

 

Housed in a sleek, black box, and enveloped with a white prescription form that encourages people to “medicate their mind,” there are three vitolas available: Robusto 4.75 x 50, the Toro 6.25 x 48, and the Gordo 6.00 x 60.

 

“The PSyKo Seven Collection has enjoyed a lot of attention,” says Jason Carignan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ventura Cigar Company. “It’s known for offering up high quality sticks at a great price, earning 90+ ratings from top cigar publications. It’s a favorite of both the retailer and the consumer, so we added PSyKo Seven Connecticut to round out the line, and give our enthusiasts more to explore, and more to connect with.”

 

A solid choice to pair with friends and family, PSyKo Seven Connecticut will enrich and relax holiday festivities with a post-meal smoke and a dram of whiskey. All three vitolas will be shipping to retailers in late November. Please visit venturacigar.com for additional information.

 

Montecristo

Finally we have another in a long list of collaborations with A.J. Fernandez, this time Monticristo is introducing a JR Cigars exclusive.

 

Montecristo Crafted by A. J. Fernandez

 

Burlington, NC – Santa Clara, Inc. is beginning broader distribution of the newly introduced Montecristo Crafted by A. J. Fernandez line of cigars. Montecristo Crafted by A.J. Fernandez is collaboration between the Altadis U.S.A. Montecristo brand and Tabacalera Fernandez and is being crafted exclusively for Santa Clara, Inc.

 

Made in Nicaragua from the finest Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, San Andres binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler, this box-pressed, oscuro-wrapped cigar is an eye-catching masterpiece.

 

An icon, Montecristo has been the benchmark for luxury and quality since 1935. With this long tradition of excellence, the Montecristo name can only be entrusted to craftsmen capable of building on this proud legacy. A. J. Fernandez has been chosen by Altadis U.S.A. to add his name to the history of the Montecristo brand for this new, exclusive cigar.

 

A. J. Fernandez began his career creating cigars for some of the biggest names in the industry before launching his own brands. His brands developed a cult following among cigar aficionados. And his factory, which began with just 6 rollers, now produces over 9 million sticks a year.

 

The Montecristo Crafted by A. J. Fernandez is available in five sizes – Churchill 7 x 50, Figurado 4 x 52, Gordo 6 x 58, Robusto 5 x 52 and Toro 6 x 50, with MSRPs ranging from $9.95 to $12.50 and in box counts of 10 cigars – and delivers a range of bold flavors from sweet to savory with notes and nuances of dark cocoa, espresso, leather and licorice.

 

“We are extremely proud to deliver to the market this collaborative project between two exciting entities. The blend they put together really makes a statement for both companies and I can’t wait to hear the customers reaction”, said Rob Norris, President of Santa Clara.

 

Montecristo Crafted by A.J. Fernandez will be available to the public on December 1, 2016 at www.jrcigars.com.

 

That’s all for today.  I hope to enjoy something special today after the dust (and dinner) settles. Not sure what that might be yet, but I’ve got all day to think about it and thankful to have plenty to choose from!

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | September 25, 2016 · 10:18 am

Foundry, Montecristo, Civil Disobedience and Matilde Cigars from IPCPR

Foundry_Time Flies_550Earlier this week the news came out that Michael Giannini, the creative director and General Cigar, and the mastermind behind the Foundry cigar line, had left the company after 17 years. I met Michael back in 2010 at the IPCPR show, when got to spend a few days with him at the factory in the Dominican Republic which was really educational.  He’s one of my favorite people in the business, and it’s hard to imagine General Cigar without him.  So to honor him on Thursday I broke out the IPCPR samples and lit up the new offering from Foundry Tobacco Co., and a cigar Michael worked on with AJ Fernandez, the new Foundry Time Flies. The samples provided are robustos, 5″ x 50, and has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, and binder and fillers from Nicaragua’s Quilali region, cultivated by AJ Fernandez and his  farmers collective. Quilali is about halfway between Esteli and Jalapa, I looked it up as I hadn’t heard of it before (still haven’t TimeFlies Boxesfound the famed Jalapeño Valley yet). I dare say, this cigar was the best cigar of the week. It was just what I have been enjoying in cigars recently, smooth, a little sweet, not too strong with some interesting spice flavors. The branding on this is interesting, it features a stylized skull on a prism kind of band, and the boxes are another example of something I noticed at the trade show, bright colors. Each size s in a different colored box, and the are not subtle colors. It’s a very well made, great tasting cigar.

 

Montecristo_PiloticoPepeMendez_toroAnother IPCPR sample was a new one from Montecristo, the Montecristo Pilotico Pepe Mendez in the Toro size. This toro is a 6¼” x 52, and has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Dominican binder, and both Nicaraguan and Dominican Pilotico fillers. The Pilotico varietal is an old seed that Pepe Mendez brought from Cuba in the ’60s and revitalized in the Cibao Valley in the DR. There was some of  this tobacco in the Montecristo 80th anniversary cigar that was out last year. It was hard to find anything bad to say about this cigar, it burned right, it had nice flavors along the leathery lines, with a hint of sweetness. It’s one of those cigars that is, no doubt, I very good cigar, but not in line with my preferred flavors. There are a few Montecristos I really like, most on the mild end of the spectrum. The box is cool with an old-timey suitcase motif, paying homage to Pepe Mendez’ traverls in the 60s to find the right area to plant his prized seeds.

 

MoyaRuiz_Civil DisobedienceSaturday afternoon I sat down with a Moya Ruiz Civil Disobedience. While they had this cigar at the IPCPR show, and have moved it from “event only” to regular production, this sample came to me through the generosity of a gentleman named Dave Payne. I met Dave at the show in July, he has a PR firm, but I first started corresponding with him when he had a cigar blog called The Cigar Sage. We had started around the same time, and compared notes from time to time. Dave was kind enough to send me some goodies that I didn’t have access to, and I am overdue in returning his generosity. Anyway, this is another well made cigar from the La Zona factory, with an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan filler and binder. It’s only available in a 5″ x 50 robusto, and proceeds from the sales goes to Cigar Rights of America. Once again, it’s a great smoke from La Zona, with that leathery profile that isn’t particularly my favorite, but it certainly wasn’t offensive. I was more in awe of the perfect burn and draw than that flavor. This is another cigar that did “wow” me, but was still very good, and I appreciate Dave sharing it with me. There are a couple more he sent that will be featured here in the very near future. I need to get to work on that reciprocal package!

 

Matilde_RenacerQuadrata_TorpedoSaturday evening i sat down with one more IPCPR sample, the Matilde Renacer Quadrata, a box pressed  6″ x 52 torpedo.  I first sampled the Matilde Renacer after it was released, and had some issues with the burn on the samples I had, they had a core of tobacco that refused to burn, making smoking it a very messy affair (especially in the car!). I didn’t get a very good feel for the cigar which I really wanted to like. However, when I finally got around to smoking the Matilde Oscura, I thought it was fantastic, right in my wheelhouse. All that being said, I was looking forward to smoking this new box pressed iteration of the original Renacer blend. I’m happy to report that this box pressed torpedo had none of the burn problems I initially experienced and was a really god cigar. I still lean toward the Osucura in this brand (heavily), but the Quadrata is a really good smoke. Jose Seijas and his son Enrique are outstanding people, and they make some darned good cigars.

 

That’s enough for now, my wife is pressuring me to get out the door to go up to Cigars International’s Downtown Bethlehem store for the afternoon, so I better get moving! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | July 10, 2016 · 10:41 am

Fourth of July Cigars, a La Flor Dominicana and a Caldwell

Monday was the Independence Day Holiday, and my wife and my 29th wedding anniversary. I know, Independence Day, getting married….it’s a bit ironic, but we figured at least we’d always have the day off, and Montecristo_No2there would always be something somewhere to do. over the last 15 or so years I have made a point to smoke a Havana cigar as a form of  celebration and of civil disobedience. I like to think the founding fathers would be pleased if they stopped rolling in their graves long enough to notice. Sometimes this works out great, other times it’s a disaster, and this time was somewhere in the middle. I’ve smoked some fantastic Montecristo No.2s over the last 20 years, and I’ve smoked some sucky ones. This one fell in the middle somewhere, as it was just a good cigar. I had been given this cigar last year, and I don’t know what the vintage was, so maybe I should have left it in the humidor for another four or five years. Most of the problem was with the draw, the flavor was good, although milder than I recall. It had the classic “twang” and a hint of citrus I expect from a Montecristo I could have dug a little further and found a Havana or two with sufficient age, but I was lazy, and the classic Monte 2 called out to me. After a great dinner out with my bride, I enjoyed the heck out of a Padron Anniversary Exclusivo Maduro that is the quintessential dessert cigar!

 

LaFlorDominincana_AirbenderMaduro_ChiselLater in the week I was moving humidors around and spied a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maduro Chisel. I assumed it was the maduro because I think by this point I know the difference, and the natural Air Bender is quite a bit lighter. This is a 6½” x 54 cigar with their patented (or is it trademarked, I’m not certain) Chisel shape, like a torpedo, but with a flattened head, not unlike a pipe mouthpiece. I’ve had success squeezing these to open them, but this time I tried a V-cut across the head. It looked pretty cool, but wasn’t giving me the draw I wanted, so I ended up lopping an eighth of an inch off to open it up a little. While the Air Bender isn’t quite as full-bodied as the Double Ligero line, it’s still a reasonable strong cigar, with rich flavor and a bit of a kick. La Flor Dominicana makes some awesome cigars, and this is one of them. They are almost always satisfying. the Air Bender uses a binder and fillers grown on their own farms in the Dominican Republic, and a very pretty, dark Habano wrapper. These are a treat every time I light one up.

 

Caldwell_TheKingisDead_DiamondGirlFriday I wrapped up another week with a cigar I had some trepidation about.  Las year I caught up with Robert Caldwell at a local shop and bought a handful of his cigars to try. I’ve enjoyed his Blind Man’s Bluff line, but I had so much trouble with the Long Live the King cigars that I was worried I’d have similar problems with The King is Dead. the Long Live the Kings I smoked had such construction problems that they just pissed me off, both because I hate it when a pricey cigar doesn’t work right, and I hate wasting my valuable smoking time fighting with a cigar. It’s just not relaxing for me to have a cigar that doesn’t work right. So I decided to try this the Caldwell King is Dead Diamond Girl, a 6 ½” x 42 pigtail cigar. The blend information provided on the website is exceptional, it’s listed as: Capa (that’s the wrapper): Negrito Dominicano – 2008, Banda (that would be the binder, sometimes called “capote”): Corojo Dominicano – 2006, Tripa (filler…think tripe, yuck): Corojo Ligero Dominicano 30% – 2006, Tripa: Negrito Viso Dominicano 20% – 2008 and Tripa: HVA 20/20 50% – 2010. I think Steve Saka is the only cigar maker who is more specific in his blend information. This cigar smoked great, with some wood and cocoa flavors and solidly medium bodied to me. I’m glad I finally smoked this one.

 

That’s it for now. As you can see, I still seem to be grabbing shaped cigars here and there, not sure what that’s all Hemingway Classic SGabout, but I like torpedos and perfectos.  Sunday I stopped by Holt’s in Center City Philadelphia and enjoyed a Fuente Hemingway Classic Sungrown, another pefecto. It was a fantastic cigar, and while I was there  I had the pleasure of meeting and smoking with former Phillies player and broadcaster Gary Matthews, who I saw play countless times in my youth. He was a super nice guy, and apparently a regular visitor to the store. I would have figured him for just a regular patron if he hadn’t been wearing his huge World Series ring, with was hard to miss. I guess I should have gotten a picture with him, but he was such a “regular guy” it didn’t occur to me. Anyway, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | November 8, 2015 · 10:21 am

An Indian Tabac 10th, a Monte, La Flor Dominicana La Nox and Cigar Podcasts

Just a reminder, there’s a giveaway going on that I posted Friday (here). I’m thinking that I might just throw in a Kilo to sweeten things up a little, and there was something else I though about putting in there, but I can’t remember right now. Anyway, hop on back to that post and enter to win some goodies.  Another topic I was thinking about and wanted to mention before I forget again (sucks getting old) is my podcast habit.  I’m a big old podcast junkie, I have a bunch in my rotation, of course The Cigar Authority and Kiss my Ash Radio are staples, as well as Half Ashed, The Stogie Geeks, Cigar Chat on Cigar Federation, Doc Stogiefresh, and Blowin’ Smoke, although the later hasn’t been updating as much as they used to.  As a matter of fact, Blowin’ Smoke was my introduction to the Podcast genre, and I’ve known Rob for fifteen years (I’ve slept on his couch!), he’s another guy I like despite him being a Penguins fan. There are also a couple that blend subject matter like Cigars in Cinema and Cigar Jukebox that I like. Nor that I think about it, I haven’t seen an episode of The Cigar Guys Radio Show out of Atlanta in a few weeks, I’ll have to look into that. In the past couple months I came across a new one to add to my rotation, and I’ve really taken a liking to.  The Cold Draw is another podcast out of New Hampshire, and is well produced and entertaining. Their cigar reviews are in the form of what they term the “bands off dance off”, where they are blind smoking two cigars on the show and picking their favorite. They have panned Opus X and been smitten with Roly bundles, so it’s fun the hear the panels descriptions. I find Bob, Matt and Nick to be quite entertaining and look forward to the show every week.

 

ITC_10thAnniversary_SalomonLast Sunday I smoked an Indian Tabac 10th Anniversary Salomon that I’ve had in the humidor for over a year. I actually picked this up at my 50th birthday herf at Cigars International’s Super Store, which means I’ve had it in the humidor over two years! Since ITC was launched in 1996 by Phil Zenghi of Debonaire Cigars and Indian Motorcycle Premium Cigars fame, and left it in Rocky Patel‘s hands shortly after that, one would guess that the 10th anniversary was sometime around 2006, so this was pretty close to a ten-year old cigar by my figuring. It was a really nice smoke, it burned well for a large figuarado, it’s 7 1/8″ x 58, and lasted well over two hours. It was on the milder side, with lots of nice, mellow flavors of wood and nuts with a bit of a creamy quality. I don’t know that this cigar would have been any better if I had procrastinated any longer, and I wonder what this would have been like five years ago or so. It’s always fun smoking a well aged cigar, this one was a treat.

 

MonteSometime around the middle of the week I grabbed a Montecristo Monte Conde robusto for my evening walk.  I had been putting the finishing touches on my Montecristo White Vintage Connecticut magazine article and wanted to compare. The Monte is totally different from the White line, it’s stronger and has a lot going on with some Nicaraguan, Dominican tobacco in the blend with an Ecuador Habano wrapper. The cigar was 5½ x 48 which is a very nice size in my book. Speaking of sizes, why don’t they list he vitolas on the website?  I think it’s funny that they don’t list the sizes, and it always seems to be the big companies that leave this detail out. Mystifying. Anyway, the Monte is a good smoke, lots of flavor and burned very well. It was a satisfying cigar, and I think in a blind tasting this would certainly compare favorably with a boutique brand.

 

LaFlorDominicana_La NoxFinally, I smoked a second La Nox from La Flor Dominicana. This cigar is new this year, and is a beauty. It’s wrapped in a dark, oily Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, with a San Andres binder and Dominican fillers, including Pelo de Oro from their own farms. It seems to only come in a 6½ x 50 Toro size. How do I know all this?  Well, it’s not on their website yet, so I had to hunt around for the info, which included visits to some of my sponsors sites for the details. Do I do anything besides bitch about cigar manufacturers websites?  That’s gotta get old… back to the cigar. I smoked a couple of these, and this cigar is in my personal wheelhouse. It’s dark, both in appearance and flavor, with a palate coating sensation akin to black licorice, of which I’m a fan. It produces a good amount of smoke, and only required a touch up because I’m a picky bastid. Of course, LFD is known for producing strong Dominican cigars, and this one’s no different, it’ got some horsepower to it for sure. I want to say that this is another blend from Tony Gomez, Litto’s son who is very tall, and he did a good job. I liked it. Thanks to Jonathan Carney at LFD for sending these samples.

 

I made it through another week of not smoking a cigar I didn’t like, which is good. Autumn in this part of the country means the leaves are falling off the trees, generally making a big mess, so I suppose I’ll be on the roof (new as of last week, by the way) blowing the leaves out of the gutters, then I’ll participate in leaf burning the only way I like doing it, tobacco leaves rolled into a tube and savored over the course of an hour or more.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | November 1, 2015 · 9:03 am

A Montecristo, an Alec Bradley, Stage V Clinger and Some News

It’s been a weird week, and I really only smoked a couple cigars for this post. I found myself grabbing some old favorites that I’ve talked about before during the week, so I’ll talk about the two new cigars I smoked and pass on some news that came through my inbox, as well as an accessory I’ve been playing with.  One of the highlights of the week (two, actually) was the new Montecristo White Vintage Connecticut from Altadis in the oddly named MonteWhiteVintConnDouble Corona size. I say it’s oddly named because it’s only 6¼” x 50, which is more of a toro in my book. I expect a Double Corona to be closer to 7 5/8″ x 49, then again, I like a Churchill to be  7″ x 47 too.  I’m writing about this cigar for my column in an upcoming Prime Living Magazine issue, so I smoked a few.  First note is that it’s a pricey cigar, coming in around $12.50 in not cigar tax PA.  This uses a Connecticut shade wrapper grown on Altadis’ farms in Connecticut, and you get the pungent aroma and taste of alfalfa on the pre-light. Some may call this barnyard, but that grosses me out a little so I’ll go with alfalfa.  Hey, this is good stuff, I’ll have to use this in my article.  Anyway, if I had to pay $12.50 for a cigar, I’d certainly want it to be as good as this cigar was. Perfect burn and draw are expected and expectations were exceeded. It had a very smooth, yet rich flavor, it was creamy with a hint of citrus sweetness, and a little bit of pepper from the Nicaraguan and Peruvian leaf in the filler blend.  This was a great smoke, probably great in the morning with a cuppa joe, but stood up nicely in the evening, even after some ill-advised buffalo sauce with dinner. Overall a delicious cigar, in my opinion, maybe the best non-cuban Montecristo I’ve smoked.

 

Stage V ClingerA few weeks ago I received a cigar holding device called the Stage V Clinger (the V is a Roman Numeral 5, so it’s a Stage Five Clinger for those curious). I used the strong magnets on this coated spring steel cigar clip to attach to a chair on the porch (which, fortunately for this trial, was steel). The magnets are strong enough to hold it securely on a magnetic surface. If you find yourself without a ferrous metal surface to attach to magnetically, they include a Velcro strap as well.  The spring in the jaws of this device are very gentle, there’s just enough pressure to firmly grasp the cigar without damaging it.  I’ve only tested this on the chair, with little or no jostling.  I have not tried it on a treadmill at the gym, on a bike out on the trail, skydiving, or on a golf cart (which, by the way, is the main marketing demographic for this), but I imagine it would work in at least some of those situations. It’s a well made accessory that will hold your cigar if you need it.  I just thought of something I need to try…strapping it to the leash to hold my cigar when I take my evening walks with Macha…stay tuned for an update.

 

AlecBradley_NicaPuroRosado_RobustoThe other noteworthy cigar I smoked this week, strike that, I smoked several noteworthy cigars, a La Sirena Doubloon Salamone on Sunday that was quite great, and a really good Asylum Straight Jacket, both of which had spent at least the last year in the humidor. The other cigar I wanted to mention was the Alec Bradley Nica Puro Rosado. The original Nica Puro is one of my go-to cigars, it’s among the cigars with “Nica” in the name that came out in 2013 that really tripped my trigger and are regulars in any semblance of a rotation I might have. I ended up with one of these as an add-on at an Alec Bradley event with Jon Lipson at Cigar Brothers in Berwyn, PA a few weeks ago, and really was looking forward to smoking it. This is all Nicaragua, wrapper, binders (two of them) and fillers, covering the three main growing regions in the country.  I really enjoyed the cigar. The rosado wrapper gives this a little sweeter, a little “cleaner” flavor, if that makes sense.  I think this can interchange with the original Nica Puro as a go-to cigar for me, while it’s still all Nicaraguan, the rosado wrapper just brings something new and interesting to the table.

 

News

Here are a couple press releases that came through my inbox this week, reproduced verbatim in the laziest, least journalistic way possible.

 

Two Guys Smoke Shop & Cigars for Warriors – CIGAR BOX DRIVE

(New Hampshire) – Two Guys Smoke Shop, a three store chain of cigar shops in New Hampshire with locations in Salem, Seabrook and Nashua have begun a Full Cigar Box Drive for Operation: Cigars for Warriors.

Cigars for Warriors top priority is collecting then dispersing premium cigars to American Service Men and Women serving in combat zones (Air, Land and Sea). As a way to honor, show respect and thank those putting it all on the line for us back home.

Cigars for Warriors receives requests from many soldiers who have no one in the U.S. to send care packages to them, and would otherwise receive nothing. This mission is one of great importance as we understand that some of these fine men and women would not be able to enjoy well-deserved moments of reassurance and relaxation without the generosity of sponsors and individual donors.

The mental health benefits of a premium cigar are unsurpassed for our troops, especially with considerations that cigars are the #1 requested items by our Warriors. Two Guys Smoke Shop asks that we band together and give thanks to our Service men and women by donating a full box of cigars to Cigars for Warriors. Two Guys Smoke Shop will not only collect but will match a box of cigars for every box donated (up to 500 Boxes) from October 30, 2015 till Thanksgiving Day – November 26.

Give THANKS to our Troops, our Warriors, our Service men and women by buying and donating a full box of premium cigars for a Warrior. There is a donation box set up at each Two Guys Smoke Shop location and you may even donate online at www.2GuysCigars.com by leaving a message in the comment box that the box is for the warriors or by calling 1- (888) 2–CIGAR-2 (1-888-224-4272)

 

One quick note on this first item. Unfortunately, Ben Edmundson, who was instrumental in the operations of Op: CfW, passed away this week. I have no doubt that the team there will continue providing this service to our troops, but the cigar world lost a great patriot and he will be missed. I never met him, but had correspondence with him the times I sent cigar donations to him for the troops.  My condolences to his family, both genetic and otherwise.

 

From my buddy Omar:

 

FRATELLO INTRODUCING THE BOXER SERIES  

 

Springfield, VA (October 15, 2015) – Fratello is unveiling their first limited run The Boxer Series. “The 2014 release of the Fratello Boxer was a great success for our company.  We tweaked the Fratello blend, box-pressed the cigar and people loved it,” said de Frias.  The boxer series was born from the success of the Fratello Boxer.   

The Boxer Series will only be available as a five-pack format with a limited production of 3000 units. Four new sizes are being introduced in this limited run with the same blend as the Fratello Boxer.  

The Boxer (6 ¼ X 52)

Boxeador (6 X 54)

Boxero (5 ½ X 50)

Boxista (5 X 48)

Boxerito (4 ¾ X 46)

The boxer series will debut at W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist in Washington D.C November 18th 2015.  It will begin shipping to retailers nationwide after the event.  Retail value is 45.00

For a list of Fratello Cigars product offering please visit www.fratellocigar.com/thecigar for a description.

 

Finally from our friends at Drew Estate:

 

Drew Estate Announces ACID Supercell, Subculture Exclusive for Fogue & Bates in Tulsa, OK

Thursday, October 29, 2015 — Miami, FL – Drew Estate will be releasing a new Subculture cigar for Fogue & Bates in Tulsa, OK, called ACID Supercell. The new cigar will be released at an in-store event at Fogue & Bates on November 19th, 2015. Supercell will be available exclusively at the Fogue & Bates retail shop.

The new ACID Supercell is presented in a 4 ¾ x 43 vitola, and the blend is based on the ACID Toast blend. ACID Toast has become a popular choice among ACID smokers who are looking for a fuller-bodied ACID cigar. The blend features a maduro wrapper from the San Andres Valley and has rich tobacco notes underlying the sweet taste of the ACID infusion.

When asked about the new ACID Supercell, Jonathan Drew said that, “James George at Fogue & Bates understands the ethos of Drew Estate. He has become a virtual extension of our vision, and drives it straight to consumers in the Midwest market. The new ACID Supercell has been meticulously created to honor James for everything he has added to our journey. The Supercell is stupid fresh. If you find yourself in Tulsa, definitely stop by Fogue & Bates. It’s an awesome shop run by an awesome team that we call family. ”

James George, owner of Fogue & Bates, commented that, “The Supercell project started four years ago, with the idea that the Toast is my favorite ACID blend. The one problem was that the larger size was sometimes too large for the occasion. Sometimes you just don’t have an hour to commit to a cigar. From there, Supercell was born. After four years and several blend iterations, the Supercell blend is what we’ve landed on, and I’m extremely excited about it. My relationship with Drew Estate over the years has been a fantastic partnership, and I truly believe that Drew Estate is the most innovative company in the industry. I’m happy to be partnered up with them for Supercell.”

To learn more about Fogue & Bates, call or visit their retail store at:

6929 East 71st Street
Tulsa, OK 74133
(918) 488-0818

To follow all of Drew Estate’s news, follow them on social media at @drewestatecigar.

 

That about wraps it up for today, the first day of Standard Time here in PA and around much of the country. I personally hate Standard Time, sure it’s light earlier, but it’s friggin dark by the time I get home. That means it wont be long before it’s freezing cold and snowy and crappy, and I want my summer back!  I’m going to have to button up the smoking porch and get the propane heaters out. Oh, and finally, here’s a question that’s been keeping me up at night (not really), but a couple weeks ago Halfwheel reported that CAO had a Pumpkin Spice Cigar hitting shelves, I never heard anything else about this, never saw any, and am left wondering if this was a “The Onion” type of  post poking fun at CAO or just to see what the reaction would be or what. Was there really a CAO Rider’s Revenge?  Enquiring minds want to know! Until the next time,

 

Cigar Craig

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