Tag Archives: Padilla

by | June 2, 2013 · 10:36 am

Studio Tobac Event at Philadelphia Cigar and Tobacco Co.

StudioTabacEvent_06012013Spring is definitely in full swing here in south-east PA, the grass is growing, the pool is opening and the weather has been gorgeous. So what do we do after a morning of chores? Go to a cigar store for a Studio Tobac/Oliva event, what else? The store in question is the Philadelphia Cigar and Tobacco Co. In Northeast Philadelphia, about an hour away (assuming traffic ir reasonable, which it was not). I consider Mike Staiber, our local Oliva rep, to be one of my better friends in the cigar industry, and. Byran Scholle is a super nice dude too, so going to hang out with them was a no brainer. I selected a handful of Padilla and Cain cigars and immediately lit up a Padilla PadillaReservaMaduro_DoubleToroReserva Maduro Double Toro (5.5×60), a damned yummy cigar. Bryan sets up a small rolling table at his events and demonstrates how a cigar is wrapped to event goers. Its great for people to see how this is done and to be able to ask questions. One very astute question I heard involved nicotine absorption through the hands and whether it affects the roller. Bryans response was that it initially does when he starts, but he quickly adjusts. I’ve heard the question asked in the factories, but never in a shop setting. Here’s a two minute video of Bryan doing his thing:

 

 

The Philadelphia Cigar and Tobacco Co. is a very nice store located in a strip mall on Welsh Road in Northeast Philadelphia. The front of the store has a spacious lounge with a bunch of guys watching the game on a large TV, a poker table full of guys playing cards (and it didn’t look like they were playing “Go Fish”), and another small seating area. The huge walk in humidor was generously stocked with all the goodies you’d expect to find. The shop is very clean and well run, and he owner, Michael, is a gracious host. They are planning on opening a second location in Yardley, PA in the not too distant future. Drop in to visit if you find yourself in the area.

 

CainFU_toro_freshWhen I got home I had to smoke the cigar that Bryan rolled in the video. He described it as an amped up Cain F blend, with additional Esteli ligero in the blend. They playfully refer to this blend as the Cain FU. He mentioned that they are best smoked fresh, so I figured it wasn’t going to get any fresher. Smoking a fresh rolled cigar is a little different than one that’s sat in an aging room for months and made its way to your local shop. It’s a little wetter and mushier, but, astoundingly, it burned pretty well after I torched the hell out of it to get it lit. I guess I’m more manly than I gave myself credit for, because I was expecting this to kick me hard. I love most Cains with some age, but this one was quite good as well. It was strong and spicy, but not harsh and the flavor wasn’t overpowered. Well done. In counterpoint, the Padilla Reserva Maduro was smooth and chocolaty and delicious, nearly worth the $10 price tag (by the way, what is up with Padillas website? How about an update? I had to get size information elsewhere). I got a couple of the Short Robusto (4×60) size as well, along with some Cain Daytonas and Fs. It was a great day hanging out with some really nice folks and enjoying fine smokes.

 

The Adorini Humidor

AdoriniHumidor2This will be a recurring segment, basically a long term review of the Adorini Cedro Deluxe Humidor from Humidordiscount.com. I’ve started by charging the humidifier with the included solution and some distilled water, and adding a bowl of distilled water as well.  So far the hygrometer is reading about 74% RH.  I’m just going to let it sit until the water evaporates from the bowl.  I’ve always gone by the theory that the wood in the humidor is truly the medium which holds the moisture, and if it’s too dry it will be constantly battling the humidification element and will take forever to reach equilibrium and function properly.  I’m convinced that this unit will be a solid performer based on how solid it looks and feels and the nice, air-cushioned “woosh” I get when I drop the lid.  More to come.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | February 6, 2013 · 7:13 pm

A Padilla, an Alec Bradley, a Hockey Game and Some Cigar News

A little snow here and there isn’t enough to deter me from enjoying a fine cigar! That’s what I did on Sunday. We’ve been getting off easy with little snow showers here and there, which is just fine with me. Sunday I took an afternoon walk with a Padilla Reserva. This is a 6” x 50 Toro with what looks like a nice Habano wrapper. I enjoyed the heck out of this cigar, although not quite as much as it’s maduro sibling. It had nice, smooth flavors that I found appealing. It performed flawlessly and was quite enjoyable. I think if I were to come across this cigar in a shop I’d pick a few up, provided they were out of the tasty maduro! Thanks again to Mike Staiber of Oliva for turning me on to these!

 

Monday evening I picked out a nice Alec Bradley American Sungrown robusto. I picked this up on a visit to the Cigars International store in Hamburg, PA I think, I probably picked up a couple another place too. Maybe I buy too many cigars? Anyway, I really like this cigar, and I like the American Classic with the Ecuador Connecticut Shade wrapper quite a bit too. I think the Sungrown has that extra little pop I need in the winter months. These have the added advantage of being very well priced, usually under $5. This is a great anytime cigar that is probably a cigar a broad range of people can appreciate. This is a great cigar to have around to share or smoke those days you have trouble deciding what to smoke and you just want a good cigar.

 

Tuesday night my youngest son and I went to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for the Flyers game. It was a great game with the Flyers winning over the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game we stopped in the Cigar Bar in the center. This used to be Holt’s Cigar Lounge many years ago, and I don’t think it would be a bad assumption on my part that they still get their cigars from Holt’s, given the Holt’s cutter and matches that came with the cigars I purchased. I’m sure many wouldn’t be shocked by an $11 price tag on a Fuente Hemingway Short Story, especially in a cigar tax free state like PA. I rationalized it to myself figuring I was in on a free pass, and didn’t pay the membership fee that would come to something along the lines of $16 per game. We smoked out Short Stories while the 19,000 people outside were sitting in traffic and got to chat with Bernie Parent for a while. Of course, you may recall that Bernie has a cigar out, the BSB #1 Bernie Parent by Rocky Patel. He mentioned that they are going to add a Round Toro and a Box Pressed Torpedo to the line and use a band design featuring his crest. I am surprised that the Cigar Bar didn’t have the BSB #1 on their menu, but Bernie said they are working on it. It seems like an appropriate place to carry the cigar!

 

A Joke

 

A doctor on his morning walk, noticed the old lady pictured above:,

She was sitting on her front step smoking a cigar, so he walked up to her and said,

“I couldn’t help but notice how happy you look! What is your secret?”

“I smoke ten cigars a day,” she said. “Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint.

Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food.

On weekends, I pop pills, have sex, and I don’t exercise at all.

“That is absolutely amazing! How old are you?”

“Forty,” she replied

Contest Winner!

The winner of the ScrewPop Punch and the 5-pack of My Uzi Weighs a Ton Baitfish and a MUWAT cap is MattRoss81!  The Random Number Generator spit out the number 6, and The Commish had won a prize in the 12SDOCG’s (12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways) so he was disqualified!  Matt, please send me your address! Thanks again to Drew Estate and ScrewPop for sponsoring this contest!

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

CigarCraig

 

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by | January 13, 2013 · 9:41 am

End of the Week Cigars: a Padilla, a Dunhill and a Gurkha

We’ve been having unseasonably warm weather here, not particularly warm, but not sub-zero winter weather either.  I certainly prefer balmy temps but I’ll take not getting frostbitten fingers in January over the alternative. Not that the weather generally keeps me from my enjoyment of a fine cigar, I am more likely to try something new when I know that shivering isn’t going to knock the ash off.

 

Padilla_Reserva MaduroThursday I grabbed a Padilla Reserva Maduro that my local Oliva rep, Mike, handed me when I met up with him last month.
He was delivering the very impressive prizes for Day 12 of the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways and slipped a couple Padilla cigars to me (Oliva is distributing Padilla cigars). I haven’t smoked many Padilla cigars over the years, and the few I’ve smoked I’ve really enjoyed. Of course, if I have some cigars to smoke and one is a maduro, you know that’s the one I’m smoking first! This was a beautiful dark and oily toro sized cigar, in the neighborhood of 6×50. The band has a really cool lion with the secondary band identifying it as the Reserva Maduro. I looked, but the website doesn’t have any information, but I bet a dollar that this is a San Andreas wrapper. It wowed me from the get go with everything I love in a maduro cigar. Overall a really enjoyable experiences, I will have to get my hands on more of these and add them to my list of favorites! Yum.

 

Dunhill_Aged Reserva Especial 2003Friday night was rainy. I took the dog for a quick walk sans cigar as I’ve found the combination of dog, umbrella and cigar to be way too much to handle in the rain (and I’m guessing it would be no easier without the rain). I put the dog in the house and set up in the garage with a Dunhill Aged Reserva Especial 2003 which I received as a sample from the folks at General Cigar Company. This cigar is a Robusto Grande, measuring 5½” x 54 and is wrapped in a stunning U.S. Connecticut Shade wrapper.   Clearly this is a cigar better suited to a walnut paneled parlor in front of a roaring fire than a garage on a rainy night, but my walnut paneled parlor was in the shop :-).  This is a milder cigar with loads of bright flavors that kept me interested for the nearly an hour and a half it took me to smoke it.  I’m looking forward to smoking another one of these, but with a $15 price tag it probably won’t be on my personal buy list, just too rich for my blood.  Delicious smoke though.

 

Saturday was a very nice day after a rainy, foggy start.  I took the dog on a nice long walk with a Gurkha 125th Anniversary Toro.  This came in a sampler from the IPCPR show which was presented in a very cool package which is reminiscent of the sort of thing fine silverware Gurkha_samplersettings might me stored in.  Very cool presentation for trade show samples, but what else would one expect from Gurkha?   Along with the 125th is a Ghost, a Seduction, a Cellar Reserve and a Royal Challenge, all in a 6″ x Gurkha_125th54ish chunky toro shape.  Admittedly, I’ve been intimidated by the Gurkha line in the past due to the vast number of lines and my inability to every be able to keep them straight.  I do love the Seduction, and I’ve sampled a few more that have made me want to explore the line further.  The 125th is a solid cigar.  The construction was darned near perfect, I love watching a well made cigar burn and this was beautiful. It was medium bodied and seemed to me like the kind of cigar that a lot of people would be able to enjoy.  It was a very enjoyable 2 hour smoke, or a 3 mile walk with a 45 minute “warm down” on the patio.  I still have a selection of Gurkha cigars that I haven’t tried yet. I’ll get to them when the weather warms up as they all seem to be in that toro or larger size. I smoked the Ghost a few weeks ago and enjoyed it, but was a little dissapointed, I guess I was expecting something different. I’ll smoke it again under better circumstances.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | March 14, 2012 · 7:34 pm

A Para Japon, a La Gloria, a Gurkha, a Padilla and Some News

Sunday afternoon I was remembering a year ago walking into my room at Drew Estate Cigar Safari and seeing the news coverage of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  I decided that the lone Para Japon I had in my humidor was the appropriate cigar to smoke.  I think nearly year’s age has done this cigar well, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Thanks to Tony at CasasFumando.com for the opportunity to try these (and check out their contests currently under way to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the site.  Keep up the good work, Tony and Daniel!).  The Para Japon was made by La Aurora with the proceeds benefiting the relief efforts in Japan.  I remember seeing a few boxes of these at Cigar-ette City in Newark, DE the last time I was there, so there may be some still in the marketplace. (late addition: Bonita Smoke Shop has them)

 

Monday I decided to walk to the shop to retrieve my car from it’s annual state inspection.  For those unfamiliar with the process, many states requite safety and emissions inspections every year in an effort to produce revenue for the state and the shops that are approved by the state to perform these inspections.  I manage to ease the financial impact a bit by having my cars inspected at the local Monro, which is attached to my local BJ’s Wholesale Club, where I work part time and get a healthy discount!  Ha! Anyway, the place is nearly three miles away, so a substantial cigar is in order for the walk.  I selected a Gurkha Cellar Reserve  Churchill, at 7″ x 54, due in part to it’s size, and the fact that my brother-in-law said that it was the best cigar he’d smoked out of a handful I had given him.  I had smoked one previously and it was pretty good, and this one was pretty good as well.  It certainly lasted to the shop, then back home for a good thirty minutes on the porch.  Burn was perfect, it could have been a little freer in the draw, but gave me nearly two hours of smoking time.  It was in the 60s and a beautiful evening for early March in PA.

 

Tuesday night I was visited by a high school buddy of mine and introduced him to taking a cigar for a walk.  Greg is a fellow cigar nut so I opened the box of La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale Cubano that I brought back from my visit to the DR and we fired them up.  This is another large cigar, 6½” x 58, with a golden Honduras/Connecticut wrapper.  These are a recent favorite and bring back a lot of fond memories of the trip where I smoked a fair amount of these.  It had been over a year since Greg and I last met up for a smoke, so we got caught up and enjoyed another terrific evening with temps around 70.  My wife teased me that it was a play date, but we just talked about mutual interests, cigars, drums, cycles, stuff like that.

 

As I’ve been typing this, I’ve been smoking a cigar that I picked up at Cigars International on Saturday.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a Padilla cigar, and the Habano Artisano intrigued me when I saw it on the shelf.  I have a hard time spending $8 on a cigar, what can I say…I’m cheap.  When I saw this cigar priced at $8 I wondered aloud how that can possibly make this for that price.  This perfecto shaped cigar starts out like any “barber pole” cigar, but they take it a step farther and adorn it with additional stripes of tobacco.  This has to be time consuming to do, and makes for a stunning presentation.  Much to my delight, it’s a delicious cigar!  It’s smooth, tasty and surprisingly even burning.  It’s nice, cool looking cigar, a fun smoke that’s tasty and satisfying!  The only complaint is that the ash is a little flakey.

 

In the News

News From the IPCPR and CRA:

Milestone Alert: IPCPR/CRA team achieves 160th co-sponsor for Traditional Cigar Manufacturing Small Business Jobs Preservation Act as Rep Jim Costa [CA-20] joins us!!

Sincerely,

Bill Spann, Chief Executive Officer, IPCPR

Please use the “Write to Congress” widget on the top left of this page and keep asking your elected officials to get behind these bills.  Our enjoyment of cigars depends upon the FDA not having regulatory control of premium cigars!

 

On a related note, I received this press release today:

Midwest Smoke Out partners with Cigar Rights of America for exceptional evening

March 13, 2012—Hammond, Ind.–Midwest Smoke Out and Cigar Rights of America (CRA) are partnering for an evening of luxury, gourmet foods, live entertainment—and of course, cigars— Thursday, April 19 from 5-10 p.m., minutes from Chicago at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, in Hammond, Ind.Since Illinois legislation banned smoking in Chicago, Midwest Smoke Out (MSO) is the only exposition to give cigar aficionados an evening of cigars and indoor smoking. Every year, MSO provides a free one-year CRA membership or renewal with every ticket, meaning that in only a few hours, CRA gains over 1,000 members whose average income is more than $160,000. These new members are often opinion leaders in their communities.“We at Midwest Smoke Out are privileged to partner with Cigar Rights of America,” said Andrea Pearman, Creative Commander of Diversified Marketing Strategies, Inc., which organizes the event. “At a time when so many cigar smokers have to gather—literally—out in the cold, we’re happy not only to welcome them inside but also provide them with the luxury experience of the year.”With FDA regulation looming and states still legislating, MSO is a key event for CRA membership growth, though the evening isn’t all business. It’s pleasure, too, with ticket-holders having the opportunity to meet Lou Rodriguez of the eponymous cigars, Tony Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, Cigar Master Alejandro Turrent, Victor Vitale of the Cigar Agency and Clay Roberts of A.J. Fernandez. Cigar god Carlito Fuentes is scheduled to greet all ticketholders. MSO is for everyone who enjoys luxury, with attendees receiving deluxe giveaways, complimentary massages, experiencing the latest in gaming, being dazzled by live entertainment, and enjoying gourmet food, wine, beer and spirits.

For tickets (and your paid membership to CRA) contact event director Jo Sutton at jo@3dms.com or 1-888-226-0330. For more information, visitwww.midwestsmokeout.com, like on Facebook, connect on LinkedIn, or follow on Twitter at @MidwestSmokeOut
.

Join the Cigar Rights of America, write to your elected officials, and save the cigars!

 

That’s all I got, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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