Tag Archives: PCA

by Craig Vanderslice | October 20, 2024 · 9:23 am

Kristoff, Joya de Nicaragua, and Illusione Cigars

This week I smoked a bunch of cigars that I picked up at various shops in my area. I’m fortunate, I guess, to live in an area with an abundance of cigars shops, and one of them (a chain, actually, with about five shops within a ten mile radius of my home) is a TAA member. Every now and then I stop in one of he shops to find something new and interesting, sometimes I find both, sometimes neither! I’ve been picking up some of the TAA exclusives lately, as regular readers will have noticed. I picked up a Kristoff TAA Exclusive from last year, a neat perfecto shaped cigar. It’s 6 ¼” x 60, tapered at both ends, like cigars in old cartoons. It has an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican fillers. This was a really fun cigar to smoke. I was surprised to read that this was a Connecticut Shade wrapper varietal. While I had sweet woody notes, it didn’t make me think of shade. I really enjoyed this, it was smooth, rich and quite enjoyable. I wish more cigars came in this shape!

At another shop nearby I was there for a Drew Estate event, so I was looking for something new-to-me in their portfolio, no easy task. I spied the Joya de Nicaragua Classico Media Siglo and picked one up. I got the Toro size, naturally, but they offer those in some interesting sizes: a 6″ x 41 and a 5½” x 42. This cigar is supposed to be an homage to the first cigars JdN produced fifty years ago, which I have no frame of reference for, but I’m sure I have smoked the classico, it’s on the milder side. This cigar was on the light side of medium, with leathery, woody notes, which aren’t normally my thing. It was OK, not my cup of tea, necessary. I’m more a fan of the Antaño lines, if I want a milder JdN I usually go for the Numero Uno or Cinco Decadas (with the Joya Silver close behind).

Friday I did what I said last year that I wouldn’t do again, and got both a Flu shot and a Covid Vaccine at the same time. This time, apart from the sore left arm, I had a dull headache all day and that was about it. I get migraines, and this wasn’t one of those, and Aspirin, Tylenol, etc. don’t do a thing for me. I did, however, power through and selected an Illusione Cigares Prívé PCA Exclusive, a box pressed 5 ½” x 56 robusto. This I smoked while watching a movie on the porch (the first Captain america movie, I’ve seen bits and pieces of a lot of Marvel movies, I’m trying to watch them all start to finish. I might have the only Captain America travel humidor on the planet, by the way). This is one of my favorite things to do on the weekend, relax with a cigar and a movie. I believe this cigar was the 2020 version, based on the shape and the band. I may stop back in the shop where I got this and take a closer look at the box. It has an Ecuador (Habano Claro) wrapper, over a Nicaraguan binder with Nicaraguan (Criollo 98 & Corojo 99) fillers. It was a beautiful cigar, nice cafe con leche colored wrapper with a nice box press. This started with a bright citrus tang, and them mellowed a bit. It was very nice once I got past the sharpness of the start, I wouldn’t hesitate to smoke this again. I’m a bit negligent in sampling Illusione cigars, I need to get try some more.

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, Cigares Prive, cigars, Classico, joya de nicaragua, Kristoff, Medio Siglo, PCA, TAA

by Craig Vanderslice | September 15, 2024 · 9:44 am

Brick House TAA, Tatuaje PCA and Villiger TAA Cigars

I stopped by my local Tobacconist Association of America retailer recent;y and picked up a few cigars I hadn’t tried yet. I got a couple TAA Exclusives and a PCA (Premium Cigar Association) exclusive. These are cigars that are only available to members of the respective associations, in the case of the TAA, the members have an annual meeting (usually at a tropical resort ironically outside of the US (technically they are still in “the Americas”). Selected manufacturers make exclusive cigars, some good, some not so much. I think I selected a couple of the better ones. I started with the Brick House Ciento por Ciento, which translates to 100 percent, and I’m not sure what the significance of this name is without doing more research than I feel like doing. I grabbed this one for three reasons: I typically like Brick House cigars, I hadn’t smoked this one, and it’s almost Bricktoberfest (starts tomorrow, my daughter’s birthday!). I don’t know how long these had been on the retailers shelf, but when I removed the band it had tan lines! The front face of the cigar wrapper leaf was faded, which is odd because the humidor at this shop has no sun exposure. Perhaps they moved them from another store, I don’ t know. It was only one side, kinda like my tan. Anyway, this didn’t seem to have any effect. This is a 6¼” x 54 Toro made in J.C. Newman’s PENSA factory in Esteli, and is a Nicaraguan Puro. The wrapper is from Jalapa and seems a bit lighter than the standard Brickhouse. It has a overall woody profile with a hint of citrus here and there. Good cigar and well priced, as a Brick House should be.

Next up was the Tatuaje PCA 2023, which came out in early 2024, of course. Tatuaje has probably been the best at making TAA Exclusives, and is a very big supporter of the PCA, which is a much larger organization. The point of offering this Exclusive is to get member retailers, and any retailer who isn’t a member is a fool, in my opinion, to physically come to the annual trade show to buy. This PCA exclusive is a 6 3/8″ x 54 Toro, made at the My Father factory in Esteli, and has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This was a delicious cigar with. sweet exotic spices throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed smoking this, which isn’t unusual considering I enjoy most Tatuaje cigars I smoke. I may swing back and grab a couple more, although they are on the top end of what I consider well priced, around $15 I think. Great tasting cigar!

I’ve smoked a couple of the Villiger TAA Exclusives, however this one has eluded my notice. Villiger, like they do with a lot of their brands, uses a variety of factories. This was their second year making a TAA Exclusive, and they used the Tabacalera Palma factory in the DR. Their Trill brand was made there, which I don’t think is in their portfolio any longer. Like the Brick House, this cigar also had tan lines. I guess they are the opposite of tan lines really, there was some fading on the top face of the wrapper. This was a 6″ x 54 toro with an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Dominican binder and fillers. I’m generally a fan of Villiger cigars, there’s some I like better than others, but they make good cigars. This had a sweet wood profile, not my favorite, but pleasant enough. The cigar burned well and I think it was unter $10, not too bad. As I think about it (read: looked back on my own site), I have smoked the 2020 (E.P. Carrillo) and the 2022 (Espinosa), and I think the 2022 was my favorite. I guess I need to see if I can find the ’23 and ’24 versions if they exist!.

As I write this, I’m enjoying a cigar on my porch. I hate that it will be too chilly soon to do this. I found a Leccia Desnudo in the humidor and, while it isn’t my usual choice for a morning cigar, it’s got a few year age and is a nice, mellow maduro cigar, great with coffee. When these came out back in 2016 we hosted a Desnudo Sunday and did a video, which is here. Everyone remained clothed. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 2021, Brick House, Ciento por Ciento, cigar, cigars, J.C.Newman, PCA, TAA, tatuaje, Villiger

by Craig Vanderslice | August 25, 2024 · 9:51 am

A Cigar Adventure: a Visit to Up Down Cigars and a PCA Event in Chicago

I did something wild this week, for me at least. I attended the Premium Cigar Association‘s Democratic National Convention event at Up Down Cigars in Chicago, IL. I I made the whole trip within a 24 hour window. Here’s how it went down: I flew from Philly to O’Hare on Tuesday, arriving in Chicago around 1PM local time. I walked about 22 miles from the gate to the train that would take me, eventually, to the Blue Line train into the city. The “L” train stop was about 2 miles from the shop, so instead of trying to take a bus, I figured I had time to hoof it. Said bus passed me several times. Anyway, I got to Up Down Cigars around 3:30 for the 6:00 PCA event. Rats, I’ll have to hang around a cigar shop for a couple hours. The staff at this shop is quite knowledgeable and attentive, it’s not a large shop, cabinet humidors around the perimeter (actually fronts for the walk in behind it where the backstock is stored), with some cabinets here and there with accessories, pipes and humidors. It’s rather cramped, by suburban store standards, but fairly typical for a city shop with a long history (The original owner, Diana Silvius, is a legend in the cigar business. Phil Ledbetter is the current owner, an instantly likable guy). I perused the humidors looking for something to fill the time. I was directed to a store exclusive, the Fausto 10/50.

I’m going to pause here to talk about the cigar, the Fausto 10/50. This was made for the 50th anniversary of the shop back in 2013, which was also Tatuaje Cigar‘s 10th anniversary. This is a 6 3/8″ x 42 lonsdale, with an Ecuador Habano Maduro wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and fillers, made at the My Father Factory in Esteli. This is an exceptional cigar, I smoked two this week, one a the shop and one when I got home. Smaller ring cigars need to be smoked slowly, this is one to be savored, first because over drawing it will make it burn hot and ruin it, second because it has some strength, and in the case of the one I smoked at the shop, I was pacing myself because it had already been a long day and I had a long night ahead of me. It’s a heavy cigar with cocoa and some spice, an absolute bargain at $10.50, although with applicable Chicago taxes it was more like $13.75. I really like the Fausto line, and this was a really good version. I bought 3, smoked two, have one left to savor at a future time!

Back to the trip. Shortly after I arrived at the shop, Boston Jimmie of Stogie Press showed up and we hung out until the event at 6. The PCA hosted events at both political conventions, I was unable to attend the one in Milwaukee for the RNC. The event was held in the patio area behind the store, a maybe 30′ x 50′ tented area. Drew Estate was the cigar sponsor, so I had a Liga Privada No. 9 while there, although there were many choices available. Ben Pearson, the area rep was there. I finally met Josh Habursky who was recently appointed Executive Director after Scott Pearce left to head the Cigar Association of America. Scott was there as well and I had a chance to talk to him a bit. I also got to hang out with my friend Luigi Lucente, the man behind the Cigar Medics Humidimeter, The Baller cigar cutter, and the Guillotina de Saka cigar cutter, among other

Photo Courtesy of Boston Jimmie

clever cigar accessories. I imagine there were somewhere around 100 people there. It was a nice event with various hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and liquor. After the event Luigi dropped me at the train and I made my way back to O’Hare to await my 6am flight.

They had issued something like 350 free tickets for this event with a waiting list of 200. If everyone had showed up it would have been a disaster. It occurs to me that they should have put a nominal fee on the tickets, which would incentivise people to attend if they really wanted to, and raise some money for the association. I don’t know that any of the Democratic legislators who are key to the cigar industry fight against taxation and regulation were there, I have to think that holding it during the convention hours (and the convention center was 7 miles away, which might take 2 hours in Chicago traffic!) might have deterred their attendance. It was a nice event, I’m glad I put myself through what I did to attend, but I can see how it could have been better. I understand that the Milwaukee event was more elaborate, given the way many in the cigar industry lean politically, I can see where more might have gone into that one. Anyway, good event, great people and a really nice shop. I discovered that walking through a deserted O’Hare was surreal, and I’m too old for pulling all nighters!

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

CigarCraig

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Filed under Events, PCA, Stores

Tagged as 10/50, Chicago, cigar, cigars, Fausto, PCA, Premium Cigar Association, tatuaje, Up Down

by Craig Vanderslice | May 5, 2024 · 9:06 am

An Ozgerner Family Cigar, a Tatuaje and a Pair of CAOs

I picked up some new-to-me cigars this week at a couple different shops. I started out with the Ozgener Family Cigars Aramas in the A60 size. Funny enough, when I bought this, along with a West Tampa Red, I was sure I was getting toros, but when I got home I noticed I picked out the 6″ x 60 sizes in both. Not a big deal, I like a 60 ring. For those who don’t know, Tim Ozgener, owner of the brand, sold his family’s last brand, CAO, to Scandinavian Tobacco ten or twelve years back. The Aramas has been around for about a year, so I’m a little slow on the uptake on this one. The name Aramas is a combination of the names of Mount Ararat, a dormant volcano located near the borders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. In Armenian, the name of the volcano is Masis. These are made at what was then Tabacalera La Alianza S.A., now Casa Carillo, in the D.R.. The blend is a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Connecticut broadleaf. I found this to be a fairly strong cigar with a peppery start. It settled a little, with dark espresso and bitter chocolate notes. It was right up my alley, although I don’t buy a lot of $15 cigars. It was a special treat and was relaxing after a tiring Thursday.

I stopped in another shop on my way home Friday and picked up a few more new cigars, and smoked the Tatuaje PCA Exclusive 2023, which I believe, despite the date on the box, recently hit stores. I’m fortunate to have two very different shops within a two mile radius of home. This is a 6 3/8″ x 54 with an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, a Nicaraguan double binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s made at My Father Cigars S.A. in Esteli. I think this was another $15 cigar, and another cigar I would smoke more often if not for the price. This started out with a bright cane sugar sweetness that I really enjoyed. It built some spice as it went on, and was a really exceptional smoke. I was enamoured with it start to finish. No regrets.

I also picked up a couple of the new CAO FASA, the Sol and the Noche, both in the Gigante size. It was a Gordo week for me this week. I started with the Sol while watching some Star Wars movies on the porch. I usually start with the maduro, but it seemed more appropriate to smoke the Sol in the afternoon and the Noche in the evening. First off, the Gigantes in this line are around $8 (I’m in no cigar tax PA remember, your mileage may vary), quite reasonable these days. The Sol has an Olancho San Augustine wrapper. The first cigar General put out under the CAO banner, with Rick Rodriguez doing the blend, was the OSA Sol, not commercially successful, but was a tasty smoke in some sizes. They use this OSA wrapper on a lot of cigars now, they must grow tons of it in Honduras. The binder on the FASA Sol is Cameroon, with fillers from the D.R. (Piloto Cubano, and Nicaragua (Jalapa, Condega and Esteli). This stares with some pepper, then some sweetness started less than in inch in. This was a really good cigar to me, I’m going to have to go back and try some of the other sizes. The spice and sweetness combined with some nutiness, it was a really nice afternoon smoke, rivalling the Tatuaje at nearly half the price.

Naturally I had high hopes for the CAO FASA Noche, also in the 6″ x 60 Gigante size. I actually did purposely buy these two in this size, I like a theme, and the CAO and Ozgener connection wasn’t enough (and I bought and smoked the West Tampa Red, which has another CAO connection). The FASA Noche has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Cameroon binder and the same filler combo as the Sol, Dominican (Piloto Cubano, and Nicaragua (Jalapa, Condega and Esteli). Once again, I had high hopes. It started with what I would optimistically call espresso, but was more along the lines of the coffee that’s been sitting in the pot on the burner for about 4 hours. I expected different from the combination of Broadleaf and Cameroon. It didn’t draw as well as the Sol, so I might have to revisit it, in the Toro size, probably, because this is a blend I should love, and I loved the Sol version. These cigars are a great illustration of how much the wrapper has to do with the flavor, as the wrapper is the only difference. I was unable to find where the name FASA comes from or what it’s significance is. I want to say this was the first post Rick Rodriguez CAO cigar too, but I might be wrong about that.

Here’s a couple links for you:

Smokin Tabacco Raffle for The CFCF

https://www.smokeonos.com/

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as CAO, cigar, cigars, FASA, Noche, PCA, Sol, tatuaje

by Craig Vanderslice | July 24, 2022 · 9:28 am

PCA 2022: Platinum Nova Cigars and a Nova 484

Believe it or not, I’m nearing the end of the PCA show videos I took. As I’ve said before, I’m not competing with other media sites, I do things my way. I’ve maintained that I’m a blogger first, not a media site, I just love cigars and write stuff about them. I do enjoy doing the video interviews though, it’s fun talking to my friends in the cigar industry. My approach to the PCA show this year was casual, yet I had some goals and targeted a select few personalities to interview. I hope you’ve enjoyed the videos. This one was with Leo of Platinum Nova cigars, who I first met at the 2020 TPE show. These folks make some really tasty cigars, and their model is one blend/one size, as opposed to having a line with numerous vitolas. It’s an interesting and probably costly way of doing things. The cigars are pricey, but they are really quite good. I like the way this video turned out, I hope you do too.

While I was writing this I decided to smoke the Nova 484 (which I incorrectly described as 4×44 on the video) that Leo gave me after the 2022 TPE show. As the name indicates, it’s 4″ x 48, and comes in a Dominican and Nicaraguan version.The Dominican has an Ecuador H2000 wrapper, Dominican Piloto Cubano binder and Olor Dominicano, while the Nicaraguan Has Ecuador Habano wrapper, Habano Esteli binder and Habano Jalapa filler. My one complaint is that the cigar I am smoking doesn’t indicate which one it is, although I’m fairly confident that it’s the Nicaraguan. It has a nice sweetness and some coffee flavors, and I like it a lot. I am not a huge fan of Olor, which is why I’m confident in my assumption. Some indication, if even on the barcode sticker, would be nice. The cigar burns perfectly, and was about the perfect size for composing this article. As I said in the interview, I’m fortunate to have time to smoke larger cigars, but once in a while I need something short, and this was a great option. At $25 for a 4-pack, I may keep some on hand (and I might try the Dominican!). BTW, Leo, if I’m wrong please spare me the embarrassment and correct me privately! 🙂