Tag Archives: Platinum Nova

by Craig Vanderslice | February 16, 2025 · 8:33 am

Villiger, Blackbird and Platinum Nova Cigars

I remember smoking the Villiger Cuellar line back in 2014. I did an interview at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival that year with Shawna Williams and Fabian Barrantes which, inexplicably, is the most viewed video on my YouTube channel. I started that day with the Cuellar Kreme, and have smoked many of them since, then the Cuellar Black Forest, with the San Andrés wrapper which is in my wheelhouse. This year they released the Cuellar Caribe, with an Ecuador Habano wrapper. These have all been made at Tabacalera Palma in the DR. The Caribe is reportedly a spin on the TAA 2021 blend, although I didn’t find much similarity. The binder and fillers are Dominican on this 6″ x 54 toro. I recall the TAA 2021 wasn’t my favorite of the TAA cigars, it was decent, but woody. This one had a strong citrus tang throughout, which I rather enjoyed. the burn and draw were perfect. This was a very enjoyable cigar.

I had been hearing about a Blackbird Cigars Crow in a box pressed toro format and was intrigued. This may or may not be exclusive to SmokingPipes.com, which is the ecommerce arm of Low Country Pipe and Cigar in South Carolina. Perhaps Tyler there will weigh in on whether this is an exclusive or not. I knew they had them, and wanted some more of their definitely exclusive Flamingo Lanceros (I smoked one of those tasty buggers this week too), so I ordered them. The Crow is my favorite cigar in the Blackbird line up. It has a San Andrés wrapper, Habano binder and Nicaraguan, Pennsylvanian, Corojo, and Criollo 98 fillers. This box pressed toro is the same size as the Gran Toro, but feels smaller somehow. It was a really great cigar, I should have gotten more! It’s dark, rich with some earthy espresso notes. It’s everything I like in a cigar in the evening. I am generally a fan of the Blackbird cigars, but the Crow is my favorite by far.

Yesterday afternoon after running some errands, and watching it snow, I picked out a Churchill to sit on the porch and watch a movie. I selected the Platinum Nova Cigars 5 Boroughs, a 7″ x 50 cigar that came back with me from the TPE show. This cigar was new to me, but it’s apparently been out for a couple years. It’s another San Andres wrapper, with Corojo and Cubita double binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The double binder is something new to Nova cigars, as is the band, which is different from the rest of the Nova line which uses the same band with secondary bands. The wrapper is not pretty, it’s mottled, and they are usually the tastiest! This had some interesting flavors, some earth and coffee again, a hint of spice, nothing that I don’t like. I only saw one other review for this and the reviewer hated it, and he’s wrong, it’s a good cigar. I’m not sure it’s $18 good (to me, I’m a cheap SOB), but it was objectively a good cigar, and I enjoyed it. Burn and draw were right, it was the right length for a movie, and I was happy.

I’m working on another cigar adventure in a few weeks, hopefully the logistics work out. It’ll be a quick in and out again. I will travel light, but I always want to take cigars, and I have to pick the right travel humidor. As much as I like this one, it’s not TSA friendly! I may just take a ziplock or use the Captain America-ador as my carry on! That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

😃+

Flor de las Antillas, Espinosa, and a Couple Platinum Nova Cigars

A few weeks ago I picked up a Flor de las Antillas Maduro toro at Cigar Mojo since I didn’t think I had smoked that cigar before. I know this isn’t a new cigar, it came out in 2016 and was based on an Anniversary cigar for Federal Cigars in New Hampshire, I believe. Nobody ever said I had to write about new cigars, they are new to me. I’m basically making a searchable database here that I can use to find out when I smoked a cigar and what I thought of it. You’d be surprised at how many times I use the search on my own site! Anyway, I knew I hadn’t tried this cigar, and it looked really good. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers, and is a 6″ x 52 Box Pressed Toro. It’s made at the My Father factory in Esteli. This started with a toasty flavor, with some spiced candy sort of flavors, I really enjoyed it. Mojo has a great selection of My Father cigars, I try to find something new to try when I stop in, and If I don’t see something, I grab a favorite. I’ll definitely grab this again.

I came home from the TPE show with a few new-to-me cigars last week, and one of them was the Espinosa Sumatra, again, in a toro size. There are only a few places around me that have Espinosa cigars, I know Wooden Indian has them, but I don’t get there as often as I’d like. My friend Richie at Espinosa gave me this when I stopped by the booth at the show. You probably don’t remember, but I met Richie back in 2019 when we were on the same episode of KMA talk radio. He was with PDR Cigars at the time. I was excited to smoke this cigar. It’s a 6″ x 54 with a Sumatra wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This has some of the sweetness I associate with a Sumatra wrapper, and some nuttiness and earthiness. I enjoyed it, although I think I’ll stick with the Laranja Azulejo as my favorite in the line.

I always enjoy seeing Leo from Platinum Nova cigars at events and shows. I first met her at the 2020 TPE show, I remember Anne, formerly of Sutliffe, presently of City of Palms Distribution, introduced me to Leo and Ari. Platinum Nova cigars are made in the Dominican Republic and are very high quality in my experience. I remember seeing the Nova Champion Football Cigar in their display in 2020, and was lucky enough to get one from Leo last week. This is a football shaped perfecto, with a Habano 2002 wrapper, and Dominican binder and fillers. It, obviously, is stylized to look like a football. I hear that the Super Bowl is on tonight, so I figured I’d better smoke it before it was out of season. Wouldn’t make much sense smoking this on a warm summer day on the beach, would it? Of course, I was concerned that this 5″ x 70 perfecto wouldn’t burn right, or wouldn’t be that exciting, but I knew it had a good pedigree. It burned perfectly, and had a good draw right from first light. The flavor was sort of a leathery sweetness, lots of flavor, but medium strength. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, and I enjoyed it while watching a movie on the porch. I’m kinda clad nobody makes a cigar shaped like a hockey puck!

Last night, while watching hockey, I smoked the Platinum Nova Platinum Batch Torpedo. This is a 6″ x 54 torpedo with a Habano 2000 wrapper and Dominican binder and fillers. It’s a really nice looking cigar. This is an $11 cigar that smokes like a much more expensive cigar. Burn and draw are perfect, it has bright tobacco flavors, is a little on the leathery side, but with some light floral notes. This is a sophisticated cigar that I would pick over a Davidoff or the like any day of the week, especially at that price. Nofa has some pricey cigars, but this one, on the low end (which 10 years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of calling an $11 cigar reasonably priced), is one of my favorite Nova cigars. It won’t knock you down, but it will give you a really pleasant flavor and smoking experience. I was delighted by it.

I’ve been using this lighter I got on Amazon for $24 and have been really happy with it. It’s a little big to carry around, but it’s nice for use at home. The V cutter does a nice job too. The link is an affiliate link. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

😃+

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! 🙂

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Nova, PCA, Platinum Nova

by Craig Vanderslice | May 29, 2022 · 9:13 am

Platinum Nova and a Couple Guardian of the Farm Cigars

It’s Memorial Day weekend already, time is flying! I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and remembers why we celebrate it. I started the weekend smoking a Platinum Nova Leo 11 that Leonor Abzaradel, the CEO of Platinum Nova Cigars, sent me following the TPE show. She sent me a handful of cigars because she told me at the show that she wasn’t happy with the condition of the samples she had there, which was a very nice move on her part. This 6″ x 54 toro with a pigtail cap was very pretty, as their cigars tend to be. The aren’t generally inexpensive, so they should look good. This has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers and binder. This cigar has a very unique flavor. It has a heavy, dare I say, cloying, experience on the palate. It’s like a dark fruit like a ripe plum or something, crossed with black licorice. It was weird and wonderful at the same time. extremely different from any cigar I can remember smoking. This was so much different than the Leo X, which was more subtle and delicate (see here). It was a very interesting and fascinating smoke!

Yesterday I took a drive to check out a shop I’d recently heard about in nearby Reading PA, Smokies. It’s a very nice shop, a walk-in humidor in the back with all the standard fare, and cabinets lining the wall with boutique brands. They appeared well stocked and the two level lounge was very comfortable. It was easy to get to and had ample parking. The staff was excellent as well. If you find yourself in Reading (you know, the Reading RR in Monopoly?), check it out. I picked up a few Aganorsa cigars that I’ve been wanting to try, and started with the Guardian of the Farm Cerberus Toro. This 6½ x 54 Toro has a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Oddly, I struggle to find an Aganorsa cigar I love. This falls into the “woody” flavor spectrum to me, which isn’t in my top five, but it was still an enjoyable cigar. I kick myself for choosing the Toro over the Lonsdale, but I almost always go Toro. I have another, and I think I might like it more if it were a little bit drier. We’ll see.

A little rant, if I may. I received yet another email from the PCA trying to entice me to re-join and attend the trade show. This email offered to share my contact information (as a media member) with the exhibitors, as well as list me on the PCA website. I’m sorry, but, as a member, shouldn’t my contact information already be listed in the directory and on the website? I was born at night, but not last night. I will attend the show when media is invited to cover the show as media, not sold a “membership” and made to believe they are getting more than a ticket to the show out of it. And stop with the guilt trip of “support the industry”, what do you think we do when we take our own time and money to promote the industry? That just irritated me, and I needed to get it off my chest. By the way, there are any number of ways I could get into the show if I so desired, but I’m making a statement by not going.

I may have found that elusive Aganorsa Leaf cigar that I really like in the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Maduro. I picked up a couple in the Campeon shape, with is a Toro with a 109 head. This makes it almost a torpedo or belicoso shape. Honestly, I can’t remember if I’ve smoked a cigar in this shape, I’ve heard the term tossed around, but I don’t know if I’ve held one in my hand. It’s 6″ x 52, which is the right size for me, with a dark, oily Aganorsa Leaf Shade Grown Corojo Maduro wrapper. The binder and filler are, of course, also Aganorsa tobacco grown in Nicaragua. Perhaps “maduro” is the key for me, because this was a delicious cigar, and I dug it. Like the Cerberus, this one could have stood to be a little drier, but that’s why I always buy more than one! Dark chocolate and coffee, just like I like, with some saltiness, maybe. This was a great smoke. I was actually hoping to catch up with Terance while he was in the area, but couldn’t manage to coordinate that. Maybe the next time.

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

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Campeon, Cerberus, cigar, cigars, Guardian of the Farm, Leo 11, Nightwatch, Nova, Platinum Nova

by Craig Vanderslice | November 21, 2021 · 11:07 am

Alec and Bradley Blind Faith, Perla Del Mar Corojo Toro and Platinum Nova Corona Cigars

While we were driving home from South Carolina a few weeks back we took a rest stop at the JRs in Selma, NC. It’s been a few years since we were there, it’s downsized a bit. We were expecting to shop for some bed linens, alas that part of the business is gone, and it’s just a tobacco store. Right inside the door of the cigar department was a large area of stuff marked down 50% off. I immediately rescued a partial box of Sobremesa, and a box of RomaCraft Intemperance. I was told that it was stock from another store that had closed. Upon catching wind of my purchase, Saka (who, by the way, for some reason hasn’t bothered to share any of my Stillwell Star posts, while sharing other content creators work, I thought we were friends…I’m not mad, just disappointed) put his people on JRs about this. My assumption is that he has an agreement with his accounts that he’d rather buy back inventory than have it discounted. I just wanted to spare him the indignity of having it on the discount rack (and get a killer deal on some Short Churchills!). This is all a lot of words leading into talking about the Alec and Bradley Blind Faith. My wife was actually suggesting I buy a box of these, and I didn’t want to without having smoked a few. I know it’s a ridiculous problem to have, and sounds like bragging, but I’m pretty strapped for storage space. I had to shoehorn the little box of Intemperance in, no way I’d fit a box of A&B. Anyway, I bought a couple singles, and I smoked one this week. It’s weird, you know, I went into it hoping I didn’t love the cigar and kick myself for not listening to my wife! When your wife tells you to buy a box of cigars you should do it, right? Anyway, this has a Honduran wrapper, Honduran/Nicaraguan double binder and NIcaraguan fillers, made at Raices Cubanas in Honduras. I would have tolerated having a box in the humidor, but I’m not kicking myself for walking away, let’s put it that way. It’s a good smoke, tasty. Nothing wrong with the burn and draw, nice presentation, and it’s a shame that these were on the discount rack. Honestly, there was a LOT of stuff that was in that area that shouldn’t have been. I could have gone broke, but I’d have had to go back to using coolers for storage.

Last year J.C.Newman re-packaged the Perla Del Mar line, and introduced the Corojo to the mix. Late this year they added the Toro to the Corojo family. I’ve long been a fan of the Maduro, but the Corojo might be my new favorite. This line is another great example of how the wrapper changes the flavor of the cigar. They use the same blend across all three lines, with only the wrapper changing, so smoke all three to get an idea of what the wrapper adds. In the case of the Corojo, which covers Nicaraguan binder and filler, by the way, it adds an almost candy sweetness, as opposed to a dark chocolate sweetness in the case of the maduro. It’s a terrific cigar, well made, nicely box pressed, I just wish they had been a little more creative with the band, the old one was prettier, the new one makes me think of another cigar company. It’s a great cigar and well priced, so screw the band, I’m a fan.

Last night my wife and I went to the movies, probably the first time in nearly two years. The dine-in feature was sub-par, had to order at the bar and food was served in takeout containers, whether that’s life in the pandemic world or life in the short-staffed world, I’m not sure. Call me old fashioned, but if I’m asked to put a gratuity on my check up front without knowing what kind of service I’m going to get, I’m going to tip conservatively. Maybe that works against me? I have no way of knowing. The food was pretty good though, and the movie was entertaining (discount tickets). We got home and I hung out on the porch to watch the last period of the Flyers game with a Platinum Nova Corona from the 2020 TPE. I’ve been passing by these because they are fairly small for me, but it was late, and I didn’t want to be up all night. This is a (ridiculously) expensive cigar, at $23, it’s a pigtail capped 5″ x 43 Ecuador H2000 wrapped cigar with Dominican Piloto Cubano binder and Dominican fillers. The cigar ended up being good for nearly an hour and a half, but I had to relight it a few time. It had a definite floral flavor, nearly perfumy. I rarely get this flavor, it’s not one I’m particularly fond of. I smoked an Undercrown 10 earlier in the day that was more to my liking, much less flowery. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that it’s not one I’d gravitate to on a regular basis. not offensive, not bad, just not me.

That’s more than enough from me today. What do you all think about doing a CigarCraig.com Secret Santa again? Weigh in in the comments. If we get more than one person I’ll make it happen! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Alec and Bradley, Alec Bradley, Blind Faith, cigar, cigars, Corojo, JC Newman, Perla del Mar, Platinum Nova