Tag Archives: Providencia

by | September 19, 2021 · 11:41 am

Araposa and Providencia Speakeasy Cigars and Some Random Thoughts

Friday I posted the press release from Black Label Trading Company about the exclusive cigar that they were doing for Fox Cigars in Arizona. What should appear at my door on Saturday but a surprise box from Fox with a bundle of these cigars! I’ll be honest, I was planning to order some from them as soon as they became available anyway! Of course, Fox Cigars is an advertising partner here, but I still buy cigars from them, they are on my preferred vender list, they do a great job. I usually let cigars rest, but these came in a sealed bag with a Boveda, and I checked one with my trusty Humidimeter and it was 62% at the foot, right where I like to see a cigar, so I figured what the heck, I’m itching to smoke one of these! This is a 5½” x 54 box pressed barber pole cigar, with San Andrés and Ecuador Corojo wrappers, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers. For a “right off the truck” experience, this cigar burned perfectly, like a cigar that had been in my humidor for years. What a great cigar! The press release mentions “flavors of black cherry, anise and bitter cocoa”, I’ll give you the dark chocolate, and maybe a dark fruit, but I missed the anise, I’ll keep an eye out for that the next time.  If you’re a fan of Black Label Trading Co., keep an eye on Fox Cigars and snag some of these. James Brown is going to be at Son’s Cigars in my neighborhood on October 6th, I plan to get up there that night. By the way, “raposa” is Spanish for fox, Araposa must be a dialectal variation or something? 

 

A few weeks ago I smoked through a sampler of Providencia cigars, and had an issue with the Speakeasy, so I ordered another one from Underground Cigars, which is their main ecommerce partner. I was ordering some of the Essential, which I took a liking to, and added one on. Knowing that the first experience I had was an anomaly, as I had never had a Providencia cigar that wasn’t perfect in every way in construction, I needed to give it a second shot. Stuff happens. Of course, this one was perfect. This cigar is a long corona, I didn’t measure it, nor is there any information listed on the website, but it’s 6″ x probably 44 ring? it’s a nice size cigar. Close to a lonsdale, really. Again, I don’t know what the makeup of the cigar is, but it has a dark, oily wrapper, I do know it’s made at the Flor de San Luis factory in Esteli. It’s a fairly full bodied cigar, with rech, espresso flavors.  I had a sense with the fist sample I smoked that it was a good tasting cigar, which is what made me spend the money to smoke it again, and I was right, it was well worth it. I dug it. I may fire up one of the Essentials later if I can rebound from the Flu and Shingles vaccines I had yesterday that have left me feeling like crap today. 

 

I wanted to talk about something I read about yesterday that touched a nerve. Ministry of Cigars, which was a news/blog site based in Singapore was shut down. The site focused more on the International cigar scene, didn’t sell cigars, was a blog site like my own, or Halfwheel or Cigar-Coop, or a bunch of other sites. Apparently the owner actually had the Singapore authorities actually at his door, taking him in to whatever official offices deal with such things, and he could face fines for advertising cigars. He had to take down his site, of course. Naturally, in the US of A we say, “oh, that can’t happen to us, freedom of the press and all”, but watch it…we let things like this new oppressive tax go through, and this same sort of thing might be next. It may well be illegal for us to have ads on our sites, our content may be considered advertising, plain packaging, etc. Call your representatives, tell them you vote and you oppose this and it will put people out of business. At the very least go HERE and send an email. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig 

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by | September 5, 2021 · 10:14 am

Providencia Bank Shot, The Essential and Straight Fire Cigars

Providencia Cigars seems to make a lot of Limited edition, small batch releases, in addition to their excellent core line. Ray Zinar keeps me up to date on them, by the way, he has roots in the South Jersey, Philly area, it’s on my bucket list to meet up with him. Most of these cigars are made in the Flor e San Luis Factory in Esteli, while the core line is (or at least was) made in Honduras. I’ve smoked a bunch of cigars from Providencia, and all except for one in the latest round was perfect. I am omitting that one from mention as I’ve included more in a recent order for future consideration. Stuff happens. Providencia Cigars are available at Underground Cigars in the event folks are compelled to sample them, and I would encourage it. Let’s look at the Bank Shot first.  This is a Torpedo shaped cigar with a dark wrapper. It has a San Andrés maduro wrapper with Nicaraguan and Peruvian fillers. I initially thought it was broadleaf wrapped, and Ray agrees with me that it has that look and feel, I had initially guessed PA Broadleaf, what do I know? What I do know is that I liked it. It was a perfectly constructed torpedo and was full bodied and really quite good. They are fond of using interesting Nicaraguan tobaccos in the filler blend. Thumbs up on this one. although I wasn’t comprelled to shoot pool. 

 

The Essential is a toro, it felt like a 6″ x 50, could have been 52, I didn’t measure it. I have to take a moment to be a little critical of Underground’s website, it could use a little more information about the cigars. a picture and a price isn’t enough in my opinion. In their defence, maybe these don’t hang around long enough to put in the effort, and it’s really not their job to be an informational resource for me personally, but don’t consumers want more information? it is just me? Doesn’t size matter, at least?  I digress. The Essential pays homage to essential workers, with the symbols for fire, police and EMS on the band. Providencia has a history of social conscience, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the make some sort of donation to a charity along one of these lines. I bought more of these cigars. I immediately got the sense that there was some Sumatra going on with this cigar, and although I was told it uses a Habano wrapper, the image of the box lid says Sumatra Nicaragua, so I’m going to say I’m partially right on this one. It had the sweetness I find in my favorite Sumatra cigars, and I loved it. Another perfect burn, and a great cigar experience. As I said, I voted with my wallet, and can’t wait to have to find room in my humidor for more of these. Medium plus in strength, super good. 

 

Last night I smoked the Straight Fire. This is Connecticut wrapped toro, 6″ x 54 from the looks of it. I really should be measuring these when there’s no data available. It’ a holiday weekend after all. By the way, for the folks posting the memes about cancelling Labor Day because people aren’t working, speak for yourselves. Lots of people are working, go piss up a rope. Sorry.  Anyway, Straight Fire seems an odd name for a Connecticut cigar, it implies strength, power, not a mild, creamy cigar. Well, while it’s not a powerhouse, it’s not a mild cigar either. This is a full flavored cigar. It actually started off with some pepper, not a lot, but enough to know it was there. There was a lot of flavor, it was creamy, but definitely heavy cream, no 2% milk here. The slight bitterness of the shade wrapper was there, but after a while I forgot I was smoking a Connecticut cigar. I tolerate Connecticuts, there’s a few I really like, but this one was pretty darned good.  

 

There’s a lot of talk about companies that make limited and small batch cigars, and I’ve been critical of some of them myself. I believe that Provdencia is actually doing this the right way, using a small factory and limited resources, and selling them through a limited channel with very little hype. They seems to have a fun balance between the core line and the limiteds. That’s all I have for today, enjoy the long weekend!

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | December 2, 2020 · 9:22 pm

Providencia Moonwalk, Boombox and Game Over Cigars

For those of us who came of age in the 80’s, there were some things that defined the era. MTV played videos 24/7, it was like a radio station on TV. Our version of portable music was large radios with cassette decks and D-cell batteries, then the walkman. Video games were in arcades and required quarters and mostly standing up. Times have changed. The guys at Providencia Cigars remember these times, as I do, and created some limited edition cigars to commemorate that decade. I still need to get together with Ray, either in person or via video chat, to compare notes, we share some common ground, I managed a record store, he was in the home video business, we are the same age more or less. He was kind enough to share some cigars with me again. I started with the Moonwalk because Monday was a not so cold evening, and this was a large cigar. All three are made in Esteli at Tabacalera Flor de San Luis. The cigar is 7 1/8″ x 57 and a Salomon shape. It has a Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Ometepe fillers. I’m sure it’s wrong of me to say this, but it would have been clever if this had started with a dark wrapper and transitioned to a lighter wrapper. This cigar was on the mild side, and had a light flavor with sweetness like white confectioners sugar. It was really quite enjoyable all the way to the end, which was well over two hours after I lit it. I was quite impressed with the flavor of this cigar, and was actually surprised when I read that it had a Connecticut wrapper, I never would have guessed. The light, sugary sweetness was really nice.

 

Next up was the heavy maduro Boombox. This 6″ x 52 toro with a half-covered foot has a dark San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler from the Somota region of Nicaragua. This area is about ten miles from the Honduran border, north-west of Esteli. Like it’s namesake, this cigar had some power, a full  set of fresh  D-cell batteries. The flavor was dark and rich, like coffee that had been on the burner for most of the morning, you know, the good stuff, taken black. Oddly, Macha has down right been refusing to take evening walks lately. Not sure why. Over the weekend we went for some walks during the day and she was fine, although when we went for a walk at Valley Forge park we got to a point where she stopped and we had to turn back and go to the car. I’m not sure if the fact that my son’s dog, who lives with us now, wears her out during the day or what. I get enough exercise at work, so I don’t miss the walks too much, but I still like to start my cigar with a walk. Anyway, the Boombox was good, but I’m quite happy that I can listen to podcasts and music with a bluetooth headset through my phone instead of toting around a boombox on my shoulder! 

 

It seemed appropriate to finish the trilogy with the cigar called Game Over. I remember the first time I saw Pong in the local bowling alley (which was recently torn down and is being replaced by apartments. Some of my earliest memories are from that building since my mother bowled there and stuck me in the nursery until I started school, then I bowled there in my 20s). Before that there were pinball machines. Game Over brings to mind the music of Pac Man. this 6″ x 52 toro alwo had a semi-shaggy foot, and has a lighter shade San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. I initially thought this had a Sumatra wrapper, it had that same sweetness. It could be Sumatra grown in Mexico, who knows. I smoked this while I was on a roundtable discussion on the Kaplowitz Media podcast. This was my first appearance on this show, I’ve been listening for a while, it’s a wildly entertaining show, assuming you have a tolerance for dry wit. Hopefully I added to the discussion, and will be invited back, I haven’t checked to see if I’ve been deleted from the group chat or not. Anyway, like the others, and most every Providencia cigar I’ve smoked, the cigar burned well and tasted great. It was smooth and creamy with some sweetness and had a medium body. I liked it very much. Obviously, these are all very limited, I see them available now and them at Underground Cigars out of Fort Worth. 

 

That’s all for now. So far, the Reader’s Choice thing isn’t going as well as I had hoped. I’d love to see some more input, so please e-mail me at craig@cigarcraig.com with your choice for the 2020 cigar of the year. I’ll compile the results and post them on December 31. Please be as specific as possible. Heck, leave them in the comments if you want and I’ll work it out! Until th enext time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | November 1, 2020 · 10:15 am

Two More Providencia Cigars: Mixtape and G 5:22-23

Today starts my least favorite time of the year, Standard Time. I am not a fan of the winter months, and early darkness. I have gotten the back porch winterized, so that’s something, although I haven’t gotten my propane heaters working yet. They seem to be clogged on some way that I cannot seem to fix. It might be time to consider replacement. Are those kerosene heaters that were all the rage in the 70s still a thing? One of those would work well. The propane seems easier to deal with. Anyway, clocks are messed with, candy has been handed out, I still have to put the storm windows in the front door, but it’s time to come to grips with the unavoidable fact it’s not summer anymore. After the last 8 months, I think I could easily just hibernate and re-emerge next spring. I’ll have to soldier on. I will do so by enjoying fine cigars, and prattling on here about them. To that end, I smoked a few more from Providencia Cigars as promised.

 

The first one was the Providencia Cigars Mixtape. This is the first of what Ray teases as a series of cigars paying homage to the 80s. Ray and I are around the same age, and to my younger readers who may not know what a mixtape is, it’s a playlist recorded on a cassette tape. in the 90’s when rewritable CDs became a thing, it moved to CDs, and now it’s all online.It’s part of the evolution of music sharing. Anyway, the cigar is a round 6″ x 52 toro with a shaggy foot, or a leader in cassette tape terms. The wrapper is Habano, the binder is Nicaraguan and the fillers are Nicaraguan including Ometepe. Like the Detox and Boom, it’s made in Esteli at Tabacalera Flor de San Luis (I believe they made or make Elogio and PIO?). I will say that this was the first Providencia cigar that I found was a little too tightly packed at the head, resulting in a more snug draw than I would like. Not unworkable, but an annoyance, and surprising. The flavor was quite nice though. The Habano wrapper had a sweetness and nuttyness that I like, and there was the interesting spice from the Ometepe that is unique and tasty. I really enjoyed the flavor, I think I’d enjoy it more if the draw were looser. 

 

The last one was the Providencia Cigars G 5:22-23. This seems like a handful of a cigar name. Ray and Jim, the owners of Providencia Cigars, are men of faith, and this is a Biblical reference. it refers to Galatians 5:22-23, which, depending on your translation, says: “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ” I think we can agree that this sentiment transcends religion, and can be applied no matter what your faith, or lack thereof. It can be distilled down to my personal mantra: “don’t be a d*ck”. I probably took that too far, my apologies. The cigar is a Corona Gorda, 6″ x 46, with a closed foot. I came by this revelation too late (like 20 years), but it was suggested that a closed foot cigar might be best lit with a soft flame. I wish I had heard that an hour sooner, I would have tried that with this cigar. I have to try to remember that the next time I come across a closed footed cigar. I’ll also have to try to find a soft flame lighter. This cigar has a Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Peruvian and Ometepe fillers. This cigar had the perfect burn and draw I’m accustomed to with Providencia cigars, and it provided a wondrous smoking experience. The smoking time compared favorably with a Toro, just shy of two hours, and the flavor had the sweetness of the wrapper, and the Peruvian and Ometepe tobaccos played very nicely with one another. There’s some different spiciness that each tobacco has that were complimentary, and enjoyable. Considering it was Halloween, there were some flavors that reminded me of some of the obscure candies that maybe kids don’t really like but parents end up eating and enjoying. I’ll find that damn candy one of these days…great smoke, probably not a commercially viable name, but a great smoke.

 

Thanks to Ray for sharing these cigars, as always. I need to pick up some more of the Detox and G 5:22-23 (and another Mixtape or two) for sure. He’ll have to point toward a retailer that has these in the comments!  That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig 

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by | October 28, 2020 · 9:24 pm

Providencia Detox and Boom Cigars

Ray at Providencia Cigars shared some of his new cigars with me recently, and I smoked two of them this week. I was intrigued by two of them in particular, the Detox and the Boom. Naturally I was drawn to the fact that they were both 6″ x 52 Toros, and they both had dark wrappers. When I looked at the blends, they both had San Andrés wrappers, Nicaraguan binders and fillers from Nicaragua, including Ometepe. All Providencia cigars were made in Honduras, however with Covid causing production delays, they are having cigars made at the Flor de San Luis factory in Esteli. I was anxious to compare these two cigars, the Detox is box pressed with a closed foot, the Boom is round, and has a shaggy foot. On paper, these cigars should saste the same, but this is an exercise in how the shape influences the flavor. Both cigars, like every Providencia cigar I’ve smoked, burned perfectly. The Detox had some power, it had a nice flavor of bitter cocoa and espresso. The Boom, based on it’s name, I expected to be stronger, but actually seemed mellower than the box pressed version, with the same flavors. I can’t say for sure if the blend is exact, except that in a brief conversation with Ray, he simply mentioned the shape contributing to the difference. As with a shaggy footed cigar, the cigar started rather bland until the wrapper started burning, whereas the closed foot on the Detox gave a blast of earthy San Andrés right off the bat. I really enjoyed both of these cigars, but I think I liked the box pressed Detox more than the Boom, it had a little more intense flavor than the Boom. 

 

I have a couple of Providencia‘s Habano offerings up next, I can’t wait to try them. I might even dig into the humidor for some older Providencias. Like I said, whoever’s making their cigars know what they are doing, I’ve never had one that didn’t perform perfectly. 

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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