Tag Archives: Reinado

by Craig Vanderslice | June 30, 2024 · 10:31 am

E.P. Carrillo Sumatra, Dias de Gloria Brazil and Reinado Capablanca Cigars

It’s the end of June already, we’ve reached the halfway point of 2024! One of my favorite things about summer is that I can write my Sunday blog post on the porch with a cigar. This morning it’s a Macanudo Gold Label 2023, which is a 4½” x 60. I think my friends at Best Cigar Prices would call this a Robolo, they used to have a whole series of them! Anyway, that’s not what I was planning to talk about today! Last week I smoked the new E.P. Carrillo Maduro from their new Essence Series, This week I smoked the Sumatra. Lately I’ve been surprised at how many times the Maduro has come in second to another wrapper when I’ve sampled cigars in the same line with different wrappers, so I was half expecting this to happen again. The Sumatra I smoked is the Toro, a 6″ x 52 with an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, binders from Nicaragua and Honduras, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. This was a really interesting cigar! It had a heavy, almost cloying, flavors of dark dried fruit, to me. It was mouth coating, like black licorice can be, with a pretty long finish. Where the Maduro brought back memories of the old La Gloria Cubana maduros, this was something new and different. I enjoyed it, although not as much as the Maduro, and look forward to seeing what other wrapper combinations they come out with in the future. This line is priced in the $10 range, so it should be a hit!

I stopped by a local shop on the way home Friday and grabbed a couple of the new A.J. Fernandez Dias de Gloria Brazil in a corona size. They call it a corona, it’s 6½” x 44, more of a lonsdale, really, which is why I picked a couple up. I’m not overly fond of smaller cigars. This has a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It’s a nice, dark cigar, which started off with a bit if tanginess. It progressed to a savoriness with some sweet notes. I liked it very much. The price tag made me recall a few years back when they released the Ramon Allones at around $14 and we all thought that was a pricey A.J. Fernandez cigar. This Corona was $14. How times have quickly changed. Geat smoke though! Worth the price.

I go back about nearly a dozen years with Antonio Lam of Reinado Cigars. I think we first met at Cigar Emporium in Lyndhurst, NJ back in April of 2013. He sent me his newest project, the Capablanca. This cigar, like the rest of his recent work, is a tribute to his father. My first thought, looking at the name as a non-spanish speaker, I was expecting a shade wrapped cigar. It’s not, it has a Cameroon wrapper, over undisclosed filler and binder, and it’s made at an also undisclosed factory in the Dominican Republic. Capablanca refers to the Cuban chess master José Raúl Capablanca, who was the world chess champion in the 1920s. Antonio’s father would replay Capablanca’s chess games with his brother, and taught Antonio to play chess, often replaying the Capablanca games. Because of Antonio’s father suffering from dementia, a portion of all sales of Reinado cigars goes to the Dementia Society of America. The cigar is listed at 5½” x 54, but if felt more like 6″, but that might have been the inch of wrapper hangin over the foot. It also had a pigtail cap. I’ll admit that. I pulled a bit of the loose wrapper off pre-light because I’ve burned to many shirts, pants, rugs with flying burning debris! This is a really nice smoke. It has some nuttiness along with a pit of creaminess. It was medium bodied and burned well. It wasn’t overwhelmingly Cameroony, but that flavor was still there. I smoked it to a small nub while enjoying a movie on the porch with me family. I highly recommend anything from Reinado, this included.

I heard someone talking about what cut they prefer, and it got me thinking that I really don’t have a preference. I have three cutters sitting next to me, a Colibri V cutter, a CigarMedics Baller, and my Screwpop MagPulse straight cutter and I use them all depending on my whim. I have an Adorini Double Cigar Punch that I use (mostly the large end) when I absolutely need a Punch (flat capped cigars). I really am not that picky about what I use, as long as the cigar draws and doesn’t come apart. I have a variety of straight cutters which work fine, if I’m out and about it’s usually with a Xikar, due to the pocketability. Whatever works. Anyway, that’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as A.J. Fernandez, Brazil, Capablanca, cigar, cigars, Dias de Gloria, E.P. Carrillo, Essence, Reinado, Sumatra

by Craig Vanderslice | July 30, 2023 · 10:40 am

Cohiba HVC Black Friday, Reinado and Iron Pigs, Bacon and Flying Pig Cigars

We went to a baseball game last night, but more on that later, lets recap a few cigars I smoked earlier in the week. At the Atlantic City Cigar Festival I saw an old friend, Sean Williams, who was handing out Cohiba Rivieras at his booth. I met Sean back around 2011, I think, at the Delaware Cigar Festival, or the IPCPR show, I forget which. I do remember seeing him at the IPCPR show and he introduced me to his friend Willy Herrera, who was helping him blend some of his cigars at the time. I hadn’t tried this Cohiba Riviera, so Thursday seemed like a good enough day to smoke one. This is the first Box pressed “red dot” Cohiba, and the first that doesn’t have any Dominican tobacco. It has a San Andrés wrapper (another Cohiba first), Honduran Connecticut binder (broadleaf?) and fillers from Jamastran, and La Entrada in Honduras and Condega and Esteli in Nicaragua. The Robusto I had is 5″ x 52, the box press makes it feel small, which is probably why it took me awhile to get around to smoking it. This smoked very well, as one would expect a $20 cigar to smoke. It tasted much like one would expect a Honduran/Nicaraguan blend with a Mexican wrapper to taste, which, to me, was quite good, with rich, earthy coffee, cocoa, espresso, etc. notes. I rather enjoyed it. As with most things in the “luxury” segment, be it food, cars, watches, I’m not the target audience. I’m a low frills kind of guy, but I do appreciate it, there’s just more affordable luxuries I appreciate as much.

I had picked up a HVC Black Friday 2022 a few weeks ago, I had smoked the Firecracker and maybe one other iteration of the Black Friday series ( I think the 2021) and enjoyed it. This is the first of the series that is made in Fábrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. de Reinier Lorenzo as opposed to Aganorsa, although I can’t say I noticed any quality difference. I would have liked it if my example had been a tad drier, which is the fault of my humidors, I guess. The tobaccos in this may need to be stored with less humidity, or dry boxed, I don’t know, most cigars burn fine out of my humidors, every now and then one is weird. My fault for not being as diligent with my Humidimeter as I should be! The Black Friday has an Ecuador Habano wrapper and the rest is from Jalapa and Esteli with, apparently, no ligero. It was on the medium side, with nice, nutty flavors and some syrupy sweetness. It was a hot and humid evening, which may have added to my issues, also not a great time for a nicotine-heavy cigar for me! I’ll try again with some dry down time.

I was up obnoxiously early yesterday morning so I pretty much went from bed, to the coffeemaker to the porch and lit up a Reinado Connecticut C29 that Antonio Lam had given me when I saw him at the aforementioned AC Cigar Fest. Before I go on, I’d like to mention that as I type I’m smoking an El Güegüense that was from the original release (probably a 2016 trade show sample) that is simply divine. I don’t think I appreciated this blend as much then as I do at this very moment, whether it’s the age on this cigar, the beautiful morning, or what. It’s creamy, it’s got a hint of light spice, it’s just perfection. What made my think about that, besides being distracted by the smoke, was that I had the same thought yesterday morning as I sat in the dawning hours of the day, as the sun came up, enjoying the Reinado C29. The details of this. cigar are veiled in secrecy, obviously it has a Connecticut wrapper, Ecuadoran would be my guess, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s made at Aganorsa, like his Grand Apex (which is also exceptional). I have trouble loving a lot of Aganorsa cigars, however, Antonio’s cigars I do love, and if the C29 is made there, it’s one more I really loved. It was creamy, plenty of flavor, and burned perfectly. It was a great cigar to smoke on a quiet morning unencumbered by distractions.

Last night some friends treated up to a baseball game in Allentown, PA. The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs are the Philadelphia Phillies Triple A farm team, and the upside is that they have a heavy bacon-centric theme. We snacked on chocolate covered bacon and skewered candied bacon, but sadly they were out of the bacon cannolis. Between innings they had races with people dressed as various pork based meats, and the players uniforms had Bacon emblazoned across the front. Fred Rewey would have been severely overstimulated. I misunderstood the team name and wore a Flying Pig shirt, and smoked a Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pig on the ride home, as Coca Cola Stadium is non-smoking. When I first smoked the KFC at Cigar Safari 10 years ago I didn’t like it at all, it was too “campfire” for me. This Flying Pig, and I don’t remember where I got them, or how long I’ve had them, was very good, it had some nice sweet woodiness. I can’t recommend smoking a 4″ x 60 in a dark, stick shift car, though, that was less than ideal, but it was a good smoke, and it was a really fun game, with fireworks after the game. I’m not a baseball fan, and I’m confused by some of the new rules, but it’s nostalgic, I went to a lot of games as a kid, and I always enjoyed minor league games for the entertainment value.

There’s a lot coming up this week. Tonight, if you are in the Limerick, PA area, stop by Goose’s and see my friend Mike Kropp perform at the Goose Pond. Next Saturday, August 5, at the Leaf Cigar Bar in Easton, PA celebrate Jerry Garcia’s Birthday with live music at 3. Delaware Cigar Week kicks off on Thursday, August 3th with a schedule of events running through Sunday. Could be a busy weekend!

That’s all for today! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Bacon, Black Friday, C29, cigar, cigars, cohiba, Flying Pig, HVC, Iron Pigs, Kentucky Fire Cured, Reinado, Riviera

by Craig Vanderslice | January 8, 2023 · 10:05 am

Reinado Grand Apex, JTrain, Fosforo and Rocky Patel Cigars

First week of 2023 is in the books. I managed to smoke a few new-to-me cigars this week! First off was the Fosforo Toro, a 6″x 50 cigar with a Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Condego and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. This is a creation of Jeff Mouttet of Riverside Cigars, and is distributed by Pospiech Inc., Mike Szczepankiewicz’s distribution company. Ironically, I also smoked a Guaimaro yesterday, also distributed by Pospiech. This cigar, while it looks like it could come out of Nica Sueno (RoMaCraft), it’s actually made at Garmendia, the factory which makes West Tampa Cigar Co.’s cigars. The cigar is tasty, some earthiness, some espresso and cocoa, very much up my alley. Burn and draw were perfect, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Thanks to my Secret Santa, once again, for sharing this with me!

I may be going out of order, but I’m probably the only one bothered by that! I also smoked the Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary, which I picked up on a recent visit to Goose’s Montecristo Lounge. I’m probably one of the few people who haven’t smoked a whole lot of RP Edge cigars, I’ve probably only smoked a couple, to be honest. Not sure why, just is. I felt like I wanted to give this anniversary cigar a try, and it’s a little pricier than the regular Edge line. It’s advertised as having 10 year aged tobaccos, although exactly which tobaccos are aged isn’t clear. The wrapper is an Ecuador Sumatra, with Nicaraguan and Honduran files and binder. I’m used to Sumatra having a unique sweetness, and this one started out with a cloying pepper spice that I wasn’t ready for. it was tongue coating. Eventually it smoothed out, and was a very nice smoke. I’d smoke this again, and I suppose I should samply my way through the Edge line, I think there’s 23 different cigars in that line? 🙂

Almost a year ago I saw John Remer at the TPE and he gave me his JTrain cigar, made at La Zona by Protocol Cigars. It has the Protocol logo in the band at least. John has a web show called Johnny Smokes Uncut, and a facebook group of the same name. I’m not sure what’s up with the “uncut” part of the name. Obviously one can’t smoke a cigar uncut, I have to assume it refers to the videos being unedited. This Robusto is 5″ x 50 and has a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper,with Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. There are several cigars from this factory which are among my favorites, the La Sirena, and most of the no longer produced Cornelius and Anthony line (Someone recently compared the C&A Meridian to the new Knuckle Sandwich, the y may be similar, but all of the C&A cigars had some Virginia tobacco in them that I don’t think is available to La Zona any more). The JTrain cigar hit me with a really different flavor, it was almost acidic, with an odd spice. It must have turned out OK because I stopped taking notes, a sure sign I am enjoying a cigar. I have an FTrain that John gave me at the PCA show on deck, anymore I am not satisfied by a robusto, I save them to fit certain times, and I have a crapload of robustos in my stock.

Finally, I smoked a Reinado Grand Apex Gordo this week. This is a 6″ x 60 cigar that has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers and is made at Aganorsa’s TABSA factory. I’ve known Antonio Lam, the owner of Reinado Cigars, for a very long time. When I met him he was making cigars with Yadi Gonzalez, maker of Flor de Gonzalez cigars. We had some amusing times trying to record pieces at the IPCPR show a few years back. Antonio is a Jersey guy, and the Grand Apex has an altruistic side to it, as some proceeds go to Dementia Society of America. Anyone who’s been reading here for any period of time will know that this cigar is my kind of cigar. Maybe not so obvious is that many cigars that come out of Aganorsa aren’t particularly interesting to me. I try, of course, but I haven’t found one that hits me just right. This one, however, does. It’s got my espresso, along with some dark fruits, and I really dig it. It’s definitely on my “buy” list, even in this size. Great job Antonio and Aganorsa!

That’s all for today. I was hoping to get to a shop today, but it looks like the grandkids are coming by, so that will have to wait, some things are more important! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 20th Anniversary, Aganorsa, cigar, cigars, Fosforo, Garmendia, Grand Apex, Johnny Smokes Uncut, JTrain, LaZona, Protocol, Reinado, rocky patel, The Edge

by Craig Vanderslice | February 25, 2022 · 6:17 am

News: Reinado Premium Cigars Adding
Grand Apex 6 X 60

Here’s one more news item from my friend Antonio at Reinado Cigars. Why all the news while I’m sitting on my balcony overlooking the ocean trying to relax with nothing but an iPhone to publish content with? Gotta head to the beach and light up a cigar…

Reinado Cigars will begin shipping the new Grand Apex 6 X 60 in February. Production will be at Aganorsa’s TABSA factory in Nicaragua. It joins the current Robusto Extra, which measures 5.5 x 52.

“Early indications of success for this blend have provided the leverage required to expand the Grand Apex product line,” said Antonio Lam, owner of Reinado Premium Cigars, in a press release. “The quality of tobacco included from Aganorsa Leaf in our blend has created a buzz on social media as well as brick and mortar retail shops.

The robusto extra has also been included among reputable brands on several Top Cigars of 2021 lists. We’re happy to have such positive responses to the robusto extra and are thrilled to be releasing a larger vitola for the consumers wanting more of the rich notes
found in the blend.”

The Grand Apex blend utilizes a San Andres wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The 6 X 60 size will have an MSRP of $12.75 per cigar. Production will be initially 3,000 cigars in 15-count boxes. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Dementia Society of America.

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Grand Apex 6 X 60

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Grand Apex, Reinado

by Craig Vanderslice | October 17, 2021 · 11:11 am

Punch Aniversario, La Gloria Criollo de Oro and Reinado Grand Apex Cigars

It’s been an odd week, another reason I don’t like this time of year. It was cloudy most of the week, but the temps were fairly warm. Then yesterday it was sunny most of the day and nearly 80 degrees and then it stormed and dropped 20 degrees. Of course, this is the perfect set up for a migraine. Anyway, once I got the grass cut (hopefully for the last time), I saw able to smoke a cigar. But let’s back up a bit. I had a choice on Friday evening to either watch the Drew Estate Freestyle Live event, or the Flyers season opener, of course I chose the Flyers. Freestyle Live I can watch the replay, the Flyers not so much. It turns out that I missed our friend CigarProp/TrashPanda Kevin winning the Harley, which was exciting, but I did catch it the next day. I’m happy to have hockey back and have sports to watch again! I lit up a Punch Aniversario, which commemorates the 180th anniversary of the brand. I published the press release back in July, and I take issue with them saying this was an hourlong smoke. It’s a 7¼”x 54 corona doble (same size as a Horo Excalibur No. 1, by the way), certainly a two hour smoke. For a cigar that has a Broadleaf wrapper and binder, I didn’t find that is tasted heavily like a broadleaf cigar! I thought it was fairly medium bodied and not real bold in the flavor department. It certainly was a decent companion while I watched my first real hockey game of the season! The couple more I have will rest for a while and I’ll revisit them later.

Yesterday after finishing chores I sat down with the new La Gloria Cubana Criollo de Oro toro. As with the Punch, this was a sample provided by General/Forged/STG. I’ve had a long association with them and they’ve always been great about providing samples. As I think about it, it’s coming up on the ten year anniversary of the blogger trip to the factory. It’s about time for a reunion, isn’t it? 😉 Full disclosure,I’m traditionally not a fan of Criollo tobacco, so I’m not sure how I’m going to take to this Criollo/Pelo de Oro hybrid. Criollo is one of the few tobaccos I actually kind of find off putting. I’ll avoid it if I can help it. Of course, there are exceptions I suppose, but generally I find this to be the case. On the other hand, I generally like La Gloria Cubanas, but one can’t like every cigar in a given brand, right? This was the first one I tried, and they just came in last week, so I’ll be giving them more of a chance, but the initial thoughts weren’t off-putting but weren’t mindblowing either. There are several of their more recent releases that I like a lot more, but, as I said, this is an initial impression. It certainly worked well. I can’t believe it’s been a decade since I toured the factory!

Last night I smoked a Reinado Grand Apex. I had previously smoked a sample that Antonio had given me, this one was a banded version that I purchased (along with a T-shirt that I happened to have been wearing). I need to buy some more. The Grand Apex is made at Aganorsa, and has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. This is a bold cigar with bold flavors. It’s heavy on the espresso and earth, with significant spice. If I had a cigar of the week feature, this one would be it. Maybe I should do that, but it seems like a lot of work. Maybe I’ll just bring it up when a worthy candidate presents itself, much like this one. Reinado Grand Apex: CigarCraig.com’s Cigar of the week for October 17, 2021! Maybe that will make the Reinado webpage. Should I make up a badge? I kid, I never troll for recognition, it’s a great cigar, and I might need to talk to some of my local PA (ahem, Son’s) retailers to carry it!