Tag Archives: Smoke Inn

by | March 24, 2013 · 10:59 am

A 262 Cigars Event at Ned’s and a Room101 Big Delicious and Some Cigar News

I’m trying to get back in the swing of things after the interruption of my trip to California.  I figured the best way to do that was to jump in with both feet and head an hour west to Newtown, PA and Ned’s Cigars where Clint Aaron of 262 Cigars was having an event.  Clint has done something exceptional with 262, he’s left a career in finance behind and launched a successful cigar brand.  Ned’s is a nice little shop on a quaint little street, located in a building that probably dates back to the 1700s.  We were well received by Luca, the owner, who is a super nice guy and a terrific host.  Clint sold me a couple cigars, I started with a 262 Paradigm Lancero, which was a stellar smoke.  I followed it up with the 262 Revere which was the free cigar that I received for buying 4 cigars.  I thought the Revere had a nice sweetness that the Paradigm didn’t have, and both cigars burned dead even and had perfect draws.  I have a few more of the Paradigms left and still have an Ideology floating around from the IPCPR show.  It was a fun event, the traffic in the store wasn’t too bad.  The lounge is small but comfortable, and between watching “Used Cars” and a basketball game on the TVs, and the great cigars it was an entertaining evening.

 

Room101_BigDeliciousSaturday I took a walk around lunchtime since it was a nice, sunny day.  Unfortunately, it’s still cold (where’s Spring? They are forecasting 5-8″ of snow tomorrow!).  A Couple weeks ago I received a pair of pre-release samples of Smoke Inn‘s latest micro-blend release, the Room101 Big Delicious.  This cigar is a box pressed torpedo with a nice, dark wrapper and an untrimmed foot, great for getting a big blast of wrapper upon lighting.  Last weekend I smoked and loved the last micro-blend release, the Tatuaje Anarchy Apocalypse, but I think I enjoyed the Big Delicious even more!  It had a unique and different flavor that excited my taste buds. Was it the right cigar for a pre-lunch walk?  Probably not.    It probably would be better after a sumptuous feast instead of some supermarket donuts from last night, but it was still a most enjoyable smoke that was filled with surprises and didn’t disappoint.  Two thumbs up to Abe and Matt on this one, it’s a winner!   I’ve had fun reading along with the comic strip on the website as well.

 

 News

Here’s the latest news from CAO cigars:

CAO Brazilia Carnivale Hits Retail

CAO Brazilia Carnivale is hitting cigar shops as we speak. The 6 ½” x 60 box-pressed beauty is a limited edition release that puts an innovative spin on the popular Brazilia blend.

 

“Carnivale” is made with ligeros from the DR, Honduras and Nicaragua, and a binder from Brazil. The wrapper is a rare Habano Grueso leaf cultivated only in small quantities. 

 

Rick Rodriguez who heads up blending for CAO said, “We haven’t changed any CAO blends since we took over the brand. But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t put our spin on one of them. That’s exactly what we did with Carnivale…it’s my and my team’s take on Brazilia. We added a new wrapper, made the original wrapper the binder, and cranked the whole thing up with more ligero.”

 

You won’t miss CAO Brazilia Carnivale at your favorite cigar shop. It’s in an eye-catching, bright yellow, 12-count box, and is a must-have for the CAO collector. Single CAO Brazilia Carnivale cigars are on sale for $8.30 until the limited supply is gone.

 

Rick hinted that there could be another small batch twist on the horizon for another one of CAO’s top blends. “My team and I have been experimenting with some fantastic tobaccos, so CAO fans should be on the lookout to see what we come up with next.”

 

I look forward to smoking this one, as I’ve always enjoyed the Brazilia.  Since Ricky took over the blending at CAO I’ve been pretty impressed with the new releases. Both the OSA Sol and the Concert had something that appealed to me, and the cigars in the Last Stick Standing promotion were all pretty tasty.

 

In other news, the Midwest Smokeout is coming up in about a month.  This year’s Smokeout will be held on April 25 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, In.  They will have a bunch of cigar makers on hand and it looks like a $150 ticket will get you a load of cigars.  They also offer a $95 ticket that doesn’t include the cigars.  I’ll try to get more information on the event and pass it on.   

 

That’s it for today.  I want to thank whoever took advantage of the Gotham Cigars Living Social link I posted.  At least three people purchased the deal so I got it for free.  I used it to purchase a Xikar VX  cutter and a couple cigars to make up the difference.  I’ve been thinking about buying the V-cutter for  a while.  Truth is, I’ve never spent more than about $3 on a cigar cutter.  The V-cut takes me back to when I first started smoking cigars, buying them one at a time and cutting them on the Boston cutter on the counter in the shop.  It’s certainly not that I needed a cutter, I’ve got plenty ranging from cheapos to nice Colibris and the like, but I didn’t have a good V cutter and it was a perfect opportunity to get one.  Gotham’s service was exceptional and I look forward to the delivery of this order.

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | November 7, 2012 · 8:23 pm

Cape May, a NUb and a La Gloria Cubana Cigar, and Some News

Last weekend my wife and I took a little trip to Cape May, NJ to just relax and recharge. Fortunately the superstorm from last week wasn’t as mean to the little town on the southern tip of the state and we had a nice visit.  We happened across a nice little cigar shop in the Washington Street Mall, which is a three block long pedestrian mall a couple blocks off the beach.  The store is called “Up In Smoke” and has a pretty good sized walk in humidor.  The gentleman working there, Buddy, seemed to be knowledgeable and helpful, however the combination of New Jersey’s cigar tax, resort prices, and the absence of a place to smoke kept me from making my usual courtesy buy (and I tried to buy an issue of CigarPress magazine, but Buddy hooked me up).  The Opus X Lancero priced at $100 wasn’t even tempting!  I’m, admittedly, spoiled living in Pennsylvania and not having a cigar tax like most of the other states, but seeing cigars that retail around $4 at home priced at $10 scares me off.  However, I had no problem paying $10 each for some beautiful, hand blown glass Christmas ornaments for our tree this year (as un-macho as that sounds!).  These two ornaments spoke to me and I had to have them!  I didn’t have a cigar on the trip, but it was still a really nice weekend away with my wife, we were able to relax and unwind.

 

Monday evening called for a walk and a smoke.  I decided to give one of the NUb 464Ts that I got from the aforementioned Thompson’s auction to see how they were.  I picked a maduro.  I hadn’t had a NUb maduro, and it looked really good.  I snipped a bit off the end and the draw was really easy, a good sign.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that cold weather really increases my desire for maduros, I think because they have such a strong flavor.  Not that maduros are strong nicotine-wise, it’s just that a lighter, more delicate flavored cigar will get lost in the cold air. This NUb had a pretty potent dose of power right off the bat, but it mellowed out as it got warmed up and was a very entertaining smoke.  One must take care smoking this shape as one wrong move and the cigar can shoot out of your mouth like a torpedo.  I always thought is was called a torpedo due to the shape!  Anyway, I think these need some more humidor time, but that probably won’t keep me from trying the other wrappers.  These will be good on the other side of winter.

 

Tuesday evening I opted for a rare treat of a cigar that I like a great deal, which is a shame because I may not get to smoke many of these in the future.  The regular production La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Tabaqueros have a Connecticut shade wrapper on the first couple inches of the cigar, followed by and Ecuador Sumatra wrapper.  These are excellent cigars, but for special events they made some cigars that start out with the Sumatra wrapper and morph into a rich, dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper that is just amazing.  I came across a lonely little robusto version of this that I picked up at an event last December and fired it up.  I have to say that I had endured a day of frustration, always happens when one dares take time off work.  It was a day of catching up and putting out fires, and I needed the respite of a great smoke.  It was also freezing cold!  It had been the first “bike-worthy” day in nearly 2 weeks and I had to take the scooter to work. I found out the following: 23 degrees is too darned cold to spend 30 minutes outside driving to work.  I wish the bike had a heater.  Anyway, I digress.  This cigar was awesome.  Rich, earthy and full flavors that gave me a nice hour to settle down and return to normal.  If you ever get to attend a La Gloria event, don’t just do it to get one of these awesome smokes, if you can hang out with Michael Giannini you will be doubly rewarded, because he’s a really cool guy who know his stuff.

 

 

News

I’m pleased to be able to say that the 12 Days of Spectacular Giveaways is coming along nicely. I’ve already got five of the days just about completed, with confirmations for another 6 of the days.  If you thought last year’s contest series was spectacular, just wait until you see what’s in store this year! I don’t want to rush things, time goes by fast enough as it is, but I’m getting really excited about this!   Mark December 12-24th on your calendars.

 

In other news, Smoke Inn announced today the release of the latest cigar in their “microblend” series, the  Tatuaje Apocalypse.  I got a press release, other’s have posted it, so just head over to http://www.tatuajeanarchy.com/ to see what it’s all about!

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 27, 2012 · 8:26 pm

End of the Week Cigars: Villiger, a Special Fuente, a La Gloria Cubana and a San Lotano

Wednesday evening I was , once again, in experimental mode…OK, that’s a lie.  The truth is that I have one coolerdor that has some small sampler boxes floating around in it and this particular one was down to two cigars, so I wanted to get things tidied up a little.  Regardless of the truth, I picked out this Villiger 1888 robusto from said dwindling sampler.  I recall enjoying the 1888 Fuerte quite a bit, so I was curious about  the regular 1888.  This was the robusto, and was a nice looking cigar with a milk chocolate colored wrapper.  I enjoyed it quite a bit, it was medium bodied, well made and consistent in flavor through the smoke. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but certainly a good cigar.  I would certainly smoke this cigar on a regular basis, but I never seem to see these in my local shops. Thanks to Anne at Villiger for sending me the samples and for providing a really nice gift in last December’s 12 Days giveaway!

 

Thursday I decided to dig into the new cigar from Smoke Inn‘s Microblend series, the Arturo Fuente Solaris.  This is a 6″ x 49 belicoso that Fuente had made 6 years ago in a small batch and found a home for it at Smoke Inn.  It’s unlike the other cigars in the microblend series in that they had no hand in the blending of it.  Still, having a super exclusive Fuente product is a big deal.  The sun grown wrapper is quite light on this cigar, and it’s very visually appealing. I’ll be the first to say that Fuente makes some great cigars, however I don’t often find myself smoking them.  I’ve smoked many over the years, and gravitated toward smaller sizes in the Hemingway and Don Carlos lines.  I expected to be wow’d by this cigar and I was impressed with it over-all. This is a cigar I wouldn’t have had the chance to try if it weren’t for the generosity of Smoke Inn.  Be sure to give them a visit when shopping online or in the South Florida area.

 

Friday was the end of a long week, and, more importantly, the beginning of a long weekend!  What better way to start it off than with a favorite, the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale Cubano.  I brought this box back with me from the Dominican Republic and really enjoy them when I have time for a large cigar.  It’s 6½” x 58 and is a good, smooth hour and a half or so of relaxation.  As has been customary lately, I took my son’s new dog for a walk along with this cigar.  A mile long walk and I still had three quarters of the cigar to relax on the front porch with for a while.  I’ve had the pleasure of smoking a bunch of these since their release and am always delighted by the interesting flavors.  I love a lot of the La Gloria Cubana line, and this is among my favorites.

 

Saturday turned out to be an interesting day.  First, I received a call from my friend Greg saying he noticed a new cigar store in the area.  It turns out to be a new location for a shop that has been around a while. More on that in a bit. Several months ago my wife and I had been to a unique little vintage record store and noticed some cigar box art in one section of the store. I had done some housekeeping in the basement and had a dozen or so empty cigar boxes laying around, and my wife and I took them down to see if they wanted them. They were thrilled with the boxes and insisted upon trading them for a very rare record that the proprietor had found for my wife.  I love the artistry of cigar boxes, but we tend to take them for granted. It’s so cool when someone who has little interest in cigars is so appreciative of them.  On the way home we stopped at the cigar shop.  I have been to several locations of this local chain, and have only been impressed by one of them.  This shop has moved into a free standing, ex-convenience store which has had more businesses in it over the last 20-some years than I can remember.  I had a job interview in one of them 10 years ago.  They have a Montecristo lounge which looks nice, and a huge walk-in humidor that needs more stock, needs to have the split and broken cigars removed, and needs more price labels on the boxes.  I’m a self proclaimed cheap bastard, and price plays a part in my buying decisions, so I don’t like surprises at the register and won’t buy what isn’t priced.  I picked up a couple of the new Romeo by Romeo y Julieta just because I’ve been wanting to try them, but I can’t see visiting this shop often. It is located in  such a place that there are a couple friends I could meet up there for a smoke, and I really hope they make it, but they need to fix a few things.  I came home and smoked a San Lotano Oval Toro because I saw them there but I was scared off by the condition of some of the cigars around them.  The Oval is a fantastic smoke and couldn’t have been a better end to the day.  Deep, rich flavors and a perfect burn.  These are pricey, but delicious and I look forward to trying the maduro.  It’s a neat shape too.

 

That’s it for now.  More great cigars to smoke!  Since my son got his dog, I’ve been taking her on my evening walks with me.  I’m open to suggestions on “Dog Walker” cigars!  There will, no doubt, come a time when the weather is less than ideal for enjoying a fine cigar, so what does everyone keep on hand for those occasions?

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | May 16, 2012 · 6:09 pm

Three Cigars: An E Doble, a Casa de Ortez and an Avo LE12

Sunday afternoon was beautiful, and after over-indulging at a Mother’s Day brunch with my family, I sat down with a E Doble robusto courtesy of the folks at Smoke Inn. This reasonably priced robusto is made by Eric Espinosa of EO Brands fame exclusively for Smoke Inn. The cigar is a nice looking 5″ x 50 Nicaraguan puro, and starts out nice and spicy. I enjoyed it quite a bit, at under $4 each it isn’t a bad buy. I think if I were presented with a choice of this cigar or something else in the same price range, this one would be a satisfying choice. It was strong without being too strong and well made. It was a very nice cigar, I look forward to smoking another one.

 

I was feeling adventurous again Monday evening and came across a pair of Casa de Ortez robustos from the Altadis booth at last year’s IPCPR show. There was one with a Connecticut wrapper and one with a Ecuador Cubano wrapper, both of which looked very much alike. I chose the Connecticut, as that’s what I was in the mood for, and headed to the front porch. I really enjoyed this cigar. It burned well and had a pleasing flavor. I suspect it’s mixed filler, though, as I was constantly picking little tobacco bits out of my mouth. I did some research after smoking this and was surprised to find these sold in bundles for ridiculously low prices (in the under $25 range!). Certainly better than many bundled “sandwich” cigars in that price range and one that I’d smoke again. I’m now looking forward to trying the other wrapper.

 

Tuesday I felt like going in the completely opposite direction of the Casa de Ortez. I had been given an Avo LE12 La Trompeta by Tom Smith, our local Davidoff rep a few weeks ago and had been looking forward to smoking it. If I’ve smoked an Avo before, it’s been a very long time, and it wouldn’t have been one of his special annual releases like this one. This cigar was made to celebrate Avo’s 86th birthday, and is a pyramid shape with a lovely Habano wrapper adorned with three dots punched from Connecticut shade leaf to represent the valves on a trumpet. It’s a really cool presentation and it’s not an inexpensive cigar. It was OK. It didn’t burn particularly well, and, to my tastes, was really nothing spectacular. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or, more likely, it just wasn’t suited to my tastes, but I was disappointed by it. I certainly am glad that I had the opportunity to smoke this cigar. It relieves me of any desire to run out and spend a lot of money on these in the future. I has a similar experience with the Perdomo Champagne, I was expecting to be “wow’d” and wasn’t. This is why there are so many different cigars!. Just because I didn’t like the cigar doesn’t mean someone else won’t think it’s fantastic. The burn issues I had could easily be attributed to the damp, rainy evening.

 

What does that say about my tastes? Two budget cigars that I enjoyed more than a super premium? I admit, there are a ton of very reasonably priced cigars that I enjoy quite a bit, but there are plenty premium priced cigars that I love, I just don’t love them very often! I’m also a cheap bastard, I would sooner buy five National Brand Maduro robustos with the $10 it would cost to buy many super premium cigars.  I think I’ll go find something to smoke now, should I get something cheap and reliable or find a  rare, pricey cigar and risk disappointment?

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

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by | May 9, 2012 · 10:20 pm

CAO Last Stick Standing Cigar Reviews and News

I think this is a really cool way to select the next CAO blend.  There is a promotion currently running where when you purchase six CAO cigars at your local retailer, you receive a tin containing three cigars.  The idea is to smoke the three cigars and go to the CAO Website and vote for your favorite of the three.  The cigar with the most votes is the next CAO cigar.   When I received the samples, I was asked to submit a video for inclusion on their website, which is something I’ve never done before.  I’m not sure how it will go over, and I suppose I’ll do more in the future if it’s not utterly repulsive.

 

I smoked the three cigars over the course of  four days. The cigars were banded with “C”, “A” and “O”.  Since I’m borderline CDO (that’s OCD in alphabetical order, as it should be) I smoked them in order.   I found that they were three distinctly different cigars, “C” was a leathery Honduran tasting cigar, “A” was a milder, sweeter, almost Dominican flavored cigar and “O” was a heavy Nicaraguan style.  Obviously, these are just my opinions, I have no clue what the blend is on any of them.  I kind of liked the “A” the best, I don’t know if it’s because I thought it was a little different from the other cigars in the CAO stable, or that it’s bright, almost citrus sweetness surprised and delighted me.  Whatever my thoughts were, don’t miss the chance to have a say in the next CAO cigar, hunt down a Last Stick Standing tin and decide for yourself.  I will say that all three cigars were perfectly constructed and smoked really well.  Let me know what you think of the video!

httpv://youtu.be/Ja8eBMl4wBI

 

News

I reported on this event last year, and they broke last year’s record this time.  I always appreciate when those of us who are maligned for doing such socially unacceptable things as enjoying the occasional cigar do wonderful things for society.  Here’s the press release:

G&G Golf Outing Raises $14,800 for Cancer Research

When long time friends and West Chester business partners, Pete Garzia and Doug Gianforte, both lost parents to cancer a few years ago they decided to do something to support cancer research. The men, owners of G&G Cigar Company, decided to hold a benefit golf tournament with all proceeds supporting Fox Chase Cancer Center’s research. The just concluded Third Annual G&G Golf Outing raised $14,800 for Fox Chase. This brings G& G’s total donations to over $57,000 to various charities the past 6 years with Fox Chase being the chief beneficiary. Doug’s mother was treated at Fox Chase for 2 years and Pete lost both parents to cancer. The partners, also well known members of the construction industry, rallied their friends, clients, business associates, and suppliers for a good time at Downingtown Golf Club for golf, lunch, dinner, prizes and a congenial cigar. The event has been sold out annually.

Another great job by Doug and company up at G&G Cigars in West Chester, PA!

Also, please join me in welcoming our newest advertiser, Smoke Inn.  These folks have a bunch of retail stores inn Florida and a really great web store.  I met Abe several years ago through a mutual friend, and he’s a heck of a guy.  Give them a look when you get a chance, they have some awesome stuff!

That’s more than enough for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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