Tag Archives: Son’s

by Craig Vanderslice | February 13, 2022 · 10:36 am

Some HVC and Adventura Cigars

Friday evening I started something a little new to me, I started working part time at Son’s Cigars. “Working” is a bit of a stretch, as I just helped some folks make some selections in the well appointed humidor. I told Vince that because of the physical demands of my day job, Friday evenings was a about the best I could do working in the shop, as they are open until 11. I’m much too old to stay up that late any other night, and most evenings I’m asleep by 10 anyway. As it turns out, Adrian Acosta was there doing an event with Dapper, HVC and Adventura cigars, so naturally I smoked some cigars from those companies. HVC was one of the companies I have been interested in smoking more of anyway, so I was excited to light up the HVC Broadleaf Toro. This was a great way to both end one work day and start another! This 6″ x 52 toro has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers and is made at Aganorsa’s TABSA factory. It’s a great cigar, loaded with dark, rich espresso and semi-sweet chocolate. Like I said, it was a lovely way to start off the night.

I have to admit, it’s incredibly satisfying to recommend a personal favorite cigar to an occasional cigar smoker in the humidor, and have them come back and buy a second one because they enjoyed it so much. I suppose over 25 years of smoking cigars has given me some insight. I’ve been putting off actually working in the cigar industry for many years but Vince offered me the opportunity and I figured what the hell! I really like the shop and know the area and a lot of the regulars already anyway. It’ll be interesting.

I smoked the King’s Gold from Adventura Cigars while I was working Friday evening as well. I had smoked the Queen’s Pearls last week and it was pretty good, so I was looking forward to this one. I have a Robusto here yet that I should have smoked yesterday, because when one smokes a cigar in a cigar shop, working or not, one can’t get a really good idea about the cigar, there are too many external influences, and this was my second cigar of the night. I want to say it was medium bodied, and toasty. I’ll circle back to it later, but it burned well. I smoked the Toro size, which is 6″ x 54, a nice size. This was another Connecticut Broadleaf cigar, San Andrés binder and fillers from Nicaragua, DR and USA. I suppose I expected more of a punch from this, it seemed milder than I expected, I put it on the medium end of the spectrum. Perhaps in the smaller vitolas, and on a fresh palate it will give me more.

Last night I smoked a cigar that came to me via my CigarCraig Secret Santa, an HVC Ediciòn Especial 2015 Corona. This 5″ x 46 corona has a San Andrés wrapper with Nicaraguan fillers. I was looking for a shorter smoke and this fit the bill. I was getting a later than usual start and didn’t want to be up late again! This cigar has a very unique flavor! It has a heavy, cloying mouthfeel, like black licorice, but not in flavor if that makes sense. It has an earthy sweetness, with a long finish. It was very good, and that overwhelming mouth coating was very interesting. I don’t often get that unless I get my hands on some Australian licorice. The sticky kind. Not that nasty salty kind they like in the nordic countries, that stuff is raunchy. I digress. This cigar was good, and I think I’ll try the 2018 the next chance I have. I know Son’s has some of the Ediciòn Especials.

That’s all for today. It’s snowing unexpectedly. It was practically 60º yesterday, now there’s a few inches of white crap on the ground and I need a haircut and have to get a propane tank filled. Oh well. I guess I can watch some Olympics today and smoke some cigars. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Adventura, cigar, cigars, Dapper, Edicion Especial 2015, HVC, Kings Gold, Son's

by Craig Vanderslice | January 16, 2022 · 10:57 am

Protocol Bass Reeves Natural and Maduro Cigars

On Friday Son’s Cigars hosted the Bass Reeves launch party with Juan and Kevin from Protocol Cigars in attendance. I was busy with the 1st and 15th podcast recording so it wasn’t until about 9 o’clock when I rolled in, which is pretty late for me. I admit I had to talk myself into leaving the house that late! I didn’t want to miss hanging out with these dudes though, and I had been looking forward to trying these cigars. I got there and lit up the Bass Reeves Maduro. Both cigars are 6″ x 52 toros, and both are made in AJ Fernandez’ San Lotano factory via Espinosa. All the specifics can be found in the press release which I posted back in June (here). The maduro has a dark, Nicaraguan Habano and has some hints of licorice here and there. It was a nice, medium bodied cigar, at least that was my thought, but I had smoked a Todos las Dias Thick Lonsdale earlier, and they are “mas fuerte”. It had loads of flavor as was quite satisfying. It smoked for a good hour and 45 minutes, or until closing time, which was way past my bedtime. As one would expect from a Protocol event, it was low key and mellow, a fine evening of civilized conversation. I’m glad I talked myself into going.

Naturally, I had to smoke the Ecuador Sumatra wrapped version yesterday. I dig Sumatra, but they can vary widely from growing region to growing region, I find. This was a good looking cigar, with a ruddy brown wrapper. Flavorwise this, to me, was on the earthy, leathery side with a little spice. It lacked the sweetness I expect in the Sumatras I enjoy the most. It was still a good cigar, the construction was spot on, as was the maduro. So far that has been the case with the cigars I’ve smoked from that factory (Espinosa has the Murcialago made there as well as some of the 601s and the Laranja Reserva Azulejo). The Sumatra was good, but my palate prefers the maduro in this case. I can see where I’m going to go back and pick up the others in the Lawman series and give them a try. I should have grabbed them all Friday, but I was in a hurry to get a cigar lit and just went right for the Bass Reeves. I’m sure I’ll be back to Son’s soon, they have them all!

Check out the 1st and 15th Podcast where I don’t think I made too big a fool of myself (the competition was fierce!) in places where one finds podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or embedded at https://www.comedycigarsmusic.com/. I think we had a different approach to talking about the CA top 25, but this particular group has a different approach to most discussions! It was actually pretty tame. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Bass Reeves, cigar, cigars, Protocol, Son's

by Craig Vanderslice | December 5, 2021 · 10:05 am

Crook of the Crown, Triqui Traca, and Room 101 Cigars

As the holidays and year end gets closer things seem to get busier. As I mentioned in last Sunday’s post, I went to Son’s Cigars and hung out with the crew from Stolen Throne Cigars, less brand-owner Lee Marsh, who’s wife has been expecting their son to be born any day and felt that being five hours from home would be less than prudent. What a wuss. 😀. I got past the initial disappointment, and hung out and smoked cigars with them, and my friend Greg, whom I’ve known since high school. I smoked another Three Kingdoms Toro, and a Crook of the Crown Robusto while there, and during the week I smoked a Crook of the Crown Toro. These are some outstanding cigars. The Crook of the Crown has a San Andrés wrapper, and is exactly my kind of cigar, it’s down and dirty, reich and earthy, but I think I like the Three Kingdoms a little more! I love the sweetness it has. They both have a place, and I think I smoked more of those two cigars last week than I’ve smoked any one brand of cigars in a week in a long time. I just got hooked on them. Great stuff from the Rojas factory in Esteli. I’m still looking forward to meeting Lee, I’m told there will be another event in the Spring at Son’s, hopefully he doesn’t have another lame excuse! Meeting Kevin, JR, and Josh made up for his absence.

I know a lot of seasoned cigar smokers like smaller cigars, and I do consider myself a seasoned cigar smoker. Heck, I’ve been smoking cigars for 25 years, that should count, right? I actually prefer larger cigars, smaller cigars don’t satisfy me. There are times, however, when time doesn’t allow for a larger cigar. If I don’t have 45 minutes, Im just not even going to have a cigar, if I have 45 minutes to an hour, I figure I can squeeze in a petite corona or a short robusto or one of the smaller formats. Such an occasion presented itself Friday. My youngest son (27), graduated from Nursing school Thursday evening, so we celebrated Friday evening with a family dinner. I snuck in a Montecristo No. 5 which I had purchased at the Duty Free in the Rome airport back in 2018 when one could do such things, before dinner (which was a very nice little cigar) and then when everyone had gone, I sat down with the new Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca 448. Steve (who still hasn’t shared my Stillwell posts, while sharing everyone else’s!) had given this one to me when we saw him in South Carolina a few weeks ago, it’s basically his regular production version of the Firecracker, which was the genesis of the Triqui Traca blend. This is a bold little smoke, and there’s really nothing unsatisfying about it. It’s got some pepper to it, along with the espresso that I love. It’s definitely the Mi Querida on steroids, and I love it. I was afraid that smoking it as late as I did would give me problems, as sometimes happens (trouble falling asleep, weird dreams, etc), but I was OK. If you loved the Firecrackers and can’t get any more, this is a reasonable alternative. If you never had the Firecracker, and like small, delicious cigars, you’ll like this one.

I like listening to podcasts, and one of the ones in my rotation is the A Cigar Hustlers Podcast. Ironically, there’s a cigar store called Cigar Hustler, and the guys on the Podcast are also involved in the store, one of them even is one of the owners! I suppose this helps to avoid trademark infringement. It was on this show where I heard about the Room 101 Who Shot Ya, which is an exclusive for Pospiech, which is, ironically again, owned by Mike Szczepankiewicz of the aforementioned Cigar Hustler. I saw these on the counter at Son’s and had to give one a try, or a shot, I guess. Like the Bangarang, which is the other non-Powstanie cigar in their portfolio, it’s also a pretty strong cigar, and starts with a heavy pepper flavor. It’s a well behaved torpedo, it burns well and was a nice smoking experience throughout the 5″ x 52 of the cigar. The components of the cigar are not disclosed, but it tastes good, definitely worth a “shot”. The podcast is fun too, I recommend it, and Mike and Mike are nice guys, I’ve met them, and they’ve met me!

Wednesday I posted the link for the CigarCraig.com Secret Santa, so get in on that if you would like to! I need to get a few giveaways together for the holidays I suppose, I have a few goodies laying around! That’ll do it for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, Cigar Hustler, cigars, Crook of the Crown, Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, Mi Querida, Room 101, Son's, Stolen Throne, Three Kingdoms, Triqui Traca, Who Shot Ya

by Craig Vanderslice | October 3, 2021 · 10:41 am

Visits to Son’s Cigars and Famous Smoke Shop

Busy week this week! First, some housekeeping. If you’ve been a subscriber to my email notifications, and have noticed the lack of emails over the last several months, hopefully that is at an end. Since I “upgraded” the site to SSL, to provide a secure browsing experience for everyone, Something had been broken that made the whole e-mail thing work, and I think it’s finally been fixed. Cross your fingers. I also notice there are about 78 people who initially signed up to received e-mails, but never responded to the confirmation e-mail, so they are not receiving the e-mails, and they probably think ill of me. When you sign up you get an e-mail from Feedburner which you need to respond to to be subscribed, it’s to prevent people from signing you up without your consent, nothing nefarious! There are people who have been subscribed for over ten years, and I appreciate that! I hope it’s not filtered into their spam folders!

Wednesday evening I went over to Son’s Cigar Lounge in Exton, PA and met up with Barry Stein from The Cigar Authority and 2 Guys Cigars, who was passing through. He had his wife, Heidi, along with him, I suppose to prove her existence (I kid, I’ve known Barry over a decade, he’s a good dude, and Heidi is obviously a saint). We were joined over the course of the evening by cigar company rep, an independent broker, and a major cigar company owner. There were a couple customers there too! I bought some cigars I haven’t had yet, as I do when I’m there, and their selection is growing by leaps and bounds. They have a rather large range of house blends made by Noel Rojas, and Brian, the manager there, recommended the Sumatra, which I bought and smoked immediately, being a fan of the wrapper. it was not at all disappointing, as a matter of fact, I liked it much more than the Street Tacos Barbacaoa I smoked after it. I’ll pick up more the next time I’m there, if there are any left! I also snatched up a couple of the Bangarangs, which are made by Espinosa at the AJ Fernandez San Lotano Factory for the folks at Powstanie Cigars (Pospiech Cigars). This is another cigar I should go back and buy more of. I’m to understand that they sold all of these and didn’t even keep enough to have in their own store, Cigar Hustler, in Florida. This is a very strong cigar, lots of pepper spice and nicotine. I enjoyed it, in the way one enjoys hot wings that make you sweat while your eating them. It’s 6″ x48 format, which is probably just about right, as any more would be too much of a good thing. This is a short paragraph, and I have several pictures I want to put in, so I should think of more words to say, but I have none! Oh! I know, Barry was kind enough to gift me an Aladino Box Pressed Toro, which had a United Cigars secondary band on it, so I gather that it’s exclusive. Aladinos always remind me of the old Camacho Corojos, this is no different, and the box press is nice. It was smooth, rich and full of flavor. I like these.

Yesterday I took a drive up to Famous Smoke Shop as they were having an event releasing the latest Dunbarton Famous 80th Anniversary in a Robusto size. I think it’s Famous’ 82nd anniversary by now, but who’s counting. Dave Lafferty was there, and I guess that Saka guy showed up eventually. Of course, Saka was there, I’ve known him so long that I’m a little over-familial with him and people maybe mistake it for something it isn’t. So I did get to talk to Steve, mostly he asked how my family was doing and stuff friends who haven’t seen one another in a while do. I keep wanting to ask him why the hell he didn’t put the Dunbarton D on the back of the Stillwell Star bands like the Sin Compromiso and Sobremesa, so he could avoid them being put on the cigars upside-down, but I forgot again. There were other personalities there, and I met a fellow Craig who is a reader and social media acquaintance who lives a few miles away from me there. I will have to smoke the toro and robusto side by side, but I believe the robusto to be stronger. I bought a bunch, and still have several of the original toros, so I’m in good shape. I doubt they sold out, so Famous should have them available soon on their website. If I may vent, the Leaf, which is the bar portion of the Famous shop in Easton, is no longer a restaurant. They have converted the dining area to a lounge, which is OK, they didn’t really have enough lounge space before, in my opinion. My beef was that they had live entertainment yesterday (a solo guitarist/singer). It always befuddles me why places that are based around a product that is about sitting, relaxing and having conversation, and the seating area is actually designed for this, they have loud music that makes it difficult to have conversation! WHY? It’s neither fair to the patrons nor the performer, really. I don’t get it.