Tag Archives: Stogie Boys

by | March 17, 2013 · 8:09 am

A La Aurora, a Visit to CI in Hamburg and a Stogieboys Contest Winner!

It been a busy week and I really haven’t been able to smoke too many cigars. I know, usually when I say that I spew out three or four cigars I’ve enjoyed over the previous couple days, but this time I really mean it.  In the news department, I received word this week that  Cigarfrombrazil.com has relaunched their website  and Wes gave me a discount code to pass on to you to get 10% off your purchases.  Enter MPCGRS10 when you check out.  Wes has been a generous supporter here and the Monte Pascoal cigars are delicious Brazilian puros that are a must-try. Check out the new site and give their cigars a try.  


In some other news, the website LivingSocial.com, a site similar to Groupon, ran a deal for Gotham Cigars. For $25 you get a voucher that will give you $50 to spend on their site. I’ve gotten deals like this before and I’m a sucker for cheap cigars! I’ll let you know what I end up getting. As of this writing, the deal is good for another 3 or 4 days, and if you use this link, I might get my deal for free! Of course, you too will get a link to share in hopes of getting 3 friends to buy it then you too will get it for free! Its a great deal either way and Gotham has been around quite a while and is a reputable outfit.

 

LaAurora107_CoronaThursday evening I took a nice little walk with the dog and a La Aurora 107 Corona.  La Aurora is a great company, and they make great cigars. The first box of cigars I ever purchased back in the ’90s was a box of La Aurora Bristol Especiales.  So far, there are only a couple cigars in their lines that I really enjoy, the Cameroon, the Vintage 2003 and that’s about all I can think of.  Something just doesn’t suit my palate right in the majority of La Aurora cigars I smoke.  This 107 was tasty, it was perfectly constructed, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t for me (I know, I said I enjoyed it, but I didn’t like it…just because there’s some aspect of the flavor that I don’t care for, it wasn’t offensive, and the experience of smoking a cigar is half the battle here.  As long as I’m not physically repulsed by the flavor, a cigar I don’t like can be a great experience!).  I need to find a 107 Maduro, perhaps that will be more in line with my personal tastes.

 

Today, Sunday, March 17th, my wife and I are taking a drive up to Cigars International‘s little shop in Hamburg, PA to have a cigar and make some plans for my upcoming surprise birthday party.  I’m hoping to find the new Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan there to smoke.  I’m leaving tomorrow for a business trip to the Los Angeles area, which I’m not particularly looking forward to, but I’m planning to visit Bo’s Cigar Lounge in Torrance sometime Monday evening around 5:30, so if anyone is in the area stop in and look for me.  I’ll be the guy smoking a cigar!

 

Contest!

stogieboysStPatscontestThe folks at StogieBoys.com were very generous in sponsoring this month’s contest!  Thanks to Sheryl for setting the whole thing up!  As usual, I use Random.org to select a winner. This time I need the winner to e-mail me their contact information so that I can pass it on to Sheryl so she can ship you your prize.  There were 45 entries, and the random number generator spewed forth the number 13.  By my calculations Travis is the winner!  Please send me your details.  Thanks to everyone for participating, and check back frequently, one never knows when another contest might pop up!

 

That’s it for now.  I’m off to the cigar store, then have to pack and get ready for a 6 hour flight tomorrow. I don’t know how you folks who travel for business on a regular basis do it!  Also, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!  Any day that celebrates an anti-snake sentiment is OK by me!

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | March 9, 2013 · 3:54 pm

Some Cigar News, a Toraño, a Dunhill, and a StogieBoys Contest!

There has been a great many news items coming out lately, and I won’t bore you with repeating what many of my fellow cigar blogger types have already posted.  Punch has a new Rare Corojo and there’s a new cigar coming from a Kentucky based cigar company. If you haven’t seen the press releases for those, they are not hard to find.  One item of interest that you won’t find anywhere else is the announcement of the new and improved website featuring the largest collection of cigar store Indians (Native Americans?) on the planet.  OldCigarStoreIndians.com features the collection of Mark Goldman, formerly of Mom’s Cigars and House of Oxford, a New York City Cigar Store and distribution company respectively.  The site features photos of Mark’s collection as well as a video from the PBS series “Antique Roadshow” featuring several pieces from the collection.  This is a nice piece of cigar related Americana. Thanks to Bobby Holstein for sharing this site with me.

 

In other news, I received an e-mail from my Congressman, Jim Gerlach, in response to my letter asking him to support H.R. 792.

Dear  Mr. Vanderslice :

Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 792.  I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

As you may know, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) in 2009 which provided the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with authority to regulate certain tobacco products.  As enacted, the law focuses on under-age access to tobacco and named a few tobacco products subject to regulation: cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco.  Because traditional large and premium cigars are not a product often used by youth, they were not included within the Tobacco Control Act’s scope.

Recently, the FDA has indicated it may advance regulations that would go beyond the new law by regulating premium cigars under the Tobacco Control Act. As a result, Rep. Bill Posey of Florida introduced H.R. 792 which would clarify the FDA’s jurisdiction over traditional and premium cigars.  This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.  Should this bill begin moving through the legislative process, I will certainly weigh your views in deciding whether to support this  bill.   Right now, I am leaning in support of the bill since I don’t believe the FDA has the authority to promulgate these new regulations.  But I do want to hear the proponents’ side of the issue too before drawing a final conclusion.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue with me. If I can be of any help to you or your family in the future, please do not hesitate to let me know.

With kind regards, I am

Sincerely,
Jim Gerlach
Member of Congress

 

I’ve e-mailed Congressman Gerlach dozens of times regarding the previous iteration of this bill without anything but a boiler plate response.  I appreciate this specific reply and hope that he signs on.  Pennsylvania is a very important state to the cigar industry, oddly enough.  Since we don’t have a cigar tax, we have many of the larger distributors and mail order houses located here accounting for thousands of jobs, and millions in state tax revenue.  I urge everyone to contact their representatives and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 792.  There are links in the left sidebar of my site that will help you write the letter.

 

Back to the cigars!

Torano_Vault_CGFriday evening I decided to try the Toraño Vault A-008 Corona Gorda that was included with the Smoke Inn Special I picked up a few weeks ago. This cigar is a 5 5/8″ x 46 traditional Corona Gorda, and the blend is: Wrapper: Shade Grown Nicaraguan Colorado, Binder: Ometepe, Nicaragua and Jamastran, Honduras, Filler: Esteli and Condega, Nicaragua. First, I love this size, the corona gorda has long been a favorite of mine. This is a nice, dark cigar with a deep, rich flavor. It was packed with tobacco, resulting in a little bit firmer draw than I would have liked, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the heck out of this cigar.  Considering I got this cigar, along with two El Suelos and two My Uzi Weighs a Ton for under $14 delivered, I think it was well worth it.  I have another one floating around someplace that I look forward to smoking.  One of my readers, Duane, won a box of these in the 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways, I’d be interested in hearing what he had to say about them.  While I’m thinking about it, if any of the winners of anything from my site wants to submit a review of their winnings, I’d be happy to include it as a guest review.  Anyway, great smoke, great size, great overall experience.

 

Dunhill Cabreras TuboSaturday was a stunning day, so my wife and I took the dogs for a walk after a very disappointing Flyers game.  As much as I like watching Hockey, I feel a little bit put upon when they play on a weekend afternoon.  I kinda feel like I have better things to do than sit in front of the TV, and DVRing games never seems to work out.  Anyway, I was looking for something interesting to smoke after the game and I came across a Dunhill Aged Cabraras in a tube.  It’s an interesting story about where this came from. Back in 2005/2006 I administered a monthly cigar swap on the alt.smokers.cigars usenet group.  Every month I’d ask for participants and pair people up and they’d exchange cigars.  One particular time I paired myself with a gentleman from Australia, who sent me two of these cigars after the original shipment of cigars were never received.  I was concerned that this mild, Connecticut shade cigar would be way past it’s prime.  I have to say that this cigar held up very well over the years. It had the nutty/grassy kind of flavor that Connecticut shade wrapped cigars have, but there was an underlying strength of flavor that hinted at something more. There is Brazilian leaf listed in the filler of this, perhaps that’s what gave it a little extra flavor.  Anyway, it was a great cigar, I’m glad I dug this one out of it’s hiding place and smoked it.  I really should smoke more Churchill sized cigars, in this day and age 7″ x 48 doesn’t really seem that large!

 

Contest!

stogieboysStPatscontestIn honor of St. Patrick’s Day next weekend, We have a StogieBoys.com prize pack courtesy of StogieBoys.com of course!  Included in the prize pack is a box of Erin Go Bragh cigars, a Dominican cigar infused with Irish whiskey and made in the La Aurora factory.  To go along with the cigars, there is a whole mess of cool StogieBoys.com swag, playing cards, can koozies, a lighter and v-cutter, a cap and t-shirt, and whatever other goodies the folks there decide to include!  Thanks to Sheryl at StogieBoys.com for putting this fine St. Patrick’s Day Prize Package together!  Please leave a comment on this page to enter and I will select a winner next Sunday, March 17th, 2013.  Check out StogieBoys.com when you are shopping online, they are quickly becoming one of the major players in the world of online cigar retailers!

 

That’s it for today, I’ll be digging through the humidors today to find another interesting smoke, as well as picking out a short smoke to enjoy after tonight’s Flyers game at the cigar bar instead of sitting in the parking lot traffic!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by | March 6, 2013 · 7:11 pm

A 1502, a Partagas, a Liga Privada and a Bunch of News Items

I received a whole bunch of interesting announcements and news items this week, and, while I’m sure you’ll see them elsewhere in the blogosphere also, I feel compelled to include some of the more interesting items here today.  The fist item comes from Abe Dababneh of  Smoke Inn.  I’ll be interested to see what they have up their sleeves.  The press release reads:

JOIN THE CIGAR EVOLUTION

TRUST. This is the cornerstone of the foundation of Sindicato Cigar Group LLC (“Sindicato Cigars”). Sindicato Cigars was officially launched January 16, 2013 when a group of passionate cigar loving Tobacconists decided to extend their cigar knowledge and experience into making cigar brands. Their goal is to create a cigar company whose mission is to put the tobacco retailer and its customers first. The Tobacconist can trust that Sindicato Cigars will create quality brands that they can whole-heartedly support and that will never work against them. Consumers can trust that the collaboration of the country’s top cigar minds, who have listened to your words day in and day out, will create top quality brands based on the knowledge that those same consumers have provided. Today, Sindicato Cigars wishes to announce the hiring of Jim Colucci as the President/CEO of the company. Sindicato Cigars is very excited and honored to have Mr. Colucci, former Executive V.P. of Sales & Marketing for Altadis USA, at the helm of this new venture. Sindicato Cigars intends to exhibit its first 2 cigar brands at the IPCPR show this year in Las Vegas and looks forward to greeting all IPCPR attendees.

Please stay tuned for announcements regarding the release of Sindicato Cigar’s new brands and any behind the scenes action by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

facebook.com/SindicatoCigars

twitter.com/SindicatoCigars

instagram.com/SindicatoCigars

For all inquiries, please contact ask@sindicatocigars.com.

Thank you,

Sindicato Cigars

In other news, the folks at Stogie Boys are having a contest.  I will be announcing a contest here sponsored by Stogie Boys Sunday, so there will be all kinds of chances to win stuff from them!

Contest Announcement

StogieBoys.com is hosting a contest!  The contest will give 1 Winner, this prize package:

stogieboyscontest1 Burl 20 count Humidor

5 Erin Go Bragh Cigars

1 StogieBoys V Cutter

1 Digital Hygrometer

1 Humidisk

 

StogieBoys put together a great giveaway featuring some of their new products such as the Burl humidor and digital hygrometer.  StogieBoys is also including the limited time stock of Erin Go Bragh cigars, these are Irish cigars dipped in whisky just in time for St Patricks day.  The humidor even comes pre-seasoned and ready for use!

Contestants can enter by going to http://www.stogieboys.com/weekly-cigar-giveaway.html

StogieBoys created four ways to enter.  First is to Join our weekly Deals and announcements newsletter.   From there visitors can earn additional entries by liking StogieBoys on Facebook, following StogieBoys on twitter and joining StogieBoys daily deals and specials email.  Each entry gives you an additional chance to win.  Up to four chances can be entered each day giving visitors more chances to win.

This great contest ends 03/12/2013 at Noon EST.

 

Last but not least, if you happen to be in Vegas in April, look into this event benefiting Cigar Rights of America, brought to you by Stinky, of Stinky Ashtray fame:

Liberating Cigar Night

– Dinner & Cigar Socal:

Join fellow cigar aficionados for cocktails, dinner and fine cigars at the House of Blues Foundation Room. Celebrate your freedom to smoke cigars at this exclusive, members only, private club while taking in the exceptional panoramic views that the pinnacle of Las Vegas night life has to offer.

View and select your dinner entree and dinning time with the pull-down menu before placing your reservation.Your dinner reservation also includes:

* the Cigar Social event from 5:30 to 10:00 PM

Please Note:

Only one person per reservation.  If you have a guest(s), place your reservation in the shopping cart and make your additional reservations for each person in your party. Use the “Reservation Name” field for your guest name.

Take your best shot on a winning bid at the silent auction:

• superb cigars by renowned makers

• premium cigar accessories

• gourmet dinners • premium liquors

• golf outings

• spa treatments

• rare sports memorabilia

 

All proceeds support your right to enjoy cigars via our champions at the Cigar Rights of America organization.

Your Dinner Reservation includes the Cigar Social:

Friday, April 12, 2013

• 5:30-10:00 PM

• House of Blues Foundation Room

 

Seating is Limited – Reservations & Prepayment Required.

Make your Reservations Now.

All Proceeds Benefit: Cigar Rights of America www.CigarRights.org

Event Location in the House of Blues Foundation Room:

Mandalay Bay Resort – 62ndFloor

3950 S Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89119

http://www.stinkycigar.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=61

 

1502_blackgold_torpedo

Enough of the news stuff, let’s get on to the cigars!  Sunday I took a walk with a 1502 Black Gold.  I was overly impressed with this when I smoked it back in October, and my opinion hasn’t changed. This is a big, box pressed torpedo with a dark, rich maduro wrapper. This manufacturer wraps the wrapper over the foot of the cigar so when you light it you get a blast of flavor.  This is a neat little touch that sets this cigar apart.  The dark, rich flavors also make this stand out.  It’s a terrific smoke.  If you see these for sale grab a couple. I know of a few shops in my general area that have them, and I’m sure Enrique Sanchez, the owner of this brand, can point you toward a retailer.  He can be found on Twitter at @1502Cigars.

 

partagas_petit_coronas_especialeMonday evening my wife and I had a nice dinner at Outback.  Sirloin and shrimp, with a little rice and broccoli to chase it down.  When I got home I pulled a Partagas Petit Corona Especiale out of the “good” humidor.  I figure I need to smoke something out of this humidor once in a while to make sure the cigars aren’t drying out or anything.  I bought a box of these a few years ago and have enjoyed many of this little Mareva sized cigar.  These are “old school” Havana Partagas, they have a distinctive flavor that you don’t often get in non-Cuban cigars.  For a $5 cigar, it’s a treat.  Sure, it burned crappy and I had to touch it up a few times, but it was a great smoke after a nice meal. 

 

LigaPrivada_T52_BelicosoTuesday I came across a Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 Belicoso that Steve Saka threw at me at the 2010 IPCPR show.  I was astounded when I lit this up and was hit was a flavor reminiscent of Monday evenings Partagas!  Remember I said the Partagas had a distinctive flavor?  Well it does, but I ran across this same flavor in the T52. which made my day, quite frankly.  This shape really was a nice presentation of the T52 line.  It was perfectly made, and tasted great.  It had a nice long finish that, like the Partagas before it, lasted well into the evening.  I really can’t decide if I like the T52 better than the No.9.  Know what?  I don’t have to  decide, because I can like them both the same for different reasons! That’s a beautiful thing about cigars!  this T52 was an awesome smoke that I enjoyed until it was about a ¾” little nub.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | January 30, 2013 · 7:47 pm

An Asylum, a Gurkha, a LegendArio and Some News

We’ve had some unseasonable weather, so I figured I could sneak some larger vitolas in this week.  It’s funny how we adapt to the weather.  Not long ago when the temps were in the 30s I’d be bundled up and freezing.  After a few weeks of really cold weather, a Sunday in the high 30s found me without my gloves, enjoying a 6×60 while walking the dog.  It’s in the 50s today, although it’s raining.

 

Sunday afternoon I grabbed an Asylum 13 Sixty, which is a 6″x 60 cigar made by Christian Eiroa in the Nicaragua American Cigars, S.A. (NACSA) factory. I picked this up the last time I visited Light’n Up Premier Smoke Shop a few Sundays ago, I think it was in the $6 range.  This was a well made cigar of medium strength with a good draw and pleasant flavor.  It really didn’t stand out, but there certainly wasn’t anything negative I can say about it.  It was a nice day and a pleasing smoke while the dog and I walked around the neighborhood.  I ended up nubbing it and wasn’t dissapointed. Worth trying, I think.

 

Monday evening was getting a little warmer so I pulled a Gurkha Royal Challenge out of the samples I got at the IPCPR show. This is a nice looking Connecticut shade wrapped cigar, but as I started taking bands off of it, some of the very thin, fragile wrapper was stuck to the bands and tore a little. Obviously, this did not bode well.  I figure the binder should carry most of the structural burden on a cigar, so it should be smokable with a bit of the wrapper missing.  Of course, I struggled with the burn on this cigar, as well as a large stem running nearly the length of the cigar.  While I really enjoyed the mild and mellow flavors of this cigar, it truly was a Royal Challenge to smoke.  Chalk it up to one bad experience, it happens.  It’s a cigar I’d smoke again because it was a very flavorful Connecticut wrapped cigar that had a lot going for it flavor-wise and I can’t imagine the construction problem I had was the norm.

 

Tuesday I grabbed another large cigar, a LegendArio Bertha from Camacho.  this line has been out for quite a while and this is the first time I’ve smoked one.  I purchased a couple at a Camacho event at International Tobacco in the King of Prussia Mall a while ago and decided it was time.  With a Mexican maduro wrapper I figured it couldn’t go wrong.  I was right, and it was a very nice smoke.  I liked it.  I’d like it better in a robusto, maybe.  Perhaps the burn wasn’t as straight as it could have been, but it didn’t give me too much trouble and I smoked it until it was time for the Flyers game (which didn’t end as well as the cigar did!).  This is a cigar that I wouldn’t mind having more of, and at around $5 for this cigar, it’s a winner.  You know I’m a sucker for the Mexican maduro wrapper.

 

News

For those of you who like to win free cigars, check out the Super Bowl Squares game going on at StogieBoys.com.  There are a few squares left so get on over and sign up.

Also, the same folks at StogieBoys.com have some other news related to this weekend’s big game:

StogieBoys.com, the nation’s fastest growing online retailer, along with Thurman Thomas Cigars, announced this week its sponsorship of the 4th annual Jaws’ Cigar Party at Vieux Bourbon in New Orleans. The party is to be hosted by Ron Jaworski, ESPN NFL analyst.

StogieBoys.com will be the exclusive cigar retailer sponsor at Jaws’ cigar party and will feature NFL Hall of Fame Running Back Thurman Thomas brand cigars. Mr. Thomas entered into a recent relationship with StogieBoys.com to create and distribute his own premium cigar brand.

The Press release is here.

In other news, Albany, NY’s PipesandCigars.com had some folks visit the Davidoff factory in the Dominican Republic recently.  The press release can be found here.  It sounds like they had a very educational trip!

As I’m sure you have read elsewhere, the gigantic Cigar that Grand Habano displayed in their booth at the New Orleans IPCPR show a few years ago sold recently for $185,000, marked down from $200,000.  They claimed it was smokable, and had a contraption with a mess of hoses to affix to the head of the cigar so a whole mess of people could smoke it.  The story is here.

Lastly, CigarFest Tickets go on sale Saturday for approximately 5 minutes if you pre-registered and are quick on the draw or camp out at one of their stores overnight!

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

 

CigarCraig

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by | December 13, 2012 · 8:51 am

CigarCraig’s 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways Day 2: Foundry from General Cigar Co.

Yesterday’s response was outstanding! Thanks for all of your comments and support. Please remember to visit the sponsor’s sites, they went out of their way to provide goodies for us. The winner of the Stogieboys.com prize pack on day 1 of CigarCraig’s 12 Spectacular Days of Cigar Giveaways is The Commish! Congrats and e-mail me with your details!

 

Today we are featuring what I think is one of the most unique and interesting cigars to come out in quite a while.  Here is some background info:

FOUNDRY is a stark juxtaposition between the old and the new. This visually-arresting collection was inspired by the art form of “steampunk,” which is both a retrospective and futuristic interpretation of innovation.

Visual considerations aside, FOUNDRY’s avant-garde approach extends to its masterfully balanced synthesis of flavors. Featuring an indulgent collection of five proprietary tobaccos from four different countries, each aged between three and six years, Foundry’s foundation is amplified through an eight year old wrapper developed by General Cigar. Called H-47 Pleno Sol, the lustrous wrapper imparts a deeply complex, layered smoking experience like no other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The four-cigar collection is accessibly-priced, and will make its mark on tobacco retail starting in late-October. Foundry features these new cigars: Wells (6”x 50, SRP per cigar is $7.95); Lovelace (6 ¼ ” x 54, SRP per cigar is $8.45); Talbot (5” x 60, SRP per cigar is $8.95) and Cayley (6 ½” x 60 x 56 x 43, SRP per cigar is $9.45). Each frontmark is presented with a unique box design and features both a traditional paper band and a steampunk-inspired metal gear band.

I happen to find this cigar really delicious, considering that none of the four countries that are mentioned above are Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras or Mexico.  I found myself enthralled with the different flavors. For what it’s worth, this will probably make into my top cigars of 2012. Today’s prize is a box of the Wells size, a 6″ x 50 Toro. Thanks to Victoria and Michael and everyone at General Cigar Co. for providing this awesome box of cigars.

 

You know what to do: leave a comment for a chance to win.  If you are The Commish you aren’t eligible to win this time, but make sure you send me your address so I can ship your prize!

 

Until tomorrow,

CigarCraig

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