Tag Archives: Sungrown

by Craig Vanderslice | October 27, 2024 · 9:50 am

A Few Arturo Fuente Cigars and a Visit with José Blanco

Let me start with this:

This is an excerpt (about 4 minutes) from my final podcast episode in 2019 with Steve Saka where I plant the notion of a Candela Lancero in his head. First he says it won’t happen, then he backpedals a bit to leave the possibility open. As we now know, he’s made one, and actually likes it. I didn’t spring for the Lancero sampler, so I may never know what it’s like. The whole podcast should still be available wherever podcasts can be found (I know it’s on Spotify and Apple Podcasts), it was an interesting and unique conversation.

This week I went on a bit of an Arturo Fuente binge. José Blanco was in town being chauffeured around by Michael Rushing, the region’s sales rep for Fuente and J.C.Newman. I met up with them at the Wooden Indian in Havertown, PA. I took a half day off work because, when José is in town I gotta go hang out with him. I’ve had the very good fortune of knowing José for quite a while, I think the first time we met face to face was at the 2011 IPCPR show where he did a tasting session (he was with La Aurora at the time). It was in a room with about 500 people. One on one time with him is rare, so I made the most of it. Today is José’s birthday, wish him a happy one of you see him! They were visiting Cigar Mojo – The Grove afterwards, so I met them there, it’s on my way home after all. It’s always great talking to José, and it was great to meet Michael. I never have any regrets when I visit the Wooden Indian, Dave and his team are always gracious hosts.

I picked up some cigars while visiting the shops, some Arturo Fuente cigars that I hadn’t tried, or hadn’t smoked in many years. Before I get to them, let me tell you about the Casa Fuente Churchill that I smoked. This was a generous gift from my friend Stace, who I sent a few things to, not expecting him to return fire. The guy friggin apologized for taking so long! No apology needed for something that wasn’t expected! Anyway, what didn’t surprise me was the quality of the gift. One of the cigars was this Casa Fuente Churchill. This line used to only be available at the Casa Fuente in Caesars Forum Shops in Vegas, but they made it more available a few years ago. This is a 7¼” x 48 Churchill with a Cameroon wrapper over Dominican binder and fillers. I love the size, and it was a beautiful cigar. It was definitely a sweet, nutty cigar with some exotic spices that kept me entertained. Perfect burn and draw. I think the only other Casa Fuente I had was gifted to me at Casa Fuente in Vegas maybe a decade ago (TY Fich). This is a brilliant cigar.

When I picked out cigars I went with a theme. I could have done the 858s in all three wrappers, maybe I should have, but I decided to sample cigars across the Sungrown range. It’s come to my attention that the 858 Sungrown is now a regular release, not just a seasonal thing. This is a good thing, because the 858 Sungrown is a spectacular cigar, especially for $8ish. The 858 is 6″ x 47, a short Churchill, or a thin toro, I don’t know, nor do I care. This has some cedar and spice, along with a licorice sort of sensation. This is a cigar I want a box of, my only criticism is that I wish they put the green fuente band on this like the rest of the 858s, since it doesn’t seem to be a special release any more, it seems to me it should be consistent with the Grand Reserva line.

I also picked up a Cuban Belicoso Sungrown, which is in the Chateau Fuente line. This is a 5¾” x 51 belicoso, also with the Ecuador Sungrown wrapper over Dominican binder and fillers. Also priced in the $8ish range, this has some similarities to the 858 SG, but concentrated. I thought it started with some bitter wood, then got more licoricey, as in it was more pungent and cloying on the palate than the 858. Fortunately I’m not opposed to that, so I enjoyed it, and it lasted nearly 90 minutes, which exceeded my expectations for what I consider a short cigar.

Finally, I smoked a Queen B Sungrown, also in the Chateau series. This is a 5½” x 52 torpedo, similar in size to the Cuban Belicoso, but shorter and pointier. This has basically the same blend description as the 858 and the Belicoso, Ecuador Sungrown wrapper, Dominican filler and binder. All three of these come wrapped in a cedar sleeve, which is pretty obvious by the pictures. I’m not generally a fan of the sleeves, if they sit in the humidor too long in the sleeves the cigars end up just tasting like wood, which is fine if you like that. I don’t. I think if I had a box of any of these I’d remove the sleeves for long term storage. The Queen B is sort of in between the 858 and the Beli, it’s got the cedar and licorice, but not as pungent as the Beli but more pronounced that the 858. As with all of these, burn and draw were perfect. I’ve long been a fan of the Fuente Don Carlos, Hemingway, and Ańejo lines, but these Sungrowns are really good. I’ve been kind of lax in branching out across the brand, but I need to, there’s some great cigars, and they have been for many years.

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

CigarCraig

2 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as 8-5-8, 858, Arturo Fuente, Casa Fuente, Chateau Fuente, cigar, cigars, Cuban Belicoso, podcast, Queen B, Saka, Sungrown

by Craig Vanderslice | March 3, 2024 · 9:55 am

My Father, Metapa, and Perdomo 30th Anniversary Cigars

This week I smoked some cigars I bought on recent forays into some of my local cigar spots. All were new to me, although not necessarily new to the market. This happens, I don’t always jump right on the new stuff, and sometimes I miss out! Thursday evening I met up with my fellow Craig, and recent contest winner, at Cigar Mojo – The Grove, to hand deliver his prize. Shipping is always less expensive than visiting a cigar shop! I picked up a few cigars, and lit up a My Father The Judge in the 656 Toro size. This has been around for a while, I just never got around to it. Since Mojo carries a lot of My Father cigars I see myself catching up on them. I’ll grab something I haven’t tried whenever I stop in. This is a 6″ x 56 cigar, oddly they call their 6″ x 52 a Toro Fino, which seems like a toro to me. Maybe the 6″ x 56 should be a Toro Gordo and the 52 should just be the Toro? Not my circus…anyway, this has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and fillers, with a nice box press. This got off to a slow start, good, although fairly mediocre. It built up some sweetness, which I like, of course, and worked out to be a very enjoyable cigar, one I’ll smoke again. Naturally, the company was exceptional, I always enjoy time with my fellow Craig. We’ll definitely have another Craig cigar summit soon.

Friday evening had us attending a middle school theatrical production that one of the granddaughters was in, so I got a late start. I was going to skip a cigar altogether, but I had picked up a Foundation Metapa Corona Gorda at Mojo and it wasn’t that big, so I figured I’d light it up. Sometimes having a cigar too late gives me sleep issues, not the case this time, although I did get to bed a lot later than usual! I wanted to smoke a Metapa because these are being rebranded to Aksum, I guess to keep in line with the Tabernacle/Menelik/Ark of the Covenant theme. I’ve heard mixed reviews on this cigar, and maybe it’s the Maduro vs. Claro? I only had the maduro to chose rom, so that’s what I got, as if anyone would be surprised at that. This is a nice 5½” x 48 with a coil pigtail cap (I know there’s a name for it, just can’t remember it!). This was the best cigar I had all week. It started a bit heavy, cloying like licorice, which worried me. It settled in to a really nice, dense dark chocolate, not much sweetness, the kind with a high cacao percentage. I found this to be quite enjoyable, whatever the name, and I might have to see if I can find the claro version (although I still need to try the Olmec Claro!). It’s hard for me not to like Foundation Cigars, there seems to be something for everyone.

Last week I stopped in The Wooden Indian looking for some new cigars, and picked up some Perdomo 30th Anniversary Epicures in Sungrown and Maduro. These come with a lot of hype, and my expectations were high. I’m a big fan of the 20th Anniversary Maduro, probably my favorite Perdomo. I thought the 10th Anniversary Sungrown was my favorite of that line, which, oddly, only really came out a couple years ago. The 30th aren’t priced bad, I could see companies asking a higher price for their anniversary cigars, but Perdomo does things right in this respect. I admire them for keeping their cigars pried within reason. I decided that yesterday was going to be Perdomo day, so I started with the Sungrown. I chose the 6″ x 54 Epicure size because, well, that’s the size I like. This has a 15-year-old bourbon barrel-aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers, and has a nice box press. I think this one had a patch near the cap on the underside of the cigar, which I find to be unacceptable on a cigar like this, regardless of price. This, of course, came off and I had to do some wrapper surgery because I don’t care for the mouth feel of a flappy wrapper. Other than that, the burn and draw were very good, and the cigar had a sweet spice that was nice. Not blown away, I’ll stick with the 10th Sungrown.

I had high hopes for the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Epicure Maduro. This has the same 15-year-old bourbon barrel-aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan wrapper processed to a maduro, not overly dark, but dark enough, with a nice oil. This is a nice looking cigar, again, lods of hype, best Perdomo cigar ever, yada yada…It was a good cigar. It had rich dark roast coffee and cocoa and was very nice. For me, I find that the 20th Maduro to have more that I enjoy, to be honest. I suppose I was expecting a more refined experience, and maybe my palate just isn’t acute enough to appreciate the subtleties of these cigars. I’m told that the 30th Connecticut is something special. Given I was never a fan of the Champagne, I actually disliked it ( a rarity), I always pass on the Perdomo Connecticuts. Perhaps I’ll give this one a try, for science.

The folks at Best Cigar Prices posted a bunch of pictures of the cigarlebrities that will be at their Smoke-onos event in May, but they didn’t ask for my picture. If you’re there, hunt me down! Also, keep an eye out for upcoming details about a multi-vendor event at Goose’s Montecristo Lounge in Limerick, PA which will be in the beginning of May. That’s more than enough for today, until the next time.

CigarCraig

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as 30th Anniversary, Aksum, cigar, Cigar Mojo, cigars, Foundation, Foundation Cigar Co., Goose's Montecristo Lounge, maduro, Metapa, My Father Cigars, Perdomo, Smoke-onos, Sungrown, The Judge, wooden indian

by Craig Vanderslice | October 9, 2020 · 5:56 pm

News: Drew Estate Ships Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown to Drew Diplomat Retailers

I didn’t get around to posting any original content on Wednesday, I had a Tuesday news item with a short editorial comment and then I got distracted and didn’t get around to writing a Wednesday post. So here’s a Drew Estate news item. I’ve smoked the “Sun Dog”, and it’s good. I may break open the other sampler I have and smoke another one. My only complaint is that it’s too short. but the size seems to suit the blend, so I guess it’ll have to do. Smoking the current Maduro Dogma is still on my to-do list. I wonder if I should open up that other Media sampler? I thought about having a contest and giving it away, but I really want to smoke this Dogma Sungrown…I guess I’ll be able to buy the Dogmas soon, so I’ll just wait. Watch for that contest soon.

Drew Estate announces today that it is now shipping Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown to Drew Diplomat Retailers nationwide. The Dojo Dogma Sun Grown was announced during the #DESummerTakeover campaign and it was highlighted on Freestyle Live: Special Edition.

Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is a 5 x 54 box-pressed robusto chosen by Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera and Cigar Dojo Master Sensei Eric Guttormson for its bolder profile. The Sun Grown Dojo Dogma features an Ecuadorian Sumatra Sun Grown capa, with Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut/Cured Sun Grown Habano binder, and a complementing, powerhouse blend of Nicaraguan premium filler tobaccos. One leaf of extensively aged Ligero from the Nueva Segovia region, along the border of Honduras, has been carefully selected to enhance the intense character of the blend. It is packaged in a 24-count wooden box, featuring the dual emblems of Undercrown and the Cigar Dojo community.

From Sag Harbor, N.Y., Jonathan Drew, founder and president of Drew Estate, states, “The SunDog, as we affectionately call it around here, has been shipped to participating shops nationwide. While the SunDoggyDog is certainly related to its cousin with the maduro capa, the SunDog has a flavor profile that’s distinctly spicy. Both of my good homies, Philly Phil and Nevergood, out here in East Hampton, New York, say ‘SunDog smokes like a Cuban cigar on very spicy overload.’ So … let’s get our Dojo gear on, t-shirt and cap, and post it up in the Drew Estate Facebook Group, Drew Diplomat and Cigar Dojo.”

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is packaged in 24-count wooden boxes with an MSRP of $244.80. It is now shipping to Drew Diplomat Retailers nationwide.

ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

Comments Off on News: Drew Estate Ships Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown to Drew Diplomat Retailers

Filed under News

Tagged as cigar, Cigar Dojo, cigars, Dogma, drew estate, Sungrown

by Craig Vanderslice | July 29, 2020 · 8:28 am

Undercrown Sungrown Dojo Dogma Cigar

We have been working on freshening up the screen porch over the last several weeks, and got one of the bigger parts of it tackled for the most part over the last couple days. That, along with a long awaited NHL game yesterday afternoon, I felt like a special treat, so I grabbed the new Undercrown Dojo Dogma sample that I recently received from Drew Estate and fired it up. You may recall from my post in June (here), this is the follow-up to the Undercrown Dogma, which was Smoke Inn‘s and Cigar Dojo‘s first collaboration, and was a 6″ x 56 box pressed version of the Undercrown Corona Viva blend, which was a punched up version of the Undercrown blend. It had a little extra ligero. Think of a world where Steve Saka never worked for Drew Estate, now imagine the Mi Querida is the Undercrown, and the Triqi Traca is the Corona Viva/Dogma blend, that’s the best comparison I can make. Steve would probably get mad at me for making that comparison, but he never reads this, so I’m pretty safe, unless one of you jerks outs me. Anyway, The Sungrown Dogma has one distinct disadvantage off the bat from the Maduro version, in my opinion, it’s an inch shorter at 5″ x 56. Otherwise, it’s a beautiful cigar. It’s nicely box pressed, it’s firm, it’s solid, it burns well, the ash is perfect, and the draw is perfect. I lit this up and got the sweetness I love from the Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, but there’s the little extra oomph that’s not there in the regular line! There are the familiar spices and sweet bready flavors that I like in this line with a little bit extra! By the way, I did smoke a Gran Toro later to satisfy my curiosity, and, yes, the Dogma does have some more punch than the Gran toro! Maybe five inches IS the right size for this blend! When I got to the end, about half way through the first period of the exhibition game between the Flyers and the Penguins, it had picked up in the strength department. In comparison, later that night, I didn’t feel like the Gran Toro was as strong as it neared the end, and I typically smoke cigars until either my fingers burn or I get bored with them, these bothe burned my fingers. By the way, interestingly, this cigar has the T52 wrapper as the binder (obviously not wrapper quality leaves). Shoot, that was my last Gran Toro, I need to get some more. Great job with these Mr. Herrera.

So, a couple notes. I still need to smoke the new version of the Maduro Dogma, I have one from the original release in my humidor. I know they have a corona (actually a corona gorda technically) in the Sungrown line, but will they make a Corona Viva with the punched up blend? Will they “Dogmafy” the Undercrown Shade, or will that just be whoring out the name or jumping the shark? Things that pop into my head. Anyway, the Undercrown Sungrown Dojo Dogma is awesome, if you like the Sungrown, or like Sumatra, you’ll dig it.

Finally, next Monday is Goose’s Philly Golf outing, I’ll be there cheerleading, or something, so if you are in the area and golf, hit Goose up and come along, it’ll be a great day! You can download the registration form here.

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

CigarCraig

Comments Off on Undercrown Sungrown Dojo Dogma Cigar

Filed under Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Dogma, Dojo, drew estate, Sungrown, undercrown

by Craig Vanderslice | June 11, 2020 · 5:02 pm

News: Drew Estate Launches “Sun Grown” Undercrown Dojo Dogma

One more! This is interesting. Is there a Sungrown Corona Viva? Because the original Dogma was based on the Corona Viva blend, which had some extra ligero giving it some more oomph. I might have to check out this Facebook Live event…

Drew Estate Launches Undercrown Dojo Dogma in “Sun Grown” and “Maduro” Wrappers

Drew Estate announces today in partnership with Cigar Dojo, the national release of Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown exclusively to DDRP retailers, in addition to the 2020 release of Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro. This release will be showcased on the upcoming Freestyle Live: Special Edition hosted on facebook.com/drewestatecigar on June 11^thfrom 7:00-9:00pm EST.

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma is the manifestation of the continued fellowship between Drew Estate and the Cigar Dojo online community. The original Undercrown Dojo Dogma (Maduro Wrapper) was released in 2014 to mass fanfare to celebrate Cigar Dojo’s One Year Anniversary. In 2017, the Undercrown Sun Grown was named Cigar of the Year by the team at Cigar Dojo. The unique box-pressed size that we celebrate today marks the next chapter in the Dojo Dogma story.

From the Cigar Dojo studios in Lakewood, Colorado Master Sensei Eric Guttormsom adds, “How could we possibly follow-up the original Undercrown DOGMA? We did it by taking our Cigar of the Year from 2017 and DOGMA-fying it! The Dojo team can’t wait to drop the details on Drew Estate’s Freestyle Live Facebook show TONIGHT!”

Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is a 5 x 54 box pressed robusto chosen by Cigar Dojo Master Sensei Eric Guttormson and Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera for its bolder profile. The Sun Grown Dojo Dogma features an Ecuadorian Sumatra seed, Sun Grown capa, with Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut/Cured Sun Grown Habano binder, and a complimenting, powerhouse blend of Nicaraguan premium fillers. One leaf of extensively aged Ligero from the Nueva Segovia region along the border of Honduras has been selected to enhance the strength of the blend. It is packaged in a 24 count wooden box, featuring the dual emblems of Undercrown and the Cigar Dojo community.

In addition, Drew Estate is launching the 2020 edition of the Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro. Like the Undercrown Corona Viva, the Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro features a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano binder, and filler leaves from Nicaragua and Brazil. Unique within the core vitolas of Undercrown Maduro, the 6 x 56 Dogma is box pressed and packaged in a stunning 10 count petaca.

From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew Founder and President of Drew Estate highlights, “Community is a huge part of our soul at Drew Estate. We rely on each other through ups and downs; we lean on one another, disciplined, determined, and accomplish tremendous feats while enjoying the ride. Our partnership with Cigar Dojo has never been stronger and together we bring you the str8 fire that is the Undercrown Sun Grown Dojo Dogma! It’s definitely Muy Caliente!”

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown is packaged in 24 count wooden boxes with an MSRP of $244.80 and shipping in August.

The Undercrown Dojo Dogma Maduro is packaged in a 10 count petaca with an MSRP of $107.87 and shipping in September.

For full coverage of Undercrown Dojo Dogma Sun Grown and Maduro and all of Drew Estate’s upcoming national releases check out our 2020 #DESummerTakeover promotion at www.drewestate.com/summertakeover and be sure to tune in to Freestyle Live: Special Edition hosted on facebook.com/drewestatecigar on June 11th from 7:00-9:00pm EST.