Tag Archives: TAA

Nica Rustica Robusto and CAO Esteli TAA Edition Cigars

If this post is different today there’s a few reasons. I’m a little out of sorts because yesterday somehow my WordPress user name was changed and I couldn’t log in, which caused some panic. I still haven’t quite figured this out and I haven’t had time to sit on the phone for long periods of time with anyone. I added a user as a workaround, and when I got in, it look like WordPress has changed their interface from the old familiar to something called the “wonderful world of blocks”, which is a completely different layout and I don’t have time to figure it out because I have to go to work and just wanted to get a quick post done. So now I’m stressed out. Great. Anyway, I spent the last few days going through all the old posts fixing videos so they work. There seems to be some photos missing, which will be a much larger job, something I’ll have to do in front of a computer as opposed to on an iPad. Anyway, enough of my bitching and moaning, I did get a few cigars in this week.

I had a long stretch between days off, so when Thursday rolled around, I was all set to relax after my dentist appointment. Unfortunately, I ended up having a root canal in the afternoon, which kinda harshed my mellow a little. I hate Novocaine. After cleaning up the pulled pork sandwich that I dribbled all over my face, I grabbed a familiar favorite, a comfort food cigar, the trusty Drew Estate Nica Rustica, this time in the Short Robusto vitola. I’m quite sure I’ve smoked this size before, but I certainly haven’t smoked as many as the El Brujito or the Belly, and this will probably change. In this circumstance, it got off to a slow start, with the first third having less of a flavor impact, but as the Novocaine wore off, the flavor intensified and the familiar Nica Rustica goodness came through. I love this cigar, the Broadleaf, the cocoa and espresso flavors ht me just right. I always have some of these on hand and will stock up on this size. Highly recommended for post-root canal.

Friday I decided to pay a visit to my local shop, just two miles from my house. I don’t actually spend a great deal of time there. I go to events when they have them, I know the people there, and stop by from time to time, but I’m just not the guy who spends a lot of time hanging out in any cigar shop. Neighbors are often asking me why, when they drive by this particular shop at all hours of the day, mornings especially, the parking lot is always pretty full. My usual response is that there is a group of guys that hang out there, some retirees, some who set up their laptops and work from the lounge. So I figured since I had Friday off I’d go in for a smoke and hang out for a while. Since CigarCigars is a TAA shop, I decided to give the CAO Esteli TAA Exclusive a try. This is a 6″ x 54 Toro, and it is made in the Scandanavian Tobacco Group’s Esteli Factory, with a Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper, Honduran binder and fillers from Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. This was an intriguing cigar, and if I ‘d been smart, I would have smoked the CAO Nicaragua when I got home to compare, but I was distracted by a shiny band. It was a nice, medium bodied cigar, with a distinct cookie-like flavor. It had some caramel and almond nut kinds of flavors, if that makes sense. It was a departure from many CAO cigars, much like the CAO Nicaragua is, but they are different cigars. I’ll work through more of the TAA exclusives as I visit the local CigarCigars shops (there’s no less than six with in ten miles of my house).

That’s all for today. I have to work another Sunday, but I should have next weekend off, with is nice for a change! I gotta figure out all this new WordPress nonsense! As always, thanks for reading along, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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La Palina Blue Label TAA 2018 Cigar

La Palina_BronzeLabel_RobustoI managed to smoke a couple of the new La Palina Blue Label TAA Exclusive Toros this week, and thought I’d share my thoughts, but first, I mixed last year’s TAA Bronze Label in just to compare. These follow the Black and Red Label releases, which were made at the PDR factory in the Dominican Republic, with the Bronze and now the Blue coming from the Placencia’s El Paraiso factory in Honduras. The Bronze Label went into regular release after it spent a year as the TAA exclusive. I smoked this last May and I think the few months in the humidor did it some good, because it had noticeable sweet flavors that I failed to note originally, and I probably would have made mention of that. I selected it because the size was right for the time I had, and the 5½” x 50 size was good for a nice hour and a half or so smoking time. I’d be very interested in smoking other sizes of this blend, I found it to be quite enjoyable!

 

La Palina_BlueLabel_ToroNew this year is the La Palina Blue Label.  The Blue Label is exclusive to TAA stores and is made at El Paraiso in Honduras, which is owned by Placencia. The wrapper is Habano, the binder is Honduran, and the fillers are Nicaraguan and Honduran. This is available in a 6½ x 52 Toro, which is a size I like in a cigar I like, and I like this cigar. When I can get another fifteen or twenty minutes smoking time out of a cigar that’s very good, I’m a happy dude.  I smoked two of these over the course of a few days, which I rarely do. The first example I smoked left me with some questions, I found it slightly more earthy and leathery than I prefer, however, I had some distractions, and tonight I smoked the second example without any distractions and found more of the sweetness along with that earthiness that I had found with the Bronze Label, although the sweetness was far more in the background and subdued. The burn and draw were exceptional. While this cigar is ready to go, I think age will be kind to this cigar.  Fortunately, I have a chain of TAA stores close by, so I should be able to get my hands on more of these, I’ll have to see if they have them.

 

That’s all for today, until next time,

 

CigarCraig

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News: Cigar Cigars Chain in PA Joins TAA

Cigar Cigars is a chain of 12 stores in Southeast PA (one in NJ). There are literally six of their stores within ten miles of my home, one is less than two miles away. I’m happy to finally have TAA shops in the area after hearing about all the cool TAA releases!

In early 2018 Cigar, Cigars was invited to join a select group of cigar retailers in the United States: the Tobacconists’ Association of America. We are now among fewer than 80 retailers throughout the country in this group. This gives us access to exclusive cigars previously unavailable in the Delaware Valley and we will be the only retailers in our area to sell the cigars listed below:

• Fuente Opus X Forbidden X 2018

• Tatuaje TAA 2018

• Ashton TAA VSG

• Padron Limited Edition TAA 50th Maduro and Natural

• Padron 1964 Toro TAA Exclusive*

• Montecristo Artisan TAA 50th

• CAO Esteli TAA Exclusive*

• Flor De Las Antillas Lancera

• Nat Sherman Panamerica*

• La Flor Dominicana TAA Exclusive 50th

• Alec Bradley Elicit*

• My Father Jamie Garcia TAA*

• Kristoff TAA

The cigars with an * are currently available in many of our stores. The rest will be coming to stores over the next few weeks and summer.

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News: GURKHA UNVIELS ITS FIRST TAA EXCLUSIVE CIGAR  

 

Busy day for news!

 

GURKHA UNVIELS ITS FIRST TAA EXCLUSIVE CIGAR

Tamarac, FL – Gurkha Cigars has unveiled its first Tobacco Association of America (TAA) exclusive cigar, which is an extension of the company’s Heritage line.  The handcrafted premium cigar is made of an Ecuador Habano wrapper and binder, and Peruvian and Nicaraguan filler.

Gurkha created a special blend and size that will be available for pre-sale at this year’s TAA conference in a limited 10-count box.  Only 1000 of the 6X52 Toro box press exclusive cigars will be made and they will retail for $100 per box.  The limited edition cigars are expected to begin shipping to TAA retailers this summer.

“We are excited to introduce our first ever TAA exclusive cigar and will be making this an annual tradition at Gurkha,” said Carlos Llaca, Director of Operations.  “We were looking to make something special for the TAA’s 50th Anniversary and we feel this is the perfect cigar to celebrate the association and its members.”

Gurkha Cigars are known throughout the world for their premium and luxurious cigars, so it’s no surprise that they are the most sought-after cigars around the globe. Gurkha produces millions of cigars per year that are sold in more than 70 countries worldwide. And while Gurkha is known for its exclusivity, it has an impressive array of 250 brands of flawlessly handcrafted, premium cigars created in a variety of strengths, tasting profiles and price-points. No matter what your taste, there’s a Gurkha cigar that’s perfect for your palate. For additional information visit www.gurkhacigars.com.

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News: Joya de Nicaragua Introduces: Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente A TAA Exclusive Vitola

Here’s some news from my friends at Joya de Nicaragua: 

 

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 — Estelí, Nicaragua– Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estate are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of TAA, and 10 years of distribution partnership by introducing the Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente, exclusively for TAA.

Five decades ago, two great institutions in the cigar world began operations. The Tobacconist Association of America (TAA), and also, Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua. TAA is a group of selected tobacco retailers and specialists in the US and JDN is Nicaragua’s first cigar factory in operation, and the referent of what it means to be the most Nicaraguan cigar.

The Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente is Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca’s favorite vitola. The Presidente, is an elegant 6 3/4 x 50 box pressed cigar, an extension of the Antaño Gran Reserva.

It uses 100% Nicaraguan tobacco matured to perfection for 5 years.  It’s a full body and complex cigar similar to the Antano line, but due to the age of the proprietary filler leaves it’s a much smoother smoke. It showcases the unique character of Nicaraguan tobacco with refined notes of spice, leather, and wood. The brand was originally launched in 2005 as a limited edition. It was reintroduced to the market in 2017.

“When I requested the Gran Reserva blend in the Presidente size, it immediately became my private smoke. This is by far my personal vitola and the one that I request the factory for my daily smokes,” stated Dr. Martínez Cuenca, Joya de Nicaragua’s Chairman and CEO.

He continues: “I decided to share it only for special occasions. I can’t think of a better opportunity than this shared celebration of five decades of perseverance and companionship between TAA, its members, and Joya de Nicaragua.”

The New Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente will be presented at the 50th TAA Convention. The event will be in Casa de Campo, La Romana in the Dominican Republic from April 29th to May 3rd.

From the Joya de Nicaragua team, Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, Chairman and CEO, and Daniel Barrios, JDN’s US Brand Manager, will present. From the Drew Estate team, Glenn Wolfson, CEO; David Lazarus, SVP of Sales; Ike Karipides, Sales Director; Sam Morales, Director of Marketing, and Chris Stone, Business Unit Manager.

The Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente will be available exclusively for TAA Members and it will retail at US$12.50 per stick. It will also be available in three sizes Robusto Grande Box-Pressed (5 1/2 x 52), Belicoso (6 x 54), and Gran Consul (4 3/4 x60). The 20 count box will begin shipping in May 2018.

This special edition stick is part of Joya de Nicaragua’s 50th-anniversary celebration. Joya’s consumers all over the world are encouraged to join the celebration online by tagging their smoking experience with #KeepDaring #JOYA50 on social media and the Drew Diplomat App.

About Joya de Nicaragua

JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A. is a family owned, Nicaragua-based cigar factory that handcrafts traditional cigars for the premium luxury cigar market. Founded in 1968, it is Nicaragua’s oldest cigar factory in operation and home to the legendary JOYA DE NICARAGUA® brand of cigars. JDN is regarded by many as the patriarch creator of robust, unique puro blends of locally grown black tobaccos, and its cigars are sold in over 50 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.joyacigars.com.

ABOUT DREW ESTATE
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