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by CigarCraig | November 3, 2018 · 10:40 am

Some Mombacho Cigars, a Fuente Añejo and a CAO Nicaragua

Another full work week under my belt, getting in the swing of working an unusual schedule. This week I had Monday and Wednesday off. I should have announced the winner of the great Big Papi humidor from El Artista Wednesday, but I ended up posting a news item about Foundry Cigars reuniting with founder Michael Giannini and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters instead while smoking a really old Casa Toraño Maduro Lancero. Congrats again to Matt Hopper! One other news item that I posted was that Drew Newman, General Council of JC Newman Cigar Co., spoke at the FDA Conference, which was actually the Tobacco Product Application Review: A Public Meeting, which was a multi day event with many speakers, the full agenda can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/TobaccoProducts/NewsEvents/UCM622683.pdf. I added this link in the comments of the original post, but the article could have been a little more specific about what the FDA meeting was all about. Anyway, lets talk about a few cigars I smoked this week!

Last year I smoked a few Mombacho cigars, the Tierra Volcan and the Liga Maestro, and I remember really liking one, and not really liking the other, and I couldn’t recall which one was which. I came across a pair of them in the humidor and decided it was about time to figure it out once and for all (and try not to forget this time!). Both samples were from the 2016 vintage and came from the 2017 IPCPR show. I started with the Tierra Volcan in the 5½” x 50 Classico size. this is a Nicaraguan Puro with a sun grown Jalapa Habano wrapper, criollo viso Condega Habano binder, and Condega and Jalapa tobaccos in the filler. I really liked this medium bodied cigar, it had a nice, sweet flavor that I appreciated, and it burned very well. This wasn’t the one I didn’t like!

I smoked the Tierra Volcan on Monday, on Wednesday I smoked the Mombacho Liga Maestro, and it’s sometimes hard for me to get excited about smoking a cigar when, in the back of my head, I think maybe I’m not going to like it. This was the 5″ x 54 “Gordo”, I think, it didn’t seem all that “gordo” to me…but it was certainly five inches long, that is for sure. this one is also a Nicaraguan puro, with a shade grown Jalapa Habano wrapper, Jalapa Criollo binder and Condega and Jalapa fillers. I enjoyed this cigar too! I just have to think that when I smoked one or the other of these two cigars before I must have eaten something that conflicted with the flavor of the cigar and put me off. While the Liga Maestro wasn’t as sweet as the Tierra Volcan, it was more on the savory side, it was still a very good tasting cigar, one I’ll happily smoke again. I really look forward to a time when circumstances are such that I can, one day, visit Grenada again and tour Casa Favilli, as I understand it’s a beautiful factory. My brief visit to Granada in 2011 was little more than a drive by.

I went back to a favorite, the classic Fuente Añejo No. 50, on Thursday. Sometimes one just needs comfort food, and this cigar is so good. The barrel aged Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper compliments the Opus X filler blend (or whatever the blend, I don’t care because it’s good) so well. It’s loaded with wonderful cocoa and espresso flavors that I love. I am fortunate to have a box of these resting in the humidor and will try to keep my hands out of it long enough to let it age a while, it hasn’t even been in there a year yet. These are delicious cigars, I have some other classic cigars from the Fuente family that I will revisit in the near future, the Hemingway Classic is calling to me.

Friday evening after work, and before going out to the movies, I ran down to Old Havana Cigars south of West Chester, PA to have a visit with Ricky Rodriguez and finally smoke a CAO Nicaragua. I bought some Toros, as that’s my go-to size, and it’s the only size I saw there. They say this is the first CAO cigar that is Nicaraguan-centric in the blend, which I find hard to believe, but now that I think about it, I guess it’s true. The blend is a Jamastran wrapper and binder, and filler from Jalapa, Esteli and Condega. I love hanging out with Ricky, he’s an actual friend, I’ve known him a long time and try not to miss him when he’s in the area. He’s blended this CAO Nicaragua to be different from other Nicaraguan cigars, it’s not heavy, it’s medium bodies with a peasant sweetness and I really enjoyed it. Considering I smoked it before going out to a late dinner, it was a good thing it wasn’t a strong cigar! I actually wanted to smoke another one last night, but I got done work too late and didn’t feel like going out for a cigar when I got home. I’ll probably smoke one after work today!

That’s all I have for today, Hopefully you remembered to mess with your clocks if you live in a place that does that. I hate that it will be dark earlier for the foreseeable future! I really wish they’d just leave daylight savings time in place year round, but I probably say that every year! I can’t wait for spring! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Filed under Review

Tagged as Añejo, CAO, cigar, cigars, fuente, Liga Maestro, Mombacho, Tierra Volcan

by CigarCraig | August 16, 2017 · 10:11 pm

Undercrown, Winston Churchill, Mombacho and Exactus Cigars

First, I was going to announce a winner of the Exactus Super Coloso and Ashtray contest, but I figured I’d give it a couple more days. If I don’t post a winner on Friday, it’ll be in my regular Sunday post. I smoked a few cigars this week I wanted to talk about. I started out following the Drew Estate Barn Smoker with a new size in the Undercrown line, a Churchill. This is a 7″ x 48 cigar (a Churchill is traditionally 7″ x 47, but they run from 47 to 50 ring gauge in the US). I like the size, it’s a nice, long smoking cigar with a great burn, typical of Drew Estate’s output. It’s got the same make-up of the Undercrown line, Otapan Negro Último Corte wrapper, T52 Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano binder and Select Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan Cuban Seed filler. As we learned in my last post about the Barnsmoker, that T52 leaf may be in short supply in a few years, due to the hail damage to that poor five acre plot at the farm. The Undercrown Churchill was full of flavor and complexity and is a great addition to the line.

Another Churchill I smoked this week was the new Winston Churchill the Late Hour from Davidoff, in the Churchill size. This is another 7″ x 48 cigar, made with tobaccos that are aged in Single Malt Scotch casks for six months. Since I have no frame of reference for flavors imparted by the barrel aging, I can’t speak to that, but I can say it was a spectacular cigar, and for what they get for these, it should be. It has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, and is made in the Dominican Republic. It was smooth and rich and very flavorful, maybe that little different flavor that made it interesting was the Nicaraguan Viso aged in the Scotch Barrels. I smoked a Robusto at the IPCPR show, Davidoff had a Media reception in their booth, followed by the Golden Band Awards, which they usually had in a ballroom after hours with tuxedos and all sorts of glitz and glamour. The Robusto was great, it’s just that I can’t really get a good handle on a cigar at the show, I don’t know how anyone really can. Anyway, These are pretty darned tasty cigars, if you have the means, give them a try.

Last night I went with the Mombacho Tierra Volcan from Mombacho Cigars in Granada, Nicaragua. I had my first real experience with these guys at the IPCPR show, attending their media party at the house they rented in Las Vegas. It was a beautiful place with a pool, I didn’t bring my suit and skinny dipping was frowned upon for some reason. While there I smoked their Cosecha 2012 limited edition, which was an amazing cigar although in the harsh conditions of outdoor Las Vegas, it didn’t hold up particularly well. That was my first experience with the brand, and later in the week I smoked one of the Tierra Volcan toros on the show floor. I wanted to give it a smoke under better conditions so I grabbed one yesterday. This is a Nicaraguan puro, something the company is dedicated to, paying homage to the country that host their factory in the first city in the Americas. The Tierra Volcan is a medium bodied, smooth and flavorful cigar, well-balanced with sweet cocoa and earthy flavors. Fortunately, a Mombacho lounge is coming to SMoKE Cigar Lounge in Manayunk, PA, not far from me. Below is a video I did with Claudio Sgroi, the president of the company and master blender, an Italian among Canadians (thanks to Rob Rasmussen, their director of Marketing, for doing the camera work!). Definitely a company to keep an eye on.

Tonight, because we are in the midst of an Exactus contest, I figured I’d smoke an Exactus Maduro toro. I’ve smoked and enjoyed the Ecuador Connecticut wrapped Exactus in the past, but wanted to try the maduro (as is my way). By the way, don’t be surprised if a couple “normal” sized Exactus cigars fall into the box when I’m packing up the Super Coloso to ship out. This was a tasty Dominican maduro cigar, 6″ x 50 with 3 year-old Dominican Maduro wrapper, Dominican Wine Fermented Criollo 98 binder (again, no frame of reference for me) and fillers of Dominican Criollo 98 & Pennsylvania. I found it to me on the milder side of medium, with a sweet maduro flavor. It was well made and worked well, burning even all the way, and providing a nice experience. You’ll be hearing more about the cigars from El Artista here in the coming weeks. Get on over to the contest and enter if you haven’t already.