All of us at CigarCraig.com would like to wish you a safe and Happy Holidays!

It’s been cold and snowy here in Pennsylvania recently, but I managed to smoke a Camacho Triple Maduro on Friday before my company Holiday dinner.  It was as delicious as I anticipated it would be.  Very full bodied with great coffee and cocoa flavors.  I nubbed this robusto.  This was the “C” cigar from the “Black Band Project” which I’ve mentioned in previous posts.

Keep checking back as I am hoping to continue my series of “Cigar-ventures” next week.  Don’t forget  about the upcoming give-away sometime in January!

With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore:  Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good cigar!

CigarCraig

I’ve heard mixed reviews on the 101 cigars, but curiosity got the best of me yesterday and I purchased a torpedo.

I want my $7.10 back!!!

The cigar immediately had an uneven burn topped off by a poor rolling job that caused it to split and unravel (see the photos). The cigar through the first third has had a bitter cedar flavor and I’m not going to bother giving this a full review.

I would avoid purchasing this cigar and rather invest your money in a quality stick!

For this tasting I scored a 5 pack from a bid site. These are toro sized sticks 6×50. The most recent one I lit had a small torn off piece of wrapper near the band. There was also a soft area about halfway down. Despite these common flaws the burn was mostly even and only required two touch-ups.

The cold aroma was of wood, mostly, with a hint of spiciness. Cold draw gave a hint of espresso with the oak and spice. Draw was on the free side.

The light-up brings pepper and spice with dark oaky flavors. Right off the bat this is powerful and full-bodied with thick, heavy smoke. Flavor and smoke are strong and spicy–in my opinion, not overly strong. The Honduran tobacco notes of earthy-goodness are present but can be outshined by the spicy Corojo wrapper at times.

I found the cigar to be quite simple in its power. What I mean is that there isn’t much complexity behind the strength, though that’s not to say the cigar is lacking much. There is definitely a red wine quality to these Camachos.

Midway I found that the warmer earthy notes of oak, mushroom, moss and espresso came through best. Earlier and later in the cigar these notes were buried beneath oak and spice and pepper.

Compared with the Camacho Havana this is drier (in flavor, meaning less sweet) and spicier.

Overall the smoke time was 45 minutes, laying this one down with just under two inches left. I definitely like the flavor and power of Camacho for around 6 bucks per stick, give or take some change depending on vitola. I keep these in the humi, along with the Havana (a lighter criollo wrapper) at all times, now.

Recently, as part of my foray into Camacho’s offerings, I picked up a few of these White Labels.

The Monarca size is robusto 5×50. The cigars were firm and packed well. There was a hay-like aroma and some nutty smell that reminded me of sesame seeds.

Lighting up I caught a mouthful of pepper and woody flavors. This went on for a good half inch of the cigar before the pepper mellowed to that typical Connecticut white pepper note. Initial flavors were cedar, pepper and paper with a thick and creamy smoke that was heavy in the mouth.

After about an inch the Camacho flavors kicked in. These are the notes that say ‘Honduras’: oaky, mossy, walnut. Very unexpected in a Connecticut. I found it flavorful and very enjoyable.

Somewhere after the halfway mark I lost the great complexity of Camacho’s Jamastran tobacco and was left with a couple inches of mild to medium Connecticut like the early stages of the cigar. With two inches left the smoke began to get more peppery and less creamy.

The burn was uneven for a while but fixed itself about halfway down.

Buy these again? I just might.

In my cigar progression I seem to have gone from Dominicans to Nicaraguans to Honduran/Nicaraguan blends. I like complexity and flavor over power and strength. I’m really liking these Honduran sticks.

This was a robusto size 5×50 which Camacho calls Monarca. I must say I only lit one so far.

This is the yellow and gold label Camacho…had to look it up to find out what line it was. Found this in a small local cigar and magazine shop. There was no box so it wasn’t instantly identifiable (especially since I don’t know much about Camacho). Supposedly this has all tobacco grown in Jamastran, Honduras.

The cold aroma was pleasantly oaky with a hint of something sweet. After clipping, the cold draw was similar with a touch of pepper.

Off the light there was a nice burst of pepper and some oak and earthy notes. The earthiness wasn’t mushroomy or overly soil-like or autumn-leafy like some maduro-Nicaraguan. Rather this was like a mossy oak earthy flavor with a sweetness and some pepper.

Flavors remained the same throughout with the addition of a rich tobacco flavor and a very subtle coffee note toward the midpoint.

The cigar had no flaws except a tiny patch of wrapper that came off with the band later on. Firm and well-packed, the Camacho had a draw on the tight side but not overly so. The burn was mostly even. Burn time was about an hour.

Compared to the one Camacho Corojo I tried last spring this was sweeter and less peppery but otherwise similar. I definitely enjoyed this and look forward to trying more Camacho cigars.

If you haven’t head about our Spark of Love Toy Drive/Christmas Party, I’ll let Richard and Adam tell you a little bit about it.

Isn’t that great? In addition to helping out those less fortunate during this holiday season, we’ll be giving you in return a Rocky Patel cigar, hot dog (or chili dog) and a beer (or Mike’s Hard Apple Cider or soda or coffee) when you attend the event.

But keep your eyes peeled on your inbox because every day between now and the party, we’ll be announcing a special promotion that is only available to our faithful customers who watch these videos. We won’t be advertising these specials anywhere else so please watch the video to learn how to save big on some great products from the Tobacco Barn.

If you have any comments about this event, please feel free to leave a comment below and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday, December 17th, 2009!

La manera mas facil de ganar dinero, es a través de Las Ventas. Uno se pone su propio sueldo. Victor Giordani, it pionero en trabajar con Hipnosis de Las Ventas, desde 1990 con empresas como plant life, Jafra, Amway, Mary Kay y otras

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ccHieRzBtg&hl=en

As I was packing cigars to take to Reno, I decided to do some housekeeping in the humidor and consolidate some boxes.  Imagine my dismay when I realized that I was dangerously close to dropping below 100 cigars in the house!  I will admit that for an occasional cigar smoker like myself (fewer than one a day, and often just a couple a week) having 500 or 600 cigars in the house is maybe a bit excessive, but 100?  Let’s think about this…potentially that’s only 4 boxes, in the days when there were 25 in a box  –  Tangent:  A box of cigars should contain 25 cigars!  The current trend of 20 cigars in a box is ridiculous…think about it. If you have a box of 25 and you smoke 5, you still have 20 left…the box of 20 cigars after smoking 5 you only have 15!  I’d much rather have 20 than 15, wouldn’t you? –

Where was I…Oh yeah…so I’ve gone through the humidor and I have very few of the kind of cigars you can just grab to smoke without thinking, without worrying about where it came from and whether you have to review it.  I’ve found that I have a good many nice cigars, some CAO singles from the IPCPR show in Vegas last year, a handful of Opus X, Ashton VSG, other high end Fuentes and a pretty good handful of Havanas.  So I mentioned this dilemma to my wife, and do you think she was sympathetic?  No!  She wanted to know how long it would take me to smoke what I had on hand…I tried to explain that there were just some cigars that if I smoked I would probably never have in my possession again, either they just weren’t available, or were more than I general spend on cigars myself.  Realistically,  I suppose I do have a years worth of cigars on hand, BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT!

Lately I’ve been making a mental list of cigars that I would like to stock my humidor with in the near future, you know, the kind of stuff you can just grab one on the way out the door, but something that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to share with a friend.  First on my list is one of my  “goto” cigars:  Maria Mancini…I like the Corona Classico, Palma Delgado, DeGaulle, and the Magic Mountain.  I’m down to a precious few of these and I’ve been stocking some in my humidors for 10 years or so.  Next on the list is La Vieja Habano from Drew Estate.  These are mixed filler and come in various sizes and wrappers.  I’ve only had the corojo wrappers, but have enjoyed them.   A bundle cigar I’d buy are the National Brand from Camacho.  Once you get past the sweetened cap, these are as well constructed and flavorful as just about any premium cigar.  I’m partial to the maduro robustos, but the natural corona is nice as well.  I think I’d get a box of Santa Damiana No. 300 to have a nice mild but flavorful cigar on hand and Don Tomas Classicos are also on the list.  Neither are in the same value category as the previous three brands, but not ridiculously priced either.  I’d probably round out the assortment with a couple bundles of Jose Piedras in a couple sizes, just because it’s really nice to be able to grab a $2 Cuban cigar that tastes great.  Mind you, the humidor restocking project is still in the dream stage until well after the holidays.  I realize to some the pictures here seem to indicate that I have plenty of cigars, but don’t be fooled!  Lake Meade may still have a lot of water in it even though it’s 10 feet down, but there are fish flopping around on the beach man!  It’s just not acceptable to be under 200….or 300…sheesh…

Until the next time,

Craig

(note:  in some circles this sort of story would costitute a mooch…not the case!  Just going for some laughs! My wife laughed at me…)

LINDISIMA CASA IMPECABLE recien Remodelada

Sunday started with coffee at Mel’s Diner at the Sands with Mark, Anita, Jim and Randall.  We were expecting the rest of the gang to show up, but we only saw Gary and his family on our way out.  We got packed up and Mark, Anita and I said our good byes as they headed back to California, and I went back to park myself at the CalNeva sports book for another day of hanging out with friends and smoking cigars. Notable smoked included  Liga Privada T52,  Saint Luis Rey Serie A and  Camacho Candela.

The crowd was a little smaller today and I was able to hang out with some different folks:  Bob C, Richard, Steve, Keith and Mike G, Mike H, amongst others. Some folks had bets on the football games, Steve S had to leave earlier than planned, but had to stay for the Patriots/Jets (I think) game as he had placed a multi-game bet and apparently the Patriots gave him some cause for concern (he was sweating…). The Patriots covered the spread and he cashed out and hit the road. Sunday evening those of us who were left all went to the buffet at the Eldorado which was just way too much great food.  I had a piece of prime rib just to be able to say I had prime rib three days in a row.  Hung out for one last cigar and called it a night.

I’m a pretty nervous traveler, so Monday morning I arranged for a 7 AM shuttle to the airport. I had a 10:00 flight to San Francisco so I got there plenty early. I sailed through security, found my gate and settled in for the wait.  Reno Airport offers free wireless internet, so I was able to get some photos from the weekend uploaded to Flickr and catch up on some e-mails. The flights home were uneventful.  It was nice to get home after a great weekend.  Many thanks to Bob Greene for organizing H.A.R.D. for the 11^th year. It was great seeing so many old friends and meeting new ones, many of which I had had e-mail contact with before.  It’s always fun sharing cigars with like-minded individuals. Lots of thanks to Jenn for talking me into going and making it possible!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Quiero compartir con ustedes este video del nacimiento de nuestro amado nieto Santiago Camacho Saenz

Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran and Dominican
Size: 11/18 Toro 6.0″ x 54ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com

When I first heard that Davidoff was purchasing Camacho Cigars, this cigar was the first thing that popped into my head.  Davidoff and Camacho cigars had always occupied opposite ends of the spectrum.  Everything Camacho put out under the brand name Camacho was a powerhouse cigar.  All of their lines were robust, full-bodied smokes that tried to kick you in the gut.  I know that they have milder offerings under different banners like Baccarat and La Fontana, but anything labeled Camacho was going to be a monster.  SO when the announcement of the purchase became public, I immediately though to myself, “What would happen if Davidoff and Camacho got together and had a baby?”  I said to myself a Camacho with a Connecticut wrapper and Dominican tobacco in the filler.  Can you imagine!  A Camacho with that makeup?  And then a short while later we here about the Camacho Connecticut which is exactly the cigar I predicted.  Now I don’t pretend that I had any great insight or any special talent in predicting what’s next in the cigar industry.  Truth is a lot of people I have talked with had the exact same thoughts I did.  It was easy to see this coming.  SO I want to know, what exactly does a Camacho that uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper and Dominican tobacco taste like.

At the start, this cigar is a lot like its other Camacho brothers and sisters.  The first few draws are full and spicy with black pepper and a slightly acrid dry wood flavor.  It doesn’t take long to settle down.  The Ecuadorian wrapper brings what you’d expect to the party.  Creamy notes complimented by some coffee.  It is nicely balanced by a bit of Honduran spiciness from the binder and filler.  I think the Dominican tobacco kind of gets lost in the blend.  Perhaps its function is just to help tone down some of the power of the Honduran tobacco.  The result is a nicely balanced cigar with a medium bodied profile and just a touch of spice to keep it interesting.  I was pleasantly surprised by this cigar and put it up there with Oliva’s Nicaraguan Connecticut Reserve as a good slightly more robust Connecticut offering.

Rating – B+

Get your favorite Camachos @ CigarsDirect.com

Wanna  see a knock down drag show highlighting the true spirit of Boxing; The Gentleman’s Sport?  Well, you won’t see that here… haha it’s more like a 12 year olds blindside sucker punch.  I guess they’re still working on the Gentleman part!

Haven’t heard of Gleason’s Gym?  Well, I am sure you’ve seen it in some of the the many Hollywood movies it’s appeared in from Raging Bull to Million Dollar Baby.  Trufan’s own Boxing guru JMonte stopped by for an exclusive interview with owner Bruce Silverglade. And we’ve got tweets from Hector Camacho Sr. son… umm yeah I think Macho Camacho might have to rethink that nickname when he’s got his son fighting his battles!

Un error fatal le ha costado al Barça dos puntos que tenía ganados a dos minutos del final. Hasta ese momento, el minuto 91 esperó Osasuna para asestar el golpe definitivo a los hombres de Guardiola, que una vez más sudaron sangre, sudor y lágrimas para dominar al conjunto ‘rojillo’. Hasta ese momento, hasta que Piqué introdujo el gol en su portería con la colaboración de Valdés, el Barça lo había conseguido.

Se habían adelantado los culés con otro gol, y ya lleva seis, de Keita bien avanzado la segunda mitad. El Barça supo madurar el partido y ponerse el mono de trabajo cuando tocó. El Osasuna fio toda su suerte a una presión agobiante que partía desde la propia línea de retaguardia azulgrana y así con un trabajo intachable llegaron fundidos a la segunda mitad.

Las dos caras del partido al final del encuentro

Todo resultó muy previsible. Osasuna mordía y el Barça intentaba amansar a la fiera desde el inicio. No se cansaban los de Guardiola de tocar y tocar, aunque no llegaban ni siquiera a pasar de su propio campo con fluidez en los primeros minutos. Y a pesar de ello, la primera ocasión fue culé. En un arranque eléctrico de Messi, el argentino tuvo el primer gol apenas habían transcurridos cuarenta segundos. La ‘Pulga’ se plantó sólo ante Ricardo pero éste le aguantó bien y le detuvo el balón.

La réplica fue de Aranda, el más inspirado de los rojillos hoy, pero le falló siempre la puntería. Para entonces Xavi e Iniesta estaban completamente amorzadados y solo las cabalgadas de Ibrahimovic por los extremos abrían huecos invisibles para los hombres de Guardiola. Solo los vio Busquets, uno de los mejores culés hoy en el Reyno,  que siempre buscó la espalda y las cosquillas rojillas. De hecho fue Ibra el que mandó el siguiente aviso a los vasallos del Reyno. Su latigazo en la jugada ensayada golpea en el brazo de Miguel Flaño pero el árbitro no quiso saber nada. Poco más en esta primera mitad, en la que Osasuna se vació simplemente para que el Barça no jugara.

El juego de sacrificio de los hombres de Camacho lo pagaron en la segunda mitad, cuando fundidos no pudieron seguir la velocidad de crucero del Barça. Los azulgrana comenzaron a poner cerco a la muralla rojilla. Abidal y Puyol abrían con asiduidad nuevas vías de penetración, mientras el ejército rojillo achicaba aguas. Messi e Iniesta comenzaron a asociarse,(hasta entonces habían pasado desapercibidos) y en una de esas todo encajó. Tras una larga jugada por la izquierda el balón llega hasta el costado opuesto donde Puyol aparece por sorpresa para poner un pase atrás que Keita hace bueno (0-1 min.72). Era el sexto gol del de Mali en la Liga y el Barça parecía que  daba la puntilla definitiva a Osasuna.

Pero los hombres de Guardiola no remataron a un Osasuna moribundo. Tuvieron varios mano a mano. Messi, Ibra e incluso Xavi lamieron el gol, pero dejaron escapar con vida a Osasuna y el premio y la sorpresa saltó en el minuto 91, cuando el partido ya agonizaba. Camuñas centró sin esperanza y Piqué pintó el centro de verde. Su desafortunado despeje se coló en la portería azulgrana antes de tocar en Valdés. La batalla y el dominio quedaba en el aire, aunque el Barça sigue líder con un punto de ventaja sobre el Real Madrid .