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Half Ashed Episode 098: Bodega Premium Blends

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bodega premium blends digestivo

Bodega Premium Blends Digestivo

Welcome back!  This week, on Episode 098 of Half Ashed, we have special guest Ron Plante of Bodega Premium Blends on hand to tell us all about our featured Cigar of the Week: the Bodega Digestivo.  The Digestivo is one of two cigars in their Reunión line, and carries a San Andres maduro wrapper over proprietary binder and a Nicaraguan filler blend from Jalapa & Esteli.  From the Bodega Premium Blends website:

Spanish for digestif, Digestivo usually refers to: “a cocktail or other alcoholic beverage that is specifically served after a meal. The purpose of a digestif is to aid in the digestion following a meal.  Spirits such as port, brandy, cognac and whisky are examples of traditional digestifs. And as Bodega Premium Blends would have it, not only does its Digestivo pair extraordinarily well with those drinks, there’s nothing finer in the humidor to finish off a meal.  When enjoyed around a gathering this cigar comes to life. A Maduro in the true sense of the word, Digestivo has undergone a longer and more intense fermentation process. This marked evolution brings out the natural sugars of leaf giving the Digestivo its trademark “sweeter” flavor. Bolder than its companion, Digestivo is designed to bring the whole experience to a satisfying conclusion.

Hour Two

Join us as we chat with Ron and smoke the Digestivo.  He was able to hang out for the entire first hour of the show (much thanks, Ron!), and we followed up with a regular format afterward.  In the news, we cover stories from Nebraska (again), La Flor Dominicana, Fratello, and RoMaCraft.  We wrapped up with some review of what we’ve been smoking this week.

Wrap Up

Next week, we’ll be featuring the Partagas Serie D 4 as our Cigar of the Week.  Be sure to tune in Friday night at 9:30pm EST and hang out with us in the chatroom during the show.  If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us via the “Contact Us!” tab at the side of this page, or at the following emails: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints.  We love to get your emails!  Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive.  You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed.  Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

P.S. – If you have unbanded suggestions or contributions, you can get those to us by sending an email to [email protected].  This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source, or send me an email to [email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in.  I will provide an address to send them.  Thanks!

 

Coffee With That?

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It isn’t rare for me to enjoy a cup of coffee with a cigar.in fact, it’s a daily occurrence if I’m not reviewing it. Even if I am, I will sometimes pour a cup for followup examples of a particular blend (i.e. first time through no accompaniment, or water; subsequent cigars smoked might have something just to see how it pairs/plays with others.).

I’ve never delved into the depths of coffee snobbery – I typically enjoy pretty pedestrian offerings from 8 o’Clock Coffee or Dunkin. I’ve entertained the idea, but never got up the motivation or gumption to act on it. With an impending move to a country where coffee is grown (although not necessarily a prominent one), the thought has crept up again.

For all you guys who might be into this kind of thing, my question is this: what are some of your favorite methods, makers and origins? Drop me a comment below or an email to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , letting me know what you like for:

Methods and equipment – how do you brew? Machine or manual? Particular brands/designs? Times? Temperature?

Do you roast?

Coffee origins? African/various Central American? Nicaragua? Dominican? What are your favorite bean sources?

What else do I need to know?

Opus Power Ranger

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Having had such a good day of smoking, I decided to tempt the fates and go for an Opus Power Ranger (xXx). I’m the world’s biggest Fuente fan, but not so much a fan of the Opus. I do, however, love this little guy’s flavor..but its potency tends to be a bit much for me. I reckon I’ll light it up and have a go anyway, though.

It does have a few years on it, so it should have calmed down to a manageable level. Even for a nico-wimp as myself.

Tatuaje Black Corona Gorda

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The weather here in West Central FL has turned dark and stormy in the past couple hours, but the cigar forecast looks fantastic! I have a Tatuaje Black Corona Gorda and a bold cup of coffee on deck…which make doing a little work seem less bothersome. I might actually get caught up on a few work projects today. Maybe.

I wish more manufacturers would employ the closed/covered foot on their cigars. It certainly makes lighting a breeze. Even a cursory toast on the extended wrapper leaf will usually get you off to a nice, even light. It’s a feature I’ve come to appreciate greatly.

Aside from the ease of use, I love – love – the Tat Black’s toasty, bready flavor family. It has just enough of the typical “Pepin” spice to make it interesting, I’m a big fan.

Fuente Hemingway Sungrown

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No matter how many Sungrown Hemingways I stash away on the rare occasion of their appearance, it’s never enough. I absolutely adore these things, and always forget between batches just how much. It’d be nice if Fuente would release them a bit more often. Anybody else pick some up in December? It seems to be a particularly good batch.

DPG Blue lancero up next!

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I’ve enjoyed these DPG Blue lanceros since the first one I ever lit up (the first of many…. Pepin spice, backed up by some delightful cedar and charred oaken flavors. Phenomenal construction. And who doesn’t love a lancero?!

@illusionecigars Fume D’Amour. Dee-friggin-licious

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illusione Fume D'Amour
The Fume D’Amour has smitten me like nothing else in a long while. My adoration for it may be bordering on unnatural. If not my very favorite of the illusione blends, certainly a top 2 with the f9 (and possibly the original ECCJ). It’s quite an impressive offering. I chose not to make a Top “X” list for 2014, but if I had, this guy would’ve been at or near the top. Anybody else digging these?

Half Ashed Episode 097: Joya de Nicaragua “Joya Red”

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Joya de Nicaragua Joya Red

Joya de Nicaragua “Joya Red”

Welcome back for Episode 097 of Half Ashed, featuring the Joya de Nicaragua Red.  Kip’s preshow notes about the cigar were:

In June 2014, Joya de Nicaragua announced a new blend to be available at IPCPR 2014 (story archived at The Cigarmy).  The line was dubbed Joya Red, and marketed as a bit of a departure for the company in that it would forego the typical high-ligero content often present in their cigars.  The Joya Red would be more sedate in potency, yet strive to achieve boldness in flavor.  It carries a Nicaraguan Habana wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan filler from Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli.  Four vitolas are available, the Short Churchill (4.75” x 48), Robusto (5.25” x 50), Cañonazo (5.5” x 54), and Toro (6” x 52).  I was skeptical at first, but have come to appreciate the kinder, gentler JdN offering.  I often get lots of bright, airy citrus flavors from these, with some lighter leathery flavors at times.  While I can’t say that I’ve mortgaged my house to stock up on them, they’re not a rare occupant of my humidors.

Tune in to find out how it went!

News

In the news, we had several stories to catch up on after missing last week’s show.  We discussed a couple of items related to Quesada, notably that they are producing a St. Patrick’s Day cigar – the Quesada Keg Edition.  Similar to the Oktoberfest cigars, it is intended to be paried with a beer, this time an Irish stout.  It will come in a singular 6”x50 vitola carrying a PA broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan filler & binder.  It will launch in March, and be available in 21-ct kegs (250 keg/5250 cigar total production).  MSRP is $7.95, and production is set in the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua.  Secondly, they are expanding the Casa Magna lineup with a 3-vitola extension to the Domus Magnus II line.  The extension is collectively called the Three Good Emperors, and features the D-shaped “Trajan” (5.5”x60), and two other vitolas (Marcus Aurelius and Hadrian), which have not had details yet released.  I understand the blend will be much like the standard Domus II offerings, but with a few tweaks.

We also covered an upcoming release from The Crowned Heads.  They will be introducing a 4”x42 vitola to the Jericho Hill line.  They will be called “Shots” and should launch somewhere around February 2015.  It is being marketed as a winter time smoke, due to its diminished size.  Halfwheel is reporting total production around 50k, but some hopes of seeing them again in 2016.

Room101 non-chalantly changed their header image on Facebook today….to a teaser about upcoming Master Collection Three.  No comment; no detail.  Just that it’s coming in February 2015.  I know a lot of listeners were fans of the first and/or second series…so get ready for the third!

Back in 2011, a short run of 5,000 cigars known as the M80 were released by Tatuaje and sold exclusively through Two Guys Smoke Shop.  It was a 4×50 petit robusto, and its end has been much lamented ever since.  Well, it’s returning.  Pete Johnson made comment this week, detailing that the blend will remain the same (Ec Habano Maduro over Nica/Nica), but packaging will change to avoid confusion with the original release.  It will be a regular production item, but still only available through Two Guys.

Also – and you’ll have to tune in to the show for this – I had a bit of a catharsis on the myriad “Top ??” lists for 2014.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry put out a list this year, but I’m not sure they’re all necessary….

What Have We Been Smoking?

Craig – Santos Corona Gorda

Kip – 2014 Casa Fernandez Aniversario, more LTC Reserva Familiar, La Aurora Preferido Corona Esp. Platinum (Cameroon), and Fratello

Wrap Up

Next week, we’ll be featuring the Bodega Premium Blends “Digestivo” as our Cigar of the Week.  Be sure to tune in Friday night at 9:30pm EST and hang out with us in the chatroom during the show.  If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us via the “Click to Contact Us!” tab at the side of this page, or at the following emails: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints.  We love to get your emails!  Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive.  You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed.  Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

P.S. – If you have unbanded suggestions or contributions, you can get those to us by sending an email to [email protected].  This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source, or send me an email to [email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in.  I will provide an address to send them.  Thanks!