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Cigar Review: La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales

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Background: La Aurora Preferidos Diamond

la aurora preferidos diamondI recently received a package of cigars from Miami Cigar.  Inside were 6 different varieties of a Mid-Atlantic regional exclusive release for a new vitola in the Preferidos lineup.  The offering will include the original Preferidos blend, draped in each of the six wrappers (Brazilian sungrown (Ruby), Cameroon (Platinum), Connecticut (Sapphire), Connecticut broadleaf (Diamond), Corojo (Gold) and Ecuadorian Sumatra (Emerald)) – but in a 5.5” x 42 Corona Especiales vitola.  They will be sold exclusively in the Mid-Atlantic region, and retail for about $7.20 per stick.  The line will also be available in a 150-count crate containing 25 each of the wrapper varieties.

Pre Light

Today’s review is for the Preferidos Diamond (Broad Leaf) edition.  It features a Connecticut Broad Leaf wrapper over the existing Preferido filler blend. The sample I received displays a dark brown color with some very minor mottling.  Like the previously reviewed Gold and Platinum editions, the wrapper leaf feels oily and smooth but little sheen is visible.  I did notice a couple of small holes in the wrapper, which is a nitpicky point but worth mentioning.  Veins are pronounced, and the coarse topography of the cigar obscures the seams.  Every nook and cranny below is telegraphed through the wrapper.  Overall, the pack was sound throughout, although it feels more dense than most.  The unlit draw is a bit tighter than perfect for my tastes, providing significant resistance and a slightly tannic feel on the palate.  As noted with the Platinum, there are some earthy flavors on the cold draw, but they are quite subdued.  The unlit scent is faint, with little more than straightforward tobacco aroma.

The Smoke

The first puffs provide some modest tingle through the nose.  This may possibly be more from being on a fresh palate than the actual spice of the cigar since it fades away rather quickly.  From the start, copious amounts of smoke are billowing off this cigar.  Remarkably more than its brethren I’ve smoked so far.  The flavor is earthy, with some of the tannic influence noted on the cold draw.  By the end of the first third, a predominance of cocoa has grown and taken the spotlight away from the earlier earthiness.  Unexpectedly, a bit of the initial tickle in the nose has returned as well.  The cocoa is not bright and sweet, but savory – delicately walking, but never crossing, a line into the bitters of dark chocolate.

In the second third of the Preferidos Diamond, these flavors will progress into something more espresso like in quality.  The profile is crisp and tends to hold one’s attention with each puff.  This, I believe, is where the cigar really hits its stride.  It’s definitely the most enjoyable portion for me.  The burn has been fairly even and controlled to this point, with a couple of minor touchups.  Going into the final stretch, the draw opens up in comparison to the earlier portions, which I will assume was due to an inconsistency in the pack somewhere in the midsection.  With this, the Preferidos Diamond developed into a quicker burn than earlier noted.  The burn also began to wander more than in the first half of the cigar.  It never seriously roamed, but did require a few touchups during this final third alone.  As for flavors, cocoa/coffee bean were the order of the day.  In fact, it reminded me very much of chocolate covered coffee beans, with its sharp tannic “punch.”  The tannins came to a crescendo toward the end, but I would still be resistant to calling it bitter, as it remained pleasant enough.  The cigar wound down to a slightly ashy completion in the final moments, telling me it was spent.

Summary

la aurora preferidos diamond 2Despite some minor burn and nitpicky construction issues, the Preferidos Diamond is another solid cigar in the Mid-Atlantic regional release of the Preferidos line.  While it was not my favorite of the lineup, I found it very enjoyable and wouldn’t hesitate to smoke another should the opportunity arise.  For those who seek out sharp, espresso flavors in a blend I think it’s a winner.  The flavor profile followed a clear progression that was interesting and entertaining, yet remained firmly within a cohesive palate family.  If you are a broad leaf fan along the Atlantic seaboard, I think you’ll dig the blend.

Cigar Review: La Aurora Preferidos Platinum Corona Especiales

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Background – La Aurora Preferidos Platinum Cameroon

la aurora pref platinum cameroonI recently received a package of cigars from Miami Cigar.  Inside were 6 different varieties of a Mid-Atlantic regional exclusive release for a new vitola in the Preferidos lineup.  The offering will include the original Preferidos blend, draped in each of the six wrappers (Brazilian sungrown (Ruby), Cameroon (Platinum), Connecticut (Sapphire), Connecticut broadleaf (Diamond) Corojo (Gold) and Ecuadorian Sumatra (Emerald)) – but in a 5.5” x 42 Corona Especiales.  They will be sold exclusively in the Mid-Atlantic region, and retail for about $7.20 per stick.  The line will also be available in a 150-count crate containing 25 each of the wrapper varieties.

Pre Light

Today’s review is for the Platinum Cameroon edition .  It features a Cameroon wrapper over the existing Preferido filler blend. The sample I received displays a medium brown color with some significant mottling.  Like the previously reviewed Gold, the wrapper leaf feels oily and very smooth, but little sheen is visible.  Veins are pronounced, and act to obscure the seams.  Overall, the pack was sound throughout.  The unlit draw is near perfect for my tastes, providing modest resistance and a sweet hay flavor.  There are some mildly sweet earthy notes in there as well, but not a great deal more.  The aroma is straightforward tobacco and barnyard-esque.

The Smoke

Once lit, the first few puffs from the Platinum Cameroon Preferido were captivating.  The direct flavor and finish were faintly sweet and honey like, but the retrohale was a different story altogether.  It was deliciously piquant and bold, delivering a short lived tingle through the nose.  The interplay here was a pleasure.  I’m surprised by how well the profile held up throughout this first third; often, either due to conditioning or adaptation of our palate to a cigar’s spice, this effect will become muted after a few minutes.  The Platinum Cameroon held fast.  Kudos to La Aurora.

Going into the second third, the spicy retrohale does abate slightly, but remains ever-entertaining.  The core flavor evolves a bit, becoming more leathery – but with a minor salty character now.  It has developed a very “clean” finish: crisp, but non-polluting to the palate.  Almost – almost – minty.  By the final portion of the cigar, I find myself questioning why I haven’t spent more time with the Preferidos in their omnipresent figurado editions.  The strength has picked up some by the final minutes, but I’d put it firmly into mid-medium and certainly approachable to any cigar smoker.  The burn line wandered some throughout the cigar, but not problematically.  I never had to relight, but did touch it up at varied intervals.  In the final minutes, the leathery flavors matured, becoming nutty at times (despite a decline in the earlier sweetness).

Summary

la aurora pref platinum cameroon bWhile I expected the Gold Corojo Preferido to be my “pick o’ the litter,” I have to say the Platinum Cameroon was quite enjoyable – as its impressive score indicates.  The flavor was consistent in character but nuanced and entertaining.  La Aurora simply does a good job in blending to this leaf.  I’m picky with Cameroon, and the Preferido Platinum is a fine example of the leaf used beautifully.  The blend simply works.  I now have a renewed and growing appreciation for the Preferidos, and expect I’ll put some of these aside for rainy days – either in the standard figurado, or this corona especiales if available.

Half Ashed Episode 096: illusione Fume D’Amour

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illusione Fume D’Amour

Welcome to Episode 096!  Tonight, we’re smoking the most recent full line introduction from illusione.  After about a 3 year break from core additions, the Fume D’Amour (Smoke of Love) came out at the end of August 2014.  One of the more interesting aspects of this line is the total absence of ligero.  Dion (Giolito) claims to have found enough flavor and strength in some of the lower viso and seco primings from available AGANORSA stock.  It comes in 4 vitolas (Lagunas – 4 1/4 x 42 Viejos – 5 x 50 Capistranos – 6 x 56 Clementes – 6 1/2 x 48).  The illusione website remarks that it comes in these four…but more are to come.  Even with a later introduction during the year, the line made it into the number three spot on Cigar Aficionado’s Top Cigars for 2014.  Tune in to the show to find out how it went!

News

  • Cuba?!?  What does it all mean?  We wanted to spend some time talking over this week’s news concerning some restored relations with Cuba…and no, you can’t run out next week and buy Habanos at your local shop stateside….

    Craig’s Notes:

    • The council on Foreign Relations: After 2008 Cuba’s private sector has swelled as a direct result of these reforms; in 2014 it was reported to be about 20 percent of the country’s workforce. A report [PDF] by the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) states that Castro’s reforms highlighted “an acceptance that market forces can play a role in economic policy and that economic growth must be the central criterion to judge economic success.”
    • Am I happy about the change? You can bet your ass, I am. Do I expect anything to be different for you and I in 100 days when things take effect (affect?)? No, I do not. The majority of people out there are keeping this in perspective but I’ve seen some facebook posts that talk about “finally” being able to get their hands on a Cuban, or “when will cubans be for sale at the tobacconist?” These posts are uninformed and potentially just a spur of the moment quip. I don’t think the majority of citizens believe this is “it” in regards to the embargo. I DO believe this can be the beginning of the end of the embargo. It can also be the beginning of its strengthening if the next congress and next president are suited and like minded to claim Obama’s declarations were not only incorrect, but helpful to an enemy.
    • Much will depend on Kerry’s analysis of Cuba’s status as a terrorist state and whether Cuba does truly lower some of the restrictions they have on contact to the outside world. If Cuba shows ANY legitimate human rights improvements (yes, the internet is a human right derived from free speech) there is a chance that this gains some momentum and the embargo could end after the next congress (Jan 2017) are sworn in. There is little to no chance this will occur in 2015 since the Republicans have taken power of the house. There would have to be SWEEPING change in Cuba for the likes of Rubio and others who want the 29 (27?) electoral votes in Florida to change their public opinion on this. It’s just too critical of a voting base to alienate the Southern Florida core of Anti-Castro citizens.
    • If Kerry does not rescind the edict that Cuba is a state that assists terrorism (there is an official phrase here that I’m missing) OR major humanitarian improvements are not witnessed, I am fairly certain that the next president will swiftly and completely go the other direction with his ruling on the matter. Think Bush’s change in 2002, I believe. He lowered the visit limit, removed the legality of “financial assistance” to Cuban family members and made it even more difficult to travel to the nation for aide workers. We could go right back there, if not even further.
    • Cuba, and its citizens, have been made more of a pawn in the recent years than ever in the past. Even in the election of 64 when it was the first chance for a new administration to address the “blockade” as it essentially was in its initial form, it was not as polarizing of a topic as it became later in the Castro regime’s tenure (I understand LBJ held office. It’s speaking to the fact that it was not a point of contention between candidates). We have to realize that the goal here is an improvement of life for the citizens of our southern island neighbor. This is the first real attempt at improving that which I can recall. I am not an expert on the topic but I don’t believe there have been public declarations from the POTUS as strongly worded as those shared Wednesday in regard to the failure of U.S. policy on the matter. There is a real chance that THIS declaration is enough. There is a real chance that Cuba will give a little in response. And there is a real chance that this may be a day we remember for the rest of our lives. It’s possible the U.S. just got a little less hypocritical in its foreign relations (think human rights & the torture report). When a major government does that, we’re all in a better position.

 

  • We finally have some “official” light shed on the Florida SunGrown project that Jeff Borysiewicz has been growing here in central FL.  The tobacco is being sold exclusively to Drew Estate.  From THIS IMAGE: “Jeff Borysiewicz from Corona Cigar Company grows the Florida tobacco exclusively for Drew Estate. The tobacco plants in the photo are experiental because they are Sumatra Seed. We have been growing and curing the Corojo Seed since 2013 and blending with the first crop. I believe that this is the first time Florida tobacco has been grown for premium cigars since 1979. It’s expensive, but we are getting more confident each passing month that it’s worth it. So proud of Jeff Borysiewicz. Waiting to see Willy Herrera and DE Production Team’s final blend from the 2013 crop.”
  • Fresh on the heels of the recent release of Smoke Inn’s MicroBlend Series “Pactum” from illusione, the next iteration has been announced.  Drew Estate will produce the cigar in a singular 6”x40 vitola.  Interestingly, the name will be the “Pope of Greenwich Village.”  No real blend detail is available as yet, but it will soft launch at Smoke Inn’s Great Smoke VIP event in February.  Official full launch will be later, in April.
  • La Flor Dominicana 707 – another 7×70 cigar…biggest ever from LFD….
  • Cigar Aficionado’s ever-popular/ever-controversial Top 25 list is out.  Congrats to the folks at Oliva for taking the #1 spot this year with the Melanio.  I was surprised with the EPC La Historia at number two.  Tonight’s featured CotW is number three on that list.  Rounding out the top ten were:

4. Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial (Tubo)
5. Rocky Patel Royale (?!?)
6. Opus X Perfecxion X
7. Padron Reserve 50 Years Maduro
8. Ashton ESG 22 Year
9. Monte by Montecristo Jacopo #2 (Altadis USA)
10.  A. Flores 1975 Serie Privada Capa Habano

What Have We Been Smoking?

Craig

  • Unbanded#1 for Halfashed.com

 Kip

  • Padron Principe – natural.  I grabbed a natural version of this after Craig’s recent comments on its maduro brother.  I’ve never had much experience with the natural, but I’d say these have experience blend drift as well.  The couple I had this week were – like Craig’s maduro – considerably more spicy than I remember.  More bold, both in flavor and strength.  Still an amazing smoke.
  • Padilla Reserva Maduro….picked up a few on clearance at my local.  Crisp, bold new-school Nicaraguan style blending.  Great construction & burn.  Much better as a $5 stick than $9-10.  If these were to debut in the $6.50-9 “sweet spot” they have the potential to be a big hit.
  • L’Atelier LAT38 Special lancero…I wanted to love this cigar.  I love its shorter brethren.  How could I not fall head over heels for a lancero?  I picked up two this week, and couldn’t finish either.  Both were plagued with burn issues and absolutely refused to stay lit.  I gave up on each about halfway through.

Listener Email

  •  No listener emails discussed this week.

Wrap Up

In the next episode we will be featuring a yet-to-be-determined cigar from Craig’s offerings, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the new and much improved chatroom.  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!

 

Cigar Review: La Tradicion Cubana Reserva Familiar Natural

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Background – La Tradicion Cubana

la tradicion cubana reserva familiar fLong time listeners of Half Ashed and former readers of The Cigarmy will know that I have been a big fan of Luis Sanchez’s cigars (and those he makes for others) for a very long time.  So, when I happened to share a couple of messages with him recently and he offered to let me try his latest creation, I – of course – jumped at the chance.  He passed along a couple of both the natural and maduro versions of the La Tradicion Cubana Reserva Familiar, the natural being today’s review offering.  The extensions are spun off from the standard La Tradicion Cubana line, with a couple of minor differences.  The Reserva Familiar features an Ecuadoran wrapper, an as-yet undisclosed binder and Dominican fillers.  Interestingly, the filler blend contains some tobacco from Luis’ recent venture into farming on his Dominican property.  The samples I received were in a 7” x 50 churchill vitola.

Pre Light

Each of the natural versions received carry a very light, evenly colored brown wrapper.  They were quite smooth – albeit dry – to the touch with very faint veins.  I found no anomalies within the pack from head to foot.  Both provided near perfect resistance and some sweet hay flavor on the cold draw.  As for aroma, it was faint but evoked memories slightly of musty hay.  Not freshly hewn hay; the kind you’d find in the loft a year after cutting.

The Smoke

Even before puffing, the fragrance alone was enjoyable while lighting.  With those first few puffs, there is a very slight vegetal character; however this dissipates within a couple minutes.  The blend instantly separates itself from the standard LTC line in that it begins with noticeably more spice.  It’s certainly not overwhelming, but considering the sedate nature of its brother, this one is significantly more pronounced.  Once the burn is fully established, the spice becomes a bit more demure and is joined by a toasty sweetness that I find characteristic of Luis’ creations….and enjoy immensely.  In terms of construction, there’s little for which to fault the cigar.  On the first example, there are a couple of what were likely handling dings on the wrapper, and one small crack about ½” up from the foot.  Once the burnline got to the crack, it did expand slightly but never spread.  It quietly resolved itself with no further issue after about 10 minutes.  One other time, a similar crack appeared and burned away.  This did not impact the experience, but it should be noted that the wrapper leaf is very delicate and ought to be handled carefully.  Other than that, construction was spot-on for both examples.

By the time I’ve finished the first third of the cigar, the spice has modestly returned.  The earlier sweetness has been replaced by a darker, more berry-like note.  This is new.  I have smoked most of the LTC range, and don’t remember this coming through in any of the other blends.  It’s quite enjoyable, and provides a long lasting, pleasant finish between puffs.  This deeper sweetness persists throughout most of the midsection of the cigar, with interspersed periods of moderate spice.  There is a slight drying effect on the palate, which I understand to be driven by pH in the smoke from any particular blend (then again, I’m no scientist; take that for what it’s worth: the price of admission).  Progressing into the final stretch of the Reserva Familiar brings renewed spice, especially on retrohale.  Throughout the duration of the smoke, the interplay of this spice with the berry like sweetness was delicious.  In the closing minutes of the cigar, I also noticed a beautifully deep, buttery sweetness accompanying the spice felt on the soft palate.

Parting Shot

I was a believer in Luis Sanchez’ blending prowess before; I’m more so now.  Quite frankly, both Craig and I fell head over heels for the original La Tradicion Cubana line.  Had the story stopped there I would have been happy to continue smoking them ad infinitum.  However, this offshoot from the line has introduced bold, interesting flavors to an already fantastic blend.  In a true test of my recently instituted review architecture, I had to forcefully impose the strict guidelines with regard to the earlier noted minor construction irregularities.  Had I not done so, the La Tradicion Cubana Reserva Familiar would have likely scored a couple points higher than its already impressive 91.  If you haven’t tried any of the LTC, TL Johnson, Santos de Miami, or other Sanchez-made cigars, I highly recommend them…and that’s coming with zero strings attached.  These cigars are about as firmly in my wheelhouse as possible.

Summary

In a true test of my recently instituted review architecture, I had to forcefully impose the strict guidelines with regard to the earlier noted minor construction irregularities.  Had I not done so, the La Tradicion Cubana Reserva Familiar would have likely scored a couple points higher than its already impressive 91.  If you haven’t tried any of the LTC, TL Johnson, Santos de Miami, or other Sanchez-made cigars, I highly recommend them…and that’s coming with zero strings attached.  These cigars are about as firmly in my wheelhouse as possible.

Cigar Review: La Aurora Preferidos Gold Corona Especiales

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Background

la aurora preferidos coronas aI recently received a package of cigar from Miami Cigar.  Inside were 6 different varieties of a Mid-Atlantic regional exclusive release for a new vitola in the La Aurora Preferidos lineup.  The offering will include the original Preferidos blend, draped in each of the six wrappers (Brazilian sungrown (Ruby), Cameroon (Platinum), Connecticut (Sapphire), Connecticut broadleaf (Diamond) Corojo (Gold) and Ecuadorian Sumatra (Emerald)) – but in a 5.5” x 42 Corona Especiales.  They will be sold exclusively in the Mid-Atlantic region, and retail for about $7.20 per stick.  The line will also be available in a 150-count crate containing 25 each of the wrapper varieties.

Pre Light

Today’s review is for the Gold (Corojo) rendition.  It features a Dominican Corojo wrapper over Dominican binder and a filler mix of Dominican, Brazilian and Cameroon tobaccos. The sample I received displays a medium brown color with some moderate mottling.  The wrapper leaf feels oily and very smooth, but little sheen is visible.  Veins are sparse but pronounced.  The foot feels a bit less dense than the rest of the stick, but overall the pack was sound throughout.  Prelight, the draw is of deliberate but open resistance, and provides little in the way of flavor.  Maybe some slightly earthy notes but not a great deal more.  The aroma is mild and straightforward tobacco in character.

The Smoke

Initial puffs present solid spice, and some pleasant – and crisp – charred oaken flavor that, if slightly sweeter, might have led me to call it leathery….or even buttery.  I get a lot of (black) pepper from it, which probably pushed me more toward considering it of a more woodsy nature.  The burn immediately resolves, and will continue to remain very sharp throughout the duration of the cigar.  By the middle of the cigar, the spice has subdued but never wanes entirely.  It takes on a more “tropical spice” tenor, reminiscent of bright baking spice rather than the early pepper.  This transition is fairly abrupt, occurring more rapidly than one might normally expect.  There was very little transitory time, and no muddling of flavors at all.  These more mellow characteristics continue throughout the midsection of the smoke.

Somewhere around the end of the third inch I noticed another, less sudden progression back into a bit more pepper.  This time, however, the pepper is felt more on the soft palate and is more akin to red than black pepper.  It should be noted that although I’ve spent a good bit of time writing about this spice, it is NOT of the variety you might find in the Preferidos’ Nicaraguan cousins.  There is also a core cedar component, which tempers the spice as well.  It remains approachable and palate-friendly to most any smoker.  It’s during the final portion of the cigar that I believe it really shines.  The strength picks up a notch, but never becomes overtly potent.  I would place it solidly in the medium range in this regard.  The flavors do intensify as I near the end, with the cedar and pepper playing the dominant roles.  It smokes down to a 1″ nub, the evidence of 80 minutes well spent.

Summary

la aurora preferidos coronas bWhen supported well by complementary components, a Corojo wrapper can be a beautiful thing; when mishandled or mismatched, a disaster.  The Preferidos Gold Corona Especiales delivers the former.  I thoroughly enjoyed the early spice over its woodsy core, the development into a calmer midsection, and surprising peppery denouement.  If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, I’d definitely recommend investigating these while you still can.  It is possibly my favorite of the six variations.  With apologies to the big ring fans, I love the size as well.  As a final parting shot – give these a try with a solid cup of coffee.  I don’t have easy access to more, but my hunch is the pairing would get along swimmingly.

Half Ashed Episode 095: Unbanded 019

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Cigar of the Week: Unbanded 019

Good day, folks!  Welcome to Episode 095 of Half Ashed, featuring Unbanded #019, suggested by listener Dan Crouch.  Without giving away too much information, both Craig and I were completely fooled by this cigar.  More so than any past Unbanded.  It was a great smoke, and the reveal surprised us both profoundly.  With a solid track record in the past, I suppose it was past due for us to fall flat on our faces with one…

News

In the news, we covered several items, including:

  • The HR Habano has launched – we talked of this a couple months ago; it is the collaboration between Alejandro Robaina’s grandson Hirochi and Omar Aleman of Cubanacan.  The line comes in 4 vitolas, and features a Ec. Habano wrapper over Jalapa binder and Nicaraguan fillers.  It’s available at Cubanacan Platinum accounts (somewhere around 30 stores), and retails for $19-22 per stick….pretty steep, but the feedback has been very good that I’ve seen so far.  Still…
  • Halfwheel has a story out of San Francisco that should stand our hairs up.  The city passed legislation this week that effectively eliminates the ability to open a tobacconist.  There are currently 1,000 permitted tobacco sellers, but the new law limits permits to 45 for each of the city’s 11 districts (total 495).  While they won’t go back and cancel any existing permits, whenever a business closes it’s permit is gone if there are 45 others in that district.  The act goes on to specify that NO new permits will be issued for tobacco shops (tobacco shop = “any retailer whose principle business is selling tobacco products, tobacco paraphernalia, or both” and where 70% of gross sales receipts are derived from the sale of tobacco products or 50% of completed sales transactions includes a tobacco product or paraphernalia. “  STORY HERE
  • Skip Martin posted up a pic of a blending sample for an upcoming cigar celebrating Esteban’s 25 years in tobacco….Esteban is his right hand man in the Nicaraguan operation, managing much of the day-to-day operations.
  • AVO is freshening up a bit.  They will be rebranding the whole lineup in early 2015.  New packaging, new boxes, and the elimination of the Signature & Maduro lines (buy ‘em up if you like ‘em).  Finally, we’ll see price drops of $.10 to $2.40 per stick.  I personally have wondered what’s going on with the lineup, after seeing countless “blow-out deals” on this year’s LE, and just this week my local has the AVO Greatest Hits sampler (all the LE’s but one) on clearance for $126.95 (orig price = $194.95).  I don’t think I’ve seen any taken from the stack they initially received….
  • The Ezra Zion guys are busily working on 2015 as well.  They put up a pic of a prototype simply labeled “Unicos #2 // Mexico” this week.  I imagine it’s another San Andres wrapped cigar, but I’m still anxious to give it a whirl….PICTURE
  • Finally, we talked a bit about this year’s “Top ??” lists from various sources….some interesting things going on there.

What Have We Been Smoking?

Our extra-curricular smoking this week was fairly subdued, with only a couple entries from Craig (Padron Aniversario 1964 Principe and the Herrera Esteli Norteño) and one from me (La Tradicion Cubana Reserva Familiar).  We also gave a bit of attention to ongoing changes with the website and forum.

Listener Email

We covered one email this week, from Officer Paul…tune in to get the details on that.

Wrap Up

In the next episode we will be featuring the illusione Fume D’Amour, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the new and much improved chatroom.  If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact 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!

News: La Flor Dominicana 707 Ligero

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LA FLOR DOMINICANA CIGARS 707 Ligero

La Flor Dominicana 707 Ligero

Earlier this week, La Flor Dominicana announced the impending release of a new cigar.  The 707 Ligero is reported to be a full-bodied blend, featuring an “aged Ecuadorian Habano wrapper,” and Dominican binder and filler mix.  The cigar will be the latest in a recent trend toward bigger and bigger cigars, and will in fact be the largest regular-production cigar La Flor Dominicana has ever produced.  It will be 7″ by 70 ring, and come in ten count boxes.  MSRP has been set at $10.50 per cigar ($105 per box), and should begin shipping this week (week of December 15, 2014).

About La Flor Dominicana

La Flor Dominicana is a vertically integrated premium cigar company, where we proudly control the production process from the seed to the final grading, inspecting, packaging and distribution. Our tobaccos are grown at our farm in La Canela, Dominican Republic. Our factory is located in Tamboril.

Half Ashed Episode 094: Special Blind Mans Puff Guest

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Welcome to Episode 094 of Half Ashed!  This week, the vacationing Craig has been secretly replaced by special guest Aaron Loomis of Blind Mans Puff.  We had a few minutes to talk about the fantastic job those guys are doing over on their site, as well as some interesting recent collaborations with us and other cigar media members.  Be sure you check out the Blind Mans Puff website to get the latest in their unique style of collaborative review.

Aaron was smoking a Nomad C-276 as his chosen CotW, and I selected a 2013 La Flor Dominicana Mysterio (now known as TCFKA M….check out the show to find out why).  Both cigars performed admirably during the show, so tune in to get our notes throughout.  After spending the first few minutes talking about BMP, we hit a few news items – including stories from Viaje, Casa Fernandez, Espinosa, and La Flor Dominicana.  We also gave some indepth coverage to a legislative item that deserves more press than it has received this past week – the fact that some folks in our nation’s capital have sent a letter to FDA requesting a change to the proposed regulating date in their restrictions on the cigar/e-cigarette market.  This sounds good on the surface, but has an aspect that concerns me greatly.  I don’t think we can dismiss it as simple good news for our hobby.

Finally, we gave a bit more time that might be customary for what we’ve been smoking.  This was due, in part, to an overlap in our recent cigar escapades – and that we had mixed feelings about a couple of them.  Finally, I wrapped up with a reminder that we would likely be doing another Pipe Show some time in January.  The first attempt at it was well received, and we have gotten a good deal of positive feedback…so we’re going to run with it as a quarterly (ish) feature.

In the next episode we will be featuring an Unbanded stick, so be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on halfashed.com where you can catch us recording and participate in the new and much improved chatroom.  The Unbanded segments are always a good way to find us humbling ourselves.  If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact 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!

Half Ashed Episode 093: Tatuaje La Verite 2008

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Tatuaje La Verite fi

Tatuaje La Verite 2008

Welcome, everyone, to Episode 093 of Half Ashed – featuring the 2008 Tatuaje La Vérité Churchill.  Craig’s description was as follows:  “Tatuaje’s La Verite 2008 Churchill is our CoTW. Released in 2010 to much fanfare, these “single origin” cigars are similar in fashion to the “farm rolled” cigars found throughout Cuba. All components were grown on Jose Garcia’s La Estrella farm in Esteli, Nicaragua and are from the 2008 vintage Habano Criollo (read: Criollo. All Criollo tobacco came from Cuba originally). Besides being a single vintage, single origin cigar, the tobacco used was not aged in bales. After fermentation it was rolled into finished cigars and box aged until sale.”

News

Tune in to find out how it went…and just how our experience went with this cigar.  In the news, we only covered a few stories this week.  Last week was relatively light in cigar news, except for several legislative issues that are coming to a head.  We did have a couple of stories from Tatuaje, and an interesting item from Padilla and Oliva.  Of course, we also spent a little time talking about what we’ve been smoking this week and covered a listener email from Don Hubbell.

Next Episode

In the next episode Craig will be vacationing with Mrs. Schneider in celebration of a milestone birthday (Happy Birthday, Ms. Craig!).  I will be joined by the venerable Aaron Loomis from Blind Mans Puff.  You may remember us mentioning the site over the past few weeks in reference to a series of collaborations we’ve been doing with them.  Be sure to check back in Friday night at 9:30pm EST on our Half Ashed LIVE page, where you can catch the live video feed and join us, as well as other listeners, in the chatroom.  If you would like to contact Craig or myself in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact 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!

Concentrated Atmosphere Review: My Father Lancero

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Concentrated Atmosphere: My Father Lancero (#4)

Welcome everyone, to the first “Concentrated Atmosphere Review” on Half Ashed – for the My Father Lancero (Number 4).  This is the inaugural edition of an ongoing segment we will be publishing concurrently with each episode.  We know there are a lot of folks out there who simply have no interest/time to hang out with us for a 1.5-2 hour show, but might like to just get the straight skinny on our Cigar of the Week.  So, I’ve taken the pertinent portions from Episode 092’s review of the My Father lancero and condensed the show down to only the portions containing our thoughts about the cigar.  This segment may be hit-or-miss depending on available time to carve out the review, but we’ll try to be somewhat consistent.  This week, we actually managed to talk specifically about the cigar for about twenty minutes so the abbreviated version of the show is still pushing that timeframe.  I imagine most weeks it will run 10-15 minutes as we get a feel for purposefully doing this throughout the episode.  Episode 092 was entirely off the cuff; we didn’t even consider doing this until about 3 minutes before broadcast….which means you are definitely getting the quick and dirty format.  No frills, no fancy editing; no fluff.  Just our ramblings about tonight’s cigar.  Of course, you’re all invited to join us each week for the full show…but if you find yourself a bit over committed, you’ll be able to get the condensed version inasmuch as is feasible.  Enjoy!