Kip Fisher - Co-Founder, Author at Half Ashed

Episode 028: Skip Martin of RoMaCraft Tobac

August 18, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Welcome to Half Ashed Episode 028, everyone. This week, we had an surprise visit with Skip Martin, of RoMaCraft Tobac – makers of such fine cigar lines as the Cro Magnon, Intemperance, and Aquitaine. Both Craig and I are huge fans of the RoMaCraft lineup, as well as Skip and his business partner Michael Rosales. I personally smoke enough of the Intemperance and Aquitaine that I could probably support the investment of shelf space from a local Tampa area retailer (that’s a big hint for all you Tampa area brick & mortar shops). This week’s show is a wealth of good information from Skip about the heart and soul behind RoMaCraft: the tobacco, the cigars, and the people. Moreso than with just about any other company today, I am impressed with the dedication and forethought invested by the RoMaCraft team into the assurance that they are releasing a quality product into the marketplace that carries a great deal of value to the consumer. I hope you all will give the show a listen; you are sure to pick up a heavy dose of what RoMaCraft is all about…and no small amount of fun to boot. Skip is a wealth of information, wisdom, and wit. This is one of the most entertaining 2+ hours Craig and I have had in a show to date.

We cover a few bits of industry information as well – some important legislative moves that are going on around the country and with our Canadian neighbors to the North. Our cigar of the week is the Oliva Masterblends I from 2003, which we discuss a few times throughout the show. It turns out, this cigar has not lost its potency over the past decade (just ask Craig).

Next week, we’ll be joined by Jeff & Nada Jumper of Nadi Cigars, so be sure to check back in then to learn what they have to offer. If you aren’t familiar with Nadi, you should be. If that’s the case, be sure you listen to get the scoop on them. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [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), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available at the CigFed Half Ashed Video Archive.

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!

Episode 027: Unbanded Cigar Number 007

August 10, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Welcome back to Episode 027 of Half Ashed. This week, we’re smoking our cigars shaken; not stirred. We take a look at Unbanded 007, submitted by Dan Crouch (Thanks, DC!). In another of DC’s experiments with this segment, he submitted two vitolas from the same line – a corona and a robusto. We found marked differences between the two. Tune in to the show to get the grand reveal, and our thoughts on both cigars.

A big thanks is due and given to those folks who submitted recommendations and submissions for the Unbanded segment this week (as us how if you’d like to do the same). In this week’s cigar news, we talk a bit about this year’s annual release of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare, Erez Cigars’ “Unsmokeable” cigar, Avo Uvezian’s car accident, the newest vitola released in the Cuenca 5 Anniversary series (hoowahh!), an upcoming release from Steve Ysidron’s Epicurean Cigars, and the announcement of CFC2014. Kip in particular is excited to be planning another trip to the beautiful Dominican Republic for this latest even. We also covered what we’ve been smoking, a couple of random thoughts from Kip – which will likely get him into some trouble, and went over the deep end of tobacco chemistry in our listener emails.

Episode 026: The ChiGringo

August 7, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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This week on Half Ashed, we take a look at the INfamous (that means more than famous, you know….) ChiGringo, blended by my illustrious cohost Craig Schneider himself. Here’s what Craig has to say about the ChiGringo:

In February of 2008 I traveled to Danli Honduras for what was meant to be only a leisurely getaway. After one week, a lot of rum and dozens of cigars I left with a customized blend from the GR Tobacos Unidas factory on order. These cigars are the final product shipped to me in May of that year. The wrapper is a Nicaraguan Rosado Habano leaf grown in Jalapa and filler is Nicaraguan grown Jalapa corojo tobacco with other tobaccos from Columbia & Panama. The exact blend is gone but these seem to stand out in my mind.

After smoking the ChiGringo, I have to say that Craig has been far too critical of his efforts in the past. I actually enjoyed it, in fact….even with the sudden jolt of the most sneaky, insidious, profuse nicotine dose I’ve experienced in a while. I never saw it coming…one moment I was smoking along just minding my own business; the next, I was waking up from a nico-nap. It just….”happened.” No cold sweats, no dizziness; just the sudden realization that I’d been had. Nonetheless, I had a pleasant experience with both examples this week. Tune in to the show to get our collective remarks about the blend specifically.

We also cover a few news items, what we’ve been smoking, and almost got to the listener emails. We were cut about 10 minutes short by a pretty intense lightning storm at my house. We’ll cover those emails on this week’s episode – which, by the way, will be an official “LIVE” show this Friday night at 9pm EST. Tune in to that as normal via Cigar Federation, or the means below. If you make it to the live show, you can participate in the live chat with us and rest of the regular folks Friday night.

Cigar Review: Viva Republica Rapture Maduro

August 7, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Viva Republica Rapture Maduro “Revel”

I stopped by the Viva Republica booth at IPCPR not really knowing much of the company. After speaking with them, and doing a bit of browsing around their website, it turns out the company’s origin lies in a partnership owner Jason Holly has built with La Aurora, who is producing the cigars for him. Making their second IPCPR appearance this year, they are introducing two new offerings into their stable – a maduro version of their existing “Rapture” series, and the “Guerrilla Warfare,” a 4″X41 petit corona containing a 5-country blend of tobaccos. The Rapture Maduro will be available in the same four vitolas as the original – Perdition 4.5″X50, Revel 5.5″X54, Exodus 6.25″X52, Harasha 6″X58, with MSRP ranging from $7.80-9.00. Today, I’m smoking the Revel (MSRP $8.40), available in boxes of 20. This is the second I’ve smoked from the line, provided by Viva Republica. It carries a Mexican San Andres wrapper, covering a DR Corojo Ligero-bound filler blend from Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru, and the Dominican Republic.

Prelight Appearance, Construction, Taste

In giving the Revel a cursory exam, the depth and consistency of color in the deep, dark-brown wrapper is striking. The wrapper has just enough oil to provide a silky feel, but not so much as to be moist to the touch. It is moderately veiny, with just a couple of significant veins present in the leaf. I don’t find any soft/hard spots; in fact, the density is very uniform throughout the length of the cigar. Before lighting, I find the resistance to be in the sweet spot for my personal tastes. It is slightly deliberate but free. The prelight aroma is of sweet hay along the wrapper, and a bit “darker” at the foot – with some raisin-like flavors shining through.

The Smoke

At first light, the initial puffs produce a caramel-reminiscent sweetness; almost – but not quite – sweetened cocoa, tempered with the slightest bit of spice through the nose; a full retrohale showcases this spice a bit more – but it’s never dominant. By the end of the first inch, what spice was present earlier has almost completely dissipated; it begins to transition into a hardwood forest-floor earthiness. It reminds me of the aroma from a forest after a steady rain. The burn has been quite well behaved, providing a mottled gray and white ash with a flaky appearance but solid in character. It is releasing voluminous amounts of mouth-coating smoke. This smoke really sticks to the palate, providing a nice, long-lasting oaken finish.

Going into the middle portion of the cigar, the Rapture Maduro is fairly uneventful as far as flavor changes are concerned. It remains predominantly framed by the pleasant earthiness mentioned in the first segment of smoking. But, in all honesty, if it’s already a pleasant experience, why would you want to go changing? Nearing the final third, I do find it becoming more woodsy and less “forest-floor” in character. This lighter, more woodsy earthiness becomes the predominant flavor family during the final third. The strength also picks up a notch. In fact, a couple of notches. It never becomes overpowering, but the potency will become noticeably stronger during the final stretch.

The Wrap

If you read The Cigarmy with any regularity, you have likely noted that I tend to publish reviews for cigars that make an impression on me as standouts from more pedestrian fare. The Viva Republica Rapture Maduro is no exception. Having developed an affinity for San Andres wrapper leaf over the past 18 or so months, I have come to hold great expectations when I see it listed in blend details, and the Rapture Maduro did not disappoint. The early sweetness and subsequent earthy tone of the cigar were very enjoyable, and with near perfect construction I found the experience to be remarkable. While visiting the Viva Republica booth, an emphasis was made on the relationship between Jason Holly and the folks at La Aurora, and how he has near carte-blanche access to component leaf for blending. This carries through in the final product. I would never have identified this as a La Aurora cigar had it been an unbanded stick. I can only assume that is due to the personal preferences and hands-on presence in the blending process afforded to Jason Holly and the Viva Republica folks, rather than simply ordering up some vague notion of what they would like to have in a cigar and taking what is delivered. They have done an excellent job with this line, and I can only give it the highest recommendation. I foresee it becoming a regular part of my San Andres rotation, when in the mood for it. For my tastes, it is worthy of a box purchase, and I hope to see it on my local shop’s shelves soon…

Episode 025: Casa Magna Domus Magnus Optimus

August 1, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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After a week or so hiatus courtesy of my web hosting provider, I believe the site is returning to normal. I have also posted the first in a series of articles covering some new (and not so new) folks at IPCPR2013 in Las Vegas. ~~You can find that via the menu across the top of the page, or here.~~

Casa Magna Domus Magnus

Since I am currently on the road and having to post this with my phone (more on that below), I’ll limit the written description of the most recent episode of Half Ashed. Our Cigar of the Week was the Casa Magna Domus Magnus Optimus. We covered a few more items from IPCPR 2013, as well as a number of recent industry news stories, what we’ve been smoking, and several listener emails. So, tune in to the show to get all that….and be sure to come back next week!

At the moment, I am in Chattanooga, for CHATWEETUP2013. Three days of cigars, cigar people, and just hanging out. If any of you happen to be here, come find me….I’ll spot you a good cigar! We will be attempting to record some sort of show during the Tweetup – if that doesn’t work out, it might be a little later.

If you would like to contact us, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [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), or find us on iTunes to subscribe.

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!

Episode 024: IPCPR Wrap Up and Unbanded #006

July 24, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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After some traveling delays and such, we’re back this week with Episode 024 of Half Ashed. Thank you for tuning in to our ramblings once again. This week, we’re focused on a quick summary of my trip to last week’s IPCPR 2013 tradeshow, as well as an Unbanded – Number 006, provided by Jeff Curtis (thanks, Jeff!). We also cover just a bit of news and a couple of listener emails, so tune in and enjoy!

I changed horses mid-stream at the show, and took a bit of a different approach than I had anticipated, which we describe during the show – I opted to cover a number of booths that were not even on my radar beforehand. Some of these are first time exhibitors, some have previously attended but have not yet seen vast growth, and others might simply not have national distribution – all are companies to watch for sure, as I believe many will make a mark in the coming days. For this show, we discussed those listed below, but there will be a great deal of written content here on The Cigarmy over the next couple of weeks detailing quite a few more. I managed to visit 50+ exhibitors, and have some really cool stuff to share that’s on the horizon, as well as some favorite picks for upcoming cigars….

Companies we (very quickly) covered on this Episode:

Viva Republica
Casa Fernandez
Aging Room
Drew Estate
Oliva/Padilla
RomaCraft
J. Fuego
Exactus
House of Emilio
La Jugada
Arandoza
Cordoba y Morales
Flor de Gonzalez
Table 36
Jameson
Capadura
Hoja de Flores

We covered a good bit more during the show – various topics of interest this week, what we’ve been smoking, etc. Tune in to get the entire story on those items as well.

Be sure you all come back later this week for Episode 025, when we will be taking a look at the Casa Magna Domus Magnus as our Cigar of the Week. I will tweet/post the exact time and date once we finalize it. In the meantime, if you would like to contact us, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [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), or find us on iTunes to subscribe.

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!

Episode 023: Ezra Zion Eminence

July 19, 2013 By Kip Fisher

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Good evening, folks. Welcome to another episode of Half Ashed. I apologize in advance for such a late publication. We actually recorded this show during IPCPR last Sunday, but I have since been traveling without an internet connection; thus, I had an inability to post up the audio. The video from this show is available on our YouTube channel in its unedited form – about 10-15 minutes of which has no video/only audio. We experienced some early issues with connectivity and killed the video to save bandwidth on the convention hall’s wifi. We subsequently turned it back on, so I have left it posted for those who might want to look at our ugly mugs. We covered a number of news items, as well as some early IPCPR stories – although this was actually recorded in the first 3 hours of the tradeshow (so news was very limited at that time).

Ezra Zion Eminence

Our cigar of the week was the upcoming Ezra Zion Eminence, which we greatly enjoyed and covered our tasting notes near the end of this abbreviated show. We will be recording Episode 024 this upcoming Tuesday (July 23) once I have returned from a family trip….and I will make every effort to have that posted almost immediately. As a sidenote, this will be an episode you definitely want to catch. We’ll be covering a great deal of news from IPCPR 2013, with coverage on quite a few new releases and great cigars I had the chance to try while there.

Episode 024 should be posted in a much more timely fashion than Episode 023. You can join us live while we record if you’d like as well – Tuesday night July 23rd. Follow my Twitter feed @The_Cigarmy and I’ll post the exact timing. In the meantime, if you would like to contact us, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [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! 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), or find us on iTunes to subscribe. Video, as always, will be available on our 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!

Press Release: Gary Griffith & Bodega Cigars’ Distribution Agreement

July 19, 2013 By Kip Fisher

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
IPCPR – July 16, 2013 – Gino Domanico (aka @Cigar_G), Co-Founder and CEO of Bodega Premium Blends (BPB), and Gary Griffith, owner of House of Emilio, announced today they have entered into a distribution agreement.

House of Emilio has a long and successful history in promoting the “Best of the boutiques”. Through this partnership BPB is proud to share their vision of the authentic cigar experience.

BPB’s signature line – Reunión – is designed around fellowship – gathering, connectedness and friendship. It features two blends both from Nicaragua, a country that has emerged as the rising star of the cigar world. Reunión will be available in three vitolas.

The shared goal of both companies is to bring BPB’s product portfolio to market with a focus on innovation, social media, brand expansion and awareness.

“We couldn’t be happier partnering with Gary and his team. Gary believes in us and our project”, says Domanico.

BPB offers blends that embody the company’s passion and commitment to the “cigar experience”. Their philosophy is to capture how and when people enjoy cigars and reflect this essence in their blends.

“The BPB brand as well as Gino’s involvement is a key addition to the family of House of Emilio” stated Griffith.

Contact:

Emilio Cigars
 Gary Griffith: @EmilioCigar

Bodega Premium Blends: @Cigar_G

Cigar Review: Leccia Tobacco Black robusto

July 9, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Leccia Black background

Some of you will remember that we had Sam Leccia on Half Ashed (Episode 010) earlier this year. That was just before Sam’s new cigars launched, so we weren’t able to procure any of them at the time. I have since been able to purchase a few on one of my trips to South Florida, so today we’re taking a look at the Black. The Black is made in the Dominican Republic and has a habano wrapper, Nicaraguan Rosado binder, and a filler blend containing ligero from Esteli, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, as well as Brazilian Mata Fina and a half leaf of “Dark Fire”. According to Sam, “Dark Fire is wood fire cured giving the tobacco a smoked whisky flavor and aroma. Very complex notes of spices and charred oak.”

I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions that the fire curing process, and the tobacco it produces, intrigue me to no end. I am familiar with the various iterations of fire cured leaf that makes an appearance in pipe tobaccos, but until very recently had never seen it used in a premium cigar. The Black may very well be a harbinger or bellwether of things to come – as I’ve now seen a couple other cigars in the works that will/do contain some type of fire cured tobacco. In any event, today’s example is the 552 (5″X52) from the Black lineup – which retails for approximately $8 in South Florida. The line is also available in 4″X46, 6″X50, and 6″X60 – and is distributed by Torano. All that being said, let’s fire up the fire-cured….

The Smoke

The Black is medium brown in color, with a slightly golden hue. I find no soft/hard spots across the length in any of the four I have now smoked. The draw has been exceptional as well. Actually, the construction has been spot-on in all examples.

Before lighting, I find a pleasantly savory draw. The uniqueness of the fire-cured is most prominent on the draw and the aroma at the foot, and reminds me of some oriental blends of pipe tobacco (for those versed in pipe tobacco, I do NOT draw any correlation to typical flavored tobaccos; my intent here is that it reminds me of traditionally (also fire-) cured oriental tobaccos – in particular, some of the regional component varietals common in the near/middle east). The aroma on the wrapper is less pronounced, with a slight barnyard bent.

The initial puffs produce a great deal of smoke and a good bit more spice than expected. The spice is nicely controlled, and doesn’t even approach the nasal napalm found in some Nicaraguan blends. During the first inch or so, the spice continues, remaining very pleasant with the slightest bit of smoky sweetness on the finish. I have noticed a trend in the Black for carrying a bit of a scalloped burn, but overall it has been quite well-behaved. The smokiness of the Dark Fire is far more subdued than I had expected. In single malt circles, it would be more akin to Dalwhinnie than Laphroag. It is clearly present, but with an almost honey sweetened overtone rather than in-your-face or shrill peat.

Into the second third, I think this cigar really comes into its own and shines. It provides tons of chewy, leathery, smoky goodness. Again, I find myself surprised at the subtlety of the Dark Fired – probably because I had expected it to be more pronounced. The leather that comes into play during this portion is very complementary to the sweet smoky flavor palette, and provides a clean backdrop to just sit back and enjoy the smoke.

In the final stretch, I notice a slight uptick in the strength – but still within the medium range to my constitution. The sweetness has subdued, but still lingers pleasingly on the finish. I’ve seen wildly varying impressions of this blend – there are those who think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, and those who think it’s an offense against nature to try something so out of the ordinary with a cigar. I happen to fall into the former camp. With each of these I’ve smoked, I find myself increasingly enamored with it. It’s simply a cigar to just sit back and enjoy the ride. In fact, I am having to resist that urge just to allow for the distraction of writing a review…

Summary

I was surprised by the subtlety of the Dark Fire, based on my preliminary impressions of what this cigar might be. This subtlety is what makes the blend a homerun. Had Sam chosen to make something more brash that single-mindedly drew attention to the fire cured leaf, it might have strayed into being seen as a gimmick or marketing ploy. As it is, I find it to be a very interesting new addition to the blending lexicon. The Black is a fantastic foray into the use of something different – without taking away from traditional cigar flavor profiles. I don’t assign numerical values in my reviews, opting to just describe my experience with a cigar in terms of construction, value, flavors, availability, etc. – but if I did, the Black would rank exceedingly high on any scale. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Anyone. This is a cigar you owe it to yourself to try.

News: Herrera Cigars & Drew Estate Settle Trademark Dispute

July 8, 2013 By Kip Fisher

Herrera Cigars & Drew Estate Settle HERRERA Trademark Dispute

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIAMI, Florida (July 8, 2013) – Long time friends Frank Herrera of Herrera Cigars and Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate announced today that they have settled a dispute over the HERRERA trademark.

While the terms of the settlement are confidential, the agreement focuses on protecting the HERRERA brand under a license. Hispanic surnames are powerful indicators of quality in the premium cigar industry, and both parties have mutually agreed to protect the trademark HERRERA.

“This is a great example of how disputes can be resolved quickly and efficiently when cigar people get together, and find a mutually agreeable solution,” said Frank Herrera of Herrera Cigars. “I have worked for years in the cigar industry building my name and I believe that the agreement entered into today will serve that purpose and protect it for the future.” Frank Herrera added.

Jonathan Drew, Co-Founder of Drew Estate adds,

“I believe in the cigar community, the industry personalities, and the subculture that supports and sustains its very core. Frank Herrera is a dear friend of mine, whom I respect greatly. The difficult circumstance arose when we brought Willy Herrera on board with Drew Estate and both men obviously felt entitled to the Herrera name. It took us a little while to work out the details due to our busy schedules – but in the end we found a solution that allows both men to reach for the stars and achieve their deserved dreams. DE is now comfortable licensing the mark from Frank in this Co-existence agreement. At Drew Estate we have always promoted innovation and creativity within the cigar biz. Legal nonsense just gets in the way”.

Frank Herrera has specialized in cigar law matters for over 12 years, and over the past 5 years has offered cigars under the LA CARIDAD DEL COBRE brand and later under the FRANK HERRERA BIOGRAPHY brand.

Willy Herrera joined Drew Estate in 2011 and will continue to produce HERRERA ESTELI and future products at the Drew Estate factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.

Both Frank Herreraʼs HERRERA Cigars and Drew Estateʼs HERRERA ESTELI will be featured at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (“IPCPR”) Convention and International Trade Show in July.