Craig, Author at Half Ashed

Cuba and the US: Restoring Relations?

January 3, 2015 By Craig

“I care about the recent events with Cuba because I am a human, not because I am a human of Cuban descent.”

That’s what I told a coworker a couple of days after the landmark words from President Obama were spoken on December 17th. I am optimistic about the potential for the Cuban people to have another avenue of hope, their best in 54 years since Eisenhower put the first aspects of what the Cuban government still refers to as “the blockade” into effect.

Keeping Perspective on the President’s Remarks on Cuba

Do I expect anything to be different for us or them in 100 days when things take effect? No, I do not. I feel that the majority of Americans out there are keeping this in perspective but I’ve seen some Facebook posts that talk about people “finally” being able to get their hands on Cuban rum, or “when will Cuban cigars 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 will say this. I DO believe this can be the beginning of the end of the embargo. We need to be very careful, as false steps here can empower those who take office next to claim Obama’s declarations were not only incorrect, but also helpful to the enemy.

What DOES It All Mean?

Much will depend on Kerry’s analysis of Cuba’s status as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” 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) is 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 Marco Rubio and others who want the 29 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 Sponsor of Terrorism” OR sizable 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 2004. He lowered the visit limit, removed the legality of “financial assistance” to Cuban citizens and made it even more difficult to travel to the nation for aid workers. We could go right back there, if not even further.

So, How Did We Get Here?

Cuba and its citizens have been made more of a pawn in the recent years than they ever have been 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 at times in those early stages) it was not as polarizing of a topic as it became later in the Castro regime’s tenure (I understand LBJ held office. It is 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 able to corroborate this 100% but I don’t believe there have been public declarations from the POTUS as strongly worded as those shared Wednesday the 17th, 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.

On December 20th at the bi-annual meeting of the Cuban National Assembly Raul Castro commented much about the change in policy between the two nations. He strongly denounced encouragement from Obama to reform Cuba’s communist government & economy but on multiple occasions commended the President’s willingness to start the most striking change to policy in over 50 years.

In a NY Times article published after Castro’s address, Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a Cuban diplomat, said that Castro’s words addressed “domestic politics”.

A connection was made between both governments postulating that conservative idealists in each country thought their respective nations had yielded too much. Frankly, this idea was new to me. Understandably Raul’s political position is not as questionable as Obama’s, but it still has a faction of fragility. The article cements this point by summarizing Treto as follows:

“…Just as Mr. Obama must contend with Cuban-American lawmakers who are angry about the deal, Mr. Castro faces opposition from more conservative party members who recall that Cuba’s previous stance, established in the 1960s, was to hold off resuming relations until the United States lifted its trade embargo completely.”

In my opinion, it’s logical to think that the wheels started turning on this entire process in 2008 (shortly after Raul formally assumed power) when Raul announced major improvements to personal freedoms for Cubans. These “human rights” included the ability for Cuban citizens to obtain a passport, start a business, own property & purchase electronic consumer goods. The baby steps paved the way for the Obama administration to give a little in response.

In 2009, Obama rescinded many of the Bush admin’s travel restrictions and allowed “unlimited funds” to be sent to anyone in Cuba for aide. It really was the first steps taken by the two new administrations to show that they were each ready to act. That was until Alan Gross was arrested later that year.

Formally the U.S. Government stated that no further communications would be made until Gross was released. He was tried and convicted of “undermining the integrity & independence of Cuba” by bringing illegal satellite communications equipment to the island. Relations stalled. Nothing would progress as Cuba viewed their position as just, and the U.S. was not willing to move the line drawn in the sand.

Fast forward to December 2014 and Gross has been released, communication is starting and both parties seem willing to make attempts to continue improving relations. If Gross had not been detained could the landmark deal brokered by Canada and the Vatican have occurred in 2010 instead of 2014? Did we really just extend a trail of progress out 4 years instead of starting fresh just now? I personally believe this to be the case. We wanted Gross but we thought he was guilty and didn’t want to force international support on a case we couldn’t win. It was a political line we could not waver on and another example of the “domestic politics” that needed looking after.

What Does the Future Hold?

With all major roadblocks removed from the pathway to normalization, I expect 2015 to continue demonstrating improvements on both sides of the Gulf of Mexico. Travel permits could become increasingly easy to obtain for island travel and human rights improvements could easily continue to improve on the island. We shall see. I hope to have insight from experts on this topic in a future article to be published later in the month.

2015 will bring a visit from the United States Secretary of State to Havana, the first time such a visit has occurred in 57 years. It will also put the Presidents of both nations at the Summit of the Americas this April for the first time since 1962. Many have speculated that further communication could take place at such a gathering.

Is this the beginning of the end for the Cuban Embargo? Only time will tell if this is the case but it certainly appears that an avenue of hope has begun to be paved for Cuban citizens. Normalized relations between our two nations, with plenty of Cuban rum & cigars to go around, could be right around the corner.

So, what are your thoughts? Is this the beginning of the end for broken relations between our two countries? Or, just chatter? Leave a comment below or drop me an email to [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!

Cigar Review: Chigringo Reloaded

November 15, 2014 By Craig

Some people are lucky enough to have the opportunity to blend a cigar once in their lives. I’ve had the absolute good fortune to do it twice. I am blessed. How many people have two chances to prove their ineptitude to the world?

The Reloaded is a gorgeous looking traditional CG rolled and blended at Drew Estate’s Esteli factory in January of 2010. I wasn’t on a Cigar Safari trip, per say, but did reap the benefits (and generosity) of staying as a guest of Jon Drew, courtesy of a Cigar Tourism trip.

I’m always perplexed by this cigar. It’s wrapped in a stunning Ecuadorian grown Connie. Why? It ISN’T a lonsdale or corona. Why? And it has no ligero. Why? I know I intended the blend to be more of a learning experience than a fun experience, but cramming three anomalies into one stick still to this day seems like a mistake. Nonetheless, I do sense clear influence from each of my choices.

The blend is unique. The aforementioned Connecticut sits upon a San Andres negro binder. The filler consists of five partial leaves: 2 parts Esteli corojo seco, 2 parts Esteli criollo-98 viso and 1 part Dominican piloto cubano seco.

Part one of my odd decisions was to forego the use of ligero in the blend. I didn’t want anything with much nicotine. If you’re a fan of the show, you know I really don’t tolerate the vile drug well. I had read years ago that no Cuban lancero is blended with ligero. They still “feel” strong but don’t pack the punch of being nic heavy. I was never really sure if that was true so I thought this a fine opportunity to test the theory: could a cigar still seem strong without an upper priming?

Part two of the experiment wrapped my blend in a wrapper I typically do not reach for, the Connecticut shade. The theory here was that I didn’t really want to impart “flavor” to the blend. I wanted it to stand alone. Listen up. I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to tell me that Connecticut tends to add a prolific sour crispness to a cigar. You’re right. The fact is, it’s so odd that it stands apart. It never really was meant to blend together.

The final anomaly is the vitola. Why, oh, why would I choose a ring larger than a 42? I preach on the elegance of coronas and lonsdales and their purity of blend. If I wanted to focus on that purity why change? The reason is simple. I didn’t want to increase the percentage of wrapper to filler. A Corona Gorda was a good compromise of size to purity.

This all plays together in a rather crazy way. The filler does truly stand apart from the wrapper but after nearly five years, both aspects of the cigar have grown into their shoes. The cigar still does feel strong, just as it always has. The wrapper is still tart. The thing is, this has become a marriage of opposite attraction. The “Frankenstein’s Monster” of cigar experiments has grown into a civilized member of society within my humidor. It is no longer just an experiment but also an interesting cigar.

Flavors danced around from dusty cocoa, to brown sugar to meaty char. All of those flavors paring well with a tart, almost lemon like crispness. The construction was flawless, including both burn and draw. Absolutely zero deductions.

Pros

A Learning Experience
Fun to Smoke

Cons

Educational but boring
Connecticut. Yuck!

Episode Epilogue: A. Fuente Sungrown 858

February 8, 2013 By Craig

Half Ashed epilogue review for The Cigarmy
Arturo Fuente Sungrown 858
February 8th, 2013
Inaugural episode/review

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the featured cigar for our inaugural episode of Half Ashed. I also reviewed this cigar in the early days of The Cigarmy. You can find that review here.]

Hello cyber cigar world. Over the next however many episodes of the Half Ashed Cigar Podcast we’ll be accompanying our weekly episodes with a written review of the featured cigar. You’ll quickly realize that I have no format, no form, no skill really, just the uninhibited passion of a man and his love for cigars. You’ll quickly realize to listen to what I mean rather than hearing what I say. I’m sure I’ll open a few eyes and perhaps even teach you a thing or two. Most of all I think you’ll enjoy the ride that we’ll be on together.

The idea of an accompanying review is to point out that there is a difference between a cigar you smoke and one that you review. On the show we’ll be furiously trying our best to sound entertaining and it’s quite possible that the cigar itself will just be smoked. These epilogue submissions not only help paint a clearer picture of what the cigar brings to the table, but really (to me at least) are meant to emphasize that smoking one cigar alone does not constitute an adequate qualification for a review. To know what the cigar really means to convey, you must smoke multiple samples. Hopefully, you can smoke many of them, from multiple boxes and different releases. Only then can you claim to start knowing what that cigar intends to provide. While Kip and I are only smoking 2 or 3 specimens on a weekly basis, the first year of our reviews is at least half dedicated to cigars we know and love already. Thus qualifying us to provide a review that can stand for more than just a one-off opinion.

In the case of our inaugural review, Kip and I are smoking the Arturo Fuente 858 Sungrown; Kip’s suggestion. One final bit of pertinent background information follows. Each week that we review one of our own “favorites”, one of us will be new(er) to the cigar and the other will be the expert. Since this is Kip’s recommendation (and a mighty fine one it is), I’ll be providing the supplemental review to expand upon his sage words of expertise. Sit back, relax and get ready to have your mind blown. When Kip Fisher puts his fingers to the keyboard, we’re all in for a treat. He is a master of the written review, and if we’re lucky, he’ll knock his live reviews on-air out of the park, too. Without further ado, my thoughts on the 858

Right after lighting this cigar has the sweet baking spice I love from Fuente. Dominican tobacco can provide a depth of flavor that rivals anywhere else in the world, to my palate. This 858 is a prime example. Deep richness and a slight syrup-like sweetness are immediately present. Upon opening up, the sweetness drops an octave and brings the dried fruit depth of flavor in spades. I think dried sour cherry and mint emerge as the first third gracefully exits. There’s an obvious tannic void which reminds me more and more of something that’s obvious, solely by not being there. Imagine a slice of pizza that you’ve sopped all the grease from. It’s still pizza but you know there’s something missing. The void is almost always accompanied by a shortness on the palate of a certain flavor. It’s there and then immediately it’s gone. For some reason I love this in a cigar. It must be a mental thing after having aged enough cigars throughout the years to know that it’s a sign of good things to come. This cigar has the new(er) Fuente band on it which means its post 2011 (Kip, correct me on that date). I can’t help but think that a SG from early winter 2008 would be pretty epic right about now.

Fuente has a typical flavor I usually can spot in their cigars. A friend of mine says he can always taste a vegetal type flavor in anything Kelner blends and I can say the same for what is arguably the most well-respected premium cigar brand in the US. I don’t know quite what I always taste in Fuentes but it’s there. Maybe throughout the lifetime of this show I’ll figure it out. Let’s call it homework…

The 858 is smoking like a dream; moderate tempo, proper draw, cool temperature, good burn, all the hallmarks of a great cigar. Admittedly, I don’t think I’m rewriting history with those statements but it should be noted that this cigar does not receive poor marks for those items which typically only hurt a cigar. Into the final third the performance continues to be strong and the flavors continue to develop. The sweetness now is brighter and resembles an apricot. It seems to have lined up, or melded with the tannic nature. I think the short finish and crisp nature of the flavor point to that.

Finishing up, I’m amazed at how the flavors transition in this cigar. I expect it to be richer, more tobacco centered and even slightly dark. The fact that it transitions into “softer” flavors, crisp and tannic in nature is art at its finest. But that’s the thing about blending tobacco, it’s never just art. It is such a skillful thing. Man, I love it.