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Half Ashed Episode 102: Robaina Farm Roll

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Robaina Farm Rolled Cañonazo

Welcome to another fun- and (mostly) fact-filled episode of Half Ashed.  This week, we’re smoking the 2005 Robaina Farm Rolled Cañonazo.  Craig describes it thusly:

A beautifully delicate cigar of 6-⅛” x 54. An incredibly delicate wrapper closes the foot of this nutty and fruity tasting cigar rolled, and grown completely, at the Robaina farm in Pinar del Rio. The plantation, known as Cuchillas de barbacoa, was run at the time by famed Cuban tobacco man, Alejandro Robaina. These cigars are from early in 2005 and have been in my possession since. These are polarizing, to say the least, but have a long history of being a destination cigar of those visiting Havana and the tobacco growing region of Vuelto Abajo.

News

In the news, we covered several noteworthy items including:

Eddie Ortega (Ortega Cigars), Sean Williams (El Primer Mundo), and Erik Espinosa (La Zona/Espinosa) are gearing up for a very interesting venture wherein they trade around blending styles and manufacturing capacity.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson has introduced a bill aimed at protecting premium cigars.

Gurkha throws their hat in the ring with the Maharaja, another “Ultra Premium” cigar….set to retail around the $500 mark.  Per stick.  You read that right.

Black Label Trading Company is expanding their footprint with a new factory in Esteli.

Finally, we had an update on 2015 February pricing changes around the industry.  They are beginning to trickle out.

What We’ve Been Smoking

Craig – RoMaCraft CroMagnon Mode 5 and Intemperance EC XXI, Jose Blanco’s Señorial, and the Casa Trompeta “Bahia” South America

Kip – Fuente’s Casa Cuba revisited, Sam Leccia’s Luchador, and the Fuente Don Carlos “Sr. Blend”

Listener Email

We reviewed one listener email, from Frank Halayko:

I have noticed a problem with my cigars since I have arrived in Florida, I keep getting tar at the head of the cigar after less than half the cigar is gone. I have been using the Xikar V-Cutter and really like it for about 8 months. After a week in Florida I have noticed a sharp increase in tar coming out of my cigars about 70%, I was wondering if the travel, Humidity I am smoking in, or just the shallowness of the cut is doing this, I am getting paranoid so I check them frequently so I don’t get it in my mouth but still a Pain in the butt???  I also posted it in the Forum under show questions

Wrap Up

We wrapped up with the announcement of our recent giveaway winners – congrats to Officer Paul and Ian Winchester!  Your prizes are on the way.

Next episode we will be featuring the AJ Fernandez New World.  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] [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 [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: La Palina Releases 2nd Goldie-The Laguito No.5

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Goldie Drell Paley, the namesake of La Palina cigars, was the wife of Samuel Paley, who founded the company in 1896. Bill Paley, Sam’s grandson and current owner, created The La Palina Collection Goldie to celebrate the history, contributions and accomplishments of women in the cigar industry. Bill is proud to present the initial release of the new Goldie in late May, with a second release in August of 2013. The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 will be limited to 2500 numbered boxes.

Produced at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, the Goldie is made under the supervision of owner Sandra Cobas. The La Palina Goldie Laguito No.5 will be a 5 5/8 x 54 cigar and presented in boxes of 10.

Master roller Maria Sierra, who will have signed each numbered box, rolled the entire La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 release. Maria was one of the first women trained to roll cigars in Cuba. Her historic 32 year career at Villa El Laguito began July 22, 1967. Maria is a 95 rated, category 9 roller trained by Fidel Castro’s personal roller Eduardo Rivera Irizarri, as well as Avelino Lara, the creator of the legendary Cohiba blend.

Each cigar is finished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants.

The La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 embodies the tradition, expertise and passion of women in the cigar industry.

Bill Paley and La Palina will debut the La Palina Collection Goldie Laguito No.5 at Nat Sherman International in NYC on May 9, 2013. Maria Sierra will be rolling the Goldie Laguito No.5 at the event. Please contact Nat Sherman 1-800-MY-CIGAR regarding attendance. The May release will be limited to 1000 boxes, and distributed to select accounts across the country. The rest of the release will become available sometime in August.