Sumatra | Half Ashed

TL Johnson: 2016 Outlook

April 5, 2016 By Kip Fisher

Top to Bottom: TLJ Reserva Sumatra, TLJ Legend Reserve, Connecticut Counsellor

In the works for TL Johnson…

One of the advantages of living in Cigar Country is that many of the Dominican cigar factories are a 10 minute drive from my house. So, I occasionally have the opportunity to stop by for a visit to check in and see what’s new and upcoming. I knew Terry Johnson was in town at the moment, so I dropped by Tabacalera TL Johnson yesterday and had the chance to catch up with him for a while. Terry tells me he has quite a few projects in the works for this year. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of his work since opening his factory last year. I got the chance to look over and smoke some of his new projects yesterday…and my appreciation for the work continues.¹

I’ve been vocal on Half Ashed that I believe he’s doing all the right things to get TLJ into a position of prominence within the industry. He’s laid a groundwork of producing a quality product and controlled the growth of his brand so as not to outpace his capacity. The quality control is on par, his leaf inventory is solid and sustainable for controlled growth, the blends are well thought-out, and he has assembled a good team with which to work.

I had the opportunity to look over some of the currently-under-development packaging and cigars. I’ll withhold pictures of the packaging pending revision. While there, we smoked the reblended TLJ Reserva and Legend Reserve. I also came back with a Connecticut version of the recently released Counsellor as well. Here’s the quick 40,000-ft overview of some upcoming projects….

TLJ Reserva Sumatra

The TLJ Reserva Sumatra comes with a Sumatran wrapper over all Dominican binder and filler. I found it to be very clean on the palate, with a prominent cedar component and a slight sweetness that intermittently came into play throughout.

TLJ Legend Reserve

The ’63 is being dropped from the name, and the blend for the line has been tweaked. It has a San Andres wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. This may actually be my new favorite cigar from his range. It provided a flavor profile that was quite dark and sweet, with some raisin and date flavors that were astoundingly good for my tastes.

Counsellor Connecticut

The Counsellor line is available at the moment in a San Andres wrapper, but will soon add a Connecticut wrapped version. I have not yet lit this one up, but look forward to it based on some of Terry’s other CT work I sampled back in January. I will report back via our forum once I’ve had the chance to give it a fair shake. Besides the Connecticut wrapper, it carries Connecticut Ecuador binder and all Dominican filler.

All three blends contain most/all tobacco grown by TL Johnson & Co. The TLJ Legend Reserve contains one particular pilot varietal solely produced by TLJ. All of these should be shipping as we near the IPCPR tradeshow this July.

Going Forward

I contend that 2016 could very well be a pivotal year in the development of Tabacalera TL Johnson. They have picked up production of several lines for a number of shop/house blends, as well as Tarazona and a couple other boutique companies. I believe some of the early groundwork and patience will pay off, and the foothold they have enjoyed in regional pockets will expand over the next 12 months. I’m looking forward to these and other upcoming projects Terry’s not yet willing to talk about publicly. If nothing else, I’m anxiously awaiting ready availability of the new TL Johnson Legend Reserve. These early samples are phenomenal….

¹ – Terry has appeared on our show as a guest (way back on Episode 021), but as you may know we don’t sell advertising on Half Ashed to avoid any real or perceived bias due to monetary factors…so while the opinions expressed here are personal to me, they’re based on my enjoyment of what I consider a good product.

Punch Rare Corojo Returns for 2016

February 17, 2016 By Kip Fisher

2016 Punch Rare Corojo with New Frontmark

General Cigar has announced that the annual return of the Punch Rare Corojo has begun. A new limited frontmark will be added to the lineup, while one of the former sizes is being retired.

This year, an addition comes to the line in the form of the Regalias Perfecto, a 7.25” x 54 perfecto, exclusively available as part of a trade offer. The Regalias Perfecto will come in 10-count wooden boxes and carries a suggested retail price of $7.99 per cigar.

The existing 6.75″ x 48 Double Corona will be retired after this year’s production allotment has been exhausted.

The Rare Corojo line is rolled in Honduras and features an Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. This wrapper leaf is grown in limited quantity, and are attributed with giving the Punch Rare Corojo its uniquely smooth taste. The binder is Connecticut Broadleaf, and the filler blend features Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican tobacco.

Ed McKenna, senior brand manager for General Cigar’s Punch brand said, “The trend of seasonal cigars started with Punch Rare Corojo, and each year, cigar lovers eagerly anticipate the return of this exceptional blend. Given the range of frontmarks and the addition of Regalias Perfecto to this year’s lineup, we are confident that the limited supply of Punch Rare Corojo will be depleted quickly.”

From General Cigar:

Reintroduced in 2001 after a shortage of wrapper leaves caused the product to disappear at retail for several years, Punch Rare Corojo sold out as quickly as it returned that year. Since then, General Cigar has been able to secure a sufficient amount of the rare Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper for a limited annual release of Punch Rare Corojo. This year’s allotment is available in nine sizes, ranging in SRP from $4.19 to $8.29 per cigar.

Half Ashed Episode 117: EP Carrillo La Historia

July 22, 2015 By Kip Fisher

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[EDITOR’S NOTE: In what will be a rapid-fire game of catch up, I will be publishing 4 episodes in the next week. My move to the Dominican Republic delayed our publication for a bit but I’m not suitably connected to the web and ready to get back in the game. We may not have a live show this week, but there will be plenty of Half Ashed to keep you occupied for a while…]

EP Carrillo La Historia Dona Elena

When EP Carrillo’s La Historia was released to the marketplace I immediately was drawn to the packaging (I’ll admit that). Knowing that I am generally a fan of San Andres leaf, and drawn to the beautiful packaging, I picked up a couple to try. I reviewed them back in November 2014, and thought they were a worthy Cigar of the Week…and that day has come. The line was produced in three vitolas – Dona Elena (6.125×50), E-III (6.875×54), and El Senador (5.375×52). Tonight, we’re taking a look at the Dona Elena. It carries a Mexican San Andres wrapper over Sumatran binder and Dominican/Nicaraguan fillers. The Dona Elena retails for about $8.25 per stick in the Tampa market.

Cigar News

Fresh on the heels of my little rant about shop exclusive and limited-edition craziness last week, Moya Ruiz announced the upcoming release of the Chinese Fingertrap. Well, I say announced, but they gave no details other than the fact that it will be produced at La Zona, be 6” x 50, and will ship the 1,000 boxes of 10 at the end of June. No blend details…it’s an “ancient Chinese secret.” Comes wrapped with a set of Chinese handcuffs (finger trap).

The semi-annual C.Gars auction in the UK will happen on June 15th…the 15th such auction. As usual, it will showcase some of the most incredibly rare and pricey cigars. Get your bids ready…lots of old, hard to find cigars will be available, including a lot of pre-Embargo items.

In what should not be a shock to anyone tied to the hobby, Nick Melillo has formally announced his intention to release a new cigar line to the market. His company will be called Foundation Cigars, and will initially utilize Casa Fernandez for producing his cigars. The launch will come at next month’s IPCPR trade show, although no specific details are available about the initial blend.

While we’re on the topic of former Drew Estate folks, Steve Saka’s non-compete reportedly expires just a week before IPCPR. Stogie Guys published a brief article speculating that maybe he has something up his sleeve as well, although Saka has not confirmed this as of yet. [Editor’s Note: We have reported fully on this in other episodes which have not published at the moment. You can catch those on YouTube until I get the audio podcasts published.]

After the recent reboot of AVO, we’re now seeing some more changes coming down. They are adding their first line since the revamp, called the AVO Syncro Nicaragua. The name stems from the company’s goal of synchronizing Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco in the blend. It will feature an Ecuadoran CT wrapper over a Dominican binder and DR/Nicaragua/Peru. It will be box pressed and come in 4 vitolas – Short Robusto (4 x 52, $7.90), Robusto (5 x 50, $8.90), Toro (6 x 54, $9.90) and Special Toro (6 x 60, $10.90).

What Else We’ve Been Smoking

Craig

“SANTOS” Corona Gorda 2013 – Received in a trade with a friend, I only have a few of this particular vintage. I know my friend regularly tweaked the blend of Crisantos’ regulars and this is supposedly with extra ligero. I believe it. These have regularly been slightly erratic burners and have been substantially stronger than your average Cuban cigar. They remind me of the style I’m accustomed to from C.Fer but with the suave sensations typically expected from the island. Tobacco, pepper, mild vegetal flavors, vanilla & an earthy finish. A very interesting strong cigar. Seems very well attuned to the modern American palate.

Kip

Casa Fernandez Aniversario – 2014 edition. I stand by my earlier comments that this cigar seems a bit more “polished” than many of Casa Fernandez’s other lines. Caramel and cream really come through in this one, and markedly less strength than would typically be the case for their other offerings

La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 – A pretty straightforward LFD product with no real surprises for me. It was enjoyable, but didn’t provide anything a dozen other LFD lines might. I definitely DON’T recommend letting it go out and relighting, however. One of mine was only out about 20 minutes and refused to revive…giving lots of harsh flavors and searing on the rear palate after relight.

Next Episode

In the next episode (118), we will be taking the opportunity to “catch up” just before Kip moves to the Dominican Republic. Come by each Friday night 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 Page or 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 to [email protected]. This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source,[email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in. I will provide an address to send them. Thanks!

Half Ashed Episode 111: Crowned Heads Single Action

May 3, 2015 By Kip Fisher

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Crowned Heads JD Howard Reserve Single Action

One of several 2015 LE’s from Crowned Heads, the Single Action was an addition to the JD Howard Reserve line. Only about 2,000 boxes of 10 cigars were produced, and the cigar carries an MSRP of $9.25 per cigar (and they’re still out there if you’re interested). It is a 6×38 petit lancero, featuring a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper over Ecuador Sumatran binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The line is produced by EP Carrillo in the Dominican Republic. Carrying with the JD Howard theme, the cigar is named after Jesse James’ weapon of choice – the Colt Single Action.

News

I got some info on a new line from Luis Sanchez this week, called the Figurado Series. It will initially be available in a single 5”x54 “Chulo” vitola, and two different wrappers -Ecuadoran (natural) and San Andres (maduro). Filler leaf will include some of the tobacco grown by Luis and Terry Johnson at their DOMUSA farming operation in Villa Gonzalez, DR. I did not get pricing information, but it should be stateside in the next couple of weeks.

AJ Fernandez is extending the New World line to include a Connecticut wrapped version. The New World Connecticut will feature an American-grown CT shade wrapper, Mexican San Andres binder, and a filler mix of Nicaraguan and Brazilian leaf – which is very different from the standard New World (“Dark Nicaragua” wrapper over Jalapa binder and a filler blend of Viso Ometepe, Condega ligero, and Estelí-Finca Soledad ligero, and “Dark Nicaragua” wrapper). It will be available in four vitolas – Corona Gorda (5.5×46), Robusto (5×50), Toro (6×52), and Belicoso (6×54). Pricing will be in line with the existing New World lineup.

Following our recent mentions of a few pipe tobacco related items, I’m happy to report that Pete Johnson is working on some blends himself. He posted up a pic of something he was smoking this week and commented that he was working on something new. He said he hopes to have something by the tradeshow. I asked where his focus might be in terms of the types of blends he was working on, and he said “Plan on more English and some English with some aromatic twists.” If that’s the case, I’m all in for trying them out. I’d love to see this project take on life. I really hope he’s actually creating blends from the ground up, and not going through a bulk blending house and just mixing off some existing compositions. Pete’s history, palate and following could really make this a boon to the pipe tobacco industry. Time will tell…

A few weeks ago, we talked a bit about La Flor Dominicana’s novel idea for having TAA members vote on this year’s TAA LE with their pocketbooks. The gathering is over, orders placed and a winner selected. The winning cigar is the 5.5” x 52 robusto. The line features an Ecuadoran habano wrapper, Mexican binder, and Dominican fillers. MSRP is about $9 per stick, and it should arrive on retailers’ shelves in about a month – assuming you have a TAA member retailer in your neck of the woods.

Following the lead of several municipalities around the state, Florida’s capital Tallahassee is looking to make it harder on employees who smoke. An intent has been announced to end the hiring of any tobacco users, and prohibiting tobacco/e-cig use in all govt owned buildings, vehicles, etc. – even during break times. Hiring changes would go into effect July 1, 2015, while other aspects would be phased in over the next two years (including a $20 fee [and it’s not an increased insurance premium….it’s a fee]from employees’ paychecks if they smoke).

A follow up to a program we previously discussed called Cigar Sense. Back in November we (Craig) had some choice words for a few of the statistics they shared from a survey of 400+ cigar smokers they recently spoke with. We saw some irregularities and downright confusing data being thrown about and rightfully scratched our head when trying to make heads or tails out of it. That same organization has just today discussed that they are using a “control” group of over 1,200 cigar reviews to provide a database to help smokers pinpoint sticks that will line up with their palate. The rub here is that the program determines what will fit your tastes based upon what else you like. Check out cigarsense.com for some cool introductions into the program and to formulate some of your own opinions.

What Else We’ve Been Smoking

This is where we chat about our week in smoke…tune in to the show for full details about our experience with these (and more).

Craig

TL Johnson Legend Reserve 63 Maduro – I second what I said a couple shows back. Genius exemplified in a cigar.

Kip

LEAF by Oscar Connecticut. I got this from Franky99 when he was down from the GWN visiting Tampa.

Nestor Miranda SS Exclusivo Regional –

Listener Email

We (finally) got around to an email series between Craig and listener “Cigar City.” Craig fills us in on the exchange about David Garofalo’s recent trip report about his excursion to Cuba…

Next Episode

Next episode (112) we will be featuring the Southern Draw KUDZU, with special guest owner Robert Holt. So come by Half Ashed 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 Page or 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 protected] if you have something you’d like to send in. I will provide an address to send them. Thanks!

Viva Republica Releases Limited Edition Culebra

March 12, 2015 By Kip Fisher

VIVA REPUBLICA LIMITED EDITION CULEBRA

Yesterday, Viva Republica™ announced the impending release of a Limited Edition Culebra. Only one thousand (1,000) coffins each containing a traditional three-piece culebra have been produced, shipping in retailer 5-packs (5 coffins per pack). The Culebra is comprised of three differing blends, featuring the Company’s Rapture, Rapture Maduro and Guerrilla Warfare brands.

Each of the cigars that comprise the culebra have a length of 5.75,” and 39-ring gauge. Inside each five piece package is a memo that identifies the three components by wrapper shade and discloses the blend breakdown for each cigar. The details for each cigar are as follows:

Blend Details

Rapture Natural

Wrapper – Ecuadorian HVA
Binder – Dominican Republic
Fillers – Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru

Guerrilla Warfare

Wrapper – Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder – Dominican Republic/Mexico
Fillers – Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua

Rapture Maduro

Wrapper – Mexican San Andres
Binder – Dominican Republic
Fillers – Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru

Further Information

Additional details on the card describe how to diferentiate the blends: “The lightest wrapper is the Rapture Natural. The one featuring a slightly darker colored wrapper is Guerrilla Warefare. The darkest wrapper is the Rapture Maduro blend. We could have color-coded them with more ribbons – but why take the fun out of it?” –Jason Holly

“I’ve always been intrigued by and have enjoyed culebras and wanted to use creating one as an opportunity to feature three of our core lines,” said Jason Holly, owner of Viva Republica.

The cigar(s) will officially launch during the DC Tweet Up on Saturday, March 14 at Tobaccology in Manassas, VA from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The limited run has an MSRP of $18 (excluding applicable local tax).

“Pricing was always a consideration. These are time-consuming to produce. But I wanted to keep value pricing so [more] people would try a culebra,” said Holly. I think their typical cost could be a bit of a consumer barrier.”

Viva Republica is exclusively distributed in the United States by Miami Cigar & Co.