Sometimes I Just Want an El Cheapo
There are a handful of cigars that are priced between $10 and $20 that I would love to smoke everyday and even more in the $7-10 range that I would smoke just as much. Even though most of the cigars I smoke fall into the second category it’s a third category, the $3-5 cigar, that really gets me excited. To me a great cheap cigar is hard to beat.
Take for example the Padron Palmas Maduro I’m smoking right now. I picked this cigar up a local B&M for $4.30. The cigar is burning and drawing well and to this point has been an extremely enjoyable cigar. The Palmas is full-bodied, well balanced and provides a satisfying combination of cocoa and coffee flavors with a healthy blast of spice. I could see myself smoking this cigar quite often, and at $4.30/stick I could see keeping a box or two on hand.
Over the last couple of years I’ve reviewed a number of budget friendly cigars, and I hope to keep that trend up in the coming years. To help me do that I’d like to ask for your help. Leave a comment below letting me know you favorite cigar in the $3-5 price range or a cigar in that price range that you’d like me to review. I’ll do my best to try and sample as many of your suggestions as possible. And just so I can make sure I get plenty of suggestions to pick from I’m going to offer up a 5 pack of the Padron Palmas Maduro to one randomly selected person. I’ll accept all comments posted up until 12/9/2011 @ Midnight EST and you must provide a legitimate e-mail address so I can contact you for shipping information. I look forward to seeing your suggestions.
Crowned Heads Four Kicks robusto
After the merger of ST Group and Swedish Match, CAO undertook dramatic changes. Most of the employees where let go and the company headquarters was moved from Nashville, TN to Richmond, VA. A few of the employees from the old CAO didn’t want to accept these changes so they left and formed Crowned Heads. Jon Huber, Mike Conder and Michael Trebing decided to make Crowned Heads a company that makes quality, relationships and integrity their foundation. When the Four Kicks was announced by Jon on Twitter, the buzz was deafening. I immediately ordered two boxes from Buckhead Cigars in Atlanta, GA. They both arrived a couple of weeks ago to my delight. Made by Ernesto Perez Carillo, the cigar has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper along with Nicaraguan binder and filler and made at Tabacalera LaAlianza S.A., Santiago, Dominican Republic. So did the cigar live up to the hype or was it four kicks to the teeth? Watch the video and find out.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! – Viaje Stuffed Turkey
What better of a cigar to review for Thanksgiving than the new Viaje Stuffed Turkey? It all started as a joke in an interview that the guys at Stogie Review were doing with Andre Farkas. Jerry Cruz mentioned that he needed to have a cigar for Thanksgiving…how about the Stuffed Turkey? Well, Andre liked it and now the joke as become a reality. The 5 x 60 robusto gordo is the 4th in the White Label Project series and the largest cigar of that series to date. A Nicaraguan puro with a criollo wrapper, the cigar comes in at around $10.50. So, is this cigar a beautiful succulent bird or a flaming, dried out piece of poultry leather? Watch the video and find out.
La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale Club
Almost every year, La Gloria Cubana brings out a new cigar in their Artesanos line. This year, they unveiled the Retro Especiale which was inspired by an old humidor found the El Credito factory. According to Michael Giannini, this cigar took 8 years to complete, 2 of which was on the wrapper alone. The wrapper is made of a cross-bred Connecticut wrapper which has a rich golden color to it which reminds me of the Macanudo Cafe wrapper. The cigar also features a dual binder of a Nicaraguan and Mexican tobaccos. The filler consist of Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero with proprietary tobacco from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The MSRP comes in at $7.00 which is right in the middle of what I consider the sweet spot area for cigar pricing. So, how did the Retro Especiale do? Watch the video and find out.
Nadi Classic Habano Gilgamesh
Size: 7×50 Churchill
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Nicaragua
Nadi Cigars is an up and comming cigar company. They are based out of Florida and thier cigars are produced in the Dominican Republic. Their cigars are hand-rolled by a former Davidoff master roller and it shows in the quality of the cigars. All of the vitolas of thier cigars are named after historical rulers. The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. I have seen a bit of info of the company online and mainly on twitter. They also have a website that is in the works.
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October Contest Winners Announcement
We have had a few contests last month and today we are announcing the winners of each contest. Thanks for all of your comments and guesses.
Cromagnon 5pk Halloween Contest Winners:
“Tom” with “The Exorcist”
“C Bradley” with “The Original Halloween”
My Contests:
Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
Prize: General Cigars Blogger Pack
Total Score was 41.
Winner: TriMarkC
He got it dead on! Good job!
Auburn vs. Florida
Prize: Macanudo Millionares Sampler Pack
Total Score was 23
Winner: Cindi with a total score of 37
Ben’s contests:
New Orleans vs Carolina
Prize: General Cigars Blogger Pack
Total Score was 57
Winners: Tcigar & Andy K Both had total scores of 55
Mississippi State vs UAB
Prize: Macanudo Millionares Sampler Pack
Total Score was 24
Winner: Andy K. with a total score of 31
Congratulations to the winners!
Please Email Ben at Ben@Nicetightash.com with you addresses and we will ge the prizes out to you.
Thanks to all that played and to the sponors of the contests General Cigars.
Kristoff Sumatra Corona
Size: 5×44
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Brazilian
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Started in 2005 by Glen Case, Kristoff Cigars is one of the fastest growing boutique cigar manufacturers in the industry. They have numerous lines with different blends made from tobacco from all regions all over the world. The Sumatra was released in August of 2009 at IPCPR with much fanfair and the new corona size was released this year.
I’ve had a all of the lines that Kristoff Cigars offers in many sizes. I started my love of Kristoff cigars with a Maduro that was given to me by a good friend Wes a few years back. The Sumatra has been one of my favorites and seeing a new corona size, I had to try it.
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General Cigar Names New Vice President of Marketing
Richmond, VA—General Cigar is pleased to announce that Alan Willner has joined the company as vice president of marketing.
A consumer product marketing veteran with 20 years of experience, Willner will play an integral role in increasing the company’s market share. As such, he will oversee General Cigar’s consumer and trade marketing, public relations, CRM, event and innovation platforms, and will also spearhead international sales and marketing initiatives. Additionally, Willner will direct Club Macanudo® in New York City.
“We are thrilled to have someone with Alan’s unique blend of strategic planning, brand building and product development expertise. Alan’s experience and vision will help further define our brands and we look forward to the contributions he will make toward driving deeper market penetration and consumer engagement,†said Dan Carr, president of General Cigar.
Willner joins General Cigar from Starr Hill Brewery where he held the position of president and CEO. Starr Hill is an award-winning, craft brewery and partner of Anheuser-Busch. During his tenure at Starr Hill, Willner dramatically increased distribution and created new products which resulted in Starr Hill becoming one of the fastest growing breweries in the U.S. and one of the largest in the competitive mid-Atlantic region.
Earlier in his career, Alan held leadership positions with the Coors Brewing Company, Diageo and Nabisco.
“As premium cigar smokers increasingly seek connectivity with the brands they enjoy, and as retailers seek new ways to expose consumers to the premium cigar lifestyle, I am excited about the opportunity to work with our team of cigar masters and artisans to bring their passion to life.â€
As Vice President of Marketing, Willner will join the company’s management team and will report directly to President Dan Carr.
Willner is a graduate of Arizona State University and also studied at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He previously served as Chapter President for the American Marketing Association.
About General Cigar
General Cigar Co. Inc., a division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar’s skilled artisans produce Macanudo®, Cohiba®,  La Gloria Cubana®, CAO, Partagas®, Punch®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur® and several other leading premium brands in the company’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan factories.
In addition, the company cultivates proprietary tobacco which is used exclusively in its blends. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide and also exports select products to 62 countries. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.
Room 101 Namakubi Limited Edition Papi Chula
Matt Booth, the owner of Room 101, brought out a new limited edition cigar called the Namakubi. I really love the ideas and art behind the Room 101 line because ever since I was a young teenager I’ve been interested in Japanese culture, especially the samurai. I was a practitioner of Aikido for many years which fueled my interest even more. The Namakubi really caught my eye, not only with the great blood red and black art work, but the name itself. Namakubi means “freshly severed head” in which a samurai would present his general or other leader with a severed head of a fallen enemy, usually someone of equal importance or stature. This cigar is available in 5 sizes:
- Monstro (5†x 60)
- Papi Chulo (4†x 42)
- Roxxo (4†x 48)
- Sucio (7†x 48)
- Tiburon (6†x 44)
My local cigar store received the Papi Chulo (which I’m reviewing today), Roxxo and Monstro. Garrett Calhoun, the infamous,of Davidoff, gave myself and Shawn a sample on his visit to the shop when the shop ordered. I was blown away. Since then I’ve probably smoked at least half a box of the Papi Chulos. Check out the video and see what else I thought of the cigar.
MACANUDO MILLIONAIRE CONTEST WINNERS JET TO VEGAS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $1,000,000 AT THE PLAYBOY CLUB
Richmond, VA—Macanudo®, America’s best-selling premium cigar brand, announces John Muirhead of San Antonio, Texas is the national essay contest winner of the third annual Macanudo Millionaire contest. Muirhead and his guests, three fellow veterans, will fly to Vegas this weekend to play for the million-dollar prize.
Muirhead is a native Texan and military veteran who retired this week after completing 21 years of active duty. His winning essay details his memories of smoking Macanudo cigars – from his first puff with his older brother, to enjoying his beloved Macanudo Maduro cigars in far flung countries such as Iraq, Slovenia and Kosovo where he was stationed during his years in the military.
He will be joined in Las Vegas by these lucky winners who were selected in the national cigar catalog retailer sweepstakes: Kerry Malone, Chattanooga, TN (JR Cigar); Matthew Clarke, Light House Point, FL (Mike’s Cigars); Jim Nickels, Cinnaminson, NJ (Holt’s Cigar Company); Fred Fuller, Bryant, Arkansas (Best Cigar Prices); James Pinch, Winston Salem, North Carolina (Cigars International); William Millar, Renton, Washington (Thompson Cigar); and John Spiers, San Mateo, California (Famous Smoke Shop).
Muirhead and his guests, along with Malone, Clarke, Nickels, Fuller, Pinch, Millar and Spiers, each with a guest, are set to enjoy an all-expense-paid, three-day, two-night trip to the Palms Hotel and Casino where they will be accompanied by four Playboy Playmates for high-stakes poker and VIP evening at the legendary Playboy Club.
While in Sin City, on Saturday November 5th, Muirhead and his guests, along with one winner and guest from the preliminary game for national retail winners, will each be dealt a hand of poker.  If either the contest winner or his guests receive a straight flush, they will win the $1,000,000 prize, courtesy of Macanudo. Just in case Lady Luck isn’t feeling generous, Playboy Playmates Alison Waite (Miss May 2006), Shannon James (Miss May 2007), Jennifer Pershing (Miss March 2009) and Pennelope Jimenez (Miss March 2003) will be on-hand to cheer the guys to victory.
Alan Willner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, parent company of Macanudo, commented, “The Macanudo Millionaire contest has generated tremendous excitement among cigar smokers across the U.S. Together with the team at Playboy, we are gearing up for a very exciting weekend in Vegas and look forward to sharing the results with the media and consumers who have actively followed the contest since its kick off in July.â€
Updates about the Macanudo Millionaire contest will be posted to the contest’s dedicated Facebook () and Twitter (www.twitter.com/macanudocigars) accounts throughout the weekend of November 5. Video footage and photos chronicling the weekend and the VIP evening at the Playboy Club will be featured on the Macanudo Millionaire website (www.macanudomillionaire.com) following the weekend of November 5.
About Macanudo Cigars
Since their introduction in 1968, Macanudo cigars have been a favorite among premium cigar connoisseurs. The brand continues to be the best selling premium cigar brand in the U.S. and also sells in more than 90 countries worldwide. In addition to the base brand of Macanudo cigars, the brand also features these collections: Macanudo Maduro, Macanudo Robust, Macanudo Gold Label, Macanudo Vintage, Macanudo Cru Royale and Macanudo 1968.
