Punch Uppercut
As everyone knows that watches our video reviews or read my reviews, I’m a Punch whore. For me, the Punch line is on of the best sticks for your money and I thoroughly enjoy them, especially the Gran Puro line. So when I went to IPCPR and saw a new Punch cigar, I was ecstatic. I met Ed McKenna from General Cigar there who graciously gave me a sample to try out. This is the cigar I reviewed for this video. The new thing about this Punch that makes it a departure from the other Punch lines is that this is made with a special tobacco from the Ometepe region in Nicaragua. Its a volcanic island that has been drawing some attention lately from cigar manufactures for the unique tobacco the region produces. Punch has obtained some of this tobacco grown exclusively for them for this cigar. I believe this is my first cigar with Ometepe tobacco in it. How does it all work out? Watch the video and find out.
First Impressions: Declaration Iniquity
When Ben sent me the bag of sticks from IPCPR I was naturally excited to start trying new cigars. Some cigars looked more interesting than others, and the Declaration was certainly one of the more interesting looking ones. The artwork on the band really caught my eye, and the cigar looked tasty as well. After doing a little research I discovered the the Declaration was a new cigar from Jameson Cigar Company. So I quickly contacted Brad Mayo, President of Jameson Cigar Company, in an attempt to learn a little more about the cigar. Brad, as always, was extremely helpful. He explained the the Declaration is intended to make a statement about the company and the current situation cigar enthusiasts find themselves.
This cigar is a Dominican puro, featuring a Habano ’98 wrapper and Criollo ’98 Criollo binder. When the Declaration line is released it will retail for just under $6, which makes this cigar even more appealing. As I mentioned before, this cigar looked great so I was excited to finally cut the cap and fire this stogie up.
Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic 1952
Today I’m reviewing the Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic 1952, and I’m lucky enough to do so with my grandfather, father and two uncles. This video was recorded becuase of the suggestion of my wife; and for what it’s worth, I think she had one hell of an idea. This may not be the most informative review I’ve ever presented, but it might possibly be the most special. Sit back and and enjoy as we cut and light these stogies.
Cheap Ash: Casa Fuego Toro
The Casa Fuego is a budget friendly stick from the maker of the well received J. Fuego Delirium, Grand Reserve Corojo No. 1, and the new 777 Corojo that Ben recently reviewed here. It is a Nicaraguan Puro rolled in Honduras. From what I can gather, this line is exclusive to Cigars International and they can be found all over CI’s auction site, CigarBid.com. You may wonder how this qualifies as a cheap ash review when retail at CI is just over $4/stick. Well, I put it in this category because these sticks are constantly available on cigarbid for under $40/box. With that being said, is this stick worth the patience it sometimes takes on cigarbid to get it at that low of a price? Let’s find out…
PS. Don’t forget to get over and enter our fall contest to win a 10 pack of cigars.
New Ash: Room 101 305 (Robusto)
Room 101 and Camacho Cigars have teamed up to create a line of cigars just for Room 101. The cigars are made with a special wrapper grown exclusively for Room 101 by Camacho and use artwork and designs by Room 101 for the packaging and labels. Being one of the most anticipated cigars at IPCPR, I was lucky enough to meet up with Matt Booth of Room 101 and Dylan Austin of Camacho Cigars and they have me a sample to review. The sample they gave me is the 305 robusto cigar. So, does this cigar live up to the hype? Watch the video and find out.
New Ash: A. Fuente Queen B
In recent weeks I’ve been giving you First Impression reviews of cigars that were released at the 2009 IPCPR trade show. Today, I’ve decided to invite my dad over and review a new cigar that I’ve been able to have multiple samples off. The A. Fuente Queen B is a smaller version of King B and measures in at 5 1/2 inches long with a 52 ring gauge. This cigar is produced in the Dominican Republic and features a Sun-grown wrapper.
Meet the Ash-holes: Ben
Illusione ECCJ
Today I’m here with a stick I have been waiting a while to try and the anticipation is killing me. I have the Illusione ECCJ. ECCJ stands for European Cigar Cult Journal to celebrate their 15th Anniversary. Those of you who listen to Dogwatch Cigar Radio are probably familiar with Colin Ganley who writes for ECCJ.
The ECCJ cigar is a Corona Gorda size, Nicaraguan Puro with a Corojo wrapper and a filler blend of 6 tobaccos. I received these cigars as part of a sweet package from my brother-in-law, which included a few other Illusione and Cruzado sticks including an Epernay. I am looking forward to seeing how the ECCJ and Epernay compare. Anyway, let see if this thing lives up to my expectations.
New Ash: J. Fuego 777 Corojo
J. Fuego is known for great cigars like the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 and 1992, but now he has developed his own line. I did a review of his Gran Reserva Corojo No. 1 on Cigar Weekly and raved about it, so when I was at IPCPR, one of my main points of interest was J. Fuego’s booth. The booth was really busy for most of the show, and, finally, on the last full day of the show, I was able to stop in and talk with Jesus Fuego and Ekert Cordon. They were able to tell me about their cigars in more detail and they really wanted me to try the new 777 Corojo, so they gave me a belicoso to sample. This is the cigar I reviewed in the video, but the next day, I got a package from Ekert with more 777 Corojos, but this time, they were the corona vitola. I have to say, I REALLY enjoyed the corona size more. It was more intense with flavor and a little more power. I shared the cigar with a good friend of mine, Jeremy Brown, that works for our local fire department and helps me review cigars. We have 3 others that also help out, but two of them are police officers that were on duty and couldn’t make it last night. We will do a group review soon.
First Impressions: Perdomo Patriarch Connecticut
Here is another review of a cigar released at the 2009 IPCPR Trade Show. The Perdomo Patriarch Connecticut is an extension of a line released at the 2008 show with both a Corojo and Maduro wrapper. The Patriarch line was released as a tribute to Nicolas Perdomo Sr., who passed away in July 2004. This cigar features a blend of tobacco from three regions in Nicaragua including Condega, Jalapa and Esteli. This cigar is made with cuban tradition in mind and is sold in boxes of 20. This cigar features a beautiful, almost velvety, wrapper. The construction is superior, and for a connecticut wrapper it looks down right tasty. So lets fire it up and see the proof in the smoke.
