“Smoked Up” No.58

Posted by Shawn

February 19, 2014

I am making a few minor changes to “Smoked Up”. First of all, I am now going to be publishing it on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.Â This gives me a little more time to get information organized and releaves me of some of the early week stress. Second, I am changing the format some of the “Cigar Views” section. Nothing major, just some of the layout and possibly the way the views are expressed.

There is finally some better weather in my area and I am glad to see it here. The days are in the mid to high 60s with no more cold weather in sight. I am sure the people in the north are happy to hear this (hahaa). Not too much going on in my neck of the cigar world. Although, there are a few cigar events in the next few weeks that I am looking forward to going to. More on those in the next few weeks.

I went to a local tattoo shop’s (Twisted Anchor Tattoo)Â Â 2nd anniversary where they were having a party at. They had free food, drinks, beer and tattoos. They had 6 variations of their logo of an anchor to choose from. You could change the colors, but not the size or design. I went bold and got mine done on my rib cage and that in its self was quite an experience. It was not my first tattoo, and won’t be my last. The rib cage area is not a place I would recommend getting one as it was fairly painful, but I managed “pretty damn good” per the shop owner/artist.Â My girlfriend’s sister was working up there and they ended up getting some work out of me as well. I didn’t mind; and it got me to the front of the line! Â They did a little over 100 tattoos that day and some people waited till 11:00 Sunday night for theirs. I’ll post up a pic next week of it when its healed.

Cigar Views

Davidoff 1000: I don’t smoke too many Davidoffs, mainly due to the price. I can get a bolder, longerÂ smoke for lesser money. But there are times I want a mellow milder smoke and I grabbed a 1000 from the box I won at the Super Bowl party. It had just about a perfect draw and burn with mild cream and tobacco notes. A hint of caramel popped up as I paired this with some Cuban style CafÃ© Bustelo. The bold coffee almost overpowered the flavors in the cigar, but over all a good smoke. I am starting to see how the quality of the cigar is offset by the cost.Â Â

Emilio AF2 Toro: After a year plus rest, this cigar has rounded off very nicely. Smooth medium strengthed woodsy notes with a slight hint of a peppery spice. A ways in,Â I got some richer coffee notes that had some slight sweetness to it. Paired well with a cup of coffee. Had a good draw and burn. A nice smoke to let rest a 9months to a year.

Tatuaje 10th Anniversary Regios: This was one great smoke! I loved the little bit of spice that accompanied the wood notes with a quick spurt of caramel. A ways in, a hint of cocoa showed up and the spice subsides drastically almost deleted.Â A surperb draw and tight ashes that came from the straight burn. Definitely a cigar to find, buy, smoke and buy many many more of.

Sons of Anarchy by Black Crown Toro: This is probably my third or fourth one of the SOA cigars and its still a pretty good smoke. Nothing too bold or complex, just an overall decently good smoke. For about $7 or so, its a decent value for the flavor and smoke time it gave off. I’d buy a box of these for a “better” yard gar for the spring and summer months that are fast approaching. I like the SOA better than the original Black Crown, which is a dollar or so lesser in cost.

EPC Cardinal 52 Natural: I usually go for a maduro when it comes to any EPC blend. The Cardinal is the one exception. The maduro is good, but to me the natural is a bit better. Starts off with a rich and hearty black peppery leather note that is fairly bold in strength. Quickly moved into more of a cocoa note, then later a caramel note with the black pepper still out on the forefront of the draw. The last inch or so went back to the learthery almost earthy sense as the first hand full of draws, yet the black pepper is a very muted versionas its previous stronger sense. Great draw and nice burn with no construction issues whats so ever. A must try if you like EPC. Somehow, I misplaced the picture.

Cigar News

Drew Estate & Corona Cigar Company Announce â€œDrew Estate Loungeâ€

Cigar Federation announces the release of itâ€™s ï¬rst cigar The Collective.

Blue Havana II Joins House of Emilio Master Retailers

Bluegrass Cigar Suite Named House of Emilio Master Retailer

â€œSmoked Upâ€ No.57

Re+United to be a Joint Project Between Foundry Tobacco Company and E.P.
CarrilloÂ – Cigar-Coop

La Flor Dominicana Launches New Signature Event Program, â€œA Night in Santiagoâ€Â – halfwheel

Ortega Premium Cigars to Launch Ortega HeavyDuty 60 and Ortega HeavyDuty
70Â – Cigar-Coop

JosÃ© Blanco Crafts Private Label Cigar for RussiaÂ – halfwheel

La Flor Dominicana Launches “A Night in Santiago” Event Program Featuring
LFD Mystery CigarÂ – Cigar-Coop

Matilde Renacer Begins Shipping to RetailÂ – halfwheel