A wonderful smoke
Before it got really cold, I brought a fellow Loisaida (lower east sider) to the old neighborhood to hang out. The sun was going down and I thought to myself, “it was going to be a good day.” Of course we stopped by Maraya for a few cigars. I picked out a Tango Perfecto and buddy had a Piano. Kevin, the proprietor of Maraya, lit up my cigar in the store, we chatted for a little while and then we left to another bar to have a drink with my cigar. (By the way – there’s only one bar in the East Village that lets you smoke cigars). So here are my thoughts:
Maraya Cigars “Tango”
Maraya’s own exclusive torcedor put together a fine smoke consisting of:
Wrapper: Ecuadoran
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo 98
Size: perfecto 6×60
Smoking time: 2 hours
Pre-light initial impressions: the wrapper of the cigar has a raisin and perhaps a wine aroma to it. It was definitely well constructed, with minimal fine veins – and an ultra smooth coffee-crèma color to it. The seams were hard to find. It is a classic perfecto – with slight variations from cigar to cigar – because molds weren’t used for this cigar. However, the band sits awkwardly off-center towards the head of the cigar.
First third: The toasting yielded earthy creamy leather. With my first retrohale, there was definitely a medium spice. The draw was just perfect – not too tight not too loose. I hope it doesn’t turn into a loose smoke. The burn was excellent – it needed little to no attention. I detect a peppery woodsy flavor that I can only describe as a typical Dominican tobacco flavor.
Second third: I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly complex cigar. There are changes to the aroma and smoke as I progressed from the first third to the second third. However, the Cigar is well balanced. The smoke was never overwhelming or bitter. At this point, I’m feeling nice – after a big meal I can feel the cigar buzz coming through, nice.
Final third: There wasn’t much of a transition – the flavors got more intense and hot during the last third. Still a pleasant smoke, I had to put it down because it required too much attention to keep lit and even at this point.
Overall, I thought this was a great smoke. I would definitely smoke another one. It seemed a bit young to me – something that can be fixed with a little more humidor time. But the potential is there. I paired this smoke with a Saranac Pale Ale. It went well together.
Disclaimer: Maraya gifted me these cigars for review, but my opinions are my own.
Are you fond of La Gloria Cubana cigars? No, I’m not talking about the contemporary cigars that are currently being produced by General cigar. I’m talking about the boutique one, founded and made under Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.. Well, here’s your chance to meet the man who created the brand (before General Cigar took it over).
Are you free on Tuesday? Well if you are, on November 30, you can go to De La Concha to meet E.P. Carrillo Jr. and his son Ernesto III and take advantage of specials on some of the most sought after cigars on the market today, the Short Run and the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2010.
Here are some B&M specials :
• Core Line Special: Buy 3 cigars get 1 cigar with our compliments. Buy a box of 20 get 7 cigars with our compliments. Plus enjoy special pricing on box purchases.
• Edición Limitada 2010 & Short Run Specials: TBA
• With purchase you will be entered in the raffle to win box of the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2010 signed by both Ernesto Jr. and Ernesto III.
For more information, please call De La Concha at (212) 757-3167. You can also phone in your orders.
Via Juan Ulloa Alba
Have you been to the lower east side recently? A while back, I wrote a biddy about a soon-to-be open cigar shop there. Well, there’s a great new! A little cigar shop called Maraya is now open for business. Guss’ pickles used to be there, but now, it’s now one of the classiest little cigar shops around. I actually met the co-owners Kevin and Joy – two designers who decided to dive in heart-first into the world of boutique cigars.
As you probably already know, boutique cigars are all the rage these days. Like boutique wines from places like Napa or Sonoma valleys, boutique cigars really taste great – as compared to their mass-produced counterparts.
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via Sriwijaya Post
Where are your priorities, Mr. legislator? Apparently, an eccentric Democratic Party politician Ruhut Sitompul of Indonesia says he can no longer enjoy cigars after becoming a House of Representatives legislator in Indonesia.
Mr. Sitompul says, “the cigars I have are leftover gifts clients gave me,” Once a prominent attorney, Mr. Ruhut stated that when he was still practicing law he could earn between Rp 1 billion (US$112,000) to Rp 3 billion a month. Now, there’s a healthy cigar budget somewhere in there.
Mr. Sitompul says that, “[his] salary as a legislator is too small to buy cigars,” adding that a good cigar costs around Rp 500,000 (US$56).
“I know of some brands that charge Rp 3 million (US$340) for a single cigar,” he said. Mr Sitompul must be talking about the Cohiba Behike or some riducliously priced gurkhas.
In any case, I’m quite happy that my smokes don’t normally cost that much money. What was the most you every paid for a single smoke? Leave a comment below.
Via Jakarta Post
Davidoff - Beijing
The clientele at these cigar establishments are also mostly men – just like their overseas counterparts. Also, it seems that cigar smokers prefer the same types of attractions – privacy, plush furniture, and dim lights.
It almost makes me want to take a cigar tour over there. Would love to burn through a box of Behikes over there! I’m thinking about going, anyone else interested?
Via the Wall Street Journal
Fellow cigar smokers, lets tell the New York City Council that we oppose any new restrictions on outdoor smoking! Things are pretty bad for us already.
So the fine people at Cigar Rights of America (CRA) Has made things a little bit easier for us. The CRA put together this automated online petition that automatically sends a well-written email to our City Council.
So go ahead and sign this on-line petition, and let them know our side of the story. Mayor Bloomberg’s nanny-state rules must stop! Please feel free to use this link to help spread the word with your friends and network.
http://www.cigarrights.org/petition_NewYorkCityNY001.php
Via Cigar Rights of America
Photo courtesy of John Warden, Nevada Appeal
On October 8th, Nevada’s Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki fulfilled a promise made 66 years ago by then-Gov. Edward Carville to the sailors of the USS Nevada, BB36 at the dawn of World War II..
Carville promised a silver dollar, a handshake and a cigar. They got their silver dollars in 1944. About 66 years later, Krolicki shook hands with each surviving sailor and presented each with a cigar. The cigars were provided at no cost by The Carson Cigar Company. But the real heroes were the sailors with their amazing story:
The Nevada was responsible for the downing of at least seven aircraft at Pearl Harbor. Today place where She positioned herself is marked by a memorial that have plaques with the names of the sailors who lost their lives that day.
The range of her guns was 17 miles and the crew was later praised for her incredibly accurate fire in support of troops, as some of the targets she hit were just 600 yards from the front lines of the Allies. She was “shot on” 27 times from shore batteries but was never hit.
The Nevada was the only battleship present at both Pearl Harbor and the Normandy landings.
Cigars had such high connotations of gratitude a long time ago. I wonder if that will be once again. But to these sailors, they got what they were promised and well-deserved, a good smoke.
Via NevadaAppeal
On October 22, De La Concha Tobacconist is hosting La Aurora Cigars to introduce a new cigar to their offerings: The Guillermo Leon by La Aurora.
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Photo courtesy of carlscigarlounge.blogspot.com
The Nosotros brand, a collaboration between Dion Giolito and Jonathan Drew, has been officially discontinued, according to their press release. The Nosotros line was released at the 2009 IPCPR and went on sale earlier this Spring (2010).
Giolito did not comment on the matter, but instead released a statement announcing the end of the cigar brand, saying that the termination was immediately in effect:
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On Wednesday, October 6 · 1:00pm, Griffin’s Cigars is having an awesome event at De La Concha. There will be cigar specials!
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