Day 2 of IPCPR and another exciting day.
First stop was Altadis USA
Te Amo wwas the first Cigar we had of the day and we got to have a great conversation with the blender and roller Alejandro Turrent. It was really a pleasure to speak with him and he had some great insights into the Te Amo cigar. I must admit my eyes were opened up to Te Amo after this tasting. We had the Te Amo Revolution and it was damn good smoke. Maybe a little strong for a morning smoke but what the heck, we're at IPCPR. One huge trend you see is a very large number of manufacturers using Mexican San Andres Valley tobacco. Everybody seems to have a blend with some of this Mexican tobacco in it. Te Amo has been in the San Andres Valley from day one and has some excellent blends. It was also a very cool shape. An box pressed Oval. Burn was great and this was something like a 40 ring guage high by 60 wide which was very comfortable to smoke. Give them a try.
They had the whole line present including some a box of Special Release 80 Year Figarado's. What a great looking cigar and I bet it tastes better than it looks! I can't wait to get this shipment in.
Then we went over to Drew Estates
We just brought in La Polina into the Ohlone Cigar Lounge about 3 weeks ago. This is by far one of my favorite cigars I've ever smoked. The owner of La Palina Bill Paley. He traces his roots back to generations of cigar crafters. The family took a very different direction in the past and was the founder of CBS radio and what we know as the CBS empire today. Bill wanted to create a cigar as close to real Cuban premium brands as possible and this is the family blend. It isn't cheap but damn it is a great cigar and worth every penny. They have introduced the Kill Bill II to follow on to the Kill Bill I. When I asked Bill about the name he said one of the earliest samples of the cigar sucked so bad he couldn't even tolerate smoking the first full inch of it. They nicknamed this the Kill Bill line, got the right blend and a fantastic cigar was made that kept the original Kill Bill name. The Kill Bill II is a larger version of the Kill Bill I. We both got the KB I to try and I'll report back on it a little later. I've had enough cigars for a day. Sorry about the picture quality on this one.
Jaime Garcia is one of the best Cigar Blenders in the world and wanted to do a tribute cigar for his father and produced the My Father line. It is one of the best sellers in the store and has a very large following. When I want a cigar in the evening after a large meal I will often grab a My Father La Bijou. An exciting new blend we recently brought in from My Father was the Flour de las Antilles. It is a solid medium bodied smoke with a ton of flavor and we have already had to re-order. We were one of the first stores to get in the area and consistent positive customer feedback has been great. There is also a new Jaime Garcia Limited Edition coming out. Haven't tried it yet either. Trust me, there is such a thing as too many cigars in a day. Simple math shows that a cigar every one and a half hours only gets you six or so sticks. Six cigars a day is a little more than most and by the afternoon your done on any tasting any distinct flavors. It's not unlike wine or whiskey tasting. After so many glasses they all start to blend together. But unlike a drink you can't taste, swish, taste some more and then spit out a cigar. A cigar morphs it's flavor over time. I've had cigars that started mild and about half way through really develop into a full bodied cigars or have a cigar that starts out harsh with a little too much pepper and spice but settle down to be a great smoke. You really need to smoke at least two thirds of a cigar to understand the flavors and textures it brings.
They make the fantastic Aging Room Cigar which we had our last HERF Club event with. Great medium bodied smoke that builds about half way through to a more full bodied. The range in flavors is fantastic with this cigar and has been a hit in the store and with me. It currently holds the distinction of JR's pick. They have expanded the Aging Roomand added a slightly stronger at the beginning calling it the Quattro.
If you have an opinion on things we should be looking at there is another day and a half of show. Leave a comment and I will make sure we swing by and talk to them.
First stop was Altadis USA
They make a number of very popular cigar brands including Monte Cristo, Romeo y Julieta and a surprise to me Te Amo Cigars. As we walked around the booth you notice two things. Romeo y Julieta has changed their brand and has cool new boxes but the same flavor as before and everything is very red.
We walked around and looked that the new stuff. H. Upman has a new Sungrown blend, Omar Ortez a favorite of one of the regulars in the lounge has a new Puro Maduro, and Montecristo has a new Premium Selection that has each box signed by the roller personally. We haven't decided if we cary these yet.
Te Amo wwas the first Cigar we had of the day and we got to have a great conversation with the blender and roller Alejandro Turrent. It was really a pleasure to speak with him and he had some great insights into the Te Amo cigar. I must admit my eyes were opened up to Te Amo after this tasting. We had the Te Amo Revolution and it was damn good smoke. Maybe a little strong for a morning smoke but what the heck, we're at IPCPR. One huge trend you see is a very large number of manufacturers using Mexican San Andres Valley tobacco. Everybody seems to have a blend with some of this Mexican tobacco in it. Te Amo has been in the San Andres Valley from day one and has some excellent blends. It was also a very cool shape. An box pressed Oval. Burn was great and this was something like a 40 ring guage high by 60 wide which was very comfortable to smoke. Give them a try.
We had the Revolution and trust me this is a tasty cigar. Although I wouldn't suggest lighting it up with your first cup of coffee.
As I said, Romeo y Julieta has redesigned their packaging to be something different and it does pop out. You won't see this on the shelves of your local retailer for a while but keep a look out for them.
Next stop and very much anticipated was Padron Family
Wow this brand and booth oozed class. Jessica Padron who is stunningly beautiful. Padrons are our one of our best sellers and possibly my favorite cigar! The booth oozed class and they have a very straightforward line that doesn't change year to year and is some of the best cigars in the industry. If you have never had the Little Hammer or the 1926 Anniversary please do yourself a favor and try one
Then we went over to Drew Estates
They are the polar opposite to Padron's class. This is raw, fresh and in your face and one of the new class cigar brands. We wanted to meet them and schedule an appointment so we will have more tomorrow after we formally meet with them. John and I did meet Jonathan Drew on thes show floor. I've had a couple of discussions with him on a different cigar forums including Reddit. It was a great conversation and we ranged from what is happening in the cigar industry, how great our Drew Estate Event went last month and why we can't get Liga Privada. Both Reddit and Liga Privada availability struck a nerve and he had much to say about both.
Savinelli Pipes was the next destination
We carry pipes and pipe tobacco but probably not enough of either. We wanted to see what some of the best pipes in the world are like and if this is something we should consider carrying in the lounge. It was a great learning experience for both John and I. First, the pipes are beautiful. They are hand made out of Heath tree briar found in the Mediterranean. This is the root ball of the tree where there is no specific wood grain but lots of different patterns to the grain. This gives the strength and durability needed for enjoying years of smoking. There are so many shapes and sizes to fit any particular smoker on any particular day. A seasoned pipe smoker will have dozens or more pipes in their collection. We also learned that Savinelli makes a line of premium cigars. We didn't try one today but brought home a couple of samples to try.
We carry pipes and pipe tobacco but probably not enough of either. We wanted to see what some of the best pipes in the world are like and if this is something we should consider carrying in the lounge. It was a great learning experience for both John and I. First, the pipes are beautiful. They are hand made out of Heath tree briar found in the Mediterranean. This is the root ball of the tree where there is no specific wood grain but lots of different patterns to the grain. This gives the strength and durability needed for enjoying years of smoking. There are so many shapes and sizes to fit any particular smoker on any particular day. A seasoned pipe smoker will have dozens or more pipes in their collection. We also learned that Savinelli makes a line of premium cigars. We didn't try one today but brought home a couple of samples to try.
Next up Tabacalera Perdomo
They had some exciting new blends that we want decided to bring in. Both John and I tried one today and got a double thumbs up. the 20th Anniversary is particularly tasty. This one is going to be shipping soon so keep an eye out for it in a shop near you (hopefully Ohlone Cigar Lounge).
Then we meandered over to La Palina Cigars.
We just brought in La Polina into the Ohlone Cigar Lounge about 3 weeks ago. This is by far one of my favorite cigars I've ever smoked. The owner of La Palina Bill Paley. He traces his roots back to generations of cigar crafters. The family took a very different direction in the past and was the founder of CBS radio and what we know as the CBS empire today. Bill wanted to create a cigar as close to real Cuban premium brands as possible and this is the family blend. It isn't cheap but damn it is a great cigar and worth every penny. They have introduced the Kill Bill II to follow on to the Kill Bill I. When I asked Bill about the name he said one of the earliest samples of the cigar sucked so bad he couldn't even tolerate smoking the first full inch of it. They nicknamed this the Kill Bill line, got the right blend and a fantastic cigar was made that kept the original Kill Bill name. The Kill Bill II is a larger version of the Kill Bill I. We both got the KB I to try and I'll report back on it a little later. I've had enough cigars for a day. Sorry about the picture quality on this one.
Final stop I'll blog about is My Father Cigars
Jaime Garcia is one of the best Cigar Blenders in the world and wanted to do a tribute cigar for his father and produced the My Father line. It is one of the best sellers in the store and has a very large following. When I want a cigar in the evening after a large meal I will often grab a My Father La Bijou. An exciting new blend we recently brought in from My Father was the Flour de las Antilles. It is a solid medium bodied smoke with a ton of flavor and we have already had to re-order. We were one of the first stores to get in the area and consistent positive customer feedback has been great. There is also a new Jaime Garcia Limited Edition coming out. Haven't tried it yet either. Trust me, there is such a thing as too many cigars in a day. Simple math shows that a cigar every one and a half hours only gets you six or so sticks. Six cigars a day is a little more than most and by the afternoon your done on any tasting any distinct flavors. It's not unlike wine or whiskey tasting. After so many glasses they all start to blend together. But unlike a drink you can't taste, swish, taste some more and then spit out a cigar. A cigar morphs it's flavor over time. I've had cigars that started mild and about half way through really develop into a full bodied cigars or have a cigar that starts out harsh with a little too much pepper and spice but settle down to be a great smoke. You really need to smoke at least two thirds of a cigar to understand the flavors and textures it brings.
OK, I lied. We also stopped by Oliveros Cigars
They make the fantastic Aging Room Cigar which we had our last HERF Club event with. Great medium bodied smoke that builds about half way through to a more full bodied. The range in flavors is fantastic with this cigar and has been a hit in the store and with me. It currently holds the distinction of JR's pick. They have expanded the Aging Roomand added a slightly stronger at the beginning calling it the Quattro.
Please, I would appreciate any feedback on what you would like us to hung down. If you have heard of some cigar that you want to know more about and see if it is worth smoking let us know. Our ears are open.
Reddit shoutout! Ha. JD is good people.
ReplyDeleteI think JD is right. 99% of /r/cigars are great and it's a cool community. But there are a couple of ethugs that will jump out of the shadows and piss all over people to show how enlightened they are. It's a shame because I enjoy Reddit a lot. I am going to post something Monday.
DeleteSounds like you are having a great time. Thanks for sharing the great info from the lines we love to smoke. I would be interested in the blenders and which size they prefer to smoke their blends. Which size best represents filler to binder to wrapper ratio to accomplish the disired taste?
ReplyDeleteGreat q Anthony, I'll Ask.everyone we meet today.
Delete