By Patrick on Dec 1, 2010 | In Main | No Comments »
Drew Estates is a fairly interesting brand to me. While I’m not a crazy Liga fan like some people, I do enjoy the Liga Privada #9 Robusto from time to time. But I admittedly do enjoy the limited release sizes like the Dirty Rat, which I reviewed last week, and the Flying Pig. With creative names, the basics of the Flying Pig is an overgrown Perfecto with a pig tail. That’s the simple version of this cigar. To me it’s a piece of art. The Original Flying Pig was one of my favorite smokes from last year, so much so that I’m currently sitting on my last one. So when I found out there would be release of the Flying Pig in a T-52, I was stoked.
I’m unlike most frequent smokers, if I know a local B&M shop carries a specific line, I will patiently wait for it to arrive rather than run out and do an internet purchase. So when Mike over the at the Humidor in Murfreesboro let me know the T-52 Flying Pigs came in, I went over and picked a few up.
I’ll come clean, I am a #9 fan. The smooth nature of the #9 beat out its more intense T-52 cousin. So I went into this review with a bit of reluctance. But what the Flying Pig size does to this cigar blend is amazing. It’s a well built blend of flavors ranging from a good cocoa taste with a growing spice. What I will come out and say is that out of the two Liga Privada Limited Sizes this year, my personal preference is toward the “Dirty Rat”. Cigars are a personal choice and no two smokers pick a cigar for the same reason. If you enjoy the Liga Privada line, I would grab a few of these cigars for some special occasions, but given the choice I’m grabbing a Rat over the Pig.
Shameless plug- One cigar I’m very interested in trying is the JD-4. I consider Jonathan Drew one of the faces of the industry now. Guys like Jonathan Drew, Pete Johnson, Sam Lucia and Jon Huber are going to create even more crazy things in this industry before I finally put down cigars and I’m anxious to see what turns out over the next 12 months.
By Patrick on Nov 25, 2010 | In Main | No Comments »
As I sit here typing this, it is now 6:00 a.m on Thanksgiving morning. I woke up at 5 in order to take my first stab at slow smoking a turkey. Allow me to clarify- this is my first time cooking a turkey and first time using this particular smoker. Either this is going to be great, or go down in flames. But at least I’ll be smoking some good cigars in the process! I mean, it’s totally unfair that turkey gets to smoke for 8 hours and I don’t right?!
I hope all of you have a wonderful day planned. As far as the crew here at Cigarblog.net- Tom is going totally southern and deep frying his turkey. Naturally his heritage dictates he deep fry everything and smother it in gravy! Allen has ventured back to his homeland, so lord knows what they do as a tradition in W.V! Frank, well, Frank has yet to post a review here, so I’m not even going to pass judgment on my dear friend. As for me, I’m going to smoke, finish off this cup of coffee and monitor an 18 lbs bird sitting in my smoker. After, I intend to eat like I’m about to be strapped in the electric chair! Then, I’ll watch the defending Super Bowl Champions- New Orleans Saints v Dallas Cowboys.
Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all! I should be updating with a review a little later in the day. So far the list of Thanksgiving cigars includes a Fuente Anejo Shark, Tatuaje J21 and a Tat “The Face”.
By Patrick on Nov 22, 2010 | In Main | No Comments »
We’ve got some interesting things going on this week. A few reviews are planned, including a “Head to Head Review” of the CAO 615 Corona and the CAO 423 Churchill. Since the Fuente Anejos hit the shelves this week, I’ll be posting a review of those, including my first impression of the “Shark”. Plus, with Thanksgiving and me smoking a Turkey, I’ve got about 18 hours of smoke time to, well, have smoke time.
By Patrick on Nov 22, 2010 | In Main | 2 Comments
Liga Privada….oh what can I say about this brand that has not been said already. I remember my first Liga Privada #9 toro, and to be honest I really did not like it. In several discussions with Allen, here on the site. Profanity was used, and my intelligence questioned, so through pure peer pressure I revisited the line. To say that the Liga Privada #9 robusto got me hooked, would be like saying Brett Favre is having a crappy season; it would just be an understatement! So I fell flat n my back for the Flying Pig. I mean, lets be honest here, it’s a fat perfecto and it’s out of my normal size preference as well. But something about that blend just floored me.
So fast forward to April 2010. The podcast crew was getting some serious samples in for reviews. Cigars and accessories were literally piling up, I was actually scared. There were good cigars, and there were bad cigars. And then, about mid summer, there was a perfect cigar. What more could a corona sized fan want more than to see a Pre Release Dirty Rat sitting on a table. This cigar weighs in at 5×44 with a very attractive wrapper and a pigtail cap that makes for one fine looking stick. I thought when I smoked this cigar, it would be the last one. And then, the hype rolled to realty and they were released, albeit in limited numbers.
Trying to find these was like finding a needle in a haystack at first, and then came word The Humidor in Murfreesboro, one of middle Tennessee’s local B&M shops, had them in stock. For those in the area, Mike’s shop is worth a trip. Fair warning, bring some cash or a card you don’t mind killing! He has a great selection and is one stand up guy!
I thought there was no way this regular release would live up to the hype, but to me this cigar was actually better than the pre production stick I smoked. Heavy cream and spice just rocked this cigar. When I smelled the bag I brought the sticks home in all I could smell was chocolate. If you can find this cigar, you need to grab it. And while I don’t give cigars a 1-10 rating often, I can say this thing is easily worth the price. I largely attribute the added quality of this cigar to the time they had to rest. Age is going to do some wonderful things to these cigars just like they did to the Flying Pigs. While I can respect the work that Drew Estate puts into this cigar, and the expense having 7 different tobaccos involved in its creation, I wish this was a regular in their line.
By Patrick on Nov 17, 2010 | In Cigar Reviews | 1 Comment »
Many of you are no doubt reading this and thinking the same thing I did at first. “What the hell is Elogio?”
For more basic information, including blending and sizing check out the company website at www.elogiocigars.com
But a quick run down of the quality can be found here:
“All Elogio Cigars are custom blended and hand made in Esteli, Nicaragua. Our master blender is Carlos Pereda Robaina, grandson of legendary Cuban tobacco grower and cigar maker, Alejandro Robaina.”
All of EloGio Cigars products are works of art. Literally, this is one of the most beautiful cigars I have ever seen.
These cigars are a regular release but are only available at a few retailers. They are not a limited release cigar, but the quality and size of the production make them hard to find. I picked this cigar up from my local B&M, Uptown’s in Nashville, which at this time is one of the ten places these are available. I’ve got a pretty set pallet in what I like and do not like when it comes to cigars. So when Scott and Marcus at Uptown’s told me I had to smoke one of these, I knew it was going to be good.
The Elogio LSV Corona Extra is the perfect size for this blend. I’m a huge fan of the Corona size, and will rarely smoke a cigar over a 52 ring gauge. In many cases when I’ve picked up a corona or a lancero, the draw is simply terrible or there is inconsistency in the products from one to the next. In the case of the LSV, it was perfect. After smoking these on a regular basis, I have yet to hit one with any issues.
The complexity of the cigar and shifts of flavor really are not my strong suite. I tend to leave things like that to Tom and Allen. But while I can’t tell you the complex nature in transformation from nuts to espresso, I can tell you that this cigar is packed with a great balance between spice and a good cream flavor.
One of the best things about EloGio is that the brand isn’t going to break the bank. The Corona Extra rings in around $6.50, so it is a well priced cigar that simply blows cigars with a higher MSRP out of the water. Pick one up through one of their retailers if they are in your area, and if they aren’t, give the boys over at Uptown’s a call!
