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The Cigar Industry Centric Podcast
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Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Coming in at #12 is the Casa Magna Liga F Churchill by Quesada Cigars. Back in 2008, Manuel Quesada teamed up with Nestor Plasencia to release a cigar to be sold under the Quesada Cigars portfolio known as the Casa Magna Colorado. The cigar was met with critical acclaim and commercial success and is widely considered to be one of the most successful collaborations in history. Over the years, Quesada Cigars has grown Casa Magna into a full-fledged brand. Most recently Quesada has been taking over production of the offerings under the brand. One of the more recent offerings that was added to Casa Magna brand was the Liga F in 2021.
Liga F stands for Liga Fuerte and fuerte is Spanish for “strong.” The Casa Magna Liga F is meant to be a stronger and bolder expression for the brand. The blend for the Casa Magna Liga F features a sun-grown Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper. There are Dominican tobaccos used for binder and filler. In addition, some Nicaraguan tobaccos are incorporated into the filler. The Churchill size that lands on the countdown is a thicker expression of a Churchill measuring 7 x 50.
The Casa Magna Liga F does its job in terms of being bolder. While the cigar started out with medium strength and medium to full body, by the time the smoking experience reaches the final third, it’s delivering full strength and full body. This is a complex cigar with plenty of flavor nuances and flavor transitions. Notes include: sweet bread, natural tobacco, creamy almond, earth, cedar, baker’s spice, classic wood, and pepper. The cigar totally fires on all cylinders – flavor, construction, and complexity.
For Quesada Cigars, this is the eighth year the company has placed a cigar on a Cigar Coop Countdown, including three years in a row. This is the third Dominican-made cigar to land on this year’s Countdown and it gives the TABADEX factory a second cigar on the Countdown.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-onL
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
As we wrap up 2022, we welcome the one and only Tom Lazuka back to Prime Time.
We will catch up with Tom on all things Asylum and CLE. We will also talk some industry topics with Tom, and of course we will see how Tom is holding up during a tough year for professional sports in Detroit, while seeing if Michigan can bring home the national title.
Plus we will have our United Cigars Presidents Segment as well as Tabacalera USA’s Great Things are Happening Here and preview the new Ties That Bind segment.
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
Wednesday Dec 28, 2022
As we wrap up 2022, we welcome the one and only Tom Lazuka back to Prime Time.
We will catch up with Tom on all things Asylum and CLE. We will also talk some industry topics with Tom, and of course we will see how Tom is holding up during a tough year for professional sports in Detroit, while seeing if Michigan can bring home the national title.
Plus we will have our United Cigars Presidents Segment as well as Tabacalera USA’s Great Things are Happening Here and preview the new Ties That Bind segment.
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Coming in at #13 is the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Toro by Altadis USA. When it comes to the H. Upmann brand, there is quite a strong track record both from a commercial and critical standpoint when Altadis’ Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez join forces. This includes the H. Upmann Nicaragua by AJ Fernandez and the limited edition H. Upmann 175th Anniversary. Toward the end of 2021, came the word of another H. Upmann project with Nodal and Fernandez known as the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage.
The blend for the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage is a combination of extra-aged tobaccos from Brazil and Nicaragua. This is highlighted by a Brazilian Mata Fina triple fermented wrapper over a Nicaraguan Habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Brazil. The Toro measures 54 x 6.
The result is a cigar that is medium in strength and medium to full in body. The flavors shine in this blend as it delivers notes of coffee beans, stone fruit, cocoa, spicy cinnamon, and pepper. These flavors complement each other quite well. We all know Rafael Nodal’s love of music, and the way these flavors play well together is reminiscent of how a symphony orchestra performs.
For Altadis USA, this is the seventh year the company has placed a cigar on a Cigar Coop Countdown, including three years in a row. This is the latest cigar from Nicaragua to land on the Countdown. If you are following our reveal at home Nicaragua has been the dominant country thus far. With 18 cigars unveiled, this is the 13th cigar to land on the Countdown from that Central American country.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-on7
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Coming in at #13 is the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Toro by Altadis USA. When it comes to the H. Upmann brand, there is quite a strong track record both from a commercial and critical standpoint when Altadis’ Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez join forces. This includes the H. Upmann Nicaragua by AJ Fernandez and the limited edition H. Upmann 175th Anniversary. Toward the end of 2021, came the word of another H. Upmann project with Nodal and Fernandez known as the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage.
The blend for the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage is a combination of extra-aged tobaccos from Brazil and Nicaragua. This is highlighted by a Brazilian Mata Fina triple fermented wrapper over a Nicaraguan Habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Brazil. The Toro measures 54 x 6.
The result is a cigar that is medium in strength and medium to full in body. The flavors shine in this blend as it delivers notes of coffee beans, stone fruit, cocoa, spicy cinnamon, and pepper. These flavors complement each other quite well. We all know Rafael Nodal’s love of music, and the way these flavors play well together is reminiscent of how a symphony orchestra performs.
For Altadis USA, this is the seventh year the company has placed a cigar on a Cigar Coop Countdown, including three years in a row. This is the latest cigar from Nicaragua to land on the Countdown. If you are following our reveal at home Nicaragua has been the dominant country thus far. With 18 cigars unveiled, this is the 13th cigar to land on the Countdown from that Central American country.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-on7
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Coming in at #14 is the Undercrown 10 Robusto by Drew Estate. The Undercrown 10 line made its debut back in 2021. As the name indicates, it was meant to commemorate ten years of the Undercrown brand. This is actually the second year in a row Undercrown 10 has landed on Countdown. Last year the Toro size of Undercrown 10 landed at #15.
Back in 2008, Drew Estate made a significant move into the traditional premium cigar-making space with Liga Privada, but the brand was always intended to be somewhat of a limited production offering. This is where the need for Undercrown came in. Drew Estate needed an offering that was not as constrained as Liga Privada. In any factory, it is common for rollers to smoke the cigar they are making. With Drew Estate’s popular Liga Privada, because there was high demand with limited tobacco, it was not possible for the rollers to smoke that cigar. Therefore, the rollers came up with a variation of the Liga Privada blend which would be dubbed Undercrown (now Undercrown Maduro). This basically involved using alternate primings from the same tobaccos that were acquired and used in the Liga Privada blend. In 2011, the Undercrown Maduro was released to the market. Eventually, other Undercrown blends were added, one of which is the all-new Undercrown 10.
Like the original the Undercrown Maduro, Undercrown 10 also uses a San Andres wrapper. The difference is the San Andres wrapper for the Undercrown 10 is a higher grade and priming. The remainder of the blend incorporates “the very finest Broadleaf binder from the Connecticut River Valley, and a tripa blend of select and rare Nicaraguan tobaccos.” Production is handled at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Robusto measures 5 x 50.
Flavor-wise, the Undercrown 10 Robusto delivered notes of coffee, cocoa, baker’s spice, red licorice, pepper, and cream. For the most part, this delivered a cigar with medium strength and medium body, but it does kick up to medium to full in the final third. The Robusto is going to be very close to the Toro in terms of a flavor profile, but the flavors seemed to be on the richer side.
Drew Estate has been one of the most successful companies in the history of the Countdown. This is the ninth year the company has landed on the Countdown, including five years in a row. Nicaragua continues to dominate the 2022 Countdown as this is the 12th cigar to land on the Countdown from that country.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-on5
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Coming in at #14 is the Undercrown 10 Robusto by Drew Estate. The Undercrown 10 line made its debut back in 2021. As the name indicates, it was meant to commemorate ten years of the Undercrown brand. This is actually the second year in a row Undercrown 10 has landed on Countdown. Last year the Toro size of Undercrown 10 landed at #15.
Back in 2008, Drew Estate made a significant move into the traditional premium cigar-making space with Liga Privada, but the brand was always intended to be somewhat of a limited production offering. This is where the need for Undercrown came in. Drew Estate needed an offering that was not as constrained as Liga Privada. In any factory, it is common for rollers to smoke the cigar they are making. With Drew Estate’s popular Liga Privada, because there was high demand with limited tobacco, it was not possible for the rollers to smoke that cigar. Therefore, the rollers came up with a variation of the Liga Privada blend which would be dubbed Undercrown (now Undercrown Maduro). This basically involved using alternate primings from the same tobaccos that were acquired and used in the Liga Privada blend. In 2011, the Undercrown Maduro was released to the market. Eventually, other Undercrown blends were added, one of which is the all-new Undercrown 10.
Like the original the Undercrown Maduro, Undercrown 10 also uses a San Andres wrapper. The difference is the San Andres wrapper for the Undercrown 10 is a higher grade and priming. The remainder of the blend incorporates “the very finest Broadleaf binder from the Connecticut River Valley, and a tripa blend of select and rare Nicaraguan tobaccos.” Production is handled at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Robusto measures 5 x 50.
Flavor-wise, the Undercrown 10 Robusto delivered notes of coffee, cocoa, baker’s spice, red licorice, pepper, and cream. For the most part, this delivered a cigar with medium strength and medium body, but it does kick up to medium to full in the final third. The Robusto is going to be very close to the Toro in terms of a flavor profile, but the flavors seemed to be on the richer side.
Drew Estate has been one of the most successful companies in the history of the Countdown. This is the ninth year the company has landed on the Countdown, including five years in a row. Nicaragua continues to dominate the 2022 Countdown as this is the 12th cigar to land on the Countdown from that country.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-on5
Saturday Dec 24, 2022
Saturday Dec 24, 2022
Coming in at #15 is the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo Robusto. The Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario series has its roots back in 2013. At the time, the company was known as Casa Fernandez, and it released a limited edition Corojo wrapped cigar to celebrate its 35th anniversary known as the Casa Fernandez Aniversario Series Boheme No. 35. Some follow-up vitolas were released, as well as a Maduro counterpart. Along the way, three Casa Fernandez Aniversario offerings have landed on a Cigar Coop Countdown. Late in 2021, the line was rebranded to the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario. At the same time, a 5 x 54 Box Pressed Robusto offering was added with the Corojo Robusto becoming the fourth of the Aniversario series to place on the Countdown.
The blend of the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo remains the same as when this was first released under the Casa Fernandez name. It's not only a 100% Nicaraguan puro, but it features all tobaccos that are grown on the Aganorsa farms.
Flavor-wise, the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo Robusto delivered notes of natural tobacco, citrus, earth, cedar, graham cracker, and black pepper. It's a cigar that started out medium in strength and body, but does kick up to medium to full for both attributes in the second half. It's a cigar that has enough complexity to hold one's interest from start to finish.
Aganorsa Leaf has been one of the most successful companies in the history of the Countdown. This is the ninth year Aganorsa Leaf has placed on the Countdown - and the company has done this over a ten-year span. Once again, Nicaragua scores another spot on the 2022 Countdown, and of the five countries to land on this year's Countdown, 11 have come from Nicaragua.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-omi
Saturday Dec 24, 2022
Saturday Dec 24, 2022
Coming in at #15 is the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo Robusto. The Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario series has its roots back in 2013. At the time, the company was known as Casa Fernandez, and it released a limited edition Corojo wrapped cigar to celebrate its 35th anniversary known as the Casa Fernandez Aniversario Series Boheme No. 35. Some follow-up vitolas were released, as well as a Maduro counterpart. Along the way, three Casa Fernandez Aniversario offerings have landed on a Cigar Coop Countdown. Late in 2021, the line was rebranded to the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario. At the same time, a 5 x 54 Box Pressed Robusto offering was added with the Corojo Robusto becoming the fourth of the Aniversario series to place on the Countdown.
The blend of the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo remains the same as when this was first released under the Casa Fernandez name. It's not only a 100% Nicaraguan puro, but it features all tobaccos that are grown on the Aganorsa farms.
Flavor-wise, the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Corojo Robusto delivered notes of natural tobacco, citrus, earth, cedar, graham cracker, and black pepper. It's a cigar that started out medium in strength and body, but does kick up to medium to full for both attributes in the second half. It's a cigar that has enough complexity to hold one's interest from start to finish.
Aganorsa Leaf has been one of the most successful companies in the history of the Countdown. This is the ninth year Aganorsa Leaf has placed on the Countdown - and the company has done this over a ten-year span. Once again, Nicaragua scores another spot on the 2022 Countdown, and of the five countries to land on this year's Countdown, 11 have come from Nicaragua.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-omi
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Coming in at #16 is the Bandolero Firecracker by Selected Tobacco. The Firecracker Series started out in 2007 as the brainchild of Two Guys Smoke Shop owner Dave Garofalo. It’s a series where he would work with leading manufacturers to produce a small 3 1/2 inch cigar with a long-fuse resembling a Firecracker. In recent years, the Firecracker Series has moved over to United Cigars and now is available for a national limited release to authorized retailers. In 2022, the Bandolero Firecracker was introduced. Bandolero is a brand under Nelson Alfonso's Selected Tobacco. While United Cigars has been distributed Selected Tobacco for almost a decade, this still marks the first Firecracker installment done with Selected Tobacco.
The blend for the Bandolero Firecracker is derived from the Clandestino line (Serie C) that uses filler leaves from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and undisclosed tobaccos. The Bandolero Firecracker features an Ecuadorian binder and a dark Ecuadorian wrapper that is typically used on the Aventureros line (Serie A). The Firecracker itself measures 3 1/2 x 50. Production comes from Tabacos de Costa Rica located in Costa Rica.
The Bandolero Firecracker delivers notes of natural tobacco, earth, cedar, hay, and black pepper. This will be a cigar that delivers a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. The flavors aren't necessarily the most flashy or exotic flavors, but they complement each other extremely well. One important note, if sometimes a Firecracker is too short in terms of smoking duration, the Bandolero Firecracker is a slow burn that can provide about an hour for the smoking experience.
For Selected Tobacco, this marks the first year and first time the company has secured a spot on a Cigar Coop Countdown. It's also the first time on the 2022 Countdown that Costa Rica has placed a cigar. This is the fifth country overall to land on the Countdown. if you are keeping score at home, we've reached the halfway point and have unveiled 15 cigars thus far from 14 different companies and 14 different factories.
Full Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-omg