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Sunday Jan 02, 2022
Sunday Jan 02, 2022
Coming in at #9 is the Vintage Rock-A-Feller Group Art of Magic. The Art of Magic is a limited edition project started by Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group (VRCG). In 2017, Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group was acquired by Kevin Schweitzer, who at the time was a Wall Street trader who had been a cigar enthusiast for 25 years. Since that time, Schweitzer has worked on both streamlining and strengthening the current portfolio. Art of Magic is an ultra-premium limited-edition offering. It pays homage to Schweitzer's love of the craft of magic.
The packaging is also quite different than anything that has been seen with the Rock-A-Feller products before. The artwork for the packaging for the Art of Magic was done by Jessi Flores, who used to run Subculture Studios for Drew Estate. As a part of the release, 5% of the proceeds will go to the charity Phuck Cancer. Flores’ daughter Stephanie Nicole is going through a very difficult battle with cancer. The proceeds from the Phuck Cancer campaign will help fund Stephanie’s medical and treatment expenses as well as raise cancer awareness as a whole.
The other thing that is different is that Art of Magic is the first project Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group has worked on with TABSA. The blend features a San Andres wrapper over Nicaragua binder and filler. This blend comes in one size - a 6 x 52 Toro.
This blend is a throwback to some of the old Casa Fernandez Maduro blends that came out of TABSA. The Art of Magic delivered a medium-strength, medium-bodied profile with notes of coffee, citrus, cedar, red pepper, earth, and natural tobacco.
The Art of Magic lands Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group on the Countdown for the first time. Meanwhile, the dominance of Nicaragua on this year's Countdown continues. Of the 22 cigars we have unveiled moving up the Countdown, this is the 16th one from Nicaragua.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria: https://cigar-coop.com/2021/12/announcement-criteria-for-the-2021-cigar-of-the-year-countdown.html
Cigar Coop Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-lJF
Saturday Jan 01, 2022
Saturday Jan 01, 2022
Coming in at #10 is the Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone Un Presidente. Southern Draw lands on the 2021 Countdown for a second time. Much like the #18 ranked Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale was an offshoot of the Rose of Sharon line, the Brimstone is an offshoot of the Jacobs Ladder line. Notably, it's the second year in a row each of these blends have placed on the Countdown.
Like the original Jacobs Ladder, the Brimstone uses a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper. The remainder of the blend is different. The binder is a USA Maduro and a filler that consists of triple ligero Nicaraguan tobaccos. Late in 2020, Southern Draw introduced a massive 9 x 48 line extension dubbed "Un Presidente." It's easily the longest cigar since the Debonaire 33rd Maduro landed #2 in 2015.
Last year, it was the Brimstone Perfecto that landed on the list at #9. Brimstone was originally positioned as a bolder version of the powerhouse Jacobs Ladder blend, but over time I saw the Perfecto mellowed and instead became richer in flavor. In the case of the Brimstone Un Presidente, these cigars were aging in Nicaragua for over a year and already had mellowed a bit. These cigars delivered a medium strength, medium-bodied profile with notes of coffee, earth, fruit, chocolate, red pepper, and toast. It's going to take an investment in time, but it will be worth every second.
2021 is the fifth year Southern Draw Cigars has landed on the Countdown - all of those years have been consecutive since 2017. It's also the fourth time there has been an AJ Fernandez-made cigar on the Countdown. Nicaragua has been the dominant country on this year's Countdown. Of the 21 cigars we have unveiled moving up the Countdown, this is the 15th one from Nicaragua.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria:
Saturday Jan 01, 2022
Saturday Jan 01, 2022
Coming in at #10 is the Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone Un Presidente. Southern Draw lands on the 2021 Countdown for a second time. Much like the #18 ranked Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Lonsdale was an offshoot of the Rose of Sharon line, the Brimstone is an offshoot of the Jacobs Ladder line. Notably, it's the second year in a row each of these blends have placed on the Countdown.
Like the original Jacobs Ladder, the Brimstone uses a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper. The remainder of the blend is different. The binder is a USA Maduro and a filler that consists of triple ligero Nicaraguan tobaccos. Late in 2020, Southern Draw introduced a massive 9 x 48 line extension dubbed "Un Presidente." It's easily the longest cigar since the Debonaire 33rd Maduro landed #2 in 2015.
Last year, it was the Brimstone Perfecto that landed on the list at #9. Brimstone was originally positioned as a bolder version of the powerhouse Jacobs Ladder blend, but over time I saw the Perfecto mellowed and instead became richer in flavor. In the case of the Brimstone Un Presidente, these cigars were aging in Nicaragua for over a year and already had mellowed a bit. These cigars delivered a medium strength, medium-bodied profile with notes of coffee, earth, fruit, chocolate, red pepper, and toast. It's going to take an investment in time, but it will be worth every second.
2021 is the fifth year Southern Draw Cigars has landed on the Countdown - all of those years have been consecutive since 2017. It's also the fourth time there has been an AJ Fernandez-made cigar on the Countdown. Nicaragua has been the dominant country on this year's Countdown. Of the 21 cigars we have unveiled moving up the Countdown, this is the 15th one from Nicaragua.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria:
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Tonight, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars joins us for Episode 214 as we put a wrap on 2021.
We will catch up on everything Tatuaje Cigars, and get an update from Pete on a bunch of industry topics. Plus in our Live True segment, we will talk a little Formula One racing!
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Tonight, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars joins us for Episode 214 as we put a wrap on 2021.
We will catch up on everything Tatuaje Cigars, and get an update from Pete on a bunch of industry topics. Plus in our Live True segment, we will talk a little Formula One racing!
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Coming in at #11 is the Aladino Cameroon Elegante by JRE Tobacco Co. This is the first lancero to land on the 2021 Countdown. The lancero size is one that is becoming a staple at JRE Tobacco as Company President Justo Eiroa has released a lancero in four of his lines to date. The Aladino Cameroon Elegante was originally soft-launched to Jay Davis' Blue Smoke of Dallas store before being released nationally in the spring of 2021.
While it is called Aladino Cameroon, it actually is a cigar that features 100% Honduran-grown tobaccos from the JRE Tobacco farm. A few years ago, Julio R. Eiroa took on the challenge of growing leaf at the JRE Tobacco farm from a Cameroon seed and the result was this Honduran-grown Cameroon wrapper. The remainder of the blend contains Authentic Corojo grown at the JRE Tobacco Farm. This Elegante is a classic 38 x 7 lancero. Production is handled at Julio Eiroa's Las Lomas factory.
The Aladino Cameroon Elegante produced notes of natural tobacco, caramel, earth, black pepper, baker's spice, cedar, and a signature apple-like sweetness. These flavors are robust and fall in the medium to full range. This is countered by medium strength.
The Aladino Cameroon Elegante lands JRE Tobacco Co on a Cigar Coop Countdown for the sixth year. All of these appearances have been in consecutive years. It's also the second year in a row the Aladino Cameroon line has placed on the Countdown as 2020 saw the Robusto size land at #4. It's also the third cigar from Honduras to land on the 2021 Countdown and the second cigar from the Las Lomas factory.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria: https://cigar-coop.com/2021/12/announcement-criteria-for-the-2021-cigar-of-the-year-countdown.html
Cigar Coop Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-lIW
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Coming in at #11 is the Aladino Cameroon Elegante by JRE Tobacco Co. This is the first lancero to land on the 2021 Countdown. The lancero size is one that is becoming a staple at JRE Tobacco as Company President Justo Eiroa has released a lancero in four of his lines to date. The Aladino Cameroon Elegante was originally soft-launched to Jay Davis' Blue Smoke of Dallas store before being released nationally in the spring of 2021.
While it is called Aladino Cameroon, it actually is a cigar that features 100% Honduran-grown tobaccos from the JRE Tobacco farm. A few years ago, Julio R. Eiroa took on the challenge of growing leaf at the JRE Tobacco farm from a Cameroon seed and the result was this Honduran-grown Cameroon wrapper. The remainder of the blend contains Authentic Corojo grown at the JRE Tobacco Farm. This Elegante is a classic 38 x 7 lancero. Production is handled at Julio Eiroa's Las Lomas factory.
The Aladino Cameroon Elegante produced notes of natural tobacco, caramel, earth, black pepper, baker's spice, cedar, and a signature apple-like sweetness. These flavors are robust and fall in the medium to full range. This is countered by medium strength.
The Aladino Cameroon Elegante lands JRE Tobacco Co on a Cigar Coop Countdown for the sixth year. All of these appearances have been in consecutive years. It's also the second year in a row the Aladino Cameroon line has placed on the Countdown as 2020 saw the Robusto size land at #4. It's also the third cigar from Honduras to land on the 2021 Countdown and the second cigar from the Las Lomas factory.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria: https://cigar-coop.com/2021/12/announcement-criteria-for-the-2021-cigar-of-the-year-countdown.html
Cigar Coop Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-lIW
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Coming in at #12 is the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Churchill by Altadis USA. This is a regular production cigar created to mark the 85th anniversary of the Montecristo brand. To make this release, Altadis turned to AJ Fernandez who has produced several releases for Montecristo to date. The concept here was to create a cigar to pay homage to the tradition of soft-pressing cigars.
The tobaccos used in the blend are all Nicaraguan and are also meant to pay homage to the original tobaccos used in the first Montecristo. The Churchill is a soft-pressed 7 x 52 vitola. Production for this line comes from Fernandez's San Lotano factory in Ocatal, Nicaragua.
The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Churchill delivers a medium strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. Along the way, the cigar delivered notes of coffee, chocolate, natural tobacco, earth, fruit, cedar, red Pepper. This is a cigar that has plenty of flavor nuances along the way.
For Altadis USA, this is the sixth year one of its cigars has landed on a Cigar Coop Countdown. This is also the third AJ Fernandez-made cigar on this year's Countdown -with two of those cigars coming from his San Lotano factory. Meanwhile, Nicaragua continues to dominate the 2021 Countdown. Of the nineteen cigars we have unveiled moving up the Countdown, this is the fourteenth one from Nicaragua.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria:
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Coming in at #12 is the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Churchill by Altadis USA. This is a regular production cigar created to mark the 85th anniversary of the Montecristo brand. To make this release, Altadis turned to AJ Fernandez who has produced several releases for Montecristo to date. The concept here was to create a cigar to pay homage to the tradition of soft-pressing cigars.
The tobaccos used in the blend are all Nicaraguan and are also meant to pay homage to the original tobaccos used in the first Montecristo. The Churchill is a soft-pressed 7 x 52 vitola. Production for this line comes from Fernandez's San Lotano factory in Ocatal, Nicaragua.
The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Churchill delivers a medium strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. Along the way, the cigar delivered notes of coffee, chocolate, natural tobacco, earth, fruit, cedar, red Pepper. This is a cigar that has plenty of flavor nuances along the way.
For Altadis USA, this is the sixth year one of its cigars has landed on a Cigar Coop Countdown. This is also the third AJ Fernandez-made cigar on this year's Countdown -with two of those cigars coming from his San Lotano factory. Meanwhile, Nicaragua continues to dominate the 2021 Countdown. Of the nineteen cigars we have unveiled moving up the Countdown, this is the fourteenth one from Nicaragua.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria:
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Coming in at #13 is the Sobremesa Brûlée Blue by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Throughout his career, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust owner Steve Saka has loved to take an existing blend and do some tweaks on it. In the case of the Sobremesa Brûlée Blue, it is a modification of the Sobremesa Brûlée, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust's Connecticut Shade offering.
In addition to a top-grade Connecticut Shade wrapper, Sobremesa Brûlée Blue consists of a San Andres Mexican binder, and all-Nicaraguan fillers. The Blue comes in one size - a Corona Larga that measures 6 1/4 x 46. Production for the Sobremesa Brûlée Blue comes out of the Joya de Nicaragua factory. The Blue even has its own packaging - it uses the Sobremesa logo, but incorporates powder blue into the color scheme.
Saka blended the original Sobremesa Brûlée to be a milder old school Connecticut Shade cigar. The Sobremesa Brûlée Blue is on the bolder side, delivering a medium strength, medium-bodied experience. As for the flavors, the Brûlée Blue produced notes of sweetened cream, coffee, bread, pepper, butterscotch, and wood.
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has appeared on every Countdown since the company's inception in 2015. If you are keeping score at home that means it has appeared seven consecutive years on the Countdown - tied for second all time for consecutive years. This also gives the Joya de Nicaragua factory its third cigar on the Countdown, tying Drew Estate. Nicaragua's dominance continues. Of the eighteen cigars we have unveiled moving up the Countdown, this is the thirteenth one from Nicaragua.
For details of the 2021 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2021 criteria: