Tailgate season is here.. Make sure you have plenty of cigars!

This post is  VERY overdue…. But I think everyone will be more inspired to bust out a big cigar now that the weather is finally breaking in FL. There is no better place in sports to to enjoy a cigar then tailgating!tailgate cigars  I always recommend bringing some of you bigger sticks, because you will be outside and usually have a lot of time to enjoy them. Always make sure you bring a secondary stash of smokes for those guests or uninvited visitors that stop by. When the “rare/occasional” cigar smoker sees cigars they tend to get excited and ask for one of yours…because they never have any on them. I always have shorter more reasonably priced cigars with me. I can’t bring myself to buy really cheap smokes…so I usually keep these in the 5 dollar range.(Click here to see my previous tailgate post)

 

Below is a list of some of my suggested “tailgate” cigars for the 2013-14 season. Enjoy!

1) San Cristobal

Fabuloso – 6.125 x 52
San Cristobal Fabuloso
Monumento – 7.25 x 49
San Cristobal Monumento

 

2) Padron (I love them all…so any one will do)

Executive -7 1/2 x 50

padron cigar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3) Flor de las Antillas

Toro – 6 x 52

my father cigars

4) Cordoba and Morales  (Big fan of this entire line of cigars)

cordoba and morales

 


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New Wynwood Factory Fresh La Granada Cigar (Miami)

I have to start off this post by thanking my friend Al over at Ol’ Times cigars for giving me this Wynwood cigar (From Christian Eiroa and Robert Caldwell). It is apparently a new smoke that came out this year and comes with a new edgy concept in mind. Most cigars are rolled and sit waiting to be ordered for several weeks. The “factory fresh” concept means that the cigars are rolled and shipped when ordered. A lot of people really like the taste of a fresh hand rolled cigar. This company is doing something that is very rare by making this type of cigar-to-order available.  lynwood cigar

I went into this tasting without doing any type of research…and ended up really liking the lack of bias that usually comes from knowing a cigars background. At first look, I noticed a very attractive wrapper with only a few veins in sight. The label is a little interesting. It made me think that there was definitely a story behind it…as there usually is. The Wynwood factory is in a artsy part of Miami and this label definitely embraces that fact.  The cigar is very well made and the cap was easy to cut. The initial draw was good. It was packed pretty well with tobacco but there was no resistance on the pull. The honduran tobaccos used are very flavorful and the cigar burned great.

lynwood cigar

The taste of this cigar reminded of many of the smokes I had early on..when I first started smoking cigars. I used to smoke cigars that were made of mainly tobaccos from the dominican republic, Honduras, Ecuador. I think the strong cigars from Nicaragua have changed my palate and preference in what I smoke…But this cigar was a nice surprising smoke. Good strength and changes in spiciness throughout. I enjoyed the change of pace in flavor and could sense the difference in the “Fresh Factory” process used in its making.

wynwood cigar

 

wynwood cigar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In conclusion … JK recommends. I think this one is definitely worth a try if you happen be in the Casselberry area. Go on by Ol’ Times Cigars and check it out.  (click here to get more information on Ol’ Times). Grab a couple and age them in your humidor for different lengths of time to see how the cigars develop. I plan on doing the same thing! Price ranges from $10-12 (available in Corona and Robusto Sizes…depending on where you purchase)

 


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Cigar Event tomorrow at The Cigar Lounge Oviedo

The Cigar Lounge Oviedo has made some major renovations recently and is looking to show it off tomorrow night! Bigger bar..more TVs…Pool Table…Expanded Humidor!

 They are having a customer appreciation night from 7-11 (Friday). There will be great drink specials (beer & wine) and food available. Also…The Cordoba and Morales company will be on hand with plenty of their popular smokes. (If you’re not familiar with Cordoba & Morales then click here to see my previous posts).

cordoba and morales cigars

 If you’re looking for good place to burn one on a friday night then this is the place to be! See ya there!

Address for The Cigar Lounge Oviedo

2960 W State Road 426  Oviedo, FL 32765
(407) 657-3552

(Click here to see more)


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The Clubhouse cigar by Davidoff… a serious high end smoke

The Davidoff brand is associated with luxury and a very high-end lifestyle. Their cigars are super well-made elegant smokes. I don’t buy them on a regular basis, but I do like to try the limited edition versions. The latest release is the Masters Edition Clubhouse Toro. (click here to see previous posts on Davidoff)davidoff cigar

This smoke has a subtle golf theme in the secondary wrapper and was made to be enjoyed on the course. I chose to save the cigar for a time when I could sit with a good bourbon and enjoy it fully…and watch golf’s US Open. Which I kinda thought was fitting.davidoff clubhouse cigar

The wrapper on this cigar is made from  flawless ecuadorian aged tobacco. The entire smoke is super smooth but has some nice medium-full flavor. There were some minor issues keeping the burn completely even..which I’ve never experienced in the past with the Davidoff brand. It could have just been the one I purchased.

davidoff clubhouse cigardavidoff clubhouse cigar

 

In Conclusion…JK recommends! I enjoyed all of the subtle flavors that developed and smoked it to the nub. This is a great “special” cigar to buy for a celebration..as are all of the Davidoff smokes. I got this one at Cigarz on the Avenue in Winter Park FL. They always have the limited edition releases before anyone else. Stop by soon if you are looking for something special to smoke… before they are sold out.


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You want a classy smoke…try a Avo Heritage Cigar

Avo Cigars rank among the best super premium smokes in the world. There are some people that only associate their cigars with a hefty price tag..but the AVO Heritage line is priced pretty reasonably and delivers a lot of the charaterictics of the limited edition blends.Avo Heritage cigar

I stopped by The Cigar Lounge yesterday to do some work while enjoying a good cigar. Tough to be too stressed with that setup. I was tempted to grab one of my favorite automatic smokes…but thankfully I grabbed something different.  I’ve had several of Avo’s limited edition smokes and have always been very impressed (See my Top 10). Avo Heritage cigar

The AVO Heritage Series cigars will catch your eye right away. It has a beautiful dark sun grown wrapper and the cigar is perfectly made. The cigar was packed full of several tobaccos, including the very strong Dominican Ligero. All of the other cigars that I’ve tried with Ligero are usually a little overpowering…but this AVO was balanced perfectly. I found it to burn very evenly and slow, but would recommend ashing it a little more often than usual.Avo heritage cigar

The cigars draw started off a little tight but loosened up as I continued to smoke. The flavors that developed really got my attention. There was a lot of spice and little hints of sweetness.

 

In conclusion…JK highly recommends  I am always looking for a new cigar that I can put in my regular rotation. With a price tag around $8-9 …I’ll be buying several more of the Avo Heritage Series cigars. Looking forward to trying all of the five sizes available.


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