Candles for Men – Humidor Scent & Others

A friend of Toasted Foot recently launched a line of candles for men, and they smell great! Johnny at Valor Candles has done a great job with these, from personally testing the scent formulas, to finding a local pourer, and distributing them across the country online.

I wanted to let you know about one scent that I know all of you will want to add to your Christmas list – the Humidor scented candle! It smells great – a nice mix of cedar and un-smoked tobacco, like a good walk in the humidor. There are some other scents as well – Fairway, Parlor, and Date Night.

When I told Johnny that many of the folks here at TF might like the candle, he offered a reader’s discount of 5% off – just enter TOASTED at checkout. Also be sure to visit Valor Candles on Facebook! We’re not getting anything out of this, just thought you would enjoy these candles! Take care everyone!

Cigar Press Release: New from La Gloria Cubana

Continuing its tradition of innovation, Team La Gloria is proud to introduce La Gloria Cubana® Artesanos Retro Especiale, a collection that spent eight years in the making.

Inspired by an antique humidor found at the El Credito® Cigar Factory, Michael Giannini and Team La Gloria toiled for nearly a decade to replicate the antique humidor. Inclusive of a two-year process that encompassed cultivating a new wrapper, the development of the blend for Artesanos Retro Especiale was approached with an equal amount of creativity and commitment.

According to Michael Giannini, director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana, “It gives me great pleasure to debut La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale. We set out to create a product that was as unique in its packaging as it is in its taste and I believe we’ve delivered that in spades. I stand with Team La Gloria, fully confident that this collection will be a welcome addition to the smoking repertoires of today’s most discriminating premium cigar smokers.”

Team La Gloria set out to break the mold with the blend by cross-breeding a Connecticut seed, which was then cultivated in Honduras. The maiden crop yielded a hearty, golden wrapper as noteworthy for its color as it is for allowing each of the cigar’s components to enjoy equal bearing on the overall taste of the cigar.

Despite the golden appearance of the wrapper, the blend is brash in its full flavor and engages the entire palate. The double binder of bold Nicaraguan and Mexican leaf is further enhanced not only by Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero but also through an additional peppering of proprietary Nicaraguan and Dominican leaf.

Each of the four frontmarks is uniquely packaged in a 25-count box with a different design and bears a classic name that hearkens back to the early days of La Gloria Cubana. Taino (7” x 52) will be available for a suggested retail price of $7.50 per cigar, or $187.50 per box.  Habanero (6” x 52) will sell for an SRP of $7.25 per cigar, or $181.25 per box. Cubano (6 1/2” x 58) will carry an SRP of $8.15 per cigar, or $203.75 per box and Club (5 ¾” x 47) will sell for $7.00 apiece, or $175.00 per box.

La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale will debut in mid-August, with private tastings to be held throughout the country. The product will ultimately ship in late September.

About La Gloria Cubana

La Gloria Cubana cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., a division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar’s skilled artisans produce Macanudo®, Cohiba®,  La Gloria Cubana, Punch®, CAO, Partagas®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur® and several other leading premium brands in the company’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan factories. In addition, the company cultivates proprietary tobacco which is used exclusively in its blends. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide and also exports select products to 62 countries. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.

® La Gloria Cubana, El Credito, Macanudo, Cohiba, Punch, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.

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Cigar Review: Macanudo Cru Royale Robusto

Size: 5×50, Robusto

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan

Strength: Medium

Price: Box of 20, $104

Grade: 9.0

Released at the 2010 IPCPR, this brand follows the release of one my favorites, the Macanudo 1968.  Produced by General Cigar and blended by Benji Menendez this cigar is a more full bodied offering from Macanudo which is mostly known for its mild smokes.

Let’s get straight to it!

Pre-light, 1.8:

The Macanudo Cru Royale is great looking smoke with a dark oily wrapper with a few veins here and there.  The cigar is well packed with a nice weight in the palm.  The pre-light aroma is nice with oats and a touch of spice at the foot.  The cold draw produces a nice flavor on the palate and is a bit heavier than I anticipated.  Lastly, the presentation of this smoke is very nice with the blue, silver,black color scheme.  The box that the Cru Royales come in is also very neat.

Burn, 1.8:
All of my samples had excellent draws, burned even, and did not require any touch ups or re-lights.  The robusto produced plenty of smoke and the smoke temperature was pleasant throughout.

Flavor, 2.7:
The cigar has a nice earthy flavor on the initial buff with some cedar in the mix as well.  The cigar opens up into the first third with notes of coffee, earth, and mild spice.  Into the second third the earthiness tends to become a bit more dominant on my palate but the spice and chocolate notes are still in the mix as well.  The last third finds the Cru Royale a touch spicier, especially on the finish.  Speaking of finish, this cigar has a nice medium to medium long finish for the duration of the smoke, one of my favorite characteristics.

Overall, 2.7:
At just under five dollars a stick I would put this as a solid buy.  The cigars are constructed very well and they have a nice flavor with a pleasant finish.  I enjoyed all of my samples, and I have a few more in humidor that I look forward to toasting in the future.

(Total: 9.0)

Cigar Review: Esteban Carreras Connecticut

Size: 5×50, Robusto

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut (Aged 7 years)

Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Filler: Dominican

Strength: Mild

Price: Box of 20, $104

Grade: 8.8

The Connecticut is available in 4 sizes and range from $104 – $132 for a box of 20. There is mixed information online regarding the Binder and the Filler – while most places note them as Ecuadorian and Dominican, I also found them listed as being Nicaraguan. However, after looking around a while, the manufacture does list these as Ecu/Dom, being produced by La Aurora in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

These aren’t all that easy to find either, both locally for me or online, and I honestly have no idea where these samples came from in my humidor – I went digging and found them, so no idea on the age!

They also produce a Habano and Maduro, the 1961, 10 Anos, 5150, Cubana Real, and 187.

You may visit Esteban Carreras online here.

Well, let’s jump in!

Pre-light, 1.8:
The Esteban Carreras Connecticut has the look of your average, mild Connecticut wrapped cigar – a light, almond colored wrapper, some stretched veins along the seam, and a dry and medium colored filler at the foot. There are not any soft spots from head to foot, and the top is triple capped. The white and black band covers a good portion of the Robusto, giving a nice overall look for the cigar. The aroma is clean and crisp with notes of nuts, hay, and a buttery sweetness at the cap. The foot is very clean smelling and carries a cool zest to it in the nostrils. On the draw, the flavor profile is nutty and mild, and the pull is spot on.

Burn, 1.8:
The Carreras performs well and has a very solid construction. The burn is slow, the draw has the right amount of resistance, and the smoke is quite thick and aromatic. I didn’t have any issues with keeping the cigar lit and the burn remained razor sharp throughout.

Flavor, 2.5:
Up front, the flavor is nice and creamy with a nutty profile most similar to cashews. Into the first third, the cream is still present, as is the nutty profile, but they have come together into a very subtle and smooth profile. Moving into the second third, the Carreras gets a bit bland with the cream fading and some of the hay notes showing up. It is still quite smooth, just less entertaining. Finishing up, the nutty profile and dominates the final section of the cigar.

Overall, 2.7:
At around $5, this is a nice cigar that would fit newer smokers quite well. I am not sure it would perform well enough to entertain more seasoned, full bodied smokers, but maybe as a morning smoke it would suffice. The construction is spot on and  is definitely the best feature of this smoke – it’s a smooth and pleasurable cigar to smoke, just not full of much flavor.

(Total: 8.8)

Quick Toast: Tatuaje Seleccion De Cazador

Size: 5×50, Regios

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Full

Price: Box of 25, $225

Affectionately known as the “Brown Label” or “Cabinet Selection”, the Tatuaje Seleccion De Cazador is the first line in the Tatuaje collection.  The majority of the sizes are produced in Miami with two sizes being produced by Jaime Garcia at My Fathers Cigars, S.A. 

The size we are quick toasting today is produced in Miami, and is my go to size for this particular Tatuaje blend.  The medium to dark brown wrapper has a nice texture and the triple cap is beautiful.  The cigar clips, lights, and draws very well producing plenty of smoke.  The flavor is full with notes of earthy tobacco coupled with a bit of spice that finishes well.  Into the second third the notes stay the same but become richer and more refined.  The last third has a little bit more spice, but it is not overbearing at all. 

To be honest this is one of my favorite smokes from one of my favorite cigar makers.  I have had many of them and they are constructed well and the flavor profile is consistent.  Though this price point takes it out of my daily rotation, it makes the weekend selection with no problem at all. 

SINGLE: YES
BOX: YES
GRADE: A