The first review after IPCPR

The first cigar of the day was enjoyed by the pool. The Tobacos Baez Series H Famosos Made by Pepin Garcia. The Series H I smoked was a Robusto shape. Using a Nicaraguan cuban seed Connecticut wrapper, this blend features a lush habano wrapper leaf offering a medium - bodied smoke without the spice. I found it somewhat lacking. However all other attributes were on par. The draw was excellent and the roll was perfect. The ash was firm and the burn was perfect. The ash was nice and light almost white. I picked up a nice nutty note throughout the cigar. This cigar was a bit too mild for me. For people that like a good mild cigar it wasn’t bad.

I Highly recommend the second cigar of the day. The Viaje Torpedo. The Viaje is a Nicaraguan Puro.The Viaje had a gorgeous color, with dark brown over a reddish brown oily background. The cigar felt smooth and was evenly packed throughout. The cigar gave off a cedary aroma at the foot with a strong sweet aroma of tobacco. The taste was earthy right off the bat. The resulting draw was nice and open throughout. There were hints of dark coffee and cinnamon that was slightly sweet along with a distinctive Nicaraguan puro taste. The finish was long and smooth with no sight of bitterness. The ash was nice and light and held on very well. This smoke reminded me of the Padron 45. If you come across this cigar at your local retailer I highly recommend this cigar. It had big taste for a much more reasonable price. I hope you enjoy both of these smokes and happy smoking.

La Aurora 107 Corona

Hello All it's been a while. I want to thank all of my great friends at Miami Cigars. They have provided me the opportunity of smoking the La Aurora 107 Aniversario Corona. This cigar hasn't hit the market yet. For those of you that read my blog I'm sorry if I may repeat myself but I've reviewed this cigar before but in a much different size and due to the smaller ring gauge the cigar handles and smokes completely different.

The La Aurora 107 is released to honor their 107 years in business. La Aurora is the oldest cigar maker in the Dominican. The La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107 is made using Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Ecuadorian tobaccos.

I shared this amazing cigar with some of my dearest friends and they liked it as much as I did. In fact I heard this is my favorite size more then I can say. I agree completely. Due to the size and the smaller ring gauge you can taste more of the binder and wrapper. It makes the cigar sweeter and a little more bold. I can't explain my excitement when I lit up this cigar. I'm usually not a fan of smaller ring gauges but this is the exception.

My first impression of the 107 was the cigar was well constructed with a veiny medium brown wrapper. The veins were neatly lined up all the way down the cigar. The band was beautifully made with the La Aurora trademark lion head prominently printed on the band with La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107. The wrapper had a very sweet smell with hints of honey. The foot of the cigar gave off a hint of spice. The cap cut very cleanly with my Monte Blanc scissor cutter.

At first light, I picked up a hint of pepper, cinnamon, honey and pine. The draw of the La Aurora 107 was clean and open, effortless and produced a perfect amount of rich white smoke. The smoke produced a sweet smell of wood and tobacco. The burn was perfectly even leaving behind a tight light grey, almost white ash.

At about the halfway mark the La Aurora is getting even more enjoyable. The cigar started to pickup notes of cedar, honey and sweet tobacco. The burn was still perfect with the tight light grey ash still attached. At this point the cigar has stabilized with less pepper.

At the finish I was a little concerned because I smoke cigars quickly that it would build up to a harsh end. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The final half of the La Aurora 107 finished incredibly smooth and flavorful. The cedar and cinnamon notes were still very prevalent with slight hints of sweet tobacco and honey notes that I loved. This beautiful cigar burned perfectly all the way through. In case you were wondering, the ash fell off about half way through. There were no real signs of nicotine in this stick. Mild to medium, very smooth and immensely enjoyable. I would recommend this cigar to anyone that enjoys a well priced (form what I read between $5 and $7) and well constructed cigar. I hope you all enjoy this cigar as much as I did and happy smoking.

STOP THE PROHIBITION OF TOBACCO IN ORANGE COUNTY FLORIDA

On August 4th, 2009 the Orange County Commissioners voted to require that all county employees sign a Tobacco Usage Affidavit stating that they are tobacco free or else they will be charged a $25 per pay period ($650 per year) tobacco use surcharge. However, employees are allowed to smoke up to 4 celebratory cigars per year and not be fined.


The reason for this, according to Commissioners, was that the cost of health insurance for county employees that use tobacco is higher than non-tobacco users. While I believe this is to be true for cigarette smokers, there was no evidence that this is true for cigar-only smokers. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute's Monograph 9, a 1-2 cigar per day smoker has the same overall mortality ratio as a non-smoker.

What makes Orange County's Tobacco Free policy even more bothersome is that it dictates what an employee can and can't do outside of work. If on his time off, an Orange County Sheriff, firefighter, maintenance worker, librarian, inspector, prison guard, park ranger or administration worker happens to stop by his local cigar shop or enjoy a cigar with his buddies more than four times a year, he can be fined and even reprimanded.

Now, many people have asked "How is the government going to know if some one smokes more than four cigars a year?" The answer - they can't. But do we really want to live in a society where one fears that "Big Brother" may be watching or have to look out for an angry, anti-tobacco co-worker spying and ratting out fellow employees who enjoy an occasional cigar?

I will say that of the three county commissioners that I have spoken with so far about this issue (Scott Boyd, Bill Segal & Linda Stewart), it seems that this "Tobacco Use" fine is purely about trying to plug a budget gap with Orange County's health insurance program.

Now for the second and much bigger issue...In addition to fining employees who smoke cigars, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty took this one step further and issued an Executive Order that bans the USE of tobacco products including but not limited to cigars, pipes, cigarettes, chew, dip, snuff, herbal tobacco products and other smoking materials on ALL county owned and leased property.

The Mayor's office went as far as displaying posters that state that tobacco products are not even allowed on county owned property. This includes county owned parks, streets, sidewalks, boat ramps, fishing docks, parking garages, water treatment facilities, maintenance facilities, county buildings and the Orange County Convention Center. After contacting Mayor Crotty's office and asking how he could ban the possession of a legal tobacco product on county property, his Chief of Staff George Rodon stated "The poster was in error and has been removed. Possession of tobacco products is permitted. It is the USE that is prohibited."

Unfortunately, not all these posters have been removed as several cigar smokers that live in Orange County have stated that they have seen these posters still on display at county parks and water treatment facilities as well as "Tobacco & Smoke Free Campus" signs at the Orange County Convention Center. I hardly think these posters were printed in error. Someone gave the directive to create, proof, print and hang these posters. I think the Mayor's Chief of Staff got his hand caught in our "freedom" cookie jar.

When I asked the Mayor if his tobacco use ban on county property was just for employees or if this included the public as well? The Mayor's Chief of Staff replied "TO ALL".

Florida already has a state wide indoor smoking ban and there is no scientific evidence that proves smoking or using tobacco products outdoors causes any harm to non-tobacco users. So why did Mayor Crotty go overboard and ban ALL tobacco use indoors and OUTDOORS on county property? I have yet to find out as the Mayor's office has refused to grant me a meeting or even discuss this issue over the phone. However it seems pretty fishy that shortly after the tobacco ban went into effect, the Orange County Health Department received a $6.6 million in federal "Stimulus Money" that will be used to make Orange County a national model for tobacco prevention & control, make public parks smoke free and to change product placement in local stores. And of course, this was all done without any public comment or input.

So it sounds like Mayor Crotty, who is supposed to be a conservative Republican, sold out our freedom to enjoy a cigar (or any other form of tobacco) in the great outdoors for a special-interest stimulus check, compliments of the U.S. taxpayer.

Just writing this makes me want to puke!

But there is something YOU can do. If you don't agree with Mayor Crotty's draconian ban on tobacco, please send him an email. Remember, the city of Orlando and it's tourist attractions are all located in Orange County and input from tourists and business travelers is VERY important.

Mayor Rich Crotty Mayor@ocfl.net 407.836.7370

We have also posted a Cigar Rights of America Action Alert that has the contact info for the Orange County Commissioners. Please encourage them to over-rule Mayor Crotty's Executive Order on tobacco.

Remember...FREEDOM ISN'T FREE! So take the time and stand up for your right to enjoy a cigar!

Orange County, Florida: Mayor Crotty Bans Use of Tobacco Products

Effective January 1, 2010, the use of tobacco products (including: cigars, pipes, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, and hookahs) on all county owned and leased land was outlawed through an order signed by Orange County's Mayor Richard T. Crotty as he and a coalition of anti-tobacco supporters work to make the entire county tobacco-free. This OUTDOOR ban comes on the heels of Florida's statewide existing indoor smoking ban which is already in affect. Several major cities, including Orlando, reside in Orange County and the local economy heavily relies on tourism. The ordinance now outlaws the use of any tobacco product in areas such as outdoors at the Orange County Convention Center, County parks, fishing docks, boat ramps, outdoor trails, county owned parking lots, streets and sidewalks. Additionally, in order to maintain employment, County employees are required to sign an affidavit which states that any employee who enjoys more than four cigars per year they will be fined $650 each year they violate the tobacco policy. On March 19, 2010, Mayor Crotty's anti-tobacco campaign received a boost when he allocated $6.6 million in federal stimulus funds (supposed to be used to create jobs) to the Orange County Health Department to prevent tobacco usage. View The Ordinance (PDF)

Please Contact These Orange County Lawmakers:

CRA is urging members in Florida and across the country to take action by contacting Mayor Richard T. Crotty and the county commissioners to express your opposition to this tobacco policy and your support of seeing the ordinance reversed. Remember to tell these lawmakers that "enjoying a cigar is not a crime!"

Email: Mayor Crotty Telephone: 407-836-7370 | Fax: 407-836-7360 Postal Address: County Mayor Richard Crotty 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL 32801 Email: Commissioner Boyd Telephone:407-836-7350 | Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner S. Scott Boyd 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Comm. Brummer Telephone:  407-836-7350 | Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner Fred Brummer 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email:Commissioner Stewart Telephone:  407-836-7350 | Fax: 407-836-5935 Postal Address: Commissioner Linda Stewart 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Commissioner Segal Telephone: 407-836-7350 | Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Commissioner Bill Segal 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801 Email: Comm. Moore Russell Telephone: 407-836-7350 |  Fax: 407-836-5879 Postal Address: Comm. Tiffany Moore Russell 201 S. Rosalind Ave., 5th Floor Orlando, FL  32801

CRA Needs Your Help!

A Smoke For The Times

The other day I arrived home to find a box in my mail box from my good friends at Miami Cigar and Company. I opened the box to find 6 Nestor Miranda 1989 Oscuro Torpedos. The Nestor Miranda 1989 is manufactured by My Father Cigar Corp. I think Rene Castaneda described this cigar wonderfully, “ A satisfying blend of rich, aromatic and flavor filled Nicaraguan tobaccos, from the Esteli and Jalapa Filler.”

The Nestor Miranda 1989 comes in three sizes Robusto 5 x 50, Toro 6 x 50 and Torpedo 6 1/8 x 52. It is also comes with two different wrappers Oscuro a medium bodied smoke or Rosado which is more medium to full bodied. These cigars are great not just for price(between $5 and $5.50 per stick) but also for enjoyability.

I smoked the Nestor Miranda 1989 Torpedo with the Oscuro Wrapper. The cigar was consistent all the way through with hint of cocoa and nutmeg. The smoke set off a sweet tobacco aroma into the air. The smoke was pleasant to be around, at least that is what I was told. This cigar was a little mild for my palate but was amazingly enjoyable to smoke. I didn’t have to touch up the cigar once. It stayed lit while I carried on conversations with my fellow friends of the ash. I would highly recommend this cigar to anyone that wants a great smoke at a reasonable price.

An Anniversary Well Celebrated

I want to start out by saying thank you to my wonderful friend Jeff Borysiewicz (JB) and the entire Corona Staff at the Downtown Orlando location. To my new friends Guillermo Leon, Jose Victoria, Rene Castaneda, and Mario Guzman thank you so much for a wonderful time.

Let me paint the picture for you of this amazing night. The Downtown Orlando Corona, nicely decorated in La Aurora banners and Presidente beer banners from the doors to the bar. The center of the bar near the fountain had an amazing spread of catered food. The band was playing the finest Spanish music. There were photographers to document this exceptional affair. The atmosphere was electric. There were boxes of La Aurora cigars being sold and Presidente beer being enjoy by the wonderful patrons. I was honored to be at this event and yet I’ve never been more comfortable. Our hosts for the evening couldn’t have been more generous and amazingly informative. They were answering questions and sharing information about all of their products. The highlight of my night was sitting down with Guillermo, his friend Arturo and Arturo’s wife sharing stories of the Dominican cigar festival and enjoying the finest La Aurora cigars and drinking a cold Presidente beer.

Now, the reason for this momentous event, the La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107. The La Aurora 107 is released to honor their 107 years in business. La Aurora is the oldest cigar maker in the Dominican. The La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107 is made using Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Ecuadorian tobaccos.

My first impression of the 107 was the cigar was well constructed with a veiny medium brown wrapper. The veins were neatly lined up all the way down the cigar. The band was beautifully made with the La Aurora trademark lion head prominently printed on the band with La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107. The wrapper had a very sweet smell with hints of honey. The foot of the cigar gave off a hint of spice. The cap cut very cleanly with my Monte Blanc scissor cutter.

At first light, I picked up a hint of pepper, cinnamon and pine. The draw of the La Aurora 107 was clean and open, effortless and produced a perfect amount of rich white smoke. The smoke produced a sweet smell of wood and tobacco. The burn was perfectly even leaving behind a tight light grey, almost white ash.

At about the halfway mark the La Aurora is getting epic. The cigar started to pickup notes of cedar, honey and sweet tobacco. The burn was still perfect with the tight light grey ash still attached. At this point the cigar has stabilized with less pepper.

At the finish I was a little concerned because I smoke cigars quickly that it would build up to a harsh end. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The final half of the La Aurora 107 finished incredibly smooth and flavorful. The cedar and cinnamon notes were still very prevalent with slight hints of sweet tobacco and honey notes that I loved. This beautiful cigar burned perfectly all the way through. In case you were wondering, the ash fell off about half way through. There were no real signs of nicotine in this stick. Mild to medium, very smooth and immensely enjoyable. I would recommend this cigar to anyone that enjoys a well priced (between $6 to $8) and well constructed cigar. I hope you all enjoy this cigar as much as I did and happy smoking.

Cielo Cigar Review

Cielo Cigar Review:

Wrapper/Filler/Binder are from Nicaragua.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Cielo Hercules Sungrown 7x52. For me, it's a Medium-strength cigar with Cedar, Cocoa flavors, and a hint of sweetness in the end. If you are looking for a drink pairing, it's an excellent smoke to enjoy with a single malt scotch, a single barrel bourbon, or nice glass of cognac to enhance the experience.

The next time you are thinking about buying a box of expensive cigars, take my advise, save some cash, and buy a box of Cielo cigars instead!