The Humidor: Fall 2017

The Humidor F A L L

P.2 Visiting Nicaragua with Gurkha Cigars P.4 IPCPR 2017 P.5 Flo r ida Tobac c o P.6 Gea r up for Cigar G ift ing P8. Bra nd Break down

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The Humidor is a publication of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

Copyright 2017 ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Reprinted reviews remain the copyright of the original publisher.

Allie Smallwood

Editor

Meghan Guarino

Contributing Editor

Follow us on Instagram! @abcfinecigars

VISITING NICARAGUA with Gurkha Cigars

Chris Gwaltney Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarchris

What happens when you travel to

the American Caribbean Cigar Factory in

This wasn’t my first trip to this factory as I

Nicaragua on a cigar trip with an IT guy

Estelí. Though the ACC factory had been

first visited it about four years ago. Carlos

responsible for cyber security? Let’s just

making cigars for Gurkha for many years,

Llaca Torano was our host on that trip as

say that thanks to Lee Bailey, we all had

this marks the first time in Gurkha’s history

well. He was the production manager for

open and secure lines of communication

that they have owned their own production

his family-owned cigar company, Torano

while we were there. It was not a good

facility. And while they will continue the

Cigars, and several of their lines were

week for Central-American hackers but

practice of having other cigar makers

being produced at ACC. It was later in that

it was an amazing one for five gringos

produce their cigars under their watchful

year that Torano Cigars was purchased

wanting to hang out with the good folks

eye, owning a factory of their own gives

by General Cigar Co. Though it was the

from Gurkha. Any trip to cigar country is

them a freedom they weren’t afforded

end of an era for the cigar world it was a

exciting but this one was special because

before.

huge win for Gurkha. They were not only

it came just after Gurkha’s acquisition of

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able to acquire the services of a veteran

Visiting a tobacco field in Estelí, Nicaragua.

production guy like Carlos but they were

moment as we were outside with him trying

none would be suitable for wrapper. I’m not

also able to snag one of the best sales

to figure how to turn off the car alarm. For

sure what the final tally was, as they were

reps in the business, Armando Lapido.

the record, it was our IT man that was

frantically stalk-cutting everything in the

There are many nick names for Armando

finally able to disarm the alarm.

field to salvage what they could, but I am

but “Street Dog” is the one most know him

Since the trip took place in June, the

by and he hasn’t changed a bit in all the

prospects of visiting a farm were slim. The

In conjunction with visiting the farm and

years I’ve known him.

rainy season starts in May and no one

the factory, we also had the chance to

We spent quite a bit of time at the factory

attempts to grow tobacco after that date

stroll around Estelí and enjoy the native

watching all facets of the production

because of the damage that can occur.

cuisine. No matter what your dietary

process and trying our hand at the jobs

I was shocked when I was informed we

preferences are, there is something for

as well. We were a small group and there

would be touring a farm. I mean who wants

you in Nicaragua. Everything is prepared

wasn’t a strict time schedule, so everyone

to look at empty fields and empty barns?

with the freshest ingredients and I never

got the opportunity to spend as much time

One cigar grower in Estelí, in an attempt

grow tired of eating their food. Though

as they wanted at each station. Very few

the get one more crop in, did plant later

the focus of the trip is cigar education, I

people ever get the chance to visit a cigar

than everyone else. The results were quite

believe what is equally as important is the

factory and an even smaller group get free

disastrous. Much of the crop was damaged

camaraderie that is experienced. Getting a

reign to just wander around and mingle

but it did afford those making their first visit

chance to dine, smoke cigars and converse

with the workers. Damien Tapanes, who

to Nicaragua an opportunity to see the

with those who are responsible for putting

runs the factory and is quickly becoming a

agricultural portion of the cigar industry. It

together these great cigars will forever be

big name in the cigar world, was nothing

gave us all a glimpse into the risky world

the highlight of any cigar trip for me. s

but kind to us. He also provided us with the

of growing tobacco. Mother Nature can be

highlight of the trip as we got to witness

very cruel and it only takes her a day to

him give one if his loyal employees a

undo many months of hard work and effort.

brand-new car. When I say new car, I mean

The most damage that I witnessed was in

tax, tag and title of a 2017 model was given

a large field of shade tobacco. The leaves

to one of his right-hand guys. It was a great

were completely perforated, assuring that

certain that it was a costly loss.

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GEAR UP FOR Cigar Gifting

Steve Mungeer Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarmungo

It was another great year at the IPCPR 2017 in Las Vegas for the cigar team as we found many new brands and sizes to add to our portfolio. We also spent time seeking out new and exciting gift sets for the holiday season. We try to find gifts that cover a wide range of gift giving, from buying for the cigar beginner to gifts a seasoned cigar lover would enjoy.

This year, Rocky Patel has a new set packed with five Nicaraguan cigars with ratings of 93 and up, including last year’s No. 2 rated cigar, the Sun Grown Maduro Robusto. From PDR Cigars and JC Newman we brought back some old favorites including the PDR sampler with an ashtray and the Brick House and big ring gauge Sesenta samplers.

Oliva Cigar had a great new offering this year with a sampler selection of their highly popular V Serie that includes the V Nub, a cigar rarely sold individually. This will join the Nub sampler and the Oliva 6-cigar sampler which are always popular gift sets.

From Davidoff we will be seeing an 8-pack sampler of AVO cigars, a wonderful gift for the cigar connoisseur. And from our friends at Altadis comes a gorgeous gift set known as the H Upmann Rose Ingot

that has been a favorite here at ABC now

great lineup of cigars, we will be introducing

for several years. New this year will be the

their San Cristobal gift set. This is a beautiful

Malt Collection which will feature five cigars

assortment of some outstanding smokes

Last year’s top-selling gift set was the Toro

specifically blended and matched to various

that will please any palate.

selection from My Father and that will make

styles of Scotch. This will be the perfect

a return appearance along with the Belicoso

match for the Scotch lover on your holiday

set. Packed in beautiful wood boxes with

shopping list.

which is a great gift idea to pair with a rosé Champagne.

a lighter and a cutter included, this is an

in all price ranges and I am personally very pleased with this wide assortment. Several

Last season our friends at Ashton offered

companies still have not completely finalized

us a great-looking gift set with La Aroma de

their offerings so it is likely that there will

From Gurkha comes the always popular

Cuba cigars. Building on that success and

be a few nice surprises arriving before the

Godzilla set with eight, big ring gauge cigars

perhaps looking to the future for another

holidays! s

outstanding option.

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As always, we have a great variety of gifts

Florida Tobacco Chris Gwaltney Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarchris Florida sun grown tobacco curing in the barn.

One of the best kept secrets in the cigar

There were many reasons why tobacco

Jeff has graciously opened the gates to his

world today is the fact that Florida used to be

fell out of favor in Florida. Labor strife,

farm to the public. Drew Estate, the maker of

one of the top producers of shade tobacco

the Great Depression and inexpensive

the first cigar using this tobacco, hosted a huge

in the world. Just west of Tallahassee lies

machine-made cigarettes all had a hand in

barn smoker event at the Florida Sun Grown

Gadsden County which was a mecca for

the downfall of the mighty shade leaf here

Farm the last two years. I have been both

cigar tobacco from the early 1800s right up

in Florida. Fortunately, the cigar industry

times and it was a great experience to smoke

until the 1960s. I grew up just across the

didn’t completely go away, and today Florida

the Florida Sun Grown Cigar while strolling

border in Grady County, Georgia, which

tobacco is making a comeback.

around his barn and fields. It’s something that

The credit for the rebirth of Florida tobacco

I have done on many occasions in Honduras,

also saw its fair share of shade tobacco. Of course, at the time of my birth, it had been many years since the last tobacco had been cured in those towering barns that still can be seen off GA Highway 111. Since tobacco was no longer part of our local economy, I never really paid attention to those barns and very few people spoke about them.

can be given to one man, Jeff Borysiewicz.

Jeff is not only the owner of Corona Cigar

Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, but there is something special about doing it in

Company but he is also the owner and chief

your own backyard.

farmer at the Florida Sun Grown Farm in

In addition to the Florida Sun Grown Cigar

Clermont, FL. For the last several years

from Drew Estate, the JC Newman Cigar

Jeff has been toiling on his 10-acre spread

Company in Tampa will be hand-rolling an

and has produced some good, albeit very

all-American cigar at their Ybor factory with

It wasn’t until I became involved in the cigar

expensive, tobacco. It obviously wasn’t a

tobacco not only from the Sunshine State but

industry and began traveling throughout

business venture to make a quick buck. The

also from Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

the Caribbean and Central America that I

tobacco business has a saying: “If you want

truly appreciated those wooden buildings.

to make a million dollars growing tobacco

The fact that they are still standing today

then you better start with at least 2 million.”

is a testament to the men who constructed

The project was obviously done as a labor

them. I have been in tobacco barns in the

of love and a way to reintroduce some of

Dominican Republic that look as if a stiff

Florida’s rich culture and heritage back into

breeze would blow them over. I have often

today’s society. How many cigar smokers

thought how it was a shame that the cigar

today know the rich tobacco history of

industry in these parts wasn’t as sound as

this state?

the buildings that cured the leaves.

Producing hand-rolled cigars with local tobacco is taking things back to their origins and should please everyone who loves history and cares about cigars. It is one thing to save a historic building from the wrecking ball but resurrecting an industry when someone threw out the instructions is a more daunting task. And I thought putting together IKEA furniture was difficult.s

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IPCPR 2017 Chris Gwaltney Certified Retail Tobacconist, @abccigarchris

There is never a shortage of unique cigars at IPCPR. This footballshaped cigar by Hamlet was made for former NFL great Ray Lewis. It is smokeable.

called Criolitto in four sizes along with a new, custom five-cigar sampler that will be priced under $20. With JC Newman expect to see Perla del Mar Maduro along with several new sizes of Brick House Natural and Maduro.

When it comes to innovation Drew Estate is always near the forefront and this year was no different. We will be selling the new Undercrown Sun Grown, the new Acid The International Premium Cigar & Pipe

that the regulations will go into effect, there

Candelas in Blondie and Kuba Kuba, along

Retailers convention was held this past

did seem to be a lot more optimism this year.

with the other two sizes of Deadwood Cigars,

July in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

So much so that I saw a lot many more new

Crazy Alice and Fat Bottom Betty. You can

It was a very interesting year for the cigar

items than I expected.

also expect to see many line extensions of

On day one, we visited with Rocky Patel,

the Joya de Nicaragua cigars including Joya

PDR, JC Newman, Drew Estate and Oliva.

Cabinetta and Cinco.

Some of the new items that you will soon

We concluded the first day with a visit

see at ABC from Rocky Patel are the 20th

to Oliva where we purchased the new

Anniversary, the Edge A-10, the Java Red

Gilberto Oliva line, Neos in Java, Ruby and

and the Prestige Sampler. At PDR, we

Cappuccino, and an Oliva V sampler for the

decided to bring in a great, value-priced cigar

holidays.

industry starting with a major political change in November. With a new White House Administration that seems to be more business friendly and less likely to impose regulation, most manufacturers smiled for the first time since the new FDA guidelines were passed down shortly before last year’s trade show. Although everyone must still assume

Page 6

Our second day was equally productive with

The final Day in Vegas was a short one. We

visits to Davidoff, EPC, Altadis, My Father,

visited with CLE, Caldwell and Plasencia.

General Cigar and Gurkha. We picked

From CLE expect to see Prieto, Habano,

up many new items from each of these

Chele and Corojo along with some Asylum

partners and a few of them are the AVO

Insiduous. Caldwell also had a few new

Ritmo, the Camacho Nicaraguan Barrel-

releases including two big collaborations

Aged, Romeo Y Julieta 505, H Upmann by

with Matt Booth and AJ Fernandez. Both

AJ Fernandez, Monty by AJ Fernandez,

Hit & Run and The Truth by AJ can soon

Aging Room Solero, Aging Room F-55, CAO

be purchased at ABC. Our final meeting

Amazon Anaconda, Cohiba Blue, Macanudo

was with the legendary tobacco grower

Inspirado White and Black, Diesel Grind,

Plasencia. Though they are the largest

Gurkha Havana Legend, Gurkha Master

grower in the world and have been making

Select and the EPC New Wave Reserva.

cigars for many people over the years, they

Day three of the trade show was dominated

finally decided to make their own bearing the

by playing catch up along with visiting some

family name. It would be foolish not to give

new vendors. We were able to squeeze in La

their cigars a try. We chose to go with the

Flor Dominicana, Espinosa, AJ Fernandez,

Alma Fuerte, Alma del Campo and Original

Fratello Cigars, Miami Cigars, Ashton and

Reserva.

our accessories suppliers Lotus/Integrated

It was a very hectic tradeshow, but it was

Logistics and Xikar. Many new cigars are

definitely the most productive one for us

heading our way. From Erik Espinosa, you

in many years. So if you were worried

will see 601 La Bomba, 601 Blue Label

about there not being any new stuff in the

and Laranja. AJ Fernandez will provide us

marketplace due to the FDA, you need not

with New World, Enclave and a premium

worry. Visit your local ABC to shop new items

sampler. We will also bring in Fratello Oro, La

and your old favorites today! s

Aurora ADN Dominicana and some Toscano cigars to satisfy our diehard Italian wine fans.

We also picked up a few new accessories.

8989 South Orange Ave.

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Brand Breakdown La Aurora La Aurora is the oldest cigar company in the Dominican Republic and has been producing premium cigars since 1903. With distribution in over 60 countries spread across five different continents, they have a huge portfolio of labels that can please the palates of all cigar smokers. Last year they introduced what they call their Time Capsule series. This series is labeled to represent the year in which La Aurora began using the specific wrapper on each cigar. The two varieties released last year were the 1962 Corojo and the 1987 Connecticut, now available at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

Palate: The 1962 Corojo has a medium strength

1962 COROJO

1987 CONNECTICUT

Produced in:

Produced in:

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

Wrapper Leaf:

Wrapper Leaf:

Dominican Corojo

Connecticut Shade

Binder: Ecuador

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Nicaraguan and

Filler: Nicaraguan and

profile. There is a bit of creaminess and some

Dominican

Dominican

notes of fresh hay in the 1987 which makes it a

and a medium body profile. There is a little bit of spice that highlights the dark coffee notes and rich tobacco flavors. The Corojo wrapper definitely adds some great flavor to this stick.

The 1987 Connecticut is a bit lighter in flavor but still falls in the medium strength and body

great smoke any time of day.

Size: We offer both the 1962 Corojo and the 1987 Connecticut in three sizes: Robusto, Toro and Gran Toro.