Category: Uncategorized

Hey guys! Before I get too far ahead of myself with this blog, I just want to give an honorable mention to Rob at Fox Cigars based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. I am by no means being paid to say this, he was just the first person I purchased from when I first started smoking stoagies and he has killed it with the deals and his customer service is incredible! You can find his website here – https://foxcigar.com

This cigar was good! I smoked it once before and I couldn’t stand it but couldn’t put my finger on why I couldn’t stand it… I am a man of reason, so I decided to give it another chance and what a great decision that was. This cigar is a dark Ecuadorian wrapper with a Nicaraguan filler and binder. It has a sort of hay like smell to it like the original La Amistad.

First Third – The primary notes I got from this cigar are pretty typical to Nicaraguan cigar which was a nice pepper-spice. Another flavor I am very fond of is that lovely, crisp, cedar flavor. There was a hint of grassy tones to it.

Second third – So the second third started to get a lot more interesting, I started to pick up a cracker flavor while smoking the second third. Cocoa started to pick up towards the back of the mouth as well and the black pepper became even more prominent than the first third. Overall so far, the experience with this cigar has been pleasant. Super even burn lines and have not had to retouch it with my torch at all.

Final third – Black pepper was the most prominent flavor towards the end of this cigar. I really like spicy food and I love the spice from Nicaraguan based cigars. Also was picking up some notes of leather which kind of helps mute the mega spice that some people don’t care for.

Overall, the smoke was very smooth and the ash was beautiful throughout. The aroma was kind of nice also, not super harsh. It was a gorgeous afternoon in the high 70’s and I got to watch a family of cardinals hop around in their nest about 5 feet away.

I give this cigar a 4/5 leaves. A pleasant surprise and I’m glad I gave it a second chance.

Once again, thank you Rob for selling this sampler at an awesome price and if you haven’t already, everyone should totally check out his awesome business!

– Zack

Sorry for the late blog everyone! I was having a much needed vacation down in New Orleans. I went with my fiancé and her family and it was definitely a lot of fun.

Has this bad boy (Caldwell Long Live the King) the night we arrived. Boy was it a wonderful smoke. I couldn’t tell you all the flavors because we were drinking a bit, but I can say for one that it never put a bad taste in my mouth.

After smoking this lovely cigar we were kindly dragged into a bar known for its “HUGE ASS BEERS”. Pretty cheap $9 32oz beer if I am remembering correctly. Went up on the balcony with one of my long time friends who is also a fiancé of my fiancé’s younger sister.. small world.

After a few days of being in New Orleans and smoking stoagies we decided it was best to go explore some cool places. I am a huge history nerd and let me tell you, the WWII museum was well worth the $38 I think each ticket cost (including the 2 extra pay to play exhibits).

There were so many amazing displays and it seemed like being there for one day just couldn’t do it justice but that is unfortunately all we did. Below are just some of the many bad ass pictures that I was able to snag while there!

The days were hot! So much so that we just had to get our drink on. There was a bar that sold some absolutely delicious daiquiris which all of the men couldn’t get enough of.. the ladies on the other hand made constant fun of us because we kept sucking down these tutti fruity drinks the whole time. They were good, don’t judge!

We all ended up taking it fairly easy the rest of the trip and kind of all split up and did our own things. I sat outside a lot with my fiancé and had cigars and just soaked up some sun and the lovely breeze we got at night in the business district. Also went to a rooftop bar, first time experience for me. Super fun but not worth the extra money charged just to get a view. Hope you enjoyed a different kind of blog!

– Zack

Hey guys! Just want to say thank you to the already consistent viewers who read this blog, it’s truly awesome knowing that there are already so many of you who enjoy what I’m writing about. Also don’t expect these 2-fer blogs all the time, I will just have a lot going on tomorrow and then I’ll be going to New Orleans all next week and I wanted to have something to make up for a lack of a blog next Friday…

So I had recently found some Papas Fritas at my local B&M which was very exciting! So the Papas Fritas uses a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro with a Brazilian Mata Fina binder and a Nicaraguan and Honduran blend for its filler. It is a smaller cigar as seen in the picture below at 4.5 x 44. While small, it surely packs quite the flavor punch!

During the first third of the cigar, I got a lot of caramel and a slight char to it. The aroma of it was kind of cinnamon like as well. The taste of flowers was kind of a hint to the back of my tongue, maybe not floral but just a sweetness.. Honey? I guess we could call it honey. There was a slight bite also kind of like a cardamom-esque taste that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Second third changed slightly and opened up to a roast coffee flavor with a cool leather afterthought. Caramel is still pretty prominent in this cigar throughout this lovely experience. Black pepper is sneaking its way onto my tastebuds but it isn’t terrorizing them which is nice. The taste of leather is now becoming most prominent towards the end of the second third followed close behind by the black pepper.

Final third was short and sweet, all that was tasted was BP (I think I’ll start saying this now, less to type) and yes you guessed it, leather! Overall it was a lovely experience on a nice cool night. I paid $6 and it was totally worth it, giving the French Fries a 4.5/5 leaves.

Next up is the AJ Hoyo La Amistad! During my first blog, I said how cigars can be one dimensional and still be wonderful to the tastebuds and this was one of those times where that statement strikes true. The wrapper is a very pretty Ecuadorian Habano with splendid construction. The rest of the cigar are a blend of tobaccos from the Esteli, Condega and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. The cold draw was hay-like and sweet like a raisin. Throughout the entire smoking of this stoagie, all I tasted was hay. The fact that I didn’t have a single burn issue and just how consistent the cigar kept its flavor was so relaxing. I didn’t have to sit there and focus on distinctions, I found the one and I could just enjoy the great company that I had while smoking it! This cigar took me about an hour and fifty-five minutes to complete. I smoked the sucker to the nub because that’s what it deserved. I give this cigar a 4/5 leaves.

Sorry about the lack of picture in this blog, I get so caught up in the cigars that I forget to snap a few pics now and again. Here is a picture of my cats to make up for the lack of cigar shots.