Archive for the ‘corona’ Category

JR Special Corona- The Rebirth of a Classic JR Cigar.

Thursday, May 18th, 2017

For more than three decades, the JR Special Corona cigars were some of the best-selling smokes in our exclusive in-house lineup. When they finally disappeared due to manufacturing issues, some of the hardcore brand loyalists were very upset— to say the least! We are happy to report that we have resurrected this legendary brand and they are just as delicious and affordably priced as ever.

The brand new JR Special Corona, once again made exclusively for us, is handmade in Nicaragua in your choice of three top-quality wrapper styles that include a golden brown Ecuador Connecticut, a robust, clay-red colored Habano Rosado, and a deep dark and delicious Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. Nestled underneath these three fine wrapper varieties are perfectly aged Indonesian and Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos. All three blends are medium in strength, 6 x 50- Toro sized, and packed in value-price bundles of 15.  Now, let’s take a closer look at what this affordable brand has to offer.

When choosing the JR Special Corona Toro Connecticut Ecuador, you will enjoy an easygoing smoke with a warm and toasty aroma and lush complex notes of sweet spice, leather, nuts, and coffee. This one will become your ideal morning and mid-day cigar-smoking companion.

The Toro Habano Rosado Ecuador cigar really stands out with its stunning reddish-brown Cuban-seed wrapper. Slightly more robust than its Connecticut wrapped cousin, the cigar remains medium bodied with delicious flavors of earth, leather, spice, and dark roast coffee. Smooth enough for that first morning smoke, yet boasting enough complexity and balance for the evening, this Special Corona is a very accommodating cigar.

With the JR Special Corona Toro Maduro, dark leaf enthusiasts will savor delicious medium body notes of chocolate, coffee bean, earth, and caramel. This wonderful slow-burning smoke is one that can be enjoyed all day. This gem also pairs perfectly with espresso, port wine, and a nice craft brew.

Boasting outstanding construction and tons of complexity, our lineup of JR Special Corona blends prove that a premium cigar doesn’t have to be

Monte Pascoal Corona

Monday, October 10th, 2011

Earlier this year I reviewed the Robusto size of this cigar. The blends are the same, but it is said that each size provides a different smoking experience. These cigars are Brazilian puros. You don’t run across that very often. When Wesley from Tabacos Mata Fina USA asked if I’d like to try the Monte Pascoal Corona I jumped at the chance.

I’ve been a fan of Dona Flor, another Brazilian puro, for years. I wonder what ever happened to them anyway. Anyone out there know? They literally just went quiet and dropped off of the face of the earth.

Anyway… I was sent a five pack and smoked a few before doing this review.

 

Wrapper: Brazil Mata Fina

Binder: Brazil Mata Fina

Filler: Brazil Mata Fina and Mata Norte

Size: 5 5/8 x 42

Price: Around $6.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

It is common for these wrappers to look very rugged, yet they look velvety at the same time. This was no exception. The odor from the wrapper was a smooth, sweet earthiness. The foot was basically the same. The cigar was pretty evenly packed, and had a slight give when pinched. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and there was a smooth sweet earthiness with notes of cedar.

The ash held for about an inch, and the burn required no corrections.

1 Monte_Pascoal_Carona cigars

Flavor:

The first third was woody with wispy earthy notes. There was something else going on with the aftertaste, but my palate may be too crude to find something to compare it to. When passing smoke through the nose, I picked up an easy pepper and wood.

2 Monte_Pascoal_Carona cigars

The second third kept the same dominant woody flavor with earthy notes. What changed was the smoke feel became thicker and clung to the mouth and lips. The aftertaste hung around for awhile, and eventually developed a nice sweet note. Like before, the pepper didn’t go anywhere when passing smoke through the nose. Occasionally I got bitter sweetness, similar to what you’d find in dark chocolate (not the Hershy candy bar), if you know what I mean.

3 Monte_Pascoal_Carona cigars

The last third developed into a focused combination of wood, chocolate, and peppery spice. The smoke feel became creamier and sweeter. Basically the flavors blended together and became more focused.

4 Monte_Pascoal_Carona cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good, solid medium bodied cigar. I can’t recall if the other 3 I smoked were this rich. I only recall getting that from the large ring gauges. No matter, this cigar hit the spot. As always, I have to point out any negative aspects, and that would be the price. I’d hope to pay a little less for a corona size, but these Brazilian puro’s tend to cost a little more. Since my old favorite Dona Flor went MIA, these would easily satisfy a craving for Brazilian tobacco. Although the flavors are common, something about tobacco from this region is unique. I can’t quite explain it. Monte Pascoal is definitely worth checking out.

Falto Cigars – Falto Legado (Corona Gorda)

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

I never heard of this boutique cigar company until attending an event at The Bonita Smoke Shop. Louis Juan Falto, President & CEO of La Garita Cigar Co., was showcasing his cigars that day. I smoked a couple at the shop and liked what I had. I brought a couple home with me, and this brings us to the review today. Although I was given a few free smokes at the event, the cigar I am reviewing today was purchased by me. As always, I paired this cigar with water.

 

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua

Size:  5 1/2 x 47

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a nice look to it, with a couple larger sized veins accompanied by the usual small ones. Overall the cigar was packed consistently, with one flaw. A small indentation where the second third starts. This didn’t really concern me at all. The pre-light draw was great, and had a sweet woody flavor. The foot had almost no odor at all. The wrapper had a nice natural tobacco and woody smell.

The burn required a few significant corrections in the first third, but leveled off after that. The ash held for about 1/2 to 3/4 inch.

1FaltoLegadoCoronaGorda

 

Flavor:

The first third started off with a nice pepper though the nose. Nutty flavors mingled with woody notes, which was a nice combo. Every now and then a tinge of sweetness would appear. Although simple, everything was balanced.

2FaltoLegadoCoronaGorda

The pepper calmed down quite a bit during the second third. It took on more of a sweet spice, but wasn’t quite like cinnamon. Woody and nutty flavors were the main flavors like before. The aftertaste was a little creamy and left a little tingle on the tongue. All in all the flavor profile seemed to come together.

3FaltoLegadoCoronaGorda

The last third: When passing the smoke though the nose, that familiar sweet spice remained. The core flavors remained as well (wood and nuts). A nice sweet mocha came in to the picture at just the right level of intensity. The smoke feel was creamy and like before, the aftertaste was sweet with a tingle on the lips and tongue. Everything just fit together nicely.

4FaltoLegadoCoronaGorda

Conclusion:

This was a very nice medium to full bodied cigar. The flavors were really refined and well balanced. It is the type of cigar that is best smoked in your easy chair. If I were to complain, it would be the price. It is a little out of my comfort zone for a cigar of this size. But price aside, I think you owe it to yourself to check out this boutique brand.

A Quick Smoke With Ed & Tom – Dona Flor Petit Corona

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Welcome to the December episode of A Quick Smoke With Ed & Tom. This time we review the Dona Flor Petit Corona. I’ve been a fan of Dona Flor cigars for quite a few years, and was glad Ed started carrying the smaller sized petit corona.

This video runs for about 8.5 minutes.

MP3 Audio

CAO Escaparate Costa Rica

Monday, November 30th, 2009

While browsing the incredible selection at The Corona Cigar Company in Orlando, I ran across the cigar being reviewed today. You can only find this cigar at Corona, either online or at their retail stores. The Escaparate blends are from CAO that will never see regular production. They claim these prototypes contain rare tobaccos that simply can’t be mass produced. Tim Ozgener released some of these blends to Corona Cigar Company exclusively as a result. Now that those details are out of the way, read on and see what I thought of the CAO Escaparate Costa Rica.

Wrapper: Coata Rican Maduro

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 5.5 x 42

Price: $7.00

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Squeezing the cigars  revealed one or two small soft spots that were too small to be of concern. The wrapper looked nice overall, and had a simple woody smell. Sniffing the foot revealed the same woody odor with a slight spice. The pre-light draw was good, and had a sweet, woody taste.

The burn required no corrections. The ash was a little flakey and held for a little under an inch.

1CAO Costa Rica

Flavor:

The first third began with simple earthy flavors. I could pick up woody notes and spice when passing the smoke through the nose. The spice had a peppery feel to it but didn’t have a lot of punch.

2CAO Costa Rica

The second third had a slight increase sweet peppery spice. The woody flavors were pretty dry and left me craving water. The earthy flavors dipped way back and coffee took its place.

3CAO Costa Rica

The last third again had a dominant dry woody flavor. Next up was a sweet pepper, and a mild sweet coffee entered the picture. It reminded me of coffee with a little sugar and cream.

4CAO Costa Rica

Conclusion:

Rarely does an advertisers description of flavors hold true. This time around, I did get all of the flavors Corona claimed I would get. It wasn’t exact, but it was close. The body stayed in the medium range and never got harsh. My complaints were the excessive dryness of the smoke. Although the flavors were not bad, it overall seemed unrefined and flat. For $7.00 I think you can get a cigar with much more bang for the buck. It was an OK cigar.

Corona Cobras

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

While browsing the Corona Cigar Company in Orlando one day, I came across the cigar up for review today. It looks like it is exclusive to Corona. A standard culebra cigar is basically 3 cigars woven together. They are then taken apart and smoked individually. A quick story about culebra cigars… Apparently back in the day, cigar rollers were allowed to roll X amount of cigars for themselves during a shift. They started rolling 3 cigars into one in order to triple the amount of free sticks. Makes sense. Back to the Cobra…

The Corona Cobras has the standard three cigars woven together, but at the head they become one pre-clipped spot. I can only assume this means the cigar is to be smoked without disassembly. Without further ado, I paired up with the usual glass of water and got to the review.

1CoronaCobrasPics

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: ???

Size: 6 x 32

Price: $7.50

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Overall, the cigar(s) looked rugged. The double wrappers looked interesting. Obviously the cigars were a little spongy, but not too bad. When I sniffed the wrappers and feet, I picked up sweet honey. The pre-light draw was free, and had a sweet honey and earthy taste.

The burn required no corrections. All 3 cigars stayed even with each other. This was a quick burner, taking about an hour to smoke. All three ashes held strong for about an inch. Construction wasn’t bad at all.

2CoronaCobras

Flavor:

The first third began with a simple, somewhat mild earthy flavor. This developed into a mild sweetness that I couldn’t find a name for. It almost reminded me of the pre-light inspection. It had a strange honey-ish tinge to it, but not like in a flavored cigar.

3CoronaCobras

The second third again had dominant earthy notes. The sweetness picked up in terms of strength, but not very much. It still held that honey-ish tone. In essence, nothing really changed.

4CoronaCobras

The last third pretty much continued the exact same path as the previous two thirds. The only change was the body went into the lower medium range. Really, there is nothing more to add.

5CoronaCobras

Conclusion:

This is a novelty cigar for sure. If you want to be the guy at the party with the wacky cigar, this is for you. To me the flavor profile didn’t come close to what I like. Although the taste never got bad or harsh, it left me bored. If this wasn’t such a quick burner, I wouldn’t have finished it. On a positive note, I’d have to commend the construction.

Fall Has Fell & It’s Friggin Freezing, Folks

Monday, October 19th, 2009

This past week in northern New Jersey has been incredibly cold, including a full day of snow on Thursday. I guess I’m used to this stuff after five decades in the Soprano State, but it doesn’t mean I’m not sick and tired of it. There’s definitely a reason why people from the north move to Florida or Arizona. Although there’s unlimited warmth, sunshine, and rounds of golf, I think if I were to move, the main reason would be to be able to smoke cigars outdoors all year round.

_40510753_smokingbanpa203Up until about two weeks ago I was sitting on my patio with a stogie every night and there’s really almost nothing I enjoy more. It’s so tranquil and soothing for the mind and the soul. In fact, I do a lot of writing out there. But this past week was just impossible as high winds and close to freezing temperatures made it way too uncomfortable. I sat in the garage but it was too cold with the door open, so I shut the door, figuring that the high ceiling would gather the smoke and I could just leave the door open afterwards. But of course, my nagging wife (is there any other kind?) bitched for days that the garage stunk.

Man CaveWhat’s a BOTL to do?

I’m really giving serious thought into spending a few bucks and getting a good heater for the garage because I detest going weeks without a smoke in the winter. I saw some of those new radiant heaters in Home Depot and I’m serious about making the purchase. I’ll have to leave the door open at least halfway to let out the smoke, so I’ll need something that makes it bearable for a good 45 minutes to an hour.

GARAGE FLOOR REDONE 027I think it’s really time that I finally clear out a small section of the garage for my own little personal man cave space. I say this every year, but there comes a time to grow a pair and step up to the plate (along with any other cliché euphemisms I can dig up.) Heating and ventilation are the concerns (along with the  optimum safety) so I’m reaching out to the reading audience for any suggestions. Of course those of you in the south don’t have to deal with this problem, but some of you do have to deal with horrendous heat. We all have our cross to bear.

Harley_Davidson_Garage_bar_man_cave_1Now I’m not looking to do an all out man cave, by any means, I just need a small space with some comfort amongst the vehicle, lawn tractor, tools, and whatnot – I already have a fridge in there and a decent boombox stereo.  (But click to enlarge this Harley Man Cave photo and give yerself a big ol’ woody. Wow, that is sweet.)But then again, I love to watch hockey in the winter and I was thinking of getting a cheapie flat screen and running some coaxial out into the garage. I don’t think that’s a bad idea, but since it’s not heated in there and can get to freezing temperatures, I’m asking the experts out there…can a tv stay in there all the time under those conditions? It’s not damp, just cold.

So guys, if any of you have done anything similar, please chime in cuz the Zman needs some help. Now I know some of you have run baseboard heat and put vent fans into the wall and things of that nature, but I’m just not ready to go there as there are a hundred other things that need to be done first in my home and that would really piss off the living hell out of the nag – I mean my lovely and most sweetest better half. Plus, any suggestion for other amenities or to just make it a decent place to hang would be greatly appreciated.

SI4TOnto cigars…
I have to say that if you guys haven’t tried the new Siglo Limited Reserve, it is really one terrific smoke. I’ve had several already and I’m impressed with what has gone into making these. Okay, some of you need to get over the fact that they kind of imitated the Cohiba look – big whoop, get over it. The cigar is excellent and that’s all that matters. It’s a medium bodied smoke with a gorgeous silky wrapper with a lot of flavor, a good portion of that coming from the broadleaf binder.

According to our prestigious website…

SIGLO LIMITED RESERVE CIGARS
Handmade NIC
Wrapper: ECSU    Binder: CTBL    Filler: NIC/DR
Medium-Full Bodied

Hand selected, light-brown Ecuador Cubano wrapper leaves with the finest vein structure, combined with a flavorful broadleaf binder and an aged blend of rich Nicaraguan and Dominican long filler tobaccos provide the smoker with the Frank Llaneza “Cubanesque” heavier bodied “touch” that made brands like Hoyo, Punch, Excalibur, El Rey del Mundo, and others that he has created such mainstays in today’s premium cigar business. Another winner in the new chapter of fine cigars for Frank!

Order ‘em right here, my amigos, you won’t be disappointed…

siglo-limited-reserve-cigarsCLICK HERE>NoI: 4 ¼ x 44
CLICK HERE> NoII: 5 1/2 x 45
CLICK HERE> NoIII: 6 ½ x 44
CLICK HERE> NoIV: 5 x 54
CLICK HERE> NoIV Tubo: 5 x 54
CLICK HERE> NoVI: 6 x 54
CLICK HERE> NoVI Tubo: 6 x 54
CLICK HERE> NoVI: 7 x 48
CLICK HERE> NoX Belicoso: 6 x 54
CLICK HERE> NoXXI: 5 Tins of 5: 4 ½ x 38

So that’s it for today…let’s talk about man caving up the garage with a few suggestions for us cold weather brothers of the frozen Leaf.

Take care my bruthas and sistas,
Tommy Z.
JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

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