June's Cigar of the Month: A La Aroma de Cuba and Ashton Cigars Giveaway!!

First, congratulations to Jason W, Garron F, and Timothy W for winning the May hoopla!  

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The other day, which actually was the other day and not three or ten months ago like usual... This is A LIE. I started this blog post a month ago.

Dammit. Lost control of the sentence.

 

Anyway, while Valentino travelled throughout the wilds of Tennessee, catching fish and smoking cigars, he left me with one task: Go to the Ashton event at Habanos in Pawtucket, RI and ask our pal Jon Murphy to pony up some La Aroma de Cuba EEs (Edicion Especial). (I would pay, of course, and Valentino had asked him to bring them, but I like the way that sounds--like I'm a badass.*)

 

 

 Attending the event meant I received a La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor and Mi Amor Reserva--a gift for gracing them with my presence! (Okay, maybe everyone else got them too. ::sulks::) Sitting amongst my cigar-smokin' pals, I second-hand sampled these beauties in all their glorious glory. If you haven't tried them, you totally should.  If you have, you should get more.

Here are the deets about these beauties (the cigars, not the pesky owl):

La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor:
Strength: Medium to Full
Wrapper: San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Tasting Notes: Crisp spices, rich cocoa, creamy almonds, and sweet espresso

La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva:
Strength: Full
Wrapper: San Andreas Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Tasting notes: Peppery caramel, hickory, dark chocolate, and succulent spices

As an aside, you have GOT to know
which La Aroma de Cuba is my favorite.
See that? The name? Right there? Yeah...

 

From the Ashton website: "An old Cuban brand from the late 1800s, La Aroma de Cuba was abandoned and off the market for more than 100 years. In 2002, courtesy of Ashton, La Aroma de Cuba is reborn into the modern era of cigars. The original artwork was recovered and salvaged to preserve the brand's rich history and vintage Cuban motif."

 

Exactly this.

 

Now if you've ever met us in person, you know that I'm the Radar O'Reilly of this partnership and he is Colonel Blake.  Or Colonel Potter, if you prefer those seasons of M*A*S*H. There's a reason he's the face of the blog. His social abilities know no bounds. At events, while I sit behind the laptop, pounding out whatever feels like spilling from my mind at that moment, I thrust Will into his hand and say "Picture!" Or if I'm in dire need of details or other bits of info, I say, "Go ask [whoever] about [whatever]."  And he totally does. He's quite awesome. I am the most socially awkward person to ever roam the earth. We're a great team.

 

But! While he was off fishing with Caballero #2, I actually sauntered into the Ashton event on my own.** I coaxed Will*** to take a couple of pictures with Jon Murphy. I picked up T's EEs. And...

 

Will and Jon

  

ANYWAY! This was the point of the whole story:

 

I asked Jon if Ashton would be willing to sponsor this month's giveaway. Yes! I asked all by myself!****

 

And he said yes.  And then shared this loot with me--and by association, with one of you! (But you'll have to wait until May 25th-ish. Make that JUNE 25th because someone has a deadline issue. So...)

 

The minimum loot:*****

 

 

 

 

Of course we have some hoops for you to jump through. Yeah, we make you work for it. And by work, we mean clicking some keys. We swear you won't even muster up a sweat. SO! Look for the Rafflecopter entry thingamabob below and cross your fingers!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

And in the meantime, go get some of these babies. Let us know what you think about these La Aroma de Cuba cigars in the comments for a chance to win a super extra prize.  Yes, you must be specific. (I am a writing professor, after all.) What's that? You want to know what this extra prize is?

 

Me too. Stay tuned.

 

*Anyone who has ever met me will tell you I am about as far away from being a badass as a person can be, while still living on planet earth. Unless you bother someone I love--then all bets are off, and I'm thisclose to getting a tattoo that says "badass."  Temporary tattoo, of course.

 

**I'm making this sound like it was a tragic, horrible undertaking. It wasn't. But I'm going for the drama.

 

***By way of purchasing shots of Patron...little bastard.

 

****Only took close to 50 years. Shut up, you.

 

*****You know by now how we roll, always adding extra stuff...

A Very Perdomo Weekend or: I finally got some mashed potatoes and all was right with the world.

We've long been fans of Perdomo cigars. Remember this? (There's other stuff you would be able to remember if I'd actually written about things rather than keeping them in the drafts folder, unfinished. Maybe someday I'll get to them. Or not.)

During our CigarFest bonanza weekend, we were continuously Perdomoed.* That's a good thing. No, that's a great thing!

On the first full day of our** trip, we went to the Cigars International Bethleham (PA) store for a Perdomo event.

Nick and Valentino whooping it up at the CI event.

 

Nick and his sales gurus promoted the new Small Batch, which Valentino loved and made off with a box of the Connecticut blend. (The cigar also comes in Maduro and Sun-Grown.)

[source]

 

Just so you know...All three come in four sizes: Half-corona (4 x 46), Rothschild (4 1/2 x 50), Belicoso (5 x 54), and toro Especiala (5 1/2 x 54).

The Perdomo folks say the Connecticut offers “a rich smoke with a creamy complexity, slight hints of caramel and cedar, with a smooth, elegant finish.” I'm nodding enthusiastically.

From the Perdomo press release:

The Perdomo Small Batch Series takes “small batch” to the next level. Hand‐crafted from a rare collection of 10 year aged tobaccos, the Perdomo Small Batch Series is carefully blended with smaller leaves that have the perfect balance of flavor, strength, and aroma. Perdomo has created this stunning line of small premium hand‐crafted cigars by combining the finest bourbon barrel aged wrappers with these rare and exquisite 10 year aged filler tobaccos.

Limited to 3,000 boxes, the Small Batch cigars were magically created at Tabacalera Perdomo in Estelí, Nicaragua. You know how I get antsy about limited editions and how I worry Valentino won't be able to smoke what he wants because they're gone.

I, however, was more enchanted by the new salomon. Here's a picture, but more about that cigar is coming...



Before dinner treat--keep reading!

Then we went to Cigars International's CigarFest in Split Rock, PA.

Shenanigans ensued, including this:

Valentino would like me to Photoshop his eyes open.
Of course I won't, because I don't know how.
So pretend his eyes are open.
See? Way easier than Photoshop!

On the last full day of our adventure, exhausted from days and days of cigar craziness, we decided to eat a real meal while sitting down and being served. (This was my idea. I was feeling needy--for mashed potatoes.) I grabbed one of those salomons for each of the three men and we headed to  Louis Prime Steakhouse--chosen because they had an outdoor smoking area and we had some cigars for smoking. (And mashed potatoes.)

And who happens to be sitting at the next table? These folks:

The very awesome, very gracious Perdomo family.
(Yes, I stole this from Nick's Facebook page.)

Nick graciously offered us 20th Anniversary Maduros (which of course we accepted, because...der). Those were for later.

Our meal would start with the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Vintage Salomones (6 1/8 x 50/60) we'd purchased at CI.*** (Valentino said I couldn't have mashed potatoes for an app.)

"Nick has outdone himself this time around, shelling out three separate blends that each lay claim to 12-year-old, exquisitely fermented tobacco leaves" reported CI. "Dressed in Connecticut, Sun Grown, and Maduro wrappers, Double Aged 12-Year Vintage has a selection for every cigar lover out there. All of the tobaccos in each blend – wrapper, binder, and filler – go through an extensive 'double aging' process. They are bale-aged for ten long years before moving on to barrel-aging in charred, white oak bourbon barrels for the next two years, resulting in a refined product that’s brimming with flavor. This process ensures that the crop from 2001 has impeccable color, texture, aroma, and flavor."

Note the missing three.
Or the spot where the three used to be.

When I had originally pulled the cigars for each of them, Valentino gave me the "What are you doing?" look that I get frequently--because most of the time I really have no idea what I'm doing. But this time, I was looking to give away his very precious cigars. We both knew what I was doing.

But sitting there at dinner in the company of greatness--both the man and the cigars--Valentino said, "This was a really good idea."  I'd have bowed in agreement but 1. I was sitting, so I would have banged my head on the table (embarrassing!) and 2. I don't really like to draw attention to myself.

Of course in the process of not drawing attention to myself, I announced on Facebook where I was and what I was doing, tagging all the usual suspects, as well as Nick and Janine Perdomo. A short time later, Nick approached our table and said, "Are you Penny?"****

Busted. So much for my incognito-ness. ::shakes fist at internet and Facebook::

As I finish writing this, Valentino is coming to the end of this cigar:

Obvs, I didn't take this picture.

.... and I'm reminded that I started writing this while clad in my new Perdomo shirt, also my new favorite shirt, a gift with purchase for buying those delicious, well-timed salomones.

Cigars and Swag! But the shirt is my favorite.

 

*That's a fabulous word that I just invented. It means "being washed over with kindness, generosity, and class." You're welcome to use it. 

**"Our" throughout the story is Valentino, Caballero #2, and Honorary Caballero Mike. He should probably get a badge or sash or something.

***If you must know, three boxes may have been purchased, since only eight nestle into the box.

****I'm sure I responded, but it was probably some kind of gurgling idiot-speak, as I have a difficult time communicating like an adult. Or a human for that matter.

Words of Wisdom #76

Words of Wisdom #75

Another way to win stuff!

Oooh. Pretty.
 

Want to win this ashtray and some cigars to go along with it? Maybe some cigars from these folks?*

All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter/blog updates here: http://love-of-the-leaf.blogspot.com/** on the right side of the blog.

When we hit 200 subscribers, we'll give it to one subscriber. Please remember to confirm the subscription. We'd hate for you to miss out just because of a glitch!


*That's a hint.

**NOTE: This option only shows up on desktop and laptop computers, not mobile devices. Why? No idea.

In which I am quite pleased with myself

Cigar by Perdomo, lighter by Alec Bradley, picture by me.
 

"Fiery Character! Rare Intensity! Complex Satisfaction!" Camacho!

So there we were, rummaging around in the cigar lounge's humidor, seeing what we could find.

We've come across some real treasures during our searches. This past week,* we came across this baby and a bunch of its friends. We bought them...

Man oh man, the aging! The AGING!!
Amazeballs! Camacho!

 

We know, we know. This doesn't look like the Camacho you see in your favorite B&M. You're used to the bright bands screaming CAMACHO! What you see here is old school Camacho.

If you were paying attention, you remember the new Camachos appeared waaaay back in June 2013. Sure, you noticed that new, bold packaging. But what lurked below that boldness is even more important.

 

Here's the dealio with the Corojo:

 

Did you know... Camacho blends the Corojo with all Cuban-seed Corojo tobacco grown in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras and a fifth priming wrapper. But the seeds? Oh, the seeds have a little history themselves, having been smuggled out of Cuba in the ‘60s So yeah, these are pretty darned close to actual Cuban tobacco--without actually smoking a Cuban cigar, naturally. [source]

 

The re-branding's subtle product change brought some sweetness to balance out the Criollo wrapper, although the wrapper and binder retain most elements of the old Havana blend. While still Honduran tobacco, the cigar's filler is now Criollo, rather than Corojo. Apparently, Dominican Piloto Cubano was also added for additional sweeter notes. [source]

 
"Both Camacho Corojo Maduros [old and new versions] have a very similar profile. Both are Cuban-seed Honduran Corojo puros. Both feature the same 5th Priming Honduran Corojo wrapper. Both have Honduran Corojo binders. Both have pure Honduran Corojo fillers. Only the newer blend points out that the filler is a blend of three different primings," according to Isaac Miller on his website Cigars!

 

According to CI, the new Camacho Corojo is "in a nutshell, an everyday treasure that was crafted with the true cigar aficionado in mind. Made with a super high-grade, fifth priming Corojo wrapper leaf and available in maduro, this fine specimen aims to please and succeeds with ease. Beneath the covers, an authentic Corojo binder and bevy of three primings of Corojo long-fillers complete the mix. Smooth, classic, well-aged, and well-constructed, Corojo is everything you need it to be....and more."

The Corojo's new, updated outfit.
[source]

Oh yeah. The new look. Why the new look? "Part of the redesign includes adding the image of a scorpion on Camacho’s boxes and bands, which Austin feels is emblematic of the brand’s heritage as well as its modern-day philosophy of aggressive competition. The bands and boxes have all received a complete makeover featuring bolder logos, scaled-up lettering and more colorful designs." [source]

Obviously, Valentino loved it, as we purchased a shenaniganful.**

So about those smuggled seeds from the Jamastran Valley of Honduras... says the Camacho website, "A rugged area of the country with a similar microclimate to that of Cuba’s famed, Vuelta Abajo region. Over the course of four decades, we learned and perfected growing the original Corojo strain outside of Cuba. Making us the last in the world preserving and in possession of this critical element that made Cuban cigars and Cuban tobacco famous."

No less than a hundred years after starting this blog post, I just went into the humidor to retrieve some of these oldies and goodies. D'oh! Instead, this:

Obviously, I took the picture, as it has that fuzzy, unfocused quality. 
Not unlike me day-to-day.

If you decide I have got to smoke one of these mo-fos, be warned: This is one hell of a full-bodied smoke. Another warning: "Tons of spice on the retrohale*** made me need to call the firetrucks to my nasal cavity," according to Stogies on the Rocks.

 

If you can get your hands on the older Corojos, do it! But if you can lay your mitts on the newer ones...do it! So really, you can't go wrong, as long as you keep some chocolates nearby for when your head starts to explode from the strength. Yay! Win!

 

Camacho is using "Fiery Character! Rare Intensity! Complex Satisfaction!" to describe one of their new line extensions. But really, it also applies to the entire company. Give them a smoke and find out! Go ahead! We'll wait...

 

 

 

 

 

*You would not even BELIEVE how long ago "this past week" was! Like...five months maybe?

 

**I just made that word up.

 

***“Retro-haling is the act of moving smoke from the back of the mouth, up through the sinuses, and exhaling through the nasal passages.” [source]