Ernesto Carrillo from El Credito at the cigarzilla.net chat

During Ernesto's first chat with cigarzilla.net he brought with him a nice surprise for those in attendance along with his wealth of information, interesting stories, and personality.

He was excited to tell us about new products on the horizon;
First off the new Artesanaos de Miami that are exclusively made in Little Havana Miami. Ernesto stated that the Miami are unique because they use a different bunching technique than the Dominican Republic (DR). ?They bunch the DR cigars with the Lieberman and with the Miami it's all hand bunched so the draw and positioning of the tobacco is going to influence the taste.? Ernesto continued to tell how they are producing a new La Gloria Cubana (LGC) in Miami which will be out by May or June ?it's a blend of tobaccos I use in the [url=http://www.cigarzilla.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=151]Serie R[/url], [url=http://www.cigarzilla.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=83]El Rico Habano[/url], and the La Gloria Cubana with a Habano Nicaraguan wrapper". Another project in the works is for a ?40 year anniversary cigar which I'll start working on in another month, very old Nicaraguan tobacco with a possible Ecuadorian conn wrapper?. The cigar will probably be an El Credito because the factory has been in Miami 40 years and will probably come in boxes of 40 cigars and they will make approximately 100 boxes. The reason for the limited amount is that the tobacco is from 1997 and Ernesto only has 2 bales.

The topic of Nicaraguan politics arose and Ernesto stated that ?Nicaragua seems to be okay for now. There is incredible growth in Esteli the tobacco city in Nicaragua?. He continued saying that he is going to start using more tobacco from Nicaragua in future projects. ?For the new Artesanos I'm using about 80% Nicaraguan and 20% Dominican Republic?, while currently he is using about 35% DR in La Gloria Cubana, 90% in the El Rico Habano and the Serie R has approximately 50/50 Dominican Republic/Nicaragua Ligero. Talk then turned to wrappers as we inquired as to the difference between the Serie R EMS wrapper and the ERH. Ernesto stated that the wrapper for the Serie R and El Rico Habano are Sumatra but from different priming while the new Artesanaos wrapper is a Nicaragua Habano from Jalapa.

Cigar sizes were also a topic of discussion as wishes of a Serie R in carona size were brought up but Ernesto explained that a Serie R in a carona size wouldn't do justice to the blend due to the amount of ligero tobacco used, ?ring gage and length is where the secret lies in where the blend is going to differentiate?. Ernesto continued with ?blending is like art, you have to envision what it is you are trying to say, no doubt you have to love working with tobacco and being in the fields ... one thing I can tell you is that I'm never satisfied with any blend because I know there is a better one to be made and enjoyed by us cigar smokers?

When talk of ERH arose, Ernest stated that ?the El Rico is starting to make a name for it self and I can tell you we are constantly back ordered. El Rrico Habano was taken off the market because during the boom there was not enough of the tobacco that I use for it - so I decided rather than put something out there that was not right decided not to make it.? The tobacco now comes from an Oliva farm in Ecuador.

On the topic of Cuba Ernesto stated that him and his family had a couple of farms in San Cristobal and San Juan Y Martinez along with the fact that while Cuba is ?not open yet but when it does I'll be there?. He predicts that there will be some battles for brand names but in the USA most brands are secured.

Interesting facts about Ernesto Carrillo;
[list:3a3cbaa2a3]He is quite the busy man, making over seven million cigars a year and traveling approximately every other week to the Dominican Republic. We also found that from April 15th to the 18th he will be in NYC, CT, and NJ.[/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3][list:3a3cbaa2a3]Some of his own favorite cigars are the LGC White Box Wavell, ERH Gran Habanero Maduro, and Serie #5 with some of his other favorites including; Fuente Robusto in Conn, Siglo 6 Cohiba, Flor Dominicana 2000, Cohiba, Macanudo Gold Label, and [url=http://www.cigarzilla.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=498]Punch Maduros[/url]. He continued to say that there are lots of good smokes out there; [/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3][list:3a3cbaa2a3]He feels that the maduros are a more consistent smoke but to him the EMS has more complexity but that he enjoys them both. [/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3][list:3a3cbaa2a3]He smokes about 6 to 8 and one before bedtime on his back porch.[/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3][list:3a3cbaa2a3]Ernie described his relationship with Daniel Nunez and how they get along great mainly because of the respect they have for each others work.[/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3][list:3a3cbaa2a3]Factory tours are welcomed just call ahead to if he is in town if not just come on by[/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3][list:3a3cbaa2a3]and ... "I don't play drums except at the RTDA party once a year"[/list:u:3a3cbaa2a3]

It was a pleasure to have Ernesto with us for a chat and we hope to have him back soon. Don't forget Thursdays at 9 Eastern, only on cigarzilla.net!

Good But Inexpensive Smokes

Call me El Cheapo but, as a very long time cigar smoker, I just can't bring myself to spend more than $2.50 for a good smoke. I like Genuine Counterfeit Cubans, Oliveros Habanacuba, Flor de Oliva and, for a mixed filler brand, the remarkable Flor Del Todos from C.I.

All of these cigars give me a variety of flavors and smoke well. So what do the rest of you BOTL's like for cheap but good smokes?

PARTAGAS BLACK - CLASSICO

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Size/shape: 5.25 x 54 Parejo
Wrapper: USA - Connecticut Medio Tempo
binder: Dom. Rep
filler: Nic./Dom. Rep
full bodied/full flavor

I tried this cigar after it first appeared on the market several years ago. The cigar tasted young and fairly one dimensional as if it was all strength and lacking complexity. I am glad I had the chance to revisit Partagas Black. The blend seems to have matured and although the strength has not faded, the flavor and complexity has vastly improved. The medio tempo wrapper is black and oily, the toasty flavor profile starts with strong notes of coffee/espresso with hints of dark chocolate and cocoa. Strength is full but not bitter. Definitely a cigar for the experienced smoker. I put a few away as I am sure they will age wonderfuly.

Rising Humidity

If you have had your humidor a while, you more than likely have
refilled your humidifier, at least I hope you have. When you did,
did your humidity jump through the roof? If so, it more than
likely was caused by all of the humidity in your humidifier being
discharged at the same time. What we want, is a slower dispersion
of humidity, and there are two easy ways to make this happen. The
first is to use activator solution. This special solution contains Propylene Glycol in a mixture with distilled water. The PG provides a more balanced release of humidity. The second option is to take any extra cedar strips you have from cigar boxes and put them inside your humidor. The strips will absorb excess humidity and release it back into the humidor. Either way, with these tips you are sure to have a perfectly controlled humidor.

If you have any questions about cigars or the
proper way to store them, or anything else, please feel free to
give me a call at 1-888-674-8307 or via email at
sales@cheaphumidors.com

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SHAMELESS PLUG
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Go ahead, take a look at our site at http://www.cheaphumidors.com.

If you see something you like or have questions let us know.
We can be reached at 1-888-674-8307 or sales@cheaphumidors.com

Until 24 Mar 2008, you can enter coupon code
KOMP-QSA1HQ at checkout for an instant 10% off your entire purchase.

Warm Regards,

Dave


CheapHumidors.com
5602 56th Commerce Park Blvd
Tampa, Fl 33610

Summertime Maintenance

Summer can be one of the hardest times on your humidor. You are
probably running your air conditioner non-stop and the humidity in
your area is most likely climbing. This rise in humidity can be
mirrored in your humidor, so it is important to take a few
precautions. First of all, be sure your humidor is out of direct
sunlight. Depending on the time of day, a humidor in front of a
window can have the internal temperature rise considerably.
Secondly, make sure your humidor is not in the direct path of air
vents for air conditioning units. The best place is in a dark cool place, if possible. If you have the ability to dial down your humidifier, it is probably a good idea to do so. You should
experiment with the right settings. The ambient humidity will make up for this compensation. If you are unable to adjust your
humidifier, placing some cedar strips inside your humidor will
absorb any excess humidity. Of course only follow these steps if
you are in a humid environment.

If you have any questions about cigars or the
proper way to store them, or anything else, please feel free to
give me a call at 1-888-674-8307 or via email at
sales@cheaphumidors.com


------------------------------
SHAMELESS PLUG
------------------------------

Go ahead, take a look at our site at http://www.cheaphumidors.com.

If you see something you like or have questions let us know.
We can be reached at 1-888-674-8307 or sales@cheaphumidors.com

Until 14 Mar 2008, you can enter coupon code
KOMP-QSA1HQ at checkout for an instant 10% off your entire purchase.

Warm Regards,

Dave


CheapHumidors.com
5602 56th Commerce Park Blvd
Tampa, Fl 33610

Ernesto from El Credito Cigars on Thurs nite chat March 20

Thursday March 20 Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, JR. of El Credito Cigars (La Gloria Cubana and El Rico Habano) will be our guest for our weekly Thursday night chat. Be there at 8 Central, 9 Eastern.

Conuco Famous-Smoke's new firecracker!

Conuco
Country of Origin: Honduras
Size & Shape: 52 x 6 ? Toro - Parejo
Wrapper: Honduran grown ? Habano
Filler: Hon/CR/Pan
Binder: Nicaragua
Medium leaning towards full body/full flavor.

This is what Gary Korb from Famous-Smoke said about them in our Thursday night chat:

Conucos are made at the El Paraiso factory in Danli, Honduras which is Rocky Patel's operation but it's not a total Rocky cigar. The cigars were blended with the help of Rocky, Arthur, our prez, and Hal O. our General Manager.

They started working on the blend a year ago. Hal and Arthur tell the blender what they're looking for as far as strength, flavor and wrapper. They go to Honduras and they look at what's available. They choose a wrapper first.

This cigar has a lot of flavor because there's a lot of ligero in there.
Part of the blending process involves tasting individual tobaccos first. So you smoke a little cigar made of only one leaf. Conuco has Honduran and Costa Rican ligero. Then you have a Panamanian leaf and a Nicarguan binder. That's why it's so complex. Add the Honduran grown oily Habano wrapper and it makes an excellent recipe.

Fletchman:
When I first received these cigars I was impressed by the smooth, oily wrapper and the obvious top notch construction. There were no soft spots and the cigar felt solid and well filled. On lighting I could taste the ligero and complexity almost at once. Lots of smoke with sweet flavors and some light spice. It was not an overly sweet taste but rather a light hint of sweetness on the taste buds. It seemed to have some of the best elements of both the Rocky Patel Sumatra and the Rocky Patel Rosado ? two excellent smokes. However don?t be overly taken by the comparison as the Conuco is a very unique tasting cigar. Creamy with some caramel flavors yet bold and complex with some notes of coffee and spice. I was also surprised by the smoking time as these toro?s burned almost a full two hours. I am sure this cigar will age extremely well and I highly recommend them.

tacHammer:
I spent my first 5 minutes just smelling this cigar. It's not a habit I have but there was just something about the smell. I could tell before torching it that I was in for a treat. This is an amazing new cigar. So complex it?s difficult to describe. The flavor builds nicely too. Definitely a top shelf stogie.


The Conuco get?s a solid 9 on the tac-o-meter.

cigars I have known and loved, 15 months in

It was 436 days ago that I stopped smoking cigarettes. I picked the day, December 22, 2006, two weeks in advance and quit cold turkey. Now I smoke one cigar per day, sometimes two if it?s a good day.

I was a compulsive cigarette smoker. I smoked when I woke up and before I went to bed and after a meal and before a meal and when I had to make a phone call and after sex and when I was walking to the car and in the car on the way to work and on the walk from the car to the office and once during sex and before I started a task and after I finished a task and whenever else I could squeeze in a couple of minutes to suck down a smoke. That?s all it took me to smoke a cigarette: two minutes. When I started smoking, around August of 1995, it took me eight minutes to smoke a cigarette. I still remember the rush of the nicotine; it was noticeable and pleasurable for the first couple of weeks. Then the rush stopped, and soon I was smoking a pack a day. Then two packs. Then I got it back under control to where I was only smoking about 25 cigarettes a day.

I figure that I?ve not smoked about 10900 cigarettes. I will count the possibly five packs that I?ve smoked socially since my retirement; let?s call it 10800 cigarettes that I would have smoked but have in fact not smoked since I am no longer a professional cigarette smoker. That?s a lot of cigarettes. My throat hurts just thinking about it. I used to switch brands when one brand would start to bother my throat too much and that was frequently since I smoked so damn many cigarettes. I went from Marlboro reds to Camels to Marlboro lights to Camel Lights and bouncing back and forth depending on how I felt when I woke up. I digress.

I was saying: I got off cigarettes 436 days ago. It was not my intention to become a regular cigar smoker. I wasn?t going to give up cigarettes and move right into cigars. But I did and my life is better because of it.

I?d been the occasional smoker of cigars for about as long as I had smoked cigarettes. My first exposure was with cheap machine rolled cigars from the corner store. I messed with those occasionally just as something different to do. During the cigar craze of the nineties, I had my father buy for me a premium type cigar while we were at a golf tournament. I tried to inhale most of it, spat a lot, and got rid of it about half way through. I didn?t try any more ?good? cigars until 2004. A friend of mine was given some cigars from his grandfather. I don?t recall the type but knowing the man who bought them they were certainly top quality. While my wife and his girlfriend where out shopping or whatever they did, we sat high up in a nice hotel watching the waves and the night lights of Hollywood, Florida and talking about whatever it is that we were talking about. After that I started messing around with some Punch and CAO smokes and whatever it was they were selling from the counter humidor at the liquor store. It was nothing serious and I wasn?t paying attention to what I was smoking.

My first great cigar was a Padron 1964 which was part of an anniversary gift. So much of that cigar is burned into my memory, from the ritual and smoke of it to the experience that went along with it, the view, the setting and the conversation. It was a fine cigar, and it made me realize that there was a lot to be enjoyed about cigars if I would only pay attention.

Fast forward a bit and I?m smoking maybe three or four cigars per month, stopping by the local cigar stores and smoking as a way to get to get in an hour or so of solid introspection or reading. I met a friend of my father who smoked cigars and I?d go over to his place on occasion and drink beer and talk about the sad state of the world over a cigar. All the while I?m still smoking cigarettes like a fiend.

Then I stopped smoking cigarettes. On my third day of being entirely smoke free, I got a package in the mail from a good friend of mine who apparently missed the memo that I had stopped smoking. It contained some top quality cigars. I was unsure about what to do. I tried to give them away but I could find no takers. I could not have thrown them away. So I did what any decent person would do and smoked the first cigar one week after I smoked my last cigarette.

I was afraid that smoking cigars would trigger an urge to smoke cigarettes, but it never did. The two experiences are far removed from each other and share very little in common except for the part about burning tobacco. My use of cigarettes was compulsive and obsessive and there was no joy in it. Cigar smoking brings real pleasure into my life, pleasure that I look forward to and can take advantage of on my own terms. I smoke a variety of cigars because there are so many good smokes to experience, not like I rotated my cigarettes to get a break from the irritants particular to one brand. I like the relaxed camaraderie of cigar smokers which is so much different than the hectic alliance of cigarette junkies around an ashtray. I made it 5 months completely cigarette free. I can have a cigarette now and know that I am in control.

The cigar smokers reading this know the comfort and the anticipation involved in selecting, cutting, and lighting a smoke. I don?t have to tell the cigar smokers about the pleasures filling so many of our senses while we smoke a cigar. Certainly, smoking a cigarette stimulates the same set of senses, but the both the good ritual and pleasure are absent from smoking a cigarette. Cigarette smoking had become a chore and a vice; I felt that I had to smoke cigarettes that I didn?t want to smoke. I have yet to smoke a cigar that I didn?t want to smoke.

My life is better because of cigars. Cigars give me a hobby and something to occupy enough time that I can concentrate on something besides work and family for all of my waking hours. I go to the cigar store and even before I walk in, I taste all the different flavors. I can find a cigar that perfectly complements a meal or enhances a particular time of day. I know the pleasant surprise of finding a cigar that I?ve forgotten about at the bottom of my humidor. I am sure that I have much to learn about cigars, and I am looking forward to getting to know many more friends and smokes as I gain that knowledge.

cross-posted at [url=http://myleshenderson.com]myleshenderson.com[/url]