Sadly, smoking a cigar has become a relatively rare event for me lately, as everything at home and work has been so busy. Having finally found an opportunity to enjoy a nice, long, relaxing smoke, I sifted through my coolidor looking for something truly top-shelf. A while back, our friend Keith Park of Prometheus sent me a wonderful Limited Edition God of Fire 9-cigar Assortment. I’ve been spreading these out a bit, only smoking them on special occasions in order to be able to truly savor them. On the other hand, if I only smoked my special cigars on special occasions, I’d never get around to smoking them all, so I figured the opportunity to record my first video in a month was a good enough reason to pull out this God of Fire Don Carlos 2008.

God of Fire Don Carlos 2008 by the numbers:
Vitola: robusto
Size: 5.25×50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder & Filler: undisclosed (Dominican?)
Strength: Medium
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Fuente Family)
No. smoked for review: 1 (first impressions)
Duration: 90 minutes
Source: gift from Keith Park of Prometheus
MSRP: $20.00
Website: www.godoffire.com
Facebook: Prometheus Lounge

Sorry about the reduced video frame rate. Apparently, it’s something the MacBook webcam does to compensate for low-light conditions. Just tell yourself that it’s “artistic” and that I filmed it “guerrilla style.” Yeah, that’s the ticket…

iOS users click here for video

(Video length: 10:56)

Soundtrack: “Sweet Home (rock instrumental)” by Ivan Chew http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/42129
is licensed under a Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

I definitely made the right choice picking this cigar out of my coolidor. The God of Fire Don Carlos 2008 was exactly what I was looking for: impeccable construction, subtle yet pleasant flavors, and a great all-around smoking experience. If you ever get an opportunity to pick up some of these, don’t let the price tag intimidate you. Although at around $20 it’s beyond the reach of an “everyday cigar” for most people, it’s a great pick for special occasions — even the little ones they don’t make greeting cards for.

You're reading God of Fire Don Carlos 2008 (first impressions) by Charlie, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

You're reading A Tour Inside Subculture Studios at Drew Estate Cigars by ben, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Welcome back to another episode of Draper Dialogue. For this episode we got to spend An Afternoon with Marvin Samel of Drew Estate. Marvin has become a bit of a local fixture in the DC area, spending the good part of 2012 living in the area lobbying and walking the halls of Congress on behalf of the entire industry. Marvin and I go back some 15 years when he and Jonathan Drew started with a small kiosk in the World Trade Center in NYC to what eventually will be the Drew Estate that we know today. In this four part series we talk about that history of Drew Estate and the present including Joya de Nicaragua and Willy Herrera.

The next episode of Draper Dialogue is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st where we will be joined by Janny Garcia and Jose Ortega of My Father Cigars. If you plan to be in the DC area stop by W.Curtis Draper Bethesda and be part of the live audience.

You're reading An Afternoon with Marvin Samel (Part Four) by George Brightman, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Welcome back to another episode of Draper Dialogue. For this episode we got to spend An Afternoon with Marvin Samel of Drew Estate. Marvin has become a bit of a local fixture in the DC area, spending the good part of 2012 living in the area lobbying and walking the halls of Congress on behalf of the entire industry. Marvin and I go back some 15 years when he and Jonathan Drew started with a small kiosk in the World Trade Center in NYC to what eventually will be the Drew Estate that we know today. In this four part series we talk about that history of Drew Estate and the present including Joya de Nicaragua and Willy Herrera.

The next episode of Draper Dialogue is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st where we will be joined by Janny Garcia and Jose Ortega of My Father Cigars. If you plan to be in the DC area stop by W.Curtis Draper Bethesda and be part of the live audience.

You're reading An Afternoon with Marvin Samel (Part Three) by George Brightman, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Welcome back to another episode of Draper Dialogue. For this episode we got to spend An Afternoon with Marvin Samel of Drew Estate. Marvin has become a bit of a local fixture in the DC area, spending the good part of 2012 living in the area lobbying and walking the halls of Congress on behalf of the entire industry. Marvin and I go back some 15 years when he and Jonathan Drew started with a small kiosk in the World Trade Center in NYC to what eventually will be the Drew Estate that we know today. In this four part series we talk about that history of Drew Estate and the present including Joya de Nicaragua and Willy Herrera.

The next episode of Draper Dialogue is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st where we will be joined by Janny Garcia and Jose Ortega of My Father Cigars. If you plan to be in the DC area stop by W.Curtis Draper Bethesda and be part of the live audience.

You're reading An Afternoon with Marvin Samel (Part Two) by George Brightman, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Welcome back to another episode of Draper Dialogue. For this episode we got to spend An Afternoon with Marvin Samel of Drew Estate. Marvin has become a bit of a local fixture in the DC area, spending the good part of 2012 living in the area lobbying and walking the halls of Congress on behalf of the entire industry. Marvin and I go back some 15 years when he and Jonathan Drew started with a small kiosk in the World Trade Center in NYC to what eventually will be the Drew Estate that we know today. In this four part series we talk about that history of Drew Estate and the present including Joya de Nicaragua and Willy Herrera.

The next episode of Draper Dialogue is scheduled for Saturday, June 1st where we will be joined by Janny Garcia and Jose Ortega of My Father Cigars. If you plan to be in the DC area stop by W.Curtis Draper Bethesda and be part of the live audience.

You're reading An Afternoon with Marvin Samel (Part One) by George Brightman, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

It truly is a great time to be a cigar smoker. So many manufacturers are bringing so many new brands to market, experimenting with new tobaccos and new blends, and we all benefit from this energy & innovation. An interesting side effect from all these new cigars being produced is that cigar makers seem to be running out of unique names for their products. Numerous new cigars have had to change their names shortly after introduction in order to avoid potential trademark issues or other possible confusion with existing brand names. Included among these is Los Regalos Quetzal, one of the latest releases from Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars. Although the new name has not yet been publicly announced, it is expected to change after the first production run.

With that out of the way, let’s focus on the most important thing: the cigar itself. Gary’s empire continues to expand with an entirely new series called Los Regalos, the product of a new partnership with an undisclosed factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. As Gary explained in his blog, there will eventually be four blends in the Los Regalos series, plus a limited edition release featuring vintage 2006 tobaccos. Quetzal is the first of the series to be released, and I recently had the opportunity to smoke a couple of samples for a review. After waiting far too long for the weather to improve and the pace at work to slow down (ha!), I headed outdoors to one of my favorite smoking spots to light up and roll film.

Los Regalos Quetzal by the numbers:
Size: 6.5×52
Vitola: torpedo
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
Manufacturer: undisclosed factory in Esteli, Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Full
No. smoked for review: 2
Duration: 90 minutes
Source: review samples
MSRP: $8-$10?
Website: www.emiliocigars.com
Twitter: @EmilioCigar
Facebook: Emilio Cigars

Join me as I emerge from my winter hibernation and trek outdoors with a long-awaited cigar in hand…

iOS users click here for video

(Video length: 13:33)

Soundtrack: “The Game Has Changed (cdk RumbleStep Mix)” by cdk
http://ccmixter.org/files/cdk/41830
is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

If you’ve been following my reviews, it should come as no surprise that I think Gary Griffith has one of the hottest hands in the industry right now. It seems everything he touches is a knockout, and the streak continues with Los Regalos Quetzal. Big flavors, great construction, and just an all-around satisfying smoke. Don’t take my word for it; our very own Ben Lee called it “totally box worthy.” I’m inclined to agree.

You're reading Los Regalos Quetzal by Emilio Cigars by Charlie, originally posted on The Stogie Review. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!