BMW Pro-AM 2009

The Coastal Cigars crew was lucky to be a part of the BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament in Greenville, SC for the second year in a row. The week consisted of a four-day better-ball competition over three courses in the upstate region, and one celebrity driving demonstration at the BMW Performance Center. The golf courses where we preformed rolling demonstrations included, Carolina Country Club, Brights Creek, and Thornblade Club. Jimmy and Dave rolled cigars for the golfers before their tee-offs in the mornings and were happy to see some familiar faces from the previous year. It is really funny and flattering to have a golfer you met once for five minutes from the previous year’s tournament come up to you and remember you by name. That alone tells me that we are doing something right and our cigars are good enough to make a lasting impression.

The highlight of the tournament was the celebrity driving challenge at the BMW Performance Center. This was by far the most entertaining event for us. One, we didn’t have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to get to the event. Two, we were able to meet some celebrities….Hercules himself, Kevin Sorbo, ever heard of him? And three, the cheese selection was ridiculous. Hats off to the catering staff for that event. It was like a fromage collage.

There was live music during the event, and to our surprise it was another local Charlestonian making his way to the upstate to entertain the guests. Bobby Houck from the Blue Dogs played a great solo acoustic set which was a perfect compliment to our cigars.

All in all, the week went as smooth as possible, and as an added bonus, it was a great escape from the office. We loved the opportunity to be a part of the BMW Charity Pro-am and cant wait for next year! You can see what’s on board for next year’s tournament at www.youcantmissit.com. Stay tuned for updates!

Cigar Review: Cu Avana Intenso Torpedo

Our next installment of cigar reviews for our good friends over at Cigars Direct is the Cu Avana Intenso Torpedo. I have often seen and heard about Cu Avana, but being that the core of the brand stays on the milder side, I had not tried it before. However, the merits of the Intenso Torpedo were made all the more impressive because the Intenso represents Cu Avana's first foray into more robust blends.

The Torpedo measures 6" by 54, and is manufactured by Nestor Plasencia, one of the great tobacco men living today. The wrapper is Nicaraguan Corojo, and the filler is a rare to find all-ligero blend from Nicaragua and Peru. Peru and Nicaraguan tobaccos are two of the strongest tobacco sources today, and most filler tobacco is a combination of seco and ligero leaves, which gives the blend some highlights and lowlights in terms of strength. , rather an all-ligero blend that one would except to really blow your hair back. When I first read about the tobaccos used, I thought this cigar was going to be a real powerhouse, to the point of being almost indulgent, strong for the sake of being strong. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The cigar burned beautifully, and while it was full-bodied, it had no harshness whatsoever and the flavors were very well-balanced. I would enthusiastically smoke this cigar again, as I really enjoyed the beefiness of the flavors and the long finish. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this cigar an 8.

Cigar Review: Don Pepin Cuban Classic 1979 Robusto

This week's review for our friends at Cigar Direct is the Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic 1979 Robusto. I've written several reviews alread and those he crafts for others, and nearly all of them are outstanding. y for cigars by Don Pepin, including brands he manufactures under his own name The Cuban Classic Robusto is no exception, and its always a joy to be reviewing Don Pepin's cigars.

The robusto comes with a fullness of shape that one normally finds in the excellent Cubans, such as Cohiba. There is a density of tobacco in properly rolled Cubans that cigarmakers in other countries have difficulty replicating, without negatively affecting the draw of the cigar. The Cuban Classic Robusto boasts a perfectly aligned triple cap, another sign of expert rolling.

The filler and binder is a combination of quality Nicaraguan tobaccos, and the wrapper is Corojo. Don Pepin always speaks to his belief in Nicaraguan tobacco, and the Cuban Classic line is the first cigar to be made in his new factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. There is a subtle spice, and the strength is medium- to full-bodied. I find the blend, especially for the price, to be an excellent fill-in for my personal favorite, the Cohiba Siglo VI. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Robusto a solid 7.5.

Charleston Food & Wine '09

This weekend marks the fourth year for the Charleston Food & Wine Festival, and we have been involved with the festival since the beginning. The festival is a great opportunity for people to get to know our city, and all of the talented people calling Charleston home right now in the hospitality industry. From purveyors, to chefs, to event planners, the who's who all pitch in to put on a great show for the ticket-holders. You can see us all weekend with a killer booth partnership between Coastal Cigars, Trident Tech Culinary Institute, Stolzle, and Duvall Decor. We will also be rolling for nighttime events at the Opening Night Salute to the Lowcountry Chefs, Bubbles + Sweets, and the Legendary Evening in the Lowcountry. After that, you will see us passing out from exhaustion!






(Coach Mike Tice and Chef Bobby Flay)

March Madness Contest

Our partners at Cigars Direct are offering a March Madness contest, with the prizes for the Top 10 finishers are really impressive! Here is the list of prizes being offered:

1^st Place is a 2008 Opus X Charity Box - 22 Count…retail value: $999.95

2^nd Place is a sealed box of Opus X Robusto…retail value of $839.55

3^rd Place is a sealed box of Hemingway Between The Lines... retail value of $799.95

4^th Place is a sealed box of Arturo Fuente Anejo #77 "Shark"…retail value of $575.95

5^th Place is a sealed box of Padron 1964 Anny Torpedo Natural...retail value of $319.95

6^th Place is a sealed box of 2006 God Of Fire Robusto Tubo...retail value of$184.75

7^th Place is a sealed box of Hemingway Short Story...retail value of $139.99

8^th Place is a sealed 1992 Rare Estate Opus X Robusto Tin..retail value of $94.95

9^th Place is a sealed box of Padon 1926 Serie Sampler Maduro...retail value of $74.95

For More Information about the contest, click here:

http://www.cigarsdirect.com/ProductCart/pc/viewcontent.asp?idpage=11

Cigar Review: Padilla Habano Churchill

The next set of reviews I am doing will be a variety of Padilla cigars, courtesy of our good friends over at Cigars Direct. The first cigar I will be reviewing is the Padilla Habano Churchill. Ernesto Padilla, the owner of Padilla Cigars, whose father was a world-renowned poet, is of Cuban heritage, so when he puts Habano on a cigar, you expect good things.

And, perhaps, that's what this cigar suffers from, is lofty expectations due in part to the name of the brand. If anyone could bring the essence of great Cuban cigars, you would think Ernesto could do it. I would affirm that he has done this with success in some of his other lines, but the Habano falls short of the mark. I have found that the Padilla cigars which have been most successful were manufactured by Don Pepin Garcia's fantastic factory, El Rey de los Habanos. The Habano, on the other hand, is made in Nicaragua by Abdel Fernandez, who is a respected cigarmaker, but not on the level of Don Pepin. It is not uncommon for brands to have different lines made by different makers, but I think this is a dangerous tact because what the brand stands for becomes diluted. The Habano brings to mind a lot of the downsides of Nicaraguan cigars, which is to say a harshness and lack of interesting flavor at times. It seems to me that people often look to Nicaragua to find the strength of tobacco they want, but sacrifice flavor and allure in the process.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the Habano a 5. I would also pay close attention Padilla's news in the future, because Ernesto and Don Pepin Garcia recently parted ways, and Ernesto is looking to set up his own factory in Miami.

Brand History: Ashton Cigars

The Elegance of Ashton Cigars

There's a certain something to an Ashton cigar that you sense the moment you pick one up. A sensibility, a balance, an elegance—it all combines into a luxurious, satisfying smoking experience, which is exactly what Robert Levin, the man behind the cigars, wants you to have.

Like most master cigar makers, Levin comes from tobacco—he's a second-generation tobacconist. As an importer and retailer, he spent years listening to what his customers said they wanted in a good cigar, and in 1985 he decided to respond to their requests by creating his own family of premium cigars.

Levin paired up with the legendary Fuente family when developing his cigars, and you'll definitely sense the Fuente touch in his offerings, which are produced by the Fuentes in the Dominican Republic. There's Dominican-grown leaf in both the binder and the filler. Most Ashtons sport Connecticut shade wrappers; you'll find Ecuadorian wraps on Ashton VSG (Virgin Sun Grown) selections and Cameroon leaves on the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol, the newest member of the Ashton family.

Consistency is the keynote with all Ashton cigars, regardless of the blend (six) and the size (many):

Ashton Classic—The cigars that launched the brand. A medium smoke with a slightly peppery kick that comes in 15 sizes. The 4 ¼ inch, 32-ring Esquire is also available with a maduro wrapper.

Cabinet Series—Rich, medium-bodied, available in 10 sizes, including a 6 inch by 52 ring pyramid.

Aged Maduro—The classic Ashton taste with a sweeter kick thanks to the Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper. Available in eight sizes.

Ashton VSG—Specially aged Dominican tobacco inside an Ecuadorian wrapper delivers a fuller-bodied smoke that consistently garners top scores in taste tests. Available in 10 sizes.

Ashton Heritage Puro Sol—A rich, medium-bodied cigar made from 100 percent sun-grown tobacco, hence the name. These sport Cameroon wrappers selected by the late Rick Meerapfel, who almost single-handedly developed modern tobacco growing in Cameroon. Available in five sizes.

Ashton Estate Sun Grown (ESG)—The newest Ashton offering, created to celebrate the company's 20^th anniversary and sporting wrappers grown exclusively on the Fuente family's farm. Currently available in two sizes; five are planned with a new size scheduled to be added each year.