Weekly Email – June 3rd, 2015

New This Week:

Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512!

Ever heard of D’Crossier Cigars? Remember that name, because chances are you’ll be hearing it often in the future! D’Crossier is a relatively new company owned and operated by Isaias Santana Diaz, the descendant of a 19th century French merchant mariner who found himself in Cuba and fell in love with the local tobacco crops. Diaz spent many years perfecting his craft; his company, Pure Aroma Cigars, is based in Miami while his factory is located in Costa Rica, which provides some of his favorite blending stock.

Introduced to us as “the best cigar you never heard of,” the Selection No. 512series is incredibly tasty: Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Costa Rican Sumatra binder, and Costa Rican and Dominican fillers add up to a rich, complex flavor profile that truly must be tried to be believed. (We were wowed by the corona alone…and as you know, Mike is not easily impressed.)

We have three sizes in stock: Corona Gorda (5½” x 46), Coloniales (5⅛” x 44), and Hermosos #2 (5⅞” x 48). All are in VERY limited quantity for the time being, and are priced at an amazingly reasonable level…so get your hands on one today and see what you’ve been missing!

We’ve got ’em.

Come get some while you can. If you have to ask…ask. We’ll show you whatelse you’ve been missing.

Drew Estate Presents…

The TSUGE Pipe Raffle!

Courtesy of Drew Estate (in the person of our pal Sam Smerkol), ASW is offering an exclusive chance to win a new Drew Estate pipe by Tsuge! In case you were unaware, Tsuge – one of the world’s leading pipe crafters – has entered into an arrangement with Drew Estate to offer modern pipes featuring Tsuge’s distinctive styling to the American public. In conjunction with this, Drew has released eight new tobacco blends under the Tsuge imprimatur: The Four Seasons series (a blend for every season) and the God Series (named after traditional Japanese deities). Any purchase of a tin of Drew or Tsuge tobacco (and this includes Drew Estate’s six recent New York themed blends) will be eligible to win a brand-new Tsuge pipe! Ask any one of our cheerful staff for more details…this is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss!


This week we are delving into the Balkans…specifically, Comoy’s Cask #11. The 100 gram “paint can”-type tin with a tinfoil seal under its metal lid is a welcome surprise, and for lovers of English/Balkan blends the tin note is heavenly. My first impression reminded me a bit of Dunhill’s Nightcap, though not quite as potent.Latakia, Virginias, Orientals, and Turkish leaf are married together in a dark, coarse ribbon cut. The leaf is easily loaded and has a nearly perfect moisture content; it takes the light quite well.

The first thing the smoke delivers is a very Latakia-forward creamy smokiness that is quickly counterbalanced by the sweet Virginia and a slight sour note from the Orientals. As the bowl progresses, one is rewarded with bursts of sweet and then earthy tones that seem to alternate, creating a very complex and satisfying smoke.

Large bowls – especially those in a pot shape – will serve you well with this blend so as to allow you to capture all the flavor this blend has to offer. A medium bodied smoke, the room note of which is tolerable (I say that with all Latakia blends), Cask #11 pegs the flavor needle, which is why I’m giving it a full 5 pipe rating.

Come and get you some before it’s all gone! Puff on!

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