The Stogie Guys

I heard it again the other day. Listening to a cigar podcast, someone upset at smoking bans referred angrily to the “liberals” who want to impose them.

It’s a common perception — or, I should say, misperception — that those who favor smoking restrictions are “liberals.” Sure, some of them are. But the truth is that the issue, like most, is not so simple.

Name a group that’s been officially opposed to tobacco for decades. How about the Southern Baptist Convention, which, according to its Web site, adopted a measure in 1984 that calls for, among numerous other actions, taking “leadership in encouraging our people, pastors, and SBC leaders to refrain from using tobacco in any form …”

Or look at the states with fairly extensive bans. Sure, you’ll find Massachusetts and New York. But you’ll also find Utah and Idaho. And Florida, where voters have chosen Republicans for nearly every statewide office for quite a while – including George W. Bush’s brother as governor twice – approved an extremely restrictive smoking restriction.

Which governor said the overwhelming majority of residents in his state “don’t want to have someone else impose their habit upon them, whether it’s spitting or whether it’s vomiting or whether it’s smoking”? And also said he’d support a ban on all cigarette sales in his state? Arkansas Republican Mike Huckabee, according to news reports. He’s also known for this quote: “The country was better off with Leave it to Beaver than Beavis and Butthead. We were better off when the Gideons gave Bibles to the fifth graders than when school nurses gave condoms to the sixth graders. We thought it was better for fathers to take their sons hunting than sons in urban areas hunting for their fathers.”

Even in California, often associated with liberal nanny-staters eager to take away smoking rights, it isn’t as black and white as that. Among the first communities that moved to ban smoking on beaches and piers were those in Orange County, where, I believe, the last Democratic presidential candidate to win a majority was FDR — before WWII.

Of course, political labels tend to be pretty meaningless, anyway. That’s probably why politicians are so fond of tossing them around. The truth is that there are lots of people who want to stop others from smoking, for whatever reason. Some see themselves as liberals, some as conservatives, some as centrists, some who knows. Perhaps we can just call them what they are: anti-smokers.

–George E

Originally built in 1903, the Berriman-Morgan Cigar factory may seem to be a relic of a bygone era. But the Ybor City factory that once produced millions of Havanas a year is coming back to life after decades of abandonment and disrepair.

Thanks to Nicholas Jammal, the Tampa Tribune reports the century-old building will be thoroughly restored as it is transformed from abandoned cigar factory to office space.

When [Jammal] first saw the factory, he knew its location on Howard Avenue (just south of Interstate 275 halfway between West Shore Boulevard and downtown) would make it ideal for professional offices. It already had been designated as a national and local historic landmark, which meant he could take advantage of federal tax credits and local property tax exemptions.

He bought it in 2004 for $600,000, partly with a loan earmarked for historic preservation projects like his. It took 18 months – much longer than he expected – to get all his plans approved. It might have taken longer if Tampa City Councilwoman Mary Alvarez had not streamlined the approval process for him. Her mother was a cigar roller at the factory in the 1940s…

He inherited his devotion to historic preservation from both parents, Roda and Aliya Jammal. His father once told him their passion for historic buildings may come from the fact that their ancestors are from Baalbeck, an ancient city in Lebanon known for its ruins.

Over the past year, Jammal and his employees at Jammal Engineering fixed the factory’s roof. Parts of the tongue-in-groove bead board ceiling were missing, so they relocated materials from other parts of the building and flawlessly blended them. The crew also made new ceiling boards, so it’s hard to tell where the old stop and the new begin.

They took hundreds of concrete blocks out of the 100 window openings and designed replicas of the original windows and frames.

Some original green shutters survived, so Jammal made a replica of one as a pattern for his workers to copy. They brought the old brick back to its original color, matched missing bricks and created a replacement for the column base at the entranceway.

They shored up other column bases, replicated existing arches and moldings and made doors to match originals. Next, they plan to put the old water tower back up on its perch on the south side of the factory.

Jammal hopes the work will be done by March. He plans to rent space to architects, engineers or lawyers and maybe save a corner space for himself on the third floor.

For more information, we highly recommend the Tampa Tribune’s interactive tour of the factory.

–Patrick S

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and reader-friendly as possible, each Friday we’ll post a sampler of quick cigar news and stogie-related snippets to tide you over for the weekend. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) We’re always looking for ways to improve your StogieGuys.com experience. And to that end we recently added a “Recommended Reading” page that has a running list of regularly updated articles on cigars and life recommended by the Stogie Guys. To see the latest updates, click the Recommended Reading link found on the top left of every page, and if you have an article you think we should include, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

2) We mentioned it in last week’s sampler, but it’s so big we had to say it again. Tomorrow in Tampa’s Ybor city,Wally Reyes will attempt to wrestle the Guinness Book of World Records “world’s largest cigar” record away from Cuba by rolling a 100 foot long cigar – surpassing the 67 foot Havanan-rolled giant by 50 percent. And we thought that this six foot Davidoff cigar was gigantic!

3) We’ve written articles before on the dangers and advantages of using online cigar auction sites. Now we’ve found a special unadvertised “private auction” over at Cigar Bid so you can test your skills. We haven’t tried the Gurkha Regents yet, so we can’t really recommend them, but we do hear good things. Have at it here.

4) For some reason this weekend seems like a busy time for cigar events. In our area we’ve noticed events from Zino, CAO, and La Aurora. Since Stogie Guys are all across the country, we don’t have the space to list all the fantastic events that are coming up, but we can point you to the most complete list we’ve found. We strongly recommend attending such events where you can meet fellow stogie smokers, learn about your favorite brands, and score free cigars.

5) Finally, we’ve got another special deal you probably won’t find anywhere else. For just ten bucks ($9.95 to be exact), you get eight cigars including six premium cigars from C.A.O., Toraño, Cusano, Ghurka, Padron, and La Gloria Cubana. Even if you just throw away the two Thompson brand cigars this is a great deal (of course, we haven’t tried them yet, so they may just be fantastic too). To take advantage of this special offer, click the following link: Powerhouse Super 8.

–The Stogie Guys

When I decided to smoke this Camacho Coyolar Puro Torpedo, I wasn’t sure whether I should first reach for my torch or check to see if my will was up to date. After all that I’d heard and read about this Honduran, I had visions of my wife finding me slumped over in the chair, the top of my head blown away, and at least half of the large stick still dangling from my fingers, the foot oozing a thick, toxic smoke.

To me, this dark, oily cigar wasn’t anything like that. I found it to be a slow-burning, relatively smooth, full-flavored cigar that developed and dropped several tastes, beginning with a little pepper and ending with some light, sweet touches. Wood and leather tended to dominate, building and diminishing, mixing and mingling.

Much of my initial concern came about because I tend to associate “strong cigars” with raw nicotine and what I believe is under-cured tobacco. You’ve probably had the same unpleasant experience with a stick that had a taste like iodine and a searing kerosene aroma, both of which combined to create an aching head and upset stomach.

I should know better. That’s not strong; that’s bad. Nonetheless, it’s what comes to my mind when I hear labels such as “powerhouse” or “one stud of a cigar” (Camacho’s catalog description).

My Camacho Coyolar – a generous gift from Jerry at Stogie Review – suffered from a couple of wrapper tears, for which I think I deserve the blame. The Camacho is not encased in cellophane, and I believe it was damaged sitting in my humidor. The defects, however, caused no smoking problems. The draw was effortless, the burn was good, and – a small, but significant, joy – the band came off easily.

The Torpedo is listed at six inches by 54 ring gauge and has an MSRP of $5.95 for a single and $148.75 for a box of 25.

I don’t know whether a smoker needs experience to enjoy this cigar. As I said, some have described experiences that sound more like a chance encounter with Freddy Krueger than a relaxing smoke. I smoked the Coyolar after dinner with coffee, which may have made some difference. If you’re wary, you might want to try one of the smaller vitolas.

My rating for the Camacho Coyolar Puro Torpedo is three out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–George E

Yesterday we reviewed the Hoyo de Monterrey Governor cigar. And today we’re talking about the governor most associated with stogies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is without doubt the most prominent cigar smoker in America. He has graced the cover of Cigar Aficionado twice – the only other person to do that is Winston Churchill.

That’s why we were disturbed to see this tidbit in a recent article on the San Francisco Chronicle’s website:

He’s getting sensitive about that cigar-smoking image:
Schwarzenegger sat in the courtyard of the Four Seasons (he stayed there, the press didn’t) smoking a stogie as he was interviewed last week. But when photographers were brought out, the stogie suddenly disappeared. He handed it off to his deputy communications guru, Sheryl Main, and she discreetly dumped it so the governor could be snapped stogie-free.

We just wanted to tell Arnold to stick with it.

We love that he put in a cigar tent in the courtyard of the state capitol building, despite the absurd protests of anti-tobacco zealots. And we agree with him that attacks on his smoking tent are “childish.”

That’s why we hope he keeps true to the words he told Fox News back in May 2005: “As long as I’m at the Capitol, I will be smoking my stogies down there, and I will be having people down there smoking stogies.”

Now there’s a political stance we can really get behind!

–Patrick S

Hoyo is one of those sticks that I would smoke every now and again several years ago, but haven’t gotten around to delving into lately. And since its one of the few brands that’s not yet represented on our archived reviews page, I decided to pick up a Hoyo de Monterrey Governor EMS for old time’s sake.

This 6.12 inches by 50 ring gauge cigar had a caramel-colored Ecuador Sumatran wrapper with a few very prominent veins. In fact, one vein protruded dubiously for the length of the cigar more noticeably than any other I’ve seen in my smoking days. It therefore goes without saying that if you’re one of those smokers who obsesses over appearance, you might want to stay away from this one.

Pre-light the stogie smelled of sweet honey and molasses, and my double guillotine cutter yielded a loose draw. Owning up to its Honduran origins, however, the taste was much spicier when lit – producing a flavor that can best be likened to a honey graham cracker. As the smoke progressed, the tastes graduated from sweet to clove. The Connecticut Broadleaf binder and the blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran filler kept a good balance on the palate.

Even though my stick was properly stored for several months, I noticed a little tear in the wrapper near the cap, and some small bits of tobacco flaked away. But this fortunately did not effect the even burn. The black and gray ash held firm better than average throughout the one hour and fifteen minute smoke.

At about $5.30 apiece, I’d recommend picking one of these up – especially if you’re into cigars with changing flavors. For great taste and a few construction flaws, I give the Hoyo de Monterrey Governor EMS three and ½ out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

Since people who want to tell us where, when, and if we can smoke seem to be a dime a dozen these days, we spend considerable time covering smoking bans and the health fascists who want to impose them on us.

Often, in the course of that coverage, we call the people pushing such bans “do-gooders” – along with other less flattering names – in reference to the fact that while wrong, we generally think that these are sane people who are well-intentioned. That characterization – which in no way is an excuse for their attempts to impose their misguided values on others – was challenged by the video below.

In the clip a group called Bureaucrash organized a peaceful smoke-in outside the doors of the 13th World Conference on Tobacco while wearing T-shirts that said “Smoking is Healthier than Fascism” in an effort to engage in constructive debate and conversation. (As you probably suspect, despite the cool name, the World Conference on Tobacco is not a big party for smokers, but a dry gathering full of doom and gloom about “tobacco control” – the euphemism of choice for deciding how to stop people from being allowed to choose to smoke.)

Without spoiling the ending, lets just say that one conference attendee took issue with the notion that smoking is healthier than fascism. Enjoy.

Click here to watch the video.

-Patrick S