The Stogie Guys

Election Day is right around the corner and now, more than ever, your right to light up a cigar may be at stake when you cast your ballot.

The Tobacco Merchants Association and Retail Tobacco Dealers of America have identified 14 tobacco-related ballot initiatives (pdf) and over 40 proposed bills that may affect where you smoke, what you smoke, and how much your smoke costs.

We highly recommend (1) reading up on the initiatives and (2) calling the candidates to find out where they stand on laws that would diminish smokers’ rights. If you are not voting for a candidate because of their position on such laws, then you should let them know it was their anti-smoker position that turned you off. Politicians need to know that many people are making decisions about who to vote for based on candidates’ positions on smoking issues.

Finally, since the two biggest issues facing Stogie Guys this election are smoking bans and tobacco taxes, here are our positions on these important issues:

Smoking Bans

Health Nazis tell us that smoking bans are necessary to protect people from the dangers of tobacco smoke, both first- and second-hand, but the truth is everyone – employees, patrons, and owners – has a choice about being exposed to smoke. If people truly demand smoke-free establishments, then places will open to meet that demand, rendering government-imposed regulation unnecessary.

We believe that people are smart enough to choose for themselves and take responsibility for their actions. Therefore, smoking bans are nothing but ugly paternalism that must be opposed.

Tobacco Taxes

Proposals to spend taxpayers’ money on government projects that small groups of people claim are for the common good should always be examined skeptically. However, even if you think that a particular project meets your standard for a “good use of government power” (whatever that may be), you should still oppose taxes on tobacco that target the small minority of people who are smokers.

As we’ve said before, if politicians cannot convince citizens that taxes to fund their pet projects should be spread broadly across the tax base, they should reevaluate the necessity of the program – not look for a more vulnerable group with which to saddle the burden. Tobacco taxes are nothing more than the bullying of an oppressed minority by well-funded “activists,” and they should always be opposed.

On Tuesday, November 7, go out and vote like your cigar depends on it – It just might!

–Patrick S

I still vividly recall the pleasure of the first Toraño Exodus 1959 Silver Edition I smoked a couple of years ago in the hospitable lounge at Cigar Central in Clearwater, Florida. Since then, I’ve had most, if not all, of the Toraño lines, and the Silver remains my favorite. The latest, smoked on my deck, was every bit as satisfying as the first. Like good music, the Silver repays the careful attention it deserves. But relegate it to the background and you’ll waste the opportunity to enjoy an intricate, subtle performance.

Toraño prides itself on blending diverse tobaccos; the Silver is no exception. While it shares some of its name with the original gold band Exodus, they are very different cigars. My recent Silver Corona Grande (six and 1/8 inches by 46 ring gauge) was a complex smoke, with tastes of pepper and sweetness, coffee and chocolate, that emerge, blend, and fade on the tongue and the finish. The taste of fine tobacco was always present, shifting from dominant to supplemental.

The draw was easy. Smoke was abundant, thick and creamy from the first puff to the last.

The cap was small and I worried about clipping too much with a cutter. So I used a punch, which was no problem. The foot toasted nicely, and the burn was straight and clean throughout the hour or more I smoked the Silver. I can’t recall having had a burn problem with any Toraño I’ve smoked.

Some will be put off by the Silver’s appearance. The Criollo wrapper, a lovely shade of brown, can appear mottled. Fans of a long ash are also likely to be disappointed with the loose, somewhat crumbly and gray one that the Silver produces. These issues matter little to me. My biggest complaint is Toraño’s propensity to use too much glue applying the bands.

On its website, Toraño calls the Silver medium- to full-bodied. But it’s so smooth, I’d be more inclined to rate it mild to medium, while noting that it presents a full flavor profile without any harshness.

I think most buyers will find an individual Silver Exodus reasonably priced at their local shops. A spot check of online dealers shows that a box of 25 Corona Grandes runs from about $85 to $100, plus shipping.

Obviously, I’m a fan. Not everyone is. Better, though, to set aside some time for contentment and sample one of the Silver’s four vitolas yourself. I hope you enjoy the experience. At four out of five stogies, I sure did.

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

–George E