The Stogie Guys

The first thing I noticed, after just a few puffs, was that my lips were going numb. In a good way.

The heat and pepper that introduce Don Pepin Garcia’s Serie 601 “Red,” a Nicaraguan puro from EO Brands, are a testament to its power. The way they quickly melt into an almost sweet taste on the tongue display the stogie’s complexity.

After about an inch, I found a warm, toasty tobacco flavor that waxed and waned through the rest of the stick. The pepper came back about halfway through, though not enough to induce numbness again.

I can only add to the nearly universal chorus of praise for this stogie – I enjoyed it immensely. Whether judging appearance, construction, performance, or taste, I found it to be a first-rate cigar.

The dark Nicaraguan Habano wrapper looks great. The draw is fine, and the ash is tight and white. The only problem I experienced came in the last third when there was some tunneling, which I was able to easily correct.

I didn’t notice how long the 601 lasted, but it seemed to burn fairly quickly. I tend to smoke slowly, and I don’t think this lasted as long as others its size. Maybe some of that, though, was how sorry I was to have to put it down.

The Robusto I smoked was a five and ½ inches by 50 ring gauge cigar with a retail price of $6.50, which is what I paid. You can save a few dollars with a box purchase of 20. There are also three longer vitolas: Churchill (7x 52), Esplendido (7 x 49), and Torpedo (6 x 52).

I wonder whether the 601 “Red” might get even better with aging, though I’m far from expert enough to know. Maybe aging comes to mind because of the cigar’s strength.

On the other hand, it seems a logical assumption that time might allow the blend’s characteristics to interchange interestingly. I plan to get more and hope I can resist them long enough to see if it makes a difference. (I’m also eager to smoke the 601 “Black,” which is said to be a bit milder.)

I heartily recommend this full-flavored cigar. I smoked it with coffee after a meal and that worked fine for me – I doubt I could handle it early in the day or on an empty stomach.

I give the EO 601 Serie “Red” Robusto by Don Pepin Garcia four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

I’m a big fan of Washington, DC. After all, it’s my adopted home. Despite all the pockets of crime, the corruption, and a never-ending supply of power-hungry douchebags, the nation’s capital really is a wonderful city. The dynamic people, the history, the nightlife, the opportunity – it’s all here for the taking.

But, often due to the moronic government it houses (both national and local), Washington more frequently stands as a monument to politicians’ fallibility and mismanagement than it does to American ingenuity and freedom. Take these two recent, tobacco-related stories, for example:

A city-wide smoking ban (except for politicians)

As we reported in our latest Friday Sampler, DC’s fascist smoking ban went into effect on January 2.

The ban – which squelches freedom of choice in all restaurants, offices, bars, and nightclubs – includes an exemption for a few questionable locales: the ornate Speaker’s Lobby in the Capitol Building and all offices of senators and representatives.

So, basically, it’s OK to smoke indoors – as long as you’re a power-wielding politician.

Interestingly, new Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated she plans to extend the ban to cover those locations. This is ironically one of the few issues on which I agree with Madame Speaker (and the only instance you’ll find me supporting a smoking ban).

If the good people of the nation’s capital can’t light up, the fat cats on The Hill shouldn’t be able to either.

What’s 14 percent between friends?

The DC ban also includes an exemption for businesses that suffer a five percent decrease in revenue due to the law – a scenario that’s quite likely, especially given Virginia’s tolerance of smokers.

But newly sworn-in Mayor Adrian Fenty is hinting that he wants to raise that threshold to 15 percent. Apparently the young politician considers a crippling 14 percent drop in revenue insufficient to warrant restoring property rights to the business owner.

The move is winning Fenty accolades from anti-smoking zealots and self-interested “health advocates,” but we’ll see how well his popularity holds up when Washington businesses start closing their doors.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

After creating a huge hit with his Vintage series, Rocky Patel followed up that success with the Edge line. The unbanded cigars (though last year it was announced that a band around the foot would be introduced – as pictured) came in a rustic wooden cabinet of 100 that featured a prominently displayed warning: “Professional Smokers Only. Smoke While Sitting Down.”

This review is of the smallest cigar of the line – the 5 inches by 48 ring gauge “Missile” figurado. The line also features Toro and Torpedo sized cigars, both measuring 6 inches by 52. The Missile is usually available for about five dollars or less per stick when bought individually.

This particular stogie features a rough corojo wrapper with an oily sheen and a few bumpy veins. Pre-light, earthy chocolate notes were apparent. Overall I think the classic “naked” look is nice and, while I haven’t yet seen the new “banded” edge in person, I’m inclined to think that change is unwarranted and possibly even a negative.

Given the reputation and marketing campaign trumpeting the edge’s full flavor, I chose a strong drink to accompany this cigar – a Dewar’s White Label Scotch on the rocks.

Upon lighting the cigar honey, spice, and earth flavors came through strong and clear. Additionally, a bit of cream was noticeable. The ligero tobacco was prominent, but I would still classify this as a well-balanced smoke.

The draw was a bit firm and the smoke was not particularly dense, but the burn was perfectly even and the packed ash was a salt-and-pepper gray.

Further into the cigar the honey and cream faded and some distinctly black pepper spice came through. Additionally, some muted herbal notes revealed themselves. At this point I would describe the cigar as having a “quintessential corojo” flavor profile.

Overall the cigar was enjoyable, but not quite as strong as advertised. This particular smoke seemed more medium- to full-flavored, surprising given that the Rocky Patel website says that the Edge “will leave the seasoned smoker weak in the knees.”

In the end the Rocky Patel Missile Corojo was tasty if not overpowering. Still it did warrant a stiff drink as accompaniment – I’d leave beer in the fridge for this one. (For a really “weak in the knees smoke” I would recommend the Joya De Nicuragua 1970.) Corojo lovers will be very pleased by the combination of above-average construction, balanced flavors, and favorable price, all of which earn this cigar three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–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) Well, it’s finally here. No, I’m not talking about the New Year…I’m talking about Washington’s fascist smoking ban. Passed one year ago by the DC Council, all bars and nightclubs were indefinitely coerced into prohibiting smoking starting January 2, 2007. As Washingtonians, the founding Stogie Guys are particularly saddened by this news. Fortunately, though, there are places in this country that still hold freedom of choice dear. So we’ll be doing exactly what the DC business owners feared – taking our business to Virginia.

2) Blended in the style of a flavorful yet mild Cuban, the highly anticipated Tatuaje Havana VI line finally hit stores this week. Pete Johnson created the Nicaraguan puro for Tatuaje, one of the hottest boutique brands in the U.S. While we haven’t gotten our hands on any of these sticks yet, we’re hearing good things. You can look up a local retailer here.

3) With the harshest days of winter on the horizon, we thought this would be a great time to point out that your humidors may require some special attention in order to function properly until spring. As such, we highly recommend you perform the salt calibration test and check out Stogie Review’s tips on “Winterizing Your Humidor.”

–The Stogie Guys

Tags: cigars

Since May we’ve been keeping you up to speed on Altadis’ war against fake cigar trafficking and the ensuing controversy.

As you will recall, the Florida-based cigar manufacturer – which holds the exclusive trademarks to the famed Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Romeo y Julieta brands – has been funding undercover Miami-Dade police investigations into fake stogie rings.

Well, while StogieGuys.com was on its holiday break, one of Altadis’ targets received his punishment. Juan Penton, a 43-year-old carpenter from Hialeah, was sentenced to five months of house arrest, five years probation, and a $7,500 fine for selling $3,000 worth of counterfeit Cuban cigars.

Altadis holds the rights to some of the most famous “Cuban” brands because its parent company, based in Spain, bought them from Cuba’s exiled cigar-baron families decades after Castro’s revolution in 1959. As such, the prosecution pitted Penton against the giant cigar company that funded part of the criminal investigation.

Throughout the trial the defense countered by accusing Altadis of manipulating police work, which included an undercover buy of 60 wooden boxes of Dominican stogies in boxes stamped “Made in Cuba.”

While counterfeiting cigars is certainly a deplorable business, let’s not forget that fake Cubans wouldn’t be in such high demand without our government-imposed, hypocritical embargo on Cuban goods. Even so, something about a large company funding police work that it stands to benefit from doesn’t sit quite right.

Well, until this whole mess is sorted out, it wouldn’t hurt to revisit our May post on how to spot a fake.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

After you slip a Toraño 1916 Cameroon from the cellophane wrapper and peel the cedar sleeve away, take a moment to enjoy the cigar’s aroma. The fragrance is a wonderful earthy, woody mix certain to make your mouth water and set the tone for what is to follow.

The 1916 has the spice often associated with Cameroon tobacco, an abundance of smoke common to Toraño blends and a satisfying, slow-burning smoothness from start to finish. Along the way, there are touches of sweetness and a bit of pepper. It isn’t a particularly complex cigar that demands attention. Rather, it’s the type I think of as a fine companion for relaxing activities such as watching a bowl game on TV, reading, or listening to music.

I got a five pack of Robustos (five and ½ inches by 52 ring gauge) on CigarBid for $17, a little more than the rate they go for by the box of 25 – and more than you can sometimes find a fiver for on the Internet. So far, I’ve had two of them. They were remarkably consistent in everything except appearance. The first was rough with crinkles at the cap and a small crack in the wrapper about halfway down. But the clip went fine, and while there was a small burn problem at the wrapper tear, it quickly corrected itself. The second stick looked – and smoked – fine from top to bottom.

One aspect you might want to consider is what, if anything, you drink with these. The finish is a little dry. Between the two, I sipped coffee, a citrus-based soft drink, and water. I enjoyed the cigar most with the water.

I was curious about the origin of the wrapper so I called Toraño in Miami. There, a spokesman told me it is not from Central Africa but is grown in Nicaragua. The Havana seed binder is grown there as well, while the filler is a mixture of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos.

While I wouldn’t want a steady diet of 1916s, I would recommend adding some to your humidor. I’d bet you will find numerous occasions when that Cameroon spice and smooth smoke are a great fit for what you’re planning.

On the Stogie Guys scale, I give the Toraño 1916 Cameroon Robusto three and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–George E