The Stogie Guys

For what it’s worth, I happen to think Valentine’s Day is a pretty craptacular “holiday.” I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but, if you’re a clueless guy like me, February 14 is an annual lose-lose day.

On one hand, if you’re in a relationship (as I currently am – sorry ladies), Valentine’s poses huge potential for disaster. For example, if you don’t know what her favorite flowers and/or candies are or – worse – if you forget to get her something altogether, count on not scoring for awhile.

On the other hand, if you’re single, the entire day is a 24-hour reminder of what a loser you are. Might as well break out some hard alcohol and cry yourself to sleep.

In fact, I’d wager the only people who actually enjoy this sick day are chicks who are in relationships and Hallmark executives.

Nonetheless, in a pathetic effort to tie in the holiday with stogies, I thought you would enjoy reading what some other cigar enthusiasts have to say about love. And don’t worry: February 15 is right around the corner.

“A woman is just a script, but a cigar is a motion picture.” — Samuel Fuller

“After a truly good meal, an outstanding cigar is still the most satisfying after-dinner activity that doesn’t involve two human beings.” — Brad Shaw

“Women are jealous of cigars. They regard them as a strong rival.” — William Makepeace Thackeray

“If I paid $10 for a cigar, first I’d make love to it, then I’d smoke it.” — George Burns

“Smoking is indispensable if one has nothing to kiss.” — Sigmund Freud

“Lastly (and this is, perhaps, the golden rule), no woman should marry a man who does not smoke.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

“If your wife doesn’t like the aroma of your cigar, change your wife.” — Zino Davidoff

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Many months ago we gave you some tips on selecting a spirit to pair with your cigar.

Now I like a stiff drink as much as the next guy, but there are many times when a bourbon, scotch, cognac, port, or rum (the more traditional cigar cocktail pairings) just aren’t appropriate or desirable.

On these occasions, might I suggest you reach for a cup of Joe? Coffee isn’t the most exotic drink – over half of all Americans consume it everyday, and the per capita consumption is 1.6 cups a day – but a fine cigar paired with a good brew can turn the average to the exotic.

Coffee and a cigar before noon, in the early afternoon, or after dinner (when a stronger spirit just isn’t possible, like when you need to drive home) can be delightful.

And the flavors in a good cup of coffee are highly complimentary to cigars. Vanilla, mocha, chocolate, and roasted notes, as well as nuttiness and earth, can all be found in both cigars and coffee. In fact, tasting wheels used for coffee tasting would help any cigar smoker identify flavors in his tasty tobacco treat.

But much like bad cigars, too often when people think of coffee they think of bad coffee, like that sludge they serve at your workplace. But doing so would be like thinking that all cigars are like Phillies. I fear that, despite the billions of cups of coffee Americans drink ever year, many people have never had a really good brew.

Personally, I make a pot every morning with my French press coffee maker using freshly ground beans from my manual burr grinder. Some people take it a step further, roasting their own beans from their initial green color to the deep brown we identify with coffee, while other have thousand-dollar fully automatic espresso machines. But such a set up isn’t necessary for good coffee.

Whatever machine you use, try coffee that you grind yourself at the supermarket or local coffee store, as opposed to pre-ground canned coffee. And buy it in small amounts so that it isn’t sitting around getting stale, which can massively change the flavor. (I bought my grinder after noting how much more I enjoyed coffee right after I bought it compared to after it sat in my kitchen cabinet for a week.)

Finally, try different types of coffee from different countries and companies. Not surprisingly, Cuban coffee pairs excellently with cigars, but so can a good cafe au lait, latte, or espresso.

Like cigars, you need to try a variety to find your favorite. And when you do, you may find that, from time to time, you’ll pass over the alcoholic beverages in favor of a good cup of Joe.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Time and again, whenever I have a special occasion to celebrate – like a birthday or a good friend coming to town – I break out something from Rocky’s Vintage 1992 line. Why? Because no matter how high my expectations get before the first light, I’m never disappointed.

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo is a six and ¼ inch by 52 ring gauge slice of heaven. An unblemished, well-textured, ten-year-old Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper engulfs a binder and filler that have been accumulating flavor and character for seven years.

A fresh slice off the head provides the lucky smoker-to-be with a cross-section of cigar rolling mastery. Despite tightly packed tobaccos, the draw is clear and true.

After toasting the foot, I noticed rich earthy notes of oak and almond. Oddly, despite the easy draw, each tasty puff produced relatively small tufts of smoke.

The stogie doesn’t show its true colors, however, until the second third of the smoke. Here, the aforementioned wood and nut flavors mature into notes of dark roasted coffee beans.

It’s at this point that I usually have to audibly remind myself to smoke slower; I find the flavors so enticing that only taking one or two puffs per minute is like asking a child to be patient and not bite into a Tootsie Pop.

As far as physical properties are concerned, my many experiences with these stogies have uncovered no noticeable flaws. If you can’t get an even burn, a firm ash, or an effortless draw, you’re doing something wrong (and you might want to consult our Tips).

Clocking in at about $8.75 apiece, this is obviously no cheap stick. But considering the Vintage 1992 line’s complexity, full-bodied flavors (that hands-down outmatch the Vintage 1990 line), and aging, it’s still a great bargain.

So, keeping in mind the guidelines for StogieGuys.com’s unique ratings system, I’m wholeheartedly giving the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Torpedo five out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

The J.L. Salazar y Hermanos Reserva Especial Torpedo was the first Cuban Crafters house brand I tried. With dark, rich chocolate notes, this full-flavored box-pressed torpedo was quite tasty. The construction was impressive too, with a perfectly even burn and abundant smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

I was a little disappointed with this five inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto from real estate mogul turned cigar manufacturer Paul Garmirian (often just called a PG). The draw is loose, the burn too hot and uneven, and the flavor unreasonably harsh. To top it off, the cigar has a knack for going out – even when you take the requisite number of puffs. With these unwelcome traits, and a retail price of about $9 apiece, I wasn’t terribly pleased, especially since I enjoy so many other PG creations.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) If you look at the top right corner of this week’s Sports Illustrated, you’ll see New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado smoking a cigar. We’re pretty sure it’s a La Gloria Cubana Series R because, back in September, we wrote this article about various Mets players celebrating their NL East Title with cigars.

2) Let us be the first to nominate this Conoco gas station for the Best Gas Station in the World Award. Outfitted with sofas, chairs, a 48-inch plasma TV, and a walk-in humidor, this Webster Groves, Missouri business is the first gas station/cigar lounge on the planet.

3) Here’s something new to us: TNT Cigars (a Stogie Guys sponsor) is now offering mobile ordering via text messaging. How it works? We aren’t really sure. But if you do order, don’t forget to claim you free torch lighter by including the code “stogie” at checkout.

4) In October we told you about some crazy guys in Alabama who smoke cigars while running marathons. Well, this weekend they are about to do it again. If you happen to be in the Birmingham, Alabama area stop by the Mercedes Marathon and bring a cigar. You can even contact the “Running Stogies” and join their pit crew.

5) Congrats again to Kevin, the winner of the first annual Stogie Guys Super Bowl Contest, who received the five cigars pictured. And for all you Bears fans, don’t worry: We’ll be back next year!

–The Stogie Guys

One of the fun things about experimenting with different cigars is being pleasantly surprised. I would never have thought a garishly-dressed, cheap maduro in an aluminum tube would be a decent smoke.

In fact, I had previously avoided Helix stogies because I thought – incorrectly – that its wild colors signaled a flavored cigar.

If you’ve never seen the Helix, you should check it out. To give you an idea of the extreme nature of the color scheme, I finally gave up trying to photograph the cigar and tube because I couldn’t come close to reproducing the tints and hues.

I picked one up the other day after hearing (or reading – I can’t recall which) that it was simply a regular, mild smoke. The low price of $2.69 for a six and ½ inch by 44 ring gauge vitola called “Cylinder” was all the added inducement I needed.

Out of the tube, the cigar felt nicely rolled with a good prelight draw. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper was lighter than many maduros and splotchy, as if it might have gotten wet somewhere along the line.

My first taste impression was a nice, mild tobacco taste with a touch of pepper. Smoke production was good, but not extraordinary. The cigar also produced an unusual amount of smoke from the foot. Although the overall burn was fast, the Helix never turned hot or bitter.

The mix of filler tobaccos General Cigar Co. lists for the Helix maduro – Dominican, Brazilian, and Mexican, with a Honduran binder – might lead you to expect more taste than it delivers. But there’s little development or variation from beginning to end. Just a nice, mild, unobtrusive cigar.

If you’re looking for a stick to smoke as an adjunct to another activity like golf or yard work, you should check out the Helix. You certainly won’t lose much if you buy one and don’t like it.

But if it does suit you, discount online box prices are about as low as many bundle smokes, and you’re getting General’s quality, not seconds or apprentice-rolled sticks.

You might, though, want to toss the tubes and remove the bands. Oh, those colors…

I give the Helix Maduro Cylinder a pretty respectable three out of five stogies.

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

–George E

Tags: cigars