The Stogie Guys

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

I recently dropped by the Washington, DC JR Cigar store for a smoke. On the recommendation of a friendly sales associate, I picked up this thick toro (six inch by 54 ring gauge) featuring a lovely, deep brown, oily wrapper. The smoke was rich, earthy, and packed with flavor – perfect after a good meal.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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

1) We want to issue a special thanks to all the DC-area Stogie Guys who made it out to our second monthly Smoke Out at Carpool last night. As you can see in the picture to the right (which shows a portion of the cigar enthusiasts in attendance), we enjoyed good numbers and a congenial atmosphere. Of course, all the beer, cigars, darts, and college basketball didn’t hurt. Keep your eyes open for the next Smoke Out, which will be coming up at the end of April.

2) Enjoy our weekend Quick Smokes? Wish you could post one of your own? Well, here’s your chance: StogieGuys.com is now accepting reader Quick Smokes. Just send us an email with a short description of the cigar (please include its full name and dimensions) and your rating of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell,” and we’ll consider posting it. You can increase your chances of publication by choosing a cigar that hasn’t already been a Quick Smoke or the subject of a full review.

3) This week marks the 40th annual National Wine Week. Fourteen restaurants nationwide are serving over 16,000 bottles of wine in celebration. So if you’ve got a Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse (or one of their five other establishments) in your area, you can taste ten fine wines with your lunch for only $10. Because the only thing that goes better together than steak and cigars is steak, fine wine, and cigars.

4) Here’s a deal we’ve mentioned before, but its so good we wanted to tell you again. With the Powerhouse Super 8 deal you get eight top line cigars for under $10. And it includes a few of our favorites, like a Toraño Exodus Silver, a CAO Criollo, and a La Gloria Cubana. To get yours today, click here.

–The Stogie Guys

When I was a newspaperman, we often joked that the scariest words in journalism were “first in a series.” Just let readers see that and they’d run screaming from the breakfast table.

So, consider yourself warned. I’m planning a succession of articles on budget cigars. Well, not exactly budget cigars. More like really cheap cigars. None over $3 (and only one at that lofty price tag, and that’s just because I thought it looked interesting).

Here’s what I’ll be smoking and reporting on, with the price I paid before sales tax:

1. Don Gregory Extreme. $3. It is said to be Dominican filler with a Cameroon wrapper and looks like an imitation Hemingway Short Story. Purchased at an outlet shop not far from my house.

2. Cuban Rejects. $1.35. This is a six inch stick that looks to be about 48 ring gauge. One Internet source listed them as Dominican, another called them a Nicaraguan handmade sandwich cigar. They may be made and/or imported by Phillips & King; it’s not easy to tell.

3. Havana Blend Maduro. $2. These come from Texas’ Finck Tobacco Co., which says they include Cuban filler from the “vintage crop of 1959” imported before the embargo and mixed with Central American fillers inside a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Mine is a five inch by 43 ring gauge Coronado.

4. Alcazar No. 4 Maduro. $2.75. According to AtlanticCigar.com, which sells these in bundles, they are “100% Long Filler” with Nicaraguan binder and filler and a Connecticut wrapper. The No. 4 is listed as a five inch stick with a 52 ring gauge.

5.Dutch Masters Corona De Luxe. Somewhere around 75 cents each for a four-pack. (I’ve lost the receipt from that well-known tobacconist where I got them, Winn-Dixie.) These are five and 5/8 inches with a 43 ring gauge. Altadis gives little information about them on their website, but this line has a natural Connecticut wrapper and the packaging says they are “predominantly natural tobacco with non-tobacco ingredients added.”

So, let me begin with that Dutchie. Why did I choose it among the seemingly endless array of machine-made sticks?

Partly, I suppose, due to fond memories of Ernie Kovacs and the ads on his show when he’d pose as one of Rembrandt’s “masters.” I also figured that with an actual tobacco wrapper it might be a better smoke than most.

But, my god, if it is better, then the others should be registered with U.N. weapons inspectors.

To begin with, I couldn’t decide whether the packaging is intended to protect the cigars or protect you from the cigars. The box is sealed in cellophane. Then the four sticks are enclosed in a sealed cellophane “pouch.” Finally, each Corona De Luxe is individually cello’d as well.

So after going through enough clear plastic to shrink wrap the Hollywood Bowl, I got to the cigars. Despite all the packaging, the foot was somewhat smushed on all four. The first one I pulled out had veins that looked like scars left behind by a hurried battlefield surgeon in the Crimean War. There’s also the typical machine made hole-in-the-head (and, yes, you’re right; it’s an apt metaphor for trying one in the first place).

Even before lighting, I noticed an odd sweet taste that I couldn’t identify. It nearly matched the cigar’s smell – and believe me these smell; it’s not an aroma. After lighting and a few puffs, I was able to identify it. Bubble gum. But not just any bubble gum. If you remember the sticks packed with Topps baseball cards – brittle and stale by summer’s end – then you’ve got it.

I thought initially that the cigar was no worse than any number of really lousy cigars I’ve smoked through the years. Distasteful but not distinctively so.

I was wrong.

After just a bit more smoking, the Dutchie had turned into the foulest, harshest thing I’ve ever smoked. The good news is that it didn’t make me sick – though I guess it might have if I’d smoked more. The finish was akin to breathing in smoke from a campfire of sap-filled, uncured pine logs.

Multiple tooth brushing, tongue scraping, and mouthwash swishing didn’t do much. I tried smoking a good cigar about an hour later, foolishly thinking it would obliterate the memory. All that happened, though, was that the new smoke was ruined. In fact, I’ve stopped smoking for a couple of days hoping that’s long enough for my system to purge itself. I’m planning to try again this evening with another good stick. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

At least I know I don’t have to try another Dutch Masters to see if I’ve given them a fair shake. It says right on the box that “each Dutch Masters will be like every other Dutch Masters…”

It may be awhile before I try the next of these bargain beauties. After all, I’m not as young – or strong – as I once was. Which would you suggest I tackle next?

–George E

Tags: cigars

On March 22nd (that’s tomorrow!) from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. we’ll be hosting our second monthly Stogie Guys Smoke Out.

Patrick S and Patrick A will be at cigar-friendly Carpool in Arlington, Virginia (two blocks from the Ballston Metro Station) smoking cigars, eating BBQ, playing pool and darts, and talking stogies. We’re also looking forward to watching March Madness on the bar’s many TVs.

Please join us and your fellow DC-area Stogie Guys. An RSVP (via email) isn’t necessary, but would be helpful to ensure that we reserve enough space.

Additionally, while you’re welcome to bring your own cigars, Carpool has a small menu of 10 or so, and Cigar Connection is also just a block away. We hope to see you there!

We’ve praised the Montecristo Club at PNC Park – the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates – in previous articles and even mentioned it in our proposal to the Washington Nationals for a cigar night at RFK stadium. That proposal was shot down by the Nationals promotions office despite the tens of thousands of empty seats most nights at RFK. Questionable decisions like these might explain management’s inability to put together a winning team.

Now, with a draconian smoking ban in effect in Allegheny County, encompassing the city of Pittsburgh, the Montecristo Club is closing its doors for good as the entire stadium will be forced to go smoke free.

As Michael Moretti from Cigar Aficionado explains, the ballpark’s cigar club came about when a group of cigar smokers began enjoying their handmade tobacco treats while watching the Pirates play:

At first, Pittsburgh seemed like an ideal town for a ballpark cigar venue. Pennsylvania had no tobacco tax or statewide smoking ban, and the Pittsburgh area enjoyed strong cigar sales. The inspiration for the club came from a group of fans and back-office people who had started a tradition of gathering for cigars under the Southwest Flight Deck in left field.

Later, after the success of PNC cigar nights, where special smoke-friendly sections were set aside, the Pirates teamed with Altadis Cigars and Southern Wine & Spirits to create the Montecristo Club. Cigar lovers in Pittsburgh were then able to join fellow baseball fans in Tampa Bay’s Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar and Detroit’s Comerica Park Camacho Cigar Bar in simultaneously enjoying two of America’s favorite past times: cigars and baseball.

Now the Montecristo Club is another casualty of the paternalistic smoking bans that are sweeping the country, and a perfect example of why these bans are so wrong.

Smoking bans are supposedly justified by protecting people from the harms of second hand smoke. Yet everyone (both patrons and staff) was perfectly aware that by entering the club they would be exposing themselves to cigar smoke. And clearly they were willing to take those risks (and even pay a pretty penny) for the chance to smoke a premium cigar while taking in a Pirates game.

But once again a smoking ban refuses to let adults make adult decisions, and so we are forced to mourn the loss of the Montecristo Club at PNC Park.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Millennium Blend is the most full-flavored of Davidoff’s many highly-acclaimed lines. Back in August, we gave the Davidoff Grand Cru No. 3 our first five stogie rating. Could the Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto achieve the same rare feat?

This 5 and 1/4 inch by 50 ring gauge cigar has an almost seamless Colorado brown wrapper, and pre-light it revealed fantastic rich earth and deep mocha notes. The Dominican binder and filler tobaccos are packed very tight, giving the stogie a firm feel.

After lighting the cigar, we found the same rich mocha flavors we noticed from the unlit stick. But this cigar was not one-dimensional.

Along with the primary chocolate and coffee notes were a complex bouquet of floral flavors. This included a subtle saffron element. As the cigar progressed we also found that nutty flavors were developing, most noticeably almond.

Fortunately, no matter how full-bodied the smoke gets – and it gets quite strong – it never turns harsh, and the flavors stay elegantly balanced on the palate.

We found the construction, however, to be a bit lacking. While it burns evenly and produces a sturdy ash, the stogie also has a tendency to go out, even when only left unattended for a few minutes.

These flavors and physical properties were apparent on numerous Robustos, as well as a Lonsdale (which also sports a much tighter, often frustrating, draw).

Ultimately, this flavor-packed creation is a complex, rich powerhouse that lives up to the prestigious Davidoff name. At the steep price of $13.50 apiece, however, we were disappointed by the consistent construction problems.

So while this cigar doesn’t get the perfect five stogie rating of its Grand Cru cousin, the Davidoff Millennium Robusto still earns an impressive four and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A and Patrick S

Way back in June, I wrote a commentary about “smokin’ ladies.” The piece was basically an excuse to link to sexy Cigar Aficionado photos, and it argued that if gals want to look especially alluring, they should try smoking a fine cigar.

No readers objected to my advice.

Is it the smoke billowing from her lips that’s so alluring? Is it the way she gently embraces the cigar with her delicate fingers that keeps us up at night? Or is it simply the very notion of an elegant woman treating herself to one of life’s greatest pleasures that drives us crazy?

With all this in mind – coupled with the sad fact that far too few women smoke cigars – this article from M Magazine, a lifestyle publication out of Milwaukee, caught my attention.

The gist? A group of self-proclaimed “Cigar Babes” from Lake County, Wisconsin recently trekked to Honduras to experience the ultimate stogie vacation with Rocky Patel.

As Cigar Babes member Amy Siewart wrote of the first day of the trip, “It was hot and after a long day of traveling we headed to the pool with a cigar. This would become our daily ritual and we felt like royalty as we sat around the water sipping soda or Florde Kane rum and smoking.”

The sixteen ladies spent the next four days at Mr. Patel’s home in Danli touring his tobacco fields, visiting his manufacturing facilities, and taking lessons on the art of cigar production.

“It was amazing to see the attention to detail and the fact that nearly every part of the process is done by hand,” Siewart wrote. “Patel is a self-claimed perfectionist and it showed. The quality was apparent not only in his product, but in his work environment and the treatment of his employees.”

Since Mr. Patel personally led each leg of the Cigar Babes’ tour, this vacation was an experience most male cigar enthusiasts can only dream of. Frankly, I’m extremely jealous.

The next stop on the Cigar Babes tour is Nicaragua, where the ladies will visit the Perdomo factory.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars