The Stogie Guys

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve smoked a La Gloria Cubana, and that probably has something to do with the bad taste a few Corona Gordas left in my mouth. But since I’ve heard so many good things about the Serie R line, I recently took a mid-afternoon break with a No. 4 – and was not disappointed.

This stick weighs in at a stubby four and 7/8 inches by 52 ring gauge, and the taupe-colored Ecuadorian maduro wrapper is a bit bumpy and veiny. I wouldn’t say the cigar is unattractive, however.

Living up to its reputation as a full-bodied smoke, I took in heavy notes of wood, earth, and chocolate before striking the first match. After toasting the foot and taking a few puffs, the flavor had more of a kick than I had originally anticipated, producing black pepper and rich leather flavors. The slightest bit of harshness, but not what I’d call unpleasant.

After the first third of the cigar was complete, the taste began to mellow out, and this was a welcome change for me. While the flavor of the maduro wrapper was prevalent throughout, this is a surprisingly well-balanced smoke with a good equilibrium of salty and acidic tastes. I have to say, however, that a hint of sweetness would have been nice.

Physically, Serie R boasts tightly rolled Dominican and Nicaraguan binders and fillers – especially given the line’s large ring gauges. Expect the draw to require some effort, but also expect the ash to hold superbly strong (I only had to ash twice on several of these cigars).

Although the burn remains steady and even over the course of this one hour and 15 minute smoke, a few of these cigars have a tendency to extinguish themselves at random – even with frequent puffs. The band is also prone to tearing the wrapper, so take special care while removing it.

Don’t be dismayed, however, by this stogie’s shortcomings. At about $6.50, it packs a whole lot of flavor for the money. For rich, well-balanced tastes, I give the La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 4 Maduro a reputable four 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.

There’s a lot of house brands out there that are as low on quality as they are on price. The Private Stock La Reserva line by Tinder Box isn’t one of them. The six and ¼ inch by 46 ring gauge long corona is an expertly-constructed cigar with a smooth maduro wrapper and a firm body. For under $2 apiece, this stogie offers well-balanced cocoa and subtle fruit flavors, an excellent burn, and a stable ash. Its only weakness is a backdrop bitterness that becomes more apparent towards the end. Overall, the Tinder Box La Reserva No. 2 Maduro is a great value we can easily recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A and 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. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us here.

Today at lunch I lit up an Excalibur 1066, the fuller-bodied take on the classic Excalibur from Hoyo De Monterrey. The Dark Knight (five and ¾ inches by 54 ring gauge) I selected looked almost perfect, despite the cellophane wrapper which was covered in dust. As soon as I lit the thing there was a blast of foul smoke tasting of burnt hardwood. That, thank God, soon gave way to a better tasting, but still full-bodied, stream of dark coffee and cocoa flavors. The bitter flavor from the start still reared its head every once in awhile, making this one a little tough to keep going. Certainly not an everyday cigar.

Verdict = Hold.

–Submitted by Matt Kesler from Richmond, VA

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) No thanks to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, the Old Dominion almost became the 22nd state to enact a statewide bar and restaurant smoking ban. Fortunately, state senators rejected Kaine’s attempt to attach the ban to a far more reasonable proposed bill that would force restaurants that allow smoking to conspicuously post a “smoking permitted” sign.

2) Do you think that the editors over at Cigar Aficionado just pull numbers out of their asses when they give a cigar a rating on their one hundred point scale? Well, it turns out it’s a bit more complicated than that, as Gordon Mott and David Savona explain in this video. Still, we’re sticking with our easy to understand five stogie scale.

3) We were pleased when we came across this article on CNN’s travel site. It’s not often that you see a good primer on the cigar industry of Cuba. Now, if you actually want to travel there, you’ll probably want to check out our tips on visiting Cuba.

4) If you’re a fan of Rocky Patel’s Vintage Sun Grown line, you’ll be pleased to know that a new size is now available. The monster six inch by 60 ring gauge vitola – with a distinctive pigtail cap – joins the “Sixty” sizes available in Rocky Patel’s other vintage lines: 1990, 1992, and 1999. Of course, back in September, Rocky told Stogie Guys Tampa Bureau Chief George Edmonson that a slightly narrower 6″ x 52 toro was his favorite size.

5) Deal of the week: Tinderbox.com is running a special deal on their “Herf Sampler,” which can be ordered for a modest $23.95. For that you get ten stogies, including some top notch smokes like a CAO Maduro, a Cohiba XV, a tough to find box-pressed Punch Pensada, a Camacho Havana, the Cusano Corojo 1997, and five others. Pick yours up here.

–The Stogie Guys

This cigar is one about which you could write almost endlessly – or say nearly nothing at all, having been left speechless. It is a superb, sublime smoke that lives up to the stellar reputation earned since the 1995 release.

Mine was a gift, so I don’t know what it cost. (I have to confess I also don’t know whether it was an A or B because I didn’t realize before smoking it that there was more than one size.) As a reference, they’re listed in Thompson’s catalog at $788 for a box of the As (6.75 inches by 43 ring gauge) and $950 a box for the B (6.5 inches by 47 ring gauge). Even with their current 15 percent off sale, that’s no small price.

Perhaps the only surprise was the nearly nonexistent prelight aroma. On just about any other measure, though, it was excellent. The abundant smoke was rich and smooth from the first draw. The white ash was nearly as solid as unburned tobacco.

The tastes were extraordinary, with “subtle” coming often to mind. Take that aged Cameroon wrapper, for example. While it has the spice often common with Cameroon, it is gentler and mixed more with the tobacco flavors. From beginning to end, the 150 is a complex, evolving stick.

I’ll be surprised if I get the chance to enjoy another of these. I feel fortunate to have gotten one.

This fantastic cigar earns a flawless rating of five out of five stogies.

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

–George E

Apparently, if Bay City Mayor Michael J. Buda had his way, cigar smoking in the Michigan town of 37,000 would be limited to tobacco shops. That’s the message he sent yesterday when he vowed to veto the sale of a small park to a local cigar store.

You see, Timothy Socier – owner of Timothy’s Fine Tobaccos – recently bought a courtyard next to the building that he plans to move his shop to in June. In essence, he envisions an outdoor environment where his customers can relax with a stogie. Sounds like a great idea.

But Mayor Buda (pictured at right in what appears to be some sort of throne) objects, and has promised to try to overturn the sale of the park – even though it was approved by the Bay City Commission by a lopsided vote of seven to one. In short, he doesn’t want the property to turn into a place where a “bunch of people can stand around and smoke cigars.”

What an asshole. The mayor’s power-trip is especially outrageous when you consider that the land otherwise has very little use. Even the city manager has acknowledged that, due to its location between two buildings and lack of infrastructure, there has otherwise been little or no interest in acquiring the parcel.

I, for one, applaud Timothy Socier for his keen entrepreneurship, and I hope his cigar courtyard comes to fruition.

Fortunately, there’s a good chance it will. The Bay City Commission only needs six votes to overturn a mayoral veto, and seven commissioners currently seem to have their heads screwed on right.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

With Florida’s 84-75 win over the Buckeyes in last night’s national championship game, the StogieGuys.com NCAA Final Four Challenge has come to a close. And oh what a March Madness it was!

Aside from the fact that I’m getting a little sick of the Gators winning it all in everything, this year’s college basketball tournament was not without its fair share of exciting moments. From VCU upsetting Duke in the first round to Ohio State narrowly escaping Xavier, from Georgetown squeaking past Vanderbilt at the last second to North Carolina blowing it against the Hoyas in overtime, our brackets kept us all on the edge of our seats.

But, in the end, only one StogieGuys.com reader can be crowned champion of our first annual Final Four Challenge. This year it’s Dave Manikowski of Oil City, Pennsylvania. Dave amazingly picked all Elite Eight teams correctly and had Florida defeating Ohio State in the championship.

As promised, Dave will receive these Final Four smokes: a Montecristo Classic Robusto, a Cohiba (Dominican) Robusto, a Gurkha Class Regent Torpedo, and a rare Dona Flor Robusto. Some excellent smokes for an excellent bracket!

And we couldn’t be shipping these out to a better guy. According to Dave, he is a “personal care attendant for [his] friend Troy, who was in a diving accident when he was 15 and is now a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.”

Avid stogie fans, they started their own cigar placements business called 2 Fogies Stogies Cigar Co. Of Troy, Dave says that “nothing is better than spending some time smoking a fine stogie with him and talking about business plans for the future.”

We’re sure Dave will share some of his winnings with Troy, but we also hope he hangs onto at least one of the cigars until July 23, the date he and his girlfriend Leslie expect their first child.

Congrats, Dave!

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars