The Stogie Guys

La Flor Dominicana has created a string of hits with its full flavored cigars – from the Litto Gomez and the Coronado by La Flor to the Double Liegro. However, instead of exploring another of the brand’s many full-bodied blends, I turn my attention to one of its milder cigars.

The La Flor Dominicana Tubo No. 100 features a lovely, medium brown Ecuadorian wrapper with a few large light-colored veins. Beneath this lies a Dominican binder and filler.

Pre-light this six and 1/2 inch by 49 ring gauge cigar has a crisp, light vegetable flavor that almost reminded me of celery.

After lighting the La Flor 100 I found the similar flavors with just a touch of peppery spice that completely disappeared after only a few puffs. Then I was left with a balanced and grassy, but relatively unflavored, mild smoke.

On the plus side, the burn was razor sharp with a thin line of shiny black sheen. Firm draw. The only negative to the cigar’s otherwise excellent construction is that the band was put on with far too much glue and, even after it was removed, two large splotches of glue stained the otherwise handsome wrapper.

A little after the halfway mark, a hint of spice returned that was accompanied by a little vanilla and some unpleasant bitterness. At $7-8 per stick, this is a pricey stogie – particularly for the uneventful flavor profile.

Ultimately, I was disappointed by this smoke. It didn’t live up to the La Flor Dominicana reputation, and it lacked the complexity I’ve enjoyed from so many of the brand’s cigars.

Despite nearly flawless construction and an attractive appearance, the La Flor Dominicana Tubo 100’s lack of flavor earn it only two and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

After poking fun at the futility of fancy cigar gadgets and even recommending wooden matches over expensive butane torches, I couldn’t help but bring the following story to your attention.

A rare cigar cutter sold for an astonishing $60,500 on Sunday at an auction in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The item was part of the Jim Cate collection, an estate consisting of antiques and advertising items he acquired from a museum/penny store in Idaho.

Dubbed “the mother of all cigar-tip cutters,” the piece features a Marshall Fey Slot Machine Book that gets set into motion each time a stogie is placed into the top to be clipped.

In this fashion, the device is not only a cigar cutter; it’s also a trade stimulator. Popular in saloons in the late nineteenth century, trade stimulators were miniature gambling devices that were legal because instead of offering money, they bestowed chewing gum, stamps, and – you guessed it – cigars upon winners.

Often set beside a cash register or near check-out counters, these machines encouraged (or “stimulated”) customers to take their chance and spend some of their spare change before leaving. After inserting a coin, a handle was depressed or cranked to set into motion a roulette wheel, playing cards, or dice. When the machine stopped, the patron read his “winnings” on the dial; these were dispensed by the clerk rather than spilling out of the machine itself.

The device sold at auction requires a cigar head, not a coin, spin a roulette wheel. According to Showtime Auction Services, only two other cigar cutter/trade stimulators are known to exist.

No word yet on whether any gum, stamps, or cigars were included in the steep sale price.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

A few months ago, I wrote favorably about a Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro Robusto I enjoyed. Several readers, including Stogie Guy compatriot Patrick A, asked whether I’d noticed the salty taste that he commonly encountered with dark Romeos. I hadn’t, and vowed to smoke them again with that in mind.

Well, a few weeks ago I got a five-pack of the No. 4 — a five inch by 44 ring gauge vitola — on CBid for $15. And when I lit one up the other day I immediately grasped all the talk about saltiness. That wasn’t the only unpleasant taste, either. With a stick this thin, I was conscious of the danger of overheating it by smoking too quickly. But even with a slow approach, the first third or so was bitter with a charred aftertaste.

I was truly disappointed. Then, something unusual happened — unusual, at least, in my experience. The entire stogie changed for the better.

For the final two thirds of the Reserve Maduro, I was no longer smoking a bitter cigar, but a smooth, creamy stick with all the subtleties and complexities of its multi-country composition.

I got an occasional touch of sweetness from the Connecticut Broadleaf blackened Maduro wrapper. The Nicaraguan binder and the filler blend of tobaccos from Nicaragua, Peru, and the Dominican Republic burned perfectly and combined for a satisfying smoke.

My plan is to leave the remaining Romeos in my humidor for at least several months. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the good part will overtake the bad — and not vice versa.

This one was hard to rate, since it was like smoking two different sticks. Even though I enjoyed the final two-thirds, due to the poor beginning, I can’t give the Romeo y Julieta Maduro No. 4 more than three out of five stogies.

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

–George E

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

This cigar is on nearly everyone’s list of best bargain smokes. It had been a while since I smoked one of these, but I’ve enjoyed many over the past few years. This time, though, was a disappointment. The wrapper displayed a couple of ugly bumps, the cap unraveled a bit when cut, and the foot was difficult to light. An initial bitterness soon leveled off and the thick smoke was generally smooth, with some spicy undertones. General Cigar’s website lists it at $3.25, but I paid only $2.49 for the 4 ½ inch by 50 ring gauge stick. At that price, it remains a better bargain than a smoke.

Verdict = Hold.

–George E

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.

The Punch Champion at 4 1/2 inches by 60 ring gauge is a cigar that will not disappoint any smoker. It’s wrapped in an Ecuadorian Sumatran Wrapper with a Connecticut Binder and Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers. This cigar is one for the ages, especially at its valuable price point. A box of 25 can be found online for about $65. Not bad at all. The smoke was really rich and creamy and had hints of sweetness as well. Burn started off uneven, but self-corrected and was good throughout. Draw is superb considering the size and shape, and after I finished this “bowling pin” shaped smoke, it left me wanting more. I would definitely recommend this cigar to anyone, and I am sure you will have a new favorite after you try this.

Verdict= Buy.

–Jeremy Daniels blogs about cigars at The Cigar Corner

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) In a bi-partisan show of stogie pride, former Congressman Tom Delay (who’s been known to enjoy a Cuban) was spotted smoking a cigar at a Capitol Hill bar, while Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson declared his appreciation of a fine cigar. When asked what they would bring to a desert island, other White House wannabes chose their wife, a good book, or even a boat, but Richardson said he’d bring his “blackberry and a Davidoff cigar.”

2) Be on the lookout for these two new cigars. Altadis is releasing another line of Montecristos. The Serie C features a Cameroon wrapper grown not in Cameroon, but in the Central African Republic. Meanwhile, Habanos S.A. is releasing the H. Upmann Tacos Imperialés in limited edition humidors.

3) Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore recently found himself in some hot water with the US Treasury Department for a trip to Cuba for his latest movie. Perhaps if he had read our tip on visiting Cuba, such much trouble could have been avoided. Of course we’re pretty certain he was there for the communism, not for the cigars.

4) Deal of the Week: We thought this deal was sold out, but fortunately it isn’t. For just $10 you get eight cigars including a CAO Criollo, a Padron, a La Gloria Cubana, a Gurkha, a Cusano, and a Toraño Silver (plus 2 Thompson house brands). Grab yours today (limit two per person) by clicking here.

–The Stogie Guys

Last June, I published one of our first Stogie Tips: a short article on how to properly light a cigar. Aside from the ever-important “toasting the foot” strategy, the bulk of piece dealt with various means with which to light a stogie.

I came to the conclusion that “due to their resistance to wind and perfect flames, the best tools for igniting cigars are butane lighters.” This is a commonly held principle among seasoned cigar smokers, but I’m here to tell you that I was wrong.

I’m sure many out there – especially lighter manufacturers and retailers – will disagree, but, truth be told, I’ll take a handful of wooden matches over the best butane torch any day of the week.

“But wait,” you ask, “don’t matches take a lot longer to light a cigar than a torch?” I won’t disagree with that. If you light a cigar properly, it could take three to four wooden matches – and upwards of several minutes – to establish a good light.

But, as Mike Copperman of Bethesda Tobacco so graciously taught me, that’s all part of the cigar-smoking process. You see, taking time to properly light a fine stogie is a ritual that shouldn’t be rushed. Before the first puff, take in the aromas as the flame dances off the tobacco. Build the anticipation. After all, the cigar hobby is meant to be enjoyed in a relaxed, slow-paced environment.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen friends, acquaintances, and video bloggers butcher their cigars by flash-frying the foot. Where’s the ceremony or nostalgia in that? Besides, it’s hard to build anticipation in .02 seconds. Like I wrote before, please take time to smoke.

Another critique of wooden matches is that, once struck, they exude sulfur, an odorous element that can alter the taste and smell of a cigar. While it’s true that modern match heads contain antimony sulfide and potassium chlorate, their effect on tobacco taste is negligible. Besides, you can easily bypass this risk by waiting one to two seconds after the match is struck before touching it to the foot.

Finally, many butane torch fans cite their method’s excellent resistance to wind as the coup de grậs. I won’t oppose that point. I’m not going out on a limb when I say that lighters are much better in a stiff breeze. Most of the time, however, I find the wind is not a major factor. Save for those occasions when I’m on the golf course, I’ll still take my matches over a lighter.

Please note that I write this not to offend or irritate, but only to prod. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I’m really turned off by all those fancy gadgets that have flooded the industry.

Besides, why spend $470 on a torch that you’re just going to loose between the couch cushions – especially when you can pick up a pack of wooden matches for free every time you hit up a bar or restaurant?

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars