The Stogie Guys

After two huge hits with his Vintage 1990 and 1992 lines, Rocky Patel was on top of the cigar world. So how do you follow up such successes? Combine them, of course!

The Rocky Patel Fusion is a combination of his 1990 and 1992 lines featuring the same Honduran Connecticut broadleaf wrapper as the 1990, while using the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper from the 1992 as a binder. Inside the seven inch by 48 ring gauge Churchill is a mix of Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Cameroon tobaccos blended at Patel’s Honduran factory.

This particular vitola retails for around $8 per stick, but it can be found online for closer to $5 (I purchased a five pack online for $19). After clipping and lighting this classically-shaped Churchill with its dual purple band, I was greeted with a firm but not too difficult draw, as well as a complex flavor profile.

The cigar has exceptional balance, with a hint of spice and subtle chocolate notes. As it progressed, the Fusion produced an earthy flavor that started a little bitter but had a subtle sweet finish.

Construction on the Churchills is good but not great. The burn was even on every stick I tried, but I found the ash was unstable and often fell off well before it grew to a full inch.

Given that it is a combination of two of my favorite cigars, it should be no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I think that ultimately the Vintage 1990 and 1992 lines are both better than the Fusion. Despite being both earthy and balanced, the Fusion lacked the full, rich earthy flavor of the 1992 and the perfect balance and floral elements of the 1990.

Still, while not as fantastic as the cigars that make up its parts, the Fusion is still a very good cigar that earns an impressive four out of five stogies .

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

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Since news broke last week that Congress is proposing a bill to skyrocket taxes on cigars by 20,000 percent, the industry has been abuzz. Manufacturers, retailers, and aficionados alike are clamoring for an appeal to reason.

The bill would force law-abiding citizens like you and me to pay up to $10 in federal taxes to support what some call a noble cause: providing government-funded health care for poor children. But the anti-tobacco extremists behind the legislation fail to realize how the millions of people who are employed by the industry would be devastated. What about their children?

In a rare display of journalistic integrity, CBS 4 Miami reporter Gary Nelson has been covering how large and small tobacco dealers would be closing their doors if the bill passes. You can read some of his work and watch an excellent video exposé here.

In addition, Drew Newman of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company – makers of Arturo Fuente and Cuesta Rey – had a poignant letter in Saturday’s Washington Post. He notes that “unlike the cigarette industry, which is controlled by huge conglomerates, the cigar industry is dominated by small, family-owned companies that have been in the business for generations.”

Newman comes to the following conclusion: “Such an enormous, disproportionate tax increase would be grossly unfair and would cripple the premium cigar industry and all of the family-owned small businesses that are part of it.”

And it’s not like cigar makers like the Newmans are opposed to helping children in need. The company’s Cigar Family Charitable Foundation has been building schools, medical facilities, and job training centers in the Dominican Republic for years.

–Patrick A

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.

Two things stand out with the Padilla Hybrid. The fine construction is highlighted by a smooth, beautiful light brown wrapper, and it’s unclear whether they’re to be discontinued. An e-mail and phone calls to the Padilla headquarters in Hialeah, Florida haven’t brought an answer. But for however long they’re here, the Hybrid – named for its Ecuadorian grown wrapper that’s a mix of Cuban and Connecticut seed – offers a decent smoke at a moderate price. I paid $4 for a six and 1/2 inch torpedo with a 52 ring gauge. I found it to be a nice, mild cigar, though it did not produce enough smoke. For a morning cigar or a change of pace, give it a try.

Verdict =Buy.

–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 Gurkha Vintage Torpedo is a pleasant looking cigar with an almost flawless Connecticut wrapper. Unfortunately, it didn’t taste as good as it looked. While the construction was impressive, the cigar had a strong chemical flavor. That flavor, combined with warm tobacco and hints of sweet hay, made for an unenjoyable smoke.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

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. Aside from the ridiculous 20,000 percent cigar tax increase being proposed in Congress, this week’s big news concerns the acquisition of cigar giant Altadis. The maker of such famed brands as Cohiba, H. Upmann, and Romeo y Julieta will reportedly be sold to Imperial Tobacco for a cool $22.4 billion. The deal is expected to close by the first fiscal quarter in 2008.

2. Speaking of Romeo y Julietas, the highly anticipated Edición Limitada cigars – first introduced at the 2006 RTDA trade show – are finally shipping out to local B&Ms. The new blend features a San Andreas Corojo wrapper covering Nicaraguan and Dominican long fillers and a Broadleaf binder.

3. Around the Blogs: Stogie Fresh smokes a Don Pepin Cuban Classic. Stogie Review reviews a Camacho SLR Maduro. Leafy Times tries cigars from Hawaii. Cigar Beat reviews a Cusano 18 Double Connecticut. Keepers of the Flame lights up a La Tradicion Cubana. Cigar Jack is giving away free gear.

4. Deal of the Week: From time to time we come across promotions for free cigars. In the July Robb Report, we found this one for a Free Montecristo. When ours arrived earlier this week, it was a Montecristo Classic Toro. Enjoy!

–The Stogie Guys

After recently smoking a few different cigars and finding most of them to be so-so, I began to seriously wonder just what it is that makes a smoke enjoyable to me.

Of course, the list of possibilities to consider is almost endless. Taste, flavor, strength, size, smoke, burn. And on and on.

I generally think of myself as leaning toward medium- to full-flavored sticks. But I also find myself frequently enjoying mild cigars. So it isn’t strength that determines my smoking pleasure. For starters, I examined a few of those I’d recently smoked.

A Punch Gran Puro Sierra (six and 1/2 inches by 48 ring gauge), for example, wasn’t bad. It produced tons of smoke, had an evolving taste, and burned just fine. My primary complaint was a bitterness throughout much of the stick.

Then there was a Henry Clay Rothchilde, a five inch by 50 ring gauge rough looking cigar with a couple of large veins. While the smoke volume wasn’t up to the Gran Puro level, it was certainly adequate. The aroma was light and the head had an almost sweetness before the light. While it was burning,I notieced tastes of nuts and leather. Overall, the Henry Clay had a harshness from beginning to end.

I wouldn’t call either of these cigars bad. But I also wouldn’t smoke them very often. Why not, compared to, say, some of my favorites such as the Excalibur, Partagas Black, Toraño 1959 Silver, or Hemingway? Those are all very different cigars. What is the common thread?

As I smoked an Excalibur maduro, I began to understand. It really came down to just one word: smoothness. When a cigar is rough or harsh, I have a hard time enjoying whatever other positive attributes it possesses.

Understanding why we like certain cigars, as well as find ourselves indifferent or negative toward others, can increase the likelihood of success in picking new sticks. I know that from now on, when I’m reading others’ reviews and impressions of cigars I haven’t tried, I’ll pay particular attention to the whether the smoker found them smooth or not.

–George E

Tags: cigars

We were planning on posting a review or commentary today, but then we arrived home and found ourselves bombarded with emails from various cigar retailers.

As it turns out, those idiots up on Capitol Hill are preparing to engage in the worst kind of bullying: They are proposing to raise taxes on cigars from 5 cents to $9.95 per stick.

To fill you in on the details, here is a statement by JR Cigars head Lew Rothman, which is similar to many of the other emails we received:

Everyone, and I mean everyone, that even smokes a cigar now and then has to be on alert for messages from all smoke shops and Internet vendors and manufacturers in the next few days regarding the proposed new tax on tobacco products:

“The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a markup on Tuesday, July 17 on legislation dealing with the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The measure is expected to be reported out of committee. Funding would be almost totally via higher taxes on tobacco products. The cigarette tax will increase by $.61 to $1 per pack effective after December 31, 2007. Other tobacco products would be taxed as follows: large cigars – 53.13% of mfr’s or importer’s sales price, but not more than $10.00 per cigar.”

In addition, there will be a floor stocks tax on tobacco products manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. which are removed before January 1, 2008 and held on that date for sale. The person holding the product on January 1, 2008 is liable for the tax to be paid on or before April 1, 2008.

YES! You read that right! $10.00 PER CIGAR, plus whatever your local state tax is. The people in Washington have absolutely no clue about the cigar business. Their sole focus is on cigarettes and we are about to get dragged along with it.

Not only will this put virtually every manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer out of business, it will also devastate the economy of Nicaragua, Honduras, The Dominican Republic, and also have a significant impact on Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, and Peru. (Whereupon, I’m sure the USA will be called upon to provide additional relief funding!).

You and everyone else who has any thoughts about continuing to smoke cigars or grow, sort, manufacture, distribute, or retail cigars need to make a concerted phone, mail, and e-mail bombardment of Congress very shortly. Hopefully, someone more adept at interpreting this new tax law will supply the proper language for this protest.

Be ready and be vocal, and be outraged because this tax is definitely outrageous. It is my firm belief that if passed as it stands right now the entire industry will collapse prior to April 1, 2008 (appropriately named April Fools Day for the Fools we have running the government right now) because no one will have the finances to pay the tax on their inventory.

We’ve long argued against punitive tobacco taxes – which we’ve noted simply pick on a minority that already pays more than its fair share. But this proposal blows all other proposed tax increases out of the water. And even if you think the SCHIP is something worth funding, you should still oppose a regressive tax on tobacco that singles out a small and already heavily discriminated group.

That’s why we’re asking every reader to contact both their Senators today and tell them you oppose raising taxes on cigars to fund SCHIP legislation. Their numbers can be found here.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars