The Stogie Guys

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 the continuing trend towards further consolidation of the cigar industry, Swedish Match – the parent company of General Cigar (owner of such brands as Macanudo, Partagas, and Cohiba) – has purchased retailer Cigars International, Inc. Cigar International is a wholesale cigar seller known for its two websites: CigarsInternational.com and CigarBid.com. The move hints that further acquisitions in the cigar industry may be vertical consolidations as companies seek to add shareholder value by controlling production, wholesale distribution, and retail sales.

2) Congratulations to the voters of Athens, Alabama, who this week rejected attempts to ban alcohol and time travel back to the forgettable days of prohibition. While we generally steer clear of politics not specifically tobacco-related, we think alcohol prohibition is a terrible policy for two reasons: (1) it sets a bad precedent for the prohibition of other substances that intolerant teetotalers don’t like, such as tobacco; and (2) it deprives cigar smokers of a fantastic accompaniment to their smoke.

3) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an H. Upmann Signature. Cigar Jack smokes the Mojito Madness Corona. Cigar Beat tries the Joya de Nicaragua Celebration. Cigar Monkey monkeys around with a Montecruz Negra Cubana.

4) Deal of the Week: Fuente, Gurkha, Macanudo, Hoyo, La Gloria Cubana, Toraño, Partagas, CAO, Punch, Rocky Patel, and Padron. That’s most of the big names in the business and in this sampler they’re available for under $2 per stick. To pick up 16 cigars pictured for just $29.95, click here.

5) Finally, we want to welcome our latest sponsor, Cuban-Cigars-Store.com. For more information on partnering with StogieGuys.com, please visit our Advertising & Promotions page.

–The Stogie Guys

I have to admit I didn’t know much about this cigar until recently. As it turns out, my knowledge of Cubans is lacking – but I’m looking forward to changing that.

So I turned to the web to do a little background research on the Partagas Serie D No. 4 before diving into a couple that have been gracing my humidor. What I found was a heap of praise making the stogie out to be the greatest robusto ever created. Several reviewers claimed it was the best smoke they’ve ever had.

Needless to say, I was anxious to try the Serie D, one of the top-selling Havanas in the world. It’s reputation as a full-flavored, “New School Habano” with rich notes of wood and spice meant that I couldn’t wait any longer to give the 4.9 inch by 50 ring gauge No. 4 a try.

The golden wrapper is extremely smooth with only a few minor imperfections. With a new-age appearance, the band doesn’t look anything like what you’d expect from a company that has been rolling tobacco since 1827.

After toasting the foot and establishing an even burn with just a few wooden matches, I was underway. The Cuban leaves quickly produce a big taste of cedar and black pepper – very similar to the flavors that are advertised. While the immediate impression is milder than I expected, the strong spice really kicks in during the aftertaste.

After the first third is completed, the $13 to $23 cigar’s true colors begin to shine through. That’s when a buttery almond flavor enters the equation and the stick is at its best.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed by the physical properties of the two No. 4s I tried before writing this review. While the draw was clear and each puff produced a ton of smoke, the burn required constant surveillance and several touch-ups to remain even and lit. Even though I took all the appropriate measures, I couldn’t prevent canoes from forming. What’s more, the ash is flakey and unstable.

As you can imagine, these construction shortcomings are quite distracting, and they completely interfere with the smoking experience. Notwithstanding the excellent flavor, I found this Cuban to be somewhat of a disappointment – especially considering all the wonderful reviews I had read.

When you get right down to it, I would not feel comfortable paying in excess of $10 for one of these again, let alone the cigar’s commanding price. For terrific flavor and unfortunate construction, I give the Partagas Serie D No. 4 three out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

Altadis USA is the country’s largest cigar importer, so it should come as no surprise that the manufacturer used last week’s RTDA to announce the continued expansion of its well-known stable of cigar brands. Altadis Vice President Janelle Rosenfeld recently filled us in on all the details of their many new additions:

Already released is the new Bock y Ca Edicon de Oro brand. This Nicaraguan-made cigar features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and is available in boxes of 20 and bundles of 25. Currently shipping to stores, the line offers value for smokers with prices that range from $1.75 to $2.50 per cigar.

In October, Altadis will begin shipping new Playboy cigars. Following up on the company’s Playboy by Don Diego, the new Playboy line is made at Altadis’ Tabacalera de Garcia mega-factory in the Dominican, with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian fillers.

Another new addition to Altadis’ stable of brands is the Honduran Santa Rosa. Made at the same factory as Gispert, Saint Luis Rey, and Quintero, the reasonably priced ($3.60 to $4.50 per cigar) smoke comes in seven different sizes. The Santa Rosa – which is named after the Santa Rosa de Copan tobacco-growing region of Honduras – is made with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Honduran binder, and binders from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Primarily known as a Mexican brand, Te-Amo seems to be moving away from its Mexican roots with three “World Selection” blends. While still made in Mexico, the Te-Amo World Selection Series Dominicana Blend, Honduras Blend, and Nicaragua Blend each feature 54 ring gauge robustos, toros, and churchills, with a filler exclusively from the country from which each blend takes its name. The Te-Amo World Selection Series hits shelves in October.

Also being released this fall is another line from the Romeo y Julieta brand. Described by Altadis as the “richest, most full-flavored Romeo y Julieta yet,” the Romeo y Julieta Habano Reserve is made in Honduras with a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder around a combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan long fillers. With a suggested retail price from $4.50 to $6.00 a cigar, the new Habano Reserve blend debuts in September.

And the Habano Reserve isn’t the only new Romeo y Julieta line. The Habano Reserve and the highly anticipated Edicon Limitada (featuring an San Andreas Corojo wrapper) we reported on back in July are also being joined by a new Romeo y Julieta Cabinet Selección, which is part of Altadis’ new Cabinet Selección line. The Romeo y Julieta features a vintage Cameroon wrapper and joins “fuller-bodied” Cabinet Selección Montecristos, Cabinet Selección H. Upmanns, and Cabinet Selección Por Larranagas. According to Rosenfeld, the four Cabinet Selección lines are “available now at a limited number of retail tobacconists…and they are selling like hot cakes.”

As they become available, be sure to check StogieGuys.com for reviews of these and other new cigars.

–Patrick S

These days there are so many new cigar releases, it seems that reviews are reserved for the latest debuts. That, of course, makes sense. What would you think of a music critic raving about The Beatles, or a book reviewer ecstatic over stumbling across a fascinating novel called The Great Gatsby?

On the other hand, you can certainly do worse than to spend time listening to Beatles’ recordings, and Gatsby is among the current big read selections of the National Endowment for the Arts. We shouldn’t forget that not everyone’s heard of or been exposed to everything. I’m constantly amazed at all the things I read and hear for the first time that I feel I should have known years ago.

All of which is a Paul Byrd-style windmill windup to this revelation: I’ve been bowled over by a vitola from that one-time darling of the cigar boom, La Gloria Cubana. It is the Medaille d’Or No. 1 Maduro, a long, slim stick that appears to be oozing oil and elegance. Lighting one up, I feel the best place to smoke it would be at an outdoor French café, sipping coffee and reading Le Monde (if I read French).

Some years back, I smoked La Gloria Cubanas quite often, usually the popular Wavells and Corona Gordas. But after a couple of Serie Rs whipped up on me, I drifted away from the entire brand. I’m not sure why this stick caught my eye in a local B&M humidor, but I’m glad it did.

Over several days, I smoked three No. 1s. At a length of six and 3/4 inches by 43 ring gauge, they were consistent in taste and burn. There was the typical maduro sweetness, accentuated over the course of the cigar with tastes of leather, coffee, and damp earth.

Befitting its reputation as “Cuban-like,” the Glory of Cuba, made in the Dominican Republic, doesn’t utilize exotic tobaccos. The wrapper is Ecuadorian, the binder Nicaraguan, and the filler a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan. They produce a tight, white ash.

I had draw problems with two of the three. They felt plugged. With one of them, I eliminated the problem by clipping a bit more at the foot. The other, though, wasn’t as easy to fix. It finally worked itself out, more or less, about half way down.

I’d call this a medium strength cigar. When the draw is going well, the smoke is thick and rich.

Like most of the multitude of LCGs, this stick is reasonably priced. I paid $5.30, while boxes of 25 run about $67 on the Internet. They aren’t always in stock, either at shops or websites, but they’re worth searching out. The draw difficulties forced me to cut my rating a little, so I give the Medaille d’Or No. 1 a solid three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–George E

I never thought I’d be so irritated by a “courtesy smoking area.” But that’s exactly what I found at Charlotte Douglas International Airport last weekend.

The trip started innocently enough when my girlfriend and I landed in North Carolina’s largest city after a short flight from our homes in DC. We were heading to northern Minnesota for a long weekend of boating, golfing, and bonfires, but needed to survive a three-hour layover in the Queen City before boarding a flight to Minneapolis.

If a stop in Charlotte seems a bit odd for a trip from Washington to Minnesota, no, you’re not geographically challenged. It’s completely out of the way – but a heck of a lot cheaper than any of the other travel options.

So while we were taxiing to our gate, I started to think about how the two of us could best make the three hours pass. Food seemed a logical choice, even if airport cuisine is overpriced and usually less than spectacular. But that would only kill 60 minutes at most.

“What would really hit the spot,” I thought, “is a nice cigar.” Unfortunately, all the stogies we packed for the trip – a generous supply of Gurkha Expedition Torpedos, Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection Toros, CAO Criollo Patos, and various Don Kiki lines – were packed in checked luggage and therefore inaccessible during the layover.

And then there was hope. As we stepped off the U.S. Airways Airbus 319 into gate B5, my eyes immediately caught a small cigar shop nestled between the men’s room and a California Pizza Kitchen. What luck! Even though it was clear we wouldn’t be able to smoke in the store, I figured we’d have plenty of time to find the airport’s smoking lounge after dinner.

So, with two freshly cut Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Maduros in my pocket and a bunch of crappy pizza in our stomachs, we ventured out to find the closest smoking area.

I honestly didn’t think this would take too long. After all, with an annual tobacco income in excess of $500 million in an industry that employs over 250,000, I assumed North Carolina should have some of the most tobacco-friendly airports in the country. But that’s not the case.

While many airports have indoor smoking lounges and various smoke-friendly bars and restaurants, we were told by our California Pizza Kitchen waitress (who obviously enjoyed cigarettes) that we’d have to leave the terminal for an outdoor “courtesy smoking area.”

As if making us leave the building completely wasn’t enough, Charlotte airport officials actually had the audacity to designate one small area at the end of the last terminal for smokers. It was marked by a large overhead sign above and boxed in with white paint on the pavement below.

We kind of felt like caged animals as other travelers stared while they waited to be picked up by loved ones. Clearly, cigar smokers are somewhat of a novelty in these otherwise cigarette-laden smoking areas. We also received plenty of funny looks from airport employees and TSA workers out for a short cigarette break.

But we sat there for quite awhile, puffing away in the sweltering Carolina heat. Hauling our many carry-ons all over hell’s half acre and going back through security was a pain in the ass, but we couldn’t think of a better way to pass the time.

–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.

The La Gloria Cubana Hermoso is an attractive robusto with a veiny Dominican wrapper. The construction was impressive with an even burn, sturdy ash, and easy draw. Flavor wise, the cigar was smooth and easy to smoke, but it lacked the complexity that would make it a great.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.

Sometimes size does matter. For me, this smaller Punch Rare Corojo is the best of the bunch. While I’ve enjoyed several of the four larger PRCs, this 4 and 1/2 inch by 50 ring gauge box-pressed beauty was smoother and more complex. The dark, oily Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper had little prelight aroma. But with the Connecticut broadleaf binder and a three-country filler blend, tastes vary throughout the stick, generating cocoa, chocolate, occasional spice, and leather. Smoking slowly – a necessity to avoid overheating – this cigar can easily last an hour. I paid $4.50 for the stick. Boxes of 50 can be had for about $125 on the Internet, and just before I wrote this, I saw that the PRC is on special through Aug. 17 at Famous.

Verdict=Buy.

–George E

Tags: cigars