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. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader for our Quick Smoke Cigar Giveaway contest. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

The J.L. Salazar y Hermanos Reserva Especial is a beautiful, box-pressed, full-bodied cigar with a rich, dark wrapper. This robusto measures five and 1/2 inches with a ring gauge of 52. The draw is effortless; I’m immediately hit with a smooth, creamy taste of nutty, woody, earthly flavors. Taking a moment to recover from my nicotine buzz, I admired the long ash still holding strong. Great construction, even burn. The flavor stays solid to the end, leaves me without any signs of harshness or bitterness.

Verdict = Buy.

–Submitted by Dustin from New Hampshire, who will receive one of five Arganese samplers.

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 multi-colored line from United Tobacco gained fame from its creator, Jose “Pepin” Garcia. I’ve smoked and enjoyed the Red and recently tried a Black robusto, which is a five inch by 50 ring gauge stick. The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper was beautiful, as was the burn and the rich, thick smoke. The Black 601s are generally viewed as lower on the power scale than, say, the Red, and I would agree. This cigar was more in the mid-range; not complex, but highly enjoyable. Pepper predominated though did not overpower.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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) StogieGuys.com Exclusive: Although you’ve probably already read that the compromise proposal to extend the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), now being negotiated in Congress, is thought to include the cigar tax plan approved by the U.S. Senate, that’s not what a couple of staffers on Capitol Hill told George Thursday. They said the cigar tax issue was among those still being discussed and that some lawmakers were working to reduce the cap, which is $3 in the Senate plan. Also, while there’s been talk of a Tuesday vote in the House, one of the staffers said it was possible the language might not be finalized until Monday. With all this taking place in the next few days, now would be a good time to contact your representatives.

2) Newly announced presidential hopeful Fred Thompson says he would “definitely” continue the Cuban embargo, but doesn’t check the “heritage” of the boxes of apparent Habanos that friends give him, according to Sunday’s St. Petersburg Times. Kind of reminds us of JFK’s hypocrisy.

3) As reported in our top item, the $3 cigar tax may not be finalized but it is very close. So just what would that proposed tax do? Rich Perelman reports a cigar that currently retails for $3.00 (like a Gispert Lonsdale) would likely increase to $4.60 before state tobacco taxes are included. While a cigar that retails for $10.00 (such as a Montecristo Churchill), will likely go to $15.31 before state tobacco taxes are included, or from $250.00 per box to $382.75 before state taxes.

4) Cigar Aficionado’s Jack Bettridge has a blog entry on what sounds like a great book: Churchill’s Cigar by British journalist Stephen McGinty. A quick search reveals this fascinating excerpt from the London Sunday Times.

5) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects a Gurkha Double Maduro. Stogie Review reviews the Oliva Serie V Ligero Especial Lancero. Matt lights up the Tatuaje Reserva “A”. Cigar Command smokes a Dunhill Signed Range. Keepers of the Flame flames up a Tatuaje Series P2. Cigar Jack smokes the MAXX by Alec Bradley.

6) Deal of the Week: This ten cigar sampler from Tinderbox.com features six – count em’ six – cigars made by the hottest cigar maker in the business, Don “Pepin” Garcia. That includes two Tatuajes, a Padilla Miami, a 601 Blue, and two from Pepin’s own line. (Oh, and the other four sticks aren’t bad either.) All this for just $69. Pick yours up here.

–The Stogie Guys

In August I spoke with former-All Star MLB pitcher Luis Tiant about his line of cigars: El Tiante. Having had the chance to smoke a few, I can now offer a review of the El Tiante Maduro Torpedo.

Tiant’s cigars are all made at the Tabacalera Tambor cigar factory in Nicaragua. The El Tiante Maduro line features Habano Nicaragua and San Andreas Mexican filler, with a Mexican Sumatran binder and a Habano Nicaragua wrapper. (The natural line features the same Habano Nicaragua tobacco in the filler and wrapper, but instead uses an Indonesian binder and drops the San Andreas tobacco from the blend.)

The line features three sizes: a five inch by 50 ring gauge robusto, a seven inch by 50 ring gauge Churchill, and a six inch by 54 ring gauge torpedo, which is the subject of this review. The red and gold band features Tiant in his number Red Sox uniform just about to unwind from his famously contorted pitching motion.

Wrapped in the shiny gold band, the cigar’s fairly oily maduro wrapper is attractive with only a few small veins. To the touch, the classically proportioned torpedo is firm and not at all spongy. After clipping the end, I took a draw before lighting up and found floral and grass flavors. In my mouth the wrapper imparted plum flavors and it was salty.

Once lit, I found a subtle mix of multiple tastes, including apricot and plum fruit, grass, and classic maduro sweetness. The draw is deliberate but not forced, and the cigar produces ample amounts of light aromatic smoke.

In our interview Luis told me he “wanted my cigars to be mild and smooth with lots of flavor.” Usually I find such claims to be overstated, but I must say this truly was the rare milder cigar that had a rich, complex flavor. Although I wouldn’t strictly classify this cigar as “mild” – rather more mild- to medium-bodied.

In addition to the “mild but flavorful” tastes, the cigar had an unimposing cedary finish that lingered only for a few seconds. Construction wise, the burn was fairly even and, while I would have liked the ash to hold a bit longer, it wasn’t a big distraction while smoking.

Overall, I found myself really enjoying these cigars, probably because of how many cigars I’ve smoked that claimed to be “mild but with lots of flavor” but failed to live up to the billing.

Retailing for around $7 each, this cigar isn’t exactly a bargain, but it certainly doesn’t seem like too much to pay for the unique taste – something far too rare in today’s cigar industry in my opinion.

For bucking the trend towards ever stronger cigars without dulling down the flavor, the El Tiante Maduro Torpedo earns an impressive rating of four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

From time to time, we here at StogieGuys.com publish articles aimed at helping you choose the right booze to pair with your cigars. Actually, since May Patrick S has owned this series with excellent Stogie Spirits pieces on the mint julep, several Sam Adams varieties, and the elusive Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch.

While his expertise lies in horseracing cocktails, premium domestic beers, and high-class whiskies and scotches, I tend to be more of a rum guy. Call me crazy, but I like a good Caribbean drink with my Caribbean-grown tobacco.

So today I’ll give you the low-down on El Dorado 12 Year Old Special Reserve. Made by Demerara Distillers, Ltd. – a Guyana-based company that has been “lifting the spirits” since 1670 – this rum can be purchased for about $24 per 750 ml. bottle.

That’s a fair price, especially considering all the accolades. This particular blend earned a gold medal at the annual Caribbean Rum Taste Test an impressive seven of the ten years for which the competition was held. Most recently, it was awarded a gold medal at the 2007 Ministry of Rum competition.

Judges at the Chicago Beverage Tasting Institute, where the 12 Year Old Special Reserve earned 95 out of 100 points, described the rum as follows: “Copper. Lush tropical fruit and spice nose. Round, mellow, full-bodied palate with powerful fruit, tobacco, and orange peel. Leather and toasty and oak flavours. Hedonistic and well-balanced.”

My own impressions are not dissimilar. The first thing that strikes me about the rum’s flavor is that it’s tremendously sweet. Rich syrup notes abound with a full, spicy aftertaste. Whiskey-lovers will enjoy the smoky hints, probably a result of the rum’s aging in old bourbon oak casks.

While you’re supposed to enjoy a rum of this character straight or on the rocks, I find it’s almost too sugary for those methods. To escape visions of painful trips to the dentist, I recommend adding a splash of Diet Coke.

If you enjoy sweet rums, El Dorado 12 Year Old Special Reserve is definitely up your alley. Either way, make sure to pair it with a spicy/salty cigar that will balance out the sugar. Some good match-ups that come to mind include Joya de Nicaragua, a Romeo y Julieta maduro, or a Don Kiki Brown Label.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Joel and Ethan Coen – the famed writing/directing duo – are currently filming their next movie, Burn After Reading, in New York City. Portions of the film, which has been described as a “black comedy,” will take place at the Club Macanudo cigar bar on New York’s Upper East Side.

The movie stars George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand (Joel Coen’s wife), and Brad Pitt. Clooney has starred in two previous Coen Brothers movies – O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Intolerable Cruelty.

According to Victoria McKee of General Cigar and Club Macanudo, while Pitt and Clooney do not have any scenes at the cigar club, John Malkovich will be filming scenes there today. This is Malkovich’s first collaboration with the Coens, but the feeling is that his acting style is a good fit for the duo.

In the movie, Malkovich will play Ozzie Cox, a former CIA agent whose soon-to-be ex-wife (Frances McDormand) steals a disc containing his memoirs and accidentally leaves it at the gym where it is found by a trainer (Brad Pitt) who believes he can use the info to blackmail Cox. To protect Cox, the CIA hires an assassin (George Clooney) to take care of the situation.

The Oscar-winning Coen Brothers are known for such movies as Raising Arizona, Fargo, and (my personal favorite) The Big Lebowski. While the new film’s title is a play on the book Burn Before Reading: Presidents, CIA Directors, and Secret Intelligence by Admiral Stansfield Turner, director of the CIA from 1977-1981, the movie is an original screenplay written by the Coen Brothers.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

TAMPA — From Ashtons to Iguanas, from scantily clad CAO Flavourettes to Guayabera-wearing blenders, Cigar Artisans 2007 seemed to have something for just about everyone.

With more than 60 vendors — most of them cigar sellers — on hand to dispense their wares, not even a couple of torrential downpours could dampen the spirits of smiling enthusiasts.

Al Remp announces the  winners.

The event Saturday afternoon was held at Thompson Cigar Co.’s outlet store near Tampa International Airport. Most of the activity took place outside beneath massive tents, unlike the 2006 party that was held in a large room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Still, much was the same. Patrons exchanged coupons for cigars, Thompson’s Al Remp manned the microphone and helped select winners for giveaways that included a trip to the Dominican Republic, and cigar makers like Rocky Patel and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo chatted amicably with customers.

Moving among the booths, some differences were also apparent. Phillip Wynne of Filipe Gregorio cigars and Charlie Toraño, for example, weren’t able to make it, their company reps explained. And some who weren’t there last year, such as Jose “Pepin” Garcia, were passing out cigars this time.

As is often the case when Rocky is around, he was a star attraction. He spent the afternoon being interviewed, signing boxes for customers, chatting on the cell phone, and answering questions.

“Rocky,” I asked. “Do you ever do anything but work?”

“No,” he laughed. “Not really.”

Carlos M. Llaca, operations manager for Toraño Cigars, appeared to be enjoying himself as he was meeting customers and dispensing cigars. He talked enthusiastically about the company’s new maduro line due out soon, to be followed by another line later this year.

“Business is good,” said Llaca. “We’re happy.”

He said he is also pleased at the proliferation of large-scale cigar events like Cigar Artisans throughout the country. “This type of event is becoming more and more prevalent,” Llaca said. “It used to be you only had the Big Smoke.”

Rocky Patel is a hit.

This year, a local barbeque restaurant catered the Artisans gathering, and dozens of tables were set up under one of the tents. In addition to eating, patrons stopped to rest from the unrelenting temperature and humidity. It was a great place to chat and compare notes.

While I didn’t talk to anywhere near enough patrons out of the huge crowd to reach a decisive conclusion, most of those I spoke with were enjoying themselves and the goodies they were picking up. In my opinion, the selection of cigars handed out seemed to be better than 2006. Many were the same, but among the different sticks included this year were a 601, one from Pepin, a Rocky Patel Sun Grown, and Drew Estate’s Chateau Real, as well as quite a few flavored sticks like Havana Honeys, CAO Flavours, and Heavenly Cigars, for those who like them.

My only real complaint was the heat. If the event is to be held outdoors, my suggestion would be to push it a little more toward the fall

On the fun scale, Punch’s photo booth brought a smile to nearly everyone who stopped by to appear in a personal “advertisement.” And the friendly pooches ambling along with volunteers from the Southeastern Guide Dogs — a charity supported by the event — was a nice touch, too.

And, of course, there was always time for cigar talk.

I stopped by Don Pepin’s booth near the entrance and, through a translator, spoke with the master. It was, he said, the similarity of Nicaragua’s soil and weather to those in Cuba, coupled with his blending knowledge and experience, that helped him create the cigars that have incited such a storm.

What sort of cigar, I inquired, would he get if he could combine tobacco from both countries?

Before the translator could finish repeating the question, Don Pepin smiled. “It would be the best,” he said.

I told him I hoped to be able to smoke one someday.

He continued to smile and nodded: “Si.”

–George E

Tags: cigars

View all the photos from Cigar Artisans 2007…

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