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) A bill to give the FDA the power to regulate tobacco recently cleared its first legislative hurdle. As we wrote last August, FDA oversight would be another step toward complete tobacco prohibition and may mean substantially limited advertising of cigars in magazines (and also potentially on websites such as this one).

2) If you like to smoke and gamble, Atlantic City will soon be out but casinos in Iowa will still be in. On Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is expected to sign a statewide smoking ban that will go into effect on July 1 and include an exemption for casinos. Wednesday, however, Atlantic City officials voted to ban smoking on all gaming floors.

3) Inside the Industry: The Newman Cigar Company opened its second Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge in Corona Cigars in Orlando. Gene Richter, formerly of the Coors Brewing company, is joining General Cigars as vice president of sales. EO Brands, maker of the 601 line, has introduced 601Rewards, where customers can redeem 601 bands for items ranging from a 601 T-shirt to a 42 inch hi-def flat screen TV.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Jack checks out an El Titan de Bronze Redemption. Cigar Beat inspects a Tatuaje Havana IV. Velvet Cigar smokes a Padilla Obsidon. Stogie Review reviews the Defiance by Xikar.

5) Deal of the Week: A great way to try the new Hoyo de Monterrey La Tradición is this deal. For only $19.99 (including free shipping), you get four Tradicións and a Don Tomás sampler pack with three different blends. At less than $3 a stick it’s a real bargain. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

When a cigar buddy gifted one of these to me a few weeks back, I didn’t know what to think. You see, I had never smoked a candela before I lit up that stick and two more Don Tomás Candela Robustos for this review.

That shouldn’t surprise most of you. As Cigar Aficionado reported in February 2003, and as Patrick S wrote in March 2007 when he reviewed a Camacho, candelas can be hard to find these days. Funny, especially since such “latter-day oddities” were once the preferred U.S. cigar – so much so, in fact, that the wrappers were dubbed American Market Selection.

Today, Don Tomás is one of the few outfits that furnishes a candela line to the U.S. market. As rare as they might be at your local B&M, you can purchase these online for next to nothing. Boxes of 25 Robustos sell in the $49 to $69 range. Still, the company employs a typical, hyped-up marketing strategy to push its product:

“Some months ago, among a supply of Cameroon wrappers, the people in the cavernous Don Tomás warehouse chanced upon a forgotten lot of three or four bales of candela wrapper. A search through the company files revealed that the bales had been literally lost for 18 years!”

Yeah, right. Not knowing what to expect, I surveyed this five and ½ inch by 50 ring gauge peculiarity to find a pale green wrapper that appears virtually flawless. Given the stogie’s Kermit-like hue, however, I’m not sure I could see any veins if they existed. Still, it seems well built and very firm to the touch.

After carefully clipping the head so as not to damage the fragile wrapper and lighting the foot, I found an extremely mild flavor with notes of grass and sweet hay. Then I was immediately struck by the sheer sensation of smoking a cigar that actually feels like rolled up plant leaves (for those who don’t know, the texture of candela wrappers are truly unique). A bit of the banana peel bitterness that’s characteristic of candelas, or so I’m told, creeps in after the first two inches, but it’s neither chemical-tasting nor obtrusive. The mild Honduran puro wraps up with some spice and olive.

I found the burn to be fairly straight, the white ash to hold firm up to a full two inches, and a moderately easy draw. It’s about an 80-minute journey from light to nub.

I get the feeling candelas are love-it-or-hate-it cigars, but I came away from this experience a bit conflicted. While I enjoyed the flavor and while the physical properties are excellent (especially for the value price), I can’t see myself seeking out another for quite some time. Nonetheless, I would encourage everyone to at least try the Don Tomás Candela Robusto, and I give it a respectable three out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

My expectations for this cigar were low, probably just another OK smoke from General. Oh, I knew the original incarnation of the El Rico Habano helped put El Credito on the map in Miami, and that the brand is said to be a favorite of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Jr. Still, I’d left this six inch stick in my humidor for nearly a year, having long forgotten where I got it or what I paid for it.

First things first: I was wrong about this cigar. It’s far, far better than OK. It is, in fact, a very good, complex cigar, especially considering you can pick one up for around $4 and find a box of 25 for considerably less.

The Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler is a little rough looking, but nice and oily. It was the quality of Nicaraguan tobacco that led Perez-Carrillo to re-blend the El Rico Habano and start making it in the Dominican Republic to introduce again in 2001. In 2004, he told Smoke Magazine that he preferred the new version over the original because it now was more consistent and “the cigar has strength, it has aroma, and it has the taste that it had at its best.”

The prelight aroma is rich and inviting. I used a punch on the 50 ring gauge stick and the draw was just right. It began with a peppery kick that gave way to woodsy and leathery flavors. At the final third, a sweetness weaved in and out.

As a full-flavored stick, I suppose the temptation is to compare it to some of Pepin’s creations. I found the construction and burn better than I’ve encountered in a number of his, but I think the El Rico blend lacks that intangible mix of fire and ice that make the best of Pepin’s cigars extraordinary experiences.

I’ve only smoked one El Rico Habano, so I can’t say what the impact of a year resting might have been. But I plan to smoke more soon, and I’ll be sure to report back. Right now, I give the El Rico Habano Corona Suprema four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: JR Cigars

I recently spent some time in Mexico to conduct research on cigars and margaritas. After some exhaustive experiments and dozens of tests, I came to the following conclusions:

Ingredients Matter

Like any cocktail, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. Use a instant margarita mix with cheap tequila and you’ll end up with a sub-par drink. Quality tequila is usually made with 100 percent blue agave, and it is distilled for maximum smoothness. Also important is a good triple sec like Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Finally, good lime juice is key, and the best is freshly squeezed from ripe limes. With that in mind, here is my go-to margarita recipe:

1. 1. Juice of two freshly squeezed limes
2. 2. Three onces of Sauza Tres Gerenations Plata (or Cazadores Reposado)
3. 3. One and 1/2 onces of Cointreau
4. 4. Stir with ice
5. 5. Serve on the rocks in a tumbler

Skip the Blender

As you may have noticed, the final step does not include a blender. As far as I’m concerned, frozen margaritas are for one thing only: hiding bad tequila or bad margarita mix. Too much blended ice leaves your drink watery and without flavor. Additionally, the ice will dull your palate making it nearly impossible to enjoy your cigar.

Skip the Salt

I think margaritas are can be great with salt but, if you’re pairing up the drink with a cigar, I suggest you skip it. The rock salt that is traditionally used to rim a margarita is far too powerful a flavor to allow you to enjoy a cigar. Your tongue will be overwhelmed with the saltiness, preventing your cigar’s flavors from shining through.

Go Full-Bodied

Tequila is a strong and flavorful spirit; a strong and flavorful cigar is needed to complement the combination of tequila and tangy lime. So go with a cigar that can hold up to those robust flavors. Te-Amo, with its Mexican roots, is a good possibility, as is the Domincan puro Opus X. Some other suggestions include the CAO Brazilia, the Don Pepin Cuban Classic (Black), the EO 601 Green, the Joya de Nicuragua, the Montecristo Cabinet Selección, the Padrón 7000, or the Tatuaje Havana VI.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I thought long and hard before I lit two of these sticks up for this review. For one, I’ve read that the Edición Limitada 2006 may need two to three years of aging before maturity (we’re currently at the low end of that range). Second, the $33 price tag is quite daunting.

But I took the plunge into this update of the Edición Limitada 2001 nonetheless. What I found was slightly disappointing for the price: a well-balanced cigar with some complex flavors and a few construction issues.

It is said that this Cuban puro line is inspired by the cocoa plants of the island’s Baracoa region. I suppose I’d buy that. These 6.1 inch by 52 ring gauge Pirámides are darker (and a bit more rugged-looking) than most Cuban Cohibas, and they exude a savory aroma of chocolate, spice, and vanilla.

After taking great care to establish an even light, the first pull through the firm draw reveals balance and complexity with notes of pepper, burnt marshmallow, and dark chocolate. This s’more-like flavor opens up after the first inch with the addition of toffee and nuts. Earthy toast, pepper, and spice pick up halfway, and the end is powerful with more pepper and black coffee. I give this high marks for taste.

Sadly, the physical properties are less than spectacular – especially for the price. The burn requires several touch-ups to stay even, the ash is surprisingly flaky and unreliable, and the draw varies greatly throughout. The latter might have something to do with the fact that these cigars feel firm in some areas and doughy in others.

When it’s all said and done, I can’t say I’m terribly excited about this smoke. I really enjoyed the flavor, but I expect so much more construction-wise from a cigar that runs $314 per box (of 10, not 20, mind you). I think the high price is driven more by the limited production and the Cohiba name than the quality of the tobacco.

Maybe more aging will do this cigar good. I’ll wait another year or so before trying the other three Pirámides I have in my humi. Until then, I give the Cohiba Pirámides Edición Limitada 2006 four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: 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.

This line could be considered the “boutique’s boutique.” While none of Pete Johnson’s cigars are overly available, the dark, honey-hued Cabaiguans can be even tougher to locate. Johnson told Cigar Weekly last year that he planned to make only about 80,000 of them at his Miami factory. The flavorful 5 and 1/4 inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto I had was quite enjoyable. Fairly complex and spicy, it was warm, toasty, and produced thick smoke with a great aroma. Among Tatuaje cigars, I still prefer the Havana VI line, but you won’t go wrong trying a Cabaiguan for a different taste.

Verdict = Buy.

–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. 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.

Don Pepin has made a believer out of me. Every cigar I’ve smoked has been a wonderful experience, and the six and ½ inch by 52 ring gauge Tatuaje Conoju 2003 was no exception. The first few puffs have a signature Pepin bite to it – spicy and smoky. That transitions quickly into a smooth, buttery, silky smoke with hints of chocolate and just enough kick to satisfy the nicotine addict in me. The burn was nice and even, and the draw was easy.

Verdict = Buy.

-Submitted by Sam Boyer of New York, NY