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.

I bought a box of 25 of these box-pressed beauties for my dad and recently tried one during a trip back home to Chicago. The 5.5 inch, 44 ring gauge Corona Canela is every bit as good as the torpedo-shaped Capitan (pictured) with notes of fruit and leather, fine physical properties, and a berry-like sweetness off the wrapper. Cuban Crafters produces only 7,000 boxes annually and, at $50 a pop, you can’t go wrong.

Verdict = Buy.

–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 robusto features a dry, somewhat toothy maduro wrapper framed with classic white double bands. The taste is toasty with roasted coffee and chocolate flavors. Like just about every Arganese cigar I’ve tried, the construction is nearly flawless with an easy draw, even burn, and solid ash. Overall a very enjoyable cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and informative as possible, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other snippets of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Kansas City may be the next metropolitan area to succumb to a government-mandated smoking ban. A local government board discussed “several smoke-free options” yesterday as the city’s newspaper of record inexplicably stated “there’s no economic disadvantage” for business owners.

2) It was announced on Wednesday that new brands of machine-made Cubans will be introduced at the Havana International Fair in November. The expansion is in response to increased global demand for sticks like the Guantanamera Compay.

3) Inside the Industry: Miami Cigar & Co. will take over the distribution of Felipe Gregorio cigars starting in September. George Gershel, Altadis’ Executive Vice President, will retire at the end of 2008 after 47 years with the company. The Fuentes and Newmans raised $75,852 in a recent Cigar Family Charitable Foundation online charity auction of rare cigars.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review tries the Avalon Juke Ebony. Cigar Inspector reviews the Tesa M3. Her Humidor smokes the Kristoff Criollo. Cigar Jack lights up a La Caya Brazil.

5) Deal of the Week: Not long ago, Jon N. praised the virtues of mild cigars. In that spirit, we present this sampler of ten top notch mild cigars. For just $34.99 you get two mild cigars each from Macanudo, Toraño, La Princesa de Cuba, Perdomo, and Rocky Patel, and free shipping is included on the entire order. Grab yours here.

– The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

Here at StogieGuys.com, we make an honest effort not to grumble too often about government-mandated smoking bans and the anti-tobacco zealots who advocate them. While we’ve made no secret of the fact that such invasive bans limit choice, violate private property, and are justified only by shoddy “science,” we try to focus on the more enjoyable aspects of the wonderful hobby we all share in our daily coverage of the world of cigars.

But understanding what’s happening in the increasingly hostile smoking ban movement is an essential tool in asserting our freedoms as cigar smokers and standing up for the rights of restaurant and bar entrepreneurs across the nation. In that spirit, and since I haven’t written anything similar since March, I offer the following news items for your consideration. They are by no means all-inclusive; they’re simply a few of the more interesting smoking ban stories to surface as of late:

1. Charleston, WV: “Some Kanawha County bar owners are uniting Tuesday night to make one clear statement about the new smoking ban. They’re putting the ashtrays back out, allowing smokers to light up once again, and breaking the law. It’s all to protest the expanded ban, which eliminates smoking in most public places including bars and gambling parlors. It’s like old times inside the Black Hawk Saloon. Business is booming for owner Kerry Ellison on this night dedicated to smokers. Ellison is breaking the law and proud of it. He’s standing up against the smoking ban he says has cut his business in half.”

2. Davenport, IA: “Regardless of your opinion on Iowa’s smoking ban, some of the temporary administrative rules—such as the distinction between bars and restaurants—go beyond the intent of the law…Obviously, legislators intended for bars to permit smoking outside. However, instead of being explicit in their definitions, legislators defined bars as venues where serving food is ‘incidental’ to the consumption of alcohol, but they didn’t define ‘incidental.’…But the [Iowa Department of Public Health]’s definition means that bars serving burgers, chicken, or anything requiring a grill are considered restaurants. The Iowa law was already more strict than the one in Illinois, which permits smoking in almost all outdoor locations, including the outdoor seating areas of bars and restaurants. But the interpretation by IDPH pushed Iowa’s rules to the extreme.”

3. Chillicothe, OH: “An Ohio group is launching a campaign with the hope of repealing some provisions of the statewide smoking ban approved by voters and instituted in the spring of 2007…Opponents of Ohio Bans says the bill will restore exemptions to the smoking ban for family-owned businesses, outdoor patios and private clubs—organizations that have been vocal in opposition to the ban and have said they have been financially hurt by it.”

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Just about two years ago, Patrick S awarded this small, pig-tailed robusto four stogies, praising its cool smoke and complexity. I’ve had one resting for about a year and a half and thought it might be interesting to see if I agreed.

Though my palate didn’t pick up that Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can flavor he mentioned (though, alerted, I was on the lookout for a hint of Falstaff), there was much similarity in what we found: a peppery blast at the start, a tight ash, some sweetness replaced by a hint of bitterness about halfway through, and an overall pleasant experience. It appeared that aging had little or no significant impact on this Criollo Pato.

The cigar takes its name from the Criollo ’98 wrapper, a hybrid developed in Cuba to resist devastating blue mold. With its Habano heritage, Criollo was a natural to promote as a Cubanesque cigar when CAO introduced the line in 2002. Like the wrapper, the fillers and binder are grown in Nicaragua.

CAO calls it a medium strength cigar, and I’d agree.

The five-cigar Criollo line has something for everyone, at least in size. The Pato is 4 and 7/8 inches long with a 50 ring gauge and generally retails for under $6. You can go smaller and cheaper to the Pampa, a 4 inch, 38 ring gauge smoke packed five to a tin for around $10. Or go larger with the Conquistador, 6 and 1/8 inches long with a 52 ring gauge and a price tag of about $125 for a box of 20.

I’m with Patrick on the rating as well. I look forward to smoking more of these and concur with his rating of four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Today Cigar Rights of America launches a four-day, five-city whirlwind “Freedom Tour” in Chicago. The event will be followed by tour stops in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and New York before a final gathering in Orlando on Friday. The list of cigar makers attending the events reads like your dream humidor: Toraño, Ozgener, Rocky Patel, Padilla, Padrón, Avo, Drew, Oliva, Fuente…you get the idea.

In late May we first got word of the formation of Cigar Rights of America (CRA), a new organization whose stated goals are “to fight unjustified tax increases and halt smoking bans.” The organization’s logo (which looks like a silhouette of George Washington holding a cigar) and rhetoric hearken back to America’s founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The website announces:

“On a daily basis, your freedom to enjoy a cigar is being stripped away by an overzealous, anti-smoking movement. Their tactics are varied; be it through supporting onerous cigar taxes or lobbying government for restrictive smoking bans. The anti-smoking movement will stop at nothing short of the complete prohibition of tobacco.”

I recently spoke with Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of the three Corona Cigar Company locations, who described the details, goals, and challenges of the new organization, which aims to be the consumers’ voice against cigar taxes, bans, and other regulations.

Legally the CRA is a 501(c)(4), which means it is a grassroots membership organization that can advocate for or against legislation but cannot accept tax-deductible donations. Examples of other 501(c)(4) organizations include The National Rifle Association, MoveOn.org, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

Borysiewicz describes some “friction” from other industry groups, particularly the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association, but he thinks they now see the value of a new organization that focuses exclusively on representing cigar smokers, as opposed to retailers or cigar manufacturers. He envisions the CRA, the IPCPR, and the CAA (Cigar Association of America) as an Army, Air Force, and Navy ready to defend the rights of cigar smokers against harmful taxes and regulations.

While the CRA is currently dependent on industry sources for funding, the idea is for it to be completely self-sufficient within a few years. The aim of the “Freedom Tour” is to recruit 4,000 members. Within a year or two, Borysiewicz says the goal is a hundred thousand members or more—all fully activated and involved in fighting for their rights.

For details on the CRA “Freedom Tour” visit CigarRights.org.

–Patrick S

photo credit: CRA

You won’t find a ton of information on the web about this blend that debuted at the IPCPR Trade Show in July, but here’s the bottom line: The Arganese ML3 makes for a tasty, slow-burning alternative to other fuller-bodied blends that command a much higher price.

Now don’t expect to find the complexity and balance that you would in a super-premium like the Opus X; with a price around $5 per 5 inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto, such a feat would be astounding. But if you’re into sticks with a kick, this needs to be on your short list of cigars to try.

That kick is the result of an all-ligero tobacco blend. Ligero leaves are situated atop tobacco plants, and their unrestrained exposure to sunlight gives them a strong taste and an unhurried burn. ML3, after all, stands for “maduro ligero times three”—an homage to its Brazilian maduro ligero wrapper and Dominican ligero binder and filler tobaccos. Arganese also came out with a CL3 blend in July (corojo ligero), and company head Gene Arganese calls both “cigars to the third power.”

The ML3 Robusto boasts few veins, smooth seams, and a firm stature. The flashy band is a departure from more traditional, family-crested Arganese smokes, and the rich aroma and dark appearance sets the stage for the experience that’s to come.

I smoked two ML3 Robustos for this review and was impressed with both from the start. The initial taste is thick with notes of dark chocolate and black coffee. The flavor mellows to nut, birch, and cream after the first inch, only to hit its zenith of bitter espresso and peppercorn in the last half of the 90-minute smoke.

While 90 minutes is a long time to smoke a classically sized robusto, that’s what you get with ligero tobacco. And, since ML3 is made by Arganese—a manufacturer I’ve come to appreciate for its consistency in construction—you also get an even burn, a clear draw, and a pretty solid ash.

All told, if you’re a fan of bold cigars, I’d recommend picking up a stash of these to have on hand (about $98 per box of 20). The price is right, the flavor full and interesting, and the physical properties solid. That’s why I give the new Arganese ML3 Robusto four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys