The Stogie Guys

When I checked out the Series Gran Cru No. 2 back in April, I said I was ready to add Tesa to my short list of favorite boutiques. Today’s review reaffirms that decision in a big way.

Located in a shop on the Near North Side of the Windy City, Tesa cigars are “meticulously blended by Chicago area resident Chris Kelly and crafted in the Tesa Cigar factory in Estelí.” Their flagship house blend, Vintage Especial, features a Connecticut shade wrapper with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Only 80,000 sticks of each vitola are made annually.

The Rothchild vitola (no, that’s not a typo; Tesa omits the “s”) is a classically sized robusto with five inch by 50 ring gauge dimensions. Like the eight other blends in the Tabacalera Tesa lineup, it comes dressed in nothing but its birthday suit—a move that some enthusiasts find annoying but one that I’ve always admired.

Why? Because naked cigars suggest two things about their manufacturers: (1) they likely care more about tobacco than marketing and (2) they have confidence in the reputation and appearance of their creations to move their products.

With a gorgeous, seamless, and nearly vein-free wrapper, I think Tesa made a smart move by not dressing up the Vintage Especial. The four samples in my humidor were attractive enough on their own merits to grab my attention and prompt this review.

The first few puffs are salty with little else going on. But as soon as the thick, shiny mascara starts to wind its way down the cigar, I am immediately reminded of two fantastic stogies: the Davidoff Grand Cru and the PG Gourmet. The thick, superbly balanced smoke yields a delicious flavor of oak, cream, buttery nuts, and sweet hay. Mild and harmonious.

With phenomenal physical properties that include a straight-edge burn, a sturdy ash, and the slightest resistance in draw, the Tesa Vintage Especial Rothchild is an absolute treasure. It encompasses everything I love about great Connecticut shade smokes—balance and intricate subtleties that reward attentive smokers.

As with the Series Gran Cru, however, this cigar’s singular drawback is its limited availability and relatively high cost. As far as I can tell, the only way to get your hands on one of these is to either visit the shop in person or purchase it from Tesa’s online store for $13.95 per single.

I hope you don’t let those barriers discourage you from seeking one out, particularly if you’re the kind of smoker who can appreciate milder creations. I certainly am. And for all the reasons listed above, I’m pleased to award the Tesa Vintage Especial Rothchild our highest rating of five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five stogie-rated cigars can be found here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I started smoking cigars, the biggest factor in deciding what to buy usually was the size of the stick compared to the price. As you can probably guess, I smoked a lot of poor and mediocre Churchills.

I don’t think my “more tobacco means more for the money” approach is all that uncommon for new smokers. I’m also not so sure it’s a bad idea in the beginning. It helps provide exposure to a lot of brands, not to mention a lot of tobacco.

These days, when I’m making a purchase, I still take size into consideration. But now I’m much more apt to focus on how much time I want to devote to the cigar. And even with a lot of time, I’ve found through the years that I usually enjoy a relatively smaller size.

Consequently, I probably smoke more robustos than any other, though I’d have to say I enjoy petit coronas and the occasional lancero a lot, too.

Sometimes I’ll smoke my way through all the vitolas of a cigar brand, especially if it’s one I really like. Generally, though, I tend to concentrate on a couple of sizes at most.

Of course, there are also occasions that call for a large cigar. I’ve noted before, for instance, my affection for the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Madrid. This large stick (6.1 x 54) is bigger than any other cigar I regularly smoke. But I’ve tried other sizes in the line and, for my taste, none of them has that little lagniappe that makes the cigar special.

One thing I’ve wondered for a long time is what sizes are the top sellers. It would be tough to determine, since there’s no standardization for dimensions or designations. But wouldn’t it be interesting to know?

–George E

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 recently released line from Camacho, promoted as “milder mannered” than the company’s other sticks, makes a great first impression. It sports a beautiful Ecuadorian-grown wrapper offset by a classy white band, a nice pre-light aroma, and a little kick at the start. From beginning to end, it remains smooth while moving through numerous flavors, including nuts, honey, grass, and pepper. I would classify this as a medium strength cigar with a reasonable price. If you’re looking for something in that range, it’s well worth a try.

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.

This Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped cigar is the sibling to some of my all-time favorites (the EO Green, Red, and Blue lines). The well-constructed Robusto yields an abundance of smoke and excellent burn qualities. The flavor is a pleasant combination cream and toast flavors with a subtle peppery paper taste that comes and goes. All around, it may not be my favorite cigar in the 601 line, but the EO 601 “Black” is no slouch.

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 items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) The late philosopher George Santayana famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” If that’s true, cigar smokers who value their fleeting freedom should pick up a copy of Christopher Snowdon’s new book, Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: A History of Anti-Smoking. As The Economist points out in a recent review, it is a “solidly researched, interesting, and only occasionally strident book” that shows the persecution of smokers through time—from despots cutting smokers’ lips to American prohibitionists decrying “moral decay” to Nazis labeling smoking as “a decadent Jewish habit.” Perhaps this book will shed some light on how we got from a leading anti-smoking zealot proclaiming in 1998 that “no one is seriously talking about a complete ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants” to the deplorable restrictions and taxes of today.

2) Legendary coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach, who famously lit a victory cigar after Celtics wins, was eclipsed on Sunday by another cigar enthusiast when Phil Jackson won his record tenth NBA championship as a coach. “I’ll smoke a cigar tonight, in memory of Red,” said Jackson after the Lakers defeated the Magic.

3) Inside the Industry: A new annually-released Padrón is set to launch for the first time later this year called the “Reserva de Familia.”  On the heals of the “Danno,” Nestor Miranda is releasing another Special Selection 20 Aniversario, an oscuro-wrapped perfecto called the “Ruky” (Miranda’s nickname). The new Cuban Montecristo, the “Montecristo Open,” is now hitting stores. Perdomo is releasing a new full-bodied smoke called the “Grand Cru.” Alec Bradley is launching a new “Family Blend” line that was formerly an unbanded mystery cigar given out only at the company’s promotional events.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an Ambos Mundos. Stogie Review sparks a Cuban Crafters Cupido Criollo. Cigar Inspector checks out an Ashton VSG. Cigar Spy interrogates a Benchmade. Matt fires up a La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a great (and cheap) way to catch up with all the lines made by your favorite cigar makers. For $20-25 per sampler, you’ll get five sticks each of such respected cigar makers as Don Pepin Garcia, Gran Habano, A.J. Fernandez, Perdomo, CAO, and Oliva. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: VelvetGloveIronFist.com

Aged cigars are hot these days, and not just Cubans. Retailers offer them for sale. Magazines rate them. Board posts extol their virtues. I find it to be a fascinating topic, in large part because it is so wide open. Experts often disagree over key points, and no one can assure you that holding on to any particular cigar will result in improvement.

My own aging efforts are haphazard. The way it usually happens is I’ll ignore or forget some cigar or other and, after a while—voila!—it’s got some age on it. A recent example was a Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 2  that had somehow escaped my notice for about a year and a half. When I smoked it recently, I could only wish I had more: The flavors remained just as distinct but somehow deeper. Time in the humidor had rounded the pepper and spice to perfection.

A different route led to another extraordinary aged Tatuaje. I got together the other night with Stogie Guy colleague Patrick M in Ybor City for a few hours, and he graciously gave me several beautiful cigars, including a two-year-old Tat from a cabinet he’d bought that had been resting at a retailer. It was sublime, one of the best cigars I’ve had the pleasure of smoking.

Interestingly, both are rolled by Don Pepin Garcia, who isn’t a big proponent of aging. I reflected on that the other night when I lit up another Pepin creation, a box-pressed 601 Blue Robusto fresh from the seller. The 601 line is one of my favorites, though I’d probably rank the Blue as my least favorite of the four. Not this stick, though. It was head of the class—full of flavor, changing as it burned and highly tasty. I cannot imagine it would get better with age.

Interestingly, I’d smoked a larger vitola Blue that was more than year old just a few weeks earlier. I wasn’t particularly impressed with what aging had wrought. And to keep it even more interesting, Patrick A had a considerably different experience with a 15-month-old Blue Toro that he wrote about last month.

So what’s the conclusion? Well, you can probably draw your own. For me, there are at least three: (1) It’s difficult, if not impossible, to gauge beforehand how specific cigars will age and how you will react to them; (2) Like most aspects of enjoying cigars, personal taste plays a large a role in judging aged sticks; and (3) Don’t go overboard on aging. It’s another aspect of the hobby and another way to find great smoking experiences. But it isn’t the only way.

For more information, you can find exclusive write-ups about our experiences aging cigars in the new StogieGuys.com email newsletter. Sign up today if you haven’t done so already.

–George E

photo credit: Cuban Crafters

As far as I’m concerned, the centerpieces of La Flor Dominicana’s extended lineup have to be the Coronado and the Double Ligero (the latter of which is especially tasty in the Chisel format). The company, operating out of the Dominican Republic and holding an office in Miami, has several other fine blends—including the Premium Line, LG Diez, and Reserva Especial—but those are the two that immediately come to mind when I think of La Flor.

Maybe that’s why I had been subconsciously avoiding the regular old Ligero blend before I embarked upon this review. Or maybe I was simply confused by the fact that this line includes two different varieties (three if you count the Double Ligero under the Ligero umbrella, as some do): an Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped “Ligero” and an Oscuro sun-grown “Cabinet.” According to one online retailer, both include an “extensively aged blend of Dominican ligero tobaccos to create a peppery, full-flavored smoke.”

I sampled two Ligero L-500 Cabinets for this review, a vitola that sells for around $5-7 apiece and measures five and ¾ inches by 60 ring gauge. Smaller sizes, specifically the L-250 and L-300, have scored ratings of 90 in Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider in recent years.

On the color scale, the L-500’s clean wrapper ranks between a natural and a maduro leaf. And that’s about how it smells pre-light, too—deeper and richer than a natural but not as sweet or chocolaty as a maduro.

Given the wrapper type and the use of ligero tobacco—leaves known for their strength and peppery taste—it comes as no surprise that this cigar hits the ground running. After establishing a thorough light, which takes some work, and after the gray ash starts to build solidly and evenly off the wide foot, the initial flavor includes lots of black pepper, earth, and spice.

The finish at this point is better-rounded than you’d expect. Still, the taste is as advertised: medium- to full-bodied and fairly powerful.

Either the profile mellows after the first few inches or my taste buds simply grow accustomed to the flavor. Regardless, I notice a significant decrease in spice. But don’t let that fool you; this stick still packs plenty of that ligero punch that many seasoned cigar veterans crave.

And that leads to my main complaint: the LFD Ligero L-500 Cabinet is too one-dimensional to earn a spot in my regular rotation. Although I’m guessing many of you may disagree, I just can’t find anything that exciting here. Maybe more balance—some sweetness or subtlety perhaps—would win me over.

For now, I’ll hang onto this for occasions that call for a cigar with plenty of flavor that doesn’t necessarily merit my full attention. An evening barbeque, perhaps. I’ll save the Coronados and Double Ligero Chisels as after-dinner companions. Slightly disappointed by what you get for the price, I give the La Flor Dominicana Ligero L-500 Cabinet three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys