The Stogie Guys

According to Corner Creek’s website, its distribution spans 30 states, not including the one in which I reside. That’s why I was surprised to find this limited production Reserve Bourbon in stock at my local liquor store in Virginia. It goes without saying that I couldn’t resist picking up a bottle for a test drive.

Corner Creek is distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, and smoothed with pure limestone water. The blend of wheat, corn, and rye—“a selection of the distillery’s finest barrels”—is then aged for eight years in American oak barrels and packaged in shouldered punt bottles.

Notwithstanding its muted copper hue, Corner Creek’s shape and artwork makes it look more like a wine than bourbon. It’s easy to overlook in a store but looks handsome on the shelf. Each bottle (750 ml., 88 proof) sells in the affordable $25-30 range.

What makes Corner Creek stand out, according to company marketing materials, is that its Reserve Bourbon is “only lightly filtered so that it retains all its complex flavor in as pure and natural a state as possible.” This strategy will win over bourbon enthusiasts who value a hearty, rustic taste and disappoint others who want more smoothness.

The Corner Creek experience starts innocently enough with a crisp nose of charcoal, sawdust, and banana skin. The first sip, though, carries a distinct smoky flavor with notes of dry steak, syrup, and loads of spice. A bit rough around the edges for my taste.

Since this bourbon isn’t necessarily what I’d call refined or elegant, I found myself mixing it up with a splash of Diet Coke instead of drinking it straight or on the rocks. Doing so helps mediate its heavy-hitting character and long, zesty finish.

As you might imagine, Corner Creek pairs best with medum- to full-flavored smokes. I enjoyed it with a CAO Brazilia, J.L. Salazar, Punch Champion, and Sam Leccia’s Cain. All of these produced delightful combinations.

Still, your degree of satisfaction will vary greatly based on your approach to bourbon. I was neither wowed nor utterly disappointed. That said, it may be awhile before I pick up another bottle of Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Litto Gomez’s Coronado by La Flor made quite a splash when it was introduced. The full-flavored smoke earned many accolades, including a five-stogie rating and the number two spot on Cigar Aficionado‘s 2006 list of Top 25 Cigars.

Litto, known for innovations like the chisel shape, is constantly experimenting with limited edition smokes. This maduro-wrapped edition of the Coronado is the result of one such experiment. According to the shops that carry it, only 83 boxes of 24 will ever be made—making the two cigars I sampled for this review more than 1/1,000th of the total run.

The cigars come in only one size: a 5 and 7/8 inch by 47 ring gauge Corona Especial. They retail for $10 each and are only available at a handful of shops. In fact, I’ve only seen them at two B&Ms: Jack Schwarz and Arnold’s.

The Dominican-made smokes feature an Ecuadorian maduro wrapper. The wrapper is dark, slightly reddish, and rustic with a many visible veins. Underneath is the same Dominican filler and Dominican corojo binder from the normal Coronado line. Pre-light, the cigar gives off a fantastic cherry aroma.

The Corona Especial starts with a burst strength. There are chocolate, nut,  and warm tobacco flavors, resulting in an intense full-bodied smoke. By the midway point it mellowed slightly with some nutty notes emerging. Later, it picks up again when a strong peppery spice comes to the forefront.

Even though they’re both flavorful cigars, the maduro version is not as balanced or nuanced as its natural counterpart. This blend does, however, give off a pleasant aroma of licorice and cherries.

Then there were the construction issues (notably uncharacteristic of Litto Gomez smokes) that just shouldn’t happen  in a $10 cigar. One sample had a straight burn but required multiple re-lights. The other sample needed multiple touch-ups to fix persistent canoeing.

All in all, the Coronado Maduro is quite a mixed bag. It has a unique and interesting combination of deep, intense flavors, yet serious construction issues and an occasional lack of  balance. That’s why the Coronado by La Flor Corona Especial Maduro earns three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Named for statesman and diplomat John Hay—perhaps best known as Abraham Lincoln’s secretary—John Hay Cigars was founded in 1882 by W.W. Stewart.

Their website, while not the most sophisticated, provides plenty of information about the history of the Pennsylvania-based company and its products.

The John Hay Anniversary, a six and a half inch by 52 ring gauge Pyramid, celebrates 125 years of John Hay Cigars. It features a light brown Habana 2000 wrapper and a “special blend” of filler.

Hand rolled in the Dominican Republic, only 1,882 of these cigars were made to commemorate the company’s founding year. Now the company says they are “down to the last couple hundred.”

The Pyramid has a rugged appearance with some prominent veins. It is so firm to the touch that it causes me to be concerned about a tight draw.

Pre-light, the John Hay Anniversary smells like hay and honey. The cap clips easily and, despite my previous concerns, reveals a very good draw. The foot lights up easily and the first few puffs yield hay, honey, and cinnamon spiciness.

Both of the samples I smoked for this review featured a burn that went ragged from the beginning but never required a touch-up.

As they progress, the hay flavor remains and the cinnamon spiciness increases, while the honey flavor diminishes.

Nearing the end, a harsher taste starts to develop and I set it down for good with a little more than an inch remaining.

On sale on the company website for $6 per stick, the John Hay Anniversary Pyramid is not a complex cigar but is nonetheless enjoyable on the mild side of medium.

With adequate construction and burn properties, its flavors earn it three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

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.

At the IPCPR Trade Show in August, Nub creator Sam Leccia introduced the fourth blend of his popular Nub line featuring a Brazilian maduro wrapper. The cigar demonstrates classic maduro coffee and cocoa flavors with more subtle notes of creamy peanut butter and leather. The medium- to full-bodied smoke also includes impressive balance and classic Nub construction, with a perfect burn, easy draw, and an ash that only needs to be tapped off twice during the entire smoke. This is a must-try for Nub fans.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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.

I’ve had many good experiences with Arganese cigars over the years. In this particular case, however, and with this particular Robusto (5 x 50), I was left disappointed. Its blend of a Nicaraguan wrapper, Dominican binder, and Dominican filler tobaccos produced a dry, unbalanced papery taste with a salty harshness. Construction was admirable—especially for a $4-5 stick—but I didn’t enjoy much else.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) In a move that could prove disastrous for Washington tobacconists, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty plans to criminalize the sale of single cigars in the nation’s capital. His justification is to curb marijuana blunt consumption. But, as the proposed law is currently written, it doesn’t discriminate between premium cigars and cheap, machine-made sticks that are normally purchased at convenience stores and gas stations. “The bottom line is that this is bad legislation that won’t do what it is intended to do—stop the use of marijuana,” said Legislative Director Chris McCalla in an IPCPR press release. “The only thing it will do is irreparable harm to owners of cigar stores, their employees, and loyal customers who enjoy premium cigars.” A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for September 29.

2) Inside the Industry: Shipments of the new Padrón Family Reserve 45 Years are popping up at B&Ms across the country. Usually issued in the fall, this year’s lineup of Edición Limitada cigars from Cuba are on sale early.

3) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up a Lempira Fuerte. Stogie Fresh tries a Hemingway Short Story. Stogie Review reviews the Padrón 45  Years. Cigar Spy investigates a Don Lino Africa. Cigar Inspector sparks a CAO Brazilia.

4) Deal of the Week: This “Blue Gold Sampler” features two outstanding cigars: Don Pepin Garcia’s Blue line (toro) and the Trinidad Maduro (Churchill). For just $50 you get five of each plus free shipping for your entire order. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

There I was, enjoying a relaxing Labor Day weekend of golf, cigars, barbecue and camaraderie, when I read an editorial so horrible, so anti-tobacco and anti-freedom, that it required a response. The New York Times took to it’s hallowed pages to write “Big Tobacco Strikes Back,” an editorial against a lawsuit filed by tobacco companies seeking to challenge new restrictions on advertising created by the recent bill that subjects tobacco to the jurisdiction of the FDA.

The title itself speaks to the problems with the article. “Big Tobacco” may not be a mom and pop operation, but those entrepreneurs are up against something far bigger—the federal government. So if it’s “Big Tobacco,” who are they striking back against? “Colossal Government”?

And then there’s the issue of who is actually suing to advance their free speech rights. While you wouldn’t know it from the editorial, the “tobacco companies” at issue don’t include the largest cigarette company in the world, Altria.

Altria, with its 40% plus market share in cigarettes, was a key supporter of the FDA regulation bill. The company knows that the bill’s advertising restrictions will protect its dominant market share. Those restrictions includes bans on sponsorships for sporting events, bans on ads using anything other than black text on a white background, and a ban on advertising products as “light” or safer, even if truthful.

The Times, and the anti-smoking lobbyists who no doubt inform its opinion, take the position that advertising of tobacco products can be banned if children might be exposed to it. Never mind that the ads target adults; it would be virtually impossible to advertise to adults without some exposure by children. Perhaps even worse, their opposition to tobacco companies informing consumers of how to reduce the harms caused by smoking leaves smokers in the dark about ways to reduce risks. (As to any false claims that cigarette companies might make, surely there are enough trial lawyers looking for a payday to ensure that companies don’t lie about their products.)

The editorial’s view isn’t compatible with the Constitution’s protections of free speech, enshrined in the First Amendment. After all, a corporation is just a group of shareholders who all have the right to tell their fellow citizens about their legal product. Which is why the editorial amounts to nothing more than a screed against companies attempting to assert their guaranteed constitutional rights.

Which brings me to cigars. While we cigar enthusiasts aren’t always pleased with cigarette companies, we should support this effort to overturn the FDA’s free speech ban. It isn’t just a hypothetical that cigars will be the next target. They already are.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Amazon