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.

This long-filler value cigar, made from seconds from the Villazon factories in Cofradia and Danlí, includes Honduran, Dominican, and Nicaraguan tobacco. Construction on the No. 574 (4.5 x 36) is predictably unpredictable. And while the price of about $1 per stick is friendly, the bland, bitter flavor is not.

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) Michael Jordan drew the ire of San Francisco bureaucrats on Tuesday when photos emerged of him smoking a cigar. The former Chicago Bulls star, who is an honorary assistant for the U.S. at the Presidents Cup, was playing a practice round at Harding Park Golf Course. City officials subsequently asked the PGA Tour to remind Jordan of their ban on smoking on public courses.

2) Cuba’s government is reportedly slashing the amount of land on the island devoted to growing tobacco by 30%. The move comes in response to global economic woes, which have reduced sales of Cuban cigars by a whopping 15% in 2009. “Cuba is communist but depends heavily on luxury goods: tourism and tobacco,” said a Brookings Institution scholar. “The fortunes of the world’s wealthy set the fortune of Cuba.”

3) Inside the Industry: Tatuaje has released “Drac”—a $13 torpedo (6.75 x 52)—as part of its annual Halloween release. According to reports, the FDA is sending agents into cigar shops to explore the possible regulation of flavored cigars. The four sizes of the Davidoff Cubano Claro limited release are set to hit stores soon.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review checks out the new Illusione Nototros. Keepers of the Flame smokes a Cuchillos Cubanos. Cigar Inspector fires up a Cruzado. Cigar  Spy tourches up a Room 101. Tampa Cigar Examiner examines the Don José Correa.

5) Deal of the Week: We can’t emphasize enough what a bargain these deals are from Cuban Crafters: a box of 25 La Carolinas for just $59 and a box of 25 Cupido Criollos for just $55. Both blends have received 4.5 ratings, which is amazing considering you can get them for under $2.50 a stick. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Los Angeles Times

Tubed cigars are common in the cigar industry but, until the “King T,” Fuente hadn’t released one except for the limited God of Fire line. The King T has been in production for some time. Delays in creating the tube up to Fuente’s standards, though, reportedly held the cigar off the market until late September, when the cigars started appearing on B&M shelves.

Made by Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. in the Dominican Republic, the King T is a seven inch by 49 ring gauge Churchill featuring a Connecticut shade wrapper around Dominican binder and filler tobaccos.

Despite the name, the King T bears little in common with the King B, the big, tube-less, rosado-wrapped torpedo which was released in 2005. Check out the new Queen B (small belicoso) next to the King T if you’re looking for the latest Fuente rosado smoke.

The King T retails for around $10 per cigar, a price that no doubt reflects its special packaging. But you have to hand it to Fuente. When they make a tubo, they create an impressively ornate one.

The tube isn’t the only visually pleasing characteristic of the King T. The Connecticut wrapper is shiny, smooth, and vein-free. And as with most Fuente cigars, this Churchill is impressively firm.

The King T starts out with a combination of papery and peppery flavors. After it settles into a medium-bodied smoke with an oaky woodiness and bread flavors, the finish is long with a hint of cedar spice.

In both looks and flavor, the King T reminds me of the Fuente Double Chateau—but with a bit  more body and spice. Still, even with the spice, it’s well-balanced and mild- to medium-bodied.

The other main difference is that the King T costs nearly twice as much, which is really my biggest complaint. At $10 each, you feel like you’re paying quite a premium for the tubo.

That makes the King T a great gift, but not a cigar I’m likely to buy on a regular basis. With complex flavors, good looks, and flawless construction, though, the Arturo Fuente King T earns a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

What do the Vintage Especial Rothchild and Gran Cru No. 2 have in common? Well, other than being produced by Tesa, they both rank among the best cigars I’ve reviewed in 2009. So it’s high time I check out “Havanitas,” another one of nine blends produced by this Chicago-based boutique manufacturer.

As you may recall from my previous reviews, Tesa is headquartered in a shop on the Near North Side of the Windy City. Their cigars are, according to the company’s website, “meticulously blended by Chicago area resident Chris Kelly and crafted in the Tesa Cigar factory in Estelí.” Tesa’s naked, tiger-endorsed blends make use of a variety of wrappers and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua.

The Havanitas line, available with a Connecticut shade or criollo ’98 maduro wrapper, comes in two slender sizes: No. 1 (7 x 36) and No. 2 (5.5 x 36). Only 90,000 per vitola are made annually.

With a sharp pigtail cap, a smooth and silky wrapper, and faint pre-light notes of honey and sawdust, the Connecticut No. 1 is as gorgeous as it is elegant. The only imperfection is a harmless “frog eyes” spot near the head.

The narrow foot is easy to light with a single wooden match. As the white ash begins to build, a crisp and satisfying profile develops that includes notes of dry wine, potato, toast, and cream. Mild, yet with plenty of flavor and some spice on the finish.

Warm honey, clove, and tea join in at the midway point to add depth. With each puff producing tons of aromatic smoke, it’s here where I start to appreciate this cigar’s easy draw—especially for a lancero—and razor-sharp burn. The last two inches are characterized by increased spice and notes of  meat and cereals.

As with the others in the Tesa lineup, this cigar’s main drawback is its limited availability and high cost. 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 $12.15 per single.

Notwithstanding those barriers, I still hope you decide to try at least one Havanitas Connecticut No. 1. You won’t be disappointed. For its complex flavor and high-quality physical properties, it earns four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here are some random thoughts on the state of the cigar industry:

Are prices scaring off potential cigar smokers?

I was recently reading the latest issue of Cigar Aficionado and was struck by the lack of affordable smokes. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I seem to remember a time when a significant portion of cigars were available in the $3-5 range. In the October issue, 77 cigars were reviewed; only one cost less than $5, and only 25% were listed as costing less than $7. Maybe it’s just the cigars CA chooses to review. But then again, Cigar Aficionado is many smokers’ first step into cigardom, meaning that these are the first prices many new smokers see. No matter what the reason, I worry that high prices are scaring away potential cigar enthusiasts.

So then what’s an “average” cigar?

Speaking of Cigar Aficionado, have you ever read their descriptions of what their numerical ratings actually mean? According to CA, a rating of 70-79 means “average to good commercial quality” and 80-89 indicates a “very good to excellent” smoke.” Yet I’m not sure I ever recall a cigar getting lower than 80 points in the magazine. While it has been quite awhile since I took a math class, I’m pretty sure it’s mathematically impossible for every single score to be better than average.

Davidoff’s acquisition of Camacho

Some cigar industry folks I spoke to were quite surprised when a year ago the Davidoff Oettinger Group announced their acquisition of Camacho Cigars. It was particularly surprising for some given the brands’ seemingly opposite cigar-making philosophies. Camacho is known for intense, full-bodied, flavor-forward cigars, while Davidoff’s cigars are usually characterized as nuanced, complex, and often on the milder end of the spectrum. We’ve already discussed the reasons for the acquisition, but there’s at least one additional way that it makes plenty of sense: With the late great Zino Davidoff no longer around, and Avo Uvezian well passed retirement age, the company now has a youthful cigar ambassador in Camacho’s Christian Eiroa (pictured) who can be groomed to fill those immensely respected shoes.

Flattery through imitation

These days there are relatively few breakthroughs when it comes to the technical aspects of cigar making. One area where we see occasional innovation, however, is in cigar shapes. Two such examples are the chisel, pioneered by Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, and the Nub, created by Sam Leccia (with Oliva). Since the Nub debuted, a few other companies have created cigars clearly designed to imitate the short and thick shape. (I’m told some in the industry derisively call these cigars “Snubs.”) Yet, to my knowledge, curiously no company to date has copied the innovative chisel shape.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Facebook

I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I smoked my first cigar from the new Cubao Maduro blend. Though I knew not to expect the spice of its natural sibling, I was unprepared for the difference the wrapper would make.

The Ecuadorian broadleaf maduro wrapper truly transforms the taste of the Nicaraguan binder and filler. My initial impression was that the Cubao Maduro was a little too bitter, too rough, and lacked the notes I typically associate with maduros.

Now, however, after quite a few more No. 5s (6.125 x 50), I’ve come to enjoy the cigar for what it is—not what it isn’t. And what it is, first and foremost, is its own cigar. Despite sharing names and innards with the original Cubao, they taste like completely different blends.

This Erik Espinosa, Eddie Ortega, and Don Pepin Garcia creation from EO Brands is a meaty, leathery, heavy-duty smoke not to be taken lightly. It requires attention, not only to appreciate its taste and aroma, but also for its practicalities as well.

The dark, thick wrapper, for example, can create a challenge keeping the cigar lit and burning evenly. Let it begin to burn down one side and you’ll experience a different cigar without the wrapper fully engaged. Yet the Cubao Maduro is also easy to overheat if you draw too frequently.

Rolled out at this summer’s IPCPR Trade Show, these cigars are not as widely available as the original Cubao blend or EO’s popular 601 line. I bought a box at an event in a local shop. The per-stick price appears to be around $6-8.

All in all, I have to say I prefer the original Cubao. I gave the No. 6 four and a half stogies when I reviewed it over a year ago. For me, this new blend isn’t quite at that level, so the EO Cubao Maduro No. 5 earns four stogies out of five.

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

–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 six inch by 50 ring gauge toro features a dark and flawless Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. The medium-bodied smoke has dry, dark chocolate flavors and a pronounced cedary aroma. It’s a well-balanced profile. Construction is also impressive, with an even burn, sturdy ash, and easy draw. It went well with this Lebowski-inspired cocktail.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys