The Stogie Guys

In March, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo ended his tenure with General Cigar to establish his own boutique. The move effectively left La Gloria Cubana, the brand he built from relative obscurity to industry prominence, without its leader of nine years.

Before parting ways, though, Perez-Carrillo left behind four blends in the La Gloria Cubana portfolio. One is Reserva Figurados, launched in 2004. This line of five different figurado sizes comes in either a natural Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf or a maduro Connecticut broadleaf.

The rest of the Reserva Figurados blend includes a four-year-old Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

They are handmade at the El Credito Cigar Factory in Miami by “level seven” cigar rollers. Only 1,000 boxes of each size are produced annually before they are subjected to a cedar aging process.

With a tapered foot, a short and slender physique, and a rock-hard feel, the jet-black Felicias Maduro (4.6 x 49) looks like it could be fired from a gun. Pre-light notes are tough to come by but, if you pay close enough attention, you might notice aromas of sweet cocoa and coffee.

Snipping the cap reveals a surprisingly even draw and virtually no taste on the lips. After lighting, however, a rich and bold flavor of dry wood, pepper, and steak comes through. Medium-bodied and smooth with a rounded finish—very similar to the Flechas Especiales Maduro.

This profile is fairly consistent throughout, save for a gentle increase in spice down the home stretch. All the while, the combustion qualities are good as the straight burn works its way down the shapely cigar. The draw is easy and the white ash is solid and well-behaved.

With these qualities, and at only $4-6 apiece, the Reserva Figurados Felicias Maduro has been a staple in my humidor for awhile. And this time of year I’m thankful for that. Its stature is suited well for cold temperatures, and its flavor pairs well with warm coffee or a winter brew.

But this cigar is an excellent choice for any season. So despite lacking a great deal of complexity, this La Gloria Cubana earns four stogies out of five.

[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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Maybe it’s just me, but La Aurora seems to be an often-overlooked and under-appreciated cigarmaker. Case in point would be the La Aurora Preferidos Maduro Robusto. Its under-stated band surrounds a veiny but oily Brazilian wrapper. Once lit, I found a medium-bodied smoke with dry chocolate, cinnamon, and tea flavors on the finish. It’s tremendously balanced and expertly constructed.

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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This six-inch cigar, which came in the sampler that’s available only to CRA members, is a previously unavailable size of the original Casa Fernandez blend. It is built with Cuban-seed corojo tobacco grown in Nicaragua. The sungrown wrapper is clean with a fair amount of oils, and the smooth, medium-bodied flavor is reminiscent of roasted nuts, sweet caramel, and pepper. Delightful from beginning to end with nearly perfect combustion qualities.

Verdict = Buy.

–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) On Monday, General Cigar was dealt a blow in the company’s protracted legal battle with Cuba. At issue is General’s use of the “Cohiba” brand name, under which they have been marketing Dominican-made cigars for over a decade. A federal judge in Manhattan issued an injunction, pending appeal, to prevent General from using the name. His justification is a doctrine “which holds that if a foreign trademark is well-known in the U.S. it is protected even though it’s not registered…”

2) Smoking Ban Alerts: San Francisco politicians are looking to tighten the city’s ban by making it illegal to smoke near doors, vents, and windows. Colorado’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s live theater ban. As expected, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm will sign a statewide indoor smoking ban today.

3) Inside the Industry: Arturo Fuente is releasing a new line of cigars called Rosado Sungrown Magnum R, which features aged Ecuadorian wrappers provided by the Oliva Tobacco Company. Despite their recent legal setback, General Cigar has opened its first Cohiba-branded cigar lounge at Nice Ash Cigars in Depew, NY.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review lights up an ECCJ 15th Anniversary by Altadis. Nice Tight Ash smokes the Punch Rare Corojo. Keepers of the Flame sparks a La Tradicion Cubana Deluxe 15th Anniversary. Stogie Fresh reviews the Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve. Cigar Inspector inspects the Rocky Patel Nording.

5) Deal of the Week: Want to try many different cigars for a small price? This sampler has 20 top smokes for just $60, including favorites from Rocky Patel, Graycliff, Padilla, Man O’ War, 5 Vegas, Gurkha, and many more.  Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Introduced in July 2008, the Soirée blend is among the newest from cigar traditionalist and pioneer Paul Garmirian. PG, after all, is a rarity among today’s manufacturers, resisting the pressure to constantly come out with something new.

Devoid of slick marketing and gimmickry, PG quietly blends and ages classic-tasting cigars from their headquarters in McLean, Virginia. They seem keenly interested in doing a few things right and less concerned about increasing their market share or expanding their operations. But every once in awhile PG debuts a new line.

Such was the case about 17 months ago when Paul and his son, Kevork, launched Soirée. Wrapped in a reddish Nicaraguan Colorado leaf with Dominican binder and filler tobaccos, Soirée is the result of Paul’s quest for “new blends reminiscent of the great Cuban cigars PG enjoyed in the 1950s and early 1960s.”

The blend sports four sizes, including the Connoisseur (6 x 50), which retails for $290 for a 25-count box. My dad, though, paid about $190 at his local hangout in the Chicago suburbs. He was nice enough to gift me a few for this review.

One thing becomes immediately clear when you remove the Connoisseur from its cellophane: This is one of those cigars that values substance over style. The red and toothy wrapper has some coarse veins and prominent seams, and the cap isn’t all that pretty. But the overall feel is one of quality and the pre-light notes of spicy cedar are mouth-watering.

The flavor of the Soirée Connoisseur can best be described as bold yet smooth. Rarely does a cigar come along with such a big taste and yet so much subtlety and nuance. The base flavor is one of dry wood, warm tobacco, and soft pepper—all of which is complemented by creamy caramel, earth, and even some floral notes.

This complex, well-balanced profile carries through to the midway point. As PG says on its website, it is a “full-bodied after dinner cigar with an exquisite aroma and smooth finish.” True, and it’s especially nice in the evening with a glass of rum. But it also works in the afternoon thanks to its smoothness.

I wish the construction were as delightful as the taste. The ash is unstable with a penchant for flowering, the draw is a tad tight, and the burn requires several touch-ups.

Still, the PG Soirée Connoisseur is a special smoke that will satisfy the most discriminating of cigar smokers. It earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Awhile ago, we shared our invitation to the traveling debut of the newest Partagas cigar, the Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso. And even though there wasn’t an event in my area, I was able to obtain three samples for this review.

Born in Havana in 1936, Benji Menendez has a cigar pedigree that few can match. His grandfather, father, uncles, and great uncles were considered the royalty of the cigar business during the pre-revolution heyday of Cuban cigars, having developed world-class Cuban puros including Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Por Larrañaga.

Now with General Cigar, Menendez is celebrating 57 years in the business with a  new limited edition Partagas: the Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso, which comes only in a six inch by 46  ring gauge corona gorda.

The cigar features a dark, oily Cameroon wrapper wrapped around Connecticut  habano binder and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It is solidly constructed, and a quick slice with my guillotine cutter reveals an effortless draw.

Once lit, the Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso reveals a medium-bodied combination of leather, licorice, and bread. It has a woody finish.

While the flavor profile doesn’t change a whole lot, a slight peppery finish develops in the second half and a hint of nutmeg also emerges. Despite the relatively small change in flavor, it is still a complex smoke with extraordinary balance.

Only 5,000 boxes of this special Partagas are being released. The Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso sells for around $10 each, a reasonable price for an excellent smoke that earns four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

So-called “health care reform” isn’t usually a topic for a cigar publication to tackle. But the more research one does on the proposal now being debated in the U.S. Senate, the more it becomes clear that it’s grossly unfair to smokers.

The leading proposal from Congress contains many changes to current law, but three aspects of the bill in combination create a system that will increase costs for smokers while subsidizing others that are guaranteed to cost more. This despite the fact that through the punitive SCHIP tax, smokers already pay more than their fair share of health care costs.

The bill would require every individual to buy insurance and simultaneously prohibit insurance companies from refusing to cover individuals. It also mandates that insurance companies can only use three characteristics (and only those characteristics) for charging higher premiums: tobacco use, age, and family composition.

For tobacco users, Congress empowers insurance companies to charge 50% more for insurance. Because smoking is one of a few areas where insurance companies are allowed to charge more, and since every individual must buy insurance, insurance companies will be encouraged to charge even lower-risk tobacco users like cigar smokers the full 50% increase.

Meanwhile, Congress would prohibit insurers from charging more for pre-existing conditions, who are unsurprisingly the most expensive people to insure. This means that those with illnesses like cancer, lung disease, throat cancer, or anything else—including those that may have been caused by smoking—cannot be charged more while smokers can be.

The irony (and absurdity) should be obvious: If you’re already sick from something caused by smoking, you pay less than smokers who likely only have a slight chance of getting the very same disease.

There are, of course, many other reasons for opposing a federal health care overhaul that smokers may or may not agree with. However, all smokers, particularly cigar smokers who will be forced to buy pricier insurance unwarranted by their relative risk ratios, should oppose (once again) being unfairly singled out by the government and forced to subsidize the health care of costs of non-smokers.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys