The Stogie Guys

Ever wonder just how quickly the tyranny of smoking bans and cigar taxes are sweeping the country? Well, there’s a map for that.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—an anti-tobacco lobbying organization funded by Johnson & Johnson, maker of Nicorette and Nicoderm (both sold to people who want to quit smoking cigarettes)—has an animated map that shows how these anti-cigar laws are sweeping the supposedly “Land of the Free.”

In the first tab (“Smoke-free Laws”), by selecting “any of the above” you can watch how since 1998  the number of states with smoking bans has gone from 2 to 33. Smoking bans now effect over 74% of Americans, and that doesn’t include the numerous local bans on the city and county levels.

Then, if you click tab two (“Cigarette Tax Rates by State”), you can see the dramatic increases in tobacco taxes over the same period. (Note that while cigar taxes don’t always correlate perfectly with cigarette taxes, more often than not cigars are included when cigarette taxes go up.) And the map understates the situation by omitting federal and local taxes.

It’s a sad state of affairs that an anti-tobacco group like the Johnson Foundation would post this map to gloat over their success in passing legislation designed to snuff out smoking in the country. Still, it should provide a clear warning to cigar lovers everywhere.

The anti-smoking forces will never stop until the entire map is filled with smoking bans and massive tobacco taxes. They refuse to compromise and won’t stop until our cigars are taxed or banned out of existence.

Groups like Cigar Rights of America have a lot of work to do and they need your help. As Litto Gomez recently told us, until politicians feel cigar smokers—and others who respect the freedom to choose to smoke—begin pushing back, there’s nothing to stop this anti-cigar legislation from continuing to sweep the country.

–Patrick S

map source: RWJF

The golf course is a great place to smoke a cigar. What other sport is it acceptable for a competitor, with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, to light up a fine stogie mid-competition?

You’re outdoors in presumably good weather, free (for the most part) of smoking bans, and playing a game with very long pauses in action. Still, there are a few things to consider when selecting a smoke for the golf course.

1. Length — There’s really no cigar too long for golf. Even if you’re just playing nine holes, you’ll probably be out there for two hours. This is the time for those toros, double coronas, and Churchills that you otherwise might not have time to smoke.

2. Ring Gauge — There’s a lot to like about thin cigars, but generally you’ll want to shy away from lanceros, panatelas, and coronas. Thicker cigars tend to have a sturdier ash and a more consistent burn. On the course, you’ll want a smoke that won’t completely destruct if it gets dropped. Usually 50 ring gauge and larger can handle the rigor of the links better.

3. Strength — You don’t want a cigar so strong that you need to sit down while you smoke it. On the other hand, you also don’t want a cigar that’s too mild to enjoy without your complete attention. That’s why I usually grab medium or medium- to full-bodied smokes when I’m playing.

4. Price — While everyone has their own definition of an expensive cigar, I’m of the thought that pricey cigars have no place on the golf course. When you’re playing golf, a cigar is a secondary activity. That means it’s best to leave the special occasion smokes at home and bring something that offers value instead.

5. Number — How many cigars to bring on the course is a matter of personal choice. With a typical round going five hours, two or three cigars is probably about right (and you’ll be glad you have that third one when you’re stuck behind a particularly slow group). In addition, think about bringing a few extra smokes to give to your fellow golfers. You may be slowing the group down with your horrible putting, but they’ll be glad you came along when they’re enjoying the fine cigars you generously shared with them.

Remember that smoking a cigar on the course won’t lower your handicap. But by following these few simple rules you may find that you’ll enjoy your round of golf more than ever.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

“Symphony” is a fitting name for the newest creation from cigar traditionalist and pioneer Paul Garmirian. Its harmonious flavor calls to mind a complex, balanced composition that leaves the audience calling for an encore performance.

That’s high praise. Rest assured, however, that my admiration is well-deserved. I’ve come to expect big things from Garmirian’s boutique, and the 20th Connoisseur exceeds my expectations in every way.

This blend made its world premier in December at a highly anticipated PG event at Morton’s in Reston, Virginia. It was a rare occurrence. PG resists the temptation to come out with something new every year—a hallmark of the company’s dedication to traditionalism and disdain for slick marketing and over-extension.

Celebrating the brand’s 20th anniversary, Symphony was crafted by Henke Kelner of Davidoff fame and Eladio Diaz, his chief blender. It consists of four different filler tobaccos, a Havana-seed binder, and an exterior leaf that PG calls “greatest wrapper we have ever seen.”

PG, evidently, went to great lengths to top their 15th Anniversary blend, released in a Connoisseur size (6 x 52) five years ago and later expanded into a full ten-vitola line. Garmirian’s work makes a great first impression. The Symphony 20th Connoisseur, the only size currently available, is dark and silky with a mouth-watering pre-light aroma of hay and molasses.

From the first puff, the profile is full-bodied with a powerful yet smooth taste of wine, warm tobacco, cereals, and roasted nuts. The aftertaste has a lingering cedar spice and the sweet resting smoke reminds me of corn and pencil shavings.

This flavor, which persists throughout the two-hour smoke, commands undivided attention. I smoked two Connoisseurs for this review, both with nothing other than a beverage and my thoughts to keep my occupied. I never found myself even slightly bored. The subtleties and balance in taste are plenty entertainment for a serious cigar enthusiast.

As it should be with a cigar that costs $17 apiece. Thoroughly impressed with its performance in flavor and construction, the new Symphony 20th is a must-try while supplies last.  And that may not be for long. The Connoisseur is the only size that will ever be available and it will never again  be in production. Why? Because the filler tobacco includes a mystery leaf of unknown origin that had been aging in Kelner’s warehouse. It therefore cannot be replicated.

So, depending on demand, PG expects B&Ms to run out of the blend in one to two years (supplies at PG’s own boutique shop could last three to five years). But I wouldn’t wait that long to try this cigar, which is unquestionably worthy of our highest rating: 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

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.”

Made exclusively by Don Pepin Garcia as part of Cigar International’s Legends Series, this toro (5.7 x 54) features a golden wrapper and firm construction. The cigar demonstrated consistent flavors from start to finish: mostly graham and cedar. Towards the end of the medium-bodied smoke, grassy, slightly-bitter notes emerge. While not a terrible stick, I did find it to be somewhat uninspired and definitely lacking the depth of flavor I’ve come to expect from Pepin smokes.

Verdict = Sell.

–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.”

I love it when cigar shops produce and sell small-batch house blends that you can’t find anywhere else. Such is the case with the Torres Figurado Doble Capa, a barber pole cigar made by Alex Torres of The Cigar Room in Austin, TX. The Dominican puro sports excellent physical properties and an uncomplicated flavor of damp earth, leather, and cedar spice. Give the shop a call if you’d like to try one.

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) Indiana politicians have again rejected legislation that would have criminalized smoking in Hoosier State bars, restaurants, and other “public” places. “Our Indiana association members and their customers had a lot to do with defeating this proposed legislation,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR. “They contacted their state representatives and senators in opposition to the bill because it was discriminatory, unnecessary, and it would have cost jobs and tax revenues. The General Assembly did the right thing at the right time for the state of Indiana and for that we are grateful. If the issue is raised again in the future, however, we will be ready once again to defend our rights and the rights of all the state’s citizens and help defeat any such bills.”

2) A network of “smoke-easies”—nightclubs that allow patrons to smoke illegally—have sprung up in New York City. The New York Times reports that Manhattan’s popular M2 UltraLounge is at risk of being the first establishment closed by the city government for smoking violations.

3) Inside the Industry: Tobacco giant Swedish Match, owner of General Cigar, entered into an agreement with the Plasencia Group yesterday to form Caribbean Cigar Holdings.  To promote the new Habana Serie R No. 3 size, La Gloria Cubana is giving away five trips to Las Vegas and a 2010 Lotus Elise sports car.

4) Around the Blogs: The Stogie Guys, via the Daily Caller, feature the La Flor Dominicana Mysterio Oscuro. Stogie Review lights up a Camacho Select. Nice Tight Ash fires up a Padilla Cazadores. Cigar Inspector inspects a Rocky Patel Winter Series 2009. Keepers of the Flame smokes the Brick House.

5) Deal of the Week: March Madness is nothing if not another opportunity for an unpublicized Cuban Crafters sale. There are a number of discounts, but the best deal is a box of 20 Don Kiki White Label Churchills (2001 harvest) for just $50. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

graphic credit: Stogie Guys

My cell phone alarm sounds. Annoying tune. I hit the snooze button once, sometimes twice. I begrudgingly get up, brush my teeth, shower, and ponder the necessity of shaving. I get dressed. (Have I worn this to work lately?) I plop in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal to catch the weather forecast and a few SportsCenter highlights. I lock the front door behind me. As I walk to my car, I mentally prepare myself for a commute in Washington traffic that promises to test my patience and my driving skills.

We all have our morning routines. For some, like me, they regularly dictate the actions of most weekdays—up until I sift through a few articles in The Economist before bedtime.

I find my moderately regimented existence extends to cigars. When it comes to choosing when to smoke on weekdays, for instance, I do so almost exclusively after dinner. I wish that weren’t the case. I wish I could find more time to relax and enjoy some premium tobacco. But with work, grad school, exercise, and other commitments, the evening is often the only time available during the workweek.

I’d love to be able to squeeze in more lunchtime cigars now that the weather is more agreeable. Every blue moon, when the stars align just right, I can make it happen. While the midday break cigar is a rewarding escape from an otherwise fast-paced workday, my lunches are frequently cigar-free because of meetings or deadlines.

Weekends are a different story. Sometimes I have a smoke with a cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes I’ll fire up a stogie in the afternoon or in the evening. Sometimes all three. It just depends on the situation and my mood.

Routines also play an important role in other aspects of cigar smoking. From snipping the cap and toasting the foot with wooden matches to storing the band and emptying the ashtray, I have predictable pre- and post-cigar rituals from which I rarely deviate.

But there is at least one un-regimented characteristic of my affair with cigars: choosing which cigars to smoke. Unlike many enthusiasts, I don’t really have a regular rotation. Rather, my selections depend upon what reviews are needed for StogieGuys.com (i.e., new cigars, cigars we haven’t yet examined, etc.). It’s a tough job but—routine or not— somebody’s got to do it.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr