The Stogie Guys

The year is 1792. George Washington is re-elected president. France is embroiled in revolutionary upheaval. America’s first Columbus Day celebration takes place in New York City. And Kentucky is admitted as the 15th state.

It’s hard to think of bourbon without thinking of Kentucky—or vice versa, for that matter. So it stands to reason that Ridgemont Reserve should commemorate the year the Bluegrass State became official, as long as the spirit in question is up to the task of representing the motherland of bourbon. That’s a tall order.

The folks at the Tom Moore Distillery in Bardstown think the 1792 Ridgemont Reserve is up to the task. This 93.7-proof spirit dates back to the 1880s and is crafted in small batches then aged in charred oak barrels. The result, according to the Sazerac Company, is “a distinctively smooth” bourbon that’s honored as the Official Toasting Bourbon of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

“Our story starts with Tom Moore’s original spring 129 years ago and weaves its way around the distillery ending high up in our Rackhouse Z for at least eight years,” reads an ad. “But if you really want to know all that goes into 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, one sip should tell you everything.”

The back of this bourbon’s skinny, oval-shaped bottle features an individually numbered sticker with signatures next to “checked” and “approved.” Glad to see my bottle passed muster. The line next to “character” reads “rich flavor, velvety.” Removing the wooden, cork-stopped cap, the spirit pours with a bright copper hue with orange peel, charred oak, honey, and caramel on the nose. Light and sweet without an alcohol tinge.

The flavor is dry with a medium profile that’s concentrated on the roof of the mouth. Notes of butterscotch, salty corn, wood, and rustic spice are most dominant. An ice cube or two helps round out the taste and tone down the finish, which is characterized by spicy rye.

The straightforward flavor may not be as balanced or complex as I had expected given its pre-sip aroma, but the Ridgemont Reserve still packs plenty of enjoyment for a wallet-friendly price. Only $25-30 per 750 ml. bottle gets you a decent sipping bourbon that pairs well with most medium-bodied cigars. While it may not be the best Kentucky has to offer, 1792 is an honest, cost-effective choice for bourbon enthusiasts on a budget.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Macanudo may be the best selling cigar brand in America but, like the late Rodney Dangerfield, the brand can’t get no respect. While odds are most cigar smokers made Macanudo their very first handmade smoke, it seems many experienced smokers shy away from the brand.

Maybe they see it as a beginner smoke—too mild or not complex enough. For whatever reason, the best selling premium cigar brand in America rarely has the buzz of its lower volume competitors. This despite General Cigar’s many attempts to introduce a more full-bodied smokes.

The last time a new Macanudo brand came out, at the 2008 IPCPR Trade Show, it was the Macanudo 1968, which I described as going “a long way towards combating Macanudo’s reputation among smokers as simplistic.” Two years later, at this year’s trade show, Macanudo followed up with the new Cru Royale blend, billed as a medium-bodied smoke.

Cru Royale featues an oily, deep brown Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Dominican binder, and filler made up of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. It will come in four sizes—Gigante (6 x 60), Robsuto (5 x 50), Lonsdale (6.5 x 42), and Toro (6 x 54)—and sell for $6-7 dollars each when it hits cigar shops in October.

From the first puff, it’s pretty clear that this cigar is nothing like the green and white Macanudo Cafe line. The dominant flavors in the silver, black, and blue-banded Cru Royale are espresso, earth, chocolate, and cedary spice. It’s medium bodied as billed, and while there’s little variation from start to finish, my three IPCPR samples show impressive layers of taste. Underlying the dominant flavors are bready notes that occasionally reveal a slightly sour yeasty flavor. Adding to the complexity is a bit of red pepper spice.

Construction is flawless, a trait I’ve found common to all Macanudo smokes. The burn is even, the ash sturdy, and the draw has just a hint of resistance. Despite that, the most striking aspect of this cigar is how un-Macanudo-like the Cru Royale is.

This can be explained by the blend’s origin. As I was told at the General Cigar booth in New Orleans, the blend is primarily the work of cigar master Benji Menendez, who originally intended it as an extension of the Partagas line. (So, perhaps not coincidentally, Cru Royale reminds me a bit of the Benji Menendez Partagas Masters Series.) This new Macanudo gives seasoned smokers a good reason to revisit the brand, and I’d suggest doing so with a strong cup of coffee. But whatever pairing you choose, I think the newest Macanudo is worth a try, which is why the Macanudo Cru Royale Robusto earns four out of five stogies.

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

–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 new line by La Aurora features a medium brown Ecuadorian wrapper around dual binders (Cameroon and Dominican corojo) and a four-country filler blend of Peruvian, Dominican, Brazilian, and Nicaraguan tobacco. The well-constructed Gran Toro (6 x 58) immediately reveals milky chocolate notes with subtle earth, sweetness, and spice. It’s an extraordinarily balanced, well-rounded smoke. The thick—and apparently popular—super toro size is not my preferred format; I feel the Guillermo León is best in the Gran Corona and Belicoso versions of the blend. But that doesn’t mean the Gran Toro isn’t a very enjoyable  smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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) At over 13%, Michigan has the second highest unemployment rate in the country. But that didn’t stop Wolverine State politicians from enacting a smoking ban, which took effect in May. Now the economy is starting to show signs of the new regulation. According to the Detroit Free Press, a recent survey finds that “more than 42% of responding restaurants said their sales have declined since the ban went into effect.” One bar general manager says, “Employees have been laid off, hours have been cut for others, and the tips have shrunk for the waitstaff and bartenders who are left.” Another laments: “I can’t believe that the State of Michigan did this at a time when the economy is so bad.”

2) Jeff Borysiewicz, president and founder of the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Co., has long been a passionate advocate for cigar rights. This week he added a 19-foot, 1,600-pound exclamation point to his dedication to cigar freedom. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Borysiewicz brought the world’s largest cigar to one of his stores to protest smoking restrictions in Orange County, Florida.

3) Inside the Industry: Every year at the IPCPR Trade Show, manufacturers are recognized with “Best in Show” awards for innovative displays. This year Drew Estate won the large exhibitor category for its  booth featuring dozens of pairs of custom sneakers made in the art studio attached to its Nicaraguan factory. Meanwhile, Hammer + Sickle won the medium  exhibitor category for including a massive piece of the actual Berlin Wall in its display.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a Mi Dominicana. Smoking Stogie lights up the Illusione HL Candela. Cigar Inspector inspects a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender. The Tiki Bar smokes the 2009 and 2010 CAO Rock and Rolled tour cigars. A Cigar Smoker reviews the Guillermo León by La Aurora.

5) Deal of the Week: This unpublicized email special features some of our favorite Cuban Crafters cigars. Included are the highly-rated Miami Medina 1959, Cubano Claro, and Cupido Tuxedo Maduro. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Last month, Charlie Toraño announced some big changes, not the least of which were renaming his company the “Toraño Family Cigar Company” and exercising his option to retake distribution from a deal with CAO. “It belongs in the family,” he told us in an interview.

He also told us about three new blends that have since been introduced at the IPCPR Trade Show: Master, a bundle line called Brigade, and Single Region. The latter, a tobacconist-only release, brings a vintner’s approach to cigars. “Each Serie will feature a blend that is created entirely from tobaccos grown on one carefully selected finca in one particular region,” reads a Toraño press release. “The blend’s flavor and aroma will reflect the influence of the region’s soil, weather, and topography.”

Charlie Toraño chose the Serie Jalapa as the first Single Region debut. It features tobacco from the El Estero Farm in Jalapa, Nicaragua—a small plot of sandy, red clay that’s naturally irrigated by a stream. The unique location grows “some of the finest and most aromatic tobacco in the world,” according to Toraño.

Three Serie Jalapa vitolas are in production (Churchill, Robusto, and Toro Grande) with price tags that range from $6.50-6.95 apiece. All are handmade at the Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras.

Measuring five inches with a 52 ring gauge, the Robusto is a clean, reddish cigar with a neat cap, a moderate cold draw, and a well-packed cross section of tobacco at the foot. It looks and feels more expensive than it is, even with its understated double bands.

After establishing an even light, the Single Region’s sweet pre-light aroma transitions into a taste of tea, leather, and toffee. It’s medium-bodied with remarkable balance for a cigar with such a homogeneous lineage. I expected something more monotonous, even though the tobaccos were cultivated in different years from El Estero.

As the cigar progresses, two characteristics stand out. One, the physical properties are just about perfect. The burn line remains even absent any maintenance, the draw is smooth with moderate resistance, and the gray ash is sturdy. Two, the flavor adds a creamy, nutty element that rounds out the profile nicely. The only drawback is a subtle stale taste that creeps in and out towards the finale.

But don’t let that singular flaw deter you from purchasing the Single Region Serie Jalapa. This is a tremendous smoke, especially for the price. I predict it will win over many cigar enthusiasts in the months to come, and I award the Robusto four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last week we reported live for three days from the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show. If you missed it, you can review our coverage here. (Also, be sure to read our IPCPR previews here and here.) But even after our 23 live updates, we still had plenty of information that we didn’t have time to publish directly from New Orleans. So today we wrap up our comprehensive coverage of the event:

Drew Estate: One of the most interesting conversations we had was with Drew Estate President Steve Saka. Saka says he and everyone at the company have been free to innovate because there are no past generations to roll over in their graves. He was excited about the Unico Serie, of which the first release is the Dirty Rat. Unico will give him a venue to introduce limited releases and special projects that don’t fit neatly into other lines. For example, Saka says he made 250 different blends as part of the Liga Privada project. One cigar he’s considering for Unico is a version of the Dirty Rat he calls the Ratzilla (6 x 46). The Dirty Rat blend, Saka told us, is good up until about a 46 or 48 ring gauge. Another project he’s working on treats cigars like craft beer. One blend tastes like beef jerky, although Saka hasn’t yet decided if that’s a good thing or not.

Oliva: The Connecticut Reserve gets a new size, a Double Toro (6 x 60), that will come in boxes of ten. Cain, both the Maduro and Habano versions, is now available in Nub sizes. There are also rumors, as there have been for a couple of years now, that Oliva still has some Master Blends I and II aging and may bring them to market at some point. Also rumored is that a limited but regular production cigar named “Melanio” (after Gilberto Oliva’s grandfather) is in the works with an estimated MSRP of $12-15 per cigar.

Ashton: Ashton will continue to release about 1,000 boxes per year of the La Aroma de Cuba and San Cristobal Lancero samplers. Introduced this year is the “Perfection Selection” sample, which features 10 salomon-sized cigars, two each of the three La Aroma de Cuba lines. Also new is a size extension in the VSG, a tubo called “Eclipse” (6.25 x 52) that is already available.

E.P. Carrillo: Ernesto-Perez Carrillo’s family company will be releasing their “Core” line in mid-September. It features a Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos. It will be available in boxes of 20 in 6 sizes with MSRPs ranging from $6.45-8.70. Carrillo said that they currently have enough tobacco to produce the line for 2-3 years and described it as being a cross between the Inaugural 2009 and the Short Run blends that he has already released. Also new from E.P. Carrillo is the 2010 LE, which features a Brazilian habano wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan filler with an MSRP of $15 per cigar. Only 1,000 boxes of ten will be produced and it is already sold out to retailers. Carrillo said he’s just finishing up the construction of his new 40,000-square-foot factory in the Dominican. With it fully up and running, he’ll be able to introduce more new cigars, including a couple of “Short Run” products each year, with the next coming in early 2011.

La Palina: Bill Paley told us about the La Palina Family Blend, which was debuting only a few months after the Limited Edition 1896 Robusto. The four shapes are each named after a family member. “Pasha” was the nickname for Bill’s father, William Paley Sr., the founder and Chairman of CBS. “Babe” is named for Bill’s mother, while “Alison” is named for his wife. Finally, “Little Bill” was Bill’s nickname growing up. More information on the sizes can be found in our preview post.

New Humidification Devices: With so many fine new cigars on the market, cigar makers are getting serious about humidification. Perhaps they realize that as cigar smokers grow more confident in their humidor, they are more likely to buy more cigars to age. Ashton will now be distributing Boveda, a maker of various humidification products. The Drew Estate booth featured a product called Cigar Mechanic, which uses non-propylene glycol two-way humidification products. Cigar Mechanic was also featuring some large protective travel cigar cases, including one designed to be pulled on two wheels. Alec Bradley had a new humidification system called Dr. RH. Alec Bradley President Alan Rubin explained to us that “humidity is second only to quality of tobacco” when it comes to how good a cigar is. To that end, Dr. RH uses three sizes of humidification beads and, through their website, you can even set up customized email reminders to check your humidor.

–Patrick S and Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With the economy still sputtering, many cigar lovers continue to find themselves strapped for cash. We’ve provided quite a few suggestions for savings in the past and continue to look for ways to assist readers. Here’s the latest installment that we hope will help you reduce expenditures and increase the enjoyment odds:

1. Buy parejos. This is the typical cigar shape: straight sides, rounded head with a cap or pigtail, and an open foot. It’s the easiest shape to roll, so it’s the least costly. Figurados such as torpedos, perfectos, and other irregularly shaped sticks require greater skill to roll properly. So you’ll either pay more for a well-done figurado or risk a poorly rolled cigar.

2. Ignore novelty. When you’re trying to save money and buy good cigars, you need to steel yourself against the latest fad (those double-wrapper cigars look interesting!) or creation (Should I try that new anniversary stick or the latest blend?). They may be terrific cigars, but you’re taking a risk, and shepherding resources is all about reducing risk.

3. Don’t buy bundles blindly. No-name bundle sticks can be a bargain. But, let’s face it, odds are they’ll be mediocre at best. When you’re smoking, do you want your mind focused on a pleasant experience or busy trying to convince yourself that this cigar you can barely tolerate is OK because it didn’t cost much? Personally, I wouldn’t buy more than five sticks of any cigar I hadn’t previously smoked and liked.

4. Just say no. Make sure you have a good cutter, punch, and/or V-cutter. If you have a lighter, use it. That’s all you need. If your lighter breaks, don’t go looking for a new ST Dupont or Bugatti. Wooden matches will do just fine. If you really want a butane torch, get a sub-$3 Ronson. And don’t even think about things like golf course cigar holders or three-finger ostrich skin cases.

5. Reputation means a lot. One great trend lately has been top-flight manufacturers—Pepin, Fuente, Newman, Perdomo, and others—bringing lower-priced cigars to market. These companies have access to excellent tobacco, good rollers, and top blenders; they put their names on the line with every cigar. And they’re on the shelves at most tobacconists, so you can easily try them out one at a time. No, these low-end cigars aren’t as rich, smooth, or complex as high-dollar cigars, but smoking them will, once again, increase the odds you’ll be pleased.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr