The Stogie Guys

One thing’s for certain about Rocky Patel: He makes a heck of a lot of cigars. Rocky’s flashy website doesn’t even bother to mention many of his blends, be they seasonal, limited editions, retailer exclusives, or what have you.

Still, for many cigar enthusiasts, any stick with Rocky’s name on the label is worth trying. Such trust is rooted not only in the blends that rocketed Rocky to success—like the Vintage ’90 and ’92 lines—but also in more recent winners, such as the popular and highly acclaimed Decade.

Among his lesser-known creations is the four-vitola Puro Cubano blend. The story here is that Rocky wanted to introduce a new full-bodied cigar before the SCHIP tax hike went into effect last April. To his dismay, however, the blend of Cuban-seed filler from Estelí, Nicaragua, and the Cibao Valley of the Dominican turned out milder than anticipated.

Rocky evidently thought the cigar was still worthy of his name. So today Puro Cubanos are readily available from online retailers at a relatively inexpensive price point.

The Robusto (5.5 x 50) sells for approximately $3.50-5 apiece when bought by of the box of 20. It isn’t the most attractive cigar on the planet. I examined two Robustos for this review, both of which included a Habano wrapper with large veins, small tears, and some discolored splotches.

The initial flavor, not unlike many cigars these days, starts with a hearty dose of black pepper spice. Powerful yet without harshness. This must have been what Rocky had in mind when he set out to make the Puro Cubano.

After a half inch, the profile mellows into a core of creamy oak. The taste is drier and more resinous than it is balanced or complex. It isn’t without charm, though, and I suspect many Rocky fans will be pleased with the Robusto’s medium-bodied bang for the buck.

That suspicion is reinforced by the Puro Cubano’s outstanding construction. Sure, this cigar may look like it’s going to have combustion deficiencies, but it smokes very well. Expect a sturdy white ash, an effortless draw, and a straight burn.

Seasoned cigar veterans still shouldn’t expect to be wowed. The flavor is too monotonous to merit 100% of your attention. So I’d save the Puro Cubano Robusto for occasions where the cigar will be a background complement instead of the main event. That’s why this Rocky Patel earns three stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by Cigars Direct.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Dion Giolito has made a splash over the past few years with bold yet balanced smokes marketed with a flare for the mysterious and sometimes conspiratorial. Unlike his earlier Illusione and Cruzado lines, the Epernay blend takes its inspiration from a more traditional source: the Epernay region of France known around the world for the Champagne it produces.

Epernay debuted in 2008 as the ECCJ 15th limited release (in honor of the 15th anniversary of the European Cigar Cult Journal). It was eventually rolled out in 2009 as a full line with four sizes. For this review I tasted the panatela-sized “Le Elegance” (5.75 x 40).

According to Illusione’s website, this Nicaraguan puro features “a combination of criollo and corojo tobaccos…[and] is finished with a superior-grade cafe rosado coverleaf.” It’s well constructed with a Cuban-style triple cap and framed by a white and gold band.

Pre-light, the panatela draws with sweet cedar notes. I find a mild, creamy smoke after lighting with a single wooden match.

Despite its distinctly mild to medium body, the cigar has an intense mix of apple, roast nuts, and cedar. In the final third, a very subtle hint of cedar spiciness emerges along with delicate floral notes.

Construction is excellent, which is particularly impressive considering the small ring gauge. The ash holds for over half an inch and the draw provides no resistance.

It is said that the Epernay is blended to be paired with champagne, but I’ll admit I had my doubts. With a healthy skepticism, I lit my last one up paired with a fine Cava (which, for my money, is as good as a champagne three times the price), and I found that the crisp, lively bubbly was an excellent accompaniment.

I’ve written before in appreciation of fine mild smokes, and this cigar hits all the characteristics of such a cigar. Delicate and subtle, Le Elegance is tasty and without a bit of the bitterness that tarnishes so many otherwise excellent mild cigars.

Ultimately, at $7.70, this Epernay lives up to its name: elegant. Because of that, the Illusione Epernay Le Elegance earns the rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[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.”

Relatively unknown, the 262 Paradigm line features a dark, smooth, nearly vein-free Brazilian wrapper. The Torpedo (6.25 x 54) is constructed well and slow-burning with a firm feel and a mouth-watering combination of roast cashews and milk chocolate. Medium-bodied and balanced, there’s little variation in the profile from start to finish, with the exception of coffee notes that emerge at the midway point. This $8 newcomer is a very impressive cigar that I don’t expect to be unknown for very long.

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.”

When I reviewed this Cuban almost a year ago, I wrote, “Even though this is a fine, noble smoke today, something about the flavor leads me to believe it will be slightly better tomorrow.” I’m happy to report it is. The profile of graham cracker, honey, and caramel is more cohesive than I recall. And, as a bonus, gone are the burn issues that once plagued this otherwise well-built cigar. Now I can truly understand why the Especial (5.5 x 50) has been labeled the flagship Epicure.

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) StogieGuys.com Exclusive: Through its Twitter account, Cigar Rights of America announced the first four cigars in the next sampler available only to CRA members: Alec Bradley Tempus, Cuba Aliados Miami Edition, Avo Classic, and La Aurora 100 Años. StogieGuys.com has since exclusively verified four other cigars that will be included: Camacho Limited Edition, Perdomo Patriarch, La Gloria Cubana Reserva Figurado,  and Diamond Crown Maximus. And now we hear rumblings (from those that would know) that the final two cigars will be the Vegas Cubanas by Don Pepin Garcia and a rare Fuente Fuente Forbidden X.  Contrary to a photo posted on twitter last week, we’re told the second sampler will not contain the Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9, which was featured in the original sampler.

2) It was reported this week that Cuban cigar sales fell 8% in 2009 to $360 million. Predictably, the global economic downturn has taken its toll on so-called “luxury goods,” and Cubans are no exception. The disappointing performance of Habanos SA, Cuba’s state tobacco monopoly, is more specifically attributed to falling demand in Spain (reportedly the biggest importer of Cuban cigars) and fewer purchases at airport duty-free shops driven by less travel. “This is not what we were expecting, not what we hoped for anyway,” Habanos Vice President Manuel Garcia told the Associated Press. “It’s been a series of negative factors.”

3) Inside the Industry: Toraño continues its “Roots Run Deep Tour” in 2010 with events all around the country that will feature an exclusive Churchill-sized “2010 Tour”  cigar. Camacho has been selected as the official cigar of the Academy Awards Style Lounge, a Beverly Hills event that precedes the Oscars.

4) Around the Blogs: The Stogie Guys, via The Daily Caller, feature the Cuban Crafters Cubano Claro Churchill. Stogie Review fires up a La Herencia Cubana. Cigar Inspector reviews the Vegas Robaina Maestro RE. Nice Tight Ash tries the Oliva Connecticut. Keepers of the Flame smokes the Rocky Patel Renaissance.

5) Deal of the Week: This sale on various five-packs is a great way to try some terrific smokes at an affordable price. Bargain hunters will particularly want to check out the offerings from Fernandez, La Aurora, Rocky Patel, Oliva, and Padilla. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Habanos SA

Drew Estate is best known for its line of infused cigars called Acid. But it is the traditional Nicaraguan puro Liga Privada that is winning over seasoned smokers.

The Liga Privada No. 9, which means private blend number nine, was originally created for Drew Estate President Steve Saka. It features a seven-tobacco blend with a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper and is aged for a full year before being shipped for sale.

Building on the success of the No. 9, Drew Estate extended the line in 2009 with the release of the Liga Privada T-52, which is a different blend and features a stalk-cut habano wrapper. The Flying Pig, a four-inch by 60 ring gauge perfecto, is a limited release vitola under the original No. 9 line with a production run of 24,000 cigars.

The unique shape was chosen by Steve Saka from a picture of an 1895 cigar salesman’s size selection case. The Flying Pig features more ligero than the No. 9 but the same Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. The changes in the blend give the Flying Pig more strength than the No. 9, and a slightly sweeter flavor profile.

The construction is excellent with a firm feel and no visible defects in the oily wrapper. It smells of earth and leather with just a hint of pepper. Because the Flying Pig is a perfecto, I was a little worried about the draw being tight in the beginning, but the initial draw is good and opens up slightly once you pass the first half inch.

The cigar yields plenty of creamy smoke with initial flavors of leather, earth, and some sweetness. As it progresses, the leather fades and cedar and a nice spice join the mix. A sweetness reminiscent of cocoa also picks up. The burn is consistent with a bit of wavering, but it never requires a touch-up. The Flying Pig burns slowly with an average smoke time of around and hour and a half.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Flying Pig. The flavors are interesting and blended well. Construction and combustion qualities are excellent as well, which you would expect from a cigar with an MSRP of $12 per stick.

My only small complaint is that on one of my two samples the cap came off half way through the cigar. While this was bit disconcerting at the time, it did not affect the draw or the flavor at all. All of these factors combine to earn the Liga Privada Flying Pig four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’ve won more than a few bets with bartenders and others by knowing that bourbon, by definition, need not be from Kentucky. Hudson Baby Bourbon, made in the Hudson Valley an hour north of New York City, is case in point.

While certainly identified with Bourbon County, the truth is bourbons have to follow only a few non-geographical rules. Most notably, it must be made from 51% corn and aged in new, charred oak barrels.

Tuthilltown Distillery takes those rules to an extreme with its Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey. Made from 100% corn whiskey (a rarity for a bourbon),  it is then aged less than two years in a new oak barrel.

Using a 3-gallon barrel, instead of the industry standard 53-gallon barrel, the spirit absorbs flavor from the barrel via more surface area by volume. This results in a copper appearance and sweet flavors more characteristic of bourbon aged at least twice as long.

Still, perhaps because of the limited aging, this spirit had a nose of fresh citrus  and mint. And not surprisingly this whiskey is all about corn and oak.

Sweet corn, vanilla, and oak are the dominant flavors. It’s hot on the roof of your mouth with a bit of smokiness. There’s also a subtle gin-like element with pine and juniper. The finish is long with maple syrup sweetness tempered only by the oak.

The result is a lively spirit unlike many bourbons, but interesting and delicious nevertheless. Instead gaining depth from lots of subtle flavors, the real action with the Baby Bourbon is in the interplay between the few intense flavors, most particularly the oak imparted from the small barrel.

While I’m sure it would make a fantastic Manhattan, this is a whiskey that deserves to be enjoyed neat and unadulterated with, at most, a few drops of distilled water. At $35-40 for a 375 ml “half fifth” size, it’s not cheap, but I’d go so far as to say that every bourbon lover should give it a try.

Those who like cigars with their bourbon will find this a most amicable spirit for pairing. Medium- to full-bodied smokes without too much peppery bite go particularly well. My recommendations include the Ashton Virgin Sun Grown, Cohiba Siglo VI (Cuban), Nestor Miranda Special Selection 20th Aniversario Rosado Danno, Paul Garmirian 15th Anniversary, and the Ramón Allones Specially Selected. Whether with a cigar or without, as a long time New Yorker I’m proud to say that the Empire State makes this fine bourbon that stands proudly next to the best Kentucky has to offer.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys