The 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 cigar, which Nestor Plasencia Jr. calls “our baby,” is something of a surprise for a Nicaraguan puro: It’s considerably milder than most. I’ve smoked a handful and found them consistent and pleasant. Aging (a couple were in my humidor for nearly three years) seemed to have no effect, good or bad. A Famous Smoke exclusive, the Organica is worth a try if you like mild- to medium-bodied smokes.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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 Perfecto (5 x 55) has a lot of the flavor you’d expect from a Nicaraguan puro, including spice and roasted coffee. But it’s the sweet creamy backdrop that makes it memorable. I bought mine at my local tobacconist for about $6. I’ll be more than happy to pay that price again for this sun-grown Habano-wrapped beauty.

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. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) This week, William S. Spann was announced as the new chief executive officer of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association at the group’s 79th annual Trade Show in Las Vegas. Spann replaces Joe Rowe, who headed up IPCPR for a decade. His previous experience includes a 20-year career with the Navy, serving as chief of staff of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, and several executive roles within Governor Jeb Bush’s administration. “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the IPCPR, I want to extend a hearty welcome to Bill Spann who, we are confident, will help continue moving the association forward on behalf of its retail and manufacturing members,” said Gary Pesh, president of the IPCPR. “At the same time, we wish Joe Rowe a long and happy retirement.”

2) Now that StogieGuys.com has returned from covering the 2011 Trade Show, we’re looking forward to reviewing many new cigars over the coming months. We’re happy to prioritize the order of these reviews based on our readers’ interests. Though we face some constraints in terms of immediate availability, we’d love to hear from you about which cigars you’re most interested to read about. So feel free to leave a comment or shoot us an email.

3) Inside the Industry: This week Patrick S attended the IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas and got plenty of information about new releases. Check out his coverage from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and be on the lookout for a show wrap-up next week.

4) Deal of the Week: The exclusive My Father El Hijo is available for pre-order here. For a limited time, those who order a box get a free T-shirt.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: IPCPR

When I interviewed Tatuaje creator Pete Johnson in the summer of 2010, right around the time the 2008 Vérité was set to become available, he told me the line was his “most serious project to date.” This statement resonated with many enthusiasts who already considered Tatuaje to be among the world’s best cigar outfits.

I can understand why Johnson held Vérité (French for “the truth”) in such high regard given the uniqueness of the venture. “La Vérité Vintage,” as he calls it, brings a vintner’s approach to cigar making, employing a wrapper, binder, and filler all grown on the same farm. “Much like a single vineyard wine, La Vérité showcases the soil where the tobacco was grown,” reads the Tatuaje website. “The seed varietal varies from year to year based on the crop planted and the tobacco yielded.” (more…)

This week StogieGuys.com is in Las Vegas covering the 79th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. Check back throughout the day for updates, and keep an eye on Twitter for even more.

Early Morning Update: Various cigar makers I spoke with all say that day two of the Trade Show was very successful, and that there was no noticeable drop off in sales from day one to two. It’s hard to say whether this was merely positive spin or actual sales, but it did seem that many more than a few booths were even busier yesterday. Everyone I spoke with was happy to back in Las Vegas (as opposed to New Orleans) and more than a few were a little worried about next year being in Orlando.

Yesterday I also visited with Andre Farkas of Viaje. He said he’ll continue to keep production low even though he has a waiting list of 150 shops who want to get Viaje Cigars in their stores. The next new release he plans is the Late Harvest.

(more…)

This week StogieGuys.com is in Las Vegas covering the 79th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. Check back throughout the day for updates, and keep an eye on Twitter for even more.

Early Morning Update: Yesterday was a busy day for me, and it was also a busy one for cigar makers as they took orders from retailers. The real test will be if traffic and sales hold up, or if the strong sales were just a function of people getting their buying done quickly so they can enjoy a few days of vacation in Sin City.

As we reported in our Trade Show preview, Tatuaje has plenty of new releases. Highly anticipated is the Black Petit Lancero, which was displayed next to the recently released La Vérité 2009.

Fausto is based on the T110 blend and, by all accounts, is a real powerhouse. Avion is a box-pressed perfecto that features the same blend but the size makes it less powerful.

La Casita Criolla features a blend made entirely of Connecticut broadleaf tobacco. The 7th Capa Especial is the same blend as the Brown Label but with a Sumatra wrapper.

Every year Tatuaje puts out a special Halloween-themed release like “Boris,” “The Face,” “Frank,” and “Drac.” This year’s will be “The Wolfman,” a box-pressed torpedo with an unfinished foot. A limited number of special boxes will be available. (more…)

This week StogieGuys.com is in Las Vegas covering the 79th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. Check back throughout the day for updates, and keep an eye on Twitter for even more.

Early Morning Update: Yesterday I attended the IPCPR seminars conducted for members of the association (StogieGuys.com is a Online Media Member of the IPCPR). In the first seminar, IPCPR brought in an expert on social media marketing to help “de-mystify” social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc…). Some cigar makers and cigar shops have completely embraced social media (La Aurora, Tatuaje, and Drew Estate come to mind) and they’ve reaped the benefits, so it’s good to see the IPCPR educating its members on how to reach cigar smokers through social media, though I could have done without the constant sales pitches in the presentation. (I’m not sure whether this seminar was in the works already, but I should note that at one point we had discussed with the IPCPR leading a similar panel on social media and blog outreach, so obviously I thought the seminar topic was a good idea.) The second seminar featured an expert on productivity and increasing job satisfaction. This was also good to see because (as I’ve written) there’s nothing worse than a lazy or apathetic employee ruining what should be a great cigar shop experience.

The final seminar, and my personal favorite, was a tasting seminar lead by José Blanco (who we interviewed here). Last month Blanco announced his retirement from La Aurora after 30 years with the company, but he didn’t leave before leading his famous tasting seminar one last time. Attendees smoked one cigar (pictured above) with five different wrappers. The experience lets smokers experience the impact of each wrapper (Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut, Cameroon,  Ecuadorian-grown Sumatra, Brazilian mata fina, and  Dominican corojo) on the flavor. (more…)