The Stogie Guys

From time to time I browse my local liquor store (which, unfortunately, is a state-run Virginia store) in search of something new or exciting to try. The bourbon and rum sections are my favorite, and the last time I dropped by I was pleased to find the Elijah Craig 18 Year Old bourbon sitting there, on “sale” for $43.

The standard Elijah Craig was always a dependable good bourbon, and so I had high expectations for it’s most rare expression, the 18-year-old, single barrel variety. Made at the Heaven Hill Distillery, this bourbon is crafted side-by-side with another favorite of mine: Evan Williams Single Barrel.

The Elijah Craig 18 is a slightly cloudy amber-colored bourbon. The nose is distinctly sweet, with toffee, nut, and caramel. The flavors are that of a well-aged bourbon: oak and char from extensive aging combined with vanilla, butter, oak, corn, and smoke. It’s a very intense flavor, but there’s only a hint of spice on the finish and an overall smoothness that’s very enjoyable.

It’s the type of bourbon that can hold up well when paired with a full-flavored cigar. I smoked one of the new Tatuaje Faustos with it and found an enjoyable pairing. Also recommended would be the EO 601 Green, Fuente Opus X, Roman Allones Specialy Selected and PG 20th Symphony. (more…)

As I wrote in a commentary in May, this spring my wife and I packed up our apartment in Virginia, loaded up our belongings, and moved to our new home in Chicago. The move was motivated by a desire to be closer to our friends and family, as well as for new careers.

A few loyal readers sent comments and emails humorously suggesting I had moved to be closer to the Tesa Cigar Company, a boutique manufacturer located on Lake Street just west of the Loop. They correctly recalled how much I enjoy Tesa’s various blends, including Cabinet 312, Havanitas, Gran Cru, and Vintage Especial.

No, I didn’t move back to my hometown city because of Tesa. But having an office relatively near Tesa’s lounge is certainly a nice perk. I plan on visiting the shop more often to get reacquainted with my favorite Tesa blends and to try other Chris Kelly creations that I haven’t had the opportunity to smoke yet.

One such creation is Batch 505. This five-vitola blend (production limit of 90,000 cigars per size annually) sports a light Indonesian wrapper and Nicaraguan filler. The Rothchild (5 x 52) has a firm feel, a tight cross-section of tobaccos, and a perfectly executed pigtail cap. A soft aroma of sweet hay is present off the foot.

From the outset, the flavor is tremendously well-balanced with notes of dry wood, coffee with creamer, and mixed nuts (sometimes I pick up walnut, other times cashew or peanut). Perhaps most intriguing, the long, rounded finish is characterized by caramelized sugar.

About a year ago I asked Kelly what is his best cigar. He said it was a toss-up between the Vintage Especial—which, in his words, is a “mild-bodied Connecticut with a very creamy texture…and subtle yet intricate flavors of almonds and butterscotch”—and the Cabinet 312—which has “big and dark flavors of espresso, bittersweet chocolate, with fleeting hints of citrus.” In terms of body, Batch 505 ranks in-between these two blends. Depending on the time of day or my mood, though, it may not be second to either of Kelly’s favorites.

Like everything else from Tesa, the 505 Rothchild burns extremely well with a solid ash and a nice draw. And while its flavors don’t change much from light to nub, the complexity of this cigar is captured by its balance. This treat is well worth its $6.75 price tag and definitely worthy of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In April, a bi-partisan group of members of the House of Representatives introduced the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act (H.R. 1639) to make explicit that the FDA is not authorized to regulate traditional handmade cigars. This past week, a Senate version (S. 1461) of the bill was introduced by the two Senators from Florida: Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio.

The new Senate bill marks an important milestone in the movement for cigar rights, where after over a decade of exclusively playing defense, cigar smokers finally have a national bill (introduced in both houses of Congress) to support their rights. The FDA is currently authorized by the 2009 Tobacco Control Act to regulate cigars if it wants, even though the bill doesn’t require cigar regulation.

So far the agency hasn’t expanded its authority to include cigars (cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are currently under the FDA’s regulatory authority) but the agency has initiated a rulemaking procedure to expand its authority to include handmade cigars. (more…)

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.”

Back when I first reviewed it, I gave this annual release (every year the plan is for a new Singulare blend and size) from Illusione high praise. Since then, I’ve only enjoyed the cigar more, even picking up a second box before the 1,000 box run sells out. It’s a wonderfully complex, medium-bodied smoke, with cream, cedar, toast, and honey. With excellent construction, this is a cigar that benefits from, and deserves, your full attention.

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.”

To say that Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has produced some good cigars since leaving La Gloria Cubana to establish his own company would be an understatement. Among his best solo creations in the New Wave Connecticut, his first Connecticut-wrapped line. I picked up the Double Corona (7 x 49) at my local cigar shop for around $6. It displays excellent construction and a textured profile of cream, cashew, wood, and graham cracker. More medium-bodied than most Ecuadorian Connecticut cigars, this is a great buy for those who find typical Connecticut smokes to be too mild.

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) Politicians in Augusta are scheming to ban smoking in the Georgia city’s restaurants and bars. But Chris McCalla, legislative director of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association, capitalized on the powergrab to sound off against anti-tobacco zealots across the country. “There are as many examples across the United States of cities and counties loosening their smoking bans as there are those tightening them. They are finding that legislated smoking bans are unnecessary, they inhibit economic growth, and health issues like secondhand smoke are seriously overstated by the prohibitionists,” he said. “The fact is that smoking bans cost jobs, tax revenues, and economic growth…”

2) The third annual Macanudo Millionaire contest is now underway. Click here to enter to win an all-expense paid, three-day, two-night trip to the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. If you are selected, you’ll go to the Playboy Club at the Palms where you’ll have the opportunity to win $1,000,000 in a round of poker. If you win because we told you, feel free to buy us something nice.

3) Inside the Industry: Crowned Heads, the newly formed company founded by Jon Huber, Mike Conder, and other former CAO employees, has announced its first cigar: “Four Kicks.” It will be made at Tabacalera La Alianza, which is run by Ernesto-Perez Carrillo. Four Kicks will retail for  $6.95-8.65 and debut in four sizes: Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46), Robusto (5 x 50), Sublime (6 x 54), and Piramide (6.1 x 52).

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Tatuaje Black Petit Lancero. Smoking Stogie smokes the Tatuaje Avion. Nice Tight Ash checks out a Viaje Oro Reserva EL. The Tiki Bar kicks back with a Tatuaje L’Espirit de Vérité 2009. Your Cigar Ratings is looking for people to review these cigars so they can appear in the next issue of The Cigar Network magazine.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a hot deal on some tough-to-find Fuente smokes. $115 gets you two Añejo 48s, two Hemmingway Classics, two Double Chateau Naturals, two Double Chateau Sun Growns, and two Opus X Perfection X cigars.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Macanudo Millionaire

Churchills, toros and lanceros are great, but finding the time can be difficult. A well-made Churchill (seven inches long with a 47-50 ring gauge) should take over 90 minutes to smoke. If you’re done far sooner then you’re smoking too quickly and ruining the cigar’s flavors.

Even robustos and coronas can be hard to find time for. Particularly now that smoking bans make it so difficult to enjoy a cigar indoors when it’s too cold or too hot to be outside. That’s why more and more I find myself lighting up cigars that will take only around 30 minutes to enjoy. These aren’t cigarillos, but fully formed and blended cigars, just in a smaller format. Here are five small cigars that I’ve been enjoying lately:

Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva – Introduced in 2010, this is the original Tatuaje “Brown Label” blend with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper in a 4-inch, 40-ring gauge size. It’s well-balanced, medium- to full-bodied, and features a tasty combination of earth, spice, and dark chocolate.

La Flor Dominicana Carajos Oscuro – The smallest cigar on this list (4 x 36) but perhaps the most powerful. It’s a firecracker with all the boldness of La Flor’s Double Ligero line packed into a small package.

J. Fuego Origen Originals – This little perfecto (not pictured) comes pre-clipped in a unique five-cigar paper-wrapped “softpack.” It features spice, coffee, leather, and only costs around $12 for the package. (more…)