The Stogie Guys

Memorial Day. Veterans Day. Independence Day. Christmas. Thanksgiving. These are the days of the year when many Americans focus their thoughts and generosity on the men and women who are bravely serving in the armed forces overseas.

No matter what your opinion of U.S. foreign policy, one thing that shouldn’t be divisive is supporting our troops. And you needn’t wait for a holiday to do your part. Year round, men and women who are serving in dangerous conditions would appreciate any spare cigars you can send their way.

Last summer, the StogieGuys.com team took inventory of our personal humidors and sent some cigars to the Kandahar Koughers, a group that has gotten much well-deserved publicity for its efforts. The Koughers, according to their Facebook page, smoke donated cigars “under adverse conditions” to increase morale, relieve stress, and build camaraderie. Feel free to send cigars of your own to the Koughers at the following address:

MAJ David Luttrell/Randy Sauers
c/o Kandahar Koughers
KAF RCC, BLDG 232
APO AE 09355

The Koughers are worthy recipients of your generosity, but they aren’t the only cigar club made up of overseas military personnel. Another is the Tali-banned Cigar Aficionado Club (TCAC), a group of U.S. and coalition soldiers that provides fellowship and complimentary cigars to members. Today the StogieGuys.com team is sending a nice package of cigars to the club’s chapter in Kabul. We encourage you to do the same at the following address:

Chris Mino
NTMA/CSTC-A
Attn: MTAG
APO AE 09356

If you haven’t done it before, mailing cigars to troops really couldn’t be simpler. Just use a free USPS flat rate Priority Mail box and fill out a brief customs form. The postage is the same to an APO box as it is for domestic shipping. Delivery will take a bit longer, though, so be sure to provide adequate humidification to keep the sticks from drying out.

But whether you send cigars to the Koughers, TCAC, another group, or an individual, I urge you to make a contribution. In addition to those sticks you’ll never miss, toss in a few special cigars. As my colleague George recently wrote, “I bet you’ll get more from donating them than you would from lighting them up.”

–Patrick A

photo credit: TCAC

Sosa’s original line, particularly the Wavell size, was a cigar I used to smoke more regularly. Produced by the Fuentes, it offers excellent mild- to medium-bodied flavors at an affordable price. Remembering my fondness for that cigar, I was looking forward to trying some of the newer Sosa cigars.

Last summer, Antillian Cigar Corp. (owner of the Sosa brand), announced three new lines. Underground, billed as the “hippest of the new brands,” is an all Nicaraguan cigar rolled in Little Havana, Miami. The Sosa Family Selection is a more traditional cigar that’s made in Honduras and available in natural and maduro wrappers.

The third cigar (and the subject of this review) is the Sosa 60, an all 60-ring gauge line that comes in four lengths: four, five, six, and seven inches. Rolled in Honduras at Rolando Reyes’ factory, the Sosa 20 utilizes a light brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around Dominican and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. I smoked a handful of the 4 by 60 “460 S” size for this review.

Woodiness dominates this medium-bodied cigar. There’s also a bit of cream, some toasty notes, and hints of honey and nutmeg spice. The finish is long and cedary.

The 460 shows excellent construction. The draw is easy while the cigar burns evenly and produces a sturdy light gray ash.

I must confess that this cigar surprised me. Thick smokes aren’t usually my thing, but this cigar worked well in the large format (though I’d still be interested to see how it fares in a thinner size).

Available for $5.50, the stubby little smoke is medium-bodied and surprisingly complex. Combine that enjoyable profile with excellent construction and the Sosa 60 460 S earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Editor’s Note: The Cigar Maker is the story of a Cuban cigar maker who battles labor strife and vigilante violence in 1900’s Tampa. It recently won the Bronze Medal at the Independent Publisher Book Awards and has been named a Finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s 2010 Book of the Year Awards. Click here to learn more.]

“Boxing? I should sell you to the circus!” Olympia stood on the porch with her fists on her hips and glared at the boys below. Lázaro’s crooked nose was smeared with blood and Javier wavered in a drunken daze with blotches of red coloring his shirt and tie. “Get inside, the both of you, before I knock your teeth out!” Lázaro climbed the steps and as he passed his mother and entered the house, Olympia slapped his backside. Javier tried to follow but Olympia stood in his way. “And why didn’t you stop him?”

His jacket was folded over his arm and his hat was in his hand; his eyes sagged, tired and drunk from a long night on the town. Javier shrugged. “I’m not his father. He can do what he wants.”

“Be careful what you say or I’ll throw you out of this house!” They went inside where Lázaro sat on the couch in the parlor. Josefina was sitting on the floor reading a book, which she set aside when her brothers walked in. Javier joined Lázaro on the couch and Olympia stood before them with her fists still locked against her hips. She said to Lázaro, “If you spill blood on that couch, you will pay for a new one.”

“Fine,” Lázaro said and dabbed his nose with Javier’s bloody handkerchief. His eyes were closed, his head hurt, and he wished she would leave him alone so he could rest.

Josefina rose. “I’ll get ice and a fresh towel.” She crossed the parlor and disappeared down the hallway, passing Salvador as he entered the room. “Bring a dirty dishrag instead!” Olympia called to Josefina. “I don’t want to ruin another good towel with this one’s blood!”

Salvador came into the parlor with his shirt off wearing only his pants and a belt, almost ready for bed. He saw Lázaro on the couch a mess of bruises and Javier beside him with a bloody shirt. Javier’s normally perfect hair was disheveled and both boys looked guilty as thieves. “Now what is all this about?” He stood next to Olympia and glared sternly at the two boys.

“He entered a contest,” Javier began.

Olympia interrupted. “Let him say it.”

All eyes went to Lázaro, who sighed and looked to the floor. Finally he said, “I’m not going to sit at a factory workbench all day.”

Salvador and Olympia shared a glance; they had expected this moment. Inside of her anger, Olympia found that she understood, but she tried not to let it show by crossing her arms and tapping a foot. “You entered a contest?”

He nodded. “It was a great fight,” Javier said merrily. “All the men were cheering.”

“Javier!” Olympia pointed at her oldest son, “If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m going to break your nose!”

“What’s wrong with boxing?” Javier asked innocently. “He’s good at it, and if he keeps practicing, he can make money for the family.”

Olympia asked Lázaro, “How much money did you make tonight?”

He shook his head. “None.”

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t win.”

Javier said, “I made ten dollars.”

“You bet against him?” Olympia asked. Javier shrugged his shoulders and nodded. Olympia held out her hand. “Give me half.” Javier was surprised. “I spent it already.”

“You already spent ten dollars?” Olympia said doubtfully as she took a step closer. She didn’t believe he already spent ten dollars and made sure her face showed him how angry she would be if he had.

He shrugged. “Most of it.”

“So you’ve just lied to your mother? Give me what’s left.” She waited with her hand extended as Javier reached into his pocket and handed her a couple of crumpled bills and some change. “Two dollars? You good for nothing fool,” she folded the money into her palm.

Josefina returned from the kitchen with a fresh towel and a handful of ice, which she handed to Lázaro. Olympia said to Javier, “Your father and I want to talk to Lázaro.”

Javier and Josefina dismissed themselves and went into the boys’ bedroom where they sat with E.J. and listened. The walls were so thin it was impossible to avoid hearing everything that was said. Salvador moved to the couch and sat beside Lázaro while Olympia remained standing, her hands back on her hips. Salvador said, “Let me look at your nose.”

Lázaro sat back, allowing his father to inspect his face. Black bags would form under his eyes, his nose and mouth were caked with dried blood, and his nose was smashed, but the bleeding had stopped. “Your nose is broken again but it doesn’t look too bad. Do you still have all of your teeth?” Lázaro clenched his teeth and opened his lips to show his father that he did.

Olympia shook her head. “You’re going to come home dead one of these days, little raccoon.”

Salvador said, “Lázaro, fighting and scuffling with your brothers is one thing but boxing is no way to make a living. You don’t make real money unless you turn pro and you don’t turn pro unless you fight constantly. In the meantime you’ll break your nose, your ribs, your hands, and your neck.”

Olympia added, “And when you’re hungry with broken hands you won’t be able to work any other jobs and you won’t be able to eat.”

“Boxing is a life for men with no other skills,” Salvador said.

“Boxing is a skill,” Lázaro insisted as he held a handful of ice to his nose.

“But it is not work. How are you going to feed yourself?”

“I won’t go hungry,” Lázaro said. “There is a man visiting town who trains professional boxers in New Orleans.” Olympia threw her head back and forced an exasperated laugh. “You’re going to waste your life on some circus clown?”

“He’s not a clown.”

“You are a clown for even considering this ridiculous stunt!”

Lázaro finally lost his temper and yelled, “Then why don’t you kick me out of this house so I can go about my life as I please?”

Olympia pointed at him. “The only place you’re going is back to the workbench so you can earn money for this family. You will do your part like every one of us.”

Then Lázaro said something that not only enraged Olympia, but hurt her feelings in a way that Lázaro would regret for the rest of his life. He shouted, loud enough for the neighbors to hear, “You don’t work! You don’t do anything!”

Olympia’s eyes opened wide and black as the volume of her voice became frighteningly lower. “What disrespect have you just shown your mother?”

Lázaro rose to face Olympia. Salvador tried to hold him back, but Lázaro broke away and stood face to face with his mother, looking down at her from above. “Papa, Javier and I work full time in the factory. Josefina is a nurse, and even E.J. is learning the trade. You stay home all day playing and bossing everyone around.”

She took a step closer so their faces were inches apart. Though she was small compared to her son, to Salvador she looked as if she had risen to the same height. There was a fury in her eyes unlike any Salvador had ever seen. In a deep, controlled voice that stifled her rage, Olympia said, “Are you telling me that I don’t wash your clothes and keep your bed clean? That I don’t fix your daily meals? That I’m not awake long after everyone has gone to sleep, and that I’m not the first to rise in the morning? When you were five and wandered over a beehive, and ran home crying like a baby, it was my shoulder you cried on! I was the one who treated your stings! I looked after you when you were sick, I picked you up when you fell, I carried you when you couldn’t walk, and I fed you when you could not eat. And when you were an infant, and didn’t know your foot from your ear, it was me who wiped your ass and cleaned you off after you had shit all over yourself! So if you think I don’t do anything, then get the hell out of this house and do it yourself!”

Her eyes watered and tears fell immediately. “I am so mad I can no longer look at him,” her voice cracked as she stomped down the hallway, into the kitchen and out the back.

–Mark M

photo credit: The Cigar Maker

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.”

From Keith K. Park, the man who launched the high-dollar God of Fire, the Sencillo Platinum (Spanish for simple) is a Honduran puro aimed further down the line at the everyday cigar level. I found it milder than I would have expected, with earth and wood notes predominating. I had some minor burn issues and the draw was very open. According to the Sencillo site, each of the six sizes presents a different flavor profile. If you’re looking for something a little different, pick up one of these. The Robusto (5.25 x 50) lists at $7.95.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Sencillo

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.”

My previous experiences with this Cuban have ranged from, “Eh, not worth the price,” to, “Excellent, as long as you age it for a year or more.” I recently gave the Exhibición No. 4 (5 x 48) another shot, this time with a specimen that had been in my possession for over a year. What a disappointment. The bland profile tasted of dry wood and ammonia. The physical properties were good, but who cares about construction when you invest $8-11 and a year of humidor space to get a crummy-tasting stick? I’m starting to think my good experiences with this smoke were mere anomalies.

Verdict = Sell.

–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) Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (pictured) is proposing to raise his state’s excise tax on all cigars from 15% to 70%. “Advocates of this tax hike say it’s necessary to decrease teen cigar use, but both the facts about youth cigar use and the tax design indicate this rationale is simply a smokescreen,” writes Marc Kilmer of the Washington Examiner. “Instead, the tax hike seems a clever way to manipulate concern about youth tobacco use to funnel more revenue to the state government… If O’Malley is really concerned about the cheap cigars being sold to youth, why penalize all tobacco products if the real problem is with only a small subset of the cigar market?”

2) As anti-tobacco forces continue to push for a statewide smoking ban in Indiana, a similar battle is brewing in Indianapolis to expand the city’s smoking regulations. Last week, Mayor Greg Ballard vetoed a bill that would have criminalized smoking in hotel rooms, most bars, bowling alleys, and private clubs because he objects to the idea of banning smoking in private clubs. But now a similar bill is expected that would allow smoking in private clubs as long as the only minors present are members’ children or grandchildren. No word yet on whether Ballard would support this bill.

3) Inside the Industry: E.P. Carrillo will begin shipping its newest Short Run cigar in the next two weeks. The “New Wave Connecticut Short Run 2012” uses the same Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper as the New Wave Connecticut, with a Connecticut broadleaf binder (same as the wrapper on the Core Maduro line) around Dominican and Nicaraguan filler (also from the Core Maduro line).

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Brief fires up an MK Ultra. Cigar Explorer explores an Ortega Serie D. Cigar Fan fires up a Santos de Miami by Jameson. Nice Tight Ash checks out a Paul Stulac Phantom. Stogie Review reviews the Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Serie L40.

5) Deal of the Week: CroMagnon fans will want to checkout the new cigar “Intemperance” by the team behind CroMagnon. Currently available as a pre-release, this sampler features all eight new cigars and is discounted to just $39.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

An important milestone was reached yesterday. The number of co-sponsors on H.R. 1639—federal legislation that would protect premium cigars from Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulations—hit 150. That means almost 35% of the U.S. House of Representatives is co-sponsoring this bipartisan bill.

Ever since June 2009 when President Obama signed the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,” my colleagues and I have written ad nauseam about the danger of granting the FDA jurisdiction over handmade cigars. In fact, our warnings on the subject date back to the summer of 2007, when a Senate panel brought national attention to the issue.

Why have we been so outspoken and persistent in our objection to FDA regulation of cigars? According to an FDA spokesperson, the agency would make cigars subject to registration, product and ingredient listing, additional taxes, and premarket review requirements. Such regulation would be devastating to the cigar industry, and in particular to boutique cigars and the creation of new blends.

The proposition of these regulations also shows a complete misunderstanding of the handmade artisanal nature of premium cigars on the part of FDA bureaucrats. “Ingredient listing” would be nearly impossible beyond “100% tobacco” since blends are regularly tweaked to provide consistent flavor from one year to the next. Further, even if blends aren’t changed, the chemical composition of tobacco leaves changes from harvest to harvest, meaning any disclosure of “ingredients” beyond tobacco would be either completely stifling or totally meaningless.

Similarly, by forcing new cigars to go through a costly FDA approval process, the now constant stream of new cigar blends would grind to a halt. Suddenly, instead of releasing small batch blends, cigar makers would be forced to focus on large runs that they think would have mass appeal after a time-consuming approval process.

Since this issue has come to the fore, our discussions with cigar makers, retailers, and industry leaders suggest a growing consensus: FDA regulation is the single greatest threat facing the cigar industry.

So if your representative is not currently one of the 150 co-sponsors of H.R. 1639 (and if your senators are not co-sponsors of the companion bill in the U.S. Senate, S. 1461) please contact them immediately. The very survival of the cigar industry as we know it may depend on the outcome of these efforts to protect cigars from FDA regulation.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr