The Stogie Guys

If you only pick up cigars from your local shop then you probably haven’t heard of the Surrogates Skull Breaker and Bone Crusher cigars. These cigars are only available from New Havana Cigars (NHC), an online-only shop based in Columbus, Ohio.

Unlike most online retailers, NHC’s selection is limited to a handful of more boutique cigarmakers like Tatuaje, Illusione, Viaje, E.P. Carrillo, and 7-20-4, including many hard to find limited releases. NHC has featured a number of exclusive smokes—including the NHC Selección Limitada (a box-pressed size of the Tatuaje Brown Label) and the My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish (a corona size of the Drew Estate MUWAT)—but Surrogates is the first truly new brand created by NHC.

Last August, NHC owner Dan Welsh described his thinking about the line this way: “I wanted to create a brand for NHC that would bring new customers and service our loyal customers. Looking at our business over the last four years, it was obvious that our clients demanded something special. One thing that was missing was constant availability… Surrogates was created to solve the problem of choosing whether to save or smoke that special vitola. The answer, is both.”

Beyond saying the cigar is created “utilizing a new source” (implying it isn’t made at any of the factories where the cigars he stocks are produced) Welsh reveals few details about the blend, except that the wrapper is broadleaf and it is “made in Central America.” In its current listing on the site a few more details are revealed, as the description says the cigar’s origin is Nicaragua, as is the wrapper and filler.

Shrouded in a bit of intended mystery, one is left to smoke the cigar and evaluate it on its own terms. Available in two sizes, Skull Breaker is a belicoso that measures 5.25 inches with a ring gauge of 52 and Bone Crusher (the subject of this review) is a parejo that measures 5.25 inches with a ring gauge of 54. The Bone Crusher samples I smoked are clearly well-made. The dark, nearly vein-free wrapper is framed by dual matte black bands. The cigar produces a perfectly even burn and sturdy ash that holds for well over an inch.

Bone Crusher yields heavy smoke with a density that coats the palate. Its extremely full-bodied flavors are dominated by espresso, earth, and leather. There’s a bit of pepper at the start but also some lingering bitterness, especially towards the end. All in all, Bone Crusher seems an appropriate name for this cigar. It’s powerful, flavorful, and one of the most full-bodied cigars available anywhere. But all that power comes with a price, as there’s no subtlety or finesse, and little in the way of balance.

Still, it is a cigar that can be enjoyed under the right circumstances: a full-stomach and a strong drink help. And while it’s a bit too powerful to be a favorite of mine, it’s a cigar I might turn to when I want a true flavor bomb. At $7.50 each and $120 for a box of 20, it’s worth a try if you’re a fan of strong cigars. So even though it lacks finesse, the NHC Surrogates Bone Crusher earns a favorable rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I remember reading about the Edición Especial from La Aroma de Cuba shortly before it was released in the summer of 2008. Somehow, three and a half years later, I’m just getting around to trying it for the first time.

The seven-size line is part of the Ashton portfolio and one of three La Aroma de Cuba blends mentioned on the Ashton website (the other two being Mi Amor and the original line). It is produced in Nicaragua by the Garcias with an Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper surrounding Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.

I finally decided to try this cigar when the toro-sized No. 3 (6 x 50) caught my eye in my tobacconist’s humidor. This is a handsome smoke. The wrapper is smooth with minimal veins, the cap is a work of art, and the seams are virtually invisible. With a firm feel from head to foot, the Edición Especial No. 3 makes a great first impression.

Fortunately, that impression is followed by a very nice introductory taste. A core of warm tobacco is complemented by dry wood, coffee, and some sweetness on the finish. Each puff yields tufts of cool smoke.

Towards the midway point, the taste grows on you until it becomes difficult to pick out individual flavors. Instead of being a contemplative cigar that rewards close attention, I find that the balanced and intermingling flavors lend themselves to conversation or reading. No, this isn’t one of those smokes that will inspire you to study a flavor wheel. But it’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for a medium-bodied, well-rounded profile to complement another activity.

As the Edición Especial No. 3 grows creamier in the final third, I take note of the physical properties. The burn requires a few touch-ups to stay even but is otherwise well-behaved. The draw is smooth and the ash holds very firm off the foot.

I understand you can find this cigar for about $6 when you buy it by the cedar chest of 25 online. In my case, I paid $8.50 at my local shop for each of the samples I examined for this review. The Edición Especial No. 3 is a solid value at $6 and a reach at $8 or more. Either way, it’s a solid smoke with a nicely balanced profile that’s worthy of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Old Virginia Tobacco

Ask a cigar smoker why a cigar tastes the way it does and you’ll surely hear about the tobacco used and the proportions in which they are blended. Maybe they’ll mention the time of day the cigar is smoked or what drink, if any, they accompany the cigar with. But largely forgotten is one of the most important variables: time.

Tobacco is organic matter, which means that chemically it will change with time. During a cigar’s life, the tobacco changes, and that impacts the flavor. Today I’m breaking down aging into three basic categories:

Factory Aging

Some change, like curing and fermenting in tobacco barns or at the cigar factory, takes place relatively quickly. Other critical aging time, like time spent aging tobacco before it is rolled, or the time the rolled cigars are spent in an aging room before being boxed and shipped, can take place over weeks, months, or years. If you’ve ever smoked a cigar fresh off a rolling table you’ll remember how different that cigar would taste from the finished product, even though the difference may only be 15 of 60 days before the cigars go in the box. Obviously, unless you make your own cigars, you have no control over the factory aging process.

Short-Term Aging

Most critically (and often over-looked) is short-term aging or resting. Most people do this without even realizing it. The most obvious way is letting the cigars settle from shipping, often for a week or two, particularly when it’s extremely hot or cold out, and if your cigars may have been sitting a hot delivery truck for a few days.

Another common form of short-term aging is to let cigars get past what is often called the “sick period,” where the cigar emits ammonia and can be downright unpleasant to smoke. Cubans are known to get “sick” far more than non-Cubans, so often a six-month or more resting period is needed.

Long-Term Aging

The most discussed type of aging is long-term aging, where cigars can be aged for years or even decades. A few non-Cuban cigar makers put dates on their boxes, and all Cuban cigars have box dates, making it easier to precisely age your cigars.

Cuban cigars are notorious for benefiting from (some would say needing) time to age, often a year or more. And while most of the focus with long-term aging is on Cuban cigars, non-Cubans will also change, sometimes for the better, with months or years. Just remember that aging a bad cigar will only leave you with an old bad cigar.

Prime candidates for cigars to age are ones with full flavors that need some smoothing around the edges. Like fine wine, cigars tend to smooth out and add complexity and balance over time, trading fuller body for subtleties, though eventually cigars (like wine) lose too much flavor. So be sure to try your cigars every so often to make sure that time is making them better, not worse.

–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.”

What’s the difference between the Tatuaje Fausto Avion 11 and this prototype from Pete Johnson’s Saints & Sinners club? I can’t tell by searching online about the latter, and I’ve never tried the former. The makeup seems to be the same—Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos surrounded by a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper—and the flavors are similar to those described by my colleague in his review of the Fausto Avion 11. These include pepper, dry wood, nuts, and some syrupy sweetness on the finish. If there is no difference, I’m inclined to put the Fausto Avion 11 on my shopping list because the Proto 3 is a delight.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

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.”

The legendary Romeo y Julieta Churchill was joined by the robusto-sized Short Churchill in 2006. In 2010, this third Churchill variation was added, measuring in at 5.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 55. Technically a “montesco” size, this Cuban puro is surprisingly well-constructed, with a golden wrapper, firm feel, and triple-cap. It’s a very flavorful, medium- to full-bodied smoke with flavors of roasted nut, coffee, and cedary wood. With deep flavor, balance, and excellent construction, it’s the best Cuban cigar I’ve smoked in awhile (including the vaunted Cohiba Behike).

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. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) The U.S. embargo against Cuba turned 50 years old this week. The law was signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, several days after he hypocritically ordered his press secretary to buy him as many H. Upmann Cuban cigars as possible. At the time, it was assumed the embargo would cripple Fidel Castro, but half a century of evidence suggests that logic is flawed, as the oppressive regime Castro established carries on to this day (now with Fidel’s brother, Raúl, at the helm). The 50th anniversary of the failed embargo is an appropriate time to reconsider the law.

2) As smoking bans make it harder and harder to find a place to enjoy a cigar, Forbes has noticed an interesting trend: Luxury hotels around the globe are building cigar-friendly havens and using technology to bypass regulations. One London venue boasts a unique “all-weather cigar terrace,” and another has a cigar garden with a retractable roof. Several Florida hotels have indoor cigar lounges that are made possible by high-tech air filtration systems.

3) David Hockney, renowned artist and tobacco supporter, struck again this week with a letter to Britain’s Guardian newspaper. He suggested that if an anti-tobacco crusader is so concerned about children, he should consider the ramifications of three million of them in the U.S. taking Ritalin. “I intend to stick with my far more natural, delicious, pleasure-giving tobacco,” he wrote.

4) Inside the Industry: Over half a century since nationalizing its cigar industry, Cuba is removing the names of the original brand owners from its cigar bands. Tatuaje is preparing to release a new 2012 Cojonu line that will be box-pressed and available in three wrappers: Ecuadorian Habano, a “Reserva” Connecticut Broadleaf, and a “Capa Especial” Sumatra.

5) Around the Blogs: Tiki Bar reviews the Rocky Patel Edición Unica. Cigar Obsession checks out the Drew Estate Natural Limited Pimp Stick. Cigar Coop smokes the La Aurora 107. Cigar Inspector inspects the Don Pepin Serie JJ Little Robusto. Cigar Brief fires up the Crowned Heads Four Kicks.

6) Deal of the Week: Tatuaje fans—we know you’re out there—should consider these two Brown Label samplers [link fixed]. The first six-cigar sampler lets you try the same “7th” size with three different wrappers: Habano, Reserva (Broadleaf), and Capa Especial (Sumatra). The other lets you try all four of the original sizes, plus the broadleaf-wrapped Petit Cazadores Reserva. (Also, check out this deal for a leather and cherrywood Colibri cigar case  for just $12 including shipping.)

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Short-filler, mixed-filler, “Cuban sandwich.” There are many names for cigars that don’t use 100% long-filler tobacco (tobacco that runs the entire length of the cigar), but the selling point for such cigars, no matter the name, is always the same: more bang for your buck.

In theory at least, it makes plenty of sense. Cigar factories are always trimming tobacco leaves down to the sizes they need for their premium offerings. If instead of being tossed, those trimmings are used in mixed-filler cigars, the price of the raw materials goes down even though the quality of tobacco is the same as a cigar many times the price.

But I’ve always been skeptical. Are cigar makers really going to make a $3 cigar taste the same as their $8 line? Plus, doesn’t the short-filler (and the looser draw and quicker combustion that goes with it) mean that it isn’t even possible to create the same flavors? With that in mind, I thought it was it was time to try a mixed-filler cigar again. After all, there was a time, back when I was just out of college and my budget was extra tight, when they were regulars in my cigar rotation.

For the task, I chose Don Pepin Garcia’s Tabacos Baez Serie SF, made at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua. The green secondary band says “Serie SF” for short-filler, although technically it’s mixed filler with 70% long-filler and 30% short-filler.

The Nicaraguan puro features a Habano wrapper that, while hardly flawless, seems of high grade. The cigar isn’t particularly soft, although once I began smoking it I found a loose, airy draw and an unpredictable ash, both features characteristic of mixed-filler cigars. As for flavor, it’s medium-bodied and dominated by cedar flavors that, while hardly unpleasant, certainly aren’t all that interesting. There’s a hint of pepper at the start, and coffee and nut notes as the cigar progresses.

So is it going to dazzle an experienced smoker? I doubt it. But priced around $2.50 each, it’s at least as good as I’d expect and maybe even better. Sure, the bits of loose tobacco that end up in your mouth are annoying, but using a punch cutter instead of a guillotine helps.

Though it’s been awhile since I most recently had them, I think two of Pepin’s other mixed-filler cigars, the Ashton Benchmade and Tatuaje Series P, are just a bit better, and certainly this smoke doesn’t compare to most of Pepin’s long-filler premium cigars. Still, if you’re on the golf course or mowing your lawn, the Serie SF wouldn’t be a bad choice. That earns the Tabacos Baez Serie SF Robusto a rating of two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys