The Stogie Guys

In this segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I look at a rousing success, a continuing failure, and the burning of something other than tobacco.

A True Cigar King

First, some good news. In a recent essay in The Tampa Tribune, King Corona Cigars owner Don Barco explored the comeback in the city’s one-time cigar manufacturing hub, Ybor City. For cigar lovers, the most telling parts came when Barco talked about recent trends at his restaurant/bar/café/cigar shop situated on East Seventh Avenue, the district’s main drag. Barco wrote that 2010 was his best since opening 14 years ago, even better than during the ’90s boom. Then, 2011 beat it in sales, “and as the year ended we had our best week of business since the Super Bowl of 2009.” I’ve never met Barco, but I’m sure I’d enjoy having a cigar with him. His shop is my favorite place to enjoy a smoke in Ybor, and StogieGuys.com has sung the praises of one of his house brands, Ybor City Handmades. It’s great to salute a cigar success.

Cuba: Good and Bad

Last year Cigar Aficionado published a colorful report of Havana’s top tourist spots. For a view of life on the island for those who live there, check the March 24-30 issue of The Economist. Its 10-page report has such startling revelations as the fact that while state farms hold 75% of Cuba’s agricultural land, 45% of it was idle and weed-choked as of 2007; the post office sells email access for $1.50 a minute; and Cuba is the only Latin American country with a declining population, a population whose percentage of those under 15 and those over 60 is about equal.

Where There’s This Smoke, There’s Definitely Fire

If you’re involved in fighting smoking restrictions, you can likely find some interesting facts in an InvestigateWest report on the health dangers of wood smoke. For example, Washington state’s “Ecology Department estimates that sooty pollution from sources including wood smoke and diesel exhaust contributes to 1,100 deaths and $190 million in health costs annually.” And among the hazardous chemicals released by burning wood are the carcinogen benzene and carbon monoxide, linked to heart damage. But not a lot is being done because of the high costs and potential punitive impact on poor people who rely on wood for heat. My point isn’t to argue for more restrictions. I think this kind of information can be used to point out to lawmakers that there are many risks and to question whether it’s fair to focus on tobacco simply because it’s an easy target. If air quality is such a vital concern, shouldn’t it be dealt with in a comprehensive fashion? It might well be asked, when do they plan to take action on fireplaces and wood stoves?

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

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 Cameroon-wrapped Robusto from La Caya is one of those cigars I only rarely light up, but every time I do I wonder why I don’t pick up this smoke more frequently. For a Cameroon fan like myself, it has everything you’d hope for in an everyday smoke. The price is very affordable at around $5 apiece. The physical properties are outstanding, including a straight burn line and a solid ash. And the flavor profile has plenty of sweetness complimented by pine and clove. Give this cigar a try the next time you have a chance.

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.”

CAO’s “Last Stick Standing” promotion will let cigar smokers help choose the next CAO blend. Three blends—“C”, “A”, and “O”—are offered for participants to rate without knowing anything specific about each blend. I received a tin of the three cigars in the mail and decided to light up the “C” blend the next day. The well-constructed smoke starts out with dry spice, wood, and buttery flavors. It’s medium-bodied (maybe medium-full) with good balance and a clean finish. After smoking it, I looked on the Last Stick Standing website and saw that it’s currently in third place, though only slightly. I can see why. While it’s a pleasant cigar with excellent construction, it’s not particularly complex (though I should note that it might not be completely fair to smoke it just a day after multiple days in the mail).

Verdict = Hold.

–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) 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 severe dangers of granting the Food & Drug Administration jurisdiction over handmade cigars. We’ve also vociferously supported the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011,” a bill that would protect premium cigars from FDA oversight. Now Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association are also looking to the Executive Branch for protection, filing a petition with the White House to designate premium cigars outside the jurisdiction of the FDA. Please click here to sign this petition.

2) New York City already has a ban on smoking in city-run parks, but now the state is also moving to criminalize smoking in some outdoor areas. A bureaucracy called the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation—which operates 178 parks and 35 historic sites across the Empire State—is now calling many outdoor spaces smoke-free, supposedly to protect people from secondhand smoke.

3) Inside the Industry: Oliva is launching its 2012 Studio Tobac tour (details here). Altadis is introducing a new modern-looking “boutique” Romeo y Julieta cigar called “Romeo,” which features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that will be available in four thick sizes. The Pepin Family is shipping its new box-pressed Flor de los Antillas Nicaraguan puro, which is available in four sizes, selling for $6.60 to $8.70. Now is your last chance to buy tickets to the Midwest Smoke Out, held on April 19 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Morro Castle. Cigar Inspector inspects a Padilla Studio Tobaco. Cigar Fan fires up an Alec Bradley American Classic. Velvet Cigar smokes a CAO La Traviata Maduro. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Sosa Classic.

5) Deal of the Week: Smoke Inn has the new Ortega Serie D in stock (we reviewed the No. 12 here). Both 5-packs and boxes of 10 are available for $5.85 to $7.10 per stick.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Like my colleagues, I’m an unabashed fan of Paul Gamirian’s cigars. I can’t think of one I’ve smoked I didn’t find to be excellent, and I’d heartily agree with Patrick A’s five-stogie review of the Symphony 20th. That cigar would be on my desert island list.

But until recently I’d not only never smoked anything from the PG Artisan’s Passion line, I‘d never seen them. And even though Patrick S reviewed it in 2011, I wanted to sing its praises as well.

This three-cigar line stands out for quite a few reasons. Perhaps most noticeable is the price. The short robusto is $7.60 and each of the others rises by 60 cents. For a manufacturer who specializes in finely crafted, aged cigars blended from top-grade tobaccos, that’s a good price.

Another noticeable factor is a powerful, full-bodied smoke that’s composed of all Dominican tobaccos, still unusual this many years after the introduction of Opus X.

The 52-ring gauge cigar starts with pepper that recedes quickly, overtaken by a pleasant taste of grass and hay. It produces tons of smoke from the start and burns evenly from beginning to end.

At the halfway point of the six-inch stick, there’s a terrific mix of spice and sweetness that carries through for another inch or so. The blend is incredibly smooth and the finish is great.

If you’re lucky enough to find this cigar, light it up. I think you’ll agree that it earns four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I think it was Woody Allen who said 80 percent of life is showing up. Well, I got part of my percent the other day when I won a box of Di Fazio Picoso Torpedos from The Cigar Station last month for what I believe was the electronic equivalent of showing. I registered at the site, which plays music, interviews, and other cigar-related material.

I’ve smoked a couple, and they’re nice cigars—spicy, well-made, and smooth. Di Fazio  is a relatively new company, starting operations in 2008 with headquarters in Miami. The Picoso is made in Honduras, and I wrote a Quick Smoke on the Churchill last year.

I thought I should share my good fortune, so we’ve cooked up another contest to give StogieGuys.com readers a chance to win a Picoso five-pack. The goal of this contest is to support the backbone of our hobby: the cigar shop. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post that includes this sentence:

“I will buy a cigar in person at a cigar shop the next time I get a chance.”

For most of us, that’s a pretty simple promise. Some of you, though, live a long way from a B&M. That’s OK. We trust you. If you say you’ll do it, you’ll do it, whether it’s tomorrow or two years from now. You’re all on the honor system.

Here’s the fine print: Please enter only once. Include an email address so we can contact you to get your mailing address if you win. (If you’re concerned about spammers, feel free to wrinkle it up by spelling “@” or writing .com as “.cXX”. Just don’t make it so clever that we can’t figure it out.) The winner will be chosen at random in a week, and the judges’ decision is final. The rest of the fine print can be read here.

Since Di Fazio was kind enough to supply the cigar, I’d recommend you purchase one from their lines if the shop you visit carries them. But whatever you buy, enjoy it. And tell ’em StogieGuys.com sent you.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

A few weeks back I reviewed the new Viaje Skull and Bones FOAB (Father of All Bombs), and shortly after took a look at the 2012 MOAB (Mother of All Bombs). Today I review the third (and final) variation from the 2012 class of Viaje Skull and Bones: the “Red” Skull and Bones WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction).

The short, stout cigar is just 3.75 inches long with a ring gauge of 54. Only 7,500 cigars were made, coming in 300 boxes of 25 and selling for $9 each (around $225 per box). Fortunately, I picked up a five-pack just as they were released because they sold out days later.

The blend is 100% Nicaraguan tobacco with a criollo wrapper around unspecified Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The cigar is firm to the touch and the wrapper has a bit of sheen and a few veins.

Once lit, I found a full-bodied cigar with bready and warm tobacco favors. Surprisingly—for a “nuclear” cigar with a “be warned” notice—it was not spicy at all, and frankly not even overly full-bodied. In the second half of the short smoke, it revealed a slight sourness.

Ultimately, it tastes a little young, making me wonder if more time might bring out more subtleties in this blend. On the positive side, the hour-long smoke demonstrated excellent construction from start to finish with an even burn, solid ash, and perfect draw.

Making the obvious comparison to Viaje’s other Skull and Bones releases, it’s easy to conclude that this is my least favorite of this year’s batch. It’s not a bad cigar, but it is underwhelming, especially for the steep price considering the small size. It’s also, somewhat surprisingly (given the nuclear vs. non-nuclear designations), not as full-bodied as the MOAB or FOAB.

When I lit up my first 2012 WMD, I expected a nuclear bomb of flavor, but instead got a fairly nondescript, though full-bodied and full-flavored smoke. Maybe it’s a victim of its own hype, but the Viaje Skull and Bones WMD 2012 is a classic case of good but not great, earning it a 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