The Stogie Guys

Abe Flores reinvented Pinar del Rio Cigars (PDR) in 2010 by re-blending his standard lines, dropping his prices by 10%, and introducing some new creations. Prior to this company re-launch, many cigar enthusiasts had not even heard of PDR. After, PDR grew a solid base of loyal fans who appreciated the value and craftsmanship of Flores’ offerings.

I fall into the camp of folks who became PDR fans once I was properly exposed to the company. Smokes like the Cubano Especial Capa Natural, Sun Grown, and Selección have been regular visitors to my humidors for a couple years. And I’m also enjoying newer offerings, like Small Batch Reserve—both Habano and Maduro.

But my exposure to the PDR portfolio has not been comprehensive. The Clasico Exclusivo line, for example, has somehow flown under my radar since it was released about three years ago. This blend has an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Dominican criollo ’98 binder, and a filler blend of tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It is available in nine sizes: Robusto (5 x 50), Corona (5.25 x 44), Corona Gorda (6 x 46), Toro (6 x 52), Torpedo (6.5 x 52), Churchill (7 x 50), Lancero (7.25 x 38), Magnum (5 x 60), and Double Magnum (6 x 60).

The Robusto retails for around $5 per single or $90 for a box of 20. Underneath its double bands and yellow ribbon is a silky wrapper with minimal veins and seams that are barely noticeable. The exterior leaf gives off hardly any aroma but, at the foot, the exposed filler tobaccos smell of sweet hay and honey.

After clipping the cap to reveal an even draw and toasting the foot, the initial flavor is peppery and a bit more intense than traditional Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped cigars. Dry spice is concentrated on the tip of the tongue, on the lips, and on the finish. Notes of oak and grass are evident if you smoke through the nose.

As flavors of nuts and cream come to the fore, it becomes clear that this smoke has outstanding physical properties. Light up the Clasico Exclusivo Robusto and, like me, you’ll surely be admiring its perfect burn line, sturdy gray ash, and smooth draw. These attributes aren’t to be overlooked. It’s a lot easier to find a $10 cigar with poor construction than it is to find a $5 cigar with excellent construction.

In the end, while the taste isn’t remarkably complex or astonishingly unique, this Pinar del Rio creation is a fine choice if you’re looking for a morning coffee companion. It goes equally well with a glass of wine in the evening. It seems to forgo my least favorite characteristics of mild smokes—a chemically aftertaste or a papery finish—while exhibiting the best traits of the breed—light on cost and oozing with creamy nuttiness. You can’t complain with that. And I also don’t think you’ll object to my rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–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.”

It’s easy to see why this tobacco combination became the latest limited edition from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. A sometimes punchy, sometimes subtle treat, this complex cigar presents an array of flavors in a smooth blend. The dry looking Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper covers filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. My only complaint was a somewhat loose draw, particularly noticeable in such a large cigar. But that’s minor. At about $8.50, this cigar is a terrific experience.

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.”

Named for George A. Rico of Gran Habano Cigars, the G.A.R. White Label is built with an Ecuadorian corojo wrapper, an Ecuadorian Connecticut binder, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. It is marketed as a “full-bodied, full-flavored treat” that’s a “tasty powerhouse.” The Robusto Grande (5.5 x 52) emits thick, textured smoke with notes of black coffee, cocoa powder, leather, and a bit of spice on the finish. Construction is good, except for a sandy ash that’s prone to falling off prematurely. For the average asking price of around $6, this vitola is a good buy as an after-dinner smoke with a serving (or two) of bourbon.

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) A recent government report found smokers in the U.S. have shifted away from cigarettes and towards cigars and pipes over the last three years. The trend follows federal tax increases on cigarettes in 2009. Even though cigar taxes have been on the rise at the state and federal levels, cigarettes are still taxed at a higher rate. “The shift [away from cigarettes] cost the federal government $615 million to $1.1 billion in uncollected tax revenue from April 2009 to September 2011,” according to USA Today. From January 2009 to September 2011, “monthly sales of large cigars more than doubled, from 411 million pounds to more than 1 billion pounds.”

2) With the recent petition drive to stop FDA regulation of premium cigars, it seemed like a good time to check in on HR1639, the legislative proposal to do the same. George Cecala in the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), the author, said they continue working on it and anticipate more cosponsors, with under 50 now needed for a majority. Typically, narrow bills like this are attached to broader measures, and that remains a possibility. Another possibility is that, in the face of massive House opposition, the FDA will drop its plan. Either way, now’s not the time to decrease pressure. If your representative or senator isn’t signed on, get in touch and urge them to support this vital legislation.

3) Inside the Industry: Aging Room is introducing two new cigars: Sumatra Cuatro (notable for an aged Indonesian binder) and Havao (Dominican). Toraño has announced a Master Blend Maduro featuring a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper.

4) Around the Blogs: Tiki Bar tries the Rodrigo La Fortaleza Elegante. Cigar Brief smokes the Swag Lavish Robusto. Cigar Explorer explores a Nat Sherman Timeless. Cigar Inspector inspects a God of Fire. Stogie Review reviews a Partagas 1845.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Two Dons Make Ten” sampler scores you 10 robustos for just $30. You get five Don Pepin Black Cuban Classics and five Don Tomás Sungrowns.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Like many pursuits these days, the cigar world is often driven by the phrase, “What’s new?”

I am as guilty as most, if not more so, of seeking the new, the different, and the as-yet-to-be-smoked. Writing for StogieGuys.com, I consider it my duty to report on cigars that our readers might not have tried. Since I rarely light up more than six or seven sticks per week, that increases the pressure to search the humidor for untried cigars whenever I visit a B&M.

All this came to mind the other day when I pulled an Oliva Serie V Churchill Extra from my humidor. The cigar was a gift, and I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I smoked one. But I did remember how much I had enjoyed them when Oliva introduced the Serie V as a full strength addition to its lineup nearly five years ago. I smoked them often.

The smooth, spicy, complex cigar was every bit as satisfying as it was back then. Why, I wondered, had I stopped smoking them? Of course, I knew the answer. They’d just been pushed aside by newer cigars. Not better cigars, necessarily. Just newer.

So I vowed I would change my ways. On my next smoke shop visit, I looked specifically for cigars I had not smoked for awhile. I settled on the San Cristobal Elegancia Imperial, a Pepin-blended creation from Ashton that captivated my taste buds when the line extension came out about a year ago. Back then, I ran through a box of the relatively mild, beautiful robustos. But I had not had one since.

The Imperial was great. A joy to smoke. It made me think how strange is our obsession with new cigars when those that are very old are the most highly prized. But that’s another story.

For now, I’m content to learn my lesson. New cigars can be great. But so are many of those that have been around awhile.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

According to an announcement by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), the Senate Appropriations Committee added language to the 2013 appropriations bill for the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies that encourages the FDA to regulate cigars and ban “flavored” cigars.

The move came just as cigar enthusiasts passed the 25,000 signature threshold on a petition asking the White House to order the FDA not to expand its authority to include premium cigars. By reaching 25,000 signatures, the petition will now receive an official response from the Obama Administration.

The FDA appropriations bill, including the language pushing regulation of cigars, now moves to the Senate floor to be scheduled for a full vote. So far there is no indication that similar language will be included in the House version of the bill.

As in most anti-tobacco efforts, the senators cite “children” as the impetus for more regulation, despite the fact that it will exclusively be the legal choices of adults that will limited by FDA regulation of cigars. “The emergence of flavored cigars is a transparent effort by Big Tobacco to work around the new tobacco control law,” claimed Durbin (pictured), even though handmade premium cigars by companies like CAO, Rocky Patel, and Drew Estate are likely to be included in a “flavored cigar” ban.

Durbin and Lautenberg assert, without citing any evidence, that “cigars with candy-like [sic] flavorings such as strawberry, watermelon, vanilla, and chocolate are marketed to young people, and get them hooked on this deadly and addictive habit at a young age.” Nowhere do the Senators explain why or how these flavors are “candy-like” (considering that fruits and other flavors like chocolate and vanilla were in existence for centuries before they were used in candy) nor do they address the fact that they are primarily enjoyed by adults.

Regulation of cigars by the FDA could be devastating to the premium cigar industry, which helps provide 85,000 jobs in the U.S. and hundreds of thousands in Latin America. Ingredient disclosure, testing, and marketing restrictions would stifle the development of new cigar blends and eliminate events where cigar makers pass out free samples to cigar shop patrons.

Concerned cigar smokers may want to contact members of the House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies, especially subcommittee Chair Jack Kingston (R-GA), to add language opposing the Senate’s push to have the FDA regulate cigars. They also should contact their senators to oppose the passage of the bill with the anti-cigar language and follow the IPCPR and CRA for updates.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

This fat Robusto is part of the four-vitola line introduced by Toraño at last year’s industry trade show that continues to be promoted as a low-cost, high-quality smoke.

At a recent event, Charlie Toraño remarked that the Loyal has been getting a good reception from smokers, and I’m not surprised.

As a long-time admirer of Toraño’s skill in artfully blending tobaccos from many origins, I’m always interested in trying one of their releases. Recently, I’ve smoked several of this 5-inch stick with a 56-ring gauge as well as a couple of the company’s new, and generally more highly regarded, Vault line.

Truth be told, I prefer the Loyal. I think that the Nicaraguan Ometepe tobacco that was added to the Vault’s original recipe creates a dry, somewhat dusty taste that just isn’t my particular cup of tea.

The Loyal, on the other hand, is an under-$5, medium-strength Robusto with smoothly blended Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers that provide enough flavor shifts to keep it interesting. There’s a bit of pepper on the opening that ramps up until about the midway point, when it begins to recede. Layered over it at that point is a nice sweet tobacco taste and a little leather and wood.

It smokes slowly, and the additional girth make it a Robusto with an extra-long experience.

My complaints relate primarily to construction. I’ve experienced some unraveling of the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and an uneven burn on occasion, which appeared to be related to poor combustion of the Nicaraguan binder.

The Loyal should have wide appeal, especially for those smokers looking for a traditional cigar at a low price. For me, it rates three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Toraño