The 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) We’ve written extensively about the dangerous threat of the FDA regulating premium cigars, but never from the perspective of how the issue might impact the upcoming presidential election. Scott Gottlieb—a physician who has served in a variety of capacities at the FDA and is currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute—wrote on Wednesday that cigars could play a big role in the election. “Stogie-gate is capturing lots of headlines in Florida—a state that’s home to a vibrant cigar industry,” and one that promises to play a pivotal role in the election, writes Gottlieb. “The administration may decide it’s politically wise to table its regulation until after the November election, rather than risk a backlash. But the president’s regulators have already shown their cards…”

2) It was announced that four retailers were bestowed with Golden Band Awards by Davidoff in recognition of merchants who have “done the most to sustain the premium cigar industry and to advance the industry’s agenda in legislation, regulation, and the community.” The winners were John Anderson, owner of Draper’s in Washington; Craig Cass, owner of The Tinderbox in Charlotte; Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Co. in Orlando; and Christian Hutson, owner of Just For Him Cigars in Springfield, Missouri. StogieGuys.com joins Davidoff and the IPCPR in congratulating these outstanding champions of cigar rights.

3) Inside the Industry: Drew Estate announced that Michael Cellucci has been promoted to the position of president. Steve Saka, who previously held that title, has been named chief executive officer of Drew Estate. The company also reported that they are expanding their facilities. In addition existing plans to build a new large leaf processing facility across the street from their existing factory in Estelí, they are now in the design stages for a new factory to meet growing demand.

4) Contest: There are still a few more days to enter for a chance to win a 3-pack box of My Father Special S cigars signed by master cigarmaker Don Pepin Garcia.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a good way to try some new smokes from the recent IPCPR Trade Show without having to go in for a full box. At just $30, this sampler includes two each of the new Merlion by La Sirena, Fernando León Family Reserve, Liga Undercrown Toro by Drew Estate, Romeo y Julieta Havoc, and Rocky Patel Hercules.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

You may come across the word “texture” in cigar reviews or friendly conversations at tobacconists. But what exactly do we mean by texture when we’re talking about cigars?

I’m certainly guilty of using the word in an admittedly vague way, particularly when it comes to the reviews I write. I often mention texture when I’m describing the smoking characteristics of the particular cigar I’m examining. Usually right after the flavor, which I personally consider to be a completely different characteristic.

To me, flavor is the sum of the identifiable notes I find while smoking a cigar—coffee, leather, nuts, cream, cocoa, etc. Texture, on the other hand, is the way the overall taste hits my palate, or the way the profile coats and lingers in my mouth. Texture can be chalky, syrupy, dry, etc. Others use the term “mouth-feel” to mean the same thing.

The difference between flavor and texture in cigars is like the difference between taste and consistency in food. Any food worth eating has taste—sour, sweet, salty, etc.—but it will also have a consistency—chewy, crispy, slimy, crunchy. Any chef will consider both taste and consistency while producing a dish, just like any blender will consider flavor and texture.

Speaking of cigar blenders, I’ve come to learn that producers of cigars have a completely different way of thinking about texture that everyday cigar enthusiasts often overlook. While on Cigar Safari earlier this year in Nicaragua with the fine folks at Drew Estate (see our coverage here, here, here, and here), I learned that the word “texture” is also used to describe the consistency of tobacco leaves after harvest but before hitting the rolling tables. Understanding the texture of tobacco is key to knowing when the fermentation process is complete and the leaves are ready to become cigars.

Jonathan Drew spoke about how the Cubans and then Nestor Plasencia became the first cigar producers to really understand texture and incorporate it into their operations. Many variables contribute to the consistency of a particular leaf—including seed origin, where the seed was grown, irrigation, and fertilizers, just to name a few. Then, in the case of Drew Estate, leaves are selected and sorted by texture, and the texture is closely monitored to help guide the fermentation and aging process.

I remember Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka showing us literally tons of leaves in the preparation phase of driving tobacco to peak condition before allowing it to be used for rolling. I especially remember getting to examine stalk-cut Habano capa as it was being readied for the T52 blend. Drew and Saka talked at length about the oils that oozed from the leaves after applying the slightest pressure with a finger, the shine of the tobacco, and the tooth. This is what they mean by “texture,” and this is how they let the tobacco communicate to them when it is ready.

As consumers of cigars, you and I mostly talk about texture in the way a cigar hits our palate. Some of the best cigar producers, on the other hand, are referring to the physical attributes of individual leaves before they become cigars. I think the distinction is important to understand in our education of the world of cigars.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show had some definite trends. Here are the most notable ones from the 80th annual convention:

Ecuadorian Wrappers Everywhere

When we visited Drew Estate in May, Jonathan Drew called Ecuador the “Land of Milk and Money.” Given the number of Ecuadorian wrappers at this year’s Trade Show, it would be hard to argue. It seemed like every other new release featured an Ecuador-grown wrapper.

Mostly it was Ecuadorian Habano, but there was plenty of Ecuadorian Connecticut too (and to a lesser extent Ecuadorian Sumatra). I think this can be attributed to two factors. First, quality Ecuadorian wrapper is widely available at reasonable prices, or else it wouldn’t be so widely used (while other popular wrappers like Connecticut broadleaf cost more if you want top quality). Second, the consumer market for Ecuadorian wrappers (particularly Habano) is expanding. Personally, I’m pleased with the development since Ecuadorian Habano has been a favorite of mine for many years—long before the current hype.

Big Guys Stepping Up their Game

Altadis USA and General Cigar always sell more cigars than the smaller brands and boutiques that get disproportionately more attention at websites like this one. (After all, while numbers are hard to come by, we’re told Macanudo is still the best-selling cigar brand with Romeo y Julieta running second.) But this year it seemed that both large companies were not content to rest on their laurels.

The Altadis booth was notably busier than the two previous years (when, at times, it seemed like a ghost town). In the past, Altadis USA seemed like nothing more than a holding company for Cuban cigar trademarks, waiting for the embargo to end. General Cigar (Swedish Tobacco Group) has been more proactive, but it often played into the stereotype as a big company oblivious to the hard-core cigar smoker, focusing instead on the larger middle of the market. This year both companies seem to be doing a better job of meeting the expectations of the most frequent and discerning smokers while still appealing to the more occasional cigar smokers. At least on our site, both the new Montecristo Epic and the CAO Concert have already earned high marks from my colleagues as interesting, complex cigars, and there may be more high ratings to come.

The 6 x 60 Size is Here to Stay

One of the most interesting conversations I found myself having repeatedly was about the introduction of 6 inch by 60 ring gauge cigars. Practically no cigar maker really seems to prefer the format, but it’s hard to find any new blends that don’t include the “Gordo” (6 x 60) size.

Nearly universally, cigar makers and brand representatives I spoke with said they personally liked smaller sizes, usually coronas, lonsdales, and lanceros (or sometimes robustos and toros). But the Gordo size was far more common than any of those smaller ring gauge sizes. There was no getting away from the large ring gauge format for a simple reason: they sell. Nearly everyone says that behind the toro and robusto, the Gordo is the next best-selling cigar size. So, like them or not, Gordos will be an industry staple going forward.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

It was only a few years ago that the hot cigar company, the one with the buzz, the edgy promotions, and presentations, the intense interest in every new release, was CAO. Vision. The Sopranos. The America with its barber pole. Mx2. Lx2. And of course La Traviata.

Think Drew Estate nowadays: Liga Pravada. Undercrown. T52.

For CAO, though, it seems that what was once a leading edge cigar company has been dulled by ownership and management changes, a headquarters relocation, and being tucked inside one of the world’s largest tobacco conglomerates.

But the folks at General are applying the whetstone. Their first CAO release, the OSA Sol, was accompanied by lots of hype. Concert is the latest to get the treatment. And the full treatment it is.

The Concert’s box looks like an amp, its band is built around images of a guitar pick and Stratocaster-like guitars, and cigar promotions will be tied to musical events. Introduced at this month’s IPCPR Trade Show, the cigar is scheduled to ship in September.

Concert comes in four sizes. I smoked several of the Roadie, which I received at the convention. Its MSRP is $6.75, and it measures 5.5 inches long with a 54-ring gauge. Interestingly, all of the CAO Concert sizes are 5.5 inches long, with four varying ring guages: 46, 50, 54, and 60.

The first impression comes from a beautiful wrapper. The thin Ecuadorian Habano rosado leaf has few veins and almost glistens with an oily sheen. A Connecticut broadleaf binder encases “a special combination of four different Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers not previously used in any other General Cigar offering,” according to the press release.

I didn’t find much pre-light aroma and lit it using cedar, which added to a healthy kickoff. The draw was just the way I like it, a tad deliberate while easily delivering a mouthful of thick, creamy smoke.

The Concert is a complex, smooth cigar. The first third or so is peppery and fairly strong before it transitions into a more mellow and varied middle marked by a citrus flavor. The strength actually seems to go down a bit in the final third, as there’s some sweetness along the way.

Construction was fine, except in one of those I smoked. It developed a small tunnel about halfway down and the tobacco didn’t fully combust for a bit. That cut down on the smoke volume and created a dusty taste for a number of puffs.

This cigar has a lot going for it, from flavor to value. I’d recommend giving Concert a try. Whatever your musical taste, I think it will likely fit your cigar palate. And for that, I give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

And so it begins: the flurry of reviews from mainstream publications and the online cigar community on smokes that were released at the recently concluded IPCPR Trade Show.

Here at StogieGuys.com, we’ve already reviewed some of the new 2012 releases that either officially hit the market before the convention, or that we were mailed pre-release samples of. But now the floodgates are wide open. So today I bring you my review of the Toro size (6 x 52) of the Montecristo Epic Vintage 2007 from Altadis USA.

In full disclosure, Altadis sent me a three-pack of Toros, nicely presented in a yellow wooden box with the following written on the lid’s underside: “The task of creating Montecristo Epic was assigned to a special team of our most skilled and accomplished cigar makers—Grupo de Maestros—artisans with centuries of combined experience. Every step of the process, from hand selecting the ultra-premium tobaccos to each cigar’s flawless construction is performed with meticulous attention to detail and obsessive devotion.”

The blend—comprised of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic—is being marketed as “a masterpiece of complexity and full-bodied smoking pleasure.” Three standard vitolas are offered in the $13-15 range: Churchill, Robusto, and Toro.

The Toro is an oily, handsome smoke with a classic Montecristo band on top and a second band below that designates it as “Epic” and “Premium Selection ’07” (which means all of the tobacco in the cigar was harvested in 2007). The veins are few and thin, yet pronounced, and the cigar is heavy in the hand with a firm packing of tobaccos. I notice a peculiar pre-light aroma that reminds me of dried apricot.

Once underway, the profile is cool, creamy, and mellow with a dry, cedary aftertaste. There’s some bitterness present. Coffee, nutmeg, and raisin come to mind. At the midway point, not a ton changes, except for the introduction of tart notes. Construction is excellent throughout, including a solid ash, clear draw, and a perfectly straight burn that requires no touch-ups.

With a name like “Epic,” a price tag north of $13, and a number of favorable reviews already, I was expecting a lot from the Montecristo Epic Vintage 2007 Toro. It delivers in terms of balance, complexity, and performance. Seasoned cigar veterans who might stray away from Altadis brands will be impressed by this, just like another impressive Altadis release that came out earlier in the year: the VegaFina Sumum Edición Especial 2010. For these reasons I award the Epic Vintage 2007 Toro a very solid 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.”

This new cigar is the second under Gurkha’s East India Trading Company—a fascinating historical name that has been in use for centuries, but Gurkha was somehow able to register as a trademark. Like so many new cigars from the show, it features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The binder is Dominican while the filler is from Nicaragua. The size (6 x 60) is large, but not as uncomfortable as many similarly sized cigars due to the box press. Medium-bodied, well-balanced with plenty of that distinct Ecuadorian Habano flavor, it’s a cigar I would smoke again, especially since it costs about $6.

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.”

Produced at the Pinar del Rio factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, the Flores y Rodriguez line is the first PDR to bear a different name (it’s instead named for partners Abe Flores and Juan Rodriguez). The Habano Magicos (5 x 52), which also comes in a Maduro variety, starts with a blast of dry spice and pepper along with some sour notes. Meatiness, leather, and a bit of sweetness characterize the profile. Construction is outstanding. This may not be my favorite Pinar del Rio creation, but you can’t argue with the price: about $5 as a single, or as little as $4 when bought by the box of 24.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys