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) Michael Jordan is set to move into his new 28,000-square-foot, $12.4 million home, which sits on 3 acres along Jack Nicklaus’ Bear Club, an exclusive golf course in Florida. A longtime cigar fan, the former NBA superstar and current majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats took his passion for the leaf into account when building his palace. According to TMZ, Jordan will have “a giant state-of-the-art home theater…outfitted with special equipment made to handle mass amounts of cigar smoke.” His property will also boast a pool house, a guest house, and a two-story guard house. Jordan previously had a $29 million home outside Chicago.

2) If you’ve ever been in the market for a humidor, you’ve surely noticed humidor retailers including estimated cigar capacities (60-count, 150-count, etc.) along with their product specs. And you’ve probably also come to learn that such estimates are typically inflated. To address this issue, the folks at HumidorDiscount.com have created a nifty humidor calculator that tells you how many cigars (you pick the brand/size) will fit in a humidor, given its dimensions. The calculator will even tell you if the cigars should be arranged vertically or horizontally.

3) Washington has had a smoking ban in place for years. But in light of the state’s recent legalization of marijuana, one bar owner in Olympia is telling patrons they can smoke—as long as they’re not smoking tobacco. He “appears to be the first restaurant or bar owner in the state to test the recently expanded limits on recreational marijuana use,” according to CNBC. “Federal, state, and local officials appear unsure” if he is breaking the law.

4) Inside the Industry: CAO is reportedly releasing a “Left Coast” regional cigar (although the “left coast” region apparently includes pretty much everything west of the Mississippi river). The unusual cigar (6.75 x 72) will be trapezoidal-shaped and come in boxes of 14.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Crowned Heads Four Kicks Mule Kick. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Dona Flor CC Bahia Blend. Casa Fumando smokes the Crémo Classic Maduro. A Cigar Smoker lights up the Rocky Patel 50th Anniversary.

6) Deal of the Week: A few people noticed that when Corona Cigar launched their new website, the link to the Corona Stogie Guys Sampler was broken. Now it’s fixed. And it’s still a great deal, with 7 cigars for just $29.95, including limited Davidoff and Avo cigars.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As the year draws to a close, it seems everyone’s making best-of lists. Rather than try to pinpoint and rank-order the best of the 2012 releases, I thought I’d look back at the cigars StogieGuys.com rated five stogies out of five this year. You’ll find a complete alphabetical list of the cigars that earned the rare five-stogie rating going back to 2006 here.

This year, there were five, and they represent a wide range of cigars. Perhaps the most notable is Drew Estate’s widely anticipated Liga Privada Único Serie Velvet Rat, which Patrick A. was wowed by at a pre-release event. It isn’t expected to be in regular release until 2013 and will almost certainly be at the top of everyone’s gotta-get-but-hard-to-find list.

Another new cigar getting five stogies is the Aging Room F55 Quattro Concerto that I thought was great. Patrick S. similarly raved about the Berger & Argenti Entubar V32 Rogue Rothschild, a pricey limited edition.

The other two that received five stogies in 2012 have been around for a while. The Illusione Epernay Le Matin came out several years ago, and an EO 601 Serie “Blue” Toro was a maduro that had been in my humidor for two years.

We have high standards for handing out five-stogie ratings, and a glance through previous years seems to confirm that. Five in a year, out of scores of sticks reviewed, seems to be close to the average. In past years, we’ve had as many as seven and as few as three.

Of the 36 smokes that made the list over the years, only 7 are Cuban. Among those made elsewhere, top manufacturers and blenders represented include names such as Pete Johnson, Don Pepin Garcia, Paul Garmirian, Litto Gomez, and Rocky Patel.

You’d expect to find an Opus X and Padrón Serie 1926 listed, and they are. But I think you might also find a surprise or two. Take a look. Let us know what you think of our selections and what cigars you find worthy of five stogies.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last November, when I reviewed the Classic Intrepidus, I was heartily impressed by the blend Willy Herrera created for Walter “Lilo” Santiago’s Crémo Cigars, which was prior to Herrera’s departure to Drew Estate.

So ever since Crémo rolled out its Classic Maduro blend at last summer’s industry trade show, I’ve been keen to take it for a test drive. It, like the original line, is crafted at El Titan de Bronze Cigar Factory on Miami’s Calle Ocho, an outfit Crémo’s website hails for its “old-school Cuban entubado techniques” and “level-nine rollers from Cuba, who have worked for Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta, Corona, and Partagas.”

Whereas the Crémo Classic sports a Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican, the Classic Maduro features a dark San Andreas wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos. It is offered in two sizes: Excelsior (5 x 50) and Intrepidus (6 x 52).

The latter retails for $12 and boasts a beautifully executed triple-cap, a toothy exterior leaf with minimal veins, and moderate pre-light notes of nougat and dark chocolate. The black and silver band has “handcrafted in Little Havana” scribed on its side. The cross-section at the foot shows a dense bunching of leaves and the draw is unexpectedly stiff.

This is one of those cigars that imparts an earthy, somewhat spicy aftertaste on the lips and palate. The resting smoke has a decidedly sweeter aroma of candied nuts with a little leather. The smoke itself is dense and velvety, reminding me of espresso, dry wood, marshmallow, and dark chocolate. It becomes creamier at the midway point, then a bit spicier in the final third of the 110-minute smoke.

In line with my expectations as a fan of the Classic Intrepidus, the Classic Maduro Intrepidus likewise has top-notch physical properties. Included are a straight burn line and solid white ash. And the draw, while tighter than what I’m used to, is by no means burdensome, allowing bountiful volumes of smoke with each puff.

While I have to give the edge to its predecessor, the Classic Maduro Intrepidus is a fine smoke in its own right, and one you should keep and eye out for as it starts to become more widely available. In my book, it’s worthy of 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

Larceny is the new bourbon from Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. “Old Fitzgerald” has been (and still is) an old name in bourbon going back to the 1880s. According to the story, John E. Fitzgerald was a bourbon maker who opened up shop in the 1870s. But that turns out to be fiction; the real story is much more interesting.

John E. Fitzgerald was a U.S. treasury agent who developed a taste for bourbon that he satisfied by stealing from the bonded warehouse he was given keys to in order to ensure taxes were properly collected. According to the story, he had a knack for finding the best barrels in the warehouse to thieve from, which eventually become known as “Fitzgerald barrels” (since no one was particularly interested in attempting to report a bonded treasury agent to the authorities).

Owned and made by Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle—a name bourbon fans no doubt recognize—the bourbon was one of the first successful wheated bourbons (using wheat instead of rye as the second grain along with corn). Introduced earlier this year, Larceny follows a similar wheat-heavy recipe and is made at Heaven Hill distillery, which makes some other impressive, if under-rated, bourbons like the Evan Williams Single Barrel, Parker’s Heritage, and Elijah Craig 18 Year.

The new whiskey comes in a distinctive bottle that plays up the story that inspired its name with a see-through keyhole. Made of bourbon between 6 and 12 years old, it’s bottled at a hearty, but not overwhelming, 92-proof and sells in the most reasonable $25-30 range. (Further, to induce people to try the new spirit, the bottles I’ve seen have all had an offer of a $10 rebate, making it a most affordable spirit.)

The nose of the copper-colored bourbon features a sweet nose with lots of butterscotch and toffee, and hints of oak and cherry. The first sip reveals quite a bit of heat but, by the second and third, I’m enjoying a sweet, smooth combination of toffee, melon, dry cinnamon, and apples. The finish has honey and bread, and fades away at a medium speed that prompts you for a quick follow-up.

While rye is known for adding spicy qualities to bourbon, wheat tends to result in a smoother blend, and that’s certainly true of Larceny. But it’s far more interesting and lively than another similarly-priced wheated bourbon, Maker’s Mark, which as I’ve gotten more and more into bourbon I’ve found trades a little too much character for it’s easy-drinking qualities.

As far as cigar pairings go, Larceny is versatile, though I’d stay away from Connecticut wrappers if there is even a hint of bitterness, and also overly spicy or very full-bodied smokes. The Tatuaje Havana line, Illusione Epernay, CAO Concert, and My Father line all seem to fit the bill nicely.

For the money (especially if you have the patience to send in for the rebate) it’s hard to not be impressed with Larceny. It’s perfect for a Maker’s Mark sipper starting to explore all that bourbon offers, but can be enjoyed by the most seasoned enthusiast. It actually is not all that dissimilar, except for price, from the highly sought-after Van Winkle Family Reserve. You might even call it a steal.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In September, it was announced that Emilio Cigars would assume distribution of Global Premium Cigars (GPC), a Nicaraguan-based boutique headed by Enrique Sánchez Icaza.

“I am delighted to be able to help another boutique manufacturer benefit from our existing shipping and billing facilities, and even happier we were able to make this arrangement with a dear friend,” said Griffith in a press release. Sánchez Icaza shared similar sentiments, calling Griffith “a true friend, great entrepreneur, and a great cigar guru.”

With their agreement in place, you can expect to be hearing more from GPC, including reviews of the company’s three blends: Emerald, Ruby, and Black Gold. Each is sold under the “1502” name, commemorating the year Christopher Columbus discovered Nicaragua.

The 1502 Emerald is intended to be the lightest in the GPC portfolio (Black Gold is the strongest) with a “subtle strength” achieved through tobaccos from San Andrés, Estelí, and Condega. The Torpedo (6.5 x 52) sells for $6-8 apiece and sports a clean, golden wrapper with a sharp cap and faint pre-light notes of hay and caramel. The foot is semi-closed and the feel is moderately firm with no soft spots.

The profile is airy, a little salty, and leaves a fair amount of dry spice on the lips. Decidedly mild—both in terms of body and nicotine output—some sweet notes come and go throughout. Coffee and earth are in the foreground. But the 1502 Torpedo lacks the flavor components I often look for in a milder smoke, including cream and nuts. Instead, especially when puffed rather quickly, it displays hints of bitterness.

Construction-wise, it performs impeccably. The burn is straight with no need for touch-ups, the white ash holds well off the foot, and the draw is smooth and clear from light to nub.

I smoked two 1502 Emerald Torpedos for this review and found both to leave something to be desired in the flavor department, even though I’ve long been a fan of cigars from the milder spectrum. Perhaps the Ruby or Black Gold blends from GPC will be more up my alley. For my taste, though, I can’t see myself actively seeking out the Emerald Torpedo in the near future. It earns two and a half 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.”

Released just before St. Patrick’s Day earlier this year—it has been aging in my humidor since then—this Candela features a notable bright green wrapper, with a shiny appearance that is a stark contrast from most double claro wrappers, which tend to be dry and matte. The cigar has roast nut and coffee flavors, and a bit of intermittent black pepper spice. While feint, the vegetable, grassy quality that is characteristic of Candela wrappers is apparent. Still it’s an enjoyable, well-made cigar, even though I can’t help thinking the same blend with a traditional wrapper (or even without the wrapper) might be even better.

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.”

The Single Region from Toraño was on my short list of the best new cigars at the 2010 industry trade show. For me, it has stood the test of time and improved with age. The Robusto (5 x 52) is the best vitola in the blend, exhibiting outstanding construction and a unique profile of tea, leather, and toffee before overstaying its welcome. I’m not sure when the next Single Region will be available, but I’m content to savor these Jalapas from El Estero until then.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys