The Stogie Guys

There have been plenty of exciting new ryes introducdc in recent years. (I’ve written about Bulleit, Knob Creek, Michter’s, and Breuckelen, and I’m not the only one noticing a resurgence of the classic American spirit.) With the introduction of their own new rye, Tennessee whisky maker George Dickel is putting its own spin on this spirit.

George Dickel’s parent company, Diageo, is the same as Bulleit’s, and the similarities between the ryes don’t end there. Both are distilled at Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI) using the same rye-heavy recipe (95% rye and 5% malted barley). But of course whisky is far more than just the ingredients that go into it, and the Dickel rye takes its own distinct journey from barrel to bottle.

After five years in new, charred oak barrels (the legally required vessel for aging bourbon and rye whisky) the LDI-made Dickel is sent from Indiana to the bottling facility where it goes through the same charcoal chill-filtering process as Dickel’s original Tennessee whisky (Jack Daniels also uses the “Lincoln County Process“).

The resulting spirit is 90-proof and $25 for a 750 ml. bottle (notably the same price as Bulleit). It is orange-amber in color, with a nose featuring orange peel, oak, ethanol, and spice. The flavor is dominated by the wood (oak and spice) but there’s also a doughy bread flavor and some candied fruit. The finish is very dry and oaky.

I started tasting it straight, but very quickly found that watering down the proof just a bit mellowed the heat and oak, and let some of the complexities come out. Still, it’s not my favorite rye to enjoy straight (I definitely prefer its relative the Bulleit for that) but Dickel makes for an excellent mixing rye, especially in a proper Manhattan (rye, not bourbon, was the original Manhattan ingredient).

Looking for some cigar pairings? The spicy Fuente Opus X is recommended if you’re trying it straight. With a Manhattan, the Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped Tatuaje 7th Capa Especial has the balanced sweet and earth notes to complement the best of this new George Dickel Rye.

–Patrick S

photo credit: George Dickel

God of Fire is best known for selling high-end accessories and limited Fuente smokes (like God of Fire and Angelenos). Back in 2010, though, the California-based company entered the mid-priced cigar market with Sencillo, its first line not made by the Fuentes.

The latest Sencillo (Spanish for “simple”) is Sencillo Black, which features filler from Nicaragua, Honduras, and San Andreas surrounded by Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It’s made by the prolific Nestor Plasencia Jr. in Nicaragua and comes in five sizes.

Before Black there was Platinum, made by Christian Eiroa of Camacho Cigars in Honduras (Eiroa has since left Camacho to launch his own cigar brand). Prometheus founder Keith Park tells me Platinum came about when he asked Eiroa to replicate a particular cigar he had given Park back in 2008. It features “Habano de Jamastran tobacco for the wrapper, filler, and binder, with Piloto Cubano tobacco added to the filler to balance out the flavor,” according to the Sencillo website.

Sencillo Platinum is a Honduran puro that’s available in six sizes ranging in price from $6.95 to $8.95. The Pirámide (6.1 x 54) is advertised as “the most visually impressive” of the line with “the most intense aroma.” It is characterized by a beautiful, reddish wrapper, a robust fragrance of cocoa, and a smooth pre-light draw.

Immediately after lighting, the Pirámide is salty with black pepper spice. Before even the quarter-inch mark, though, the profile mellows considerably to display wonderful balance and subtlety. Flavors include buttery oak, coffee, dried fruit, and mushroom—a note that reminds me of some Henke Kelner smokes, including Davidoff and PG.

Cream, caramel, and spice come and go as the cigar progresses. The texture is silky, the nicotine impact is minimal, and the body falls in the mild- to medium-bodied spectrum. The word “harmonious” comes to mind, and the theme seems to be soft yet flavorful. At no point does this cigar taste like a Honduran puro. It performs expertly with a straight burn, fine white ash, and bountiful tufts of thick smoke.

Given its more approachable price point, I don’t think I’m supposed to like the Sencillo Platinum as much as God of Fire’s higher-priced offerings. But I do. The Pirámide is one of those superbly balanced smokes that makes you want to fire up another as soon as you’re done with the first. I don’t say that too often, and that’s ultimately why this cigar is worthy of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

People don’t pay enough attention to this fact, but the cigar community is exceedingly generous. A perfect example is former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, a cigar aficionado who spends considerable time and energy supporting charity.

Each year, just before the Super Bowl, “Jaws” (far right in the picture above) holds a cigar party with his many friends from ESPN and professional athletes, with proceeds benefiting charity. This year proceeds go to Jaws Youth Playbook Charity and the United Way for the greater New Orleans area.

Tickets cost $500 (with all proceeds going to charity); StogieGuys.com is giving one reader a pair of free tickets. (Details below.)

Jaws New Orleans Cigar Party, the 4th annual event put on by Jaws, features premium cigars from the industry’s top brands (including CAO, Macanudo, Miami Cigar & Co., Rocky Patel, Quesada, and La Gloria Cubana), single-malt scotch, and plenty of football celebrities to make it the must-attend cigar event. Jaws will be joined by ESPN personalities including Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Mike Ditka, Suzy Kolber, Mike Golic, Merril Hoge, and others. It is an intimate affair, so not only do you get up close and personal with the celebrity guests, the space will also fill up quickly.

Jaws is an active community champion. His foundation, Jaws Youth Playbook (JYP), works to improve the overall health and wellness of at-risk youth. JYP is proud to partner with the United Way for the greater New Orleans area and support their Hurricane Isaac relief efforts. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, January 31 at the Bourbon Vieux on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Enter to win two free tickets: Entry is simple. In the comments, let us know the best sports-related cigar celebration you’ve ever enjoyed. Just tell us your team, what they won, and what cigar you celebrated with. We’ll pick our favorite and hook you up with the free tickets. Just make sure you can get yourself to the event, since it would be shame to waste such a great prize.

And even if you don’t win the free tickets, please consider buying a ticket. The money goes to two great causes and it promises to be a fantastic event.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Jaws Cigar Party

Over the past year, the looming regulation of cigars by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been front and center as the most pressing threat to cigar rights. And rightfully so. FDA regulation would likely drive up prices, stifle innovation and new blends, eliminate or limit promotions and advertisements for cigars, and mandate health risk warning labels.

But smoking bans still constitute a significant infringement on our freedom to enjoy a premium handmade cigar. And anti-tobacco zealots are always pushing for new bans while lobbying to make existing bans stricter. Recently, two stories caught my attention, one because the size of the state, the other because of the egregiousness of the proposal.

Texas Smoking Ban Back on the Table

With the issue gaining momentum for the new legislative session, some expect Texas, the second-largest state by population, to be the 29th U.S. state to pass a ban. A proposal has been introduced that would ban “at all indoor and outdoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars, with exemptions for outdoor restaurant or bar patios set aside for smokers,” according to NACS. “Also exempt would be tobacco bars opened prior to 2013.”

This isn’t the first time politicians and special interest groups have tried to pass a smoking ban in Texas. But advocates of the regulation seem confident this push will be successful, and they are no doubt relishing the possibility of a smoking ban in a large southern state that has traditionally been hesitant to the idea of government control of business.

Virginia County Considering Outdoor Ban

While Virginia has been under a statewide indoor ban since 2009 that criminalizes smoking in restaurants, bars, and other workplaces, officials in Fairfax County—an affluent suburb of Washington—are eyeing tougher restrictions. Gerry Hyland, a Democrat on the county’s Board of Supervisors, wants to ban smoking on all outdoor public property, including parks.

No stranger to anti-tobacco measures, Hyland, according to the Washington Examiner, “had been pushing similar legislation since November that would have banned smoking by current county employees and permitted the county to consider job applicants’ use of tobacco products when hiring them.” That proposal was shot down for being a bit too radical.

Once thought ridiculous, outdoor smoking bans are becoming more prominent, the foremost example being New York City’s criminalization of smoking in parks. And one has to wonder if the idea of prohibiting tobacco use among employees will catch on with public (and maybe also private) employers.

–Patrick A

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.”

A collaboration between the Quesada sisters of SAG/MATASA and Janny Garcia of My Father Cigars, 3 Reynas is made in Nicaragua with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. The Robusto (5 x 50) costs $7. This sample is more full-bodied than the previous 3 Reynas cigars I’ve smoked. I’d characterize it as medium-bodied, as apposed to mild-medium. With earth, coffee, milk chocolate, and mild oak, it’s a great smoke for the Sunday paper and a good coffee.

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) A judge has dismissed the outdoor smoking ban for beaches in Sarasota County, ruling only the Florida legislature can declare such laws in the state. “Sarasota County Attorney Steven DeMarsh notified Sarasota commissioners just this week that a recent court decision declared the local government does not have the authority to ban smoking in public outdoor areas,” according to the local NBC affiliate. Florida has been under a statewide indoor smoking ban since 2003. This recent ruling affirms the prohibition on municipalities from regulating smoking to a stricter degree.

2) Today Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is hosting the national release of two new sizes of Los Regalos Quetzal by Emilio Cigars. Attendees of the free event will enjoy raffles, cigars, specialty cocktails, and the opportunity to meet Gary Griffith and Nate McIntyre of Emilio. Los Regalos Quetzal is manufactured in Estelí and features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos.

3) Inside the Industry: L’Atelier is preparing multiple new projects for 2013, including L’Atelier Maduro (slated for a June/July release) and a new Surrogate or two. Also a new L’Atelier vitola, the LAT 46SS, is scheduled for an April release.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review checks out the new Civil Cigar Lounge. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Nat Sherman Timeless Nicaragua. Cigar Inspector inspects a Recluse Toro. Cigar Fan fires up a La Musa Mοῦσα.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a nice little sampler for coffee lovers. Just $35 gets you five each of Java by Rocky Patel and Tabak Especial, both made at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Reinado is a brand to keep your eye on. The original offering is a good cigar (particularly the small Habanito size), but it’s the follow-up that has been getting the buzz.

That follow-up, the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve, is a cigar I remember enjoying when I first smoked it at the IPCPR Trade Show and one I meant to seek out. Still, whether because they are difficult to find locally or just because I’ve had no shortage of new cigars to smoke, I was glad when I got a few samples to try recently.

The Grand Empire Reserve (GER) currently comes in just one size called Elegidos (5 x 55). It has a soft box-press and looks more like a traditional 50 or 52 ring gauge cigar. In addition to this initial size, introduced this summer, multiple additional sizes are in the works for 2013.

Like the original Reinado, the GER is a Nicaraguan puro made in Condega. It utilizes a “select Habano maduro” wrapper that’s dark and shows lots of oils. It retails for $9.95.

The cigar shows loads of earth, a syrupy sweetness, and plenty of oaky wood. There’s black pepper on the finish. It starts out strong, mellows slightly, and then ramps up to the finish.

Flavor-wise, it’s a cigar smoker’s cigar: full-bodied, gritty, with plenty going on and not too similar to anything else available. Construction is excellent with a quality burn, ash, and draw.

It’s the kind of cigar that begs for a fine, dark spirit. Aged rum, malty Scotch, or well-aged oaky bourbon all fit the bill.

All in all, I really enjoy the Elegidos. Unique, flavorful, and spirited, the cigar gets a well-deserved rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys