The Stogie Guys

Wild Turkey has a rough and rowdy reputation, but it’s also and underrated bourbon, with bold, enjoyable flavors. Rare Breed ($40 for 750 ml.) is the same mash bill as regular Wild Turkey 101, but with two twists that set it apart.

First, Rare Breed is bottled at barrel strength without being cut with water, resulting in a strong 108.4-proof whiskey. Second, the bourbon is a combination of 6, 8, and 12 year old Wild Turkey (the regular 101 variety used to carry an age statement of 8 years, but has since dropped it).

Rare Breed is deep amber in color and the nose features deep oak, citrus, cedar, and even a hint of fermenting tobacco. The bourbon uses a good bit of rye in its recipe and it shows on the palate: with spice and tannins in combination with pine, maple sweetness, and vanilla. The finish is clean with more lingering wood and spice.

Even though Rare Breed is a higher than normal proof, it’s still quite smooth and balanced. Usually, my rule of thumb is anything over 100-proof gets a splash of water to tone down the alcoholic heat, but that’s surprisingly unnecessary here, as Rare Breed is quite drinkable straight up. While it’s feisty and flavorful, it doesn’t feature the pure heat that often appears with spirits that are over 50% alcohol by volume.

All that spiciness makes it a perfect bourbon for pairing with spicy Nicaraguan cigars. Think: Tatuaje Fausto, Casa Fernandez Aganorsa, or EO 601 Red. Want a Dominican-made cigar? Try the Aging Room Quattro, Opus X, or LG Diez.

You can’t go wrong with any of those. But most of all, if you’re a bourbon drinker, don’t forget about Wild Turkey. It’s good stuff (even if it doesn’t have the cache or buzz of harder-to-find bourbons) and the Rare Breed is an excellent expression with plenty of power and guts, combined with just enough finesse and complexity.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you ever lamented how cigar enjoyment can get caught up in details that distract from your own impressions of flavor—details like countries of origin, tobacco types, blenders, factories, quantity of units produced, etc.—Quesada has just the cigar for you.

Earlier this year, Quesada (a product of SAG Imports) released Heisenberg, a cigar line that’s secretive about its makeup. It is named for “the scientific formula of the same name that proves the fundamental limits of precision: In other words, no matter how much we know about something we will never know everything; the more we focus on one aspect, the less we know about another,” reads the SAG Imports website. “The Heisenberg project has two intentions: to dispel the stereotypes that limit our ability to enjoy a cigar and remind aficionados that sometimes it’s best to sit back, relax, and just enjoy a smoke without over-analyzing it.”

True to this agenda, Quesada—which also makes Oktoberfest and Tributo, among other lines—is releasing no information about Heisenberg, a cigar that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Breaking Bad. All I’ve been able to gather is there are four vitolas, and the two Corneta Cuadradas I sampled cost me $7 apiece.

The Corneta Cuadrada is a funky-looking smoke, and not just because its black and silver band is marked with nothing but a quantum physics formula. The slightly box-pressed, ever-widening cigar is 5.25 inches long with a ring gauge of 44 at the head, 48 towards the middle, and 55 at the foot. It has a dark, moderately oily wrapper that’s spattered with dark spots and bumps. Faint notes of sweetness and earth can be found pre-light.

Once lit, the texture is syrupy and chewy with bitter leather and spice. Quickly, flavors of raisin and black licorice emerge, but they’re finicky and not noticeable with every puff. I have to gently squish the cap between my teeth to open up the draw. Perhaps a punch cut is a poor choice (I figured it wouldn’t be given the slender head, though next time I’ll use a guillotine).

I’ve had other cigars similar to Heisenberg, though don’t ask me to recall which ones specifically. Everything is familiar, especially the core mustiness, the bitterness, and the warm tobacco taste. While I’m not saying I suspect Heisenberg is a copy of something else, I will say the flavor—at least to my taste buds—is nothing new. Unfortunately, it also isn’t a sensation I’ll be going out of my way to experience again.

Yes, there are some issues with the burn line, and the draw needs to be worked at to open up. But these are secondary considerations. What concerns me is the flavor doesn’t seem to speak to me in a meaningful way. This isn’t a bad cigar, and maybe you’ll have a completely different experience. For me, the Quesada Heisenberg Corneta Cuadrada rates 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.”

I’ve had this cigar, made by Honduras Caribbean Tobacco, resting in my humidor since last summer’s IPCPR Trade Show. I wish I had smoked it sooner. It has a fantastic, classic band and packaging that surrounds an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan-double binder, and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler. The cigar is medium-bodied with toasty notes, coffee bean, cedar, dried fruit, and chocolate flavors. Construction is excellent on this well-balanced, tasty smoke. My only wish is that Honduras Caribbean Tobacco’s cigars were easier to find, as I’ve enjoyed the few I’ve smoked.

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.”

Ever since my colleague George E awarded this box-pressed, Sumatra-wrapped smoke a perfect five-stogie rating, I’ve been dying to try it. Over the years I’ve learned that George’s tastes are quite similar to my own, so I had high expectations for this specimen from Oliveros Cigars. Firing it up for the first time after about six months of aging, I was not disappointed. It exuded well-balanced notes of coffee creamer, bittersweet chocolate, and dry wood—all of which paired nicely with a glass of zinfandel. The Concerto (7 x 50) also boasted excellent construction and admirable smoke production. The going rate of about $9 apiece is a fair asking price for such a fine cigar.

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) Following last summer’s Habano-wrapped debut, Espinosa Premium Cigars has announced the release of the Espinosa Maduro, a four-vitola line with a dark Mexican wrapper. “Within this triple-capped cigar lies a premium blend of tobaccos that have been combined to form a rich cocoa, cedar, pepper, and spice base,” reads a press release. “This medium-full bodied cigar is the perfect combination of Erik Espinosa’s signature strength notes and the La Zona factory’s reputation for flavor.” The Havana-born Espinosa is best known for helping create the 601, Murcielago, Cubao, and Mi Barrio brands along with his partner, Eddie Ortega. La Zona is located in Estelí, Nicaragua.

2) Branching out from its base in the Dominican Republic, Davidoff is launching a new “Davidoff Nicaragua” line with a ten-year-old Havana-seed wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, and filler tobaccos from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe. “This is a major step for us to expand to a new territory,” said Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard. “I wanted to develop products that were not necessarily origin-specific or rigidly tied down to one specific place. Davidoff is a brand, not a territory.” The Nicaraguan puro will come in three sizes: Toro, Robusto, and a Short Corona. The official introduction will take place at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show.

3) Inside the Industry: Nat Sherman has launched a “retail humidor program” targeted to the hospitality industry, which includes special humidors to be stocked with a variety of Nat Sherman cigars. Studio Tobac, the branch of Oliva that includes Nub and Cain, is launching its World Tour 2013, with events featuring a special six-cigar sampler that includes two prototypes and four limited releases.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a 1502 Ruby. Stogie Review reviews La Aurora Cien Años Edición Especial. The Tiki Bar kicks back with a Gurkha Ghost. Half Wheel checks out the Viaje Exclusivo Tower Cigars 45th. Cigar Inspector inspects an Illusione Epernay.

5) Deal of the Week: The “Stogie Guys Cigar Sampler”—offered by longtime supporter Corona Cigar—contains seven cigars for $29.95 (plus free shipping on your entire order). It includes limited edition cigars from Avo and Davidoff, plus cigars by Rocky Patel, J.C. Newman, Casa Fernandez, and two Corona “house” blends. Pick yours up here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Espinosa Premium Cigars

President Obama’s budget may be two months late, but cigar smokers may be wishing it was even later. The president’s budget, announced Wednesday, proposes nearly doubling taxes on all types of tobacco products.

The budget includes a 94-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and would index the tax rate to inflation so it automatically increases over time. A pack of cigarettes is already taxed $1.01. Rates for “other tobacco products”—a federal designation that includes cigars—would increase by the same proportion.

In 2009, as one of his first moves in office, Obama signed into law the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) tobacco tax increase, which raised cigarette taxes from 39 cents to $1.04 and raised the cap on cigars from 5 cents to 40 cents. SCHIP was the largest single tobacco tax increase in history, but the new Obama budget would top it.

The result would be that most cigars would increase 37 cents in cost. For a box of 25 cigars, that’s an increase of over $9.  Some less expensive cigars would increase less, but the percentage tax increase could actually be larger.

Fortunately for cigar smokers, most political observers consider the proposed budget dead on arrival in Congress. Still, the budget is a starting point for negotiations, and more importantly stands as a value statement for the president, who says the tobacco tax revenues would go towards early education spending.

Critics noted that the taxes would hurt small businesses and eliminate jobs. “For specialty tobacco stores that sell primarily tobacco and tobacco-related products, a sales decline greater than what occurred in 2009 to 2010 would be destructive to their businesses and result in store closures and employees losing their jobs,” observed Tom Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets.

In addition, analysts note that not only will the tax increase be passed on to smokers, but over time retailers and manufacturers may end up marking up the increase along with the rest of the wholesale price, resulting in even higher price increases for consumers. Under that scenario, the price of a box of premium cigars could increase by almost $20.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Curivari began making cigars for the European market, introducing its Selección Privada in 2003. Going head-to-head with Cuban cigars on their turf obviously was a gutsy move for a Nicaraguan cigar maker. But in only a few years, the company’s reputation was expanding about as quickly as its lines.

Now available in the U.S., Curivari cigars are among the most fervently sought boutique smokes by those on the lookout for something new. I heard good things about the brand long before I saw one. I tried a couple of times to get to their booth at last summer’s IPCPR Trade Show, but couldn’t get through the crowds.

My introduction to them came in an order from Atlantic Cigar Co., one of a few retailers with a selection—often with limited supplies or on backorder—of Curivari’s small batch lines. If there’s a shop in my area that carries them, I haven’t found it.

I’ve had just three: the El Gran Rey Belicoso (5.4 x 52), a Nicaraguan puro with a $9 price tag. I’m eager to try the other two El Gran Rey vitolas, as well as different Curivari lines (like the Buenaventura).

Although Curivari describes it as a “full-bodied cigar,” I’d call it more of a medium, with what I think of as traditional flavors, such as leather and oak. I didn’t find El Gran Rey to be particularly complex, but rather an expertly balanced and exceptionally consistent cigar.

Construction was excellent, the burn was nearly perfect, and the draw about as even as possible. They produce good smoke volume and the finish is long and deep.

Even after smoking only three cigars, I can see why this small manufacturer has gained such a large reputation. I’d urge you to seek these out, in addition to Curivari’s other lines. I give this “great king” four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys