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) The number of smoking bans on college campuses has reached nearly 1,200, according to the Washington Post. The latest is American University where, starting yesterday, smoking has been criminalized, even outdoors, save for three designated spots that will be phased out before 2014. It bears repeating that empirical studies show no justification for outdoor smoking bans from a health perspective. What’s more, Columbia University researchers found that weak claims about outdoor bans can be “hazardous for public health policymakers, for whom public trust is essential.” Nonetheless, two other Washington-area campuses also recently became smoke-free: George Washington University and the University of Maryland at College Park.

2) There’s still time to enter to win one of two 18-count boxes of La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age cigars, courtesy of Famous Smoke Shop. The contest will be closed to new entries starting at midnight. So be sure to click here and enter if you haven’t already done so.

3) Inside the Industry: Tickets for Little Puff (a DC-area cigar event that benefits charity) go on sale today, but move quickly since tickets usually sell out within a few hours. Canton, Massachusetts, has become the first municipality in the country to raise the legal age for tobacco purchases to 21, so returning soldiers who are under the age of 21 can still fight for their country but cannot buy a cigar to celebrate their safe return.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Viva Republica Guerrilla Warfare. Cigar Fan fires up the Toraño Salutem Toro Major. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Tabacalera Artista Exactus Habano. Stogie Fresh rates the SACS Anacaona. Cigar Inspector inspects the León Jimenes Prestige.

5) Deal of the Week: This Silver Tray Special includes five fine cigars for just $26. Included are the limited edition Wild Bunch “Tony the Boss,” HC Habano², El Primer Mundo Black, Wynwood Honduras, and Rocky Patel Edge Maduro.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

The non-partisan Tax Foundation has produced an interesting graphic showing what percentage of each states’ revenues comes from tobacco taxes. The data indicates higher tax rates don’t correlate to higher revenues for a particular state.

New Hampshire, with one of the lower tobacco tax rates, leads the country with 4.37% of state revenues being collected from tobacco taxes. New Hampshire has lower taxes than any of its regional neighbors: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Meanwhile, none of the top 10 states for cigarette taxes (New York, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Arizona) are in the top 16 states when it comes to percentage of revenues produced by tobacco taxes.

Not surprisingly for those who follow these things, New Hampshire, with it’s low tax rates, has the lowest rate of cigarette smuggling in the country. New York, with the highest tax in the country, has the most cigarette smuggling.

Cigarettes are more of a pure commodity than cigars, but it’s worth noting higher taxes don’t necessarily mean higher revenues; they do mean more smuggling. These are important facts to raise if your state or locality is proposing to raise tobacco taxes (and cigarette tax rates are highly correlated to cigar tax rates).

The data also begs the question: If higher tobacco taxes don’t actually raise more revenues for the state, why raise tax rates? One possible answer is that politicians are trying to use taxes to control the actions of their citizens and make it unaffordable for adults to choose to smoke (though the data also suggests they are driving citizens to buy smuggled tobacco).

More fundamentally, the fact that tobacco taxes make up such a major part of so many state budgets should (but probably won’t) give anti-tobacco activists pause. After all, is it really wise for the state to be so dependent on tobacco taxes?

–Patrick S

photo credit: Tax Foundation

Famous Smoke Shop, a Pennsylvania-based online cigar retailer, recently launched a new exclusive blend called La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age. Today, courtesy of our friends at Famous, we’re giving away a couple 18-count boxes in the Toro format (6 x 54).

Gilded Age is an extension of the famed La Gloria Cubana brand originated by the legendary Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. It features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Honduran binder, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos of the viso and ligero varieties. Four sizes are available at Famous—Churchill, Magnum, Robusto, and Toro—with singles in the affordable $5-7 range.

My full review of La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age is forthcoming, but I didn’t want to hold off on the opportunity to give away two boxes to a couple lucky readers. So, to enter for your chance to win, here’s all you have to do:

— Leave a comment below about your favorite experience with La Gloria Cubana.
— Make sure you’re registered for StogieGuys.com’s free email newsletter.

That’s it (though, if you’re interested, you can read our contest rules and regulations here). Good luck, and special thanks to Famous Smoke Shop for making this giveaway possible.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The first impression of Sam Leccia’s Black comes as soon as you remove the cellophane sleeve. A distinctive and full aroma fills the air. It’s smoky, outdoorsy, and it has a hint of pipe tobacco and campfire.

From the outset, it’s clear that this cigar is different. That’s no surprise, considering the range of tobaccos used in Black. The filler combines Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero, Brazilian Mata Fina, and a bit of fire-cured tobacco. Completing the international mix is an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and a Nicaraguan Rosado binder.

The flavors reflect the complex aroma with some added spicy components and sweetness. I found it to be medium in strength, with a fascinating twist. It nearly always felt as if it was going to jump up a notch but never did. The finish was also remarkable: very long and thick.

I’ve smoked three: one while at the IPCPR Trade Show and two at home. Construction, draw, and smoke production in each was excellent. The small Dominican factory producing the line knows its stuff.

Although the slightly fat robusto (a 52 ring gauge with the typical 5-inch length) is the only one of the four sizes I’ve tried, I can’t help but think it’s probably the best for this smoke. It runs around $8 per stick.

A lot of smokers will pick up a Black, and its White partner, because they’re familiar with Sam Leccia from his work with Oliva, where he generated a tremendous following with Nub (and later Cain). They should have no trouble finding these new cigars. They’re in catalogs, and it seemed as if nearly every retailer at IPCPR stopped to talk with Sam, who shared space with Toraño, which is distributing his smokes.

For those seeking something different, Black should be at the top of your list. Not just because it’s different, but because it’s good. In fact, this is a cigar that’s more enjoyable every time you smoke one. I rate it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: @SamLeccia

Chicago has no shortage of great tobacco shops, and Blue Havana is no exception. Located about 10 minutes south of Wrigley Field by foot, the tobacconist boasts a wonderful selection and the city’s largest humidor (over 700 square feet).

Bolstering Blue Havana’s position as a premier cigar destination for the region are two new exclusive smokes that are set to debut imminently. Both are crafted at Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño in Estelí by Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac. Many of you will recall that RoMa Craft’s portfolio includes Intemperance, CroMagnon, and Aquitaine.

The first of the two forthcoming Blue Havana exclusive cigars is called Ouroboros (named after an ancient symbol depicting a dragon eating its own tail). Available in one size (6.25 x 52) for $8.50, it has a Mata Fina wrapper from Brazil, an Indonesian binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Only 40 boxes of 12 will be produced in the first run.

The second Blue Havana cigar is Abaddon (the name given to the dwelling place of the dead in the Hebrew Bible). It has a dark, oily, slightly mottled Nicaraguan hybrid (Criollo/Corojo) wrapper from Nicaragua, a Mata Fina binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Like Ouroboros, only 40 boxes of 12 are being produced—at least for now—and all Abaddon cigars are in the same size (6.25 x 52). The price is $8.15 apiece.

After clipping Abaddon’s cap and establishing an even light on the closed foot, pre-light notes of sweet chocolate transition to a profile of coffee, black pepper, nut, and a flavor that reminds me a little of fennel. The texture is thick and leathery. Despite the fragrance of the unlit cigar, only a trace of sweetness is evident on the palate. While I could go on trying to name the various flavors that jump out at me, the bottom line is this: Abaddon is balanced, interesting, and, above all, complex.

It maintains my attention throughout the long, slow-burning experience, and the physical properties do not detract from my enjoyment. The draw is moderate, the smoke production solid, and the burn line straight.

Abaddon is one of the more interesting cigars I’ve smoked this year and, no, I’m not giving it extra points just because it’s ultra-exclusive (or because it’s from my hometown). With a wonderful fragrance, unique flavors, and solid construction, the sample I smoked for this review assures I’ll be heading to Blue Havana to pick up more once it’s released in September. For those outside Chicago, Blue Havana tells me they are working to accommodate phone and/or online orders, so keep your eyes open. For now, Abaddon merits a rating 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

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 Cameroon wrapper has a few spots, but perhaps that can be overlooked given that this is a wrapper that was grown 33 years ago. The cigar is balanced, creamy, and toasty with a decent bit of wood (more oak than cedar). The medium-bodied smoke is dominated by a sour-sweet-spice combination that’s quintessentially Cameroon, showing that even this old wrapper from 1980 can unload a lot of flavor. The construction is superb. Yes, while $25 each is a lot for any cigar, given how rare it is to smoke a cigar with a wrapper grown before I was born, it’s not outrageous.

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.”

Tatuaje’s La Casita Criolla is a line I never really gave a fair chance, for one reason or another. So I recently decided to light up a Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46) that had been resting in my humidor for about six months. What I found was a cigar that burns well, produces ample aromatic resting smoke, and tastes of dry, gritty earth. Often sharp and sometimes a bit hot and harsh, this Connecticut broadleaf puro isn’t a bad smoke, but it probably won’t be working its way into my regular rotation anytime soon.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: N/A