The Stogie Guys

We got an email recently from the commander of the 480th Fighter Squadron in Afghanistan noting that StogieGuys.com had promoted (and participated in) cigar-giving to the troops and wondering if we could help. Could there be any other answer than “yes”?

I can’t imagine anyone these days needs an explanation why cigars are so needed and appreciated by service members deployed in places like Afghanistan. But if you do, here’s a bit of Lt. Col. Cameron “Rider” Caroom’s email:

“As there is no beer, good food, or anything similar allowed in the AOR [area of responsibility], my band of warriors is evolving into a club of cigar aficionados. In fact, we have even taken to ensuring compliance with our social standards and general good order and discipline by ‘shacking ($5)’ each other and the proceeds are used to stock our humidors.  Sadly, our stocks are dwindling.”

The 480th has a distinguished history, including a Congressional Medal of Honor winner in the Vietnam War. The Afghanistan assignment came during the spring and, according to the Air Force, the squadron is at Kandahar Airfield for approximately six months to provide round-the-clock “air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack capabilities.”

I know you don’t want these men and women to be without a cigar when they have a some precious down time. Mailing cigars to the military is pretty simple. I recommend Priority because it helps cut down on delivery time. Be sure to include some humidification device to help keep the cigars in good shape.

Just check with your post office if you have any questions. Use this address:

Cameron Caroom

451 EOG/480 EFS

APO, AE 09347

When your package is on its way, light one up in honor of service members everywhere. And thank you for your support.

–George E

photo credit: Kandahar Koughers Facebook

You wouldn’t know it by talking to the cigar vets who routinely sing the praises of trendier blends, but Macanudo remains the best-selling brand in the U.S. And now Macanudo is “embarking on a new journey,” according to Alan Willner of General Cigar.

The new direction is Macanudo Estate Reserve, an annual limited edition that aims to challenge the perception that Macanudo is only for rookie cigar fans who haven’t yet graduated to the fuller-bodied, more complex smokes on the market.

The inaugural Estate Reserve celebrates 45 years of Macanudo. To compose it, “General Cigar’s artisans sourced a delicate Connecticut Shade wrapper from an independent grower, and built an outstanding blend around it,” according to a General press release. “Unlike any other Macanudo cigar, the binder and filler are strictly Dominican, cultivated throughout the island, and aged for at least 8 to 10 years under the watchful eyes of seasoned tobacco experts.”

Three sizes are available for the super-premium price range of $16 to $18 apiece: No. I (7 x 50), No II (6 x 52), and No. III (5 x 50). Each is “individually encased in wooden coffins and elegantly sealed with gold foil.” Only 3,000 boxes of 10 will be made in each size.

I sampled several of the Estate Reserve No. III format for this review. This is a beautiful frontmark—as you’d expect for the price—with a wrapper leaf that’s clean yet wrinkled enough to suggest some age. The golden band is striking and highly detailed. Only the slightest notes of sweet hay are apparent pre-light.

After setting an even light with a couple wooden matches, a mild profile of dry cedar, almond, and cream emerges. The texture is surprisingly sharp yet there’s predictably zero harshness and very little nicotine kick. As light as the flavor is, this is one of those reserved, subtle cigars that still offers a fair amount of complexity. And the interplay between spicy cedar and sweet cream makes for an enjoyable experience, especially as that spice ramps up towards the end.

The Macanudo Estate Reserve No. III’s physical properties are as you’d expect from a super-premium manufactured by General Cigar: excellent. The burn line, draw, and ash are all nearly perfect.

I don’t know how many seasoned cigar enthusiasts are going to fork over $16 to try a robusto from Macanudo. And that’s what makes this such a difficult cigar to rate. I like the cigar itself, but I find the price to be excessive based on the return. Something tells me a lot of the $16 cost can be attributed to the (admittedly gorgeous) packaging. And there’s too many fine Connecticut Shade smokes on the market for a fraction of the price. In my book, all this adds up to a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you were going to name a rum after anyone’s boat, it’d have to be Earnest Hemingway. Hence this new rum, Papa’s Pilar, named after Hemingway’s 38-foot yacht named “Pilar”—inspiration for such literature as The Old Man and the Sea and Islands in the Stream.

It’s a new rum (officially launched last month in Washington, DC), but the team behind it is hardly inexperienced. Leading the charge is Jay Maltby, formerly an executive with Bacardi and Cruzan.  He is joined by Lincoln Henderson, longtime master distiller at Brown Forman (Woodford Reserve and Old Forrester) and currently the innovator behind Angel’s Envy, which has gained a loyal following for its bourbon (and now rye) that is finished in a second barrel after traditional aging.

Henderson’s participation is particularly notable since Papa’s Pilar adopts a similar finishing process. Papa’s Pilar Dark is an 86-proof combination of “solera blended” rums (sourced from Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America) up to 24 years old and finished in Spanish sherry casks.  The 84-proof Blonde combines similarly sourced rums aged 3-7 years, also finished in sherry casks.

Papa’s Pilar Blonde is amber-tinted and features a unique nose of grapefruit peel and pineapple. The palate is a smooth and flavorful combination of lemon meringue, cake batter, and grass, reminiscent of agricole-style rhum. With plenty of sweetness and a short finish, it’s a vibrant bit of the tropics that can be enjoyed straight or as the basis for a special cocktail.

Papa’s Pilar Dark is a dark bronze color with a strong nose dominated by molasses, with added hints of sherry and oak. On the palate it has more dark, syrupy sweetness with powdered chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and oak. The finish is long with plenty of sherry-influenced notes.

These are two excellent new rums with plenty of sweetness, each distinct and polished in its own way, not to mention reasonably priced at $30 and $40, respectively. And each calls for a distinct style of cigar.

The Blonde variation pairs well with a mild or medium Connecticut-wrapped smoke (such as the Davidoff Grand Cru, Illusione Epernay, or Cuban Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill). The well-aged Dark rum calls for full-bodied, earthy Nicaraguan cigar (like a Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Velvet Rat, Tatuaje Black, or Padrón Serie 1926).

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here are ten things I took away from this year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show in Las Vegas:

1. There seems to be no limit to how large a cigar ring gauge can be.

2. Altadis and General are committed to maintaining their positions as industry giants.

3. Selling cigars is hard work.

4. Sam Leccia is still a rock star in the industry.

5. Retailers want to meet with manufacturers to talk about cigars, not just prices.

6. I’ll never understand why humidor makers continue to use analog hygrometers.

7. Lots of folks want to be in the cigar business.

8. Print isn’t dead in the tobacco industry. More than a half-dozen magazines had booths.

9. The brands assembled in the House of Emilio make up quite an impressive collection.

10. Class and company size are sometimes related, sometimes not.

–George E

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.”

If Jim Carrey’s Riddler from the horrifically campy Batman Forever designed a cigar band, it would look something like this. It’s about as far as you can get from the traditional Trinidad look. Introduced last summer, the 6-inch, 54-ring gauge, box-pressed cigar’s blend—Dominican binder, Nicaraguan filler, and Mexican Criollo ’98 wrapper—is also unusual. The profile has a unique syrupy sweetness, along with hints of coffee and cream. Construction is perfect. This is a unique, pleasant, medium-bodied smoke that may surprise you.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys