The Stogie Guys

Released earlier this year by Altadis USA, Monte is the newest blend in the storied Montecristo portfolio, which includes Classic, Platinum, Epic, and White, among others. It is being sold as the strongest Montecristo to date.

In addition to its strength, Altadis is also drawing attention to Monte’s dual binders. “The Monte’s signature feature is the inclusion of two binders: a spicy Dominican Olor combined with a strong and aromatic Nicaraguan Corojo, which adds strength, firmness, and complexity,” reads the Montecristo website. “This brand new offering from the Grupo de Maestros is the most robust Montecristo yet, putting a revolutionary twist on a revered classic.”

Paired up with those dual binders are aged Dominican filler tobaccos and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that’s dark, oily, and virtually veinless. Three vitolas are made in the Dominican Rebublic: Conde (5.5 x 48), which retails for $8.95 and features a pigtail cap; Monte (6 x 60), an extra-large smoke that runs $9.50; and Jacopo No.2 (6.1 x 54), a “square-pressed” torpedo that costs $9.25.

I smoked several Jacopo No. 2s for this review, each provided to me by Altadis. This is a unique-looking smoke in that the box-press has four equal sides (as opposed to the traditional box-press that creates more of a rectangular effect). The recognizable brown and gold Montecristo band is complemented by a second Monte band of black and red. With its symmetry, relatively sharp corners, perfectly pointed cap, and extremely clean wrapper, the Jacopo No. 2 makes a good first impression.

While lighting the cigar, I notice the torpedo cap and the square-press significantly concentrate the draw on the tip of the tongue. This leads me to hypothesize that the other Monte vitolas might have a very different taste.  As far as the Jacopo No. 2 is concerned, though, the initial profile is one of dried berries, white pepper, and oak. The texture is bready and the strength is medium-bodied. The resting smoke is toasty and sweet.

As the cigar progresses, the dried berry flavor really comes to the fore, and I find myself constantly reminded of strawberry—a taste that’s very unique in the world of non-flavored premium cigars. I also find the draw, which is a tad stiff at the outset, opens nicely after the first third, yielding much better smoke production. Throughout, the body remains medium with a short finish, and the burn stays wonderfully straight.

While I don’t agree Monte is “the most robust Montecristo yet” (I recall the Cabinet Selección was much more intense), I have to say it is a complex smoke with flavors that aren’t easily found elsewhere in the premium cigar market. That, combined with good construction and great presentation, earn the Jacopo No. 2 an excellent rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here’s a tip of the hat to Davidoff, the storied cigar maker in the Dominican Republic. Introducing one of its new Camacho blends recently, the company sent out a press release that went beyond the typical advertising buzzwords and hype.

Perhaps responding to entreaties like that of Patrick A. last year, who made the case for more specific information, Davidoff went into detail.

Beneath a photo of its new Blackout Limited Edition 2013 cigar that was opened to reveal the components—each labeled with country of origin—were several paragraphs packed with great specifics for the inquisitive mind.

These include the production years of the wrapper, binder, and filler leaves and how long the rolled cigars were aged (two years). Davidoff also revealed where the wrapper came from on the plant and why that is meaningful, as well explaining how that tobacco was fermented.

Sure, many smokers don’t care about these things. They just want to know whether they like the cigar or not. That’s fine. One of the great things about cigar enjoyment is that the field is wide open. But in this new age of great cigars and cigar appreciation, a growing number of passionate smokers crave more. They want to know a lot about what they’re smoking.

And Davidoff has taken a step in the right direction. They deserve recognition and, hopefully, other manufacturers will agree.

–George E

photo credit: Camacho

A recent report on youth smoking and flavored tobacco generated headlines and is likely to become ammunition in the efforts to bring cigars under the Food & Drug Administration.

Now, there’s a lot to look at in the article, but I want to bring out a couple of points that I think could be useful in making the case to exempt premium, hand-rolled cigars from FDA oversight.

First, the cigar component of the study deals largely with what are known as little cigars. These are more or less the same as cigarettes, the biggest distinction usually being the composition of the wrapper. In most places, little cigars are considerably cheaper than cigarettes because of the tax structure and offer a ready substitute for cigarette smokers looking to save money. Little cigars have almost nothing in common with premium, hand-rolled cigars.

Next, I think there’s a big hole in the study: no mention or exploration of young people using cigars to smoke marijuana. A spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control told me the agency “does not have data on cigar use in relation to marijuana use.” I’m no expert on kids and grass, but I think it’s reasonable to assume that a fair percentage of the kids who said they smoked cigars did so after replacing tobacco with marijuana. Again, nothing to do with premium cigars.

Then there’s the whole question of “flavored.” The report is based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in which students in grades 6 through 12 note their own activity. Cigarettes flavored with anything other than menthol have been outlawed since September 2009. So how, in a 2011 survey, did more than a third of the youth smokers report using flavored cigarettes? Among the authors’ conjectures: The kids could have confused cigarettes with little cigars, or they could have been referring to menthol cigarettes as flavored. Have you ever smoked, or seen, a menthol premium cigar?

Finally, I think it’s a good idea to keep all this in perspective. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in December that “while 17.1 percent of 12th graders were current (past month) cigarette smokers—the lowest it has been in the history of the survey—22.9 percent were current marijuana smokers.”

I’d be the last to argue that smoking doesn’t have inherent risks, and I see nothing wrong in the public health sector pointing them out. I also believe keeping tobacco away from under-age boys and girls is worth considerable effort. But it’s also important to recognize the difference between premium, hand-rolled cigars and other forms of tobacco, and not simply lump everything under a single umbrella.

By the way, if you’re looking for more on this topic, check the latest Cigar Aficionado. I was flipping through it about an hour after I wrote this and found that the Editors’ Note addresses many of the same points.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

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 store-exclusive release that also appeared in the recent Saints & Sinners club membership pack, the Cohete (4 x 50) is based on the Tatuaje Brown Label blend that’s made at My Father Cigars in Nicaragua. Previous versions from 2009 and 2006 were made in Miami. The cigar features lots of dark cocoa and earth, backed by oak, a hint of creaminess, and subtle leather and spice. While generally I consider the Brown Label to be medium-full, this is more straight full-bodied, and that’s a good thing. (Although it does take its foot off the gas slightly after the first third.) With excellent combustion it easily earns a recommendation.

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.”

I was a big fan of the 601 Serie “Red” line that was manufactured under the EO Brands umbrella by Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega before the duo split up in the summer of 2012. Until recently, I had a stock of these smokes on hand. Remarkably, only yesterday did I try the new 601 Red Label Habano that’s made by Espinosa Cigars. I was pleased to find it smoked just like the original: lots of pepper spice, excellent combustion qualities, a toasty texture, and a superb aroma. Looks like I’ll be re-stocking my supply.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Espinosa Cigars

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) New York City is in the process of raising the age minimum for tobacco products by three years, effectively implementing the toughest tobacco sale regulations of any major city in the U.S. “The legal age for buying tobacco—including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos—will rise to 21, from 18, under a bill adopted by the City Council and which Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said he would sign,” reported the New York Times on Wednesday. The law will go into effect six months after the bill is signed. “The proposal provoked some protest among people who pointed out that New Yorkers under 21 can drive, vote, and fight in wars, and should be considered mature enough to decide whether to buy cigarettes.”

2) Cigar Rights of America is giving you another great way to support the organization that helps protect cigar smokers from tobacco taxes, bans, and regulations. A new CRA limited edition ten-pack is now on sale at Great American Cigar Shops, and it’s available only to current CRA members. The sampler features ten exclusive cigars—each either a unique size or blend—from ten of the world’s best brands, including Drew Estate’s Liga Privada No. 9, La Aroma de Cuba, La Flor Dominicana, Rocky Patel, Tatuaje, E.P. Carrillo, and Opus X.

3) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Padrón 3000 Maduro. Stogie Review reviews the Henry Clay. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Allure Habano. Stogie Fresh smokes the The Griffin’s Special Edition 2012.

4) Deal of the Week: Here’s a sampler with 5 quality cigars for just $24. Included is the Vega Fina Robusto, CAO MX2 Toro, PDR 1878 Natural Robusto, Rocky Patel Edge Maduro Torpedo, and  Montecristo Classic Toro.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr