The 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.”

Nat Cicco, a company best known for its value-oriented “Rejects” lines, openly invites you to compare this large (6.25 x 56) cigar to the ultra-expensive Cuban known as the Cohiba Behike, one of the most hyped, expensive, and rare specimens on the market. Let me settle the score by saying there really isn’t any comparison. The Behike is beautifully balanced with tons of depth and complexity, albeit at an exorbitant price; the Nat Cicco HHB 56 is a nice smoke that’s, quite bluntly, overpriced at $14. Now that isn’t to say I don’t enjoy the flavors of the HHB 56. Its Ecuadorian wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers produce a mild- to medium-bodied experience that’s creamy, nutty, and well-constructed. In terms of return on investment, though, I’d say it should be priced at more like $7, $10 tops.

Verdict = Sell.

–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) La Sirena, a brand that has been under the Miami Cigar & Co. umbrella since it was created in 2009, will be independently owned and operated in 2014. Arielle Ditkowich will remain head of La Sirena. “Ditkowich is extremely grateful for everything Nestor Miranda and the entire Miami team has taught her during their partnership and will always look at the Miranda family as an extension of her own,” reads a press release. “La Sirena Cigars will continue to work with the Garcia Family at My Father Cigars and Guillermo León at La Aurora Cigars to make the current Sirena and Merlion Blends, respectively.” More news about the future of La Sirena is expected to be announced soon.

2) States will take in about $25 billion in tobacco-related taxes and settlement funds from tobacco in 2014, but will spend only about $481 million on programs to reduce or eliminate use, according to news reports. Many states allocate much of the money for other programs, such as Medicaid, and only two—Alaska and North Dakota—will meet federal tobacco-reduction spending recommendations that total $3.7 billion for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

3) Inside the Industry: Drew Estate’s Herrera Estelí line is adding a Lancero size. For the first time ever, Padrón is shipping its highly-acclaimed 1926 blend in four-packs. Boutique Blends/Aging Room is releasing a new box-pressed Dominican puro called the Quattro T59 that’s described as similar to the Aging Room Quattro F55, but with an eight-year-old Dominican Criollo wrapper.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Punch Sir John. Stogie Review reviews Nica Rustica. Tiki Bar kicks back with the Nomad S-307. Stogie Fresh lights up the Casa Fernandez Miami Maduro. Cigar Fan examines the San Cristobal Elegancia.

5) Deal of the Week: E.P. Carrillo is offering a sampler that includes two never-before-released cigars through the subscription service Bespoke Post. Included is a special edition of the 2013 Limited Edition with a natural Ecuadorian wrapper (as opposed to the regular San Andreas wrapper), a five-year-old Inaugural Limitada 2009, and a cigar called “Family Blend #809” that has an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan filler. You also get a wooden ashtray, a candle, a cutter, and cedar spills, all for just $45. To get your hands on these exclusive cigars sign up here, then select their “Churchill” box. (After you receive your E.P. Carrillo cigars, you can pass on future boxes you don’t want, or simply cancel.)

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: La Sirena Cigars

IPCPR and CRA sent a letter to the Obama Administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to argue against impending regulation of cigars by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The OMB is currently evaluating rules proposed by the FDA.

In 2009, President Obama signed into law the so-called “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,” which required the FDA to regulate cigarettes. The bill also authorized the FDA to regulate other types of tobacco, but doesn’t require such regulation.

The nine-page letter makes the case that there is “no public health basis to conclude that premium cigars should be regulated by FDA under the Tobacco Control Act.” It states there is no legal basis for such regulation because there is no evidence that premium cigars are addictive or used by young people.

The letter notes the Tobacco Control Act gives the Food & Drug Administration “the authority to address issues of particular concern to public health officials, especially the use of tobacco by young people and dependence on tobacco,” and also should “continue to permit the sale of tobacco products to adults in conjunction with measures to ensure they are not sold or accessible to underage purchasers.”

It then goes through the scientific research, especially the National Cancer Institute’s Monograph 9, which is the most comprehensive overview of the health effects of cigar smoking. As explained in the IPCPR and CRA letter, the 248-page monograph demonstrates that handmade cigars are not addictive when used properly.

The letter, which can be read below, makes the case that if the FDA and OMB apply the law in a scientific manner, the FDA should not create any new regulations for handmade cigars. Further, should the FDA attempt to regulate handmade cigars, the arguments in the letter are likely to be the same arguments in any legal challenges to FDA regulation.

–Patrick S

photo credit: N/A

This review, my third for regular Crowned Heads lines (see my reviews of Four Kicks and Headley Grange here and here), focuses on the most unusual. The cigar is definitely different, one that didn’t particularly impress at first puff but came back stronger with each additional smoke.

The HR46 is a comfortably sized smoke (6 x 46) that retails for about $9. From beginning to end, it is markedly different from other Crowned Heads creations.

Most notable immediately is the rugged, thick texture of the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. Not Backwoods rough, but far from Davidoff smooth. Covering Nicaraguan filler and an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, the strength is medium and the flavor is full.

The cigars are rolled in Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Dominican factory, and construction, in every aspect, is excellent. The burn is slow and produces lots of smoke.

The J.D. Howard—which takes its name from the pseudonym employed by outlaw Jesse James when he lived in Nashville, home base to Crowned Heads—starts off with notes of wood and leather. Later, those fade, as they get overtaken by a little spice and a bit of bitterness. In the final third, I picked up more of the leather again, with the not-unpleasant bitter taste remaining.

It’s a different cigar, and initially I wasn’t pleased. But by the time I was halfway down the first J.D. Howard, my opinion was changing. Smoking a few more, I grew to like it quite a bit.

This isn’t a cigar I’m likely to smoke on a regular basis, but one that I will certainly pick up on occasion. If you like experimenting, I highly recommend trying one of J.D. Howard’s five sizes. Maybe you’ll decide it’s for you right off the bat. If not, though, don’t be shy about giving it a second or third chance. Like me, you might be surprised.

I give it three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’m a long-time Xikar enthusiast, having bought my first cutter at a local shop nearly a decade ago. It’s a Xi2 Malachite Green model with the German Solingen blades. I’ve cut hundreds of cigars with it, including the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial I’m enjoying as I type.

The blades appear every bit as sharp as they were the first time I used it. But lately I had begun to notice that the clipping action wasn’t as smooth as before. I wiped it down, blew in it, tapped it gently on my palm. Nothing seemed to have an effect. The stickiness was more of a mild annoyance than a real impediment, and I would promptly forget after I’d used it.

The other day, though, I remembered it for some reason as I was sitting at my computer. I looked on Xikar’s site and found the contact form. I knew that with Xikar’s warranty they would make it right, but I wanted first to be sure that if I sent it in I could get my cutter back and not risk receiving a replacement for my old friend.

Within a day, I heard back from a Xikar employee. She attached a form for returning the Xi and said I should note clearly that I wanted the cutter returned rather than replaced should repair be impossible.

The next part of her email, however, was what really got my attention. She suggested that a bit of do-it-yourself maintenance might solve the problem:

“We recommend that you periodically clean and lubricate the locking/opening mechanism on XI cutters and knives. Simply place a couple of drops of a quality graphite lubricant (such as Tuf Glide or Lock Ease) in the mechanism, and operate the unit for deep penetration. Wipe away excess lubricant when finished. The locking mechanism of XI cutters can be accessed through the hole that appears above the release button when the cutter is open.” (I have to confess that if I’d been just a bit sharper myself I could have checked the FAQ page on the site and found the helpful hint.)

I dug out a little squeeze bottle of Lock Ease I’ve had forever and applied a couple of drops as directed, then wiped it off and set it aside for a while to allow the graphite odor to dissipate.

Bingo! When I picked it up and pushed the button the wings virtually flew open. They closed just as smoothly. My old Xikar is as good as new.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Keep an eye on the Tesa Cigar Company, the boutique manufacturer with a lounge in Chicago and production facilities in Estelí, Nicaragua. While I’ve been writing about the outfit since 2009, Tesa may be on the verge of becoming much more prevalent in the near future.

For years, Chris Kelly has been the most talented cigar blender you’ve never heard of. (If you don’t believe me, read the many Tesa reviews in our archive, or visit the Tesa online store, place an order, and try his blends for yourself.) Now he’s expanding Tesa’s distribution. And he’s also offering up new cigars that are priced to broaden Tesa’s base beyond its core lines, which typically run in excess of $10 per smoke.

First among the new value smokes was the Picadura King Connecticut, which I reviewed back in March. It is made with a Connecticut shade wrapper and Nicaraguan long-filler mixed with short-filler scraps (called picadura). The result is a fantastic smoke with notes of oak, hay, cream, and roasted nuts, and it has similarities to the exquisite Tesa Vintage Especial—yet, at $4-5 apiece, it’s a fraction of the price.

Picadura King now also comes in a Habano variety. It features a moderately veined Habano Ecuador wrapper that’s dry and a little rustic around a Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 binder and a mixture of long- and short-filler from Nicaragua. Both sizes (5 x 44 and 5.5 x 48) come with closed feet and bands with the Tesa Cigar Company’s new “TC” logo.

The Picadura King Habano has an unassuming appearance and pre-light notes of earth and mustiness that aren’t exactly inspirational. Couple these attributes with a $6 price and you might not expect much from this cigar. But you’d be wrong. The numerous samples I smoked for this review have led me to agree with Tesa’s website that Picadura King “has truly elevated the world of bundles,” and the brand is “setting new standards for the art of mixed fill blends.”

From the start, the cigar is silky, balanced, and a little spicy. Sweet cream, leather, and espresso all contribute to the core of the well-rounded, medium-bodied profile. The resting smoke is particularly sweet, and the finish is short yet satisfying. Throughout, the construction qualities are impeccable, and I find zero issues resulting from the use of mixed filler, or anything else for that matter.

I don’t think either Picadura King variety is going to supplant or surpass the depth and complexity offered by Tesa’s hallmark blends, like Cabinet 312 or Vintage Especial. But I absolutely love what the Picadura King Habano brings to the table for such a reasonable price. For that reason, I consider this one of the best new cigars of 2013, and I bestow it with a stellar 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.”

We haven’t heard much from the Tiant Cigar Group of late, but when I came across this El Tiante Habano Rosado I felt it was time to revisit this Pepin-made cigar created for the legendary Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant.  The Robusto (5 x 50) has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler, a classic Pepin combination. The result is classic Pepin too: medium- to full-bodied with spice, woodiness, earth, and hints of clove. It’s well-constructed and nicely balanced. Not particularly unique, but a good cigar nevertheless.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys