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) In response to the looming threat of regulation, Cigar Rights of America (CRA) has formed the Connecticut-Massachusetts Tobacco Growers Association—a group aimed at protecting American farmers who would be adversely impacted by FDA oversight of hand-made cigars. “We have written about and proclaimed extensively the impact federal regulation of cigars could have on more than 350,000 jobs in Latin America,” wrote CRA Executive Director Glynn Loope. “Now it’s time to discuss the American farmer.” Connecticut Shade and Connecticut Broadleaf are among the most in-demand tobaccos for premium cigars. The FDA threat “brings into question the impact federal regulatory authority… could have on a valley that spans both Connecticut and Massachusetts and happens to produce some of the world’s most sought-after cigar leaf,” says Loope.

2) Cigar Place, an online cigar retailer and a StogieGuys.com supporter, launched a notable sweepstakes this week. The grand prize is “a year worth of cigars” in the form of a $1,500 gift certificate to the site. Two runner-up winners will receive a boxes of Gran Habano cigars. Check out the contest here. You can enter through April 5, but registering earlier gives you more opportunities to win.

3) Inside the Industry: Punch Rare Corojo is returning to stores this month with updated packaging but the same blend. In addition to Rare Corojo’s traditional seven sizes, this year Punch is adding a limited edition Rare Salomones size in boxes of 10 with a price of $7.99 per cigar. You can enter to win a box of the new size here.

4) Deal of the Week: This sampler features five excellent cigars for just $26. Included are the Sheffield HR500, Liga Privada Undercrown Gran Toro, Hex Figurado, CAO Concert Stage, and the Gurkha Red Witch Toro.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

When he was running for president in 2008, Senator Obama promised not to raise “any taxes” on families making less than $250,000. Fifteen days after being sworn into office, he broke that pledge by signing the SCHIP bill that included a major increase in federal tobacco taxes.

Now, five years into his presidency, Obama (himself a longtime cigarette smoker) has proposed raising taxes further. His proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 includes a 94% increase in tobacco taxes.

For cigarettes, the federal rate would jump from $1.01 to $1.95 per pack, up from 39 cents per pack in 2008. The new excise tax rates would then be increased annually to account for inflation. The rate on cigars, which is a percentage of sales as opposed to a per-unit tax, would increase proportionally, presumably with the tax cap jumping from 40 cents per cigar to upwards of 75 cents.

According to an IPCPR statement, in FY2015 the proposed tax hike is estimated to raise $78.217 million over 10 years, which the budget says would be used to fund pre-K education.

Analysis

Fortunately, this budget has pretty much zero chance of passing in its current form. As the IPCPR notes in its statement, “IPCPR does not expect this proposal to be approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, but it does demonstrate that the entire suite of tobacco products is going to be on the table when legislators are searching for revenue to fund unrelated programs.”

And that is exactly the key takeaway. President Obama has repeatedly promised that tax hikes wouldn’t impact anyone not in the highest income percentiles. But, like so many areas, there’s an unwritten asterisk when it comes to tobacco.

Tobacco taxes disproportionately impact lower income income Americans, and that doesn’t include the lower income people in other countries who would lose their jobs as consumption is reduced by the high prices of increasingly climbing taxes. Yet, even a president who says he only wants to target the wealthiest Americans with higher taxes feels free to target those with lower incomes if they smoke.

Ultimately, the key point is that cigar smokers (and other tobacco users) need to make it clear to their elected officials that they are taxed enough already. If something (whether it be pre-K education or anything else) is worth paying more taxes for, then they should seek to pay for it out of taxes that impact everyone, not taxes targeted at a minority that already pays more their than their fare share.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Lisa Jack

When CAO, a family-owned cigar company based in Nashville, was purchased by the Scandanavian Tobacco Group in 2007 (and later merged with General Cigar), many were left wondering about the direction in which the brand would head.

Answers came in the form of OSA Sol, the first new CAO line to launch under the General Cigar umbrella. The blend, introduced a few years ago, features a unique sun-grown Honduran wrapper from the San Agustin valley in Olancho (hence “OSA”) with a Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua.

Last summer, General Cigar further expanded the CAO portfolio with another new blend: Flathead. With a marketing scheme centered on muscle cars and pinup girls, Flathead “hits on all cylinders” and includes a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Habano Connecticut binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua.

Each Flathead vitola—V554 Camshaft, V642 Piston, V770 Big Block, and V660 Carb—is sharply box-pressed and sold in boxes with lids that are easily removed and intended to be used as wall art. The V554 Camshaft (5.5 x 54) sells for $7-8 apiece. It has (not surprisingly) a noticeably flat cap, along with a dark wrapper, a firm feel, and a pungent pre-light aroma of cocoa and leather.

After setting an even light, a profile emerges that’s characterized by dark chocolate, leather, cream, and black pepper spice. The most defining attribute of the taste, however, is the texture of the smoke. Rarely have I come across a cigar with a texture so dense, moist, and chalky. While the nicotine content may not be off the charts—and while the spice is often in the background—the V554 Camshaft smokes heavy and hearty. Adjectives like meaty and savory come to mind.

As for construction, each of the four samples I smoked for this review performed well. I can safely say this cigar produces an even burn line, a smooth draw, and a solid white ash that holds firm off the foot. And the smoke production is outstanding.

When it’s all said and done, the CAO Flathead V554 Camshaft is a damn good smoke that should give the General Cigar detractors reason to rethink their position. It’s also a solid value out of the box—perhaps considerably more so with patience, as I consider it a good prospect for aging. I’m awarding it a commendable rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When a cigar company ventures off its familiar path, there’s almost always great interest. For Davidoff, that was apparent when it turned to Nicaragua for a new line. For Toraño, what’s different with the Finite is limiting the origin of ingredients to a single country.

The Toraño Family Cigar Co. doesn’t usually turn out puros. The company has long been known for its blending, combining tobacco from numerous countries. The flagship Exodus 1959 Gold, for example, is almost a mini-United Nations, sporting leaves from five countries.

Not this time. For the limited-release Finite, it’s Nicaragua for the filler, binder, and wrapper. Of course, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t quite a bit of blending involved. The three-size line utilizes different tobacco from various regions, strains, and primings.

According to Toraño, there was only enough of the tobacco to roll 75,000 cigars. Each box of 25 is date-stamped, a practice Toraño says it will continue to do for future limited editions.

The Toro, a 6.25-inch stick with a ring gauge of 52, retails for $8.50. The BFC (6 x 60) is $9.50 and the Robusto (4.9 x 52) is $8.

In what seems to be a continuing Toraño trend, the Finite has a foot band (displaying the infinity symbol). The regular band follows the Exodus style, with a purple background.

As you’d expect from a Nicaraguan puro, the Finite kicks off with pepper. It’s pleasant, but not overpowering, and the cigar quickly becomes a balanced, complex smoke with some fruity sweetness layered in. You’ll find other flavors and spices throughout, from cedar to cocoa. The strength is somewhere in the medium to full range.

I would have liked a little more smoke production. Construction, burn, and draw are excellent in each of the three I smoked. I prefer the Toro to the single Robusto I tried because there’s greater development and flavor variation.

I’ve always been a Toraño fan and this cigar is a great example of why I feel that way. Don’t miss it. I rate the Finite four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Toraño Cigars

Mr. Mitch Zeller
Director, Center for Tobacco Products
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20993

Dear Mr. Zeller:

As the FDA considers adding cigars to its tobacco regulation portfolio, I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to help you better understand one small component of that industry: premium, hand-rolled cigars.

I confess, first, that I smoke premium cigars, usually one a day since I retired in 2005. I smoked cigarettes for decades before quitting 30 or so years ago. I’ve been smoking premium cigars for the past 10-12 years and can swear they’re nothing like cigarettes. I also write about cigars for a website, StogieGuys.com.

While I could go on nearly forever, I won’t. I know you are busy, so I will confine myself to just a handful of issues I fervently hope you’ll consider.

Don’t be misled. There’s virtually no legitimate scientific data dealing specifically with premium, hand-rolled cigars. Most of what you’ll see relating to cigars is heavily weighted toward machine-made cigars, which have no more in common with premium, hand-rolled cigars than do cigarettes. Premium, hand-rolled cigars consist only of tobacco (no paper, no additives); smokers of premium, hand-rolled cigars do not inhale; and those who smoke premium, hand-rolled cigars do so by choice, not any addiction. According to several surveys, those who smoke premium, hand-rolled cigars usually smoke only one or two a week, often fewer. Also, studies involving youth cigar smoking do not distinguish between premium, hand-rolled cigars and machine-made cigars. Premium, hand-rolled cigars are not aimed at under-age youth, are rarely, if ever, smoked by them, and are not readily available to them. It is, in short, not a problem.

Consider what you’re dealing with. The number of U.S. consumers who smoke premium, hand-rolled cigars is small. Very small. About 350-400 million premium, hand-rolled cigars are smoked annually in the U.S. Machine-made cigars, little cigars, and cigarillo sales are measured in the billions.

Don’t overestimate the problem. Certainly, smoking premium, hand-rolled cigars presents some health risk, as do many other activities. Everyone who smokes premium cigars knows that. And they freely choose to accept it—and can freely give it up. These days, virtually no one is in the presence of a cigar smoker unless they choose to be. Ask yourself when was the last time you were unwillingly around someone smoking a premium, hand-rolled cigar.

Take a first-hand look. I can’t urge you strongly enough to visit a couple of cigar shops and talk with the owners and patrons. This is important for several reasons, chief among them the belief among those who don’t patronize cigar shops that they are akin to opium dens or fancy clubs for oligarchs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most cigar shops are incredible mixing places where men and women of all social strata, political persuasions, races, and income levels gather, talk, relax, and engage in the kind of open, democratic atmosphere any American would applaud. I realize that pleasure derived from premium, hand-rolled cigars isn’t likely to be considered in the FDA’s decision. But no decision should be made in a vacuum. The D.C. area, where I lived for many years before retiring to Florida, is home to a broad array of great cigar shops, including several not far from your Silver Spring office. Drop in and I think you’ll be surprised. If you’d like a guide, I’m sure I can prevail upon my colleague, Patrick S, who lives in the area, to accompany you.

Others can address far better than I additional important issues related to premium, hand-rolled cigars, such as the potential economic impact in the U.S. and its Latin American trading partners, or the artisanal craft involved. But if I can provide any further information, please let me know. I’d welcome the opportunity.

My hope is that you and others in the FDA will recognize that premium, hand-rolled cigars should not be lumped together with other tobacco products and that you will exempt them from further regulation.

I am posting this as an open letter on StogieGuys.com but, since I’m pretty sure you won’t see it there, I am also mailing a copy to your office.

Thanks for your time and attention. I hope that, at the least, I’ve helped you think a bit more about this topic. And I hope you’ll guide your Center in making the correct decision.

Sincerely,

George Edmonson

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 behemoth Animal Cracker (6 x 60) features an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It sells for $9.50. The cigar is billed this way: “Animal Cracker defines the large ring gauge as a successful wild hunt for big flavor and strength.” I’m largely inclined to agree. The perfectly constructed cigar features plenty of pepper, black coffee, and woody flavors. I was prepared to dismiss this cigar because I’m generally not a fan of thick smokes, but I must say I was impressed. Based on the one I smoked, it’s easily my second favorite from the Surrogates line.

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.”

Before I fired it up last night, this Gran Toro (6 x 54) had been resting in my humidor for almost two years. I liked the Small Batch Reserve Habano line when it was introduced by Pinar del Rio in 2012. And I’m happy to report some age renders the fine cigar downright excellent. With time on its side, the Brazilian wrapper combines with Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos to yield a more complex, balanced profile than if it were smoked right out of the box. Look for flavors of sweet wood, milk chocolate, cream, spice, and a little leather, and expect nearly perfect construction. The smart move is to buy a box of 24 for around $170 and resist the urge to dive into it for about 24 months.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys