The Stogie Guys

You can pretty much bank on CAO introducing a new line at the upcoming IPCPR Trade Show, but don’t expect any details on that cigar for a while. Still, right now there are some limited release blends coming out from the CAO team at General Cigar.

I was able to catch up with brand frontman and chief blender Rick Rodriguez at an event yesterday to get the scoop on the new CAO offerings, as well as clear up some misinformation that has been circulating.

Area 9

Out now is CAO Area 9, a selection of cigars from CAO’s vast archives. The cigars consist of old blends that have been aging at CAO’s Estelí factory.

Included are cigars (some released a long time ago, others have never been released) that were made in the factory before it came under the General Cigar umbrella, along with possibly some post-General Cigar test blends. Some may be original release CAO cigars like Brazilia, America, Vision, or others that were made prior to 2007. Others include special blends that never made it to market, including, I’m told, one for a project CAO briefly had with Kid Rock that never came to fruition.

The cigars come in a bundle of six tied up in a burlap sack (though there are more than six Area 9 cigars). They have plain white bands with cryptic names like Picasso, Chief, Liga M35, Ciprus, Parabola, and Rica, with no details on their origins. In early June a special section of the CAO website will let consumers look up more details on the cigars in their Area 9 bundle. For now, the Area 9 cigars are event-only cigars that are included as a promotion for those who purchase a box. But there are hopes that it may eventually be available for sale.

Sinister Sam

Another new cigar coming before the late July Trade Show is Sinister Sam, a one-off blend along the lines of Hurricane and Angry Santa. Though, in a way, it is most similar to the Brazilia Carnivale.

While the Carnivale was Rick Rodriguez’s twist on the original Brazilia blend he inherited, Sinister Sam is his own take on the CAO America blend, which forms the base for the one-size blend.

“Sam” is a reference to Uncle Sam (hence a twist on CAO America). And contrary to rumors, there was never any plan to release it under the name ‘Son of Uncle Sam,’ a name that at most was briefly kicked around in a brainstorm session before being quickly rejected. Look for it to come out in June.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Last year, two of my favorite cigars happened to be Abaddon and Ouroboros, both of which are made for Blue Havana, a tobacconist in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. They are crafted at Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño in Estelí by Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac.

I was so impressed by these cigars that I decided to better acquaint myself with RoMa Craft and its core lines: CroMagnon, Intemperance (EC XVIII and BA XXI), and Aquitaine. If you haven’t already done so, you should do the same. After all, Skip Martin’s Estelí operation may be small with limited production, but he’s undoubtedly making some of the best cigars in the world.

By way of background, RoMa Craft was born after the Hava Cigar Shop and Lounge in Galveston, Texas, was decimated by Hurricane Ike in 2008. At first it was an online version of the old brick-and-mortar store, but distribution and cigar production grew. Today, while RoMa Craft’s production is nowhere near the levels of its neighbors Drew Estate or Joya de Nicaragua, the outfit is nimble, efficient, and turning out excellent smokes.

I visited the factory last month to learn about cigar blending (and sample some of Martin’s rum collection). There, I received a sampler of RoMa Craft smokes, including the CroMagnon EMH, a robusto extra (5 x 56) that’s short for “Early Modern Human.” Like the Cranium (6 x 54) my colleague reviewed in 2011, EMH has an oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around a Cameroon binder.

The long-filler includes three types of Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. They hail from Estelí, Condega, and a small farm on the Honduran border. “This third leaf, a Ligero, brings a strong, smoky, savory flavor to the blend,” according to the RoMa Craft website. “When combined with the mildly sweet characteristics of the Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, the exotic bite of the Cameroon binder, and the clean finish of its Viso and Seco companions, the blend delivers the precise, deep, rich tobacco flavor we wanted to present…”

In my own experience, smoking the sample I received from Martin and several others I purchased myself, the EMH’s hearty, musty, leathery pre-light notes transition to bold, full-bodied flavors ranging from pepper and savory char to cocoa and espresso. The texture is dark and chalky. Still, I agree with my colleague that the CroMagnon EMH is “more than just a club of strength across the palate.” There’s depth and complexity, some of which can be attributed to the sweetness of the Cameroon binder. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that the combustion qualities—burn, draw, ash, and smoke production—are all up to snuff.

This slow-burning power-bomb runs about $8, which is a very fair price for this level of quality. If given the choice between the two, I prefer the slightly cheaper Intemperance BA XXI. But the CroMagnon EMH is an outstanding selection if you’re looking for body and impact. In my book, it’s worthy of an admirable rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is now seeking comments on its deeming document to regulate cigars under the Tobacco Control Act. Comments are due by July 9 and can be submitted here. (We’ll be putting together some suggested issues to raise in your comments as we get closer to the deadline.)

But as I thought about putting together my comments, I realized there are many significant issues that are almost impossible on which to comment. There are so many questions raised in the deeming document about what the proposal would even look like if implemented. It’s just one of the reasons the FDA should grant the Cigar Association of America extension.

To that end, here are just a few questions the FDA should answer so the public can submit informed comments about the proposal, not just ones based on an overly vague proposal.

What counts as a new cigar?

Under the FDA proposal, new cigars (or, under Option 2, new cigars that don’t meet the definition of a “premium cigar”) must receive the approval of the FDA before they can be sold. Is a new line of five sizes of the same blend one new product or five? Is an annual release of a cigar a new product, or just the same as a previous one? What if the factory where a cigar is made changes, or the sources of tobacco change? Does that make a cigar new?

Does the FDA even have the capacity to regulate cigars?

So far the FDA has approved or denied only 34 out of roughly 4,000 pending applications for new products. Given its current budget constraints, does the FDA have the capacity to rule on the hundreds or thousands (depending on the definition of a new cigar) of new cigars that are released in a given year?

What would be necessary to list the ingredients of a cigar?

One of the rules cigars would have to meet is a “required submission of ingredient listing” to the FDA. Is 100% tobacco leaf adequate? Would manufacturers be required to list the types of tobacco and where they were grown?

What constitutes the “distribution of free samples”?

The proposal includes a “prohibition on the distribution of free samples,” but would that include only samples to consumers? What about free samples at a trade show, or to professional reviewers? Would a buy-one-get-one-free promotion violate this prohibition? Would this only apply to manufacturers, or also to professional tobacconists who might want to give a favorite customer a new cigar to try for free?

What qualifies a cigar as containing “primarily long-filler tobacco”?

The FDA proposal states that under its option for a premium cigar exemption a cigar could qualify if it “contains primarily long-filler tobacco.” Would a Liga Privada Papas Fritas count? It uses clippings from the $10+ Liga Privada No. 9 cigar, but also some long-filler. Would 51% be adequate and, if so, how is that measured?

What do you mean by “characterizing flavor”?

The FDA proposal states that under its option for a premium cigar exemption a cigar would only qualify if it “does not have a characterizing flavor other than tobacco.” Would using tobacco aged in rum barrels (a common practice) be a violation? Would using betunes with wine or curing with aromatic woods like maple, hickory, or oak be a “characterizing flavor”? What about aging a finished cigar in cedar? (The FDA has been asked before about cedar aging and has refused to answer.)

Where did the $10 price floor come from in your option for a premium cigar exemption and how is it applied?

We’ve already covered the problems with the $10 number before. Did this number come from any government or scientific sources, or is it completely random? Also, how is “a retail price (after any discounts or coupons) of no less than $10 per cigar” determined? If the suggested retail price is $10 but it is sold by one retailer for less, is that a violation? And, if so, who violated the rule: the manufacturer or the retailer?

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Nicholas Melillo, popularly known as “Nick R. Agua” on Facebook and Twitter, is leaving his role at Drew Estate, where he served for 11 years with responsibilities ranging from tobacco purchasing and fermentation to quality control and shipment planning.

According to a press release issued midday on Friday by Drew Estate, “Melillo mastered the blending of some of the company’s top-selling brands, including Liga Privada No. 9, T52, Dirty Rat, Flying Pig, UF-13, L40, Undercrown, Nirvana, Kahlua, Java, and Nica Rustica, He also worked alongside Willy Herrera on Herrera Estelí.”

When Melillo joined Drew Estate in 2003, the company was nowhere near its current levels of production (about 100,000 cigars per day with 1,500 employees—the largest cigar operation in Nicaragua). The Connecticut native played an integral role in the company’s success, according to Jonathan Drew. “Melillo has been a major asset in bringing our company to our current level of expertise and quality,” reads the press release. “He has been instrumental in creating blends to categorically change the traditional cigar market.”

Melillo, who got his start at a cigar shop near New Haven, Connecticut, was formerly Executive Vice President of International Operations for Drew Estate. In January, he left to become a consultant on tobacco purchasing and cigar blending under his company, Melillo International. The next step in Melillo’s premium cigar career is not yet known—though it is clear he does not plan to leave the industry for good.

Who Will Fill the Void?

As I was visiting Drew Estate in Estelí last month, Jonathan Drew was candid about the fact that he was grappling with the reality that his role is to make business decisions for the company. He is more of a corporate executive than a cigar blender or tobacco man. Nicholas Melillo was filling the roll of blending, monitoring fermentation, and attempting to maintain quality control in the face of increased production.

These roles used to be shared between Melillo and Steve Saka, the CEO of Drew Estate who retired in July 2013. Saka has a non-compete agreement in place until the summer of 2015 (Drew Estate repurchased his interests in the company when he left), whereas Melillo remains a partner in Drew Estate.

On the heels of Melillo and Saka leaving, the obvious question is: Who will step up to the plate for Drew Estate’s growing tobacco purchasing, fermentation, blending, quality control, etc. needs? My colleagues and I will keep you apprised as details emerge.

–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.”

When I first tried this Robusto (5.25 x 52) back in 2010 (it was introduced in late 2009), I found its profile of spice, pepper, dry wood, and espresso to be a little monotone. Either my tastes have changed, which is entirely possible, or this cigar is much better. I picked it up at a local shop for $7.50 and was impressed with its chalky texture and tastes of spice and dry cocoa. It smoked perfectly, and the draw was notably smooth with tons of smoke production. My experience is a testament to the strategy of revisiting cigars.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys