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.”

The Liga Privada T52 from Drew Estate has been a staple in my humidor for a couple years now. Those of you who smoke it regularly know why. It consistently delivers expert construction with bold, full-bodied flavors of spice, coffee, leather, and black pepper. And the unique stalk-cut “American Habano” Connecticut wrapper is always mouth-watering. The Robusto (5 x 54) may be expensive at around $12, but it delivers time and again.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.”

I’ll admit, I hadn’t realized this Cigar International smoke was no longer made by the Garcias until I was sent a sample by its new maker, G.R. Tabacaleras Co., which is run by Goerge Rico. (Then again, the 5 Vegas website still has the old version listed.) Now made completely in Miami (the old version had only one size made in Miami, while the rest were produced in Nicaragua) this is a traditional Toro (6 x 50) featuring a slightly mottled Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan filler. It’s medium-bodied and nicely balanced with cocoa and coffee. The draw is a touch loose, but overall I have no complaints about the construction. With a price around $5 by the box, it’s a good value on a well-made cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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) The latest decision in the long legal battle over the Cohiba trademark in the United States is a win for Cubatobaco. Since 1997 the Cuban national tobacco company has been attempting to have the Cohiba trademark, now owned by General Cigar, cancelled. The latest decision, by the Federal Circuit Court in DC, will let the Cuban company proceed with its attempt to have General Cigar’s Cohiba trademark cancelled and to obtain the valuable trademark, and opens the door to even more litigation. The ongoing legal battle involves two of the largest players in the American cigar market since General Cigar is the current owner and the Cuban cigar distribution company Habanos is partially owned by the parent company of Altadis USA.

2) Camacho Cigars is introducing its first Nicaraguan puro. The BG Meyer Standard Issue is the company’s first cigar linked to writer/director Rob Weiss, a member of Camacho’s “Board of the Bold,”  known for his work on the series Entourage. According to Camacho, BG Meyer is “a medium to full intensity smoke featuring five different tobaccos that have aged for up to 8 years. Available in five popular formats… and will retail from $8 to $10.”

3) Inside the Industry: Last week Joya de Nicaragua announced its latest cigar line, Joya Red. Since the announcement last week, the company announced that, due to a conflict with the name Cardinal, Joya de Nicaragua has changed the vitola name to of the 5.5-inch vitola to Cañonazo. While Joya’s statement doesn’t say who the conflict is with, it almost certainly is E.P. Carrillo, who has a line of cigars called Cardinal.

4) Deal of the Week: The Stogie Guys Sampler at Corona Cigar Co. was recently updated. Just $30 gets you 7 cigars, including an Undercrown and the limited Avo Lounge cigar.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Few cigar companies have undergone as much change in recent years as Nat Sherman. Moving its flagship shop at an impressive new location, hiring flamboyant executive Michael Herklots, bringing new and unexpected cigar lines to market. All contributed to a new image for the New York-centric brand that had often come to be associated more with colorful high-end cigarettes than with premium cigars.

The 1930 Collection, a six-vitola line introduced last year, is a big part of the maker. Using a Dominican wrapper and binder, with long-filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, it boasts a strength level—upper medium—beyond my image of most Nat Shermans.

For this review, I received three Gran Robustos (5.25 x 54) from the company. The stick has an MSRP of $11. Each vitola in the 1930 line comes packaged 24 to a box, except for the Super Lancero (8 x 38), which is in boxes of 10.

The Corojo wrapper makes quite a first impression with a rich and oily appearance. The cigars, rolled at Manuel Quesada’s Dominican factory, are rock hard to the touch but that is, fortunately, no indication of looming problems. Draw and construction are excellent.

The 1930 offers a satisfying smoking experience, an enjoyable cigar that should appeal to nearly any enthusiast. It is not overly complex, though there is some shift in the second half when the spice ramps up a bit. Generally, though, the flavor profile is dark and rich, with leather, coffee beans, and spice.

If the price seems a little steep, bear in mind that the Gran Robusto is quite a bit larger than your typical robusto. Other attractive attributes are tremendous smoke production throughout and a slow, cool burn that results in a lengthy smoke.

I suggest you give the 1930 Collection a try, especially if it has been a while since you smoked a Nat Sherman. It will hold up as an after-dinner cigar or enliven an afternoon. I rate this cigar four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Recently, I’ve been writing up plenty of rye whiskeys (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) in order to put together a Rye Guide along the lines of our A-Z Guide to Bourbon. As you can see, I’ve covered quite a few ryes, but I recently noticed one glaring omission: Sazerac Rye.

Sazerac, along with Rittenhouse and Bulleit, are three affordable rye whiskies ($20-30) that are staples at my bar. Unlike Sazerac 18 or the highly sought-after Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, standard-issue Sazerac Rye (sometimes called “Baby Saz”) is distilled at the Buffalo Trace Distillery and aged six years before being bottled at 90-proof. Another member of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye, is essentially a barrel-proof limited release of Baby Saz.

Sazerac (along with Handy) is reportedly made with a mashbill of 51% rye, 39% corn, and 10% malted barley. It features  a bright amber color and with a nose brimming with fresh, floral notes and hints of licorice. On the palate Sazerac shows a nicely balanced combination of buttered popcorn, toffee, and clove with bit of pepper. The finish has caramel and baking spices.

Is Sazerac Rye going to blow your mind with its amazing-ness? Probably not. But it’s very enjoyable and an obvious standout value at $25 a bottle. It’s a versatile rye that’s plenty good enough to be sipped straight (as I recommend), but you wouldn’t be heart-broken if your buddy throws a bunch of ice cubes in it or decided to mix it into a Manhattan.

Naturally, it goes great with a fine cigar. I’d recommend a balanced, medium-bodied smoke. Specific recommendations include the Arturo Fuente King T Rosado Sun Grown, Illusione Epernay Le Matin, or the Tatuaje Black.

If you’re a rye fan who hasn’t tried Sazerac Rye, you’re missing out. There are very few better ways to spend $25 on a whiskey of any kind.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’ve hesitated to call myself a fan of the 7-20-4 brand. Not because I don’t like them—I actually enjoy the Dog Walker and Robusto—but those are the only two cigars I’ve tried. Since K.A Kendall has numerous lines, I wanted to smoke a few more before I called myself a real fan. Well, with the Hustler, I’m ready to jump on the bandwagon.

I smoked the Hustler Robusto Barber Pole (5.5 x 54) for this review, which has a Brazilian Mata Fina base with a strip of Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped tightly around to form a barber pole. The construction is great, and the barber pole has a nice tight wrapping around it that looks really beautiful.

Let me insult this cigar in just one aspect quickly: I hate the band. The red and blue color scheme represents the Hustler magazine theme, I suppose, but to me it just looks garish and cheap. Anyway, the rest of the pre-light experience is immaculate. Pre-draw is a little tight, but not in a bad way, and there are some faint chocolate notes.

The flavor on this smoke is very balanced, and it is a really nice effect. As a general rule, I don’t care for barber poles, as I feel like they don’t really reach their goal too often. The goal would be to have both wrappers complement each other and blend together smoothly. In my experience, though, I’ve had two types of barber pole cigars: (1) one wrapper, normally a maduro, completely overwhelms the other wrapper, or (2) both of the wrappers have a really light flavor and they’re just underwhelming.

Like I said, though, the Hustler is in a different class. All of the flavors are blended together perfectly. The Mata Fina gives some nice chocolate notes with a bit of earth, and the Ecuadorian Connecticut lends a creamy texture and the eventual pepper. There is not much differentiation for me between thirds, but each puff has its own unique flavor. Some highlight the chocolate smoothness of the cigar, while others have some leather notes with pepper.

The only other complaint I’d have is the price point, which is around $9. The inclusion of Mata Fina and the barber pole craftsmanship mean this cigar is going to be pricier, but frankly it’s got some hot competition in the $9 to $10 range. If this were a few bucks cheaper I’d rate it even higher but, still, due to its smooth balance, this cigar is able to achieve four stogies out of five.

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

–Joey J

photo credit: Smoke Inn

This summer, Iconic Leaf will go after some of the milder premium cigar market with a new Recluse offshoot called Amadeus. Select retailers will soon receive shipments of the product, but the full release won’t take place until the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association Trade Show in Las Vegas in July.

Since the company was established in 2012, Iconic Leaf has erred on the side of secrecy. At its inception, the identities of its principals were left a mystery, and we were only told the operation was founded by two “well-respected legends in the cigar industry” who have “chosen to keep their identities private in a pursuit to make the very best premium boutique cigars that can be found anywhere in the world without the influence of their names.”

In addition to secrecy, innovation seems to be another Iconic Leaf theme. The Doral, Florida-based company has pioneered the “Sidewinder” cigar shape—a flattened oval with a slight box press and a bit of a taper at the cap—as well as the “Kanu,” which has a head-turning kayak-like shape. In a sense, Iconic Leaf has taken a page out of the book of Litto Gomez, who created the “Chisel” shape for La Flor Dominicana.

So far, Iconic Leaf’s core blends—Recluse and Recluse Draconian, respectively—have sported darker wrappers (Brazilian Maduro for the former, Ecuadorian Maduro for the latter). Recluse Amadeus will help diversify the company’s portfolio with a light Connecticut Ecuadorian Shade wrapper surrounding a proprietary binder and a filler blend of Dominican and Connecticut tobaccos.

Six Recluse Amadeus sizes will be available ranging in price from $7.50 to $10.50: three box-pressed, and three of the Sidewinder variety. The Toro (6.25 x 50) is spongy and box-pressed with a golden wrapper and faint notes of honey and hay. The cold draw is smooth, as one would expect from an entubar-crafted cigar.

Once lit, a traditional Connecticut profile of cream, soft cedar spice, almond, and coffee emerges. The texture is silky and the body is decidedly mild to mild-medium. The Toro becomes more interesting around the midway point as spice and roasted nut flavors build in intensity. In fact, while I typically pride myself on smoking cigars slowly to guard against heat and harshness, with the Recluse Amadeus I find myself smoking a little quicker to drive home the flavor with more force.

I smoked two pre-release samples for this review, both provided by Iconic Leaf, and found them each to have excellent construction. The Toro smokes as well as you’d expect from any cigar. The burn is straight with a thick, black mascara, the ash holds well off the foot, the draw is easy, and the smoke production is above average.

If, like me, you enjoy mild Connecticut Shade cigars, you’ll want to give the Recluse Amadeus a try when it becomes more widely available. Try it with a cup of black coffee in the morning and let the flavors grow on you (as they most assuredly will after the first inch). This new release is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys