The Stogie Guys

Some first impressions from this limited Zino release aren’t the best: marbling wrapper, a light feel in the hand, not much aroma, loose pre-light draw, and Frankenstein-style veins.

But remember what your mother told you about looks being deceiving and Bo Diddley’s warning not to judge a book by the cover? They were right. The Make of L.A. Collector’s Edition is a strong, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable cigar.

This limited release—3,000 boxes of 10—follows Davidoff’s marketing strategy to make Zino appealing to a younger, affluent market. Like the earlier Make of New York, the cigar comes in one vitola (6 x 54) and four box designs, these featuring artwork by Burton Machen. It also sports a hefty $18 price tag, though I got a box online for less than half that cost.

The tobacco is an interesting mix of a variety of Dominican fillers with a binder from Yamasa (the region where Davidoff grows Puro d’Oro wrapper leaf). The wrapper is a caramel-colored Ecuadorian Habana.

Construction has generally been good in those I’ve smoked. The draw turned out to be fine and smoke production is excellent. I had a bit of an uneven burn in one, but others performed just fine.

The Make of L.A. begins with a touch of cedar and light spices before opening up to reveal more power. The flavors shift frequently and pleasantly, while the cigar maintains an excellent balance. I found wood, leather, pepper, and honey along the way. Each time I smoked one was more revealing than the last, with new flavors braiding in and out.

The finish is light, perhaps one reason the strength wasn’t immediately apparent. Not that this is a knock-you-in-the-face cigar, but it’s also far from a tap-you-on-the-shoulder stick.

I haven’t smoked enough Zino cigars to say how this release fits among its offerings. Judged on its own, it’s an excellent cigar.

But the obvious drawback is the price. Eighteen dollars for a fat toro is, from nearly anyone’s view, an expensive cigar. For the $7.50 I paid, I’d call it a great buy, a gamble I feel I clearly won, since I’d never had one before. Now, I wish I’d bought two boxes.

If you’re looking for an occasion cigar, pick up a Make of L.A. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, especially if you can take advantage of a markdown.

I give the Zino Platinum Make of L.A. Collector’s Edition a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Like it or not, the Christmas shopping season is upon us. And if you’re a regular StogieGuys.com reader, changes are you have a few individuals on your list who are lovers of the leaf themselves. But sometimes shopping for cigars for gifts can be intimidating and confusing—even for the most seasoned cigar veterans.

Never fear. Cigar smokers need not be a difficult crowd for which to buy presents. Their passion for the hobby makes it easy to narrow down gift choices. This holiday season, you can be virtually assured of gift-giving success if you follow some simple rules of thumb.

Only give a box if you’re sure. Some cigar enthusiasts are completely loyal to one brand or one specific blend. If this is the case, you can’t do wrong by buying a box he or she is sure to love. Maybe this isn’t the most original idea—and maybe the box won’t be much of a surprise—but any cigar smoker will tell you that you can never have enough of your favorite smokes, especially if they’re made in limited quantities.

Samplers offer variety. Many cigar enthusiasts don’t have just one favorite cigar. For these folks, I can’t recommend buying a whole box. Instead, samplers are terrific. When you give a sampler of ten different cigars, it’s like giving ten different gifts. The recipient might not love all ten, but chances are he/she will really enjoy at least a few, and you might even be responsible for turning someone on to his/her new favorite.

Consider cigar accessories. Every cigar enthusiast needs a great table lighter, travel lighter, nice cutter, good ashtray, humidor, etc. Instead of buying cigars, think about giving the gift of a cigar accessory. Many accessories can be personalized and, unlike cigars themselves, are likely to last for years to come. My wife gave me a wonderful alligator skin cigar case years ago and I’ve cherished it ever since.

Cigar access can be invaluable. Many cigar smokers don’t have ready access to a good indoor lounge where they can light up without fear of temperature, wind, or precipitation. If there’s a members-only indoor lounge near him/her, you might look into buying him/her a seasonal or year-round pass (or maybe even a private locker). This gift would obviously be expensive, but no doubt appreciated.

Think drinks. Cigars pair excellently with all sorts of libations, including coffee, wine, bourbon, rum, and scotch. Maybe that cigar smoker on your list would really enjoy a French press to make the perfect brew. Or perhaps a nice bottle of something special. Feel free to peruse our many musings on spirits; most of these articles include recommended cigar pairings to help make the gift complete.

Don’t forget cigar rights. Most cigar smokers have a fervent passion for defending cigar rights and opposing tobacco taxes and smoking bans. For these folks, a membership to Cigar Rights of America is an excellent gift. Benefits of membership include supporting professional lobbyists who fight for cigar freedoms, discounts at cigar shops, free cigars, and more.

I hope these tips are helpful as you shop for that cigar smoker on your list. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a tip of your own that you’d like to share. And happy holidays.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Maker’s Mark has been making good bourbon since 1954, but to say the company rarely comes out with a new offering is an understatement. In fact, the only time Maker’s ever expanded its standard U.S. offerings was the Maker’s Mark 46 in 2010 (if you don’t include their brief announcement in 2013 to reduce proof from 90 to 84, which was soon retracted after consumers rebelled).

Perhaps it was seeing this outrage that made Maker’s Mark decide to introduce a new cask-strength offering. A more cynical drinker would suggest lowering the proof was a brilliant marketing ploy designed to stoke demand and pave the road for a premium-priced, limited, cask-strength edition.

Whatever the reason, Maker’s began selling the cask-strength bourbon in its distillery gift shop earlier this year for $45 per 375 ml. bottle, which is half the standard size. The cask-strength bottles are now being distributed more widely, and I recently bought one at a shop in New York City for $40.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is bottled at 113.2-proof, which while hardly lightweight isn’t actually all that high for a cask-strength offering (my bourbon shelf currently has at a half-dozen open bottles that are at least 120-proof). Recall that Maker’s Mark is that it is a wheated bourbon, as in wheat, not rye, is the secondary grain, which generally means a sweeter profile. While wheated bourbons are a minority, they make up many well-known bourbons including Pappy, Weller, Larceny, and Old Fitzgerald.

The cask-strength Maker’s Mark offering has deep caramel color. The nose is more muted than you might expect from a cask-strength offering, but it still has quite a bit of honey, cherry, and clove notes. It really shows its colors on the palate. There you start to get the intensity of this whisky (as Maker’s spells it). It features a lush combination of vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon. There are some roasted nut notes, and a hint of dried fruit. The finish is long with loads of spice and thick caramel.

Maker’s Mark has something of a reputation as a beginner’s bourbon, but this cask-strength offering blows that reputation away. It’s the perfect pairing for a maduro cigar, wither a Broadleaf-wrapped smoke like the Liga Priavada or a Mexican-wrapped cigar like La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor or Dante.

While the price is high ($80 when extrapolated out for a 750 ml. bottle) the Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is still a tasty new addition to the ever-expanding bourbon landscape. I’d recommend it to two types of bourbon drinkers in particular: First, fans of cask-strength bourbon will want to pick this one up; second, if you’re a fan of Maker’s Mark (and Maker’s 46) and looking to expand your bourbon horizons, this cask-strength offering is the perfect vehicle for doing so.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Back in June, Miami Cigar & Co. announced it would be revamping and re-launching its series of lines bearing the Nestor Miranda name. The move coincides with the company’s 25th anniversary and honors its founder as Nestor Miranda reduces his workload.

“It has been an honor for me to begin the process of creating a new look and feel which is worthy of what Nestor Miranda and the Miami Cigar & Co. team have accomplished over the last 25 years,” said Jason Wood, Miranda’s son-in-law and vice president of (and presumed heir to) Miami Cigar & Co.

Wood was the driving force behind the overhaul of the Nestor Miranda Collection, providing us with a vision of where he plans to take the company in the future. Evidently, the changes were met with Miranda’s approval. “I am excited about the new vision [Jason Wood] has for our future and the re-branding of the Nestor Miranda Collection… [He has positioned us] to make a lasting impression on the cigar industry for years to come.”

The new Nestor Miranda Collection is made at My Father Cigars and is broken up into three lines: Habano (green band), Maduro (red), and Connecticut (blue). While the former are original blends, the Connecticut has the same recipe as the old Special Selection Connecticut cigar. All come in 4 sizes—Robusto (4.5 x 50), Toro (5.5 x 54), Corona Gorda (6 x 46), and Gordo (6 x 60)—and retail for about $7 to $9 apiece.

The Habano version has a dark wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a three-country filler blend from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil. It’s a stout, oily specimen with a well-executed cap and a clean surface. The pre-light notes are rich and reminiscent of espresso bean and cocoa. The firmness is moderate (perhaps a little soft at the foot), and the cold draw is tight.

With a cigar like the Habano Robusto—where the large band covers roughly 30% or more of the actual cigar—I always remove the band before lighting. Underneath is an impeccable wrapper with only a few thin veins. Once lit, the cigar produces a medium-bodied profile of oak, coffee, roasted nuts, and some creamy sweetness. The texture is leathery, and the finish leaves some cedary spice on the tip of the tongue.

After the first third, the draw opens considerably and the smoke production increases. The flavor remains consistent throughout, save for some notes of baking spices that surface towards the end. From light to nub, the burn stays straight and the ash holds firm.

I’m looking forward to trying the other new Nestor Miranda Collection lines, and I also want to try some of the larger sizes of the Habano blend. But my first taste of this new twist on the series is a good one. The Habano Robusto packs a lot of flavor and spice into a condensed format, and the sweet creaminess plays well off the coffee notes. For that, it earns three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys