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.”

Smoking Jacket is made at Hendrik Kelner Jr.’s Kelner Boutique Factory in the Dominican Republic. The line consists of four sizes each with a unique blend (in part because two sizes use a Brazilian Cubra wrapper and two, including the  Favoritos (6 x 46), use a 9-year-old Dominican Cotuí grown on Kelner family farms). The cigar starts out leathery and spicy, but settles into a medium- to full-bodied blend with cedar, earth, and a feint sweetness. It isn’t the most balanced smoke, but with lots of flavor and excellent construction it is enjoyable.

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 take on a single cigar.

My first MBombay was quite a pleasant experience. I was impressed with the cigar’s sweet spiciness and thick, rich smoke. The Churchill (7 x 48) exhibited several changes, keeping it interesting all the way. The wrapper and binder are from Ecuador, while the filler is a combination of Nicaraguan and Peruvian tobacco. My only complaint on the $13.50 stick was a not-so-hot burn that required numerous touch-ups, especially in the second half. Still, I look forward to sampling other lines from MBombay.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: MBombay

A few years ago, Joya de Nicaragua released Cuatro Cinco to celebrate its 45th anniversary. The limited production cigar was a Nicaraguan puro with tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa, including aged Ligero that had been resting in oak barrels.

Only 4,500 boxes of 10 were made in a single vitola: a large, semi-box-pressed smoke that measured 6 inches long with a ring gauge of 54. In addition to earning an exemplary rating at StogieGuys.com in November 2013, Joya reported Cuatro Cinco sold out in just a few short weeks.

Flash forward to 2015. A few months ago, Joya announced Cuatro Cinco Reserva Especial, which started shipping the last week of June to selected members of the Drew Diplomat Retailers program. Reserva Especial, which is a regular production line, features a “carefully modified recipe,” including barrel-aged, Grade A fillers and a shade-grown Habano wrapper from Jalapa. Four softly box-pressed vitolas sell in the $8 to $12.50 range: Torpedo, Double Robusto, Petit Corona, and Toro.

The Toro (6.25 x 50) is a dark, oily specimen with few noticeable veins and a loose cross-section of tobacco visible at the foot. Its band is very similar to the original Cuatro Cinco, except the newer version says “Reserva Especial” across the top, and there’s more white than gold as a secondary color to the black. The pre-light notes remind me of dried fruit, especially green raisin. The triple-cap clips easily to reveal a smooth cold draw.

Once lit, the Reserva Especial exhibits a gritty, leathery profile with hints of red and black pepper along with espresso. The body is full from the get-go, coating the palate with thick smoke and leaving plenty of spice on the aftertaste. After a half inch, some cocoa sweetness joins in, rendering the profile a little more balanced and interesting. The cocoa is a most welcome addition, though it can be elusive, especially if you smoke too quickly.

As I’ve come to expect from Joya de Nicaragua, the combustion qualities are excellent, including a straight burn line, solid ash, easy draw, and good smoke production.

The original Cuatro Cinco—known as “Edición Limitada”—may be the best cigar Joya has ever produced, so perhaps it’s unfair to compare the Reserva Especial to it. On the other hand, Joya is certainly inviting that comparison by maintaining the Cuatro Cinco name (assuredly trying to capitalize on the former’s success). In my humble view, judging by the Toro size alone, the Cuatro Cinco Reserva Especial is quite tasty but not up to the high standards set by Edición Limitada. That said, kudos to Joya for releasing more than one Reserva Especial size; I particularly look forward to seeing how the Petit Corona stacks up. For now, the Toro should be on your watch list. 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

While StogieGuys.com has taken note of this popular My Father line—including a 2012 mention of the Churchill as a Gold Star smoke—we’ve never actually reviewed it.

I’ve smoked a few of various sizes through the years. Recently, I picked up a couple five-packs of the 6-inch toro with a 52-ring gauge—one of the original vitolas introduced in 2009—at a significant discount over the regular price of about $11 each.

The cigar was crafted by Don José “Pepin” Garcia to honor his father, in the same manner Jaime Garcia did for Don Pepin with the earlier My Father line. Le Bijou 1922 features a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigars are rolled at the Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The dark, oily wrapper is exquisite, with tiny veins and a mouthwatering pre-light barnyard aroma. The presentation is also nicely done, with two ornate bands set off by a cloth orange foot band.

In those I smoked for this review, all but one smoked and burned perfectly. One did develop a tunnel that briefly disrupted the burn and the smoke, though it cleared up after about a half-inch.

I’ve read reviews that make note of pepper, but I don’t really get much of it. To me, there was more light spice than pepper. And the flavors I found tended to be darker and richer, with a sweetness in the second half and some floral notes throughout.

I thought the strength was in the upper-medium level, with a lot of thick, rich smoke.

Overall, this is an enjoyable cigar. The length allows it to develop and display complexity along the way. It’s especially worthwhile if you can catch them on sale.

I’d also recommend trying several of the sizes because there’s a difference among them, enough so that I think some smokers will definitely prefer one over another. I rate My Father Le Bijou 1922 four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

First Smoke is a new series of Quick Smoke reviews, each evaluating a single pre-release cigar. Like the Quick Smokes we publish each Saturday and Sunday, each First Smoke is not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

 

Whether by design or not, Nica Rustica has always seemed like sort of a discount version of the immensely popular Liga Privada No. 9. (Think of it as a second wine from a top Bordeaux producer.) Both feature Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers (Liga uses “Broadleaf #1 Darks” while the Nica Rustica uses a “Broadleaf Medium”), and both debuted in just one size, a Toro, before expanding to multiple vitolas. Continuing to follow in Liga’s footsteps, Nica Rustica is expanding with two new sizes this year: Belly (7.5 x 54) and Short Robusto (4.5 x 50).

The Nica Rustica Short Robusto features powdery smoke that coats the mouth in oak, earth, bread, grass, and pepper. Although the final Nica Rustica blend doesn’t use a wild Nicaraguan strain of tobacco that pre-release test blends included, the rustic, gritty characteristics are still evident, which is exactly what Nica Rustica intends. Construction is excellent and features Drew Estate’s trademark smoke production. You won’t mistake it for Liga, but with a $5.95 MSRP, the Nica Rustica Short Robusto delivers good value.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Tampa’s cigar past lost a prominent feature recently when one of its old-time factories, long vacant, burned to the ground.

But don’t despair. If you’re interested in the history of cigars, Tampa still has lots for you to see. Most of it is in Ybor City, which was once the center of the industry that gave Tampa its nickname, Cigar City.

First, though, you’ll need to venture off 7th Avenue, nucleus of Ybor’s entertainment these days and home to several small cigar rolling shops and other retailers.

Next, you’ll need to hone your expectations. You’re not going to be seeing large cigar-making operations like those now operating in Central America. In fact, there’s only one true functioning cigar factory left in Tampa: J.C. Newman’s, where workers and machines produce mass market smokes.

The factory, often called El Reloj for its iconic clock tower, has gained quite a bit of attention as Newman has made keeping it open central to its fight against potential U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation that could shut it.

Most of the other Tampa area factories lost their fights to stay open decades earlier as cigar smoking declined. Some have come back in renovated form for other uses; many sit empty.

Perhaps the best way to check out Tampa’s cigar factory history is to follow in the footsteps of local cigar expert Tom Ufer, who compiled an incredible resource on the factories’ histories as well as a fascinating and detailed, easy-to-follow tour. You’ll find all that and more at Tom’s site.

Tom did this work in 2009 and 2010, so a few things have changed. One of the most notable changes has taken place at what’s known as the Charles the Great factory. It’s now been renovated and serves as offices for the Arturo Fuente organization. Tampa Sweethearts moved out three years ago to its own beautiful casita just off 7th Avenue.

Wallace Reyes has also written extensively on the cigar history of Tampa in “Once Upon a Time in Tampa … Rise and Fall of the Cigar Industry” and this year’s “Cigar City Architecture and Legacy” has a substantial section devoted to cigar factories.

So whenever you visit Tampa, be prepared to spend a little time getting to know more about Ybor City and its fascinating past. You’ll be amazed at what’s just right around the corner.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr