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.”

I can’t remember that last time I lit up a La Flor Dominicana smoke, which is truly amazing given how consistently solid the brand is. This realization hit me as I was scanning the selection of a walk-in humidor at a cigar shop. So I picked out a Ligero L-400 (5.75 x 54). This Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped smoke, which features Dominican binder and filler tobaccos, has a balanced profile of sweetness, cream, and subtle spice with a straight burn and a solid ash. I found it to be a good value at about $8.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Famous Smoke Shop

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) Another congressional effort to stop the FDA from regulating premium cigars appears dead after the House of Representatives approved a continuing resolution to fund the government into April without mentioning cigars. The industry had hoped to get changes approved in an appropriations bill, but the continuing resolution does not address the issue. A couple of potentially contentious matters, unrelated to the FDA, could slow, or even halt, approval of the continuing resolution by the Senate.

2) Win Free Cigars: In celebration of its holiday gift page—which helps make finding perfect gifts for cigar enthusiasts easy and fun by showcasing best-rated, best-selling smokes—Holt’s Cigar Company is giving away a $20 gift card to one lucky reader. To enter to win, please “like” the StogieGuys.com Facebook page and leave a comment on the contest post with your dream cigar-related gift. One commenter will be chosen at random in about a week to receive the prize. (You can find our contest rules here.)

3) The impact of the FDA on premium cigars got more national exposure last week when the Washington Post featured a lengthy report on the impact in Ybor City, the area that gave Tampa its moniker as “Cigar City.” Highlighting the plight of the largest operation, the J.C. Newman Cigar Co., the article noted that many “wonder whether the once-booming cigar industry may be on its way out.”

4) Inside the Industry: Villiger Cigars is set to begin shipping a redone 1888 line that was first introduced in 2009 to celebrate the Swiss company’s founding year. The new 1888, as reported by Cigar Aficionado, sports red packaging and a blend based on a 2010 limited edition that marked Villiger’s 100 years in Germany.

5) From the Archives: Getting the most for your money is one of the key selling points for cigar samplers. But you want to make sure it’s the cigars, not your wallet, that get burned. Doing so can sometimes require a bit of planning, and these easy-to-follow tips for selecting a sampler can help make your order a winner.

6) Deal of the Week: Limited quantities of our StogieGuys.com-selected sampler are still available at Cigar & Pipes. Included are cigars we enjoyed years ago that still remain staples in our humidors. Just $58.49 gets you 10 cigars, well below MSRP, including some high-end smokes from Padrón, Fuente, and Oliva.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

More than once I’ve praised the Buenaventura line by Curivari as not only an excellent smoke, but an excellent value (the cigars retail for around $5 each). Over the past couple years, Curivari has begun adding extensions to the line, starting with the Pralines blend in 2015. (Since then, a Connecticut-wrapped Cremas extension and a mixed-filler Picadura version have debuted, too.)

An aside: Curivari has adopted one of my favorite practices when it comes to packaging by selling cigars exclusively in ten-count boxes. This is, as far as I’m concerned, a very consumer-friendly decision, and one that makes the commitment (both financially and simply as a matter of confidence that you’ll enjoy it) much easier in which to enter. I wish more companies would adopt the practice.

The Pralines line extension takes the all-Nicaraguan blend of the original Buenaventura line and adds a Mexican wrapper. I smoked three of the P554 size (a pressed 5.75-inch, 54-ring gauge robusto) for this review, though the blend also comes in Toro (6.75 x 52) and Gordo (4.9 x 60) formats.

Visually, it’s a classic, attractive cigar with a relatively vein-free, toothy, medium-brown wrapper and a not-too-sharp box press. Unless you find the classic, albeit simple, band cheap (I don’t), there is nothing about this cigar that gives away its value-oriented price.

Once lit, you’re greeted by dry wood with light spice, bread, roast coffee, and graphite notes. As the cigar develops, the spice becomes a more pronounced red pepper flavor mingled with gingerbread, plus the slightest hint of sourness.

It’s firmly medium-bodied throughout, though there are some notable variations in flavor from start to finish. Construction is excellent with a deliberate but not overly firm draw, mostly even burn, and solid salt and pepper ash.

While not quite as flavorful or perfectly balanced as the original Buenaventura blend, there is still a lot to like about this cigar, including its sub-$6 price tag. That earns the Curivari Buenaventura Pralines P554 a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credits: 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 Gary Griffith retired from Emilio—a cigar outfit he founded in 2010 that grew to become a distributor of various boutiques under the House of Emilio umbrella—he introduced Draig Cayuquero. This four-vitola line is comprised of a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The Toro (6 x 50) retails for about $12 and yields a medium-bodied, straightforward profile of dark cherry, leather, and musty earth notes. Hints of black pepper and cedar spice come and go, and the combustion properties are fine, though the draw can be a bit tight. I was hoping for more, especially in this price range. And I wasn’t terribly impressed with occasional waves of heat, harshness, and bitterness.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

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) On Wednesday, a new federal rule was issued that criminalizes smoking in public housing residencies. “Officials with the Department of Housing and Urban Development said that the rule would take effect early next year, but that public housing agencies would have a year and a half to put smoke-free policies in place. The rule will affect more than 1.2 million households,” according to the New York Times. “The nationwide ban will have its greatest impact in New York, where the New York City Housing Authority—whose 178,000 apartments and more than 400,000 residents make it the largest public housing agency in the United States, has lagged behind many of its counterparts in adopting smoke-free policies. While HUD proposed the sweeping prohibition a year ago, it had been prodding public housing authorities to adopt such policies since 2009.”

2) General Cigar Co. announced on Monday that Alan Willner has left his post as vice president of marketing “to pursue other interests.” Willner had been with General since 2011. “I will provide day-to-day leadership of the marketing team,” said Régis Broersma, president, in a press release. “Change is always uncomfortable, but with this change I have great confidence in the team to drive the business forward. Our strategy and brands are strong, and we are well-positioned to take General Cigar to the next level. It’s time to release the company’s full potential.”

3) Inside the Industry: Gran Habano has released Los Tres Reyes Magos, a limited edition culebra coffin of three intertwined cigars (7 x 32) in the Gran Habano #1 (Connecticut Shade), #3 (Nicaraguan Habano), and #5 (Nicaraguan Corojo) blends. The coffins are packaged in boxes of 10 and available at retailers now.

4) From the Archives: Looking for some great cigars to start the new year? Let StogieGuys.com be your guide. Just click on the Reviews Archive at the top right of the screen and select Top Rated Cigars from the dropdown menu. You’ll be directed to an alphabetical list of all the  cigars we awarded a top rating since the site began more than ten years ago. And stay tuned for our upcoming list of the top-rated smokes of 2016.

5) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items delivered to your door. Past boxes include fine bar accessories, shaving kits, coffee, and more. You can skip or purchase every month. This month features an exclusive cigar offering from E.P. Carrillo, including previously unreleased cigars (along with an ashtray made with re-calimed wood, a cutter, and a smoke-eating candle) available only to Bespoke Post subscribers. Click here to sign up today.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Observer