Archive | June, 2017

Cigar Tip: Don’t Get Slammed on the New-Release Treadmill

19 Jun 2017

[Editors’ Note: The following article was first published at StogieGuys.com in May 2015, though the advice it contains is as sound now as it was two years ago. It is reprinted today in anticipation of the fast-approaching 2017 IPCPR Trade Show.]

Cigar Shop

One of the great things about cigars is the incredible choice available. Unfortunately, it’s one of the not-so-great things as well.

Every day seems to bring news of a new release, a limited edition, a store special—or, more likely, several of each. One email I received recently touted five new limited cigars. As we approach the annual summer trade show, the stream of new announcements will almost certainly become a flood.

A dedicated cigar lover could go crazy, and broke, trying to keep up.

I suggest you don’t. Go crazy or broke, that is.

Now, I’m not recommending you forgo new cigars. Far from it. I’m just advocating a little thought and preparation to maximize the enjoyment potential of the purchases you do make.

First, remember that selling cigars is not like selling most other consumables. The premium cigar market is small and barely growing, if at all. A large percentage of cigar smokers have only a handful of sticks a week and rarely venture beyond a few brands.

Two companies—Altadis and General—dominate the market; add in a few other big players like Padrón, Fuente, and Rocky Patel, and you see why smaller manufacturers face a tough battle. They’re fighting for a thin slice of a not-so-big pie.

For many of those small manufacturers, social media has had a huge impact. Even though the cigar digerati is a relatively small subset of the market, it’s a vocal and influential component. Generating buzz and producing the next hot stick can make the difference between being a success and an also-ran. All of which leads to more releases, more limited editions, more store exclusives, and on and on.

Here are three thoughts to help you evaluate your purchases:

1) Pay attention to the manufacturers you really like. As any regular StogieGuys.com reader knows, I am a big fan of Aging Room cigars. Their blends just about always appeal to my taste. I’ve even gone so far as to violate a basic rule of cigar purchases by buying a box of a new offering before I’d tried one. Other favorites, like Fuente and My Father, also always get a close look from me.

2) Pay attention to tobaccos. Think about those you like and those you don’t. This can be tricky, I’ll be the first to admit. For example, I generally dislike San Andrés. But there are some using it, like E.P. Carrillo’s La Historia, that I think are terrific. Still, given the choice between a new smoke featuring that Mexican leaf and one that doesn’t, I’ll usually pick the cigar without it. Similarly, recognizing tobaccos you usually enjoy can be a deciding factor.

3) Look at the manufacturer’s output. Some companies put out so many new cigars, it is difficult to believe they all can be special. On the other hand, when someone like Padrón puts a new smoke on the market, it is worthy of special notice.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

Quick Smoke: Lost & Found El Suavesito

18 Jun 2017

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.”

Lost & Found Cigars, formerly known as Impromptu, is a testament to the difference marketing can make, since someone else couldn’t sell the cigars in a previous form. The company releases small batches of well-aged cigars that were “lost” then “found” in the aging rooms of various factories, under a catchy, off-beat name with corresponding art. One of two recent releases, El Suavesito ($7.50) is a 2010 vintage corona gorda made with Dominican Piloto Cubano, Criollo ’98, and Nicaraguan Habano tobaccos. The firmly-constructed cigar features a greenish-brown wrapper and an uneven burn. Flavors are dominated by cedary spice, though there are also musty notes and black pepper. Some Lost & Found smokes have impressed me quite a bit, but El Suavasito isn’t one of them.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Quick Smoke: CAO Fuma Em Corda Robusto

17 Jun 2017

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.”

Just yesterday, we reported on a new limited edition line from CAO called Fuma Em Corda that sports a Honduran Colorado wrapper, a Cameroon binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The Brazilian filler is what makes this cigar stand out; it includes Arapiraca leaves that were fermented in ropes—hence the name of the blend, which literally translates from Portuguese as “smoke on rope,” and hence the unique band made out of tobacco. Only 3,000 20-count boxes of a single vitola—Robusto (5 x 50)—will be made, each with a suggested retail price of $8.99 (there is also a limited edition Toro (6 x 58, $10.49) for internet and catalog retailers). The Robusto is dark, rich, spicy, and moist with a strong, full-bodied taste of black cherry, espresso, leather, vegetal notes, and a tangy sensation that reminds me of barbecue sauce. This is the first one I’ve smoked, so it’s only a first impression. From what I’ve seen so far, though, I would recommend you give the Fuma Em Corda a try.

Verdict = Buy.

Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Weekly Cigar News Sampler: Trump Cuba Changes Won’t Impact Cigars, CAO Fuma Em Corda, New Dunbarton Cigars, and More

16 Jun 2017

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 535th in the series.

1) CAO is set to debut a new cigar line featuring Arapiraca tobacco fermented in ropes. According to a press release from General Cigar, in his travels to the Brazil in 2015, Ernest Gocaj, director of tobacco procurement for General, found natives who were fermenting Arapiraca leaves in ropes, and that the process “produced tobacco with flavor like nothing else.” Gocaj bought the natives’ entire harvest for the year and handed it over to CAO’s blending team. The result is the new CAO Fuma Em Corda, a new limited edition release “made with the world’s most rare Brazilian tobacco.” In addition to the rope-fermented Aripiraca, the cigar sports a Honduran Colorado wrapper, a Cameroon binder, and other filler tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Brazil. Only 3,000 20-count boxes of a single vitola—Robusto (5 x 50)—will be made, each cigar with a suggested retail price of $8.99. There will also be a limited edition Toro (6 x 58, $10.49) for internet and catalog retailers.

2) Today, President Donald Trump’s long-awaited announcement on changes to U.S. policies toward Cuba is set to be delivered in Little Havana in Miami, Florida. Initial reports suggest not all of President Obama’s changes will be reversed. Of the eleven categories of travel to Cuba currently available to American citizens, all but one will remain. The biggest changes will come once Trump’s secretaries of Treasury and Commerce implement regulations that prohibit direct financial transactions with Cuban military intelligence and security services, though some exemptions will exist, including deals involving lodging options. One administration official said the goal of the changes is to “steer money away from the Cuban military and toward the Cuban people.” Flights and cruise ships from the United States will not be restricted, nor will there be changes to Obama’s policy shift that allows Cuban rum and cigars to be imported for personal use when traveling home from abroad.

3) Inside the Industry: Leading up to the 85th annual IPCPR Trade Show—which will be held July 10-14 in Las Vegas—Steve Saka took to Facebook to preview the offerings he will be highlighting at the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust booth. “In addition to [Muestra de Saka] Exclusivo, we have three very solid offerings to be showcased at this year’s IPCPR,” he posted. They include Mi Querida Gordita (4 x 48), “a plumper of air-cured Broadleaf joy;” Muestra de Saka Nacatamale (6 x 48), “one of my all-time favorite liga/vitola combos;” and Todos Las Dias, “our third core brand, which will really expand our portfolio of ‘puros sin compromiso’ with yet another totally different approach and flavor profile in the fuller-bodied world of craft cigars.” Saka went on to say, “I must say thank you to all our customers, [as] both Sobremesa and Mi Querida sales continue to grow. With most new cigars, customers try them and then move on to the next new cigar, so I want you to know we here at Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust are genuinely appreciative of all of you who have added our cigars to your rotation… Please know we always do our utmost to make cigars worthy of your support.”

4) From the Archives: Interested in the science behind humidor humidity? A conversation about it broke out in the comments of Wednesday’s article on prepping your humidor for the summer. Read it here.

5) Deal of the Week: Need a last-minute Father’s Day gift for dad? Consider a subscription to Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items delivered to your door for just $45. Available now are two cigar-oriented boxes. “Toast” features four cigars by H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta, along with a cigar pouch and a small desktop humidor. “Study” includes two Montecristo White cigars, two Glencairn whiskey glasses, a cigar tube, and a smoke-eating candle. You can skip or switch to another box every month. Sign up your dad (or yourself) here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar Co.

Cigar Tip: Don’t Lose Your Cool This Summer

14 Jun 2017

With Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer in the U.S., now past, most of the country is looking at increasingly hotter temperatures and higher humidity levels.

For cigar enthusiasts, that can also mean rising anxiety levels as they fret over the conditions in their humidors. Here are some tips that I hope can help reduce your stress.

Whether you prefer the “standard” recommendation of 70° F. and 70% relative humidity or something else is, to some degree, a matter of taste. Many smokers these days favor humidity levels in the low- to mid-60s range with temperatures around 65° F.

Significantly higher or lower humidity levels can result in cigars that are too wet or too dry and won’t taste good or perform well. Temperatures much higher than 72° or so risk tobacco beetles hatching if larvae are present.

Only you can decide what settings you prefer.

But once you’ve decided, perhaps the most important step is to maintain relative constancy.

Here are some of the conclusions I’ve reached over the years.

First, I don’t believe cigars are like delicate flowers that will quickly wither and die outside a narrow comfort range of temperature and relative humidity. Sure, leave one resting on the dashboard in July and you can soon kiss it goodbye. But shifts of a few degrees or percentage points aren’t remotely fatal.

So don’t get obsessed. I’ve monitored temperature and relative humidity with two sensors in my cooled cabinet humidor for more than two years. And I can attest what you think is going on inside isn’t always the case.

For example, temperature and relative humidity levels can vary by several points from one shelf to another. (And, yes, my humidor has fans—three of them, in fact—to circulate the air.)

There are also usually differences of a few points in readings at different spots inside the humidor itself, as well as within a cigar box at the same spot. Some boxes hold both incredibly well; others, not so much.

It’s also important to bear in mind a few facts about humidity:

1) It is extremely difficult to measure precisely without very high quality scientific equipment.

2) We’re talking about relative humidity, which means the percentage changes when the temperature changes. That’s why it’s relative.

3) The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold. So when the same amount of moisture is present at different temperatures, the relative humidity percentage will be lower in the warmer air.

4) Humid air tends to rise.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to keep your cool this summer, at least where your cigars are concerned.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

Cigar Review: Crowned Heads The Angel’s Anvil 2017 (TAA Exclusive)

12 Jun 2017

Each year, some of the industry’s most revered manufacturers craft an exclusive cigar for members of the Tobacconist’s Association of America (TAA), a group of about 80 retailers who pride themselves on their knowledge and professionalism and work together to develop best practices. This year’s participants include, among others, Tatuaje, Padrón, La Flor Dominicana, La Palina, Jaime Garcia, and Crowned Heads.

This is the fourth straight year Nashville-based Crowned Heads has made a TAA exclusive. Called “The Angel’s Anvil”—which, conveniently, also has TAA as its acronym—the series takes its name from a short story penned by Crowned Heads co-founder Jon Huber about a fallen angel who enlists the help of a blacksmith to forge new wings so he can re-ascend to heaven.

Not much is known about the 2017 iteration of The Angel’s Anvil, other than it is made at the Tabacalera La Alianza factory (E.P. Carillo) with a Habano wrapper and is offered in a single toro-sized vitola (6.25 x 52). The binder and filler tobaccos are not disclosed. Of note: The 2014 and 2015 editions of The Angel’s Anvil also had Habano wrappers; the 2016 model featured a dark maduro leaf.

On a personal level, I happen to really enjoy cigars that boast toasty, bready notes. This cigar fits that profile. From the outset, the flavors remind me of graham cracker, sourdough, and gingerbread. There is some sweetness, as well as spicy undertones; think cinnamon and cedar, not black pepper. The body is decidedly medium. There are few changes between the first and last puffs. However, along the way, a slight metallic trace fades in and out . While it’s not a taste I particularly enjoy, it’s never in the foreground, and it doesn’t stick around too long.

Construction was excellent across the samples I smoked for this review.  Each exhibited a straight burn that required no touch-ups to stay even, a moderately solid ash, a clear draw, and good smoke production.

The Angel’s Anvil 2017 comes packaged in boxes of 20 that sell for about $190 but, for this review, I bought a five-pack for $52.50 (which makes the per-cigar cost $10.50). To me, that’s a very appropriate price for a well-made, enjoyable cigar. I’d recommend you give this a try, especially if, like me, you’re a fan of bready flavors. I award this Crowned Heads creation 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

Quick Smoke: My Father The Judge

11 Jun 2017

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.”

A successful cigar line almost always spurs line extensions. The positive reception to the Garcia family’s My Father line has meant many new variations over the years. The Judge tweaks the blend by using a dark brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around dual Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo binders and filler the Garcia’s farms in Nicaragua. Available in two sizes, I smoked the longer one (6 x 56), as opposed to the shorter version (5 x 60). It has lots of coffee notes along with roast nuts, earth, leather, and pepper spice, with just a little bit of creaminess. It’s a medium- to full-bodied smoke, and even though it isn’t my favorite My Father blend, it is still a very good smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys