The Stogie Guys

One of the great things about smoking cigars is that there are virtually no rules.

Consider for a moment one of the most-asked, most-discussed questions on cigar forums: Cello on or off?

The simple answer: Who cares?

Sure, there are some axioms. Like: Dispose of ashes and butts when you’re finished smoking unless you like the early morning aroma of a 1950s barroom. Or: Don’t bring your own cigars to smoke at a B&M unless you want to display a lack of class and reflect poorly on your upbringing.

But these tend to be more common sense than dictum.

Generally, cigar smoking is an individual activity with each of us free to pursue it as we see fit. Some build vast collections with rare and aged releases, while others simply appreciate an occasional Macanudo. Some are passionate devotees who take trips to fields and factories in their quest for cigar knowledge. Others, though, have little interest beyond lighting up and relaxing.

This lack of rules is, I think, one of the major reasons cigar smoking is a generally egalitarian pastime, attracting participants from nearly every social strata.

This was all sorely stressed during the cigar boom of the mid-1990s when poseurs and affected smokers overran the marketplace. Fortunately, that bubble deflated, taking the air out of those who tried to inject snobbery into the cigar world.

Yes, I know there are still cigar snobs and cigar shops where you’re made to feel a lesser species if you pick up a stick for under $20. Fortunately, though, that’s much the minority among cigar smokers.

And at least part of that seems to be because it’s not nearly as easy to belittle someone or pump up yourself when there are no rules that can be held against those who don’t follow them or are simply unaware they exist.

For me, there’s really only one cigar rule: Enjoy yourself.

–George E

photo credit: Creative Commons

Back in 2011, about two years after Ernesto Perez-Carrillo ended his nine-year tenure with General Cigar to establish his own family-operated boutique, he introduced the Elencos Series. This three-vitola line had the same blend as the E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2010, and its production was likewise limited by the availability of the requisite tobaccos.

E.P. Carrillo re-released Elencos at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, this time as a regular production line in the company’s Elite series. The blend consists of a Brazilian wrapper, a Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. (Of note: You may see the binder listed as Ecuadorian elsewhere; this is an error, as confirmed via phone Lissette Perez-Carrillo, Ernesto’s daughter.)

Elencos is Spanish for “cast,” as in the cast of a theatrical production. It is offered in the same three formats as it was in 2011 with prices in the $8.25-9.25 range: Don Rubino (5.25 x 50), Elites (6 x 54), and a figurado called Acto Mayor (6.25 x 52). The first shipments of the line are expected to start arriving at retailers later this month.

As you may have noticed from my pictures, the attractive, intricate band of silver, black, and red says “Elenco,” not “Elencos.” Lissette Perez-Carrillo confirms the name of the line remains “Elencos” and that the bands and boxes are being corrected as such.

I smoked several Don Rubinos for this review. This robusto-sized smoke has a dark, oily wrapper that’s devoid of any large veins or imperfections. It is firm to the touch, yet the cold draw is clear. The pre-light notes are rich and reminiscent of molasses and nougat.

After an even light is established, the profile is incredibly full-bodied right from the get-go. The bold, spicy flavors include espresso, black pepper, cayenne heat, and dark cherry. The texture is thick and syrupy. Then, about a half inch in, the strength pulls back a bit and additional notes of sweet cream and roasted nuts help add balance. Towards the midway point and beyond, the cigar mellows further. It’s still medium- to full-bodied, mind you, but the flavor is more balanced and harmonious, and a thick, syrupy sweetness combines with the roasted nuts to help offset some of the heavy-handed pepper and espresso.

The construction is flawless. The gray ash holds well, the burn line is straight, and the smoke production is excellent.

The Elencos Don Rubino from E.P. Carrillo packs a ton of bold flavor and Nicaraguan strength for just north of $8. I recommend seeking it out, especially if you crave a rather intense experience. In my book, it earns a very solid rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–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.”

Especially before the Cuban embargo was loosened, Cuban tobacco in a cigar that could be legally sold in the United States was a good way to get consumers to pay attention, even if some weren’t all that good. Camacho came into a supply of pre-embargo Cuban tobacco that reportedly originated with DWG Cigar Company of Ohio (which later became the Wendy’s fast food chain). The since-discontinued cigar uses a Corojo wrapper, Honduran binder, and filler from Honduras, Nicaragua and Cuba (though the percentage of over half century-old Cuban tobacco isn’t disclosed). Price varies greatly, but originally these cigars sold for $20 each (now half that is the norm). Flavors in the medium-bodied toro include salt, pepper, hay, and tea. Construction was excellent, even if the flavors were somewhat uninspired.

Verdict = Hold.

– Patrick S

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.”

In 2015, Camacho introduced American Barrel Aged, a “complex and intense” cigar with “bourbon barrel-aged Corojo at its heart.” The first release under Camacho’s Master Built Series, the blend is “constructed almost entirely of American-grown tobacco including a Broadleaf wrapper, binder, and filler, along with maduro filler tobacco from Pennsylvania” and Honduran Corojo. The Toro (6 x 50) retails for $11. It is a bold, full-bodied, well-constructed cigar with intense flavors of leather, black pepper spice, espresso, warm tobacco, and, yes, bourbon. That said, despite its strength, the profile can sometimes come across as medicinal and maybe even a little stale.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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 550th in the series.

1) On Tuesday, the cigar industry filed motions in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (above) pursuing relief from upcoming FDA regulations. The motions—one a motion for preliminary injunction, the other a motion for partial summary judgment—were filed jointly by Cigar Rights of America, the Cigar Association of America, and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. At issue are expensive user fees and obtrusive warning labels. The FDA has until October 24 to respond. As reported by Cigar Aficionado, “while many aspects to the FDA regulations on cigars have been pushed back, the ones calling for extensive warning labels—labels that cover 30 percent of a cigar box, and 20 percent of an advertisement—have not. They are scheduled to take effect roughly ten months from today.” As for the user fees: “Since October 2016, cigar manufacturers and importers, in accordance with the FDA’s controversial Final Deeming Rule, have been required to submit federal excise tax information to the FDA on a monthly basis. The FDA, in turn, analyzes this data to calculate user fees for cigar companies, which are paid on a quarterly basis. Cigar companies pay the user fees directly to the FDA, and those payments are the sole source of funding for the Center of Tobacco Products, the branch of the FDA responsible for carrying out tobacco regulation activities.”

2) Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac took to Facebook on Wednesday to announce the impending re-launch of the company’s website, which will feature an online store for direct-to-consumer sales of branded merchandise, including Xikar accessories. Evidently, an unnamed “gossipy, jealous, busy body little hater” had spread a rumor that RoMa would begin selling its cigars via the new website. Martin made abundantly clear this is not the case. He went on to write: “To our haters, you really don’t have to try so hard. Just focus on making better cigars, more consistently, and selling them at a fair price. Ain’t nobody got time for all the petty drama.”

3) Members of Tatuaje’s private Saints & Sinners club received an email update on Tuesday regarding the status of the 2017 membership kits. “Due to the hurricane, our delivery of the cigar kits has been delayed and is expected to arrive late next week. We have been getting everything prepped and ready to ship as soon as they arrive but are still anticipating these to be arriving to you all right around Halloween.” Saints & Sinners is an invitation-only club that annually sends its members exclusive Tatuaje cigars along with Tatuaje-branded merchandise like wine openers, poker chips, lighters, cutters, and apparel.

4) Inside the Industry: Rafael Nodal, owner of Boutique Blends Cigars, has been named head of product capability at Tabacalera USA, a new role that places him in charge of Tabacalera’s premium cigar business, which includes Altadis USA’s premium cigars. Steve Saka’s Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has hired its first full-time team member, Yvonne Ramée, who will be working out of the Dunbarton office/warehouse in New Hampshire.

5) From the Archives: Speaking of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, in 2015, back when Saka was preparing the first shipment of his inaugural Sobermesa line, StogieGuys.com caught up with him at a cigar shop in New Hampshire. Read the whole interview here.

6) Deal of the Week: For today only, here are 100 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, CAO, My Father, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Davidoff, Perdomo, Padrón, Drew Estate, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Google Maps

Cuban-born cigar maker A.J. Fernandez is nothing if not prolific. In addition to making his own cigar lines, he has collaborated with numerous brands big and small including Rocky Patel, Foundation Cigar Company, Aging Room, La Palina, and Altadis (Montecristo, H. Upmann, Romeo y Julieta, and Gispert).

Fernandez burst onto the scene with cigars made for catalog and online giant Cigars International, including Man O’War and Diesel. More recently, he’s been creating cigars for General Cigar, which is owned by the same parent company as Cigars International. In 2016, he made Time Flies under the Foundry brand and Hoyo La Amistad.

At this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, General Cigar followed up Hoyo La Amistad with Hoyo La Amistad Silver. (The original features bands with gold trim while the Silver line has, as you’d expect, silver trim.) Both cigars sport an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The Silver has filler tobacco from Estelí and Condega (while the original uses tobacco from Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, and Ometepe).

Made at Tabacalera Fernandez S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua, Hoyo La Amistad Silver boasts delicious pre-light aromas with classic dark chocolate and rich earth wafting from the cigar as soon as it is removed from its cellophane. The dark, nearly oscuro wrapper surrounds a firmly constructed cigar that produces a sturdy light gray ash, even burn, and flawless draw.

The three Robustos (5 x 50) I smoked for this review all had a flavor profile characterized by dry chocolate, oak, pepper, and black coffee. Flavors are medium- to full-bodied with minimal variation, except an occasional slight bitterness.

More than once, I was reminded of San Cristobal made by My Father Cigars. That’s a high compliment, as it’s a cigar I enjoy quite a bit and is priced a bit higher than the Hoyo, which has a suggested retail price of $7-8 per cigar.

All around, despite the infrequent bitterness, this is an excellent, well-made cigar that will appeal to fans of classic Nicaraguan flavors. That earns the Hoyo La Amistad Silver Robusto a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If your idea of a Connecticut cigar is an Altadis Montecristo or an Ashton Classic, this new offering from Cornelius & Anthony should be on your give-it-a-try list.

While there is a bit of the typical grassy Connecticut (though this wrapper is from Ecuador rather than New England) aroma on the pre-light, the first few puffs are bursting with spice and a strong finish. By the start of the second third, the spice has backed off and tobacco sweetness moves to the fore. In the final third, the spice amps up again, mingling with leather and a light earthiness.

Strength is firmly in the mid-level area. I smoked two for this review and each performed flawlessly, producing lots of thick smoke.

The Robusto (5 x 52) has a suggested price of $9.25 and is one of four sizes in the new line. The others are Gordo (6 x 60, $10.75), Toro (6 x 50, $9.75), and Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46, $8.75). All are made at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The filler is Nicaraguan, while the only identification for the binder is that it is grown in the U.S.

Aerial is presented similarly to other Cornelius & Anthony cigars: a relatively large, ornate band identifying the company with a plain secondary band specifying the line. Also familiar in the packaging is the woodcut-style illustration—this one a hot air balloon that looks like it escaped from a Jules Verne tale.

I was curious about the name, and reached out to Cornelius & Anthony director of brand development, Courtney Smith. She said it began with “some beautiful aerial photos” she discovered in the company archive.

“The family has been growing tobacco on the same land in Keysville, Virginia, since the 1860s… and the photos were so interesting and informative, because they were a visual of the expanse of their property,” she wrote in an email. “As we talked about the land and the land’s history, the name and concept organically grew from there.”

Aerial was introduced at the summertime IPCPR Trade Show and began shipping recently. So far, it’s my favorite new release of 2017 and becomes my first five-stogie cigar this year.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys