The 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 566th in the series.

1) El Artista announced new promotional offerings for its Big Papi by David Ortiz line. Particularly notable is a large baseball bat-shaped figuardo called Big Slugger which is sold individually for $45 in a glass-top display box. In addition, the company introduced a 50-count humidor sold empty (MSRP $120) or with 20 cigars (MSRP $330).

2) Support continues to grow in Congress for the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act, which exempts premium handmade cigars from FDA regulation. The Senate version (S.294) added Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) as a co-sponsor this week, bringing the number of co-sponsors to 19. Meanwhile, its House companion bill (H.R. 564) has added three new co-sponsors since January 1, bringing its total to 142.

3) Inside the Industry: Oettinger Davidoff AG announced this week it is establishing a new executive position, Chief Commercial Officer, and has selected Jim Young, president of Davidoff North America, to fill the position. According to the announcement, the CCO position was created to help drive sales excellence and share best practices across all markets. Young will retain his responsibilities as president of Davidoff North America but will relocate to Basel, Switzerland.

4) From the Archives: We went to Nicaragua and made our own blends. Then we aged the cigar for three years and checked out the results.

5) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, shaving kits, workout gear, and more) delivered for just $45. Of note is the Churchill box, which features four cigars, an ashtray made of reclaimed wood, an odor-eating candle, cedar spills, and a cutter. Once you are signed up, there is no obligation; you can skip or purchase each month. Sign up here in the next five days to be eligible for the February box.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: El Artista

As we recently reported, Boveda, the Minnesota-based “global leader in two-way humidity control,” has introduced what it is calling “the best innovation for premium cigars since the invention of Boveda.” Called the Smart Sensor, the device syncs up your humidor’s humidity and temperature levels with an app on your phone or tablet.

When Boveda asked me to take the Smart Sensor for a test drive, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, I’ve been trusting Boveda with my humidification needs in my various humidors for years. Over that time, the only way I’ve been gauging humidor health is to monitor the many Boveda packets I employ and replace them when they feel like they’re starting to dry out. It’s a sub-optimal, unscientific process, but one that has proven to work. (I don’t trust the hygrometers in my humidors anymore; I’ve been too lazy to perform the salt calibration test for some time, and I found them to be fickle, unreliable instruments in the first place.)

The Smart Sensor is currently available at BovedaInc.com. It retails for about $40, or $50 if you also want four large humidification packets and a calibration kit (you probably do). Once the Sensor arrives, getting started is easy. The first thing you’ll want to do is download the free app and link your Sensor (a process that took me no more than a few minutes.

Next, you’ll want to calibrate the Sensor by placing it in a Boveda-provided sealed bag with a small Boveda packet. After a two-point calibration is completed, the device will be accurate within +/- 1.5% relative humidity; the accuracy goes down to +/- 2.5% with a one-point calibration.

After 24 hours, the Smart Sensor will be ready for use. Simply place it (or mount it) within your humidor. You can now check on your humidor without opening its lid from a range of about 100 feet (or, if you want to extend the reach to anywhere in the world, you can use a second device).

Here are my impressions of the product after a few weeks of testing:

• The app is beautifully designed and easy to use.
• The Boveda Knowledge Base, found within the app, is a nice value-add, featuring FAQs about cigar humidification.
• The sensor is small and unobtrusive; it will not hamper your cigar storage capacity.
• Cheers to Boveda for including an idiot-proof user guide and accompanying video; setting up the Smart Sensor could not have been easier.
• One of my favorite features is that the app can be customized to alert you to humidity or temperature changes exceeding a user-defined threshold of acceptability.
• The app also allows to you create a profile for the humidor (or humidors) you’re monitoring, including a name, picture, quantity of cigars, and notes.
• The only drawback? As I’ve written before, I operate with multiple humidors. The app is perfect for this, but my setup would require me to spend about $200 on Smart Sensors alone. (This is especially concerning because I think I might do just that.)

As always, please note that while Boveda provided me with one Smart Sensor (and calibration kit), their generosity in no way impacts my opinion of the product. On its own merits, Smart Sensor is a wonderful device that will be enjoyable and satisfying to thousands of tech-centric cigar enthusiasts.

–Patrick A

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.”

Porthole is a value-oriented line by La Sirena cigars made at the La Zona factory in Nicaragua. The line consists of two blends, one of which utilizes an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler and comes in two sizes, including this 5-inch, 44-ring gauge Corona. The cigar features damp earth and black coffee flavors. Construction is excellent and, although the cigar had pleasant flavors, it lacked any significant complexity or nuance.

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.”

Last summer, we reported that Joya de Nicaragua’s Antaño series would be expanding with a new line called Antaño Gran Reserva. The main difference between Antaño 1970 (a Nicaraguan puro featuring a Habano Criollo wrapper) and Antaño Gran Reserva is that the filler tobaccos on the latter have been aged for up to five years. I paid about $13 (including outlandish Chicago taxes) to take the Robusto Grande (5.5 x 52) for a test drive. In my book, this cigar exhibits an incredibly rich, balanced, full-bodied flavor with notes of dark cherry, espresso, black pepper, and roasted cashew. And, in typical Joya de Nicaragua fashion, it has superb construction. This is one you shouldn’t miss.

Verdict = Buy.

–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 565th in the series.

1) On Wednesday, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), parent company of General Cigar and Cigars International, announced it had reached an agreement to acquire Thompson Cigar for $62 million. Thompson is a Tampa-based online retailer that was founded in 1915 and boasts $100 million in annual net sales and 185 employees. “I am pleased to announce this acquisition, which strengthens our position in the online retail channel in the US.,” said Niels Frederiksen, STG CEO. “Our existing U.S. online retailer, Cigars International, will, in combination with Thompson, be able to deliver an unmatched range of premium cigars at the highest level of service to the U.S. consumers. At the same time, we foresee significant cost synergies to the benefit of our customers and shareholders.”

2) Black Label Trading Company’s Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is introducing S&R, a limited release that’s the first BLK WKS cigar to use Dominican tobacco and also the first to have a Sumatra wrapper. Intended as a medium-bodied smoke, S&R has a Nicaraguan Habano binder around Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos. Two sizes are available: Lancero (6.75 x 42, $9.50) and Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46, $9.50).

3) Inside the Industry: Thompson being bought by STG wasn’t the only significant acquisition this week. Cigar accessory maker Xikar, known best for its cigar cutters, was purchased by Quality Importers (QI) for undisclosed terms. QI has made a number of acquisitions in the cigar accessory category in recent years, including Cigar Caddy, Palió, Cigar Mechanic, and Stinky Ashtray, and also has the distribution rights to Eddie Ortega’s Ortega Permium Cigars. Xikar previously sold the rights to its cigar lines to Cigars International (owned by STG) in 2013.

4) From the Archives: Are cigar makers losing an opportunity for sales because of their failure to disclose information about their blends? That’s the case we made in What’s on the Label? back in 2013. The argument remains unchanged and, unfortunately, so does the the state of cigar disclosures.

5) Deal of the Week: Here are 100 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, CAO, My Father, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, 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: Scandinavian Tobacco Group