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 578th in the series.

1) Altadis U.S.A. will be making the Aging Room Pura Cepa line available across all distribution channels later this month. Spanish for “pure bred,” Pura Cepa is a Nicaraguan puro created by Rafael Nodal with tobacco from Ometepe, Jalapa, Condega, and Estelí. “I wanted a world-class cigar that ideally displayed the richness Nicaraguan soils can bring to quality tobaccos,” said Nodal. “With Pura Cepa, I strived to capture the very essence of the land’s core, and deliver a Nicaraguan puro blend for today’s most discerning smokers.” Three sixes will sell in the $12.50-$13.50 range: Rondo (5 x 50), Mezzo (6 x 54), and Grande (6.5 x 56). Each will be packaged in boxes of 20. In May 2017, a “strategic alliance agreement” was struck that makes tobacco giant Altadis the distributor for Boutique Blends Cigars. As part of the agreement, Rafael Nodal accepted a position within Altadis, and the Boutique Blends brands—including Aging Room, Swag, La Bohéme, and Oliveros—are sold through Altadis.

2) The Tampa Bay Times on premium cigars’ second chance for an FDA exemption: “A ‘Save This Factory’ banner will be re-hung next week on J.C. Newman Cigar’s Ybor City factory, and the company’s SaveCigarCity.com website lobbying against government oversight of premium cigars will be re-launched. Both were tactics company president Eric Newman used to fight the Food and Drug Administration as the agency weighed whether to lump in premium cigars with mass-produced stogies, vaporizers, and e-cigarettes as part of its regulatory expansion over tobacco.”

3) Hot Dickel, anyone? George Dickel Tennessee Whisky and Tabasco have announced a collaboration. George Dickel Tabasco Brand Barrel Finish will be hitting stores soon, with 750 ml. bottles of the 70-proof product selling for $25. George Dickel Tennessee Whisky is finished in Tabasco barrels that were previously used to age hot sauce for three years.

4) Inside the Industry: In June, Ventura Cigar Co. will kick off “Fathers, Friends, and Fire” events at tobacconists across the country. A $10 ticket (sold via participating tobacconists) will entitle guests to smoke with and meet Michael Giannini (who recently joined Ventura after a 17-year stint with General Cigar) and “fourth generation tobacconist” Erik Stokkebye. In addition, “to make Fathers, Friends, and Fire truly memorable, Ventura Cigar Co. commissioned exclusive mementos to give out at the events, which will not be available for individual sale,” according to a press release. “Events will feature a special cigar created by the father-daughter team [of] Omar and Indiana Ortez. Under Omar’s experienced eye, Indiana created the Father-Daughter blend, which balances their tastes for tobaccos… The Father-Daughter limited edition cigars will come pre-packaged in a two-cigar coffin box…”

5) From the Archives: Wonder why your morning smoke isn’t as enjoyable as you expect? It might be your toothpaste.

6) Deal of the Week: Here are over 80 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Padrón, Drew Estate, Davidoff, Cohiba, Crowned Heads, RoMa Craft, 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: Altadis

Few things are as temporary as a cigar industry retirement, which frequently is more about waiting out a non-compete than a desire to stop working with cigars. So it was a breath of a breath of fresh air when Matt Booth didn’t claim retirement when he and Room 101 ended their partnership with Davidoff. (Then again, Booth may have been too young for anyone to believe a retirement from an industry he clearly enjoys.)

“I decided not to renew. The contract ended, and I think that it’s time for a new beginning for Room 101. I am grateful for the years of partnership and support from Davidoff,” Booth said when he announced what would be just a six-month hiatus from the cigar industry in January 2017.

Sure enough, in July 2017, Booth announced he was back and collaborating with Robert Caldwell on two new cigars. The first of the two was Hit and Run, made in the Dominican Republic.

The other is The T., a collaboration between A.J. Fernandez, Robert Caldwell, and Matt Booth. Originally called The Truth, this collaboration was renamed after a copyright issue, presumably with Tatuaje (which makes a vintage cigar called La Verite, French for “the truth”), not with those gaudy propagandists at TheTruth.com.

The T. comes in 5 box-pressed sizes, including the 6-inch, 52-ring gauge Toro ($11.50). The cigar is a Nicaraguan puro made at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.

It is well-constructed and firm to the touch with a dark, oily wrapper. Combustion is excellent, with a sturdy ash, easy draw, and even burn.

Once lit, the cigar features roasted cashews and black coffee notes, combined with leather and clove. It’s medium- to full-bodied with some slight tannic dryness.

As the cigar evolves, charred oak, barnyard, and light black pepper notes emerge. Different from most A.J. Fernandez-made Nicaraguan puros, but still an enjoyable cigar.

I didn’t particularly enjoy Caldwell and Booth’s Hit and Run collaboration, but this cigar hits my palate in the right way. Good construction and satisfying flavors earn this collaboration a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Even if you’re not familiar with El Titan de Bronze, you likely know some of the cigars made at this small factory in Little Havana, Miami, which crafts cigars for such clients as Drew Estate, Warped Cigars, La Palina, Cornelius & Anthony, Padilla, El Primer Mundo, Cremo, and many others.

From the outside, you could easily mistake El Titan de Bronze as a mere retailer. The whole operation is only 2,200 square feet. But—unlike all the other cigar spots that dot Calle Ocho, many of which employ a window roller or two to lure tourists—El Titan de Bronze is a living, breathing factory full of rich history. It’s a must-visit for any cigar lover visiting Miami.

Once inside, you’ll notice a small display case of cigars at the cash register amidst an eclectic, compact collection of boxes, cigar molds, and rolling tables. If you visit late in the afternoon, you likely won’t see any rollers; they like to arrive early (7 a.m.) and, once they’ve made 100-125 cigars, their day is done. This quota helps with quality control.

Among those 100-125 cigars per day, each roller makes each cigar from start to finish. This is contrasted from many other factories, where teams will focus just on bunching, wrapper application, etc. El Titan de Bronze employs about 8-10 rollers.

El Titan de Bronze does not ferment or age raw tobacco on premises. It acquires ready-to-roll tobacco based on production needs. Here, tobacco from the famed Oliva Tobacco Company awaits its turn to be made into fine cigars.

Once rolled, cigars sit in the El Titan de Bronze aging room for at least two months before being shipped to their respective brand owners’ facilities—where many undergo additional aging.

Master blenders will come to El Titan de Bronze with specific instructions on how to construct their cigars. Willy Herrera is a good example of this. Often, however, brand owners will have a concept and rely on El Titan de Bronze to realize that vision. Here, Cremo Figurados rest in the aging room.

In addition to making cigars for other companies, El Titan de Bronze has a half-dozen house blends (which are the only cigars you can buy on-site, and are also sold on the El Titan de Bronze website). I haven’t tried all of these yet; reviews are forthcoming. What I have tried is both impressive and cost-effective.

There’s a lot more to El Titan de Bronze (especially in terms of history), so I would encourage you to check out their website, try their cigars, and—by all means—pay the factory a visit if you’re in the area. When you walk in the door, don’t be surprised if you’re greeted by a warm smile and a serving of Cuban coffee.

–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.”

This large torpedo from the original 2013 La Gloria Trunk Show release was the blend created primarily by Jhonys Diaz (hence “JD”). The entire line uses homogenized tobacco for the bands, in this case dye-cut with the La Gloria logo. The cigar has an aged Sumatra wrapper around undisclosed binder and filler and features lots of spice (baking spices, cinnamon, and cayenne) layered over a core of cedar and cream. It’s an enjoyable medium- to full-bodied cigar.

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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Much of what I smoke is dictated by which cigars need to be examined for this website. But I also try my best to keep up with old favorites, too. Earning a spot in this select rotation is perhaps one of the highest marks I can give a cigar—a true testament to quality, consistency, and performance. The Intemperance BA XXI A.W.S. IV from RoMa Craft Tobac has been in this elite group for a few years now. This Arapiraca-wrapped lonsdale (6.5 x 44) is the perfect format to enjoy the outstanding Intemperance BA blend, which also includes an Indonesian binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. For the very fair price of about $7.50, you get a well-balanced profile of red and black pepper along with notes of cocoa, sweet cream, roasted nut, and dry wood. Construction is outstanding. A word of warning: If you give this cigar a try, you’ll find yourself buying a lot more.

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 577th in the series.

1) In celebration of Avo’s 30th anniversary, Davidoff this week announced the release of the sixth iteration of Avo Improvisation, “a limited series inspired by unexpected combinations of music and cigars.” Only 2,400 boxes of 25 cigars have been made in a single ultra-premium vitola (7.5 x 50). The recipe, which is inspired by the Avo Classic No. 3, includes an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder, and Dominican filler tobaccos. The per-cigar price is $16. Improvisation pays homage to Avo founder and Juilliard-trained jazz pianist Avo Uvezian, who passed away in March 2017 at the age of 91.

2) Drew Estate has announced the pre-release of the Liga Privada No. 9 Corona Viva, which is exclusive to the Cigars International Super-Store in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. The cigar “features a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Oscuro wrapper, a plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers,” according to a press release. “Similar in concept to the Undercrown Corona Viva, released in 2012, the No. 9 Corona Viva features the core blend with increased Ligero for a fuller and stronger taste profile.” The Corona Viva was launched as a pre-release yesterday in limited quantities. Boxes of 24 ($290) will be available at Cigars International’s CIGARfest in limited quantities.

3) As the official bourbon sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, Woodford Reserve has again released a special edition bottle for the 2018 Kentucky Derby (which takes place tomorrow). The commemorative bottling is filled with the standard-issue Woodford Reserve bourbon and sells for $44. It is also used in the $1,000 mint juleps sold at the derby in a special edition silver cup (and a $2,500 julep that comes in a gold-plated cup) with proceeds going to charity.

4) Inside the Industry: Gurkha Cigars announced its first Tobacconsits’ Association of America (TAA) exclusive cigar, which is an extension of the company’s Heritage line. It is made with an Ecuador Habano wrapper and blinder around Peruvian and Nicaraguan filler. Only 1,000 of the Toro box-pressed cigars will be made, and they will retail for $100 per box. Look for them this summer.

5) From the Archives: Ever wonder how The Stogie Guys got started smoking  cigars? You can read the full story here.

6) Deal of the Week: Fancy humidors can be great, but when it comes to functionality and value you’d be hard-pressed to beat an acrylic jar like this one, which is currently on sale for $17 (with free Amazon Prime shipping).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Davidoff

What exactly is Michel Couvreur Overaged Malt Whisky? I’ll let the front label of this enigmatic offering explain: “Distilled in Scotland. Vatted from various over twelve-year-old whiskies traditionally ennobled with sherry oak casks and bottled in our French Burgundian caves.”

Michel Couvreur, who passed away in 2013, produced and sold wine for many years before falling for single malt scotch. He then began buying unaged single malt from various Scottish distilleries and shipping it to his cellars in Burgundy, France, for extended aging in mostly sherry casks before being blended together.

The Overaged Malt Whisky is the Michel Couvreur offering you’re most likely to encounter in the United States. The whisky is aged at least twelve years, though some accounts suggest it is “vatted from 54 whiskies aged 12 to 27.” Because it is hard to find, prices may vary significantly (I found a deal at $50 plus shipping, but $70 or more seems more the norm).

To get at the whisky you’ll have to bust through a traditional wine cork (it’s a product of Burgundy after all) that is sealed with wax. Apparently, the best method is to leave the wax alone and just go at it with a corkscrew. Once open, you’ll find a nose that combines dried flowers, light smoke, damp red wine barrels, and fruit cake.

On the palate, the sherried notes (candied almonds, oloroso, figs) dominate, but with the added complexity of pears, berries, and smoked pork combined with the slightest whiff of peat and musty notes imparted from the wine cellars where the whisky is aged. The finish is lush and long with more red fruit, musty earth and just a bit of unique funk that’s hard to describe.

Supposedly, the folks at Michel Couvreur drive to Jerez to pick out fresh sherry casks from well-known sherry producer Equipos Navazos. At a time when Scottish distilleries are finding it tougher and tougher to find good sherry casks, Courvreur’s small-scale access gives it an advantage that comes through in its whisky.

To me, it outshines most of the twelve year sherried single malt whiskies (including Macallan). So if that’s your style of single malt, don’t be afraid to try Michel Couvreur Overaged Malt Whisky.

It’s a true after-dinner drink, perfect with a well-balanced cigar. A good, balanced Cuban like the Cohiba Siglo VI is an ideal pairing. For a non-Cuban cigar, try the Cabaiguan Robusto Extra, Davidoff Colorado Claro, or Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary.

–Patrick Sphoto credit: Stogie Guys