The 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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) This week Famous Smoke Shop, a Pennsylvania-based retailer with a thriving online and mail-order operation, was the apparent victim of a so-called “distributed denial of service” attack. Hackers allegedly flooded Famous’ website with traffic in order to prevent legitimate users from getting through, and other online retailers appear to have suffered similar attacks. In an email to customers, Famous’ president had this to say: “Thankfully, right now our company is functioning normally again. We were attacked. Jealous competitor? Anti-smoking terrorist? It’s impossible to know at this point…Federal authorities have taken an active interest in pursuing the attackers and we intend to cooperate fully.”

2) Tobacco giant Altria reported this week that sales in its John Middleton division—maker of the hugely popular Black & Mild brand—dropped 23.8% in the second quarter to 270 million units. Black & Mild is the number two selling machine-made stick in the U.S.

3) Inside the Industry: Camacho has teamed up with LA jeweler Matt Booth to create “Room 101 Cigars,” a Honduran-Dominican blend that will debut at the IPCPR trade show. Padilla is releasing two new cigars in August: Padilla Dominus, made with 2006 corojo tobacco ($8-15); and Padilla Cazadores, made with an Ecuadoran habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos ($5-6).

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame fires up a La Gloria Cubana Reserva. Nice Tight Ash lights up a Don Pepin Garcia JJ Maduro. Tampa Cigar Examiner smokes a Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959. Daniel (at Asylum) tries the $50 Louixs. Stogie Review reviews a Verdadero Organic.

5) Deal of the Week: Full-bodied smokes are all the rage these days ,and this “Full-Bodied Sampler” has some top smokes. You get two each of such favorites as the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992, Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic, Perdomo Lot 23, EO 601 Habano “Red,” and the La Gloria Cubana Serie R. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

I have yet to be impressed by a cigar that bears the Te-Amo name. With lackluster performances from the Nicaragua Blend and the Cabinet Selection lines, let’s just say this Altadis brand hasn’t exactly relieved my skepticism of Mexican tobacco.

But I need to give Te-Amo a fair shot. After all, my experience with the standard Mexican puro series is very limited. And with the economy the way it is, I owe it to my wallet to see if anything from this value brand is worthwhile.

So I recently tried several samples from the Dominicana Blend, part of Te-Amo’s World Selection Series. This line debuted at the 2007 IPCPR trade show (then the RTDA) in an effort to improve and diversify the brand’s portfolio. According to Altadis’ marketing, it is “where the great tastes of the world’s premier tobacco-growing nations come together in one magnificent collection of truly fine cigars.”

The World Selection Series includes four different country-named blends: Cuba (criollo), Honduras (corojo), Nicaragua (criollo), and Dominicana (Connecticut shade). All four feature Mexican San Andreas binders, which is where these cigars are crafted by the Turrent Family.

The six inch by 54 ring gauge Dominicana Toro is fairly attractive for a cigar that sells for around $3 apiece. It has few veins, a healthy sheen, and delicate pre-light notes of hay and grass. Noticeably soft to the touch and easy on the draw.

It opens with a full, somewhat coarse flavor of salt, dry wood, and spice. I was expecting a much milder profile given the Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican filler combination. The early sandiness of the ash also caught me off-guard, as it has a tendency to suddenly separate from the foot before the first half inch is through.

At this point, I noticed the resting smoke’s aroma was a good deal more appealing than the cigar’s actual taste. Fortunately, the flavor starts to mirror those scents into the second third with more of a creamy, nutty characteristic. Some bitter, medicine-like tastes crop up from time to time, though. And the combustion qualities—including a burn that requires several touch-ups to keep even—leave much to be desired.

Despite its faults, this mild cheapie has its place; it may be well-suited to complement a slow day on the golf course or a weekend afternoon in the yard. Just don’t expect the Te-Amo Dominicana Blend Toro to wow you with complexity or charm. For that, it deserves two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Not long ago I wrote: “When I think of summer I think of rum drinks. And when I think of rum drinks one of the first cocktails that comes to mind is a classic: Mount Gay Tonic.” Well, an equally classic summer rum drink that comes to mind is the Dark ‘n Stormy.

While no doubt made with a number of dark rums, there is no debate over the fact that the traditional Dark ‘n Stormy version uses Goslings Black Seal Rum. In fact, as the New York Times reported, Goslings trademarked the drink so only those made with Goslings can legally be called Dark ‘n Stormy.

The other key ingredient of the drink is ginger beer. (Anyone who tells you this is the same as ginger ale is woefully misguided.) The strong ginger taste of the ginger beer melds with the dark rum to create a fantastically flavorful concoction with a punch that is known as Burmuda’s national drink.

As for that ginger beer, there’s also some contention over that, too. For many, the classic Dank ‘n Stormy uses Barritts Ginger Beer, an original from Burmuda. However, Goslings recently released their own ginger beer, which is what I used for this Stogie Spirits article. (I’ve also heard it suggested that any Jamaican-style ginger beer will do.)

For the recipe, one part Goslings, two parts ginger beer works perfectly.  Simply serve over ice in a highball glass and garnish with a wedge of lime. For the truly adventurous, you can swap regular Goslings for the ultra-high proof Goslings 151, something I did a few times during my college days with varying results.

When it comes to pairing the Dark ‘n Stormy with a cigar, you’re going to need something with some spice to stand up to the zesty ginger flavors. Three smokes that come to mind are the Arganese CL3, La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami, and my top choice for a pairing, the Gran Habano #5 Corojo. I suspect a fine Cameroon-wrapped cigar like the Fuente Don Carlos No. 2 would also go well.

Drink a few Dark ‘n Stormies and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never visited Burmuda. After all, if a Dark ‘n Stormy in one hand and a fine cigar in another isn’t a slice of paradise, what is?

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Rolando Reyes Sr. embodies the very essence of perseverance. Born in Cuba in 1924, he made his dream of becoming a “tabacalero” true when, at age 21, he established his own cigar factory—only to have his “Los Aliados” trademark and properties seized by the communist government. Then, when he refused to work at the nationalized El Rey del Mundo factory, he was forced to labor in rice fields.

A lesser man might have given up. But Don Rolando moved to America to get his feet back on the ground, working in textiles by day and rolling cigars by night. By 1989, after overcoming a trademark setback, he had his own cigar operation again, this time with an office in Miami and a factory in Danlí, Honduras.

Today, Reyes Family Cigars turns out 75,000 sticks daily, including the popular Puros Indios and Cuba Aliados brand names. The latter was expanded this year with the three-vitola Miami Edition line. (A Sumatra-wrapped Miami version, which, according to Marketing Director Frank Santos, “is not commercially ready,” may be available soon.)

In what seems to be a growing trend among successful cigar operations, Cuba Aliados Miami brings former Cuban rollers to Miami to craft a premium, limited edition blend in small batches. Only 300 are made per day.

The Toro Viejo size (6 x 53) features a smooth and seamless Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with a subtle red hue. The cap is perfect, the stick is firm from head to toe, and the pre-light notes of earth and sweet wood are delightful.

I was really looking forward to firing up my two samples, especially since this blend has been overwhelmingly embraced by the online cigar community over the past few months. Finally touching fire to the foot, the Dominican binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos combine to produce flavors of cedar, pepper, and leather. Cherry and cream round off the medium-bodied profile.

I don’t think the taste is particularly unique. What makes this blend stand out, however, is the way in which its classic flavors come together to yield simplicity yet subtlety. And newbies and brothers of the leaf alike will appreciate the balance. The only downside is an occasional bitterness that drifts in and out of the final third.

With good combustion qualities—including a moderate draw, a sturdy ash, and a maintenance-free burn—I’m glad Rolando Reyes Sr. didn’t let his life’s obstacles stand in the way of his dream. The Cuba Aliados Miami Habano Toro Viejo is a good buy in the $6-8 range and, keeping with the trend, it earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Alec Bradley Cigar Company, maker of such blends as the Tempus, Select Cabinet Reserve, and MAXX lines, have announced the release of the new Vice Press blend, presented in three box-pressed sizes: “6T4” (5 x 64), “6T2” (6.5 x 62), and “6T” (7 x 60 torpedo).

The 5-country blend includes Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Mexican long-fillers with a double binder consisting of Costa Rican and Colombian tobaccos. The wrapper is a deep brown and oily Nicaraguan Jalapa leaf.

While the Vice Press is being introduced as a new line, in some regards it is a spin-off of the popular MAXX line. In 2007, Alec Bradley added the box-pressed “Vice” size to its MAXX series. Originally it was presented in a chest of 50 cigars with sliding Spanish cedar trays, but the new three-size Vice Press line will come in multi-level chests of 20.

The company will officially debut the new Vice Press cigars in New Orleans at the annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) trade show in August.

Vice Press 6T2 Tasting Notes

While not yet officially released, I recently had the opportunity to sample a single Vice Press “6T2″—the six and a half inch by 62 ring gauge toro. Please keep in mind that what follows are just my impressions of a single cigar, not multiple sticks (all StogieGuys.com full reviews, unless otherwise stated, are the result of multiple tastings.)

The dark brown velvety wrapper has only a few small veins and features small streaks with black colorations. Sharply pressed, the toro is slightly spongy to the touch, but even throughout. Upon snipping the head, I found an easy draw. There is a delicious pre-light aroma of cedar and cinnamon.

Once lit,  I found lots of black coffee, hints of cocao, and some roasted nut flavors. It has a bit a depth in the medium- to full-bodied flavors, though the taste is consistent throughout. With the exception of a only a slightly uneven burn, construction was flawless.

Overall, the Vice Press is a promising new addition to Alec Bradley’s portfolio that will be enjoyed by fans of its MAXX lines, as well as by those who prefer cigars with lots of coffee and chocolate flavors.  Similar cigars include the CAO Brazilia, Padrón Maduro, and Isla de Cuba Blend 376. I look forward to publishing a full review following the IPCPR trade show.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

This Altadis creation features top-notch physical properties at an affordable price. Sadly, with an abrasive, one-dimensional flavor, that’s about all this Belicoso (6.1 x 52) has to offer. The Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian tobaccos taste too salty and burn too quickly to be enjoyable. You’re better off spending $3-5 elsewhere.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

This Nicaraguan puro stands out just after you light it up. The volume of smoke that pours from this nice looking, oily stick is absolutely astounding. One of a handful of offerings from Esteban Carreras, it is a pleasant and engaging cigar that produces tastes of coffee, cocoa, and even a bit of chocolate in a medium- to full-bodied format. The Toro (6 x 50) sells for about $8.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E