The Stogie Guys

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and informative as possible, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) The late philosopher George Santayana famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” If that’s true, cigar smokers who value their fleeting freedom should pick up a copy of Christopher Snowdon’s new book, Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: A History of Anti-Smoking. As The Economist points out in a recent review, it is a “solidly researched, interesting, and only occasionally strident book” that shows the persecution of smokers through time—from despots cutting smokers’ lips to American prohibitionists decrying “moral decay” to Nazis labeling smoking as “a decadent Jewish habit.” Perhaps this book will shed some light on how we got from a leading anti-smoking zealot proclaiming in 1998 that “no one is seriously talking about a complete ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants” to the deplorable restrictions and taxes of today.

2) Legendary coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach, who famously lit a victory cigar after Celtics wins, was eclipsed on Sunday by another cigar enthusiast when Phil Jackson won his record tenth NBA championship as a coach. “I’ll smoke a cigar tonight, in memory of Red,” said Jackson after the Lakers defeated the Magic.

3) Inside the Industry: A new annually-released Padrón is set to launch for the first time later this year called the “Reserva de Familia.”  On the heals of the “Danno,” Nestor Miranda is releasing another Special Selection 20 Aniversario, an oscuro-wrapped perfecto called the “Ruky” (Miranda’s nickname). The new Cuban Montecristo, the “Montecristo Open,” is now hitting stores. Perdomo is releasing a new full-bodied smoke called the “Grand Cru.” Alec Bradley is launching a new “Family Blend” line that was formerly an unbanded mystery cigar given out only at the company’s promotional events.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an Ambos Mundos. Stogie Review sparks a Cuban Crafters Cupido Criollo. Cigar Inspector checks out an Ashton VSG. Cigar Spy interrogates a Benchmade. Matt fires up a La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a great (and cheap) way to catch up with all the lines made by your favorite cigar makers. For $20-25 per sampler, you’ll get five sticks each of such respected cigar makers as Don Pepin Garcia, Gran Habano, A.J. Fernandez, Perdomo, CAO, and Oliva. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: VelvetGloveIronFist.com

Aged cigars are hot these days, and not just Cubans. Retailers offer them for sale. Magazines rate them. Board posts extol their virtues. I find it to be a fascinating topic, in large part because it is so wide open. Experts often disagree over key points, and no one can assure you that holding on to any particular cigar will result in improvement.

My own aging efforts are haphazard. The way it usually happens is I’ll ignore or forget some cigar or other and, after a while—voila!—it’s got some age on it. A recent example was a Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu No. 2  that had somehow escaped my notice for about a year and a half. When I smoked it recently, I could only wish I had more: The flavors remained just as distinct but somehow deeper. Time in the humidor had rounded the pepper and spice to perfection.

A different route led to another extraordinary aged Tatuaje. I got together the other night with Stogie Guy colleague Patrick M in Ybor City for a few hours, and he graciously gave me several beautiful cigars, including a two-year-old Tat from a cabinet he’d bought that had been resting at a retailer. It was sublime, one of the best cigars I’ve had the pleasure of smoking.

Interestingly, both are rolled by Don Pepin Garcia, who isn’t a big proponent of aging. I reflected on that the other night when I lit up another Pepin creation, a box-pressed 601 Blue Robusto fresh from the seller. The 601 line is one of my favorites, though I’d probably rank the Blue as my least favorite of the four. Not this stick, though. It was head of the class—full of flavor, changing as it burned and highly tasty. I cannot imagine it would get better with age.

Interestingly, I’d smoked a larger vitola Blue that was more than year old just a few weeks earlier. I wasn’t particularly impressed with what aging had wrought. And to keep it even more interesting, Patrick A had a considerably different experience with a 15-month-old Blue Toro that he wrote about last month.

So what’s the conclusion? Well, you can probably draw your own. For me, there are at least three: (1) It’s difficult, if not impossible, to gauge beforehand how specific cigars will age and how you will react to them; (2) Like most aspects of enjoying cigars, personal taste plays a large a role in judging aged sticks; and (3) Don’t go overboard on aging. It’s another aspect of the hobby and another way to find great smoking experiences. But it isn’t the only way.

For more information, you can find exclusive write-ups about our experiences aging cigars in the new StogieGuys.com email newsletter. Sign up today if you haven’t done so already.

–George E

photo credit: Cuban Crafters

As far as I’m concerned, the centerpieces of La Flor Dominicana’s extended lineup have to be the Coronado and the Double Ligero (the latter of which is especially tasty in the Chisel format). The company, operating out of the Dominican Republic and holding an office in Miami, has several other fine blends—including the Premium Line, LG Diez, and Reserva Especial—but those are the two that immediately come to mind when I think of La Flor.

Maybe that’s why I had been subconsciously avoiding the regular old Ligero blend before I embarked upon this review. Or maybe I was simply confused by the fact that this line includes two different varieties (three if you count the Double Ligero under the Ligero umbrella, as some do): an Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped “Ligero” and an Oscuro sun-grown “Cabinet.” According to one online retailer, both include an “extensively aged blend of Dominican ligero tobaccos to create a peppery, full-flavored smoke.”

I sampled two Ligero L-500 Cabinets for this review, a vitola that sells for around $5-7 apiece and measures five and ¾ inches by 60 ring gauge. Smaller sizes, specifically the L-250 and L-300, have scored ratings of 90 in Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider in recent years.

On the color scale, the L-500’s clean wrapper ranks between a natural and a maduro leaf. And that’s about how it smells pre-light, too—deeper and richer than a natural but not as sweet or chocolaty as a maduro.

Given the wrapper type and the use of ligero tobacco—leaves known for their strength and peppery taste—it comes as no surprise that this cigar hits the ground running. After establishing a thorough light, which takes some work, and after the gray ash starts to build solidly and evenly off the wide foot, the initial flavor includes lots of black pepper, earth, and spice.

The finish at this point is better-rounded than you’d expect. Still, the taste is as advertised: medium- to full-bodied and fairly powerful.

Either the profile mellows after the first few inches or my taste buds simply grow accustomed to the flavor. Regardless, I notice a significant decrease in spice. But don’t let that fool you; this stick still packs plenty of that ligero punch that many seasoned cigar veterans crave.

And that leads to my main complaint: the LFD Ligero L-500 Cabinet is too one-dimensional to earn a spot in my regular rotation. Although I’m guessing many of you may disagree, I just can’t find anything that exciting here. Maybe more balance—some sweetness or subtlety perhaps—would win me over.

For now, I’ll hang onto this for occasions that call for a cigar with plenty of flavor that doesn’t necessarily merit my full attention. An evening barbeque, perhaps. I’ll save the Coronados and Double Ligero Chisels as after-dinner companions. Slightly disappointed by what you get for the price, I give the La Flor Dominicana Ligero L-500 Cabinet three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

My colleague’s recent commentary about catching up on the releases from last year’s IPCPR trade show reminded me there are a few of those smokes that I have yet to smoke, let alone review. One such cigar was the new La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial, which if I’ve tried it at all was during the haze of the 2008 Las Vegas trade show itself.

The new extension of the Aroma de Cuba line is one of the latest results to come out of the partnership between cigar blender extraordinaire Don Pepin Garcia and Ashton Cigars. Pepin also makes San Cristobal and Benchmade for Ashton. Like the San Cristobal and the mixed-filler Benchmade, La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial is made at Pepin’s Tabacalera Cubana S. A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The cigar consists of an orange-tinted Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper surrounding a Nicaraguan filler and binder. The somewhat rustic wrapper is framed by an attractive and ornate band similar to, but with subtle differences from, the original Aroma de Cuba band.

After lighting up this traditionally sized toro (6 x 50), I discover plenty of coffee and cedar flavors. It is a medium-bodied smoke and wholly absent of the pepper that usually stands out in Pepin’s cigars.

A slight leathery bitterness wanders in and out, particularly in the second half, that distracts from the otherwise pleasant flavors. When the bitterness fades, secondary flavors of chocolate and cinnamon make for an excellent flavor profile.

Also distracting is the draw, which was tight on both samples I smoked and, twice during one of the samples, it even contributed to the cigar going out prematurely. Otherwise, construction is admirable. The ash is steady throughout, and the burn, while far from perfectly straight, wasn’t nearly as big of an issue as the sudden need for relights.

The La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial No. 3 is a classic case of a cigar that taunts with moments of excellence, only to be surmounted by persistent flaws that refuse to let the cigar’s obvious potential shine through. Those are problems shouldn’t be happening in a cigar that retails for around $7 apiece. That results in a somewhat surprising and disappointing rating of just three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The new line from Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje, La Verite, will include two vitolas. La Verite, which means “the truth,” will be a Churchill and available in April 2010. It will be offered in cabinets of 100, broken down into smaller boxes of 10, 25, or 50 and retailing for approximately $25 per stick. The other, L’esprit de La Verite, which means “the spirit of the truth,” will be a robusto and available in December 2009 at a retail price of around $13 apiece.

The idea behind this highly anticipated release borrows heavily from the wine industry. All of the tobacco, habano criollo, will be from the one farm in Esteí—making this a Nicaraguan puro—and each year will produce a different “vintage” to mirror the vintage concept in wines. The tobacco will be fermented but, unlike most cigars, it will be rolled without undergoing further aging in bales.

The L’esprit de La Verite is made from the same tobacco as La Verite and designed to be a sample to give a taste of the final La Verite release. Starting in July, futures will go on sale for La Verite at a 25% discount on the retail price, which is similar to the process used by winemakers.

I was fortunate to be given a L’esprit de La Verite to try and, as such, only had the one cigar to smoke for this review. This 5 inch by 50 ring gauge cigar was perfectly constructed with no visual flaws. Pre-light it smells strongly of tobacco with a hint of woodiness.

Just after lighting I am greeted by the familiar spiciness that is typical in many of Pete’s cigars. That bite quickly diminishes and an earthy flavor emerges that ultimately progresses into a woody taste at the halfway point. The smoke is creamy with a clean, crisp finish on the palate.

The burn and draw are perfect, allowing me to focus more on the subtleties of the flavor. While the individual tastes do not change dramatically throughout, the wood flavor in particular is rich and full, offering different nuances with every puff.

Since this is a preproduction release, the verdict is still out on the final product. If this sample, however, is indicative of what’s to come, the future looks promising for the L’esprit de La Verite and its big brother.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable cigar that will likely improve with some time, which is not surprising given the tobacco’s young age. For that, I give the L’esprit de La Verite four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

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.

Two years ago my colleague bestowed upon this five and a half inch by 44 ring gauge stogie our highest rating, and it isn’t hard to see why. This Ashton has a flawless Connecticut shade wrapper and top-notch construction. But the flavors of this smoke are the real treat. A mild yet flavorful combination of cream, almond, and even citrus. It isn’t overbearing and abundantly complex.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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

We’ve made no secret of the fact that Cuban Crafters, quite simply, has some of the best bang-for-your-buck cigars around. And with its White, Green, and (especially) Brown labels, this Miami-based boutique’s Don Kiki line is no exception. But I don’t think the Colorado sun-grown Habano-wrapped Red Label is in the same league. While the physical properties are fair and the price ($33 for a bundle of 25) is more than approachable, the flavor—best characterized as dry wood—has little to offer. I’d surpass this Corona (5.5 x 44) and instead focus on all the other wonderful Cuban Crafters creations.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys