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) Anti-smoking politicians in DC made another power grab yesterday, this time as the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would grant the FDA authority over the production and marketing of tobacco. The move all but guarantees President Obama, a supporter of the legislation, will have a chance to sign the bill into law. We have been following this measure since last July, warning that it may result in nicotine controls and substantially limited advertising of cigars in magazines and on websites.

2) Today, dubbed “National Nestor Miranda Cigar Day” by Miami Cigar & Co., is your chance to try a new limited edition Special Selection 20 Aniversario for free. All you have to do is buy any cigar at one of 500 Nestor Miranda Special Selection authorized dealers, and you’ll be given either a Habano Rosado or a Habano Oscuro. Both four and a half stogie-rated cigars normally retail for $9 apiece. Click here to locate a participating retailer near you.

3) Inside the Industry: EO Brands—maker of the 601, Cubao, and Mi Barrio lines—has announced its next cigar, to be introduced at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans in August, will be called the “Murcielago.” In an effort to make some its most sought-after smokes more affordable, Padrón is releasing its 1926 blend in boxes of ten just in time for Father’s Day.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Rocky Patel Sping Collection. Keepers of the Flame lights up a Rocky Patel Decade. Cigar Jack smokes the Canimoa Maduro. A Cigar Smoker sparks the Oliva Series V. Velvet Cigar tries the La Flor Dominicana Connecticut. Stogie Fresh torches up a Flor de Gonzalez 15 Anniversario. Las VegASH reviews the Drew Estate Natural Dirt.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Baker’s Dozen Sampler” features 13 cigars for just $30. Included are such top blends as the CAO Brazilia, Rocky Patel 1992, Gurkha Warrior, CAO Gold Maduro, and Toraño Exodus Silver, plus smokes from Padrón, Fuente, Macanudo, Punch, Hoyo, and more. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: FDA.gov

One of the challenges of reviewing cigars is ensuring that outside interferences don’t skew my judgment of the smoke.  For this review, I smoked two samples in two very different surroundings.

The first time I smoked the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008, I was sitting on a bench on the Champs-Elysees on a beautiful Spring day in Paris, jotting down notes with a fantastic backdrop of the Tulieries Gardens. Over a month later, in the mundane surroundings of my garage, I tried it again and found that while everything else had changed, the cigar hadn’t.

Back in 2004, Habanos made a splash when it introduced the Cohiba Sublime as a limited edition cigar. The Cuban state tobacco monopoly then returned to the size with the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008.

Like all the limited edition Cubans, this cigar isn’t cheap. My samples smoke cost me 16 Euros each in France where I purchased them (around $24 each).

The large (6.4 x 54)  smoke features a dark, attractive wrapper with some shine and many noticeable veins. The wrapper surrounds Cuban tobacco with two years of aging. It is slightly soft to the touch and features a well-crafted classic Cuban-style triple cap.

Once lit, I found a deliciously smooth combination of sweet cedar, coffee bean, and earth. The cigar had impressive depth, with a second layer of subtle cinnamon spice and rich cocoa.

As it progressed to the final third I found a bit more spice, but the cigar never became too strong or harsh. The finish was long with bread and dry dark chocolate. Construction was also impressive, with an even burn, easy draw, and an ash that easily held for over an inch.

No matter where I smoked the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008, I found an outstanding medium- to full-bodied smoke. In fact, I was repeatedly distracted from taking notes by the marvelous flavors. After two very different experiences, I can safely say that this is one of the finest cigars I’ve ever smoked.

Ultimately, it seems “Sublime” isn’t just the size of the cigar; it’s also the perfect description of the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008, which earns our highest rating of five stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With smokers looking for more bang for their stogie buck these days, it should come as no surprise that cigar companies are becoming more innovative with their efforts to market cigars to consumers. Two promotional efforts that illustrate just how far companies are willing to go to highlight their brands are “National Nestor Miranda Cigar Day” and the “Partagas Cigar Cave Contest.”

National Nestor Miranda Cigar Day

In a celebration of the the 20th Anniversary of the Miami Cigar & Company and the release of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection 20 Aniversario, the company has declared Friday, June 12 “National Nestor Miranda Cigar Day.”

In a first for cigar marketing, the company will be giving away samples of its new release (which normally retail for $9 each) without requiring consumers to buy anything from the company. According to a press release from Miami Cigar and Company, “All the smoker has to do is to buy a cigar—any cigar, made by any cigar maker—at one of the 500 Nestor Miranda Special Selection authorized dealers. Again, that’s any cigar; made by any cigar maker. The tobacconist will give him the ‘Danno,’ with Miami Cigars’ compliments.”

The limited edition 20 Aniversario “Danno” has received two four and 1/2 stogie-ratings, for it’s Habano Rosado and Habano Oscuro versions. To locate a participating dealer, smokers can go to NestorMirandaCigars.com.

Partagas Cigar Cave

Meanwhile, Partagas has teamed up with former NFL defensive lineman and TV personality Tony Siragusa to giveaway the ultimate Cigar Cave. Siragusa, the host of “Man Caves” on the DIY network, will be giving $10,000 away to one lucky smoker to build the ultimate cigar room.

According to the Partagas Cigar Cave website, the winner will be chosen in August and judged according to four criteria. With cigar smokers being forced out of bars by smoking bans, Partagas thinks they’ve tapped into a trend.

Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing for General Cigars, says, “The trend toward in-home ‘caves’ where men can be men continues to gain momentum. To connect with the lion’s share of cigar enthusiasts who are forced to enjoy the pleasure of a fine cigar in undesirable locations, we found it only fitting to tap Tony Siragusa to convince cigar smokers to share their stories with us. For a cigar lover, having an in-home smoking lounge is the ultimate nirvana.”

–Patrick S

photo credit: PartagasCigarCave.com

If you’re into ashes, and I know some of you are, you won’t find a whiter one than that produced by the Savinelli Special Selection 2005. If you’re not into ashes, and I know most of you aren’t, you’ll find a fine, peppery cigar at a reasonable price .

Rolled by the Olivia Family in Nicaragua for the Italian pipe maker, this cigar sports a rich Habano wrapper grown in Ecuador with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.

At five and a half inches, it’s a bit longer than most robustos; the ring gauge is 50. There’s also a Toro and a Torpedo.

The cigar kicks off with pepper, which begins to fade about halfway through before picking up again near the end. I enjoyed a little coffee and a fair amount of wood flavors as well, particularly when the pepper was in the background.

There’s enough kick to keep lovers of strong cigars interested, while the balance and changes make it interesting for those who want something with a little variety.

Several reviews have focused praise on the Torpedo, including Cigar Aficionado, which ranked it among its top 25 this year. I’ve smoked only one of those vitolas and found it equally good. The Robusto retails for $6.50 a stick. The Toro is $6.75 and the Torpedo runs $7.

I’d recommend you pick up a Savinelli Special Selection if you’re looking for a cigar with a little kick and pepper that’s not compiled along the lines of Pepin’s recipe. I give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Savinelli USA

One week ago, my colleague divulged his affinity for the Nestor Miranda 20 Aniversario Oscuro, quipping that you’d be “hard-pressed to find a better way to spend $9 and two hours.” While I haven’t yet tried that version of this new release, I can tell you the Rosado is pretty damn fantastic in its own right.

The Miami Cigar & Co.—distributor of such acclaimed brands as La Aurora, Don Lino, León Jimenes, 601, Cubao, and Mi Barrio—launched both 20 Aniversario blends (one Oscuro and one Rosado) in celebration of two decades of producing a Special Selection line named for company founder Nestor Miranda. Both are crafted by Don Pepin Garcia’s son, Jaime, and made in Pepin’s Nicaraguan Tabacalera Cubana factory.

The 20 Aniversario is a very limited release. Only 2,000 boxes of 20 cigars have been made, 1,000 with that Habano Oscuro wrapper that my colleague liked so much, and 1,000 with a Habano Rosado. Both versions come in only one size: an immense (7 x 56) smoke called the “Danno.”

I smoked more than a handful of Rosados for this review (also an MSRP of $9 apiece), and each featured an anvil-shaped pigtail that sits atop a beautiful, carefully adhered cap. While the wrapper isn’t without its share of veins and noticeable seams, the cigar has the look and feel of a super-premium, especially given its glistening, oily sheen. The cross-sections at the foot and freshly cut head appear on the loose side despite the cigar’s firm feel.

Toasting the foot—an endeavor that requires patience due to the Danno’s wide girth—yields mouth-watering aromas of sweet hay, toffee, and wood. The actual flavor is stronger than that preview, though, with plenty of pepper and spice. It’s almost as if Pepin wants to make his presence known from the first puff.

After the white, well-layered ash winds down the first few inches, the flavor takes a gentle turn and develops a softer profile of hazelnut and coffee with cream and sugar. This is what I’d call the sweet spot, and it lasts almost until the band needs to be removed. The final third sees a reprise of the spice and full flavor that are found in the beginning.

The burn tends to meander a bit—pretty much what you’d expect from such a wide cigar—but not to the point of annoyance. The draw is accommodating and the ash well-behaved throughout the 150-minute smoke.

For these reasons and more, I count myself lucky to have a box of 20 Rosados to call my own. I can’t wait to test drive the Oscuro to see how it measures up. Until then, though, and whatever the outcome of that match-up may be, the Nestor Miranda Special Selection 20 Aniversario Rosado earns a well-deserved rating of four and a half 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 take on a single cigar.

Back in January, we reviewed this cigar and found a tasty, spicy little smoke. Five months later, it seems to have mellowed a bit with a smoother, sweet cedar flavor replacing the spicy, peppery notes. Burn, draw, and ash were all quite impressive. Overall, however, I preferred the spicier flavor when the smoke had less age and more bite.

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 take on a single cigar.

Perhaps more than any other cigar I’ve smoked in the past few years, I wish the Rocky Patel Connecticut tasted more like its resting smoke smells. This Toro (6 x 52) gives off a wonderful aroma of roasted almonds and cream as it sits in the ashtray between puffs. But, falling into the trap that plagues many Connecticut-wrapped sticks, the actual flavor includes the same sour, chemically aftertaste as the Robusto. While the physical properties are top-notch and the price is friendly (about $4 apiece), those attributes aren’t enough to merit a recommendation.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys