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) With the federal government’s 700% tax increase on “large” cigars taking effect this week, families in America and across the Caribbean are bracing for the worst. Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, as reported by the Associated Press, worries that SCHIP will devastate the profits and jobs that have already been hit hard by the recession. Likewise, many of the 185,000 families who depend on cigar exports from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic—as showcased in this video—may be forced to find alternate sources of income as the U.S. responds to the tax hike by decreasing its cigar consumption.

2) According to Newsweek, Gurkha Cigars is claiming that “several inside sources” say the cigar used by Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton was, in fact, a Gurkha. We’re not sure why the company would want to tout its role in this sordid Oval Office incident, which is completely unverifiable anyway.

3) A documentary about famed Major League pitcher Luis Tiant (whom we interviewed about his line of “El Tiante” cigars) will be shown next month at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film documents his life (thus far) and his return to Cuba after 46 years of exile. It features interviews with Carlton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski, and Peter Gammons.

4) Inside the Industry: The “CAO eLements” tour kicks off on Tuesday with Tim Ozgener traveling to retailers across the country for tastings of the new LX2 blend. We hear Alec Bradley is preparing a new release described as “just as complex [as the Tempus] with a little more kick.”  Cigar-related April Fools jokes are nothing new, but you may have missed Famous’ offering of five-cent “pre-owned” (i.e. pre-smoked) cigars. Cigar Rights of America is throwing a party just for members at the Big Smoke in Connecticut.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Padilla Habano Burberry. Cigar Jack smokes a Marco V.  Cigar Inspector inspects a Santa Damiana. Cigar Command dresses down an Avo LE 09.

6) Deal of the Week: To combat higher taxes, Cuban Crafters is slashing prices. Included are highly-rated sticks like the Don Kiki Brown ($33 for box of 25!), Cabinet Selection ($50 for  box of 25) and Cameroon ($60 for box of 25). Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

With the economy still struggling and the SCHIP taxes taking effect this week, I’ve been thinking what the future might hold for the cigar industry. Here are a few of the questions I have:

1. Will General and Altadis move to increase their market shares? The two giants already control a large share of the market and have expanded their reach in recent years to include huge retailers, a magazine, distributors, and who knows what else. I would be flabbergasted if we don’t see more buyouts, especially of boutique manufacturers.

2. Will more states seek revenue by collecting sales taxes from online transactions? This, too, seems likely. Cigars are a miniscule component, but such a move would probably serve the interests of B&Ms, who’ve always had to collect the money.

3. Will Florida and Pennsylvania impose taxes on cigars and will low-tax states ratify increases? Taxes in Pennsylvania and Florida—both of which are considering taxes—would have an extraordinary impact on major online operations, as would boosts by low-tax states, such as North Carolina. Just think of how many operations are in those states (Cigars International, Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigars, Holts, Thompson). Again, this would at least somewhat level the playing field for local shops and Internet sellers, but the end result would be higher prices for consumers.

4. Will cigar makers begin to pare back? Fancy boxes and intricate bands would be my candidates for extinction as costs go up. More limited editions could supplant introductions of new lines because of the need for less inventory.

5. Will the industry and its related organizations work to change the image of cigar smokers? The perception that cigar smokers are $10,000-watch-wearing, first-class-flying, Wall-Street-worshiping, wine-sipping snobs makes it easy to single them out for taxes. Getting out the truth about the vast majority of people who actually enjoy cigars would certainly help.

–George E

photo credit: WordPress

The 700 percent excise tax increase on “large” cigars that Obama signed into law on February 4 goes into effect today. The tax is part of a series of increased tobacco taxes raised for the controversial State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Under SCHIP, large cigars will be taxed at 52.75 percent, with a cap of 40.26 cents per cigar. This enormous increase, up from the previous rate of 20.719 percent with a cap of 4.875 cents per cigar, has many worried that it will devastate an industry already under siege due to state tax hikes and smoking bans.

Along with the tax on premium “large” cigars, the following tax increases will take effect on April 1:

• –Cigarettes: $1 per pack (up from 39 cents)
• –Small cigars: $50 per 1,000 (up from $1.80)
• –Snuff: $1.51 per pound (up from 58.5 cents)
• –Pipe tobacco: $2.831 per pound (up from $1. 097)
• –Chewing tobacco: 50.3 cents per pound (up from 19.5 cents)
• –Roll-your-own tobacco: $24.78 per pound (up from $1. 097)
• –Cigarette wrappers: 1.2 cents per 50 (up from 1.2 cents)
• –Cigarette tubes: 12.4 cents per 50 (up from 6.3 cents)

Despite the tax increases, studies show that millions of new smokers will be needed for the SCHIP hike to produce the revenue needed to meet funding requirements.

Industry Braces for Impact

While the exact affect on the industry remains to be seen, retailers and consumers are bracing for the negative impact of the massive tax increase.

In an interview earlier this year, CAO President Tim Ozgener told StogieGuys.com that the SCHIP tax increase had the potential to devastate not only cigar retailers, manufacturers, and consumers, but could also lead to widespread unemployment and crime in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua—the three main sources of premium handmade cigars. He also told us that taxes, even more so than smoking bans, could devastate retailers since cigars are a “non-addictive luxury item,” which smokers could easily cut back on in response to higher prices.

Ultimately, the fear is that taxes could end the cigar industry as we know it. That’s why Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars said, “I don’t worry about the competition. Every night I go to bed and I worry about the government putting us out of business.”

Is today the day that the government puts cigars out of business? Or will the industry take a hit but eventually weather this SCHIP storm? Only time will tell.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you’re not familiar with this particular stick, maybe you’ll remember the Edición Limitada 2004. That renowned and elusive cigar helped elevate the status of Hoyo de Monterrey, a Cuban brand that generally takes a backseat to more familiar names from the forbidden island.

The Epicure Especial sprung from its predecessor’s popularity and was launched in 2008 at the Festival de los Habanos (along with the H. Upmann Mágnum 50). Specifics are hard to come by but, from what I can tell, it’s supposed to be based on the Edición Limitada 2004 blend.

Now dubbed “the flagship of the Epicure line,” the five and a half inch by 50 ring gauge frame is said to be in line with today’s vitola preferences. The appearance is simply masterful, save for one large vein that resembles a Frankenstein scar on one of the two samples I smoked for this review.

Oily and soft to the touch, the russet-colored wrapper gives off pre-light aromas of sweet hay and coffee. Then, after toasting the foot, the Epicure Especial begins with a graham cracker spice, some honey, and plenty of earth tones—a flavor profile that’s milder than anticipated but not without a pepper-like aftertaste.

As an unexpected bonus, a touch of sweet caramel fades in and out after the midway point. It isn’t hard to notice this Cuban’s complexity. And while balance is also a virtue it captures well, at times (most notably when the frequency of puffs is increased) the taste can run a tad salty. This interplay between the base flavors, the sweet caramel, and the salt continues until the cigar is too small to hold.

If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll likely have to touch up the Epicure Especial’s burn once or twice to keep things even and running smoothly. Don’t expect any trouble from the ash or the draw, though.

Perhaps it’s cliché to say a new cigar “needs some time” before it comes into its own. But even though this is a fine, noble smoke today, something about the flavor leads me to believe it will be slightly better tomorrow. So I plan to patiently age the rest of my stash with hopes that it will gain some of the nuance and floral notes that have made the Epicure No. 2 so outstanding.

Any cigar that sells for $260-280 per box of 25 is worth the wait. I’ll be sure to let you know how my experiment turns out. For now, the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With a strained economy (and that’s probably putting it gently), there seems to be a rush to identify that rare gem of a cigar that delivers great flavor at a price point that won’t break the bank. The Punch Pita EMS, which sells for under $4 per stick and often under $3 each if purchased by the box of 25, is a prime candidate for such a value smoke.

I used to fire up this particular cigar regularly when I hit the golf course, but for some reason I hadn’t had one in years until I smoked a few for this review. Perhaps that’s because, when I’ve reached for a Punch, it has been for one of the brand’s newer (and slightly more expensive) lines, like the Rare Corojo or Gran Puro.

Unlike those blends, this six and 1/8 inch by 50 ring gauge toro features only the simple, classic Punch band that is so instantly recognizable. It surrounds a reddish Colorado brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a Connecticut binder, and a three-country filler with tobacco from the Dominican, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

The wrapper is smooth with only a few light-colered veins. Like just about every stick made by General Cigar, this one is firm and well-constructed. Pre-light the Pita has a sweet cedar aroma.

The flavor starts off earthy with a distinct almond nut taste. There is little of the peppery spice that gives Punch its traditional “punch.” That lack of spice didn’t bother me a bit, but I could have done without the bitterness that drifted in and out, becoming particularly noticeable towards the end.

The draw has just the right amount of resistance and the gray ash is sturdy. Curiously, while one of the samples went out with zero warning only an inch into the smoke, this proved to be an amomoly among the samples I smoked, so I’m willing to discount is as a fluke.

While you’re not going to mistake this cigar for the complexity of some of General’s higher-end offerings like the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami we recently reviewed, it fits the bill for a good, reasonably priced smoke. It has a consistently pleasant flavor, good construction, and classic Punch looks. That combination earns the Punch Pita EMS a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–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.

While this torpedo-sized vitola (6 x 52) from CAO’s Black line isn’t as oily or complex as the Bengal, it still offers above average construction and a mild- to medium-bodied flavor profile of pepper, clove, and creamy butter. That’s ultimately why this toasty creation—complete with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua—is easy to recommend. Expect to pay around $5-6 for a cedar-wrapped single at your local B&M.

Verdict = Buy.

–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 mixed filler cheapie is a Famous house brand that runs a good deal under $2, even by the five-pack. Made by Nestor Plasencia with a natural wrapper and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, it’s one of the lumpiest cigars I’ve ever held. For the first half inch or so, this “Cuban sandwich” was an OK mild cigar. But before the halfway point it had turned so sour it was unsmokable. I’ve had only one (part of a bonus when I ordered something else) and won’t be having more.

Verdict = Sell.

–George E