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 snippets of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) The anti-smoking zealots’ newest weapon is the notion of so-called “third-hand smoke”—harmful particles that remain on surfaces after smoking. Chris McCalla, legislative director for IPCPR, notes that the idea, while implausible, is gaining traction. “Now that it has been given a catchy name…Google is showing nearly one million results for ‘third-hand smoke’ occurring almost overnight,” he said in a press release.

2) Jacob Grier, friend of StogieGuys.com, recently published an excellent op-ed about Oregon’s new smoking ban entitled “Let’s not pretend it’s about saving lives.” A bartender in the state, Jacob argues that nonsmokers only pretend to care about health issues in order to impose their preferences on the public.

3) Inside the Industry: ST Group, the parent company of CAO, acquired Toraño’s cigar factories where many CAO cigars are made. Arganese Cigars has released Cugine after teaming up with “The Sopranos” actor Joe Gannascoli.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an Aurora Barrel Aged. A Cigar Smoker checks out the Los Blancos Criollo. Stogie Review smokes a CAO LX2. Cigar Jack reviews a Gurkha Signature Red 1887.

5) Deal of the Week: New Years specials are still running over at Cuban Crafters where you can pick up special deals on Stogie Guys favorites like the Miami Medina 1959 Lancero, J.L. Salazar Toro, and the Cupido Criollo Doble Perfecto. Pick ’em up here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

I wanted to like this cigar. It’s from a small producer in Estelí, Nicaragua, and Luis Martinez offers sticks at reasonable prices and frequently promotes good deals. This is the kind of company you can pull for.

Unfortunately, my experience with an eight-stick sampler pack ($25 including shipping and sales tax) left me unimpressed. Construction and burn were fine. The draw was consistently good. Even the faint pre-light aroma of nuts and mint was pleasant.

Taste was the downfall. Smoking through the sampler, I noticed little difference among the various vitolas. The beginning was harsh and biting, and throughout there was a dry, musty taste—and aftertaste—that I associate with Mexican tobacco.

My assumption was heightened by the fact that while the company identifies the wrapper (Ecuadorian sungrown) and binder (Honduran Cuban-seed), it refers to the filler only as a mix from Central America.

In the second third, the Silver Selection tended to smooth out a little and there was even a little pepper here and there. Even at its best, though, the cigars were not my cup of tea.

For just a shade over $3 a stick, you won’t be risking much if you want to check them out. I believe there’s even a no-risk special deal with a travel humidor. Rating this one wasn’t easy, but in the end I can give it only two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In addition to creating some of my favorite sticks, Cuban Crafters is also a purveyor of fine cigar accessories. Among their humidors, cases, lighters, and cutters, you can find the aptly titled Revolucion cigar scissors the on the Miami-based boutique manufacturer’s website.

Now before you dismiss this cutter as another useless cigar gadget that will drain your wallet and add little to your smoking enjoyment, consider that the Revolucion passes the three tests that every smoker should check when buying stogie accessories. First, it makes performing a very necessary, very frequent task easier.

With three self-sharpening blades, the Revolucion quickly and cleanly slices through any cigar head up to a 60 ring gauge. It’s almost impossible to tear, rip, or crush tobacco given that the stainless steel envelops each side of a cigar simultaneously and evenly. Cuban Crafters also throws in a handy little brush for removing the bits of filler tobacco that flake away.

Now, despite my praise, I’m not quite ready to throw out all my other cutting devices—especially since most of them work well and travel easily. But I often use the Revolucion at home, especially if I have company; its creative design is a real head-turner.

Second on my stogie accessories test list is price. Here the Revolucion also passes with flying colors. The pictured model only costs $20 and a black version of the same product sells for $25. Compare either price to what you have to pay for high-end double guillotine cutters that may not perform as well.

Finally, the Revolucion includes Cuban Crafters’ excellent service (easy to reach a human via phone, very customer friendly) and a lifetime guarantee. As the company says, “If it should ever break or fail to function as expected, simply return it and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. It will be replaced free of charge. You will never have to buy another one.”

For these reasons and more, the Revolucion is an easy recommendation for stogie enthusiasts who demand clean cuts and want to avoid the hazards presented by traditional cigar scissors. It can also serve as an interesting and unique gift for that smoker who has everything.

Even though Cuban Crafters debuted the technology at the RTDA back in 2006, I have yet to cross paths with another smoker who owns a Revolucion. While I’m not sure why that is, I’m certainly glad I have mine. This cutter certainly isn’t necessary for every smoker, but it works well, costs little, and looks damn cool.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In 1964 Bourbon was declared America’s Native Spirit, and the most popular bourbon around is Jim Beam. Indeed, Beam’s ubiquitous white label and square bottle is behind every bar in America. But today I examine a rarer Beam: the “Distillers Series,” a limited release in celebration of over two centuries of Beam distilling and the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition.

The concept behind Distillers Series is to celebrate seven generations of master distillers: from Jacob Beam, founder of the Jim Beam name who first made Old Jake Beam Sour Mash in 1795, to Frederick Booker Noe III, who oversees production today. The clear special release bottle features a photo and a brief blurb about each of the seven generations of Beam distillers.

You’ll have to forgive me, though, if I’m more concerned with what is in the bottle than what is on it. Inside is a new Beam recipe that’s aged seven years and distilled to 90 proof, making it slightly stronger than Beam’s regular seven-year bourbon. That bourbon is a deep golden amber color. On the nose the Distillers Series has plenty of sweet honey, some oak, and a bit of pepper.

Upon sipping this copper-colored Kentucky spirit I find that same honey, classic corn flavor, oak, char, and muted pepper. It is remarkably smooth and easy to drink either straight up—where it’s fiery finish comes through—or on the rocks for a long, warm, smooth finish.

Like any bourbon good enough to be enjoyed on straight up, the Distillers Series pairs well with a variety of cigars. The Coronado by La Flor paired particularly well, as did a CAO Brazilia. I would shy away from particularly mild cigars that would be overpowered.

Overall, the Jim Beam Distillers Series is an impressive bourbon considering its $21 price tag. While it isn’t as complex as many of the small batch premium bourbons available today such as Knob Creek—a personal favorite of mine and another Beam company bourbon—the Distillers Series is a smooth, pleasant sipping bourbon that, due to its price, won’t bring you to tears if your friend wastes some by mixing it with cola.

So if you appreciate the history of the worlds best-known bourbon, or just want a good Kentucky whiskey to pair with cigars at a reasonable price, I suggest picking up some Jim Beam Distillers Series before if disappears from shelves at the end of the month.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

TOKYO – My holiday trip to Japan’s sprawling capital was awe-inspiring, intimidating, and fascinating. Coming from a monolingual Westerner who had never left North America, Tokyo’s population of 35 million—the most of any metropolitan area in the world—and spaghetti-like labyrinth of nameless streets was, to say the least, daunting.

Once you get past the shock of the wondrous, polite, and clean Japanese culture, and once you’ve taken in the temples, raw fish, sumo wrestlers, and crowded metro cars, Tokyo is an amazing place to wind down the day with a cigar. Consider this photo, taken from the balcony of the condo I was lucky enough to call home for eight days:

It almost looks peaceful and serene, doesn’t it? As you can imagine, Tokyo is anything but. So once I got above street level and had an opportunity to enjoy the view, I found I could sit for hours and be completely entertained by the metropolis’ sheer size. From the neighborhood of Roppongi, not far from the Tokyo Tower (pictured), skyscrapers pack the landscape as far as the eye can see.

The inhabitants of this futuristic yet traditional society are, relatively speaking, quite smoker friendly. The lamentable anti-smoking frenzy hasn’t yet reached Japan’s densely populated shores. Most bars and many restaurants welcome smokers, Tokyo’s businessmen are often seen outside puffing away on cigarettes (half of adult Japanese males smoke them), and tobacco is readily available in many vending machines.

Case in point: In a scene that could have been taken from Lost in Translation, I had no trouble lighting up a cigar in one high-end restaurant/bar with a spectacular view. No one else was packing a stogie—I didn’t see many other cigars outside the stash I brought from the U.S.—but my fellow patrons didn’t even bat and eyelash.

Heck, I would have fired up a Perdomo on the bullet train I took to Hiroshima if there was a seat to be had in the smoking car. Too bad. I think it would have been spectacular to smoke premium tobacco at 185mph while Mount Fuji flew by.

All this isn’t to say, however, that smoking is completely tolerated on the island. There are scores of “No Smoking” and smoking etiquette signs, most of them comical. And, demonstrating the choice that prevails in the absence of heavy-handed government edicts, it isn’t hard to find self-regulated smoke-free restaurants and bars.

What are hard to find are tobacco shops. Well, let’s face it; everything is hard to find in Tokyo. But I didn’t stumble across a single establishment that sold cigars in all of my lengthy excursions in Japan. I would imagine, though, that Cubans are readily available for a hefty price. (Everything is expensive in Japan, and the current dollar-yen exchange rate doesn’t do American tourists any favors.) So, if you’re planning a trip of your own, let me suggest you bring along enough cigars to last the trip. Then you’ll be all set to take in one of the most interesting and unique cultures in all of the developed world.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As it is every Sunday, the StogieGuys.com Cigar Report will be featured on the Livin’ Large with Geoff Pinkus radio show on WIND 560 AM in Chicago. Today’s show runs from 5-7pm Central (6-8pm Eastern), and Patrick A is scheduled to be on about 35 minutes into the program.

Feel free to call in at 877-560-WIND to ask a question on the air. And if you’re not in the Chicago area, you can listen live online here. Check out previous Stogie Guys appearances on the Geoff Pinkus Show here.

–The 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.

Between a perfect rating for the Double Corona and a solid “Buy” recommendation for the Corona Gorda, my colleague is undoubtedly a big fan of Coronado by La Flor. I can certainly see why after a satisfying experience with a tasty Corona Especial (5.875 x 47). Just the right size, this Dominican features full flavors of tobacco, coffee, and spice with decent physical properties. I expect a straighter burn from a cigar that retails for about $7 apiece, but the creamy taste nonetheless makes this an easy winner.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys