The Stogie Guys

Few cigar merchants have generated more long-range interest in an unopened shop than Heather Waibel Haddad. For those who follow cigar blogs, podcasts, and boards, Heather is a friendly and familiar voice who has been pursuing her cigar dream for a few years. From her early anti-tax efforts in California to an online cigar operation in Texas, she recently took the next step with her Fumée Cigar Lounge in Cedar Park right outside Austin.

Nearly a year ago, we caught up with Heather for a lengthy cigar insider interview. Now that her shop is up and running, we thought you might like to know a little bit about what looks like a great place to enjoy a good cigar any time you’re in the Lone Star capital.

Stogie Guys: How are you getting the word out in the area that you are open and ready for business?

Heather Waibel Haddad: We are trying lots of things, from flyers in the neighborhood behind our store to more creative things like Meetup.com to join groups and invite them to have their meetings at our lounge. As a result, we’ve organized a bike night with a large group here in Austin. We’re also doing some traditional print ads, and have partnered with a local cigar group to have a poker night here.

SG: Since Austin’s a major university town, are you making any special efforts to reach younger smokers?

HWH: We are not, for two reasons. The first is that we are pretty far from the university. I’d say 40 minutes in traffic. The second is that we tried that strategy once. I did a cigar seminar for a fraternity and they snickered every time I said the words “long,” “big,” or “hard,” so I decided never to do that again.

SG: Another hallmark of Austin is live music. Do you have plans to try to tap into that scene to draw customers?

HWH: We are looking into having some acoustic stuff on special occasions, like our New Year’s Eve party. But our space is only 2,000 sq. ft. and a lot of hard surfaces; anything that requires an amp would just be too much. I’m thinking guitar, piano, maybe even strings, would work here.

SG: Looking at the photos on your website, the shop looks like a terrific place to enjoy a smoke. What about the Fumée Cigar Lounge sets it apart from other shops in the Austin area?

HWH: The primary thing is that we have a large lounge. There are four main competitors here in Austin. Two of them have only a couple of chairs, and the other two are very expensive private lounges. Our lounge is open to the public. We are also the only cigar shop in all of the Austin area that serves beverages. We are selling espresso, whole leaf teas, and non-alcoholic drinks until we get our liquor license.

SG: Is the shop going to affect your online sales operation, or will you do both?

HWH: It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. The shop has really helped our online store because we have a lot more inventory now. As a result we’re seeing more activity online, and that’s paying the bills for the retail store right now.

Many thanks to Heather for taking the time to give us the update.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

All of us at StogieGuys.com are pleased to announce that Mike Kitsen of East Lansing, Michigan, has won our “What Do Cigar Rights Mean to You?” contest. Mike will receive the Ultimate Rocky Patel Cigar Rights Sampler, which includes a dozen of Rocky’s finest cigars, three punch cutters, and Rocky’s new five-torch Diplomat table lighter—all generously furnished by the Duque Cigar Company.

While we received many outstanding contest entries, we think Mike’s comment succinctly and accurately touched on the most important aspects of cigar rights. Here’s what he had to say on November 25:

[Cigar rights mean] the ability to: (1) enjoy a cigar in an establishment that allows cigar smoking, without the interference of government; (2) buy a cigar without being hit with an industry and consumer crippling tax; and (3) smoke in my home or on my property without the fear of big brother’s watchful eye or prying neighbors who are irrationally fearful that traces of smoke may encroach upon their property and give them cancer. And for businesses, it means the ability to make an honest living, selling a legal product, and having the right to permit people to smoke or not (so long as the choice is that of the owner and not the government).

Upon learning of his triumph in the contest, Mike wrote to us: “Out of so many great ‘Cigar Rights’ entries, I am glad to hear I won because cigar rights is a very meaningful topic to me, especially in today’s ever increasing anti-smoking world. It’s fitting that such a meaningful topic comes with a phenomenal gift from StogieGuys.com and the Duque Cigar Company. Thank you for such an on-point topic, and keep up the fantastic work, guys.”

Picking a winner from the many outstanding entries was no easy task. But we hope you will join us in congratulating Mike for his well-deserved victory.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

You won’t find much information online about this relatively obscure cigar. Perdomo’s extensive website doesn’t even mention the blend, and my emails to the company have gone unanswered so far. All this is a shame, especially since I was pretty pleased with the three Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne Robustos that I smoked for this review.

Here’s what I do know: The line features a Cuban-seed binder and filler from Nicaragua and a triple-fermented Connecticut shade wrapper. As with many anniversary cigars, this one was created to celebrate Tabacalera Perdomo’s ten years in the business.

The five inch by 54 ring gauge Robusto looks like many Connecticut shade smokes, albeit save for the orange-yellow cellophane in which it is wrapped. The wrapper leaf is oily, light, and clean, and the stick is firm and tightly packed with an overall feel of quality. The unique band is as huge as it is ornate.

Now for those of you who consider yourselves too macho for Connecticut shade tobacco, don’t write off the Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne just yet—this unassuming stick packs a lot more flavor than you’d think. While the main profile of sweet hay and grass is predictable, it is partnered with heavier, more unexpected notes of pepper, smoky wood, and cereals.

I don’t want to give you the impression this Perdomo rivals a 601 Oscuro. It doesn’t. But it incorporates more complexity and flavor than many Connecticuts, even after the taste settles down after the midway point.

While the construction isn’t impeccable, it’s better than most cigars that sell for around $130 per box of 25. The white ash is a little too flakey as it layers gorgeously atop the fairly straight burn. The draw is deliberate but easy. Despite some reviews I’ve read, I had no trouble keeping my three samples lit.

My overall verdict is that this is a solid, multifaceted smoke with more taste than meets the eyes. Don’t pass up the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Champagne Robusto as a delicious early evening cocktail smoke. I give it three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by Cigars Direct. You can purchase Perdomo cigars from Cigars Direct 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. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

A long, slim cigar (7 x 34) comes out from a cedar-lined green tube. The rough Connecticut shade wrapper may be an ugly sight for smokers who are used to paying $5 per stick, which is about what this stogie retails for. The prelight smells of cocoa and cedar, and its band slips out easy. Upon lighting, the initial draw reminds me of a Don Diego Baby—mild, firm white ash, and not a whole lot of smoke. Towards the second third, the ash turns into salt and pepper, and the flavor becomes a bit stronger, akin to Cohiba Pequeno Miniatures. By the last third, it kicks to full body with billows of smoke. All throughout, the smoke is cool down to the nub, perhaps due to the moderately tight draw.

Verdict = Buy.

-Submitted by Rob Castro of Chino Hills, CA

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

This robusto-sized cigar is worth a full review but, to do that, I need to smoke a few more. Since I think it’s worth your attention sooner rather than later, I thought I’d do a Quick Smoke after smoking just one. The Edicion Especial No. 2 (4.9 x 48) begins as do many of Don Peipin’s creations: a blast of pepper spice. I’m guessing, though, it’s the influence of his son Jaime that makes the overall smoking sensation different. In the final two-thirds, the stick mellows out and generates flavors ranging from leather and wood to some bittersweet notes. I was reminded at times of some of the more flavorful Cubans I’ve had.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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) Boston’s health commission yesterday approved sweeping extensions of the city’s smoking ban. The cigar bar ban won’t go into effect for ten years instead of the originally proposed five. Still, the brazen new law makes Boston the most unfriendly major U.S. city by outright outlawing cigar bars (including Stanza dei Sigari, pictured at right), making illegal the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies and on college campuses, and prohibiting smoking in outdoor patios and parks. Before the vote, even supporters of Boston’s four-year-old smoking ban were calling the proposed legislation too severe. “The new regulations,” according to the Boston Herald, “go too far.”

2) Meanwhile, Dallas officials also expanded the city’s smoking ban to include bars and pool halls. Shops and cigar bars that earn at least 15 percent of their revenue from tobacco sales, however, remain exempted.

3) In happier news, Maker’s Mark created a new cigar to support U.S. troops. Click here to donate and send anywhere from a single stick to a box of 25 smokes overseas. Makers Mark will cover all shipping costs.

4) Inside the Industry: Padilla will be making a new full-flavored cigar for Nub in its new Miami factory (MSRP $9). Angel Diaz, formerly of Camacho cigars, is the new sales and marketing director for Arganese.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review smokes a Wango Tango. Cohiba Club lights up an Ashton ESG. Cigar Inspector reviews an Alonso Menendez. Stogie Fresh tries a Los Blancos Criollo.

6) Deal of the Week: This deal from Famous Smoke Shop includes nine great robustos for just $29.99, all seasonably wrapped in white bands. Included are smokes from Griffin’s, Toraño, Rocky Patel, Cuvée, Gran Habano, and Montecristo. Grab yours here.

7) Reminder: Sunday is the last call to enter our “What Do Cigar Rights Mean to You?” contest. The winner takes home a fantastic Rocky Patel prize pack.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As you might have seen in last week’s Cigar Insider, the fine folks of PG Cigars are traditionalists who make significant sacrifices to create cigars that look, taste, and feel like pre-Castro Cubans. Dr. Paul Garmirian and his son Kevork have honed an important strategy: set aside gimmickries to focus on providing top-notch products for the most discriminating of cigar enthusiasts.

Their efforts often result in cigars that are dissimilar to many of today’s most popular blends. The Epicure size from PG’s original Gourmet Series, which debuted in 1990 at Georgetown Tobacco, is no exception.

The blend features a Colorado shade Connecticut wrapper that’s grown in Ecuador and a binder and filler from the Dominican Republic. It has a dry, leathery look and a faint prelight aroma of cedar and earth. Handmade in Santiago, the Gourmet Series is known for its spice and balance.

We didn’t find a ton of spice but, not unlike most PG creations, the five and a half inch by 50 ring gauge Epicure is big on balance. It starts with a clean vegetal taste and then quickly moves into a mild, complex array of oak and cedar.

Like a Davidoff Grand Cru, this series’ subtleties are best uncovered if you occasionally smoke through the nose. Doing so will give you access to all the warm fruit and dry red wine notes that are otherwise too muted to appreciate. For this same reason, if you’re on a steady diet of powerhouse Nicaraguans the Gourmet Series Epicure is probably not up your alley. It’s the sort of stick that pairs better with a nice red burgundy than a strong cocktail of rum or whiskey.

We are happy to report the physical properties are as good as you’d expect for a cigar that sells for $9.50. The burn is surgically straight and the ash is well-layered and sturdy. Fans of Graycliffs will be pleased with the easy draw despite the cigar’s firm touch.

This mild creation’s many wonderful traits won’t hit you over the head; they will, however, reward those who pay close attention. For its delicate deliciousness, we give the Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series Epicure four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A & Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys