The Stogie Guys

Like cigars themselves, pairing a spirit with a cigar is part science, part art. So while I’m as big a fan as anyone of pairing a fine cigar with scotch, bourbon, or rum, some of the most interesting pairings have been the result of a little more experimenting.

In my opinion, beer often doesn’t get a fair shake as a pairing with cigars. Perhaps this is because many Americans think of the watery, unflavorful beers that we see marketed on television, overlooking the many hand-crafted, flavorful beers that are widely available to consumers.

Like Sam Adams and Ommegang Ale, which have been the subject of previous Stogie Spirits articles, the Trappist beers of the Chimay Brewery are flavorful hand-crafted beers with flavors that seem more like fine wines. You won’t find Chimay in an aluminum can; instead, it comes in a 75cl bottle, the same size as a standard wine bottle, capped with a champagne-style cork.

Chimay has three main lines of beer, all produced in the Scourmont Abbey in the Belgian municipality of Chimay, where beer has been made since 1863. Here’s an overview of the three varieties of Chimay, and some suggestions of cigars to pair them with:

Chimay Rouge Première

Available for $9 a bottle, the Première is a copper-colored, top fermented ale. It features muted fruit and nut flavors with underlying unfinished barley. That wheaty flavor would go well with a creamy mild cigar like a Macanudo Gold or an Ashton Classic.

Chimay Blanche Cinq Cents

This golden ale is a “tripel” ale, bottled at 8% alcohol at $10 per bottle. Despite its strength, it is a dry, refreshing beer with orange and lemon citrus flavors. The beer is slightly cloudy in color and extraordinarily aromatic. The crisp citrus flavors go well with a peppery cigar like the Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic, or with the spicy sweetness of a Cameroon wrapper.

Chimay Bleue Grande Réserve

This copper brown beer is considered to be the “classic” Chimay ale. It’s also the strongest at 9% alcohol ($11 per 75cl bottle). It has a creamy head with fruit and nut flavors and a slightly bitter taste. Reportedly, it can benefit greatly from cellaring for a few years. With all the fruit and nut flavors, it pairs well with a criollo cigar like the CAO Criollo or the Don Kiki Brown Label.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I picked up this 4.25 inch stick when I was looking for a short smoke and thought I should try something new. I’ve never been a fan of Fonseca, finding them bland and uninteresting. But I’d read that this line, introduced some years back, was bolder and tastier. Coupled with my affection for Cameroon wrappers, there seemed to be good potential.

According to MATASA’s website, it’s actually grown in the African nation, too. Aging in palm bark is supposed to add to the taste. The company lists the filler as a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan ligero, with the binder U.S. Connecticut broadleaf. Cigar Aficionado ranked the somewhat larger Sobrinos vitola 14th on its list of the best 25 cigars in 2004.

From the start, the 40 ring gauge perfecto looked flawless. The wrapper, the roll, the prelight draw—all appeared excellent. The cap clipped easily and the light was nearly instantaneous.

Unfortunately, when I was smoking it, I didn’t find a lot to distinguish this cigar from the regular Fonseca. It was a little stronger and a little tastier, but nothing to write home about. The wrapper, in particular, did not seem to have the distinguishing Cameroon spice and flavor.

I paid only $3.30, so it wasn’t much of a disappointment. But I can only give this Vegas de Fonseca three out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Famous

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

I bought a box of 25 of these box-pressed beauties for my dad and recently tried one during a trip back home to Chicago. The 5.5 inch, 44 ring gauge Corona Canela is every bit as good as the torpedo-shaped Capitan (pictured) with notes of fruit and leather, fine physical properties, and a berry-like sweetness off the wrapper. Cuban Crafters produces only 7,000 boxes annually and, at $50 a pop, you can’t go wrong.

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 robusto features a dry, somewhat toothy maduro wrapper framed with classic white double bands. The taste is toasty with roasted coffee and chocolate flavors. Like just about every Arganese cigar I’ve tried, the construction is nearly flawless with an easy draw, even burn, and solid ash. Overall a very enjoyable cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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) Kansas City may be the next metropolitan area to succumb to a government-mandated smoking ban. A local government board discussed “several smoke-free options” yesterday as the city’s newspaper of record inexplicably stated “there’s no economic disadvantage” for business owners.

2) It was announced on Wednesday that new brands of machine-made Cubans will be introduced at the Havana International Fair in November. The expansion is in response to increased global demand for sticks like the Guantanamera Compay.

3) Inside the Industry: Miami Cigar & Co. will take over the distribution of Felipe Gregorio cigars starting in September. George Gershel, Altadis’ Executive Vice President, will retire at the end of 2008 after 47 years with the company. The Fuentes and Newmans raised $75,852 in a recent Cigar Family Charitable Foundation online charity auction of rare cigars.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review tries the Avalon Juke Ebony. Cigar Inspector reviews the Tesa M3. Her Humidor smokes the Kristoff Criollo. Cigar Jack lights up a La Caya Brazil.

5) Deal of the Week: Not long ago, Jon N. praised the virtues of mild cigars. In that spirit, we present this sampler of ten top notch mild cigars. For just $34.99 you get two mild cigars each from Macanudo, Toraño, La Princesa de Cuba, Perdomo, and Rocky Patel, and free shipping is included on the entire order. Grab yours here.

– The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

Here at StogieGuys.com, we make an honest effort not to grumble too often about government-mandated smoking bans and the anti-tobacco zealots who advocate them. While we’ve made no secret of the fact that such invasive bans limit choice, violate private property, and are justified only by shoddy “science,” we try to focus on the more enjoyable aspects of the wonderful hobby we all share in our daily coverage of the world of cigars.

But understanding what’s happening in the increasingly hostile smoking ban movement is an essential tool in asserting our freedoms as cigar smokers and standing up for the rights of restaurant and bar entrepreneurs across the nation. In that spirit, and since I haven’t written anything similar since March, I offer the following news items for your consideration. They are by no means all-inclusive; they’re simply a few of the more interesting smoking ban stories to surface as of late:

1. Charleston, WV: “Some Kanawha County bar owners are uniting Tuesday night to make one clear statement about the new smoking ban. They’re putting the ashtrays back out, allowing smokers to light up once again, and breaking the law. It’s all to protest the expanded ban, which eliminates smoking in most public places including bars and gambling parlors. It’s like old times inside the Black Hawk Saloon. Business is booming for owner Kerry Ellison on this night dedicated to smokers. Ellison is breaking the law and proud of it. He’s standing up against the smoking ban he says has cut his business in half.”

2. Davenport, IA: “Regardless of your opinion on Iowa’s smoking ban, some of the temporary administrative rules—such as the distinction between bars and restaurants—go beyond the intent of the law…Obviously, legislators intended for bars to permit smoking outside. However, instead of being explicit in their definitions, legislators defined bars as venues where serving food is ‘incidental’ to the consumption of alcohol, but they didn’t define ‘incidental.’…But the [Iowa Department of Public Health]’s definition means that bars serving burgers, chicken, or anything requiring a grill are considered restaurants. The Iowa law was already more strict than the one in Illinois, which permits smoking in almost all outdoor locations, including the outdoor seating areas of bars and restaurants. But the interpretation by IDPH pushed Iowa’s rules to the extreme.”

3. Chillicothe, OH: “An Ohio group is launching a campaign with the hope of repealing some provisions of the statewide smoking ban approved by voters and instituted in the spring of 2007…Opponents of Ohio Bans says the bill will restore exemptions to the smoking ban for family-owned businesses, outdoor patios and private clubs—organizations that have been vocal in opposition to the ban and have said they have been financially hurt by it.”

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Just about two years ago, Patrick S awarded this small, pig-tailed robusto four stogies, praising its cool smoke and complexity. I’ve had one resting for about a year and a half and thought it might be interesting to see if I agreed.

Though my palate didn’t pick up that Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can flavor he mentioned (though, alerted, I was on the lookout for a hint of Falstaff), there was much similarity in what we found: a peppery blast at the start, a tight ash, some sweetness replaced by a hint of bitterness about halfway through, and an overall pleasant experience. It appeared that aging had little or no significant impact on this Criollo Pato.

The cigar takes its name from the Criollo ’98 wrapper, a hybrid developed in Cuba to resist devastating blue mold. With its Habano heritage, Criollo was a natural to promote as a Cubanesque cigar when CAO introduced the line in 2002. Like the wrapper, the fillers and binder are grown in Nicaragua.

CAO calls it a medium strength cigar, and I’d agree.

The five-cigar Criollo line has something for everyone, at least in size. The Pato is 4 and 7/8 inches long with a 50 ring gauge and generally retails for under $6. You can go smaller and cheaper to the Pampa, a 4 inch, 38 ring gauge smoke packed five to a tin for around $10. Or go larger with the Conquistador, 6 and 1/8 inches long with a 52 ring gauge and a price tag of about $125 for a box of 20.

I’m with Patrick on the rating as well. I look forward to smoking more of these and concur with his rating of four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys