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) We must have missed the memo on June being Cigar Association Month. Following the establishment of Cigar Rights of America and the IPCPR’s new group to fight smoking bans and tobacco taxes we’ve been alerted to the formation of two more groups: The Association for Women Cigar Smokers will aim to facilitate and be a resource for female smokers, and the International Association of Cigar Clubs is working to protect the rights of smokers to gather in private cigar clubs.

2) In the recent Jameson cigar review, the origin of the company name was raised but couldn’t be answered. Well, Jameson chief Brad Mayo has since emailed to say that it comes from his first name, James, which he shares with his grandfather, father, and son.

3) Inside the Industry: Imperial Tobacco, the world’s fourth largest tobacco company and owner of Altadis, announced it will cut 2,440 jobs and close 6 of its 58 facilities as part of a restructuring effort. Riding the success of San Cristobal, Don Pepin is again partnering with Ashton to create a new brand called Benchmade.

4) Around the Blogs: With the help of Jon N, Keepers of the Flame continues its outstanding series on Padrón with a comparison review of the Delicias vitola. Cigar Monkey fires up a Griffin’s Piramide. Cigar Jack tries the Rocky Patel Edge Lite Torpedo. Cigar Inspector sparks a Flor de Selva Robusto.

5) Deal of the Week: This week’s deal is the best kind of all: a free cigar! A recent issue of the Robb Report offers readers a free Montecristo (Classic or White), which can be claimed here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Altadis USA

This has all the makings of a great golf course cigar: generous dimensions, a pleasant but simple flavor, above average physical properties, and a sub-$4 price.

So why haven’t you heard of Gran Habano before? Its manufacturer, GR Tabacleras Unidas, has kept a relatively low profile since its inception in 1995. The “love child” of third generation leaf growers with outfits in Columbia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, the company introduced three blends in 2003—Connecticut #1, Habano #3, and Corojo #5. I guess they don’t like even numbers.

Habano #3 is their “classic cigar,” sporting a “medium body with a smooth and balanced taste.” The wrapper and binder are Nicaraguan habano, and the filler is a three-nation blend from Nicaragua, Mexico, and Costa Rica. The Torpedo vitola earned a rating of 4.3 in the Summer 2004 issue of Smoke Magazine.

The 7 inch by 48 ring gauge Churchill is a slender, tightly packed stick with a few veins and almost no seams. It certainly doesn’t look like a cigar you could buy 20 for under $70 or five for under $20.

The taste is a festive one of cedar spice and pine nuts—satisfying, albeit a little dry and a tad mild. Despite the long, narrow format and the solid feel, each easy puff produces a lot of thick smoke from the get-go. The flavor moderately intensifies midway with hearty, meaty undertones, but I’d say the profile is mostly consistent from light to nub with few subtleties.

One characteristic you’re sure to notice regarding the even burn is a bulging black mascara between the coarsely layered ash and the wrapper. That ash, by the way, holds very well for up to two inches. My only construction complaint is that tiny flakes of the delicate wrapper had a tendency to tear away at the end of one of the two Churchills I smoked for this review.

All things considered, I recommend you pick up a few of these for the next time you hit the links or participate in any other activity where the primary focus is not on the cigar. The Gran Habano #3 Churchill may not have what it takes to be an after dinner centerpiece, but it no doubt makes for a worthy, inexpensive companion. I give it three and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I received this cigar as a gift from someone who didn’t realize it wasn’t a “regular” cigar. Over the years, I I’ve had one or two adulterated cigars, and I smoked quite a few flavored pipe tobaccos long ago. So an “infused” cigar isn’t exactly my smoke of choice. But I thought I should give it a try. After all, lots of people smoke and enjoy flavored cigars from Drew, Heavenly, CAO, and others.

The second thing I noticed when I removed the cigar from the colorful aluminum tube was its appearance. Construction, the cap, the Sumatra wrapper—all appeared first-rate. It clipped easily and the burn was true, though the ash was loose.

But that couldn’t overcome the first, and most dominating, impression: an overwhelming floral perfume scent. Then, when I put the cigar to my lips, there was a syrupy sweetness that completely overpowered any tobacco taste. I felt as if I were bringing an old bottle of Log Cabin to my lips every time I puffed on the Kuba.

And when I puffed I thought I might have been smoking a potpourri sachet from your grandmother’s cedar chest. The combination of the flowers, herbs, and oils infused into the 6 inch by 50 ring gauge cigar nearly made me ill. Any flavors from the Nicaraguan binder and filler were totally lost. I put the Kuba down about half way through.

I was impressed that Drew put its website address and telephone number on the inside of the band, though I wondered why they didn’t include some information on the stick itself.

If you like this kind of cigar, I would recommend the Kuba Deluxe, though it does seem to be a little expensive (the price looks to be over $7 a stick). As you can tell, it isn’t for me. For that reason, I’m a little reluctant to give it a rating, but keeping that in mind, I feel I’ve got to give it one out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Recently, I read two columns on smoking. The first, by Joseph Brown in the Tampa Tribune, explored and excoriated Tobacco Free Florida for its advertisement that claims 38,000 Americans die annually from secondhand smoke—1,000 more than the number killed in auto accidents.

The second, by Jane Brody in the New York Times, dealt with the difficulties of quitting cigarette smoking. And it was a statistic she presented that made me think about a vast difference in cigar and cigarette smokers. According to data she cited, 70 percent of cigarette smokers say they want to quit and many, many of those who try to stop fail rather quickly as a result of circumstances.

Think about that for a minute. Nearly three-quarters of those who smoke cigarettes want to stop. How many premium cigar smokers do you know who want to quit?

I’d guess the number is zero. When someone wants to quit smoking cigars they just stop. And they don’t start again unless they consciously decide they want to. (Oh, I’m sure there are people who smoke machine-made cigars and “little cigars” who inhale and are addicted to the nicotine. If you looked hard enough, you could probably find someone who inhales premiums and is hooked on the nicotine, too. But I’m talking about the other 99.9 percent of us.)

With so much anti-tobacco effort devoted to stopping under-age smoking so that young people won’t become addicted, it seems worthwhile to point out that cigars don’t present that problem. Cigar smokers light up because they want to, not because they need to.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS — I am happy to tell you from firsthand experience that the capital and largest city in the U.S. Virgin Islands makes for an absolutely wonderful vacation. That is, of course, if you’re into gorgeous beaches, terrific seafood, unyielding sunshine, and a laid back atmosphere that almost gives Jamaica a run for its money.

I happen to enjoy all of those things, and I’m having an unforgettable time catching up with my family in this Caribbean paradise. But I thought I’d take a quick break in the shade and share a few cigar-related travel tips about St. Thomas in case you’re planning a trip. And if you’re not, this photo I snapped a few days ago might entice you to consider the journey.

First thing’s first: St. Thomas is a wonderful place to smoke cigars. Finding a nice spot under a palm tree midday is as easy as finding sand in a desert—and the view is likely to be spectacular. If you didn’t bring your own cooler, beachside bars are happy to pour your favorite libation or any of their frozen specialties.

When you need a break from the sun and decide to head indoors, cigar smoking is likely to be welcome there too, especially since most bars and restaurants are of the open air variety. Unlike the British Virgin Islands, which enacted a smoking ban in 2006, St. Thomas continues to embrace freedom of choice and property rights. As a result, “No Smoking” signs are awfully hard to come by.

This, I think, is all part of the island’s easy-going lifestyle, which includes a widespread tolerance of open bottles in automobiles, drinking in public, and marijuana. Service will be slow at restaurants but, for reasons beyond my understanding, taxi drivers are excessively speedy on the island’s narrow, winding roads.

While St. Thomas is an exceptional place to smoke cigars, it is not a great place to buy them. Cubans are hard to come by (remember: it’s still the U.S.), Cuban counterfeits are readily available, and premiums will cost quite a bit more than at your local B&M. Since nonsmokers are more willing to try cigars at such a beautiful locale, prices are high.

So what’s a stogie enthusiast to do on such a smoker friendly, buyer beware island? Bring your own from home. I packed a hefty bundle for my father and I and that proved to be the right strategy. And since you only go through customs on the way back to the mainland, feel free to bring some Cubans in your checked luggage—just be sure to smoke ’em before your return flight.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

StogieGuys.com will be featured on the Livin’ Large with Geoff Pinkus radio show on WIND 560 AM in Chicago today. The show runs from 5-7 pm Central (6-8 Eastern) and Patrick A is scheduled to be on around 5:35 pm Central (6:35 Eastern).

If you have a question, you can even 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 here (if you miss it, a podcast will be available 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.

What else can I say about this seminal 6 inch by 52 ring gauge tour de force that wasn’t already written by anyone else in Cigardom or by my colleague in his February review? Neatly presented in an ornate gold and black aluminum tube, this Cuban is complex and powerful with a smooth taste that resembles cognac. Despite its prohibitive price, I’m convinced every enthusiast needs to try at least one Siglo VI; save the first experience for a special evening after a big steak or seafood dinner.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys