The Stogie Guys

Believe it or not, there’s only 16 shopping days left until Christmas. That may sound like a lot of time until you add in all the holiday traffic, errands, and travel.

Chances are you’ve got at least one cigar enthusiast on your shopping list. Be it a father, an uncle, a friend, or a co-worker, it’s important to keep in mind that tastes in cigars vary widely. Some people are averse to specific brands based on past experiences, some only like very mild or very strong cigars, some are maduro smokers or Cuban snobs, and some are just plain picky. Whatever the case, here are seven simple rules that will help you choose the best gift for your favorite cigar smoker:

1. Check your local tobacconist. If the person on your list frequents one specific shop, chat with the proprietor, who may be able to make a few educated recommendations based on past purchases. Failing that, he may be willing sell you a gift certificate to his store so your gift recipient can make his own choices.

2. Think back. The best gifts are usually the most thoughtful. So try to recall a specific occasion when you shared a particular brand or blend. It may sound overly sentimental, but fond memories always make cigars taste better.

3. Avoid box purchases. Some people are easy to buy for because they have a favorite cigar and you know that they’ll enjoy a whole box. Most people, though, aren’t that easy. That’s why we don’t suggest buying a whole box. It’s a lot of money to invest in a gift that can easily go awry.

4. Samplers can be a hit. In December, every cigar retailer on the planet touts holiday samplers that are priced to move. Getting the person on your list a variety of different cigars increases the chances of gift-giving success. Maybe the sampler will include one of his longtime favorites—or maybe it will include a cigar he has yet to try.

5. Listen. We cigar enthusiasts tend to complain to each other when our lighter stops lighting or our cutter stops cutting. If the person on your list has made a similar complaint in recent weeks, he may have been hinting at a Christmas gift. Now’s the time to capitalize on your listening skills.

6. Give what you would like to receive. Don’t give crap. Re-purposing bad cigars from your own collection as gifts is a serious faux pas.

7. You don’t have to go mainstream. Macanudos and Montecristos are fine for some, but the discerning enthusiast will surely enjoy cigars from off the beaten path. Try selecting some of your favorite house blends or boutiques.

This list of holiday shopping tips is far from exhaustive. Please add your own gift-buying suggestions in the comments section below. Meanwhile, best wishes for a happy, cigar-filled holiday season.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Like most hobbies, there’s plenty of jargon when it comes to cigars. Vintage, puro, hand-rolled, aged, hand-bunched, maduro, oscuro, natural, bundled, mixed-filler, short-filler, entubar…There are so many terms out there, even the most well-informed consumers are likely to have trouble keeping track of them all.

And when these terms appear on a box of a cigars or in a cigar catalog, it’s often hard to hard to separate the marketing hyperbole from the facts. Does the handmade cigar industry need better labeling? If so, who should decide what those standards are and how they might be enforced?

A recent article in Wine Spectator (sister publication of Cigar Aficionado) got me thinking about these questions. It discusses the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) recent call for comments on proposed wine labeling rules that would dictate under what conditions wine makers can include certain terms on their labels.

Many of the terms specifically mentioned—estate, estates, estate-grown, reserve, old vine, barrel-fermented, proprietor’s blend, single vineyard, old clone, vineyard select, select harvest, bottle-aged, and barrel select—are quite similar to terms used in cigar making. And their cigar counterparts can be just as confusing. Vintage, for example, can refer to almost anything: the wrapper’s age, the harvest of tobacco that makes up the cigar, the year the cigar was made, or some combination of those definitions. Most of the time, it’s enough to drive a consumer crazy.

So should cigar smoker’s call in the TTB and demand standardization? Quite the opposite. Cigar enthusiasts should be weary of further government intervention.

As the Wine Spectator article notes, “small wineries could be hurt by the costs of complying with new or retooled regulations in general.” Similarly, tracking the exact age of every tobacco leaf in every cigar could impose huge costs on smaller boutique cigar makers, stifling the innovative blending that smaller cigar makers bring to the market. Besides, the FDA is already breathing down the neck of cigar makers, and the cigar industry already has to deal with enough TTB regulations.

Absent government intervention, there can still be more disclosure about the contents of the cigars we purchase. There are plenty of private organizations—Tobacconist University and the Cigar Association of America come to mind—that could provide standards for labeling that would give cigar consumers the information we want.

Cigar makers who want to participate in this system could voluntarily adhere to a set of standards, agreeing to only use terms like vintage, puro, or single region when they meet the agreed-upon definition. Those who feel such standards would be too burdensome won’t be coerced into participating. A simple seal can be displayed only by those who participate.

Such a system would let cigar consumers know what participating cigar makers mean when they use terms that are otherwise vague. And, more importantly, smokers would know to take the claims of cigar makers who don’t participate with an appropriate grain of salt.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I spotted this cigar on the shelf, I went for it immediately. I’ve been a fan of the regular La Traviata from the beginning. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. To find out how much, just check the earlier Stogie Guys review.

But you’ll then want to turn to the newer Maduro line. Priced as pleasingly as its lighter twin (about $5-6 per cigar), the dark La Traviata is another CAO winner.

Interestingly, the two cigars share the same Cameroon binder and filler tobacco from Nicaragua and the Dominican. One can only guess that the blending proportions are the same, too, with the difference being a U.S.-grown Connecticut broadleaf wrapper on the maduro rather than the habano from Ecuador.

While La Traviata isn’t a particularly complex cigar, it is a particularly satisfying one. I’ve been drawn to the fat Intrépido (7 x 54), though the robusto-sized Divino (pictured) is equally satisfying. Each one I’ve smoked has shared the same first-rate construction, burn, and draw while producing thick, full smoke.

For those who smoke maduros regularly, I think you’ll find this line representative of the type. It begins with a little pepper but quickly moves to the familiar tastes of chocolate and coffee paired with a tobacco sweetness. Occasionally, I get a little woody taste, too. While CAO rates the body on the fuller side of medium, I’d say it’s right in the middle of medium-bodied.

I think of this as a great complementary cigar, one that will enhance the time spent watching a football game or reading a book. You’ll enjoy smoking it without having to worry about touch-ups or problems, but it won’t demand all of your attention with flavor nuances and subtle changes.

Unlike the opera from which it takes its name, this cigar has been a hit from the beginning. The Maduro line is an excellent encore. As did the original, it rates four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Oliva Cigar Co. has only been around for about 15 years. In that short time, this decorated Nicaraguan manufacturer has built a well-deserved reputation for quality and affordability. The brand’s foundation is built on blends like the Habano-wrapped Serie V and the Cameroon-wrapped Serie G—two highly-rated cigars that can be bought on the cheap.

The Master Blends 3, or “Liga Maestra,” is considerably more expensive. It is the rarest regular production Oliva, “specifically blended to deliver the richest characteristics of Nicaraguan ligero fillers and broadleaf sun-grown wrappers,” according to Oliva’s website. “It is a complex cigar crafted for the most developed palette.”

Four traditional sizes are available: Churchill (7 x 50), Double Robusto (5 x 54), Robusto (5 x 50), and Torpedo (6 x 52). They sell for $10 to $14 apiece. Each is a box-pressed Nicaraguan puro with a picturesque band of green, gold, maroon, and orange.

The Churchill sports a dry, milk chocolate-colored exterior leaf with several long, albeit unobtrusive, veins. It is moderately firm to the touch with an effortless pre-light draw. The foot gives off a faint fragrance of coffee and caramel.

After establishing an even burn, the cigar produces an initial taste of cedar spice, cinnamon, and sweet syrup. The medium-bodied profile is slightly dry though otherwise balanced. Each easy puff yields voluminous tufts of white, aromatic smoke.

As the Churchill progresses to the second third, creamy notes join in the fray to round off the once spicy edges. Here the cigar lives up to its promise as a super-premium worthy of the Oliva name. All the while the burn line is impeccable and the sandy ash holds firm. The flavor’s cedary core regains prominence in the final third and the spice increases—especially on the short, crisp finish. Towards the end, one of the three samples I smoked for this review began to unravel at one of its seams. Construction was otherwise flawless across the board.

All told, the Oliva Master Blends 3 Churchill is a very respectable smoke from light to nub. I find it completely worthy of its elevated price tag and award it four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This vintage petit corona dating back to the late ’40s or early ’50s was generously given to me by Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of the Corona Cigar Company, who has an impressive collection of pre-embargo Cubans for sale in his downtown Orlando shop. Considering the seven decades of age on this Partagas made for Dunhill, the construction was impressive. The years had certainly mellowed the smoke, but the cream, paper, and mild cedar notes made for an enjoyable experience.

Verdict =Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

With a profile of dark espresso, black pepper, and dry wood, this sungrown corojo-wrapped Corona (4.5 x 46) has plenty of spice from the first puff. The blend’s full-bodied power is complemented by wonderful combustion qualities and aromatic resting smoke. Still, even as a huge J. Fuego fan, I can’t fully recommend this bold beast. The flavor is a little too unbalanced to justify the $7 price tag.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Cuba’s government-controlled tobacco monopoly is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Trinidad brand with a special limited release. Trinidad 40th anniversary humidors will soon be on sale at La Casa del Habano shops across the globe, each filled with 40 Trinidad Cañonazo cigars. “Trinidad, as a Habano, dates back to 1969, but for many years, like Cohiba, it was made only for gifts to foreign diplomats,” reads a description of the brand on the Habanos website. “Not until 1998 was it released for general sale and then only in small quantities.”

2) Alec Bradley—the company responsible for Tempus, Prensado, and Maxx—will pre-release its New York Cigar series on Friday, December 10. Available only at select retailers in the Empire State, the blend will be offered in five sizes with an average suggested retail price of $12.75. Click here to contact a retailer to reserve your order.

3) Inside the Industry: Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father Cigars opened its first branded cigar lounge in Cave Creek, Arizona. As part of its nationwide launch for Macanudo Cru Royale cigars, Macanudo awarded $10,000 to one lucky patron of the Old Allegheny Smoke Shop in Pittsburgh. Originally debuting this summer, Swag cigars are now arriving in stores nationwide.

4) Around the Blogs: Your Cigar Ratings (a new site where users submit their own reviews) currently rates the Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva and Illusione hl Maduro as its top-rated smokes. Smoking Stogie smokes the Cain F Lancero. Cigar Fan fires up the Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf. Stogie Review reviews the La Aurora Corojo. Tiki Bar tries the Nestor Miranda Buckhead 2010.

5) Deal of the Week: It’s not too late to take advantage of this Black Friday sale from Cuban Crafters. Included are deals on highly rated smokes like La Carolina, Cuban Crafters Cameroon, and Miami Medina.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Habanos