The Stogie Guys

With little fanfare, Ashton cigars released La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor at this year’s industry trade show in August. The five-vitola line is the third La Aroma de Cuba blend in Ashton’s portfolio.

La Aroma has undergone quite the transformation in the past few years when Ashton handed the brand over to Don Pepin Garcia. The original Honduran recipe (which was made by Altadis) was re-incarnated as a Nicaraguan blend with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, and a new Edición Especial was added, featuring an Ecuadorian wrapper.

The new Mi Amor uses a dark Mexican San Andreas wrapper along with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The box-pressed line sells for $150-$180 per box of 25, or $6-8 as a single. The  Robusto (5 x 50) costs a reasonable $5.

To introduce the new Mi Amor blend, Ashton is conducting a series of tastings at cigar shops. These events feature almonds, coconut, dark chocolate, and Zaya rum, which are tasted in progression to bring out the flavors of the cigar. I was fortunate enough to participate in such a tasting at a local shop and would definitely recommend the event as an excellent way to sample the Mi Amor while developing your palate.

Not surprisingly, many of the flavors featured in the tasting are found in the cigar. Most prominent are coffee and roasted earth. But there’s a also bit of dry bittersweet chocolate and a hint of nuttiness.

The Robusto creates plenty of dense smoke that leaves the cigar’s profile lingering on your palate. There’s not much variation in taste as the cigar progresses, although the roasted flavors seem to pick up towards the end.

The Mi Amor is solidly medium- to full-bodied throughout. Construction is excellent, with the box-pressed smoke burning evenly while producing a solid, stable ash.

Over a year ago, I remember hearing that Don Pepin Garcia was very excited about the wrappers being grown in the San Andreas region of Mexico. This new La Aroma is proof that that his excitement was well-founded. The resulting blend earns the La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Robusto four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This weekend is Halloween, that fabled holiday of trick-or-treating, pumpkins, and ghost stories. That leaves only six short days to pick the perfect costume.

We’re here to help all of you overgrown kids who aren’t above costume parties. After all, depending on your party’s locale, you may want to incorporate a cigar into your disguise—especially if you aim to enjoy some premium tobacco on this spooky occasion. One obvious example is the so-called “Cigar Guy,” that stogie-wielding golf fan who became an internet sensation after he was featured in a widely circulated photo taken at this year’s Ryder Cup. There are countless other possibilities. Here are our top 20 favorites:

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Whether you’re going as The Governator or one of his gun-toting movie characters, a big cigar won’t look out of place.

2. Michael Jordan. Now in retirement, the greatest basketball player always hits the links with a smoke.

3. Groucho Marx. Sure, it’s a little dated, but this American icon loved his stogies.

4. Ulysses S. Grant. Some say the super-sized prez smoked around 20 cigars a day.

5. Mark Twain. America’s cigar-smoking author.

6. Kramer. Just don’t use any racial slurs.

7. Scarface. Say hello to my little friend.

8. Bill Clinton. The former president got into trouble with his cigars.

9. Mike Ditka. Da coach.

10. Sigmund Freud. Do you think the cigar-smoking neurologist was into cigars because he was envious of his father’s you-know-what?

11. Jesse Ventura. I’d recommend going as his Blain character from Predator.

12. Hot cigar girl. Enough said.

13. Winston Churchill. Leading (and smoking) England through World War II, this prime minister is by far the manliest British dude ever. By far.

14. Clint Eastwood. Step one: Grab a six-shooter, a cowboy hat, and a Backwoods cigar. Step two: Go kill some Indians.

15. A cigar store Indian. Watch out for Clint Eastwoods.

16. A cigar-chomping communist dictator. Any Pinko Commie like Fidel Castro, Kim Jong Il, or Che Guevara will do.

17. The Babe. Maybe the greatest slugger in baseball history, Babe Ruth was known for his love of food, drink, and cigars.

18. Tony Soprano. We may never know what happened after “Don’t Stop Believing” stopped playing, but we do know that this mafia boss smoked a cigar in almost every episode of The Sopranos.

19. Al Capone. If we’re talking mafia bosses, why not be the original? Capone was known for his enjoyment of cigars, booze, and women. Just don’t get syphilis.

20. A Cigar. Sure, smoking a cigar while being dressed as a cigar may seem weirdly cannibalistic, but what better way to show your love for stogies?

Got a few costume ideas that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Daily Mail

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.”

The generosity of cigar smokers never ceases to amaze me. Just the other night a cigar buddy insisted on giving me the new cigar from the Tatuaje Monster Series, The Face, when I mentioned I hadn’t tried one yet.  The stick (6.6 x 56) has a rustic San Andreas wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos and, most notably, a “band” made of jaggedly cut Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper leaf.  The cigar starts with a tasty combination of chewy cashew, roast coffee, and clove. As it evolves, the medium-bodied start yields to a stronger finish, as spice and earth become more prominent. With excellent construction, this special Halloween release is a must try for all Tatuaje fans.

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.”

Introduced this summer along with the Signature blend, the four-vitola Sixth Generation line from Augusto Reyes sells in the $5.50 to $6.20 range. The Robusto (5 x 50) has a full-bodied profile of spicy wood with some caramel sweetness.  It’s decent if you’re looking for a bold smoke, but this cigar’s meaty aftertaste and troubled burn prevents it from earning my full recommendation.

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) La Aurora’s new Guillermo León blend is finally beginning to hit tobacconist shelves beyond Florida. The four-vitola line first appeared at the industry trade show in August and later at select shops in the Miami area. This week, however, it was launched in New York City with special events featuring Guillermo León and Rene Castañeda, vice president of sales for Miami Cigar & Co. “Obviously, this cigar is personal for me,” said León (pictured) in a press release. “It is part of my family’s legacy for the past 107 years. In this cigar, I wanted something with deep complexity yet also a stronger smoke than most of our offerings.”

2) In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, ABC Action News in Tampa recently featured Arturo Fuente and his contributions to Ybor City, the cigar industry, and community service. “My father is such an intellectual person, but also a generous person at the same time,” says Kristin Fuente. “He has a warm heart and…he tries to make a difference.”

3) Inside the Industry: Gran Habano announced the new limited edition Gran Reserva No. 3, which uses extremely old Nicaraguan and Colombian filler tobaccos. The Cuban Ramón Allones brand is expanding to include a new Corona Gorda that will only be available at official La Casa del Habano stores.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Illusione 888 Slam. Smoking Stogie smokes a well-aged Liga Privada No. 9. Cigar Fan lights up two Saint Luis Rey Maduros.  Nice Tight Ash checks out the Toraño Single Region. Cigar Inspector inspects a Ramón Allones Superiores.

5) Deal of the Week: This Rocky Torpedo Sampler features 14 torpedos for just $50 (that’s about $3.50 a stick). Included are two each of the Decade, Vintage 1992, Vintage 1990, Edge Maduro, Edge Corojo, Connecticut, and Sun Grown blends.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Miami Cigar & Co.

In January, I was lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes tour of what would become CXIII Rex, a luxurious new cigar lounge planned for Alexandria, Virginia. Construction was just getting underway as I surveyed the unique space in an 18th century building adjacent to the Landini Brothers restaurant.

Noe and Franco Landini, hosts of the restaurant and avid cigar fans, wanted to develop a benchmark cigar club with unique benefits and members-only offerings. Their restaurant had been a haven for Washington-area cigar smokers for 30 years. But when it became clear that Virginia lawmakers would pass a statewide smoking ban, they started to lay plans for a separately ventilated space that promised to be one of the finest cigar venues in the country.

They delivered on that promise. With construction complete and approximately 100 of the 200 membership slots claimed, on Wednesday I got a firsthand look at CXIII Rex as a functioning locale. I was a guest at a special event featuring Padrón Cigars President Jorge Padrón.

CXIII Rex is a multi-level club with a selection of top libations and small-batch wines, ample seating, wireless internet, a state-of-the-art air ventilation system, an access-only elevator, and an all-female wait staff.

The custom-built walk-in humidor is well-stocked by the Old Virginia Tobacco Company, a seven-location retailer with exclusive offerings.

Members are entitled to private humidor lockers, pictured above. When a member swipes his card along the wall, his individual locker opens. Very cool.

The club’s layout is built for privacy, comfort, and flow. While certain areas tend to attract crowds (i.e., the bar), others are more suited to quiet conversation.

At the event on Wednesday, those in attendance received a thick toro from the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series—a vitola exclusive to Old Virginia Tobacco.

Individual memberships, as you might expect from a club of this caliber, are expensive and going fast. But the club will also depend on the business of guests, who are welcome as long as they are accompanied by a member. I certainly hope I have the opportunity to be an invited guest again soon—maybe at the grand opening, which is slated for November.

–Patrick A

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Two weeks from today, voters will go to the polls to vote for everything from local school board and town dogcatcher to senator and governor. No one can credibly say that this election will be all about cigar rights or tobacco issues, but that doesn’t mean cigar smokers can’t use the opportunity to make their voices heard.

For those who doubt that elections matter, you might re-read our story from two years ago about Obama and McCain’s positions on key cigar issues. We predicted that under Obama the SCHIP tax and FDA regulation of tobacco would be signed into law, and that Obama would make some initial steps toward normalizing relations with Cuba—all of which came true.

So for cigar smokers worried about their rights going forward, here are three ways you can maximize your impact:

Research Your Candidates

Find out where your candidates stand on important issues like cigar taxes and smoking bans. The easiest way to predict how a politician will vote in the future is to see how they voted in the past. If a candidate hasn’t held office before or hasn’t made any votes on the issue, the next best indicators are public statements either in a news article or on a the candidate’s website.

Also, look to see who is supporting their campaign with contributions. If local restaurant associations support them, it’s probably a good sign that they’re against local smoking bans, while if a local anti-smoking group is saying good things about a candidate, it usually means they’ve pledged to support smoking restrictions. Finally, you can always call and ask a candidate’s position, but be aware that politicians are likely to tell potential voters what they think they want to hear, so take any answer you get with a grain of salt.

Focus Local

Focusing your attention on smaller races has many advantages. First, with the FDA bill and SCHIP tax having already passed Congress, most of the action is taking place on the state and local level where anti-tobacco activists are looking to expand smoking bans to restaurants, bars, and even outdoor locations. Second, in smaller races there are fewer voters, which means your vote and that of your fellow cigar smokers can have a large impact.

Invite your local candidates down to your cigar shop and ask them tough questions about their view of the role of government when it comes to smoking (and be sure the shop is particularly busy that day). They may be glad to get the chance to meet with groups of voters, but it will also remind them that anti-tobacco laws have victims, and that those victims vote.

Speak Up Now

Politicians are more responsive to their constituents in the run-up to Election Day. That makes now the best time to let all the candidates, whether friendly to cigar smokers or not, know that smoking bans and tobacco taxes are important to you. When key votes come, you want politicians to be forced to consider the consequences at the ballot box.

For years the anti-smoking lobby has been very vocal as they push for higher taxes, smoking bans, and other laws that take us closer and closer to complete prohibition of smoking. The key to reversing the trend is applying pressure in the other direction, so that politicians know that appeasing the anti-tobacco zealots will have consequences.

Groups like Cigar Rights of America can help with activities like their Smoke the Vote campaign. Ultimately, though, individual smokers need to make their voices heard so cigar smokers can become a meaningful consideration for candidates looking to get elected. Keep that in mind in the next two weeks, on Election Day, and every day thereafter.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys