The Stogie Guys

A.J. Fernandez made his mark on the industry by producing top-selling cigars for the likes of Rocky Patel, Padilla, Graycliff, Gurkha, and others. This year he broke the mold and released his first nationally-distributed solo cigar.

The blend, San Lotano, was once a pre-Castro Cuban line. “Retired for decades, the line is being reintroduced by A.J. Fernandez, whose grandfather first started the brand in San Luis, Cuba,” reads a press release. Fernandez says that “San Lotano has been a project many years in the making for me, and it is made to honor the tradition of cigar making that I learned from my father and my father’s father.”

San Lotano is handmade at the Tabacalera Fernandez factory in Estelí, which turns out nine million cigars annually. The series is available in three wrapper variations: Habano (already being hailed in cigar circles), Maduro, and Connecticut. The latter features an Ecuadorian-grown outer leaf, a Nicaraguan binder, and a three-country filler blend from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.

The Robusto (5 x 52) retails for about $6 apiece. It has a golden, toothy wrapper that’s nearly flawless, a firm feel, and a foot that reveals a cross-section of tightly packed tobacco. The pre-light aroma is faint and nutty. The cold taste exposes an easy draw and some sweetness on the lips.

After lighting, the initial flavor is of hay, creamy coffee, and citrus. Flavorful, yet very similar to many of the other Connecticut-wrapped smokes on the market. Notes of almond and subtle peppery spice soon add depth. Thereafter, the profile takes on warm tobacco flavors.

The physical properties, as I’ve come to expect from A.J. Fernandez, are superb. The burn line is even, the white ash builds wonderfully off the foot, and the draw remains clear throughout the 50-minute smoke. If only every cigar smoked this well.

Still, is the San Lotano Connecticut remarkable? No. I can’t imagine many seasoned cigar veterans being blown away by this blend. But while I’ll save my high praise for the Habano version of this tobacconist-only line, I must say that this Robusto compares favorably to some of my favorite Connecticuts, including those made by Camacho and Oliva. For that, it earns 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.”

In 2008, Davidoff surprised many industry observers by introducing its first ever maduro. That Robusto was followed in 2009 by a Corona, and this year they rolled out the toro-sized Maduro T. Wrapped in a deep brown San Vicente wrapper, it’s an attractive, well-constructed cigar with contrasting black and white bands. The smoke opens up with dry cocoa and leather flavors. It’s medium-bodied and balanced. As the cigar develops, some oak is evident along with notes of green banana, making for an interesting, well-rounded smoke.

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.”

Far too often, dark cigars that look, feel, and smell like this one turn harsh, meaty, or stale in the final third. But this Robusto (5 x 50) from Pinar del Rio’s Oscuro blend manages to avoid that trap while still featuring a full-bodied profile. Its Brazilian-grown oscuro wrapper combines with a criollo ’98 Dominican binder and a filler blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos to produce tastes of creamy espresso, cocoa, and nuts. The combustion qualities are fair and the sub-$6 price tag is more than reasonable.

Verdict = Buy.

–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) In May, when Indiana politicians rejected legislation that would have criminalized smoking in Hoosier State bars, restaurants, and other “public” places for a third time, Chris McCalla of the IPCPR said that “if the issue is raised again…we will be ready once again to defend our rights and the rights of all the state’s citizens and help defeat any such bills.” The time has already come to mount a defense. Anti-tobacco zealots are storming the statehouse with hopes of prompting new statewide regulations. Representative Charlie Brown, a Democrat from Gary who is presumably unrelated to the cartoon strip character, says he is authoring a bill that may ban smoking in cigar bars.

2) A new book, The Cigar Lover’s Compendium, chronicles the history of cigars, offers drink pairings and tips, and lists America’s best tobacconists and lounges. Author Lawrence Dorfman also provides a “Cigar Smoker Hall of Fame” and cigar-related jokes. You can order your own hardcover copy at Amazon.

3) Inside the Industry: The Padrón Family Reserve No. 46 was launched this week at a New York City event. Davidoff is introducing a limited “Special XXVI Edition 2010” Griffin’s cigar (6 x 56) available in boxes of 10 glass tubos for $115.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Toraño Single Region. Nice Tight Ash checks out a J. Fuego Origen. Stogie Fresh fires up a PG Gourmet Lonsdale. Smoking Stogie smokes the Guillermo León by La Aurora. Cigar Fan toasts a Saint Luis Rey. A Cigar Smoker torches an HC Habano Colorado.

5) Deal of the Week: Football season brings this unpublicized cigars special from Cuban Crafters. Included are the highly-rated Miami Medina 1959 and J.L. Salazar blends, but our favorite bargain is a box of La Carolinas for just $50.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Indiana.gov

About five years ago, lawyer-turned-cigar-maker Rocky Patel celebrated the tenth anniversary of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. He later commemorated the occasion with Decade, a highly acclaimed series of Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped cigars.

These days Patel is honoring his company’s 15th anniversary with, you guessed it, another new blend. Aptly called “15th Anniversary,” the line includes four trunk-pressed sizes: Corona Gorda (6 x 46), Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6.5 x 52), and Torpedo (6.1 x 52). Prices range from $8 to $12 per cigar.

“I wanted a cigar that’s like the Decade on steroids,” Patel told Cigar Aficionado in July. “The 15th has the elegance and the balance of the Decade, but it has the richness, complexity, and spice that kind of puts it over the top.”

To create the series, Patel paired a Cuban-seed Ecuadorian wrapper that he had been storing for two years with binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua. The blend is handmade at the Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua—a facility Patel owns in partnership with Amilcar Perez.

The long, dark Toro comes complete with a reddish hue, a few large veins, and two silver bands with slightly raised lettering.

It looks like a powerful smoke that requires a heavy time investment. The pre-light scent off the foot reminds me of dry chocolate cake and powdery cocoa.

Once lit, the cigar packs a mouth-coating punch of pepper that lasts for half an inch. Thereafter, it settles into a flavor profile of leather, creamy latte, cashew, and cedar. Balanced, albeit a tad sour. The overall effect is resoundingly smoother than I had envisioned—especially given Patel’s apparent intention to build a stogie on “steroids.”

As the cigar becomes meatier and more tannic in the final third, the following physical properties make themselves apparent: the burn line is wavy but maintenance-free, the gray ash is very flaky, and the draw is effortless throughout.

On the whole, I don’t think the 15th Anniversary can stand up to the Decade. Where the former is complex and nuanced, the latter is straightforward and predominantly consistent from light to nub. Still, cashew is a taste too unfamiliar to cigars these days, and this savory flavor helps the mighty Toro earn a respectable rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you ever wondered what effect barrel aging has on bourbon, pour yourself a few fingers of Tuthilltown’s Hudson New York Corn Whiskey. Then pour yourself an equal amount of Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey.

The two spirits are chemically identical (distilled from 100% New York corn) before the Baby Bourbon begins its aging process. At that point, what will become Baby Bourbon goes into new charred American oak casks, while the Corn Whiskey is bottled for sale.

The difference between the final products couldn’t be more striking. The bourbon takes on a a deep copper color while corn whiskey is as clear as water.

The nose on the corn whiskey—better known by its prohibition monikers of moonshine, white dog, or white lightning—reveals a sweet bouquet of buttered corn with a hint of raspberry. It’s a surprising welcoming to a spirit with a somewhat harsh reputation.

When you’re finally ready to sip the Hudson New York Corn Whiskey, you’ll find it tastes much like it smells. There’s a hot corn fuel taste with some citrus and fried flavors. The finish is long and toasty.

Certainly it’s not as smooth or complex as a bourbon, but I find the corn whiskey surprisingly pleasant, even straight-up. It makes an excellent whiskey sour, too. I expected more harshness from this white lightning, which I always thought of as an ingredient to be hidden in a punch and not to be savored on its own, but it proved to be an excellent spirit, especially with a fine cigar.

As for that cigar, I am pleased to say I found a perfect accompaniment to that rare, full-flavored, Connecticut-wrapped smoke. I sampled my first San Lotano Connecticut by A.J. Fernandez while tasting the Hudson Corn Whiskey. It is an excellent pairing. Other cigars that would go well include the HC Connecticut by Xikar and the Berger & Argenti Entubar.

I strongly encourage bourbon fans to do as I did and try it side by side with the Hudson Baby Bourbon, for a rare look at what fine whiskey tastes like both before and after years of aging. But even if you skip the finished bourbon, the Hudson New York Corn Whiskey is well worth a try, particularly with a fine cigar.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you haven’t heard of Viaje Cigars, you’re not alone. But expect to be seeing more from this relatively new manufacturer as it grows in popularity.

To bring us up to speed, Viaje is a boutique cigar company specializing in the small batch approach to cigar making. The company’s three main blends—Oro, Platino, and Fifty Fifty—are all Nicaraguan puros. “Nicaragua was chosen for its rich history and incredible tobaccos its fertile land produces,” reads Viaje’s website. “With its perfect climate and rich soil, there is no better place to produce a premium cigar.”

There’s nothing new about growing tobacco in Nicaragua. But combining two blends in one cigar? Well, that’s a unique approach. And that’s exactly what Viaje introduced last year with the Fifty Fifty Black Label—a three-vitola line with two distinct blends in each cigar to produce a transition at the midway point. Viaje’s Andre Farkas says the evolution is intended to be from “full to fuller.”

This year Viaje is expanding on its distinctive dual-filler strategy with the Fifty Fifty Red Label, a complementary line that intends to meld a medium-bodied cigar with a full-bodied one. It, too, is a Nicaraguan puro with three sizes: No. 1 (5.6 x 46), No. 2 (6 x 50), and No. 3 (7 x 47).

The Red Label No. 1 features a pigtail cap and a dark corojo ’99 wrapper with a toothy, leathery texture. Somewhat spongy to the touch, it exudes mouth-watering pre-light aromas of sawdust, dry cocoa, and earth.

After a burst of black pepper, the taste quickly settles into a mixture of dry cedar, nutmeg, herbs, and salt with meaty undertones. Flavorful yet lacking in balance or depth. The resting smoking seems more aromatic and interesting than what actually hits the taste buds.

As I approach the halfway mark, anticipation builds over the expected change. Will this cigar—already on the verge of the full-bodied spectrum—ramp up in intensity beyond the point of enjoyment? Or will the second filler blend simply add complexity to round off the profile?

Fortunately, I found the latter to be true. While the transition is less abrupt that expected, the second half is best characterized by the additions of cinnamon and cocoa to the flavor.

With good construction and a nice, albeit dry, taste, the Fifty Fifty Red Label No. 1 is a respectable cigar with two main drawbacks. First, those expecting a sea change in flavor may be disappointed by the gradual increase in power. And second, the asking price of around $8-10 is a tad high compared to other sticks in the price range. All things considered, this Viaje earns three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys