The 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.”

Revamped a couple years ago, the Winston Churchill brand from Davidoff proudly announces itself with the company name and an iconic image of the British statesman on its white band. At 5.25 inches long with a ring gauge of 52, the Robusto is a bit larger than the typical robusto. And it is packed with flavor. It begins with cedar, pepper, and an earthy undertone. Some of the typical Davidoff “grass” floats in and out along the way, as does a dark coffee flavor. The blend combines a brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Mexican binder, and filler leaves from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. At $16.50, it’s not likely to be an everyday smoke for many, but if you’re looking for a medium-strength treat, pick one up.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With this addition to his popular La Bomba line, Erik Espinosa went small in size and big in impact. While all La Bomba cigars hit hard, this petit corona connects with a wallop.

Like its siblings, the Sake Bomb is a Nicaraguan puro, including a Habano wrapper. The Sake Bomb blend is said to have been tweaked to increase the strength. It sports the line’s trademark long fuse and a bright yellow foot band.

For those who like a high-powered smoke and find yourself suffering these days through the cold to enjoy a cigar, the Sake Bomb is certainly a cigar to consider. The length is only 4.5 inches and the ring gauge is 42. The MSRP is $6.75, though they’re often priced considerably lower online by the box of 10.

While it is the strength that stands out in this small cigar, the Sake Bomb offers more complexity than you might anticipate

Pepper and spice make an aggressive appearance—make that an extremely aggressive appearance—at the start. And they tend to linger on the finish as well. After an inch or so, the pepper becomes a little less persistent, and I found flavors of nutmeg and dark, strong coffee mixed in.

In the final third, the strength seems to ramp up as a tobacco sweetness comes to the fore.

Both the draw and combustion on those I’ve smoked have been excellent. It also burns slowly and produces a lot of smoke.

I’ve had quite a few, though by no means all, of the ever-expanding La Bomba line. And I enjoyed each of them. However, this little explosive device may be my favorite. It definitely knocks you around but not for so long that you’re exhausted by the experience.

I raise my glass to the Sake Bomb and give it a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Year of the Rooster is Davidoff’s fifth annual international release celebrating Chinese New Year with its sign of the zodiac. Like the earlier releases, it is a limited edition with special aged tobaccos and a high price tag.

The cigar itself is a 6.75-inch diadema with a ring gauge of 50. The white Davidoff band is offset with a secondary red and gold one highlighting the cigar’s name and a drawing of a rooster. Eight thousand of the striking 10-count red lacquered boxes were produced, with the per-stick price set at $40.

The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano-seed leaf, with a Dominican San Vicente binder and Dominican filler, which Davidoff identifies as Piloto Seco, San Vicente Visus, Piloto Visus, and Criollo Seco.

I smoked two for this review and was impressed. Admitting up front that I’m no expert on Cuban cigars, I found the Rooster to be reminiscent of some of the best Cubans I’ve smoked.

It started a little peppery with medium strength and shifted after about an inch to a nutty flavor with some fruit-like notes. About halfway through, I began to pick up some vanilla and cedar added to the mix as the strength increased. The last half or so was also marked by a rich tobacco sweetness.

Like so many Davidoff cigars, the Rooster is incredibly smooth, balanced, and easy to smoke. The draw and burn were near perfect throughout.

Of course, the price tag puts this cigar out of reach for many smokers, except possibly as a celebration candidate. Is it worth $40? Is a lousy cigar worth $3? Is a mediocre cigar worth $8? Those are questions that cigar smokers have to decide for themselves.

But, if you’re a Davidoff fan or like to sample small production cigars, I think you’ll want to try one. I found it exemplary and rate it four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Davidoff

A spicy Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper so oily you might fear it’ll slide through your fingers highlights the latest release in the Nestor Miranda Collection from Miami Cigar & Co. It also makes for a tasty, satisfying cigar.

Sporting the line’s trademark Art Deco style foil bands with electric-yellow highlights, Corojo is the fourth in the collection. Like the others, it is rolled at the My Father Cigars factory and comes in four sizes with MSRPs ranging from $7.50 to $9.50.

The line is named for Miami Cigar’s gregarious president and co-founder. Vice president Jason Wood said in a press release that Miranda had been “adamant about introducing his beloved Corojo wrapper to the collection.”

It was introduced at this summer’s industry trade show in Las Vegas and recently began shipping to merchants. The short Robusto—4.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 50—is firmly packed with Nicaraguan filler that exudes a nutty pre-light aroma. The first smoking impression is the pepper common to Corojo tobacco.

Along the way, I also experienced spice, a little cedar, burned coffee, and a rich tobacco sweetness. The three I smoked for this review each had an excellent draw. None exhibited the burn difficulties sometimes associated with Corojo tobacco.

The ash was ivory white and held firmly until I tapped it off. The burn was slow, extending the smoking time beyond what might be expected, given the cigar’s length. I’d put the strength level in the upper-medium to full category, as it tends to build along the way.

StogieGuys.com has smoked and reviewed many Miami Cigar & Co. productions over the years. They include several from the Nestor Miranda Collection since it was repackaged and re-blended in 2014.

This is the best in that line. And the Robusto format seems to take advantage of all it has to offer. I rate this a strong four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

La Aurora has again expanded its well-regarded 107 line that debuted in 2010 as an anniversary smoke. The Cosecha is a limited edition with tobaccos from 2006, hence the Cosecha name, Spanish for “harvest.”

There are three sizes, each packaged in ten-count boxes: Robusto (5 x 54), Corona Gorda (6 x 47), and Churchill (7 x 50). Per-stick prices are $9, $10, and $11, respectively. It’s distinguished from the regular 107 line by a second identifying band.

So far, 107 Cosecha isn’t featured on either the La Aurora website or that of Miami Cigar & Co., La Aurora’s U.S. distributor.

The wrapper is a Habana seed grown in Ecuador. Binder is Brazilian Mata Fina with filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper doesn’t provide much pre-light aroma, but an almost cherry-like sweetness comes off the filler.

I got more fruit notes smoking through the first third. Occasionally, there was a papery overtone that, fortunately, didn’t last long. Pepper came and went, building into the final half. Other flavors I picked up were burned coffee and wood.

Strength was medium, with a light finish. Construction was excellent, as is to be expected from cigars coming from La Aurora’s Dominican factory. The burn was very slow, making for a smoking experience considerably longer than that of most cigars this size. One annoyance was a fairly loose ash.

These days, limited editions in the $9 to $11 range are fairly limited themselves, whether they deserve a higher price tag or not. That in itself is likely to entice quite a few cigar smokers, especially those already familiar with La Aurora’s broad array of smokes.

If you measure cigar palate impact in megatons, the Cosecha isn’t likely to make your needle move. But if you enjoy cigars further down on the power scale, I recommend checking out this offering. I also have a feeling it will improve with age, possibly eliminating that papery taste.

I give the La Aurora 107 Cosecha 2006 Corona Gorda three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

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 new offering from Christian Eiroa is a box-pressed beauty partially wrapped in tissue paper with a striking blue and silver band. The blend is an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper around Nicaraguan filler and binder, creating more pepper and kick—and more smoking interest—than might typically be expected of a Connecticut cigar. Construction and smoke production in the Robusto (5 x 50) was excellent. It’s a tasty treat, well worth the list price of around $7.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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 new Dunhill line—the brand’s first maduro—was introduced last summer in three sizes. The extremely dark wrapper encloses what distributor General Cigar calls “the classic Dunhill Aged blend” of Dominican leaves. If you’re a maduro fan, you’ll almost certainly enjoy the characteristic flavors of coffee, cocoa, and tobacco sweetness with a little added kick. It’s especially one to consider by those in colder climes seeking a quicker winter smoke. The drawback is the $10.45 price, but you’ll find boxes of 10 online at less than $6.50 per stick.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys