The Stogie Guys

Years ago, when the literary editor for the Chicago Daily News came across a book he particularly liked, he’d run review after review in the paper. I feel a bit like that with Aging Room’s Bin No. 1, although this is just my second. And I waited more than a year since my previous review.

So, why go back now? Well, I’ve smoked my last cigars from the box and they were just so good I feel like I need to make sure you’re aware of it.

Also, the addition of a Lancero and a limited-edition box-pressed vitola, neither of which I have tried, brought it back to mind.

The B Minor is a tor (6.125 x 52). It sells for about $12 and comes in shiny boxes of 20. If you like larger ring gauges, it is also available in thicker formats (5.25 x 54 and 6.25 x 63). The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habana over Dominican filler and binder.

The characteristic that stood out after nearly a year and a half in the humidor was smoothness. All that made the Bin No. 1 such an enjoyable smoke seemed to be sanded down just a tad and locked together in a velvety, even experience. I couldn’t help but think of the spice and sweetness as having become intertwined in some sort of cigar smoke double helix.

In the original review, I wrote that because the tobaccos in the Bin No. 1 were already well aged, “these may not be the best candidates for long-term aging because it would be a shame for them to lose the zesty qualities that stand out.”

I’m not sure if my supposition was right or wrong. On the one hand, I certainly found improvement in 16 to 18 months. On the other hand, that amount of time is pretty short for those who are serious about aging cigars.

And my guess is that a year or two is probably all you’d want to wait.

But if you have the patience, I recommend it. What I found was that an excellent cigar got even better, moving the B Minor up to a five-stogie rating.

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

This limited edition, created by Don José “Pepin” Garcia to expand Ashton’s San Cristobal line, features the seemingly ubiquitous San Andrés wrapper, this one said to be subjected to “an intensive two-and-a-half-year double-fermentation.” Only 66,000 of the cigars—a single size (6.5 x 52)—were rolled. While the wrapper didn’t exhibit the dirty taste I often associate with this Mexican tobacco, it also didn’t seem to mesh well with the filler and binder from the Garcias’ Nicaraguan farms. Not a bad cigar, just not a special one, especially for $15.

Verdict = Hold.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Perhaps frigid winters that limit outside smoking time inspired Minnesota-based Crux to craft a Lilliputian cigar that performs more like a Brobdingnagian. Or maybe they were simply looking for a good, small smoke. Either way, they succeeded.

Crux Sports is a 4.625-inch stick with a 35-ring gauge. Don’t let the size lead you to confuse it with lesser cigars. Rolled by Plascencia in Nicaragua, it features a complex, balanced blend. The wrapper is Habano Jalapa from Nicaragua, the binder Indonesian, and the filler is from Nicaragua.

For this review, I smoked five Sports, all provided by Crux. (Despite an expanding retailer base, there’s unfortunately still not one anywhere near me.) Packaging is interesting. They are sold by the box of 30, which consists of six wrapped five-packs. The individual MSRP is $3.75. Crux introduced the line last summer but didn’t begin shipping until quite a while later.

Cutting and lighting both require a bit more attention than might be necessary for a more conventionally sized cigar. I’d recommend matches, a cedar spill, or a soft flame lighter. A butane torch—especially one with multiple jets—is likely to badly scorch the foot.

There’s a hearty fullness to the start, along with a bit of a bite that doesn’t last long. As you’d expect, there’s not a lot of changes in the small smoke. But a little pepper comes and goes. All in all, it’s quite balanced.

Areas where Sports shines are construction, draw, and smoke production. I was amazed at how even and smooth the draw was in each of the five I smoked, and the smoke volume could easily rival many larger cigars.

The five-pack wrapper displays a photo of four sportsmen dressed in what appear to be 19th century garb with the Crux Sports logo emblazoned on their sweaters. I wondered if there was any significance, but Crux’s Logan Drake informed me that they are “just generic sports guys.”

That’s not the case for the cigar they represent. It’s far from generic, and, as such, gets four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Crux

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

This line was one of Davidoff’s early entries in the category of strong cigars while keeping with its tradition of Dominican tobaccos. With its simple gold foot band and tight pigtail cap, the 43-ring gauge Deliciosos makes a statement that’s accented by the lumpy, somewhat bent figure of the 4.875-inch long parejo. At first light, there’s a nice spicy kick mixed with a familiar earthy, mushroom taste. Along the way, light chocolate, coffee, and a slight vegetal note join in. The $12 price tag is a bit steep, but you’ll get a rich, rewarding experience.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This reblended and redone line from General Cigar now sports a dark, gritty Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper that’s unfinished at the foot, twisted into a pigtail at the cap, and an inviting target for bargain hunters.

Eager to breath new life into what had seemingly become almost a catalogue afterthought, General turned Ramon Allones over to its Foundry Tobacco Co., which functions as something of a cigar skunkworks under Michael Giannini, who serves as the company’s creative director and director of innovations.

While the cigar might not live up to the advance billing—“the world’s best tobaccos mixed with the forbidden fruit”—it more than holds its own among low-priced smokes.

Sure, no one’s going to mistake the Ramon Allones for a complex boutique blend or a high-end stick. But if you’re looking for a medium-strength smoke that can serve as a yard-gar, golf companion, or handout to your brother-in-law, this is one to consider. Even an occasional cigar smoker will appreciate the thick volume of smoke.

Remember, this robusto (5 x 50, $6.49) can be found online for under $4 a stick in a box of 20. Considering that you get General’s consistency and construction quality, it’s almost certainly a better buy than many no-name bundle cigars, even if they’re half the price.

I wasn’t at last summer’s IPCPR where the Ramon Allones debuted, along with a redone Bolivar line. General sent me a five-pack that I smoked for this review. (Of note, General Cigar says the bands on these samples, which appeared at the IPCPR show, are not exactly what you will find at retailers.)

The Ramon Allones starts dark and meaty with a fairly strong finish, befitting its Nicaraguan filler. At several points, a bitterness emerged and walked up to the edge of overpowering but didn’t cross the line.

A StogieGuys.com three-stogie rating signifies that a cigar is “pretty respectable,” and I think that’s an apt label for the new Ramon Allones. It’s well worth considering if you’re looking for a smoke that can fill a few different roles in your humidor. The Ramon Allones 550 earns three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys / General Cigar

Few small cigar brands begin with a mild smoke. Sure, the potential audience is larger than that for the powerhouse blends often favored by boutique firms. But it also involves going up against industry behemoths such as Macanudo, Romeo y Julieta, and Montecristo.

Búho Cigars, run by the father and son team of Eddie and Ryan Dovner in Florida, kicked off at the low-end of the spectrum with a Dominican-rolled line featuring an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, an Indonesian binder, and “a proprietary Dominican blend” for filler.

Ryan told me the inspiration was his father’s love of Cuban cigars and how impressed he became with Dominican tobacco. He thought he could create a Cuban-esque blend and worked with the Abam factory in Santo Domingo to come up with the six-vitola Primero line. (There’s a Maduro with a San Andrés Mexican wrapper as well.)

Búho (“owl” in Spanish) is experimenting with different packaging options. In addition to conventional boxes of 20, sampler packs are available in durable humidified travel cases. The company is also promoting point-of-purchase displays with individual cigars in sealed humidity packs.

Cigars for this review were supplied by Búho, which also sent some we’re giving away in a StogieGuys.com contest. (Details toward the end.) Suggested retail prices for Búho cigars are $8 to $9.

I have smoked three in the Robusto format (5 x 50), and, other than a bit of a tight draw on one, construction was good. They burned straight and slow, producing a great deal of creamy smoke.

The opening is typical of many Connecticut cigars: a little grass, a little hay, a touch of earth, a bit of a bite. Within half an inch or so, though, a rich tobacco sweetness begins to emerge and overlays other flavors, including some light spice along the way. The cigar shines best in the second half.

Now, here’s the contest. For a chance to win a sampler of Búho cigars, simply go to Búho’s Facebook page, like it, and visit Búho’s website and register. Then leave a comment on this post that you’ve done so. We’ll pick two winners at random in a week or so.

And I think the winners will enjoy these smokes, especially if they’re partial to Connecticuts. Búho is well worth trying. I rate the Robusto three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys / Búho Cigars

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

Few cigars have generated as much buzz as Cubanacan’s HR line, and even fewer have been at the center of a star-studded cigar-centric soap opera. The splits and legal questions involving who did what and who owns what are best left for another day (long story short, in July, Cubanacan found out, via the media, that Cuban tobacco star Hiroshi Robaina was leaving the company for La Palina). At this point, let’s just say Robaina and blender Omar González Alemán created one fine cigar. The Ecuadorian-wrapped HR Hermosa (5.1 x 48) is powerful, rich, and pours out smoke. Not particularly complex, the profile is pleasing from start to finish. It’s expensive—I paid about $75 for a four-vitola sampler—and hard to find. But if you can get an HR, light one up.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys