The Stogie Guys

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

As Davidoff’s black band lines continue expanding beyond the company’s Dominican roots, the Escurio line features Brazilian tobacco along with Dominican inside an oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. It’s a spicy, complex smoke, even in this small size (3.25 x 50), which runs about $32 for a four-pack. Escurio is spicy, complex, and different. This profile likely won’t appeal to everyone, and I wouldn’t want to smoke it regularly. But as an occasional treat, it’s well worth a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When anticipation runs high, the possibility of disappointment seems to run even higher. There’s no doubt that this year’s releases from two former Drew Estate notables were among the most anticipated events for cigar smokers.

I haven’t yet had Steve Saka’s Sobremasa so I can’t comment, but, for my taste, Nick Melillo’s El Güegüense more than lives up to expectations.

Melillo, whose work at Drew Estate ranged from factory oversight to blending during his decade-long tenure, started Foundation Cigar Co. after going out on his own. El Güegüense (which means “The Wise Man” and is pronounced “el-way-wen-say”) honors a satirical play of that name which is an integral part of Nicaragua’s history.

Fittingly, the sticks are Nicaraguan puros and are rolled in Estelí. There are 5 sizes, packaged in boxes of 25. The 50-ring gauge Robusto is longer than average, at 5.5 inches. The individual stick price runs about $10.

Melillo went out of his way to give customers information about the cigar’s components. On his website, he describes not only the tobaccos but also the areas where they were grown, the primings used, and, in a video, even talks about the farms where he procured the tobacco.

The oily wrapper, which has a mouth-watering prelight aroma, is a shade-grown Jalapa Corojo with a nearly perfect cap. Other areas of construction and performance—draw, combustion, smoke production—are first-rate.

As you would expect, El Güegüense displays quite a bit of pepper, especially in the opening. But it is far from overwhelming, and there are many other subtle flavors that come and go.

There is not a lot of nicotine kick, and I’d say strength runs in the high-medium to low-strong range.

Overall, El Güegüense is a highly satisfying cigar, and one that I’d recommend any smoker try. In fact, it has my first five stogies rating of 2015.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found here.]

–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.”

This new limited release from Christian Eiroa has quite the story. It is said to be created from Honduran tobacco grown and kept by his father, Julio, to mark his son’s 20th anniversary in the cigar industry. The cigar’s elaborate packaging befits the lineage. The Robusto (5 x 50) runs around $12. Surprisingly, the blend is considerably less potent than the cigars with which Christian Eiroa made his mark. This one is medium in strength with a lot of the leather often found in Honduran leaves. As you smoke, that profile will almost certainly remind you of the major contributions made by the Eiroas over the years.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Nat Sherman, long a storied New York name in tobacco, began reasserting itself nationally a few years ago when Michael Herklots was hired away from Davidoff’s Big Apple operation.

Soon, the Timeless series was introduced and that was the beginning of a new chapter in company history. It generated critical and commercial success and other new lines followed.

Then, last year, the company released another hit, a limited edition stick in honor of the company president’s birthday: the $19 Joel Sherman 75th Celebration.

So, when it was announced this year would be marked with another limited edition, anticipation was high for the Nat Sherman 85th Anniversary.

The 6.5-inch toro gordo has a 54 ring gauge and is rolled at the Quesada factory, which has produced other Nat Sherman cigars. The wrapper is Dominican, and the filler and binder are from Nicaragua. It’s limited to 25,000 sticks and also carries a $19 price tag.

Aesthetically, it’s a lovely cigar, with a rich, dark wrapper and classy double bands. Performance in those I’ve smoked (I bought a five-pack) has also been excellent. The draw is nearly perfect, with just the right resistance as thick, rich smoke pours from the cigar. The burn line is straight, the ash tight. Strength is about medium.

It’s in the taste that I found the 85th Anniversary to be somewhat of a letdown. It begins with a heavy, earthy taste and pretty much stays that way throughout. I found very little else along the way. There was very little development or complexity.

If the flavor profile is one that you enjoy, you’ll like this cigar. Otherwise, I think you’re likely to be a little disappointed, as was I. As such—and especially taking the hefty price tag into account—I rate the Nat Sherman 85th Anniversary just three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The third annual release in this limited line from Aging Room features the now-familiar nipple foot, pigtail cap, and same dimensions (5.75 x 47) used in the previous M21 and M20.

The M19 also shares a full-strength profile with its siblings. But this year’s blend—introduced this summer—is a bit different, though all use well-aged tobaccos. To me, the M19 may be the smoothest Fortissimo yet.

With a nearly vein-free, tight Habano wrapper around Dominican binder and filler, the M19 is a lovely cigar. The box press is well done. This cigar performs as fine as it looks, with a near-perfect draw and slow burn from start to finish.

Aging Room rolled 20,000 M19s, the same number as it did for last year’s edition. So while it won’t be on every tobacconist shelf, there should be enough to go around, at least for a little while.

I’ve been working my way through a five-pack ($69.50) and each one has been a pleasure to smoke.

From the start, it grabs your attention with thick, powerful smoke and a pepper blast. The pepper drops off a bit about a third of the way down, and a rich tobacco sweetness builds over it.

There’s a bit of wood and leather along the way as well. By the final third, the pepper is back and bringing the M19 to a strong close.

If, like me, you’re already an Aging Room fan, I think you’ll find the M19 a natural for your palate. If you haven’t tried an Aging Room and want to check in with one at the top of the strength chart, light it up and enjoy.

I give the M19 four 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 take on a single cigar.

When I got the OK from my doctor to rejoin the land of the living, I had already decided this lovely 6.5-inch lancero would be my first smoke. Minnesota-based Crux sent me three samples when I was on the medically induced wagon, and the dark, oily Habano Jalapa wrapper was enticing. The cigar did not disappoint. The blend, with a Nicaraguan binder and Honduran filler, made an immediate impact with spice and cedar. The spice moved up and down in intensity throughout, and other flavors, from coffee to nuts, intermingled as well. Draw was a little tight in spots, but not really detrimental; construction and burn, always a concern with thin cigars (38 ring gauge), was excellent. A cigar you’ll want to smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

One of the common themes on forums, blogs, and podcasts these days is dissatisfaction with the seemingly endless number of limited and special edition cigars. “I’m through chasing them,” is a typical complaint.

Tiring it may be, but don’t expect the trend to go away anytime soon (barring, of course, some U.S. Food and Drug Administration intervention). Ongoing changes in the cigar industry—from sales to buying habits—are likely to lead to more small releases.

I’m no industry insider, and I have no special knowledge. My conclusions are drawn from conversations with a few manufacturers and retailers, as well as keeping up with and observing the industry for quite a few years.

Consider:

— The premium cigar industry is not growing much, if at all, in terms of sales. Imports for 2014 were essentially the same as for the previous year. At least some manufacturers don’t anticipate 2015 to be much different.

— Much of the growth comes from new smokers, who are apt to be younger and not nearly as tied to a brand as are many older smokers. Retailers of yesteryear can tell you of the many, many customers who’d stop by once a week or month and pick up a box or two of the same cigar like clockwork. These days, customers are much more likely to be looking for what’s new and their repeat box purchases occur far less frequently, if at all.

— Events are driving a higher and higher chunk of sales. Whether a single store/brand affair or massive productions like Big Smoke or Smoke Inn’s Great Smoke, customers expect to be entertained and enticed, as well as given a bargain. Without something new to offer, vendors can find themselves at a disadvantage.

— The growing cigar production industry, especially in Nicaragua, has created bigger factories and more trained workers, both resulting in increased capacity. Those who want to create their own brand can find tobacco and facilities to do it.

Of course, none of this means every company’s success is dependent on novelty or constantly introducing new cigars. Dominant brands such as Padrón and Arturo Fuente continue to be industry leaders and seem virtually unaffected by trends or fads.

But for smaller, newer brands it becomes tougher to break out of the pack and that leads to efforts to distinguish yourself, whether that’s a massive ring gauge, a shop exclusive, a limited run, outrageous packaging, or something else.

I can’t say what lies ahead. But I wouldn’t look for the rate of releases to slow down anytime soon.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr