The Stogie Guys

This dark, attractive cigar is something of a gimmick, with Quesada concealing nearly all details about the line and promoting it with a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics. I was eager to try the Heisenberg, not because of any of that, but because I’ve enjoyed several earlier Quesada smokes.

But after going through a five-pack of Robustos—each five inches long with a ring gauge of 48—I’m not uncertain about my reactions. The Heisenberg is not for me. (My colleague had a similar reaction.)

First, let me deal with Quesada’s intention to, as it says, “dispel the stereotypes that limit our ability to enjoy a cigar and remind aficionados that sometimes it’s best to sit back, relax, and just enjoy a smoke without overanalyzing it.”

To that end, they turned to Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, a scientific principle that, like déjà vu, has been greatly altered in popular use. For Quesada, it’s more or less reduced to “embrace uncertainty.”

I think, perhaps, Quesada should name its next cigar after Robert K. Merton, who popularized the concept of unintended consequences. I’m sure many Heisenberg smokers spend a lot of time trying to guess what the tobaccos are, rather than get lost in smoke-filled wonder.

These days, with so many tobacco strains being cultivated all over, I think it’s impossible for most of us to pinpoint the origin or leaf. The only guess I’d hazard is that I’d be surprised if there’s much, if any, typical Nicaraguan in the Heisenberg.

I say that because there’s very little pepper or spice and a fairly prominent grassy taste often found in Dominican tobacco. The other prominent tastes I noted were floral notes and heavy wood.

Overall, the draw was good, as was the burn and smoke production. The ash was flaky. I paid $6.75 each, and they come in boxes of 10.

As I said upfront, the medium-strength Quesada Heisenberg Robusto isn’t my kind of smoke. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a well-made, quality stick and worth a try. I give it three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When a cigar company ventures off its familiar path, there’s almost always great interest. For Davidoff, that was apparent when it turned to Nicaragua for a new line. For Toraño, what’s different with the Finite is limiting the origin of ingredients to a single country.

The Toraño Family Cigar Co. doesn’t usually turn out puros. The company has long been known for its blending, combining tobacco from numerous countries. The flagship Exodus 1959 Gold, for example, is almost a mini-United Nations, sporting leaves from five countries.

Not this time. For the limited-release Finite, it’s Nicaragua for the filler, binder, and wrapper. Of course, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t quite a bit of blending involved. The three-size line utilizes different tobacco from various regions, strains, and primings.

According to Toraño, there was only enough of the tobacco to roll 75,000 cigars. Each box of 25 is date-stamped, a practice Toraño says it will continue to do for future limited editions.

The Toro, a 6.25-inch stick with a ring gauge of 52, retails for $8.50. The BFC (6 x 60) is $9.50 and the Robusto (4.9 x 52) is $8.

In what seems to be a continuing Toraño trend, the Finite has a foot band (displaying the infinity symbol). The regular band follows the Exodus style, with a purple background.

As you’d expect from a Nicaraguan puro, the Finite kicks off with pepper. It’s pleasant, but not overpowering, and the cigar quickly becomes a balanced, complex smoke with some fruity sweetness layered in. You’ll find other flavors and spices throughout, from cedar to cocoa. The strength is somewhere in the medium to full range.

I would have liked a little more smoke production. Construction, burn, and draw are excellent in each of the three I smoked. I prefer the Toro to the single Robusto I tried because there’s greater development and flavor variation.

I’ve always been a Toraño fan and this cigar is a great example of why I feel that way. Don’t miss it. I rate the Finite four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Toraño Cigars

Mr. Mitch Zeller
Director, Center for Tobacco Products
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20993

Dear Mr. Zeller:

As the FDA considers adding cigars to its tobacco regulation portfolio, I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to help you better understand one small component of that industry: premium, hand-rolled cigars.

I confess, first, that I smoke premium cigars, usually one a day since I retired in 2005. I smoked cigarettes for decades before quitting 30 or so years ago. I’ve been smoking premium cigars for the past 10-12 years and can swear they’re nothing like cigarettes. I also write about cigars for a website, StogieGuys.com.

While I could go on nearly forever, I won’t. I know you are busy, so I will confine myself to just a handful of issues I fervently hope you’ll consider.

Don’t be misled. There’s virtually no legitimate scientific data dealing specifically with premium, hand-rolled cigars. Most of what you’ll see relating to cigars is heavily weighted toward machine-made cigars, which have no more in common with premium, hand-rolled cigars than do cigarettes. Premium, hand-rolled cigars consist only of tobacco (no paper, no additives); smokers of premium, hand-rolled cigars do not inhale; and those who smoke premium, hand-rolled cigars do so by choice, not any addiction. According to several surveys, those who smoke premium, hand-rolled cigars usually smoke only one or two a week, often fewer. Also, studies involving youth cigar smoking do not distinguish between premium, hand-rolled cigars and machine-made cigars. Premium, hand-rolled cigars are not aimed at under-age youth, are rarely, if ever, smoked by them, and are not readily available to them. It is, in short, not a problem.

Consider what you’re dealing with. The number of U.S. consumers who smoke premium, hand-rolled cigars is small. Very small. About 350-400 million premium, hand-rolled cigars are smoked annually in the U.S. Machine-made cigars, little cigars, and cigarillo sales are measured in the billions.

Don’t overestimate the problem. Certainly, smoking premium, hand-rolled cigars presents some health risk, as do many other activities. Everyone who smokes premium cigars knows that. And they freely choose to accept it—and can freely give it up. These days, virtually no one is in the presence of a cigar smoker unless they choose to be. Ask yourself when was the last time you were unwillingly around someone smoking a premium, hand-rolled cigar.

Take a first-hand look. I can’t urge you strongly enough to visit a couple of cigar shops and talk with the owners and patrons. This is important for several reasons, chief among them the belief among those who don’t patronize cigar shops that they are akin to opium dens or fancy clubs for oligarchs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most cigar shops are incredible mixing places where men and women of all social strata, political persuasions, races, and income levels gather, talk, relax, and engage in the kind of open, democratic atmosphere any American would applaud. I realize that pleasure derived from premium, hand-rolled cigars isn’t likely to be considered in the FDA’s decision. But no decision should be made in a vacuum. The D.C. area, where I lived for many years before retiring to Florida, is home to a broad array of great cigar shops, including several not far from your Silver Spring office. Drop in and I think you’ll be surprised. If you’d like a guide, I’m sure I can prevail upon my colleague, Patrick S, who lives in the area, to accompany you.

Others can address far better than I additional important issues related to premium, hand-rolled cigars, such as the potential economic impact in the U.S. and its Latin American trading partners, or the artisanal craft involved. But if I can provide any further information, please let me know. I’d welcome the opportunity.

My hope is that you and others in the FDA will recognize that premium, hand-rolled cigars should not be lumped together with other tobacco products and that you will exempt them from further regulation.

I am posting this as an open letter on StogieGuys.com but, since I’m pretty sure you won’t see it there, I am also mailing a copy to your office.

Thanks for your time and attention. I hope that, at the least, I’ve helped you think a bit more about this topic. And I hope you’ll guide your Center in making the correct decision.

Sincerely,

George Edmonson

If you’re looking for a cigar that will help you expand your palate, pick up the Trunk Show MG-08. This massive cigar produces a greater variety of spices than you’ll find on the McCormick shelf at the local Safeway. Sit back and let them roll over your tongue.

General Cigar’s Michael Giannini’s four-country blend is satisfying, smooth, and balanced with a light finish. It’s not a powerful cigar, but a subtle treat in a limited edition (500 26-count boxes).

As is not uncommon when Giannini is involved, the tobacco used is designated only as proprietary, with the exception of the wrapper, a “Havano Ecuadoran Ligero.”

I’ve smoked at least a half-dozen or so of these behemoths (7 x 60), which have a most reasonable $9.25 price tag. One side effect has been that, while I haven’t enlisted in the army of large ring gauge smokers, I have given up my conscientious objector status.

I no longer reject a cigar simply because it could pass for a Yule log.

In this case, my view is also influenced by the excellent performance, not always found in big ring gauges. Each MG-08 I’ve smoked had fine draw, burned straight, and held a tight ash.

On the negative side, I would like a bit more smoke production, and I can’t say I’m a big fan of the smokable band. You can get it off, though usually in bits and pieces. Making the necessary time commitment for a cigar this size can also be difficult.

With production so low, you aren’t likely to find this Truck Show—or its sibling, the Liga YG-23 blend by Yuri Guillen—in every shop. (A third, the Liga JD-05, is sold only by catalog and online retailers.) But it is well worth seeking out. I rate this stick four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With this limited-run cigar, General Cigar shows what it looks like when an elephant dances, producing an elegant, powerful smoke that holds its own among top-flight boutiques.

Created as a tribute to General’s recently retired tobacco master Benji Menendez, the Homage is a delight to smoke. It comes in two vitolas: Toro (6.5 x 54) and Robusto Gordo (5.5 x 52). They’re packaged in 10-count boxes with total production of only 1,500 boxes in each size.

The cigars feature more wrapping than a Christmas present. White tissue paper envelops the cigar, and it is surrounded by double bands that are duplicated around the cigar itself. (A tip: The easiest way to remove the tissue paper is to tear it off around the head, then grab the pigtail at the foot and slide it down.)

Though you’ll often see “62”—the notation on the band refers to Menendez’s years in the industry—included in the name, it isn’t, according to General’s Victoria McKee. She also reported that Menendez had no role in the complex blend of a Honduran wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf binder with Dominican, Honduran, and Mexican filler.

It’s smooth, with a light finish. I’ve smoked four and found them consistent, though one did exhibit a bit of an uneven burn at several points. Draw was excellent on each. Strength varies along the way, ramping up considerably by the final third.

Flavors change throughout as well. Homage begins with some spice and a thick, rich tobacco taste, followed by the introduction of floral notes and wood. Strong pepper makes an appearance in the second half, as does some cedar and tobacco sweetness.

It’s the kind of smoke that rewards attention, and you’ll likely find yourself detecting lots of flavors and nuances. One I didn’t pick up was that telltale dirt taste I associate with Mexican tobacco. Frankly, I’d never have guessed it was in there.

If you’re a fan of bold boutique smokes, check out the Homage. With its reasonable prices—$9 and $9.50 for the Toro and Robusto Gordo, respectively—you might want to pick up a box, if you can find one. I give the Partagas Benji Homage Toro a rating of 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I first smoked this cigar when retailers handed them out last month as part of the company’s National Hex Day promotion. I’ve since tried two more. With a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and a pigtail cap, Hex stands out on the shelf. The robusto—5 inches long with a ring gauge of 52—is a good size to enjoy what the stick has to offer. While there’s little flavor change along the way, it’s an enjoyable trip from start to finish. Fine construction, lots of smoke, excellent burn. (See my colleague’s full review of the Hex Perfecto here.)

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Revelation is the latest Don Pepin Garcia creation in Ashton’s San Cristobal line. Like the others, it sports a gorgeous, intricate band in addition to an identifying secondary one. (We’ve reviewed the original line here and here, the Selección del Sol, and done a Quick Smoke of the Elegancia line here.)

But what stands out is a box press that, with the 48-ring gauge Mystic, makes it resemble a wafer along the lines of the coffee-flavored Java.

Light it up, though, and you’ll quickly discover that shape is all the two have in common. Revelation—befitting its Nicaraguan binder and filler—produces quite a pepper punch in the opening, followed by a nice spice on the back of the throat. It’s not the smoothest cigar, and the sharpness becomes exacerbated if you don’t smoke very slowly.

That can require a little effort because Revelation burns effortlessly, producing smoke like a house fire. The draw in those I’ve had was excellent, as was construction throughout.

In appearance, though, the 5.6-inch stick isn’t particularly pretty. Though there are no prominent veins, the brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper tends to be splotchy.

Overall, I’d say Revelation is a medium-strength cigar that develops throughout with some flavor shifts. I wondered, though, if it might not be a better smoke in a larger ring gauge, featured in each of the four other vitolas. There’s even a Leviathan (6.5 x 64).

Overall, I’d recommend giving the Revelation line a try. I rate the San Cristobal Revelation Mystic three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys