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.”

With its Nub-like dimensions, snowflake foil wrapper, and unembellished Christmas tree secondary band, the limited edition Viaje Holiday Blend 2013 will stand out in almost any humidor. It’s also a standout in the taste department. A small, fat torpedo (4 x 60) with all-Nicaraguan tobacco, this year’s Viaje holiday release is a complex, slow-burning delight. Flavors range from pepper and sweetness to leather and cedar. My only complaint: a less-than-stellar burn. It’s also a bit pricy at about $10. But it’s well worth picking up to give yourself a post-Christmas present.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Like most of you, I imagine, I’ve found myself in a reflective mood at this time of year. The cigar topic that has drawn much of my attention is reviews. Specially, what might make them more worthwhile for you, our readers.

Here at StogieGuys.com, we smoke cigars because we love them. And we write about them because we enjoy sharing our experiences—good, bad, or indifferent. While each of us has different tastes and preferences, as well as styles, there are a few basics we adhere to when composing full reviews.

For example, you’ll generally find information about the price, size, tobacco, and aspects of performance and strength. Sometimes it isn’t possible to do it all, though, when, say, we have a pre-release stick for which the price isn’t yet set, or when the maker doesn’t identify the tobacco used in the blend.

What I am wondering is whether there are other things you believe are important in helping you decide whether to try a certain cigar for the first time or pass it by. Or elements you’d like to see addressed at greater length. I also wonder if our attempts to describe a cigar’s flavor or aroma are helpful, or if they’re only marginally useful given the subjectivity of taste and the difficulty of describing flavor.

I began to think about some of these things as I was working on a review of a Surrogates cigar. It produces a lot of smoke, and I realized that characteristic is, for me, very important. I simply don’t find a cigar with thin, light smoke nearly as enjoyable, regardless of the flavors. On the other hand, as a frequent outdoor smoker, I care little about a cigar’s room aroma.

So, if you’re in a reflective mood as well, consider giving some thought to cigar reviews and let us know what you like to see in them. I can’t guarantee we’ll always be able to deliver (I, for example, rarely drink alcohol, so I’m not really good at recommending pairings, so I’d suggest you rely on our resident spirits expert, Patrick S, for them).

But I can promise you we’ll certainly give serious thought to your replies.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With this being the last day of 2013, now is a good time to reflect, as well as look ahead. To that end, it’s common for my colleagues and I at StogieGuys.com to take a look at the cigars we awarded top ratings to. In other words, the cigars that received the heralded five stogies out of five rating in the past year.

This year there were but two, and, coincidentally, both reviewed by me:

— Arturo Fuente King T Rosado Sun Grown: “From the first rich puffs to the finger-burning last, the cigar is a powerful pleasure.”

— La Flor Dominicana Limitado V: “A terrific cigar with more changes than a Rockette in the Christmas show.”

In addition to the two cigars that received our highest rating in 2013, fifteen came close, earning the impressive rating of 4.5 stogies:

— Abaddon (Blue Havana Exclusive): “One of the more interesting cigars I’ve smoked this year.”

— Curivari El Gran Rey Belicoso: “I can see why this small manufacturer has gained such a large reputation.”

— Dante Canto VI Asmodeus: “While Dante puts itself in some pretty exclusive company with that price, it’s not out of its league.”

— Drew Estate Herrera Estelí Short Corona: “Cubanesque and a wonderful buy.”

— Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie UF-13 Dark: “Dark flavors with charred oak and lots of powdery earth.”

— J. Grotto Reserve Lancero Limitado: “An impressive smoke worth seeking out, even if finding it may be difficult.”

— Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco: “It’s traditional in flavor yet somehow also unique, powerful, and nuanced.”

— La Musa Mοῦσα Toro: “The quality, subtlety, and balance of the blend cannot be denied.”

— Ouroboros (Blue Havana Exclusive): “A dense, leathery flavor with pepper spice, coffee bean, earth, and traces of bitterness.”

— Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Elegidos: “Unique, flavorful, and spirited.”

— Sencillo Platinum Pirámide: “It makes you want to fire up another as soon as you’re done with the first.”

— Swag Elite: “It’s nicely balanced and smooth. And the flavors are diverse.”

— Tatuaje The Mummy: “A creamy profile of peanut, white pepper, clove, and dry cinnamon.”

— Tesa Picadura King Connecticut Robusto: “Mild, harmonious, and well-balanced with an interesting interplay between sweetness and spice.”

— Tesa Picadura King Habano 5.5 x 48: “I absolutely love what the Picadura King Habano brings to the table for such a reasonable price.”

As a matter of perspective, two is by far the fewest five-stogie ratings in a calendar year since StogieGuys.com’s mid-2006 founding, and I was surprised. I know I smoked a lot of excellent cigars in 2013. And I’m sure my colleagues would agree.

But the more I thought about it, the more sense I think it makes. I believe the ratings are a reflection of the fact that there are more terrific cigars available now than ever before. Not only do high-quality boutique brands continue to proliferate, the industry giants are experimenting and creating smokes far beyond their regular high-production lines. And it’s easier for more smokers to get more cigars. Cigars that once were nearly impossible to find are available at more and more tobacco shops as well as online, with several specialty sellers offering extraordinary selections. So, it takes more for a cigar to truly stand out from its peers.

At least, that’s the way it seems to me. I know I smoked a lot of excellent cigars this year. I’m looking forward to smoking even more in 2014.

You’ll find our complete list of five-stogie rated smokes here, as well as our complete archive of reviews here. Take a look, and let us know what you think. And, finally, keep in mind the above cigars are simply the best smokes we reviewed this year, not necessarily our take on the best cigars to come out in 2013.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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.”

One of the interesting things about cigar smoking is the ability to return to a smoke and see if your opinion has changed over time. I did a Quick Smoke on La Gloria Cubana Serie N JSB about three years ago, not long after my colleague’s full review. Recently, I smoked a couple I’d had in my humidor for who knows how long. Interestingly, my view of this Ecuadoran Sumatra-wrapped smoke hasn’t changed. It’s a dark, meaty smoke with a bitter finish. This La Gloria Cubana is still not for me.

Verdict = Sell.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

I seem to have hit the jackpot lately on lower priced cigars. In a recent tip, I listed three recent discoveries. This fat entry from General Cigar’s Michael Gianni makes it four.

With an MSRP at $4.99, Carbon is a more subtle, tasty, and engaging smoke than I expected. Gianni introduced it at July’s IPCPR Trade Show as part of General’s Foundry operation. Carbon was one of a dozen Compounds, Elements & Musings lines, with 10 offered in one-time, highly limited editions. Only Carbon, sold in unique boxes of 77, and Uranium are slated to continue and are only in B&Ms.

The Carbon comes in one size, a 60 ring gauge that is 5.5 inches long. Gianni identifies the blend as “Nicaragua, Lower 48, and Smoke It,” so you can guess what’s what as well as I. Asked if there were plans to introduce any other vitolas, General’s Victoria McKee replied, “You never know!”

She also said that marketplace reaction to the Carbon has been excellent, with reorders “tough on the factory.” I can understand why. Carbon is not just a good $5 cigar; it’s a good cigar, period.

There’s lots of smoke, a good burn, easy draw, and consistency among the three I’ve smoked so far. I’d put it in the medium category of strength and intensity. The flavors develop as it goes along and a variety of exotic, spicy notes provides a workout for the taste buds. There’s also a bit of tobacco sweetness and earthiness along the way.

For me, Carbon is one of the best finds of 2013. I give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: @Aphelion Cigar

This review, my third for regular Crowned Heads lines (see my reviews of Four Kicks and Headley Grange here and here), focuses on the most unusual. The cigar is definitely different, one that didn’t particularly impress at first puff but came back stronger with each additional smoke.

The HR46 is a comfortably sized smoke (6 x 46) that retails for about $9. From beginning to end, it is markedly different from other Crowned Heads creations.

Most notable immediately is the rugged, thick texture of the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. Not Backwoods rough, but far from Davidoff smooth. Covering Nicaraguan filler and an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, the strength is medium and the flavor is full.

The cigars are rolled in Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Dominican factory, and construction, in every aspect, is excellent. The burn is slow and produces lots of smoke.

The J.D. Howard—which takes its name from the pseudonym employed by outlaw Jesse James when he lived in Nashville, home base to Crowned Heads—starts off with notes of wood and leather. Later, those fade, as they get overtaken by a little spice and a bit of bitterness. In the final third, I picked up more of the leather again, with the not-unpleasant bitter taste remaining.

It’s a different cigar, and initially I wasn’t pleased. But by the time I was halfway down the first J.D. Howard, my opinion was changing. Smoking a few more, I grew to like it quite a bit.

This isn’t a cigar I’m likely to smoke on a regular basis, but one that I will certainly pick up on occasion. If you like experimenting, I highly recommend trying one of J.D. Howard’s five sizes. Maybe you’ll decide it’s for you right off the bat. If not, though, don’t be shy about giving it a second or third chance. Like me, you might be surprised.

I give it three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’m a long-time Xikar enthusiast, having bought my first cutter at a local shop nearly a decade ago. It’s a Xi2 Malachite Green model with the German Solingen blades. I’ve cut hundreds of cigars with it, including the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial I’m enjoying as I type.

The blades appear every bit as sharp as they were the first time I used it. But lately I had begun to notice that the clipping action wasn’t as smooth as before. I wiped it down, blew in it, tapped it gently on my palm. Nothing seemed to have an effect. The stickiness was more of a mild annoyance than a real impediment, and I would promptly forget after I’d used it.

The other day, though, I remembered it for some reason as I was sitting at my computer. I looked on Xikar’s site and found the contact form. I knew that with Xikar’s warranty they would make it right, but I wanted first to be sure that if I sent it in I could get my cutter back and not risk receiving a replacement for my old friend.

Within a day, I heard back from a Xikar employee. She attached a form for returning the Xi and said I should note clearly that I wanted the cutter returned rather than replaced should repair be impossible.

The next part of her email, however, was what really got my attention. She suggested that a bit of do-it-yourself maintenance might solve the problem:

“We recommend that you periodically clean and lubricate the locking/opening mechanism on XI cutters and knives. Simply place a couple of drops of a quality graphite lubricant (such as Tuf Glide or Lock Ease) in the mechanism, and operate the unit for deep penetration. Wipe away excess lubricant when finished. The locking mechanism of XI cutters can be accessed through the hole that appears above the release button when the cutter is open.” (I have to confess that if I’d been just a bit sharper myself I could have checked the FAQ page on the site and found the helpful hint.)

I dug out a little squeeze bottle of Lock Ease I’ve had forever and applied a couple of drops as directed, then wiped it off and set it aside for a while to allow the graphite odor to dissipate.

Bingo! When I picked it up and pushed the button the wings virtually flew open. They closed just as smoothly. My old Xikar is as good as new.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys