The Stogie Guys

Here’s a tip of the hat to Davidoff, the storied cigar maker in the Dominican Republic. Introducing one of its new Camacho blends recently, the company sent out a press release that went beyond the typical advertising buzzwords and hype.

Perhaps responding to entreaties like that of Patrick A. last year, who made the case for more specific information, Davidoff went into detail.

Beneath a photo of its new Blackout Limited Edition 2013 cigar that was opened to reveal the components—each labeled with country of origin—were several paragraphs packed with great specifics for the inquisitive mind.

These include the production years of the wrapper, binder, and filler leaves and how long the rolled cigars were aged (two years). Davidoff also revealed where the wrapper came from on the plant and why that is meaningful, as well explaining how that tobacco was fermented.

Sure, many smokers don’t care about these things. They just want to know whether they like the cigar or not. That’s fine. One of the great things about cigar enjoyment is that the field is wide open. But in this new age of great cigars and cigar appreciation, a growing number of passionate smokers crave more. They want to know a lot about what they’re smoking.

And Davidoff has taken a step in the right direction. They deserve recognition and, hopefully, other manufacturers will agree.

–George E

photo credit: Camacho

A recent report on youth smoking and flavored tobacco generated headlines and is likely to become ammunition in the efforts to bring cigars under the Food & Drug Administration.

Now, there’s a lot to look at in the article, but I want to bring out a couple of points that I think could be useful in making the case to exempt premium, hand-rolled cigars from FDA oversight.

First, the cigar component of the study deals largely with what are known as little cigars. These are more or less the same as cigarettes, the biggest distinction usually being the composition of the wrapper. In most places, little cigars are considerably cheaper than cigarettes because of the tax structure and offer a ready substitute for cigarette smokers looking to save money. Little cigars have almost nothing in common with premium, hand-rolled cigars.

Next, I think there’s a big hole in the study: no mention or exploration of young people using cigars to smoke marijuana. A spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control told me the agency “does not have data on cigar use in relation to marijuana use.” I’m no expert on kids and grass, but I think it’s reasonable to assume that a fair percentage of the kids who said they smoked cigars did so after replacing tobacco with marijuana. Again, nothing to do with premium cigars.

Then there’s the whole question of “flavored.” The report is based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in which students in grades 6 through 12 note their own activity. Cigarettes flavored with anything other than menthol have been outlawed since September 2009. So how, in a 2011 survey, did more than a third of the youth smokers report using flavored cigarettes? Among the authors’ conjectures: The kids could have confused cigarettes with little cigars, or they could have been referring to menthol cigarettes as flavored. Have you ever smoked, or seen, a menthol premium cigar?

Finally, I think it’s a good idea to keep all this in perspective. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in December that “while 17.1 percent of 12th graders were current (past month) cigarette smokers—the lowest it has been in the history of the survey—22.9 percent were current marijuana smokers.”

I’d be the last to argue that smoking doesn’t have inherent risks, and I see nothing wrong in the public health sector pointing them out. I also believe keeping tobacco away from under-age boys and girls is worth considerable effort. But it’s also important to recognize the difference between premium, hand-rolled cigars and other forms of tobacco, and not simply lump everything under a single umbrella.

By the way, if you’re looking for more on this topic, check the latest Cigar Aficionado. I was flipping through it about an hour after I wrote this and found that the Editors’ Note addresses many of the same points.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

[Editor’s Note: See the end of today’s article to learn how to win a free copy of this book.]

Michael J. McFadden’s new book, TobakkoNacht: The Antismoking Endgame, is an in-depth, carefully documented exploration of how tobacco opponents work. With an Ivy League education and no financial interest in tobacco, McFadden presents technical material in an engaging and understandable format, mixing humor, statistics, anecdote, stories, and surprises. We recently exchanged emails for the following [edited] interview.

Stogie Guys: Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got involved in researching and writing about tobacco?

Michael J. McFadden: The issue of scientific integrity and telling the truth was always important to me. Seeing people unjustly gain at the expense of other people on the basis of lies always angered me, and it’s something I’ve seen throughout the antismoking movement.

My concern with what drives human conflict and allows people to tolerate the suffering or killing of others goes back to my college years and my Peace Studies program. Yes, thermonuclear war is a much more important issue than a smoking ban at the local bar, but they’re both based on people being led to believe lies that lead them to feel it’s OK to attack some other group of people… a dehumanizing of another group.

I first became aware of and concerned about this issue in 1976 when a housemate showed up at our West Philadelphia nonviolence training center with a fistful of leaflets from ASH that were clearly filled with lies and exaggerations. Those lies split our community and helped to eventually destroy our training center altogether, but I didn’t have the background knowledge to be able to fight them effectively. That was really when I began researching the issue.

SG: Your new book, TobakkoNacht, has a somewhat unusual structure. How would you describe it? And how does it differ from your earlier works?

MM: TobakkoNacht is structured to appeal to and benefit several different audiences simultaneously. It has some sections of very serious and fairly complex material, and others of a more relaxed design for quick reading in small units or in environments where one might be distracted during one’s reading.

It’s a book that a less-serious reader can enjoy jumping around in while benefiting a lot along the way, while a more knowledgeable activist or researcher will still find new perspective and knowledge from sections like the extensive “Studies on the Slab.” The opening story sets an emotional tone that is later justified by the explorations of science, and the closing “Endgame” section wraps it all up and provides suggestions for the future. Finally, over four hundred detailed endnote citations thoroughly back up its material while opening the door for further research.

SG: What do you want readers to come away from your the book with?

MM: I hope my readers will come away from the book with several benefits: (1) a greater appreciation of the harms and dangers of the antismoking movement and how they can extend far beyond smokers and far beyond the particular question of smoking; (2) a greater appreciation of how their perceptions, feelings, and behaviors have been consciously manipulated by a strategic distortion of science, language, and statistics; and (3) a better idea of how to fight this sort of misinformation and an appreciation of why it’s important to stand against the special interests that promote it.

SG: Is there a single activity or individual that worries you most in terms of attacking smoking?

MM: I don’t think I could pinpoint any particular person or group as standing out as most “worrisome” in their attacks on smoking. The ones who are the most honest tend to have little money and may be the most effective in educating people about actual smoking hazards and reducing overall numbers of smokers, but I don’t see that sort of honest education as an attack.

The ones living off the mega-millions in grant money may get the biggest microphones and have the most persuasive propaganda broadcast over TV, but they also tend to be the ones telling the biggest lies, and are thus easiest to fight successfully. Free Choice activists are not trying to get more people to smoke, we are trying to ensure that those people who DO decide to smoke are treated fairly and that their decision, and their treatment by society and by people around them, is based upon accurate information and understanding.

SG: What are your own smoking preferences?

MM: My own smoking preferences lean toward smoking about 10 to 15 cigarettes a day, non-filtered, with a preference toward roll-your-own tobaccos.

SG: What actions do you recommend for individuals who want to do something?

MM: As an immediate recommendation I’d point people to my website at TobakkoNacht.com where they can read selections from the book and to the SmokersClubInc.com website where they’ll find a wealth of information and articles throughout 730+ weekly editions of its newsletter. I’d also recommend visiting and reading the material at Forces.org, AntiProhibition.org, TCTactics.org, and the many Free Choice sites and blogs those links will lead to.

I’d also urge readers to get active in local politics whenever questions of smoking bans come up, print out and share copies of my short and superficial, but sharp and free, “Lies Behind The Smoking Bans” (http://tinyurl.com/SmokingBanLies), and to join and support the various groups active in the fight: Big Tobacco is fighting for its own interests, not necessarily ours. We need to fight for ourselves.

TobakkoNacht: The Antismoking Endgame is available through Amazon and other online book sellers. And in an effort to help spread the word, Stogie Guys is going to give away the inscribed copy McFadden sent us. Just comment below and we’ll select a winner at random after a week.

–George E

photo credit: TobakkoNacht.com

I confess that when I first got an email about a cigar coming from Roberto Duran I thought it was being put out by the boxing legend, much like those sporting the names of Mike Ditka, Gary Sheffield, and Luis Tiant. It isn’t.

These cigars are from Roberto Pelayo Duran, a Cuban who worked in the industry. His Azan Tobacco has a fascinating history. You can—and should—read it here. The story starts in 1870 when three brothers migrated from China to Cuba. It includes Azan winning the state lottery and him investing the winnings in his tobacco business, only to have the business nationalized by the government during the Cuban Revolution.

The Campana is a torpedo measuring 5.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 52. The wrapper is a beautiful Corojo grown in Ecuador, with filler from Nicaragua and Brazil, and a Nicaraguan binder.

Rolled in Nicaragua, Azan debuted in Hong Kong before being presented at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, where it was introduced to the U.S. market. The company sent me three samples for this review.

In addition to the wrapper’s striking appearance, its pre-light aroma is mouth-watering. It makes the White nearly irresistible. Construction and draw are also good, and smoke production is strong. The burn generally is good, but it does get off kilter every once in a while.

The cigar is medium in strength with a bit of spice, a deep tobacco richness, and occasional sweetness. The flavors are nicely balanced and the tobaccos seem well-aged and fermented.

The suggested retail price on this stick—one of three vitolas in the White Premium line—is $7.50, and Azan says they’re making their way into stores now.

Pick one up and give it a try. I think you’ll want to smoke more than one. I award it four 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.”

Proud of his family’s tobacco heritage, Christian Eiroa also declared his cigar independence with an eponymous creation earlier this year. It’s a Honduran puro from beginning to end, rolled at his new factory in Danlí. Four sizes have MSRPs from $8.95 to $10.95. I smoked the Toro (6 x 54) and was impressed. It’s tasty and fully lives up to Eiroa’s description of “bold and full-bodied.”

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

With its extremely sharp press, this cigar makes a strong first impression that’s enhanced by a strong pre-light aroma from the Habano ’98 wrapper.

I smoked three of these, supplied recently by Flex Assouline Cigars, with whom we failed to personally connect at the IPCPR Trade Show this summer in Las Vegas. The Blaze is 6 inches long with a ring gauge of 54, an MSRP of $7, and an international composition. The binder is Indonesian and the filler comprises Nicaraguan and Honduran tobacco.

Overall, Havana Sunrise is an enjoyable cigar, with balanced flavors that are medium in strength. The finish is a bit harsh at the start, though that soon rounds out.

But I did encounter some negatives, mainly with the burn. The worst came in the second sample, when a tunnel developed about half way down, airing out the smoke and creating a terrible off-kilter burn I tried vainly to correct again and again.

I wasn’t particularly concerned since I was smoking outdoors with the attendant hazards of errant breezes and still-high Florida humidity. And the first Blaze I smoked outdoors burned just fine, produced thick smoke like a forest fire, and had an excellent draw.

Unfortunately, the third cigar also had a tunnel, though less severe. There was also a problem shared with the earlier stick: a rock-hard ash as the tunnel developed, which can be indicative of problem tobacco.

According to the Flex Assouline website, distribution is limited. So you might not see these cigars at your local shop. If you do, though, I’d recommend giving them a try. It’s the kind of cigar a lot of smokers will enjoy. Unfortunately, the performance issues were a drawback. I rate it three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A surefire way to get a heated discussion going is to bring up the issue of aging.

Everything from the basic definition — It’s aging after one year. No, that’s still resting; aging starts after three years. Well, I think two years is when it starts. — to which cigars benefit most from the process is a veritable minefield.

Over the years, I’ve looked quite a bit into aging, including talking with some pre-eminent cigar collectors and reading about it from a scientific standpoint, and, frankly, I’m more convinced than ever that there is no hard and fast answer.

Like most things involving cigars, aging is a matter of personal taste. I do know that most makers of good cigars don’t expect you to age their sticks. They use well-aged and fermented tobaccos and attempt to ship their products so customers get them at their peak.

I’m talking about non-Cubans. There, I don’t believe this was the case some years back when Cuba was scrambling to meet demand and exercising poor judgment about nearly everything, from the tobacco being used to quality control. Nowadays, I think things are better.

If you want to age cigars, feel free. About the only thing I can say with any degree of certainty is that you’ll rarely, if ever, find that time makes a poor cigar, especially one with low-grade, badly fermented, or un-aged tobaccos, anything other than an older, poor cigar.

My advice, for what it’s worth, is that if you want to age by the box if possible. That way, you can sample the cigars periodically to see whether they’re changing and have a good chance of catching them near the peak. It’s also a good idea to keep notes at each stage of the process on cigars you’re aging. You’ll find that helpful not only with the cigars at hand but in selecting future cigars for aging.

At any rate, I suggest smoking rather than fighting.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys