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.”

Flor de las Antillas, the latest highly anticipated release from My Father Cigars, has made it to cigar shop shelves. I grabbed the large 6.5-inch Toro—one of four vitolas—as soon as I could and was not disappointed. The wrapper was darker and oilier than most photos I’ve seen of pre-release sticks. It is not as strong as the stereotypical Pepin Nicaraguan puro, but it is every bit as flavorful, with a little pepper, bread, cedar, and graham cracker smoothly mixed. I was every bit as pleased as I hoped I would be, and I can’t wait to smoke more.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Yes, I admit it. I’m a little obsessed over HR 1639, the bill to bar the Food & Drug Administration from regulating premium, hand-rolled cigars. Frankly, though, I cannot understand why every cigar smoker isn’t.

I believe enactment of this legislation would offer extraordinary protection for cigars smokers and the cigar industry. By recognizing a specific category for premium cigars, it would make it easy to exclude them from future tobacco taxes and restrictions.

The good news is the bill is tantalizingly close to the support it needs for passage in the House of Representatives. But now is not the time to let up. Soon, the solons will be off for the summer and for campaigning. Little will transpire on Capitol Hill.

The bill has just over 180 supporters, but, alas, Guam’s representative has no vote, and David Wu resigned after signing on. I’ve recently spent time analyzing the list of cosponsors and discovered some interesting data. What’s most interesting is I think it can help push the bill to enactment. And maybe it’ll inspire more readers to get in touch with their representatives and urge them to get on board.

• As you’d expect, Florida has the most supporters. Still, only 18 of its 25 representatives are signed up. Next up, Pennsylvania, undoubtedly second only to Florida for cigar shops and retail sales, and Texas, are tied with 13. Again, that leaves quite a few who aren’t on board in both states.

• Surprisingly, the state most identified with tobacco, Virginia, has under 50% signed up, with 5 of its 11 representatives sponsoring the bill. Granted, most of the state’s tobacco connection involves cigarettes, but General Cigar Co.’s headquarters are in Richmond. And Connecticut, home of the eponymous high-quality wrapper, has but 2 of 5 representatives as cosponsors.

• Five states, admittedly all small, have seen all their representatives endorse HR1639: Arkansas (4), West Virginia (3), Kansas (4), Hawaii (2), and New Hampshire (2).

• Three times that many states have no representatives on the list. They’re generally concentrated in New England and the West: Massachusetts (10), Rhode Island (2), Vermont (1), Maine (2), New Mexico (3), Montana (1), Idaho (2), Utah (3), Oregon (5), Washington (9), Wyoming (1), Alaska (1), North Dakota (1), South Dakota (1), and Delaware (1).

• While Republicans outnumber Democrats among supporters by about 3 to 1, the bill has strong bipartisan support. Just consider those states that are fully signed up: Arkansas has 3 Republicans and 1 Democrat; West Virginia, a Democrat and 2 Republicans; Kansas, 4 Republicans; Hawaii, 2 Democrats; and New Hampshire, 2 Republicans. And it isn’t just the parties. Supporters include every point along the ideological spectrum, something well worth pointing out to anyone who isn’t a supporter.

So, how can all this help? First, I hope you’re inspired by how close to passage this legislation is. Then, you can see how just a little more pressure applied at the proper points could push HR1639 across the finish line.

If you’re a cigar smoker who hasn’t taken action, be sure to write, email, or telephone your representative if he or she isn’t a supporter.

If you own a smoke shop and there are representatives in your area who haven’t signed on (I counted more than two dozen Massachusetts shops that are IPCPR members and 15 in Oregon, for example) invite them to your shop for an event where they can meet constituents, enjoy a cigar, and learn firsthand why this bill is so vital.

You can find all the information you need about the bill’s cosponsors here and how to make contact here. Let’s get this bill passed. Then I can go back to obsessing over other important things, like humidity levels in the humidor.

–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.”

With its unusual name and award-winning pedigree, this cigar is intriguing even before you light up. But when you do, the Toro (6 x 52) really begins to shine. Fairly strong, this Nestor Plascencia blend of all Honduran tobacco performs excellently and produces massive amounts of smoke. The leathery taste I often associate with Honduran tobacco is present, but so are many other flavors in this complex stick. I found pepper, nuts, coffee, and a syrup-sweetness all woven together with silky smoothness. Give it a shot for around $7-9.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

What is it about cigars and music? Or, to be more precise, what is it about cigar makers and making music?

Foremost among the musicians in the cigar world undoubtedly is Avo Uvezian. The pianist, performer, and composer has an eponymous line of top-flight cigars created with master blender Hendrik Kelner and Davidoff. Avo also has created a unique aura with his wide-brimmed hats, white suits, and association with “Strangers In the Night.” Lucky is the smoker who’s able to attend an event where it’s possible to light up an Avo and hear the octogenarian entertain at the keyboard.

Next up is an ex-musician who has been turning out top cigars for years, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. A one-time jazz drummer, he gave up the stage to join his cigar making father in Miami and launched his La Gloria Cubana line that became synonymous with the boom of the ’90s. The former jazz man is still involved with family, as he and his children create cigars that make smokers whistle a happy tune.

Then there’s Pete Johnson. Not only does he share names with an immortal boogie woogie pianist, the younger Pete was a bass player on the Los Angeles music scene before teaming with Don Pepin Garcia to set cigardom on its ear with Tatuaje. Just think how much different today’s cigar world would be if he had kept picking instead of blending.

Charlie Toraño played guitar as a kid and still gets a gleam in his eye when he talks about the pleasure he takes from the instrument. At a recent Toraño event, Charlie spent his down time chatting with the guitarist who was performing at the shop. He seemed to enjoy it as much as talking about his cigars, though no amount of coaxing could get Charlie up on stage.

Rocky Patel, on the other hand, can usually be lured on stage with a simple request, whether it’s to sit in on drums with the Doobie Brothers or tap the bongos at Burn, his club in Naples, Florida. The peripatetic cigar maestro has played percussion since he was a youngster and still loves doing it.

Not all the musical cigar connections involve big names, either. A blender I’ve never met, Alberto J. Medina, writes on the site for his Pio Cigar Co. about selling his bass guitar to get the money to start rolling in Miami’s Little Havana.

And these are just the ones of which that come to mind. There are undoubtedly many others. After all, creativity flows through the cigar industry just as it does through the worlds of music, painting, and other imaginative pursuits. Creating a cigar from many disparate parts and melding a complex operation into a harmonious whole doesn’t seem so much different from conducting a symphony.

So, the next time you light up, listen for—as well as taste—the harmony of the leaf.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

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.”

It’s easy to see why this tobacco combination became the latest limited edition from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. A sometimes punchy, sometimes subtle treat, this complex cigar presents an array of flavors in a smooth blend. The dry looking Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper covers filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. My only complaint was a somewhat loose draw, particularly noticeable in such a large cigar. But that’s minor. At about $8.50, this cigar is a terrific experience.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Like many pursuits these days, the cigar world is often driven by the phrase, “What’s new?”

I am as guilty as most, if not more so, of seeking the new, the different, and the as-yet-to-be-smoked. Writing for StogieGuys.com, I consider it my duty to report on cigars that our readers might not have tried. Since I rarely light up more than six or seven sticks per week, that increases the pressure to search the humidor for untried cigars whenever I visit a B&M.

All this came to mind the other day when I pulled an Oliva Serie V Churchill Extra from my humidor. The cigar was a gift, and I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I smoked one. But I did remember how much I had enjoyed them when Oliva introduced the Serie V as a full strength addition to its lineup nearly five years ago. I smoked them often.

The smooth, spicy, complex cigar was every bit as satisfying as it was back then. Why, I wondered, had I stopped smoking them? Of course, I knew the answer. They’d just been pushed aside by newer cigars. Not better cigars, necessarily. Just newer.

So I vowed I would change my ways. On my next smoke shop visit, I looked specifically for cigars I had not smoked for awhile. I settled on the San Cristobal Elegancia Imperial, a Pepin-blended creation from Ashton that captivated my taste buds when the line extension came out about a year ago. Back then, I ran through a box of the relatively mild, beautiful robustos. But I had not had one since.

The Imperial was great. A joy to smoke. It made me think how strange is our obsession with new cigars when those that are very old are the most highly prized. But that’s another story.

For now, I’m content to learn my lesson. New cigars can be great. But so are many of those that have been around awhile.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

This fat Robusto is part of the four-vitola line introduced by Toraño at last year’s industry trade show that continues to be promoted as a low-cost, high-quality smoke.

At a recent event, Charlie Toraño remarked that the Loyal has been getting a good reception from smokers, and I’m not surprised.

As a long-time admirer of Toraño’s skill in artfully blending tobaccos from many origins, I’m always interested in trying one of their releases. Recently, I’ve smoked several of this 5-inch stick with a 56-ring gauge as well as a couple of the company’s new, and generally more highly regarded, Vault line.

Truth be told, I prefer the Loyal. I think that the Nicaraguan Ometepe tobacco that was added to the Vault’s original recipe creates a dry, somewhat dusty taste that just isn’t my particular cup of tea.

The Loyal, on the other hand, is an under-$5, medium-strength Robusto with smoothly blended Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers that provide enough flavor shifts to keep it interesting. There’s a bit of pepper on the opening that ramps up until about the midway point, when it begins to recede. Layered over it at that point is a nice sweet tobacco taste and a little leather and wood.

It smokes slowly, and the additional girth make it a Robusto with an extra-long experience.

My complaints relate primarily to construction. I’ve experienced some unraveling of the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and an uneven burn on occasion, which appeared to be related to poor combustion of the Nicaraguan binder.

The Loyal should have wide appeal, especially for those smokers looking for a traditional cigar at a low price. For me, it rates three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Toraño