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.”

An amazing combination of full strength and full flavor, this 7.5-inch cigar uses tobacco from four countries to create a slow-burning, satisfying smoke. The rough Brazilian wrapper has a wonderful pre-light aroma and combines with the Peruvian and Nicaraguan filler to drop flavor after flavor on the tongue like a tobacco piñata. The Assassin has been part of the Gurkha line since 2009. I should have smoked one sooner.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Cuban Crafters

The bill to keep the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from regulating premium cigars as part of its newly acquired tobacco oversight is inching along in Congress. The latest advance is a few more co-sponsors—including a second Democrat—putting the total at 22.

“We’re still pushing the bill,” George Cecala, spokesman for Rep. Bill Posey, the Florida Republican who introduced the bill in April, told me the other day. He added that the congressman, described by Cecala as an occasional cigar smoker, is especially concerned about potential job losses if FDA cigar regulations are adopted.

What’s needed now is for you to join the push by getting in touch with your representative and urging support for the bill, known as HR 1639.

It could be a milestone for cigar regulation. It would constitute legislative recognition of premium cigars for a reason other than taxation and establish an even sharper distinction from cigarettes. As such, it would make it easier, and more likely, for premium cigars to be excluded from future regulations.

Now I know there are smokers who consider it heretical to argue for favoring one form of tobacco over another. They believe that everyone who uses tobacco should be fighting every restriction on every form. Frankly, to me that’s not only impractical; it’s detrimental for cigar smokers.

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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.”

First, I have to say this is cigar contains some Mexican filler. Second, it’s a bit high-priced—listed at $8.50, though I paid $7. Third, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable, complex smoke. I like the combination of a Connecticut wrapper and fairly powerful filler. With tobacco from five countries, this Robusto (5 x 50) blended by Jesus Fuego for Xikar is smooth, produces a great aroma, and burns wonderfully.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.”

If you want to experience the taste that many people dislike in Mexican tobacco, this Montecristo will provide a first-rate education. From the initial puff, the double-banded Robusto fills your mouth with the flavor that I can best describe as dry dirt. The best part was an inch or so in the middle, when there was virtually no taste. Then the shoveling began again. If you’re a Mexican tobacco fan, give the Vintage 1999 a try. Otherwise, stay away.

Verdict = Sell.

–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.”

This attractive, lower-priced Pete Johnson production uses lower-grade wrappers and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos than his top-shelf Tatuaje sticks. I’d call this five-inch, $5-plus cigar perfect for activities such as golf, fishing, partying, or poker. Just don’t expect the complexity, subtlety, or depth of Don Pepin Garcia’s better smokes. Instead, you’ll find consistency and a pleasant experience in a medium-strength cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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 recall this line as one of the leaders in full strength cigars when it came out in 2003. The complex blend, with its smoothness, pepper, and pop, simply blew me away. It was my favorite smoke for quite awhile, even as it changed a bit through the years. Somehow, though, I got away from it and hadn’t had one in a long, long time until recently. All I could do was wonder why I waited. I smoked several sizes, and enjoyed the robusto-sized Duma most. This Miami Cigar & Co. stick gets little notice and isn’t always easy to find. Whether, like me, you haven’t had one lately, or have never tried one, I urge you to light it up.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

This started out to be about a cigar, but, like so many things involving the Internet, it evolved into something else altogether. What began as a simple search to get information on a cigar given to me about which I knew nothing led, instead, to a site I can only describe as a masterwork of cigar scholarship.

The website is called Zen & the Art of the Cigar. I had read reviews there numerous times, but failed to really explore the site. It was only after the incredible information that turned up as I was searching for the Gurkha European Selection Habano 2000 that I began to grasp what was there.

Interestingly, it has something in common with a Zen koan because, while I can describe it simply, that would utterly belie its complexity. What am I talking about? Well, you could say it‘s a list of all the Gurkha cigars, comprising, as I write this, 93 blends. But in reality there’s so much in addition to the basics. You’ll learn about wrappers, strength, vitolas and what’s an Internet exclusive. And more. Jamie Sprenkel is the man behind the site and the list, as well as others he has compiled and made available under the Manufacturer Spotlight link at the top of his site.

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