The Stogie Guys

Here at StogieGuys.com, one of our missions is to keep you abreast of important developments that can impact cigar rights, be they local, state, or national. If you’re informed, you have a chance to change the outcome. But to be an effective voice, you need to know what works and what doesn’t. The following are suggestions from my experiences with governments and from consulting recently with some politicians and staffers.

Focus on your legislator. Politicians respond to constituents. This is as true at the city council level as it is in the U.S. Senate. Your address should be near the top of all correspondence. As a former Hill staffer said, “You have a voice they want to hear if you have a vote they need.”

Know the bill number or name. There are so many bills at so many stages of the process, even in a small locality, that it’s difficult for anyone to keep up. Being specific will ensure that you make your point effectively and precisely.

Visit if you can. No one knows the impact of the personal touch better than a politician. If possible, schedule a brief meeting. If not, send a carefully constructed, single-page letter. It will have greater impact than an email.

Don’t copy a form letter. These usually get consigned to File 13 and may not generate a reply. Use your own words to express your own thoughts. Forwarding a copied email is even less effective.

Be business-like and professional. Always keep your goal in mind. Arguing, threatening, bullying, etc., are counterproductive.

Don’t bother with petitions. These rarely matter to politicians, unless they’re huge or involve a recall effort. A handful of committed, active constituents carries much more weight than dozens of people who simply signed their names, many of whom may not even be constituents.

But there is strength in numbers. Outfits like CRA and IPCPR can be effective. Even small groups can have a strong voice. Consider inviting your local rep or city council member to a meet-and-greet night at the cigar shop.

Be brief, polite, and to the point. This should go without saying. But if you aren‘t, you’re probably wasting your time.

–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.”

One of quite a few private label cigars marketed by Rocky Patel—this one for Famous Smoke Shop— the relatively inexpensive Rosado didn’t do much for me. Said to be a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler with a seven-year-old Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, I found it bland from beginning to end. I won’t miss not smoking it again.

Verdict = Sell.

–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.”

This thin, six-inch cigar with a pigtail cap, labeled a “Corona Especial” by Pete Johnson, puts the “V” in Havana for the eight-vitola Tatuaje “Red Label” line. And it’s a particularly tasty one, producing thick smoke, spice, and hits of coffee and licorice. At a 38 ring gauge, the Habano Ecuador wrapper mixes wonderfully with the Nicaraguan filler and binder.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Tatuaje Cigars

Perhaps inspired by the art deco of South Beach not far from the offices of Miami Cigar & Co., this cigar line is tricked out in the style popularized in the 1920s and ’30s. The foil band’s design and colors would be at home on the hood of a Packard or Cord, and the metal container, with 21 sticks, carries the theme along.

I couldn’t find the cigar on Miami’s website, so I am relying on info from retailers and the company’s release announcement in 2010. This cigar is a Pepin Garcia creation that is a mixture of 60% Nicaraguan and 40% Dominican filler, as opposed to his more common all-Nicaraguan blends. The wrapper is a corojo ’06 leaf from Nicaragua and the dual binder pairs Dominican criollo ’98 and Nicaraguan habano ’00 tobacco.

I’ve smoked several of the Robusto Grande, which is 5.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 54. All were good looking cigars, the wrapper dark and the cap nicely applied. Construction was also first-rate, the draw consistently even and the ash tight. The price is a bit over $7.

So, now you know there’s a “but” coming, right? And you’re correct. Perhaps I was expecting too much, because overall I think this is a fine cigar. I just wasn’t bowled over by the taste or complexity. While it isn’t as full-powered as many of Pepin’s sticks, it is no wimp. I’d rank it as medium in strength.

Flavors are certainly pleasant. I found rich tobacco, leather, wood, and a little pepper. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this cigar, especially to someone who’s looking to expand the palate. However, for those seeking a new startling Pepin cigar, I don’t think this is it. For all its positive attributes, I give the Art Deco Robusto Grande three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Visiting a tobacconist to smoke a cigar is almost always an enjoyable occasion. What could be better than lighting up and relaxing, perhaps enjoying a beverage, good company, or a televised sporting event?

We hear and read a lot about what store owners need to do to maintain a great shop, but I think we patrons have some responsibilities as well. I need to say first that the following are my own three pet peeves. No shop owner suggested any of them to me, nor did I run them by anyone. They’re just a few things I’ve noticed that I would love to see come to an end.

First and foremost, don’t bring cigars you bought elsewhere into the shop to smoke. Why anyone would even consider doing this is beyond my comprehension. Would you go into a bar and pull out your own bottle of Old Overholt? Or hoist your car on the lift in an auto shop and proceed to work on it? A cigar shop is a business. Selling cigars is the major part of that business. A lounge in which to smoke them is a perk for paying customers.

Now, I’ll grant two possible exceptions. If you pay to belong to a “club” within the shop and it includes a cigar locker, then I’d say you’re free to stock it as you see fit unless there’s a prohibition to which you agreed upon joining. But I’d also say you should remove the band when you’re smoking something the shop doesn’t carry. The second exception would be when a shop has a “cutting fee” for smoking outside cigars. Pay the tab and light up.

Second, don’t pocket the cutters or lighters supplied by the shop for customers to use. Let’s face it, putting the five-finger discount on these is stealing, plain and simple. It also hurts all the customers because the owners, faced with frequent replacements, will invariably begin to put out cheaper, and fewer, implements.

Finally, don’t talk loudly about how much higher the prices are at the shop than you can find on the internet. While this is really just common courtesy, like taking your cell phone calls outside, I think it’s particularly tasteless. Instead, why not send an email to your favorite online cigar retailer complaining about how you can’t smoke there?

–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 tough to judge a cigar’s qualities when you can’t smoke it. That was my recent experience with two of these six-inch sticks. I tried every trick I could with the first Gurkha Vintage Shaggy—clipping farther down the head, massaging the length of the stick, using a poker. Nothing helped, and after I encountered even greater difficulty with a replacement provided by the shop, I didn’t have the energy to keep trying this $6-8 Dominican puro.

Verdict = Sell.

–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.”

This stubby little stick packs quite a bit of flavor into four and a half inches. A Nicaraguan puro, it’s a little less powerful than you might expect. And a bit more complex, laying spice, coffee, and roasted nuts on the tongue. A great choice when you feel pressed for time.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Joya de Nicaragua