The Stogie Guys

Today I’m offering something a little different than StogieGuys.com’s normal content on cigars and spirits. This article will be the beginning of a new series, aimed at introducing cigar smokers to pipe smoking.

Pipe smoking is a rich, diverse hobby with tons of exciting things going on, but it can be a little intimidating to get into. So, as they appear over the next few weeks scattered amongst our regular content, these articles will help ease you into pipes by offering advice, answering questions, and discussing the “tools of the trade” of enjoying a tobacco pipe.

For this first post, though, I wanted something a little more informal. You might be wondering why you should even bother smoking a pipe. I mean, after all, cigars are so much easier—you just clip ’em and light ’em. Well, here are five reasons to consider pipes.

To start, you know that smoking a pipe is a hobby you’ll like. It’s not really taking a gamble. By reading this web magazine you’re obviously someone who likes to smoke tobacco. So while you may find you prefer cigars to pipes, there is pretty much zero chance you’ll strongly dislike pipes.

The second reason is that pipes can be much more cost-effective than cigars. There is a bit of an economic barrier of entry (you’ll need the pipe, of course, which can be pretty expensive). However, there are cheap and good pipes on the market, and once you have your stuff established, the actual tobacco is cheap. A 1.75 tin of pipe tobacco averages anywhere from about $5 to $15 in price, and that’s about 10 to 15 bowls worth (depending on how you pack, and the size of your pipe). One $10 cigar is hard to justify over 13 smokes from a $10 tin of the same quality.

Third, pipes can fill roles cigars cannot. I know a few people who frequent the shop I work at who won’t smoke flavored cigars, but they’ll smoke flavored pipe tobaccos. Also, a big advantage to consider here is that pipe smoking can be quick. A friend of mine packs a pipe when he goes to work and lights it for 10-minute intervals on his smoke breaks. If you do that with a cigar, the cold cigar would be bitter. Pipe tobacco, though, stays fresh between relights.

On the same note of filling unique roles, pipes offer different flavors than cigars. I smoke both, frequently, because there are tastes that are unique to each side of the tobacco industry. I have never found pipe tobacco that tasted like a Four Kicks, or an LFD Airbender. I’ve also never found cigars that taste like Sam Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake, or G.L. Pease’s Westminster.

My final reason is a bit more abstract. Pipe smoking is a more personal way to enjoy tobacco, in my opinion. Everything from the shape and size of your pipe, to the way you’ve aged your tobacco, to the types of tobacco you’ve previously smoked in your pipe, to how you decide to pack your bowl can impact the way your tobacco tastes. As an example, my boss, myself, and a friend were all sitting in the lounge the other day, each smoking the same tobacco. We decided to switch pipes with each other for a minute, and were shocked at how unique all three tasted.

Those are all my reasons, and hopefully I’ve convinced some of you to try something new. Next time, as I continue this series, I’ll be discussing different types of pipes, how to pick out your first pipe, and what you will need to effectively take care of, and clean, your pipes.

–Joey J

photo credit: Flickr

I doubt it would be controversial at this point to say that the Pepín family will go down as one of the greatest and most important cigar families the industry has had. Don Pepín García has his huge legacy, which was followed by his son’s fantastic cigars, and now with La Dueña, his daughter Janny is releasing her first cigar. To add to all of that tobacco star-power, the blending for this cigar was done by Pete Johnson, of Tatuaje fame.

This blend is a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper billed as medium-full strength, with Nicaraguan origins. I smoked the “Petite Lancero” vitola (6 x 42) for this review. The construction was immaculate, and the wrapper had a great color to it. Personally, I think that a 42 ring gauge is a bit much for a lancero, but that’s not really a negative.

The aroma off of this cigar is great, with a nice core tobacco aroma complimented by a subtle sweetness in the background. The cigar lights really well, with that typical Pepín spice kicking off the experience. Quickly into the cigar, though, a ton of flavors emerge.

The smoke is very smooth, almost syrupy in its consistency, and earth, leather, black pepper, and a natural tobacco sweetness dominate the first half. Once this cigar hits the mid-point the pepper dies down a lot, and a leathery core takes over, with earth and cocoa notes making slight reappearances until the nub.

While I am writing this review to let everyone know how much I enjoyed this cigar, I’d like to take a quick moment to make another secondary point. When I first tried this cigar a while back (right upon its release), I was actually really disappointed and I gave away three of the five cigars I purchased. I am not sure why, and I don’t know if I ran into a bad batch, or if this cigar needs a little age on it, but the argument I’m making here is this: Do yourself a favor, and re-visit cigars.

We all know that tobacco is a fickle product, and everything from weather, storage, your complimentary drink or meal, or whatever is on your palate, etc. can affect how a certain cigar tastes to you at a particular time. If I would not have given up my preconceptions that this cigar was bad, I would have missed out on a smoke that I think is truly great, and a cigar that I am now considering purchasing a box of.

Anyway, with that small rant out of the way, the La Dueña Petite Lancero is a great addition to an already fantastic line-up of smokes related to the Pepín /Johnson portfolio. This cigar deserves a very respectable rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Joey J

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Spectre by AJ Fernandez is easily one of the most unique, interesting cigars I have smoked in years. Now, we’ll discuss whether or not that’s a compliment in a little, but just go into this review knowing that this cigar is very distinctive and you likely have not smoked something like this before.

What makes this such a unique experience is the “secret blend” of tobacco used in making the Spectre, which reportedly includes latakia. For those who are not big pipe enthusiasts, latakia is a type of tobacco normally included in what are called “English” blends. It has a smoky smell, like a campfire, and normally has smoky and spicy flavors associated with it. At this point, some of you may be thinking of cigars like the MUWAT KFC or the Leccia Black, which feature Kentucky Fire-Cured tobacco. While the process these two tobaccos go through to achieve their flavor is similar, there is a distinct difference: KFC is American tobacco, and latakia is an Oriental process.

While some details about the cigar were not disclosed to the public, we do know this has a Maduro wrapper with Nicaraguan origin. Three sizes are initially offered: Toro, Robusto, and Gordo. I smoked three Robustos (5 x 50) for this review. The wrapper is very dark and oily, and the band shows a tobacco leaf in shadows, with a bright light coming up behind it. While it’s a small complaint, I don’t really like bands like this which take up more than 50% of the cigar. When clipped the cigar emanates very smoky aromas, with some spice and leather underneath.

Lighting up this cigar straight off the shelves is an insane experience. The flavor is so strong and interesting in the first half that it was honestly a little overwhelming. Your palate is blasted with smokiness, charred meat, leather, cocoa, and earth, with a sharp spiciness dominating the finish. The second half of the cigar burnt a little hot, but also allowed most of the flavors to mellow out and complement each other a bit more.

I feel the need to add in that I smoked the third cigar for this review after it sat in my humidor outside the cello for about two weeks. The experience was really different. That smoky-spicy latakia dominant first half was replaced by rich cocoa and earth, that were overpowered in the previous two I had smoked. Sadly, that experience also felt muted and one-dimensional in comparison to my first two.

This is a cigar that I cannot really recommend to just any smoker, due to the strength of flavor (the nicotine is a solid medium, by the way). However, if you’re looking for a unique experience, these sticks can be picked up at a pretty good price, and it’s worth trying them just to say you have. I personally like them, and they are well rolled, but considering the fact that this cigar would never enter my regular rotation, I will only give it three stogies out of five.

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

–Joey J

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I initially heard that La Flor Dominicana (LFD) was discontinuing some of their lines, I was very nervous. LFD has a plethora of high quality, enjoyable smokes and a few of them have been in my regular rotation for a while now. While it was not entirely removed, the LFD 2000 Series offerings were cut down dramatically. From now on, only one size out of the original nine will be offered.

This vitola is the No. 3 (4.625 x 40). Though this cigar is small, the myths surrounding it loom large. Some claim that a portion of the tobacco included in the 2000 series comes directly from Litto Gomez’s private 120-acre farm. I have also been told, from the sales representative for LFD who works in my region, that the 2000 No. 3 was saved because it is Litto’s personal favorite cigar. While I cannot verify whether or not any of these claims are true, they are certainly interesting.

What really interests me about this cigar is how it differs from other LFD offerings. While normally known for their nicotine-heavy, ligero-filled smokes, this cigar is instead a solid medium in both flavor and strength. Dominican and Brazilian fillers compliment the Cameroon wrapper, which has a nice smoothness to it with minimal veins.

When lit, the 2000 series has a lot to offer. The main flavors here are very nutty, with cedar compliments in the beginning. Further in to the experience the cigar adds a nice pepper, with a spicy and medium-length finish. Though I expected some sweetness due to the Cameroon wrapper, it was not really there. The flavors that are present, though, are very pleasant, and the taste remains consistent down to the nub.

This cigar is a great offering from LFD, and it is nice to see them differentiate from their normal hard-hitters. When one takes into account how quickly these cigars can be smoked, and the affordability of a box, it is hard to award this stick anything less than four stogies out of five.

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

–Joey J

photo credit: Stogie Guys