The Stogie Guys

Since their debut in 2003, Tatuaje cigars have been highly acclaimed. Created by Pete Johnson, then buyer for the exclusive Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills, Tatuaje was named the most in-demand cigar of 2009 by Cigar Aficionado.

These days, Johnson has expanded his cigar line, and in addition to several Tatuaje blends, he now produces Cabaiguan, La Riqueza, Ambos Mundos, La Verite, and El Triunfador. The latter, Spanish for “triumphant,” is marketed as an “Old World, medium-bodied, Cuban-style cigar” and sold in seven vitolas.

Back when the line was introduced in 2008, though, El Triunfador only came in one size: a Lancero. It also had a different blend, consisting of a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper.

The new El Triunfador debuted in March 2010. It features a Habano Ecuador wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, as well as a new band. The Lonsdale (6.5 x 42), which retails for around $7, has a rugged, oily wrapper, a beautiful triple cap, a slight box press, and a pre-light aroma of oak and honey.

I was expecting this cigar to start off fairly mild and then settle in to the medium-bodied range around the midway point. That’s what I had heard and read, anyways. But the Lonsdale caught me off guard when it kicked off with a bold, spicy profile of dark coffee, dry cedar, pepper, and leather.

After a half inch or so, the taste mellows to include more sweetness and more balance. While I wouldn’t describe El Triunfador as mild by any means, I can see how some cigar enthusiasts would find the Lonsdale to be less aggressive than the smokes in their normal repertoire. Regardless of your perspective, though, this is a delicious, harmonious specimen with a taste and an aroma befitting a cigar in this price range.

The combustion qualities are likewise impressive, with a fairly solid white ash and a straight burn line. The draw is effortless despite the Lonsdale’s narrow ring gauge and well-packed tobaccos.

I don’t think I’ll surprise anyone when I say that this is a fine cigar. El Triunfador Lonsdale exemplifies the quality many of us have come to expect from Pete Johnson’s creations, making it worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A.J. Fernandez, the subject of yesterday’s interview, is a prolific cigar maker who has crafted smokes for the likes of Rocky Patel, Padilla, Graycliff, and Gurkha. He also has a wonderful new solo project—San Lotano—and several limited distribution lines, including Man O’ War, Diesel, and 5 Vegas Triple-A.

The latter is not to be confused with the original 5 Vegas Series ‘A’, which sports a Costa Rican maduro wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a three-country filler blend. For starters, it isn’t mentioned on 5 Vegas’ website. Second, the Triple-A is available in only one size: a robusto-sized smoke that measures five inches long with a ring gauge of 56. Third, while Series ‘A’ is marketed primarily as medium-bodied, Triple-A is described as a powerbomb.

With a recipe that includes Cuban-seed ligero tobaccos from Condega, Jalapa, and Estelí, that description sounds plausible enough to me. A quick examination of the Triple-A reinforces that perception. The Pennsylvania broadleaf maduro wrapper is incredibly dark, the feel is firm, and the potent pre-light notes smell of rich coffee.

Online descriptions of the Triple-A feature phrases like “earthy nuances,” “black pepper,” “oak and leather,” and “espresso and cocoa.” For the first few puffs I couldn’t really taste any of these. At the outset, the taste is so bold and overbearing that it’s difficult to pick out individual flavors. Not terribly enjoyable or interesting.

After the preliminary puffs, though, the profile settles considerably. Even though the body is still very full and the strength is still quite powerful, distinct flavors are now discernible, including a cocoa-like sweetness, dark espresso, spice, and charred meat. The overall effect is agreeable, albeit straightforward. Smoking slowly helps bring out fleeting notes of roasted nuts and cream. This is pretty much how it tastes until the nub.

While you may expect a ligero-laden cigar like the Triple-A to have combustion deficiencies, this robusto smokes like a champ. The burn line is straight, the draw is effortless, and the white ash holds tight for well over an inch.

I rarely reach for cigars that are so brash, opting instead for subtlety and balance over shear force. But enthusiasts in search of a reliable, full-bodied cigar that won’t break the bank would do well to pick up the 5 Vegas Triple-A, which retails for $5-7 online. That value helps this A.J. Fernandez creation earn three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I bought the “Plunge” from Xikar’s website for $29.99 about two months ago. As a cigar enthusiast who vastly prefers wooden matches, I wasn’t looking for much—just a reliable butane lighter that I could use in windy conditions.

The lighter shipped, innocently enough, in a black box complete with instructions. It also included a Xikar catalogue and a sleeve that lauds the product’s “reliable rapidfire ignition, single jet flame, and lifetime warranty.” I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use the latter.

My gunmetal-colored Plunge worked well for about a week or so, producing a powerful, adjustable blue flame when needed. I was looking forward to tossing it in my golf bag once the weather became warm enough to play. Sadly, this lighter never made it that far. Instead, before it was time to refill the butane for the first time, the Plunge began to malfunction. Despite having plenty of fuel—as evidenced by the visible liquid in the circular window and the audible sound of releasing gas—a flame would not emerge.

When I first encountered this problem, I remember pressing down and trying to ignite the flame countless times. Futile. I can also remember peering to see a tiny spark shoot across the stream of gas every time I clicked the ignition. But the spark just wasn’t enough to yield a flame.

I set the lighter aside for a few weeks, hoping it would correct itself if neglected. No dice. Sure, if I pushed my thumb down enough times in rapid succession, a flame would emerge every blue moon. But this is an unacceptable solution.

So now I find myself at the warranty section of Xikar’s website. “If you feel that a Xikar product fails to live up to our promise of fit, finish, or function,” it reads, “simply return it to us and we will immediately and cheerfully repair or replace your product under our total satisfaction guarantee.” Fair enough. But I still have to acquire a bubble wrap envelope, pay for postage, and mail the Plunge back to Xikar’s headquarters in Kansas City.

I’ll be doing so shortly. And I’ll be sure to leave a comment at this post when I receive my new/fixed Plunge. Hopefully it will work properly.

–Patrick A

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.”

I’ve been hanging on to a handful of Rosado Dannos (7 x 56) since I obtained a box in June 2009. While I remember this $9 cigar being creamier and a little less salty, these days it still has a medium-bodied profile of hazelnut, coffee, and spice with above average construction. Is this limited release past its peak? Only time will tell. For now, it’s still a fine cigar, even though I’m happy I enjoyed the bulk of my Dannos when they were first released.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Cigar maker Rolando Reyes, Sr. is known throughout the industry for his dedication to quality control. Prior to his retirement in 2007, at the age of 83, his work habits included toiling at his Honduran factory long after hours and inspecting individual cigars up to seven times before they shipped.

Today his grandson, Carlos E. Diez, is president of Reyes Family Cigars (formerly Cuba Aliados). He oversees production of all the brands in the company’s portfolio, including Cuba Aliados, Cienfuegos, and Puros Indios.

The latter is a seven-viotla blend that sports an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and binder around filler tobaccos from Ecuador, Brazil, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Affordably priced in the $2-4 range, the Rothschild (5 x 50) is mottled and somewhat spongy with pre-light notes of honey and spice off the foot. The exterior leaf is papery in both appearance and feel, and the well-applied cap clips easily to reveal an easy draw.

After toasting the foot and establishing an even burn, a flavor of dry wood, roast coffee, and peat emerges. At times I also detect a vegetal taste, particularly on the finish. The balance is notable for a cigar in this price range and the smoke is aromatic, cool, and slightly sweet. Nothing too spectacular or complex, but nice for the price.

This profile is a major departure from my previous experiences with this blend. In the past, I’ve found other Puros Indios vitolas to be harsh and salty with sour, disagreeable flavors. But the two Rothschilds I smoked for this review were much, much better.

Perhaps the blend is simply best suited to this format. While that may be the case, I rarely find the performance of blends varies so drastically by size. No, I’m guessing there’s another variable at work: time. Before I lit them up, my Rothschilds had been in my possession for at least two years. My previous experiences with this blend were with much younger cigars.

This is just a hypothesis, mind you. If you decide to pick up a box of Puros Indios cigars in any size, however, I would highly recommend letting them age for a year or more if you find the first specimen to be lacking. Your patience will reward you with a satisfying, albeit straightforward, value cigar with good combustion qualities—one that’s worthy of a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The 107 blend has been one of La Aurora’s most popular releases. It’s no surprise, then, that the Dominican’s oldest cigar maker has opted to add several vitolas.

When it was introduced in 2010 to mark La Aurora’s 107th birthday, 107 came in three sizes: Belicoso, Robusto, and Toro. Later, a Corona and a Lancero were introduced, the latter thanks to demands from fans via social networking websites.

The newest addition to the 107 lineup is the aptly-named “Gran 107,” an intimidating smoke that measures seven inches long with a ring gauge of 58. Here’s how the cigar is being marketed in promotional materials: “After our recent visit to La Aurora, we noticed that many of the rollers/blenders were smoking a 107 in a large format. We asked ‘The Big Cat’ what this was and with his blessing the Gran 107 was born.”

Like the other sizes in the blend, the Gran 107 features an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Dominican binder, and a two-country filler blend from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It retails for $9 and makes a great first impression with an oily sheen and pre-light notes of sweet hay.

The initial flavor is slightly different than the other 107 cigars I’ve tried. While it also encompasses toasty, bready notes and a spicy aftertaste, the Gran 107 more prominently displays an element of sweet graham cracker. Roasted nuts and cream add depth as the white ash progresses. Slightly bitter notes akin to dark chocolate come and go throughout the 150-minute smoke. All the while the construction is top-notch. The burn line tends to meander but never necessitates a touch-up, which is impressive given the wide ring gauge. The draw is smooth and the ash holds firm.

I have to admit that I was skeptical of this size when I received three samples of the Gran 107 in the mail from Miami Cigar & Co., La Aurora’s distributor. I tend to appreciate the 107 most in its narrower ring gauges. My hypothesis is that the blend tastes better when the wrapper-to-filler ratio is highest.

As expected, I’ve concluded that the Gran 107 is not my favorite vitola in the blend. Aside from my preference for the Corona and Lancero in the line, I’m usually not a fan of cigars with ring gauges in excess of 52. That said, the Gran 107 is still a 107, and that means it has a well-balanced, satisfying profile with all the quality I’ve come to expect from La Aurora. So I’m awarding the Gran 107 three and a half stogies out of five and recommending that 107 fans who enjoy large cigars put this beast on their must-try lists.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Booker Noe, Jim Beam’s late grandson, introduced Booker’s in 1992 as the “highest grade bourbon” made by the James B. Beam Distilling Co. Today it still holds that title and serves as the pinnacle of the Small Batch Bourbon Collection, a lineup that includes Baker’s, Basil Hayden’s, Booker’s, and Knob Creek.

Aged six to eight years in charred American white oak barrels, this spirit “is the first ever bourbon bottled straight from the barrel—uncut and unfiltered.” Before it was made commercially available, Noe is said to have crafted the bourbon in this fashion as a holiday gift for his closest friends.

These days Booker’s is widely available for $50-60 per 750 ml. bottle. Each comes handsomely packaged in a wooden box that bears the name “Claremont, Kentucky,” which is the home of Jim Beam. Inside is a dark, wax-dipped bottle adorned with ribbon and a unique label with cursive script, presumably a representation of Booker Noe’s handwriting.

Once poured, the bourbon maintains its dark copper color in the glass as it exudes a powerful fragrance of butterscotch, vanilla, oak, and zesty barbecue. This aroma is simultaneously intense and intriguing, setting the stage for the bold flavor that follows.

The taste is forceful yet refined, extremely warm on the lips, in the mouth, and down the throat. This warmth lingers for an incredible amount of time, as does the syrupy flavor of honey, dried fruits, and caramel.

A bourbon like this can be paired with just about any full-bodied cigar without fear of one overpowering the other. I tried a number of combinations in my “research” for this article, and smokes like the Avo Heritage, La Sirena, and San Lotano Habano made the best pairings. I look forward to discovering others.

As always, I recommend you undertake some experiments of your own. I also recommend you pick up a bottle of this outstanding bourbon. Despite its price, Booker’s is an unforgettable spirit that’s unique, bold, smooth, delicious, and worth every penny.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys