The Stogie Guys

For the first time, Tesa cigars can now be purchased at a location other than Tesa’s shop in Chicago. Starting on Friday, Riverside Cigar Shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana, began carrying Tesa’s “ultra-boutique” cigars, and the tobacconist kicked off its new relationship with an event featuring Chris Kelly, owner of Tesa Cigars.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Jeff Mouttet [owner of Riverside Cigar Shop] for several years now, and since he has heard about my cigars and factory, Jeff has been vocal and proactive about spreading the word, “ said Kelly in a press release. “Jeff has created a great environment for cigar smokers with a top-shelf selection of cigars, and I am proud to be able to have Riverside as our first authorized dealer.”

I recently exchanged text messages with Kelly about this development, inquiring if an even larger distribution of Tesa is in the works. He did not rule out the possibility of more tobacconists carrying Tesa in the future.

Since I discovered them several years ago, Tesa’s various blends have been among my favorite cigars on the market, and also some of the highest-rated cigars at StogieGuys.com. Riverside will be carrying several of (what I consider to be) Tesa’s best smokes, including Vintage Especial, 312, and Picadura King. All are made at Tesa’s small factory in Estelí. Until now, these smokes could only be procured via a personal visit to Tesa’s shop, or by placing an online order at Tesa’s website.

Self-described as “an Irish kid from the South Side of Chicago,” Chris Kelly is a young, atypical cigar maker who may be one of the most talented blenders in the industry. For a while now I’ve been saying Tesa is a company to watch given its tremendous quality of complex blends, consistency, and growth potential. Riverside Cigar Shop carrying Tesa is one small step towards realizing that potential.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Tesa

Over the years my colleagues and I have written many articles about various bourbons, rums, ryes, whiskies, mixed cocktails, beer, and coffee—and which cigars they pair best with. (You can peruse all of those articles here, or you can simply use our search bar at the upper right to locate the libation you’re looking for.) During this time I’ve found a few rules of thumb for pairing drinks with cigars. Keep in mind these conclusions are mine and mine alone. They may fly in the face of my colleagues’ opinions, your own experiences, or even conventional wisdom. But they’ve served me well. I list them here with hopes they help with your own experimentation and/or prompt a constructive dialog.

Coffee

I’ve admittedly turned into a bit of a coffee snob and lately have been favoring Chicago-based producers like Metropolis and Inteligensia. Both have myriad blends that accentuate notes of fruit or nuts over the standard bitter flavor that’s dominant in less superior black coffee. These blends pair outstandingly with milder, Connecticut- or Ecuadorian-wrapped smokes. No, you can’t judge a cigar by the color of its wrapper, but, as a general rule of thumb, lighter, golden wrappers make for excellent coffee companions.

Wine

I’m not a fan of pairing cigars with white wine (or even champagne, for that matter). Big, bold reds, however, tend to be a treat with dark, maduro cigars, particularly those that yield chocolate notes. I’ve especially found that cigars with significant Mata Fina tobacco are good candidates for red wine pairings. I’ll leave any musings on specific varietals—pinot noir, zinfandel, merlot, malbec, etc.—to myself for now since that’s a little too specific for this article’s purpose.

Beer

While I’m not going to win any friends with this opinion, I must say that beer, for me, just doesn’t jive well with cigars at all. I’ve pretty much decided that I’m either smoking a cigar or drinking beer, not both. One tends to ruin the other. My hypothesis is this mismatch stems from my affinity for hoppy, bitter beers. When it comes to pairing a drink with cigars, bitter is not something to look for in a spirit.

Bourbon/Rum

Bourbons and rums are the opposite of beer. Pick any bourbon or rum. Pick any cigar. Relax and enjoy. Whether straight, on the rocks, or even in most mixed drinks, these spirits tend to go well with just about any cigar. The only suggestion I’ll make is, for example, if you’re drinking a particularly sweet rum, like Zaya, pair it with a spicy smoke. The objective is all about balance. And, unlike wine, don’t be afraid to select a full-bodied smoke. Bourbon or rum can hold its own on the palate.

So there you have it. Some general rules of thumb on pairing drinks with cigars from one humble man’s perspective. I look forward to hearing what you have to say in the comments.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Few expected Sam Leccia to stay away from the cigar industry any longer than he was legally obligated to. Leccia fans will recall he originally tried to jump back in the business in 2011 with a Toraño-distributed brand called Debut, which prompted a lawsuit from Oliva and postponed his return until this year.

With the conclusion of his non-compete agreement with the Oliva Cigar Co., his former employer, Leccia’s return was formally announced in April, and in June he unveiled his new company at the IPCPR Trade Show. His venture is called Leccia Tobacco.

It has two inaugural blends—Black and White—that fall in the $7-9 range and are distributed by Toraño. Each comes in four sizes. My colleague recently reviewed the Black 552 (5 x 52), which is made in Nicaragua and features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan Rosado binder, and a filler blend of Dominican Ligero, Brazilian Mata Fina, and some fire-cured tobacco.

I personally haven’t tried Black yet. My first experience with Leccia Tobacco is the White 650 (6 x 50), a toro I grabbed at my local shop for $8.50. Made in the Dominican Republic, it’s a Cameroon-wrapped smoke with an Ecuadorian binder and a filler blend that includes Pennsylvanian tobacco. Soft to the touch with a rough cap, the toothy, nearly vein-free cigar has a sweet caramel smell at the foot. The pre-light draw is smooth.

After setting the burn with a couple wooden matches, a doughy texture emerges with flavors of coffee, nuts, milk chocolate, and cream. The impact is mild- to medium-bodied with a little black pepper and cedar on the finish. The resting smoke has a wonderful, sweet aroma.

Construction is very good with a straight burn and a solid gray ash. My only complaint is the draw errors on the side of airy, which renders the toro a fast-burning, quick cigar (albeit with great smoke production). Taking your time between puffs is highly advised.

When it’s all said and done, the Leccia Tobacco White 650 is the kind of cigar I can see myself buying regularly. It pairs as well with morning coffee as it does with after-dinner drinks, and it’s a very approachable choice to hand out to occasional smokers. I’m awarding it a deservedly high rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–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.”

My colleague reviewed this new, single-size Drew Estate cigar back in July, but I only recently fired up my first Nica Rustica (6 x 52) to see if this Connecticut Broadleaf-wrapped smoke agrees with my taste buds. I found a stark vegetal flavor with accompanying notes of black pepper and a dry, coarse texture. Bitter black coffee dominates the aftertaste. Construction is excellent, including the trademark Drew Estate draw and bountiful smoke production. The complexity doesn’t match, say, Undercrown, but at $7 it’s a good value and a nice change of pace. Drew Estate fans won’t want to miss Nica Rustica.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Aimed at serving “the new generation of cigar smoker out there,” the California-based Ventura Cigar Co. is taking a less-than-traditional angle with two blends that recently launched at the IPCPR Trade Show: Psyko Seven and Project 805.

The latter, presumably named for the area code where Ventura is located, doesn’t merely employ bold fonts, unique bands, and attention-grabbing marketing to create a “disruption” in the industry. Project 805 brings an entirely new tobacco to the table. Called Andullo, the leaf is exclusive to Ventura and, according to the Ventura website, it has never been used in a cigar before.

Described as “naturally flavored, aromatic, and so utterly different,” Andullo is part of the Project 805 filler, which also includes Dominican tobacco. The rest of the blend features a Dominican Olor binder and a Corojo Shade wrapper. Four sizes are available: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50), Figurado (6.25 x 52), and Churchill (7 x 50). Each is crafted at La Aurora’s E. León Jimenes factory and sold in 20-count boxes that are handmade from African Okuome wood.

The Robusto, also known as “805R,” sells for approximately $7. It is a reddish, oily cigar with a rough cap and a surface that’s sparsely populated with thin, winding veins. Two bands partially obstruct the wrapper—one proudly proclaiming the inclusion of Andullo tobacco, the other with Ventura’s trademark red “V” cut out of the back. Ample sweet notes emanate from the foot.

Once the Robusto is burning, a profile of oak, dry red wine, and earth emerges. A mild spice and a slight bitterness characterize aftertaste. The texture is leathery and the palate is most concentrated on the tip of the tongue and the roof of the mouth.

I’ve never tasted Andullo tobacco completely on its own, so I’ll refrain from guessing how this new tobacco is impacting the blend. But the overall effect is quite nice, and I find Project 805 to be enjoyable—particularly the interplay between salty notes and syrupy sweetness. The spice and leather are perhaps a little more muted than what you’d expect from a Corojo-wrapped smoke.

Project 805’s physical properties are solid, a tribute to the fine folks who craft cigars for La Aurora. The burn is straight and low-maintenance, the ash holds well, and the draw is smooth.

Whether Project 805 will be the disruption to the industry Ventura hopes remains to be seen. This is a young cigar with, in my opinion, good potential for improvement in aging. Time may round off the edges a bit and produce a more harmonious balance. For now, though, the Robusto is worthy of a good rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Certain cigar personalities are downright magnetic. When I met Omar de Frias in Las Vegas at this summer’s IPCPR Trade Show, he was certainly giving off an attention-grabing vibe: energetic, optimistic, eager, and incredibly excited about his new brand, Fratello Cigars.

If you were at the Trade Show, you probably encountered Fratello’s booth—or at least heard about the new brand, which has an inventive diagonal band of red, white, and black. If you weren’t, I imagine you’ll soon be encountering Fratello, either via the online cigar community, or finding the brand in your local shop. Omar’s personality and stature (he’s tall) almost guarantees Fratello will at least get a fair shake.

Over two years in the making, the Fratello recipe includes a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and filler tobaccos from Peru and Nicaragua. “While smoking only filler and binder we found a great balance between our sweet and salty notes,” reads the Fratello website. The wrapper “gives our cigar the creaminess and finish that will take our customer’s taste buds on a ride.”

The name “Fratello” is a whole other story. Why would a man from the Dominican Republic make a cigar in Nicaragua and call it “brother” in Italian? Because “fratello” was a younger Omar de Frias’ nickname. I guess that’s what happens when you take Italian classes in college.

In any event, the Corona (5.5 x 46), one of four sizes, is dark, moderately oily, clean, and soft to the touch. Only a V-cut is needed to yield a smooth draw. Once lit, a flavor of black pepper, bitter espresso, and earth emerges. Notes of cream and dry cedar come to the fore after a half inch of smoking.

Then, about an inch in, the taste undergoes a complete transformation from hot and spicy to smooth and creamy. This creaminess is soon augmented by cinnamon spice and a slight reprise of heat. Throughout, the burn line remains true and the white ash holds firm.

I think a lot of people are going to gravitate to this cigar simply because Omar de Frias is an incredibly likable personality. But that does Fratello a certain injustice. Judging the blend on its own merits, it’s balanced, well-rounded, and interesting. And it doesn’t taste like everything else on the market. That earns the approachable Fratello Corona a solid rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Famous Smoke Shop, a Pennsylvania-based online cigar retailer, recently launched a new exclusive blend called La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age. Today, courtesy of our friends at Famous, we’re giving away a couple 18-count boxes in the Toro format (6 x 54).

Gilded Age is an extension of the famed La Gloria Cubana brand originated by the legendary Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. It features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Honduran binder, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos of the viso and ligero varieties. Four sizes are available at Famous—Churchill, Magnum, Robusto, and Toro—with singles in the affordable $5-7 range.

My full review of La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age is forthcoming, but I didn’t want to hold off on the opportunity to give away two boxes to a couple lucky readers. So, to enter for your chance to win, here’s all you have to do:

— Leave a comment below about your favorite experience with La Gloria Cubana.
— Make sure you’re registered for StogieGuys.com’s free email newsletter.

That’s it (though, if you’re interested, you can read our contest rules and regulations here). Good luck, and special thanks to Famous Smoke Shop for making this giveaway possible.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys