The Stogie Guys

When I visited Drew Estate’s operations in Estelí in May 2012, Willy Herrera was the tall, soft-spoken individual who was anything but the center of attention. At the time, he was still new to Drew Estate, fresh off his tenure as master blender at El Titan de Bronze in Miami’s Little Havana. He was nice enough to hang around the Cigar Safari crew for much of the trip, but he seemed content to let Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka do most of the talking.

I couldn’t personally make it to this year’s Cigar Safari (though my colleague did attend). I imagine Willy was a little more in the spotlight this time around. After all, now his inaugural blend for Drew Estate—Herrera Estelí—is on the market, and by every measure I can find, it seems to be a resounding success. The online cigar community has overwhelmingly embraced it, and even the mainstream media is starting to give it the attention it deserves. Cigar Aficionado recently awarded the Piramide Fino a score of 93.

So it will come as no surprise that I’m a big fan of the blend. True, Drew Estate is an advertiser with StogieGuys.com. And true, Drew Estate did provide samples of the Short Corona to me to make this review possible. But anyone who dismisses my praise of the cigar on these grounds (neither impacts my review, of course) is doing himself a disservice. I highly suggest you seek out Herrera Estelí. I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes it to my list of the top smokes of 2013.

When you do locate the cigar, the Short Corona (4.9 x 46) will be a good choice. One of five vitolas, this blend of Ecuadoran, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobaccos has a clean, golden wrapper, a gorgeous cap, a moderately firm feel, and pre-light notes of hay and molasses. A simple punch cut clears the way for a smooth draw.

Right off the bat, it’s easy to see how Herrera Estelí is a departure from other Drew Estate creations like Liga Privada No. 9, T52, and Undercrown. While there’s plenty of flavor, the spice and body are toned down significantly. Syrup, creamy nut, dry wood, and white pepper characterize the profile. At no point do I grow bored. In fact, this is one of those cigars you’ll smoke and then consider lighting up another right away. I don’t get that feeling too often.

Construction is predictably excellent, as is to be expected from La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. The burn line is straight with a thick, black mascara, the white ash holds firm, and the entubado rolling technique results in an easy draw and thick smoke with each puff.

We recently reported that a maduro variation of the Herrera Estelí is in the works at Drew Estate. That will be something to keep an eye out for, and we’ll provide more details as they become available. For now, this “Cubanesque” Short Corona is a wonderful buy for the going rate of $8, and it’s definitely worthy of a rare rating of four and a half 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.”

A little over a year ago, I tried this 2011 release from Miami Cigar & Co. for the first time. I was impressed. So imagine how pleased I was when I recently found a Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve that had been hiding in one of my humidors since early 2012. Firing up the Connecticut broadleaf-wrapped torpedo (6.1 x 52), I encountered a familiar profile of dry wood, spice, coffee, and caramel sweetness. The cigar performed much as I remembered it—including excellent construction—albeit with slightly mellower flavors than a year before. This was a solid buy at $9.50.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When Cigar Aficionado announced its top cigar of 2008, I can recall being shocked, as well as reflecting on how little I knew about the Casa Magna Colorado Robusto. I don’t place much stock in Cigar Aficionado ratings, much less the magazine’s annual Top 25 list, but this selection appeared to come out of left field—especially when you consider the pedigree of the 2008 runner-up, the Padrón Serie 1926 80 Years Maduro.

Admittedly, like many other curious cigar enthusiasts, the designation prompted me to try the smoke for myself. I did. I also tried the Torito. I grew more and more impressed by Casa Magna’s ability to generate a top-quality blend for a very reasonable price. Kudos to the partnership between Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plasencia.

In the years that followed, the Casa Magna hype seemed to die a predictable death. Maybe it’s just me, but I hear and/or read very little about the brand these days. And for one reason or another, I rarely pull a Casa Magna out of one of my humidors.

I couldn’t resist reacquainting myself with the Casa Magna Colorado when I saw the Corona vitola on sale at my local tobacconist for $5.50. Like its brethren, the Corona is blessed with a super-oily wrapper that boasts a reddish hue (hence “Colorado”). The pre-light aroma reminds me of honey and cocoa. A punch cut is all that’s needed to reveal a smooth draw.

After setting an even light with a few wooden matches, the cigar—made from 100% Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos—displays a bold taste of pepper and black cherry. Soon I start to notice the unique flavor that attracted me to the other Casa Magna Colorado formats: dried apricot. Other notes come and go throughout, including earth and peanut.

Back when Casa Magna was the talk of the town, I recall many smokers/reviewers reporting construction issues. Maybe I’m just lucky, but those issues continue to evade me. All three Coronas I smoked for this review exhibited solid white ashes, straight burn lines, and clear draws that yielded plenty of smoke with each puff.

That top rating from Cigar Aficionado in 2008 may have been the best and the worst thing to ever happen to the blend. On one hand, I think it’s safe to say many more people tried this cigar than otherwise would have; on the other, it seems like some expect this sub-$6 smoke to exceed the complexity of the best Padrón. It doesn’t. What it does is make an oily, well-constructed, uniquely flavored cigar available at a very modest price point. That affords the 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

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

A select number of tobacconists currently carry the La Aurora 107 Maduro line, and many more are expected to start stocking it in July (to coincide with this year’s IPCPR Trade Show). Four sizes will be on the market: Robusto (4.5 x 50), Toro (5.5 x 54), Belicoso (6.25 x 52), and Corona (5.5 x 43).

Rumors have swirled about the 107 Maduro, which was supposed to have debuted a lot closer to 2010—the year La Aurora released the original 107 line. Will the Maduro use the exact same tobacco as the original, just with a differently fermented wrapper? Are production delays due to the wrapper not burning properly? Who exactly will be carrying this cigar?

We now know the makeup of the final iteration of the 107 Maduro. It has the same Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, and the same Dominican corojo binder, but this time it’s finished in a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. (The original 107 sports an Ecuadorian wrapper.)

I sampled three Robustos for this review, each provided to me by Miami Cigar & Co. This stout format comes complete with a dark, moderately veined wrapper with a fair amount of oils and potent pre-light notes of powdered cocoa and damp earth. A simple punch cut yields an easy draw on the firm stick.

The flavor starts with a flurry of coffee and black pepper spice that’s highly concentrated on the tip of the tongue. The texture is coarse and the foot burns hot. Despite this powerful introduction, the resting smoke is creamy with a fair amount of sweetness.

The appeal of the resting smoke turns out to be a prelude to the Robusto’s quick transition to a slightly mellower profile. At the half-inch mark, the base of pepper and coffee starts to get complemented by some sweet and creamy flavors. This renders the cigar somewhere between medium- to full-bodied, and that’s about where it stays until the finale.

For around $7, this is a solid maduro—albeit somewhat lacking in complexity or nuance. The physical properties aren’t stellar (the burn requires several touch-ups to stay even and the white ash has a tendency to be flaky) yet the overall smoking experience is enjoyable. I liked the La Aurora 107 Maduro Robusto, though I can’t say I’ll be jumping at the chance to smoke it again real soon. All this adds up to a rating of three 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.”

This dark Lancero (7.5 x 38) had been resting in my humidor for several years, a relic from when CAO was an independent, Nashville-based company—before it was acquired by General Cigar. Age rounded its edges, yet the ligero-laden cigar still produced a bold profile of espresso, dry oak, and black pepper spice. Hardly any sweetness or creaminess emerged from the blend, which is comprised of a Honduran binder and a sun-grown Nicaraguan wrapper. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Lx2 Lancero then, and now I’m unconvinced time yielded much improvement. It’s not a bad smoke, but it isn’t particularly enjoyable either.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

About a year ago, I wrote about my “storage wars,” the term I’ve affectionately assigned to the concept of having multiple humidors in lieu of one central, controlled location for all of my cigars. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have one large humidor in your home, preferably a walk-in, with all the cigars easily accessible, sorted by name, and labeled with received dates?” I wrote. “It would make aging simpler, humidification easier to monitor, and your whole stash more organized.”

Having multiple humidors (as I still do) can be somewhat of a curse because each humidor has its own mannerisms, creating extra variables for sensitivity, humidity, and temperature. But my collection of disparate, smaller humidors is also a blessing, as each one comes with a story and significant sentimental value. The humidor I got for my wedding that’s engraved with my wedding date is particularly important to me.

Recently, it became clear that one of my not-so-sentimental humidors needed to be replaced. I had purchased it on Ebay in my younger days. It was very inexpensive but also very low-quality. The interior wood was not Spanish cedar. The seal on the lid was poor. And, as a result, I found myself in a constant struggle to keep the humidity at a proper level. So I manned up and got an Adorini Cedro Deluxe.

It quickly became apparent that the Adorini Cedro Deluxe would be the highest quality humidor in my collection. And it should be. The retail price for the moderate-sized (9 x 11 x 5) humidor is $324 (though you can currently pick one up from Humidor Discount for under $260). For that amount of coin you’d expect the humidor to exceed the expectations of the most discerning cigar enthusiast. After using the humidor on my own cigars for the past month, I expect it will.

Several features of the Adorini Cedro Deluxe bear highlighting. First, the interior of the lid is magnetic, which means you can remove or adjust the location of the hygrometer and the humidifier. This is a huge bonus as different cigar configurations call for different lid setups to maximize headroom. Second, the interior has unique “ventilation ribs” to improve air circulation. I haven’t seen this before; apparently it’s an Adorini protected innovation. Third, fitted separators fit into the ribs to enable you to create custom separator arrangements.

Other capabilities include a pre-calibrated hygrometer, a gold-plated humidifier with adjustable ventilation openings, extra-strong hinges, a felt bottom, and a beautiful cedar veneer. From an educational standpoint, Adorini should also be commended for including a well-written, informative pamphlet with the humidor that details why Spanish cedar is preferred, tips for storing cigars, and frequent humidor problems and solutions.

Needless to say, I’m a fan. Adorini has set a new standard for me. In the little time I’ve been using the Cedro Deluxe, I’ve found the setup to be fairly simple and the maintenance to be quite easy. True, this is a significant investment. But it’s one that promises to pay dividends for many years to come.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

One year ago I reviewed the Toro vitola of Romeo, a new blend that aimed to bring a bolder, more modern feel to the Romeo y Julieta brand.

This Ecuadorian Habano-wrapped line sported a contemporary band that broke from the traditional motifs of its Romeo y Julieta predecessors. It came packaged in sleek, curved boxes. And it strove to capitalize on two pervasive industry trends: larger ring gauges and more powerful flavor profiles.

So when I saw the new Saint Luis Rey Gen2 blend, also made by tobacco giant Altadis, I couldn’t help but compare it to Romeo. It seems like Altadis is following the same formula: revive and/or diversify an older brand that has been in the U.S. market for decades by launching a new, fuller-bodied line with modern marketing and large ring gauges. “We wanted to…launch an innovative new concept with SLR Gen2 to attract a wide range of different consumers not only with the unique blend but also with the attractive price positioning,” reads a recent press release from Altadis.

SLR Gen2 employs a beautiful, reddish Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and a filler blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos. It comes in three sizes: Robusto (4.5 x 54), Toro (6 x 54), and Titan (6 x 60).

Once lit, the Toro’s pre-light notes of sweet earth and leather give way to a bready taste with a sharp, lingering cedar spice that covers the palate. After an inch, the sharpness rounds off, leaving more of an earthy profile. Coffee creamer comes and goes. The midway point is characterized by more leather, bread, and espresso. The finale witnesses a reduction in spice and an increase of mustiness. Traces of meaty notes are peppered throughout.

As far as construction goes, the burn is by no means perfect, but it tends to be straight enough to avoid the need for touch-ups. Each puff produces thick, ample smoke that smells earthy and a little sweet. The draw is easy and the ash is very flaky.

The Saint Luis Rey Gen2 retails for $5.75-6.75 apiece. That’s a fair price for a suitable cigar. I will say, however, that the flavor leaves something to be desired, especially in today’s crowded marketplace of fine cigars. Truthfully, I have a hard time seeing how the Toro will work its way into my rotation. Taking all this into consideration, I’m settling on a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys