The Stogie Guys

God of Fire is best known for selling high-end accessories and limited Fuente smokes (like God of Fire and Angelenos). Back in 2010, though, the California-based company entered the mid-priced cigar market with Sencillo, its first line not made by the Fuentes.

The latest Sencillo (Spanish for “simple”) is Sencillo Black, which features filler from Nicaragua, Honduras, and San Andreas surrounded by Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It’s made by the prolific Nestor Plasencia Jr. in Nicaragua and comes in five sizes.

Before Black there was Platinum, made by Christian Eiroa of Camacho Cigars in Honduras (Eiroa has since left Camacho to launch his own cigar brand). Prometheus founder Keith Park tells me Platinum came about when he asked Eiroa to replicate a particular cigar he had given Park back in 2008. It features “Habano de Jamastran tobacco for the wrapper, filler, and binder, with Piloto Cubano tobacco added to the filler to balance out the flavor,” according to the Sencillo website.

Sencillo Platinum is a Honduran puro that’s available in six sizes ranging in price from $6.95 to $8.95. The Pirámide (6.1 x 54) is advertised as “the most visually impressive” of the line with “the most intense aroma.” It is characterized by a beautiful, reddish wrapper, a robust fragrance of cocoa, and a smooth pre-light draw.

Immediately after lighting, the Pirámide is salty with black pepper spice. Before even the quarter-inch mark, though, the profile mellows considerably to display wonderful balance and subtlety. Flavors include buttery oak, coffee, dried fruit, and mushroom—a note that reminds me of some Henke Kelner smokes, including Davidoff and PG.

Cream, caramel, and spice come and go as the cigar progresses. The texture is silky, the nicotine impact is minimal, and the body falls in the mild- to medium-bodied spectrum. The word “harmonious” comes to mind, and the theme seems to be soft yet flavorful. At no point does this cigar taste like a Honduran puro. It performs expertly with a straight burn, fine white ash, and bountiful tufts of thick smoke.

Given its more approachable price point, I don’t think I’m supposed to like the Sencillo Platinum as much as God of Fire’s higher-priced offerings. But I do. The Pirámide is one of those superbly balanced smokes that makes you want to fire up another as soon as you’re done with the first. I don’t say that too often, and that’s ultimately why this cigar is worthy 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

Over the past year, the looming regulation of cigars by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been front and center as the most pressing threat to cigar rights. And rightfully so. FDA regulation would likely drive up prices, stifle innovation and new blends, eliminate or limit promotions and advertisements for cigars, and mandate health risk warning labels.

But smoking bans still constitute a significant infringement on our freedom to enjoy a premium handmade cigar. And anti-tobacco zealots are always pushing for new bans while lobbying to make existing bans stricter. Recently, two stories caught my attention, one because the size of the state, the other because of the egregiousness of the proposal.

Texas Smoking Ban Back on the Table

With the issue gaining momentum for the new legislative session, some expect Texas, the second-largest state by population, to be the 29th U.S. state to pass a ban. A proposal has been introduced that would ban “at all indoor and outdoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars, with exemptions for outdoor restaurant or bar patios set aside for smokers,” according to NACS. “Also exempt would be tobacco bars opened prior to 2013.”

This isn’t the first time politicians and special interest groups have tried to pass a smoking ban in Texas. But advocates of the regulation seem confident this push will be successful, and they are no doubt relishing the possibility of a smoking ban in a large southern state that has traditionally been hesitant to the idea of government control of business.

Virginia County Considering Outdoor Ban

While Virginia has been under a statewide indoor ban since 2009 that criminalizes smoking in restaurants, bars, and other workplaces, officials in Fairfax County—an affluent suburb of Washington—are eyeing tougher restrictions. Gerry Hyland, a Democrat on the county’s Board of Supervisors, wants to ban smoking on all outdoor public property, including parks.

No stranger to anti-tobacco measures, Hyland, according to the Washington Examiner, “had been pushing similar legislation since November that would have banned smoking by current county employees and permitted the county to consider job applicants’ use of tobacco products when hiring them.” That proposal was shot down for being a bit too radical.

Once thought ridiculous, outdoor smoking bans are becoming more prominent, the foremost example being New York City’s criminalization of smoking in parks. And one has to wonder if the idea of prohibiting tobacco use among employees will catch on with public (and maybe also private) employers.

–Patrick A

photo credit: N/A

As he told the story on his blog, Gary Griffith mentioned to cigar maker A.J. Fernandez that he needed to add a Connecticut-wrapped smoke to his lineup of Emilio Cigars. This was back in 2011, and this is how the AF Suave blend was born.

“There are plenty of Connecticuts out there, and the one thing I stressed that I didn’t want was a one-dimensional cigar,” wrote Griffith when AF Suave was released in June 2012. “Instead, I said I was playing with the idea of making something that would maintain the interest of the seasoned smoker, yet not overpower novices.”

The result is the third line made by Fernandez for Emilio Cigars (the first and second being the San Andreas-wrapped AF1 and the Habano oscuro-wrapped AF2, respectively).

AF Suave features a golden Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper around Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos (the exact makeup of the binder and filler has not been divulged). It is sold in boxes of 20 and available in five standard sizes: Corona (5.5 x 42), Churchill (7 x 50), Robusto (5 x 50), Torpedo (6 x 52), and Toro (6 x 50). The latter retails for around $7.50 and boasts a sweet pre-light aroma of honey and apricot.

Consistent in feel from head to foot, the Toro’s cap cuts easily to reveal an open, airy draw that imparts spice on the lips. That spice carries over to the flavor of the opening profile, which is characterized by black pepper, coffee, and salty notes. Then, in less than a half inch, the taste mellows considerably, becoming creamy and nutty and dropping most of its stronger tendencies.

At the halfway mark and beyond the Toro is mild- to medium-bodied with a creamy, chalky texture and classic Connecticut flavors—vanilla, cream, and almond—with a backdrop of pepper and espresso. One could say Fernandez and Griffith hit the mark of crafting a blend with “flavor complexity often unattained in a cigar of this strength level.”

With a solid ash, a straight burn that requires no maintenance, and a profile that’s simultaneously restrained yet interesting, the AF Suave will find fans among newer cigar smokers and longtime enthusiasts alike. It nicely diversifies the Emilio Cigars lineup, which is quite robust—especially considering how young the company is. All told, this particular smoke is worthy 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.” This Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

I’ve been smoking some fine cigars this holiday season, but perhaps none as complex or expertly balanced as the Belicoso Extra (6.75 x 52) from Paul Garmirian’s 15th Anniversary line. True, the smoke normally costs upwards of $14. And the one I smoked for this write-up had been resting in my humidor for over 18 months. You’d expect a lot from such an investment of money and time. What I found thankfully met my expectations: excellent construction and a wonderful, full-bodied profile of cedar, melon, cinnamon, and pepper. If you haven’t tried the 15th Anniversary yet, you’re missing out.

Verdict = Buy.

–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 Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

The No. 13 Lancero is the fifth size in Joya de Nicaragua’s Cabinetta, a line that boasts Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos along with dual wrappers (Ecuadorian shade and Nicaraguan criollo). It measures 7.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 38 and retails for just under $8. As un-traditional as it may look, the cigar has a classic profile of toast, cream, coffee, nut, and spice. Construction is top-notch, and the mild- to medium-bodied flavor pairs well with a morning cup of joe.

Verdict = Buy.

–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 Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

I wouldn’t say I moved back to Chicago just to be closer to Tesa, a boutique shop west of the Loop with a portfolio of fantastic house blends. But being within a short trek of the remodeled tobacconist sure is a nice perk. Every time I swing by I pick up a Vintage Especial or two, a mild blend comprised of Nicaraguan tobaccos around a Connecticut wrapper. For my money, you can’t go wrong with the Rothchild (5 x 50), a robusto-sized smoke with excellent construction and a harmonious profile of oak, sweet hay, cream, and roasted nuts. It’s one of my favorite high-end mild cigars.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Perusing the shelves of one of my favorite local tobacconists last weekend, I was looking for something new to try, perhaps a cigar that debuted at the 2012 industry trade show but had since managed to escape my clutches.

I almost didn’t notice the section of Mi Amor Reserva cigars. The image on the band was all too familiar to me. Without actually reading the second band, I could have easily mistaken the cigars for one of the other La Aroma de Cuba lines that have long been on the market and graced my humidors. I did a double-take and purchased a few.

I bought three Maximos (5.5 x 54) for $9.25 each. One of four Mi Amor Reserva sizes—the others being Romantico (6.9 x 50), Divino (6.25 x 52), and Beso (5.625 x 48)—it is crafted by Don Pepin Garcia at My Father Cigars.

La Aroma’s distributor, Ashton, calls this blend “the finest, most exclusive La Aroma de Cuba to date.” It is intended to be a stronger version of the original Mi Amor line, which was introduced in 2010. The filler and binder are Nicaraguan and the thick Cuban-seed oscuro wrapper is from San Andreas, Mexico.

It’s hard to comment on the appearance of the slightly box-pressed Maximo without mentioning how the ornate bands of red, gold, and yellow look fantastic against the dark exterior leaf. I’m not the first one to point this out, and I won’t be the last. Beneath the bands is a mottled, textured wrapper dotted with imperfections that are likely a result of the high priming of the leaf.

The pre-light fragrances of cocoa and cayenne spice give way to a bold flavor of black pepper spice and dry cedar. After less than a half inch, though, the profile settles in strength to take on a more balanced taste of dark chocolate, earth, nut, and cream. While the nicotine kick remains low from beginning to nub, the body is full.

With excellent construction, a chalky texture, solid balance, and full body despite low strength, the Mi Amor Reserva Maximo is an outstanding smoke and my new favorite among La Aroma de Cuba’s fine portfolio. It will be interesting to see how this young cigar changes with age. As it stands now, it’s already 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