The Stogie Guys

Back on October 19, after finishing my day job in the Loop, I made the short trek to Tesa, a Chicago shop and lounge that’s home to some of my favorite boutique cigars. But on this particular occasion I wasn’t looking for Tesa’s Series Gran Cru, Vintage Especial, or even the new Limited Edition. I instead came in search of the elusive Velvet Rat.

It was finally the long-awaited day when Drew Estate was to make available 40 pre-release bundles of 10 Dirty Rats, limiting purchases to a handful of smokes per customer. This was, after all, a soft release; the nationwide full release of the Dirty Rat won’t take place until mid-2013.

For this particular night, the cigars were only available at Tesa, a longtime supporter of Jonathan Drew. And enthusiasts from around the entire Chicagoland area came in droves get their hands on a few Dirty Rats, as well as peruse the selection of other Drew Estate and Tesa cigars. But the focus was understandably on the Velvet Rat, which was selling for $14 apiece for its single size (6.25 x 46).

The Velvet Rat is the ninth cigar from Drew Estate to be designated “Único Serie,” the others being Papas Fritas, UF-13, Feral Flying Pig, L40, UF-4, A, Ratzilla, and Dirty Rat. It sports a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Brazilian mata fina binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. This blend was only finalized at the end of the summer. It is intended to be a lighter, creamier experience than the Liga Privada No. 9.

The mottled cigar is dark and reddish with a handsome pigtail cap and very faint pre-light notes of caramel and nougat. Once lit, the profile is a little spicier than anticipated with black pepper on the finish. This quickly settles, however, into a sweeter, milder flavor that reminds me of coffee, syrup, and caramel. In other words, very nice and expertly balanced.

Even as the cigar progresses into its second and final thirds, the body remains decidedly sweeter and lighter than the Liga 9. The texture is chalky and a little syrupy as flavors of cocoa, nut, and cream come and go. The phrase “moist chocolate cake” comes to mind. All this is paired with the sort of physical properties I’ve come to expect from La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate: perfect burn line, solid white ash, and easy draws that produce large volumes of smoke. You can’t argue with that.

I’ll admit my expectations for this cigar were exceptionally high. But I’m happy to report those expectations were met. The Velvet Rat is a memorable, well-balanced smoke with interesting flavor and (I would argue) more nuance than the Liga 9 or any other Drew Estate cigar that comes to mind. For me, it’s worthy of a very rare rating of five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found 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.”

Made at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia under the direction of Carlito Fuente, Angelenos is a six-size line offered by God of Fire. The Robusto measures 5.25 inches long with a ring gauge of 50. Its golden Ecuadorian wrapper combines with Dominican binder and filler tobaccos to yield a mild flavor of cream, ginger, spice, dried fruit, and peanut. The result is a bready, satisfying smoke with excellent construction. With a price of $9.50, this is a nice morning to mid-afternoon cigar, and a great accompaniment to a cup of coffee.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you peruse Padrón’s website, you’ll undoubtedly notice the image of a hammer in several not-so-subtle places. The symbol commemorates Cuban émigré José Orlando Padrón and his drive to work as a carpenter until he could establish a cigar company.

His patience and dedication paid off in spades. With over 600 employees, a tremendously loyal following, and more accolades than space permits mentioning, Padrón Cigars is considered by many to be the pinnacle of cigardom. The company’s place in cigar history is cemented by such super-premium offerings as the Anniversary Series (both 1926 and 1964) and Family Reserve.

Not to be overlooked is the original Padrón line, which includes over a dozen vitolas that are available in either Natural or Maduro formats. (By the way, with similar wrapper shades and no distinguishing markings, it’s really hard to tell a Natural from a Maduro without holding two next to each other.) Each is comprised of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobacco that’s sun-grown and aged for two and a half years.

The 2000 Maduro is a robusto that measures five inches long with a ring gauge of 50. I picked it up for under $6 at a tobacconist in downtown Chicago. Like the other vitolas in the blend, it isn’t the prettiest specimen, sporting thick veins, coarse seams, a hastily applied cap, and a lumpy surface. Yet its strong pre-light fragrance of dark chocolate and earth begs you to smoke it.

Right off the bat, what this cigar lacks in appearance it makes up in flavor. The taste is peppery, full-bodied, and characterized by espresso, cocoa, dark chocolate, and a little raisin. The resting smoke is exceptionally fragrant and the white ash is a stark contrast to the wrapper. The burn line and draw are excellent.

Like the Executive Maduro, which is a considerably longer vitola (7.5 x 50) that takes two hours to smoke, the 2000 Maduro doesn’t change much in flavor from light to nub. And that’s one reason why I prefer the 2000 Maduro: It draws to a close just as I start to lose interest.

At this point, it would be cliché to say the so-called “Thousand Series” is a great way to get Padrón quality and consistency without paying top dollar. Well I’m going to say that anyways. Again. And if you’re interested in one of the 15 cigars in Padrón’s original line, you can’t go wrong with the 2000 Maduro, which never overstays its welcome and is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Crafted by Jochi Blanco of Tabacalera La Palma and owned by Rafael Nodal of Oliveros, Aging Room is still a new brand on the cigar scene.

Yet Aging Room seems to be gaining in popularity as its blends continue to score well with the online cigar community and the mainstream cigar media. Among these blends is M356 (rated 4.5 stogies by us and named the 16th best smoke of 2011 by Cigar Aficionado) and F55 Quattro, which earned a rare 5-stogie rating back in September.

In 2012 Aging Room released Haváo to round out its portfolio. Offered in seven formats—Brio (5.25 x 42), Canon (6 x 46), Impromptu (5 x 48), Largo (7 x 50), Sharp (6.25 x 52), and Treble—the blend features a golden Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper around Dominican tobaccos. It is marketed as mild- to medium-bodied.

The Canon sells for less that $6 and comes dressed in double bands of maroon, cream, and gold with a delicate exterior leaf that has the faintest tooth. Firm from head to foot, it also sports a nice cap and pre-light notes of sweet hay. A simple punch cut reveals a moderate draw.

With Connecticut smokes, I’m usually anticipating creaminess, bread, and a bit of sweetness, while hoping to avoid the major pitfalls of the genre: chemical tastes, or a complete lack of flavor that leaves me feeling like I’m smoking paper. All the Canons I sampled for this review exceeded those expectations. This slender cigar has a toasty profile with background notes of citrus and peanut. The finish is sharp and a little spicy.

Not much changes flavor-wise over the course of the smoke, and the profile always stays towards the mild side of the medium-bodied spectrum with very little nicotine kick. Yet it’s remarkably satisfying for such a light cigar (although it must be noted that I’ve always been very appreciative of milder smokes). With excellent construction, my only complaint would be that the Canon burns a tad too quickly. It nubs in less than an hour.

Without question, this is another winner from Aging Room. And at such an affordable price, it’s a must-try for fans of Connecticut-wrapped cigars. My verdict: It’s 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 just might be the definition of a good-looking cigar that makes a great first impression. The Series H Maduro Robusto (5.5 x 50) from Emilio Cigars sports a beautifully dark ligero wrapper from Jamastran, an extraordinarily firm feel, and a rich pre-light aroma of dark chocolate and earth. Once lit, the wrapper combines with Nicaraguan and Costa Rican tobaccos to yield a full-bodied, complex taste of dark coffee, creamy nut, cocoa, and a touch of leather. It’s downright outstanding and well worth the going rate of $7 for a single.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Much of what I smoke is driven by the needs of StogieGuys.com: what we haven’t yet reviewed, what readers are asking us to review, what’s new, etc. This requires a ton of variety. (I know it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it). When I’m just smoking for sheer enjoyment, though, I find myself favoring a few select blends at any given time.

Over the past few days I’ve been smoking more for enjoyment and less for this site. If you follow us on Facebook, you’ll note that I recently took a brief vacation to Florida—a trip that afforded me the luxury of firing up whatever I wanted. I think it’s telling of my taste to look at the cigars I decided to take to Florida.

Tesa Gran Cru Limited Edition. This one-size, box-pressed cigar is all about balance. Anyone can put together a spicy, heavy-handed powerhouse, but few can construct a medium-bodied blend with such equilibrium as Tesa’s Chris Kelly. This torpedo’s Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, criollo ’98 binder from Jalapa, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos combine to yield a woodsy flavor with notes of cream, salty peanut, and coffee. You can bet I’ll be all over this smoke again as soon as more become available at Kelly’s Chicago shop.

Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve. Remember this cigar? It was released in the summer of 2011 and then, as far as I can tell, sort of forgotten. But I’ve been impressed by the single size, a torpedo (6.1 x 52) with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The flavor has a dry spice with earth, coffee, and caramel. Normally priced around $12, my local shop put the Grand Reserve on special for $9.50 earlier this year, and I decided to stock up. I’m glad I did as it’s currently a favorite.

God of Fire Serie B Double Robusto 2011. I know I reviewed this cigar very recently. I know Prometheus is one of our advertisers. Ever since I tried the Serie B Double Robusto 2011, though, I’ve seriously been hooked. And for good reason. The Double Robusto (5.75 x 52) has an Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper and a great profile of pepper, raisin, dark chocolate, and espresso. It also smokes like a champ, as it should for $22. I can’t afford to smoke this cigar too frequently, but my vacation was a nice excuse to burn a few of these.

Pinar del Rio Small Batch Reserve Habano Gran Toro. No, not everything on my list has to be expensive. While recently I’ve been reaching for a fair number of super-premiums, I realize this isn’t sustainable. So I’ve also been smoking a few more modestly priced smokes, like the Small Batch Reserve Habano Gran Toro from Pinar del Rio, which packs a flavor of sweet wood for about $6. It also boasts the excellent construction I’ve come to expect from Abe Flores’ brand.

Now these aren’t the same cigars I chose to smoke for pure enjoyment a few months ago, and they probably won’t be the same cigars I’ll choose months from now. My tastes tend to be somewhat seasonal. Just like I prefer rum in the summer and bourbon in the winter, I tend towards milder, creamier smokes in the summer and heartier, spicier cigars in the winter.

In addition, no matter how good a cigar is, I find the principle of diminishing marginal utility starts to apply if I fire up the same stick over and over. So it makes sense for me to rotate my favorites, even as they get interspersed with the cigars I smoke for this website.

In any event, I figured it might be interesting for me to share what cigars I’ve been selecting from my stash lately. Feel free to share your current favorites in the comments below.

–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.”

Boutique Blends Cigars, a company formerly known as Oliveros, released the SWAG SoBe blend this summer to honor (in both name and style) the Miami neighborhood of South Beach. It is comprised completely of ligero Habano tobacco from the Dominican Republic. But with a medium-bodied profile of black pepper, dry wood, and a fair amount of spice, the VIP (4.5 x 48), as advertised, has a more powerful stature than you might expect from a Dominican puro. Construction is excellent. And the price of about $6 for a single is more than fair, making this an easy recommendation.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys