The Stogie Guys

You may come across the word “texture” in cigar reviews or friendly conversations at tobacconists. But what exactly do we mean by texture when we’re talking about cigars?

I’m certainly guilty of using the word in an admittedly vague way, particularly when it comes to the reviews I write. I often mention texture when I’m describing the smoking characteristics of the particular cigar I’m examining. Usually right after the flavor, which I personally consider to be a completely different characteristic.

To me, flavor is the sum of the identifiable notes I find while smoking a cigar—coffee, leather, nuts, cream, cocoa, etc. Texture, on the other hand, is the way the overall taste hits my palate, or the way the profile coats and lingers in my mouth. Texture can be chalky, syrupy, dry, etc. Others use the term “mouth-feel” to mean the same thing.

The difference between flavor and texture in cigars is like the difference between taste and consistency in food. Any food worth eating has taste—sour, sweet, salty, etc.—but it will also have a consistency—chewy, crispy, slimy, crunchy. Any chef will consider both taste and consistency while producing a dish, just like any blender will consider flavor and texture.

Speaking of cigar blenders, I’ve come to learn that producers of cigars have a completely different way of thinking about texture that everyday cigar enthusiasts often overlook. While on Cigar Safari earlier this year in Nicaragua with the fine folks at Drew Estate (see our coverage here, here, here, and here), I learned that the word “texture” is also used to describe the consistency of tobacco leaves after harvest but before hitting the rolling tables. Understanding the texture of tobacco is key to knowing when the fermentation process is complete and the leaves are ready to become cigars.

Jonathan Drew spoke about how the Cubans and then Nestor Plasencia became the first cigar producers to really understand texture and incorporate it into their operations. Many variables contribute to the consistency of a particular leaf—including seed origin, where the seed was grown, irrigation, and fertilizers, just to name a few. Then, in the case of Drew Estate, leaves are selected and sorted by texture, and the texture is closely monitored to help guide the fermentation and aging process.

I remember Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka showing us literally tons of leaves in the preparation phase of driving tobacco to peak condition before allowing it to be used for rolling. I especially remember getting to examine stalk-cut Habano capa as it was being readied for the T52 blend. Drew and Saka talked at length about the oils that oozed from the leaves after applying the slightest pressure with a finger, the shine of the tobacco, and the tooth. This is what they mean by “texture,” and this is how they let the tobacco communicate to them when it is ready.

As consumers of cigars, you and I mostly talk about texture in the way a cigar hits our palate. Some of the best cigar producers, on the other hand, are referring to the physical attributes of individual leaves before they become cigars. I think the distinction is important to understand in our education of the world of cigars.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

And so it begins: the flurry of reviews from mainstream publications and the online cigar community on smokes that were released at the recently concluded IPCPR Trade Show.

Here at StogieGuys.com, we’ve already reviewed some of the new 2012 releases that either officially hit the market before the convention, or that we were mailed pre-release samples of. But now the floodgates are wide open. So today I bring you my review of the Toro size (6 x 52) of the Montecristo Epic Vintage 2007 from Altadis USA.

In full disclosure, Altadis sent me a three-pack of Toros, nicely presented in a yellow wooden box with the following written on the lid’s underside: “The task of creating Montecristo Epic was assigned to a special team of our most skilled and accomplished cigar makers—Grupo de Maestros—artisans with centuries of combined experience. Every step of the process, from hand selecting the ultra-premium tobaccos to each cigar’s flawless construction is performed with meticulous attention to detail and obsessive devotion.”

The blend—comprised of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic—is being marketed as “a masterpiece of complexity and full-bodied smoking pleasure.” Three standard vitolas are offered in the $13-15 range: Churchill, Robusto, and Toro.

The Toro is an oily, handsome smoke with a classic Montecristo band on top and a second band below that designates it as “Epic” and “Premium Selection ’07” (which means all of the tobacco in the cigar was harvested in 2007). The veins are few and thin, yet pronounced, and the cigar is heavy in the hand with a firm packing of tobaccos. I notice a peculiar pre-light aroma that reminds me of dried apricot.

Once underway, the profile is cool, creamy, and mellow with a dry, cedary aftertaste. There’s some bitterness present. Coffee, nutmeg, and raisin come to mind. At the midway point, not a ton changes, except for the introduction of tart notes. Construction is excellent throughout, including a solid ash, clear draw, and a perfectly straight burn that requires no touch-ups.

With a name like “Epic,” a price tag north of $13, and a number of favorable reviews already, I was expecting a lot from the Montecristo Epic Vintage 2007 Toro. It delivers in terms of balance, complexity, and performance. Seasoned cigar veterans who might stray away from Altadis brands will be impressed by this, just like another impressive Altadis release that came out earlier in the year: the VegaFina Sumum Edición Especial 2010. For these reasons I award the Epic Vintage 2007 Toro a very solid 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.”

Produced at the Pinar del Rio factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, the Flores y Rodriguez line is the first PDR to bear a different name (it’s instead named for partners Abe Flores and Juan Rodriguez). The Habano Magicos (5 x 52), which also comes in a Maduro variety, starts with a blast of dry spice and pepper along with some sour notes. Meatiness, leather, and a bit of sweetness characterize the profile. Construction is outstanding. This may not be my favorite Pinar del Rio creation, but you can’t argue with the price: about $5 as a single, or as little as $4 when bought by the box of 24.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last week we provided no less than five articles featuring coverage of the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. We’ve been covering this event for years—whether it has been hosted in Las Vegas, New Orleans or, as was the case this year, Orlando—with live updates from the convention floor. It was our pleasure to continue this tradition in 2012.

While I didn’t personally attend the event this year (Patrick S and George E did), I can clearly recall the experience of my first IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans. It was as overwhelming as it was fun. Away from the show, where it’s easy to keep your cigar selection focused on what’s available at your local shop, you can lose sight of just how huge the cigar industry has grown. But walking the convention floor, seeing booth after booth of new products, you find yourself wondering, “How will I ever find the time to try all of these new cigars?”

True, some of the cigars that were “released” at the convention have been on the market a while. Others won’t be available for another month or more. Either way, this fall many cigar enthusiasts won’t know where to begin as a bevy of new smokes floods the market and competes for their attention and their hard-earned money. As such, I’d like to offer some advice about what I consider to be the proper post-IPCPR mindset. Here are three tips:

Let us do the heavy lifting. Websites like StogieGuys.com and others that make up the online cigar community go out of their way to acquire, sample, and review new cigars as soon as possible. Instead of trying to immediately smoke new products yourself, read as many online reviews as you can over the coming months. Then, based on what you’ve read from who you trust, make a manageable list of five new cigars that you want to try now. This will reduce the chances of you buying duds.

Save money by being patient. I see it every year. New releases hit tobacconist shelves in the fall and command relatively high prices simply because they’re new. Then, in the winter and the following spring, prices on many of these smokes start to drop as the sexiness associated with “new” starts to fade (and as products presumably don’t sell as quickly as once thought). Remember you don’t have to try new cigars as soon as they come out. Waiting will save you money and enable the tobaccos to improve with age.

Don’t forget your favorite smokes. Call me old fashioned, but every IPCPR Trade Show I like to remind StogieGuys.com readers that you shouldn’t abandon your tried and true favorites just to try new things. In my opinion, wise are the cigar enthusiasts who don’t alter their smoking rotations in September or October. While being patient to read reviews, listen for word of mouth, and wait for prices to drop may sound like a chore, that strategy doesn’t sound too demanding when you consider the fact that you can smoke your favorite cigars in the interim.

As always, I’ll be interested to read your thoughts 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.”

Viaje, known to my colleague as “the undisputed king of releasing tons of different cigars in difficult-to-find quantities,” introduced the Summerfest, Roman Candle, TNT, and C-4 not too long ago. Each brings unique physical attributes to the table. The C-4’s contribution is a box-press and closed caps on either end of the five-inch smoke. Once lit, the dark Nicaraguan corojo ’99 wrapper combines with the Nicaraguan binder and filler to produce a bold taste of black coffee, pepper, and roasted nuts. The texture is dry yet mouth-coating. I find tons of flavor with hardly any spice, and the construction is good. I’d fully recommend the Viaje C-4 if the price were in the $5-7 range. But for around $11 apiece, I’m not sure I’ll be seeking it out again in the near future.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Tomorrow is the official opening of the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to debut new creations. This year’s event is being hosted in Orlando and StogieGuys.com will be on site to bring you the latest news as it develops.

Leading up to the big show, we’ve been relaying new cigar announcements to you for weeks. And yesterday my colleague gave summaries and his first impressions of new cigars he has already smoked. Today I disclose a few of the notable 2012 cigar releases that we haven’t already written about. We expect these cigars to be formally introduced in Orlando.

Arturo Fuente

In honor of 100 years of business, the Arturo Fuente Cigar Company is producing limited boxes of Destino al Siglo (pictured), a four-cigar sampler that includes an Opus X BBMF, two Opus X Tauros the Bull, and a Don Carlos Anniversary Edition Double Robusto. Each box comes with a travel humidor, a documentary DVD about the Fuente family, and a photo book. The retail price will be $165. Only 2,012 boxes will be made.

CAO

In the brand’s second year under the General Cigar umbrella at the Trade Show, CAO is set to debut Concert, “a new collection that celebrates CAO’s ties to music and harnesses the legendary energy of Music City.” The line will be sold in four sizes that will retail for $5.75-7.50. It will include an Ecuadorian Habano rosado wrapper with a Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Paul Garmirian

One of our favorite boutique cigar makers, PG, is launching two new sizes of the Symphony 20th blend: Belicoso (6.25 x 52) and Bombones Extra (3.5 x 46). Suggested retail on these sizes will be $450 and $220, respectively, for boxes of 25. Of particular note is the Bombones Extra, an “old Cuban size from the turn of the century that Paul Garmirian came across in his research,” according to PG.

Montecristo

Altadis is expanding the Montecristo portfolio with a new line called Epic. Dubbed “Vintage 2007” and available in three sizes, Epic will feature an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republuic. The Churchill, Toro, and Robusto will sell for $13-15.

Primer Mundo

Sean Williams of the Primer Mundo Cigar Company will be in Orlando to introduce La Hermandad, a Brazilian arapiraca-wrapped blend made by Abe Flores at Abe’s factory in the Dominican Republic. “The cigar delivers a rich full-body smoke with accents of roasted coffee beans and cocoa,” reads a Primer Mundo press release. “La Hermandad is packaged in a wheel of 24 cigars per box and …will be in the $8-$9 range.”

This brief list is by no means exhaustive. Check back at StogieGuys.com during the IPCPR Trade Show, which begins tomorrow, for much more information about the new cigars that will soon be hitting tobacconist shelves near you.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Arturo Fuente

We’re only days away from the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, and that means the cigar world is fixed in a forward-looking gaze to the new, the sexy, and the most aggressively marketed. No doubt a few of the smokes released at the event will become favorites for years. Many others will soon be forgotten duds.

My colleagues and I have long encouraged our readers to read about and sample the newest creations on the market, but we’ve also done our best to remind you that there’s something to be said for the tried, tested, and true. That’s why today I’m reviewing a smoke that’s no newcomer, and one that is manufactured by one of the oldest, most consistent cigar makers on the planet.

The Work of Art by Arturo Fuente boasts a unique shape that’s a wonder to behold. With a narrowed foot and a torpedo-style cap, the ring gauge of the Work of Art quickly swells to 60, hits 56 at the midway point, and shrinks to 46 just after the red, gold, and black band. It must take years for torcedores to build the skills to create this complex vitola.

Work of Art is available in two varieties: Maduro and Natural. I picked up a Natural at my local tobacconist for right around $11, which is a considerable price to pay for such a small smoke. It has a toothy, brownish-yellow Cameroon wrapper around aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The foot has a light, sweet aroma of honey and hay.

As you might expect, it’s easy to get the narrowed foot lit with a single wooden match. The draw is a bit stiff at this point. As the ring gauge balloons the draw opens nicely. Don’t be surprised if you have to make a minor touch-up at the outset to get the burn straight. Once you do, though, the burn is perfect to the nub.

The flavor at the beginning is classic Cameroon: plenty of sweetness balanced by notes of spice and cedar. As the cigar widens, the profile builds a bit and some bitter leather notes creep in. All the while a light, creamy nuttiness adds texture.

I really do like this cigar. I think many seasoned cigar veterans probably pass it up because it’s mild and small for its price. But there are times when I want a smaller, milder cigar, and I don’t mind paying $11 every once in a while for such a well-built, nicely balanced, beautiful smoke. If you haven’t tried one lately, pick up an Arturo Fuente Work of Art Natural the next time you get the chance. 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