The 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 Cameroon-wrapped Robusto from La Caya is one of those cigars I only rarely light up, but every time I do I wonder why I don’t pick up this smoke more frequently. For a Cameroon fan like myself, it has everything you’d hope for in an everyday smoke. The price is very affordable at around $5 apiece. The physical properties are outstanding, including a straight burn line and a solid ash. And the flavor profile has plenty of sweetness complimented by pine and clove. Give this cigar a try the next time you have a chance.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This year’s industry trade show is still months away, but that doesn’t mean new cigars aren’t debuting in the interim. Case in point is Inferno, made by Oliva.

Inferno is available from Famous Smoke Shop, an online retailer based in Pennsylvania. “Inferno cigars are one of the newest additions to Oliva’s stable of fine Nicaraguan cigars,” reads the Famous website. “Despite its potency, the smoke is velvety smooth with a complexity that will delight you even more than the affordable price.”

The price certainly is attractive, with the Robusto (5 x 50) sold for $4.50 for a single or $72 for a box of 20. The other two sizes in the blend—Churchill (7 x 50) and Toro (6 x 50)—are similarly priced.

I sampled three Robustos for this review, each provided to me free of charge by Famous Smoke Shop. The Robusto is a handsome smoke with a dark, reddish Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. You won’t find any soft spots, or any difficulties with draw, but you will encounter some harmless lumps and a few dark splotches. A nice aroma of dark chocolate emanates off the foot. For what it’s worth, the fire-themed red and gold band makes no mention of Oliva.

Quickly showcasing its filler tobaccos of Nicaraguan ligero, the Inferno Robusto kicks off with a full-bodied blast of heavy-handed espresso and black pepper spice. After a few puffs, though, it settles into medium-bodied mode, pulling back the reins on the espresso and pepper. What’s left is a muted core of cocoa sweetness and coffee.

At the midway point and into the final third, I start to appreciate the resting smoke more as I grow a little less interested in the Robusto’s actual taste. I guess that’s bound to happen. A cigar like this isn’t oozing with complexity or displaying a harmonious balance that begs to be appreciated. Instead, it’s delivering an honest profile at a fair price.

I think most of us are expecting (or hoping) for exactly that when we buy a box of cigars and the per-cigar price is less than $4. Here you get a nice golf course stick with excellent construction that won’t blow you away, but also won’t disappoint. That’s what makes the Oliva Inferno Robusto worthy of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

These days lots of new blends are designated to be sold exclusively at brick and mortar tobacconists. But there are still many that can only be purchased online.

The Tatuaje NHC Selección Limitada falls into the latter category. It is only available at New Havana Cigars (hence the “NHC”), an online retailer based in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike most online retailers, NHC’s selection is limited to a handful of more boutique brands like Illusione, Viaje, E.P. Carrillo, and 7-20-4, including many rare limited releases. NHC even has its own brand—Surrogates—and some exclusive smokes like the My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish from Drew Estate and the Tatuaje NHC Selección Limitada.

“We are proud to feature this project for fans of NHC and Tatuaje,” reads the NHC website. “Produced by Pete Johnson and rolled at the My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, the NHC Selección Limitada is based on an original Tatuaje blend and available in both Natural and Reserva (broadleaf) wrappers.”

I sampled two Naturals for this review. Both measured 6.75 inches long with a ring gauge of 42. The cost per cigar is anywhere from $6 to $8, depending on how many you buy at once. That price range seems appropriate based on appearances alone. The smooth, slender Tatuaje NHC Selección Limitada Natural has a beautiful, clean, milk chocolate-colored wrapper, a handsome triple cap, and a slight box press. Sweet earthy notes are apparent off the wrapper and especially noticeable at the foot.

Once the Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos are lit, a taste of contrasts emerges. On the one hand is a searing black pepper spice that bites the tip of the tongue. On the other is a caramel sweetness that’s most apparent on the aftertaste and in the resting smoke. The interplay is both palpable and enjoyable.

I could go on listing the other flavors that are apparent in the cigar—including chocolate, cedar, espresso, etc.—but your experience with the Selección Limitada Natural will likely be remembered for three traits. The first is the aforementioned interaction between spicy and sweet. The second is how classic-tasting the cigar is. And the third is its similarity to Tatuaje’s Brown Label, which isn’t terribly surprising since this cigar is said to be the same blend just in a different size.

With excellent construction, this is another winner from Pete Johnson and the talented folks at My Father Cigars. Only 500 boxes were produced, so be sure to check out this cigar fairly soon. It’s well worth the money and 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.”

Those who were lucky enough to get their hands on the Cohiba Behike—perhaps the most expensive, rare, and highly anticipated cigar of all time—probably smoked their stash last summer, shortly after the cigar became available. And who can blame them? But I managed to tuck away one BHK 54 (5.7 x 54) for seven months just to see how some modest aging would impact this prized smoke. I’m not sure it changed all that much. I found excellent construction with medium-bodied notes of molasses, honey, coffee, earth, cream, and cinnamon. I still don’t think the Behike is worth the $50 it commands on the market, but I can’t deny that this is an exquisite, finely balanced smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A good cigar enthusiast is an informed cigar enthusiast. That’s why I’m so thankful for the vibrant online cigar community as a whole, and why my colleagues and I continuously strive to accurately and comprehensively provide information about the cigars on the market, who makes them, which ones are worth smoking, and what legislation is threatening cigar rights.

In each cigar review, for example, we always try to provide the country (or countries) of origin of the wrapper, binder, and filler, when that information is available. And it often is. So most of our full reviews include a sentence like this: “The blend boasts an Ecuadorian wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and a three-country filler blend from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic.” Now that information is important, but it doesn’t really tell us all that much about the cigar or how the cigar will taste. Almost every cigar on the market is some combination of the aforementioned nations, or maybe it also has tobacco from Connecticut, Mexico, Cameroon, etc.

Do I want to know that a cigar has a Mexican wrapper? Yes. But I also want to know a whole lot more. And what I want to know isn’t typically so easily found.

Now I’m not calling for industry standards or government regulations. But it would be nice if cigar manufacturers and retailers listed the kind of tobacco in a cigar, not just the countries of origin. Most already do this for the wrapper, listing it as maduro, corojo, criollo, etc. It gets tougher to find this info on binders and fillers. In a perfect world, I would be able to tell if a stick is, say, stuffed with ligero.

Another huge variable is time. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone listed the box date, or the age of the tobaccos within the cigars, or both? That would help us all better determine if recently purchased smokes need more age or if they’re ready to smoke immediately. And personnel can also make a big difference, especially in terms of setting expectations for quality and consistency. We often know who blended a cigar and where the cigar is rolled. Sometimes, though, those answers are either vague or hard to come by.

As someone who writes often about cigars, you could say I have a vested interest in getting access to information. True. But I would say the same thing about cigar smokers, who need that information in order to make decisions about purchases. To those cigar manufacturers and retailers who already make a lot of the above information available, I applaud you. Those that are more secretive might consider opening up a little.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

It was announced yesterday that longtime cigar pioneer Rolando Reyes Sr. died at the age of 89 on Sunday. Reyes will be fondly remembered as the founder of the Puros Indios brand and a mentor for many in the industry.

“My grandfather has been around this industry so long that many of the great manufacturers of today have come to him at one time or another for help and guidance, but left our factory with an incredible life-long friendship,” said Carlos Diez, current president of Puros Indios.

Reyes was also a longtime member of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR). An IPCPR statement released yesterday called him “an inspiration to many in his industry, with a tireless work ethic and an extreme dedication to his craft.”

Rolando Reyes Sr. embodied the very essence of perseverance. Born in Cuba in 1924, he made his dream of becoming a “tabacalero” true when, at age 21, he established his own cigar factory—only to have his “Los Aliados” trademark and properties seized by the communist government. Then, when he refused to work at the nationalized El Rey del Mundo factory, he was forced to labor in rice fields.

A lesser man might have given up. But Don Rolando moved to America to get his feet back on the ground, working in textiles by day and rolling cigars by night. By 1989, after overcoming a trademark setback, he had his own cigar operation again, this time with an office in Miami and a factory in Danlí, Honduras.

Reyes’ impact on the cigar industry will be felt long after his death. I think I can speak for the entire StogieGuys.com community when I say that our thoughts are with his family. Don Rolando will be missed.

–Patrick A

photo credit: N/A

VegaFina is a brand made by tobacco giant Altadis that usually takes a backseat to the more prominent names in the Altadis portfolio, including Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Romeo y Julieta. The Sumum Edición Especial 2010 aims to change that.

Released last month in the U.S.—it is already among the most popular Dominican cigars in Europe—Sumum is a 2010 vintage that’s made at Tabacalera de Garcia. It is crafted “with the best premium tobaccos, hand-selected for their unique characteristics and aged with care, for a one-of-a-kind smoke with distinct body, toasty aroma, and rich flavors,” according to the Altadis website.

The Sumum (Latin for “summit”) recipe calls for a dark, two-year-old Ecuadorian wrapper, a three-year-old Dominican binder, and a three-year-old filler blend of Nicaraguan, Peruvian, and Dominican tobaccos. It is sold in only one size (5 x 54) for $6.75.

The Sumum Edición Especial 2010 is an incredibly attractive cigar with an oily wrapper, a finely constructed triple cap, and a firm feel from head to foot. The pre-light aroma smells of syrup and musty earth. After cutting, I find a moderate draw that imparts some sweetness on the lips. A profile of coffee, citrus, cream, and roasted nuts emerges after establishing an even light. There’s also a fair amount of raisin present, an all-too-rare flavor that’s usually reserved for the likes of Fuentes and Padróns. The texture of the smoke is thick and silky and the aftertaste has a dry, woodsy spice.

Into the midway point and beyond, the aforementioned core flavors are complemented by notes of French vanilla and caramel. There’s plenty of complexity in the mix—enough, in my opinion, to merit a higher price, which makes the Sumum Edición Especial 2010 an excellent buy. All the while the physical properties are good, including a solid white ash and a mostly straight burn.

Altadis is a large company, and that tends to make its sticks less favorable among seasoned cigar veterans in contrast to many of the smaller, more fashionable boutique outfits. Perhaps justifiably so. But I’ll go out on a limb and say the Sumum Edición Especial 2010 is one of the finest smokes I’ve had from Altadis in a long time, especially when you consider its affordable price. I can only feel remorse for those who pass up on this outstanding creation, one that’s worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys