The Stogie Guys

Now that we’re in the middle of the Christmas shopping season, many consumers will surely be looking for a good stocking stuffer for that cigar enthusiast on their list. They might want to consider the Ergonomic Torch Lighter from Butane Lighters Wholesale.

Butane Lighters Wholesale is a California distributor of torch lighters, cigar cutter lighters, pipe lighters, table lighters, and other products to meet your flame-related needs. The owner of the outfit, Aaron Torng, was nice enough to send me the Ergonomic Torch Lighter for this review, and I’ve been testing it out for over a month now.

First, the specs on the product. It stands four and a half inches tall with a weight of four ounces. Its unique frame, aside from looking pretty cool, fits well in the hand, and the black rubber grips make the sleek steel surface easy to grasp. Other notable attributes include an adjustable flame (screwdriver required) and a refillable butane tank.

The 45-degree angled head makes toasting the foot of a cigar a little less awkward, but I’m unconvinced it makes much of a difference. What does make a difference is the easily operated thumb slide and the reliable flame. When set to its highest level, you can light a cigar from about three inches away.

Over the past four weeks I’ve used the Ergonomic Torch Lighter extensively. I can say that the flame doesn’t disappoint, and the value is outstanding. At $19.99, this product is superior to many lighters that I’ve owned in terms of performance, and far less expensive. And each butane fill-up seems to last for a respectable time period.

While its larger size and lack of a safety mechanism makes this lighter less than ideal in terms of mobility, I’ve really enjoyed having it on my desk or out on the patio when company is over. I may even pack one of these in my golf bag when the summer rolls around, though I think it was designed to be a table lighter.

Whatever the case, the Ergonomic Torch Lighter is a solid buy for under $20.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Twenty miles south of Nashville lies the town of Franklin, home to the Bellaterra Ranch. For the Murphy family, the Tennessee ranch is an idyllic setting for horses, wine, and cigars.

Mike Murphy learned about wine from his grandfather-in-law, an Italian winemaker who taught him the craft 30 years ago. Mike and his wife later took more than 40 trips to Napa and Sonoma to help them develop their own wine, called Bellaterra. These days, they sell their California-made wine from their 30-acre ranch.

They also sell cigars, made by the Toraño family in Nicaragua. The Murphys have five blends that are specifically constructed to pair well with (and not overpower) red wine: La Dolce Vita Reserve, La Dolce Vita, Riserva di Famiglia, Euforia, and Double Deuce.

Riserva di Famiglia carries the title of “our family favorite,” so I decided to sample this Connecticut-wrapped line first. It is comprised of five vitolas that range in price from $11.86 to $13.46: Corona (5.5 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), Torpedo (6.25 x 52), Churchill (7 x 48), and Double Corona (7 x 50). Only 6,000 of these cigars were made.

The Robusto has a dark, reddish exterior leaf with minimal veins and a nice cap. The foot gives off a rich aroma of earth and cocoa powder. Fairly light and soft in the hand, the pre-light draw is smooth, even with just a punch cut.

After establishing an even light, the Robusto opens with a rounded profile of leather, oak, raisin, marshmallow sweetness, and a bit of black pepper spice on the finish. I would classify the strength towards the mild side of the medium-bodied spectrum.

I have to admit to being thrown off by this cigar. On one hand, it doesn’t look or taste anything like your typical Connecticut-wrapped smoke, which usually has hay, almond, cream and a mild body. On the other, it has both spice and some of the zing that you’d expect from Nicaraguan tobacco, but it’s more subdued than the familiar cigars that come out of that country. I’m further vexed by the fact that the Robusto doesn’t taste like anything else produced by the Toraños.

These perplexities aside, I do like the flavor, and I must give this smoke points for its uniqueness. Construction is good, too, with a burn line that meanders but never requires a touch-up. My only complaint is that the white ash tends to fall off the foot a bit prematurely.

After sampling three Robustos for this review, I’m impressed by the balance and individuality of the taste. Don’t think of the price as too high for a cigar you’ve never heard of; think of it as the cost of smoking a rare Toraño most enthusiasts will never get their hands on, 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

Cuban-born baseball legend Luis Tiant, known to many simply as “El Tiante,” launched his own line of cigars in 2007, around the time of the 25th anniversary of his final major league game. Now, the man who many call one of the best big game pitchers of all time is reinventing his cigar company with his son, Daniel.

Daniel Tiant serves as president and CEO of the newly renamed Tiant Cigar Group. He recently unveiled the two new blends that serve as the cornerstone of the company’s reintroduction: Habano Oscuro and Habano Rosado. Each is made at Don Pepin’s My Father Cigars Factory with Ecuadorian-seed wrappers and Nicaraguan binders and fillers.

“I wanted a more serious image with our cigar company, and that is the reason we recreated our cigar bands, boxes, and overall presentation,” Daniel told me. “We have a great respect for [the Garcia family], being able to spend time with them, seeing how they run their factory, and seeing how comfortable and in their relaxed state my dad and Don Pepin are when together…this really made our decision an easy one.”

As for the blends themselves, Daniel says “they bring to the table a tremendous complexity in flavor, flawless construction, and effortless draw. I smoke a lot of different cigars out there in the market and only a handful make me feel the way ours do…Every time I finish one I’m looking to light up a second one right away.”

Both new blends come in four vitolas that retail for $6.80 to $8.60 apiece: Pyramid (6 x 52), Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50), and Toro Gordo (6 x 60). They are sold mostly in the New England area, including shops in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, but are also available at several locales in Florida. Daniel is looking to expand distribution nationwide.

My first exposure to the new El Tiante was with the Habano Oscuro Pyramid, and it was a pleasant one. This cigar starts with lots of chary, chewy Nicaraguan zing. Black pepper, cayenne spice, barbeque sauce, and dried fruit make up the bulk of the bold profile. After a half inch, the flavor mellows slightly, dropping some of the spice and picking up roasted nuts and cream. But the overall impact is still full-bodied.

Smoking slowly really pays off, allowing the nuances of the blend to shine through despite the cigar’s strength. All the while the construction is outstanding—a testament to the “pride and craftsmanship” at the My Father Cigars operation in Estelí, according to Daniel.

While I was a fan of the original El Tiante blends, I have to say the Oscuro Pyramid is a solid improvement and a good value. I look forward to trying the Habano Rosado soon. For now, the Oscuro Pyramid is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

For those of us who live in the northern part of the U.S., winter can be a crummy time to be a cigar enthusiast. The cold, arid air makes humidor maintenance more difficult. And, with a lack of indoor smoking sanctuaries thanks to government-imposed bans, we’re often forced into the frosty outdoors if we want to enjoy a premium cigar.

I live in Chicago, where the winters can be brutal. For me, as often as I like to smoke, simply going outside is not an option. I cannot be expected to bundle up and sit in the arctic frost for 90 minutes or more every time I want a cigar, notwithstanding how many times I’ve done that before, and notwithstanding how much I respect those who consistently brave the weather to light up some premium tobacco.

Thankfully, I have a loving wife who understands this, and who isn’t vehemently opposed to the delightful aroma of a premium cigar. So when we were on the market for our new home in Chicago, we specifically looked at condos that have a room that could be turned into my winter smoking den. Our requirements were as follows: the room must have a ceiling fan, several windows, a good heat source, and at least enough space for my humidors. We also wanted a hard wood floor, since carpeting tends to soak up that stale tobacco smell and get stained by errant ashes.

I’m pleased to report that the condo we ended up buying has all this and more. After some adjustments—including the installation of French doors with basic weather stripping and draft guards—I have a wonderful smoking den off of our main living room. The den is big enough to house a comfy chair, all of my humidors, lots of books, a desk for writing, and even a dartboard. And it has ample windows, each with a good view of the neighborhood.

My procedure for lighting up in this sanctuary is basically to crack open a window, fire up the radiator to offset any incoming chill, turn on the ceiling fan, and smoke away. With the doors closed, all this is enough to keep the vast majority of the smoky smell away from the rest of our home. Sure, the den isn’t air-tight. And I didn’t invest the money to buy an expensive exhaust system. But my wife doesn’t strongly oppose cigar smoke, either, so it was never my intention to completely isolate myself from the rest of the world. Heck, I find that I open the doors an average of two or three times during each cigar, usually to get a cold one from the fridge.

All this worked out fantastically well, and I understand how lucky I am to be able to pull this off. I’ll be feeling even luckier once those subzero temperatures sweep in and the snow begins to fall. So my advice is to find yourself a winter smoking sanctuary before it’s too late, be that sanctuary at a cigar lounge or in your home. Otherwise, you may want to invest in some warm gloves that leave your fingers nimble enough to cut and light a cigar.

–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 handsome Robusto from Emilio Cigars features a clean Sumatra wrapper around a Honduran Connecticut binder and filler tobaccos from Jamastran and Costa Rica. After lighting, musty pre-light notes transition to a profile of spice and espresso. This full-bodied, 5.5-inch smoke is tasty and bold, though it doesn’t have the nuance or complexity that you can find in the Grimalkin.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In January, Pedro Benitez officially launched P. Benitez Fine Cigars with a factory in Estelí (a factory that has since relocated to Managua, Nicaragua). Benitez, the founder of the company and also its master blender, was born in Cuba, raised in Miami, and processed tobacco for 25 years in the Dominican Republic.

The original P. Benitez line is made up of five vitolas, including the Lancero and the Torpedo. Even though it is less than a year old, Benitez has already introduced a second blend, this one called Antonio Benitez. It was blended by Benitez and his son, Reynold, in honor of Benitez’s first grandson, Reynold Antonio.

“We wanted to produce a line of cigars geared towards the more seasoned palate,” said Alberto Iturrey, the company’s co-owner and Benitez’s nephew, when I asked him why they’re launching a second line. “This blend is made with more full-bodoed tobaccos. All five vitolas of the Antonio line are Nicaraguan puros.”

But not all Antonio Benitez vitolas are made with the same Nicaraguan tobaccos. The Churchill (7 x 50), for example, features a corojo ’99 wrapper. But the Robusto Maduro (5 x 50) has a Habano maduro wrapper around its criollo ’98 binder and filler tobaccos. The latter is firm and oily with a few lumps and a nice double cap.

Once lit, the Robusto Maduro takes on a rich espresso character with plenty of black pepper spice on the finish. Definitely bold. After only half an inch, the power is complemented by sweet cocoa and caramel flavors. The result is a smooth, decadent mixture with a resting smoke akin to baked chocolate cake.

Seasoned cigar enthusiasts will be pleasantly surprised by the depth and complexity in this cigar, which has an MSRP of $6.80. Likewise, the physical properties are excellent. Expect an even burn, a sturdy white ash, and a clear draw.

Currently, Pedro Benitez’s creations can be tough to find. But if you’re interested in trying the Robusto Maduro—and you should be—Iturrey tells me Habaneros Cigars will take orders by telephone, even though they don’t have this cigar on their website. I assure you the extra effort will be well worth it. This is one of my favorite new cigars of the year, and it’s 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

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.”

For $150, I signed up for Pete Johnson’s Saints & Sinners club, entitling me to discounted merchandise, exclusive cigars, and access to members-only forums. I was mailed a care package of Tatuaje swag and 15 cigars upon registration. Included was this unreleased size of the Fausto. At 4.75 inches in length, it packs a powerful taste of pepper, raisin, and espresso from its Nicaraguan tobaccos and Ecuadorian wrapper. While this blend and format isn’t Johnson’s finest, it’s a good pairing with bourbon after a heavy meal. If you didn’t sign up for the 2011 Saints & Sinners club, keep an eye out for the 2012 registration; at the very least, it’s a pleasure to get to taste blends and sizes that are unavailable to the general public.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys