The Stogie Guys

“Corona Gorda, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, the white horse which is the conquer, the false prophet.”

According to the Illusione website, the unique name behind this vitola was inspired by Pete Johnson, who suggested Illusione creator Dion Giolito call it “cheval blanc.” Giolito evidently wanted to associate this cigar with French wine country, and a name that translates to “white horse” not only accomplishes that association, it also fits perfectly with the conspiracy culture that Giolito embraces.

Each of the 12 vitolas in the original Illusione lineup have unique names—including “And Crowned of Thorns” and “Necessary and Sufficient”—and each corresponding vitola digit (i.e., 23, 888, 2) refers to either Giolito’s faith, a significant year in his life, or his favorite number at the craps table. The Illusione name itself is a nod to conspiracy culture.

Like its brethren, the cg4 (5.63 x 48) is made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras from three-year old Nicaraguan tobaccos. It features a reddish oscuro corojo wrapper that has some prominent veins and ample oils. Topped off with a triple cap, the cigar is firm with pre-light notes of earth and milk chocolate.

Once lit, the corojo ’99 and criollo ’98 tobaccos produce a profile of leather, spice, and plenty of sweetness on the finish—more sweetness than I have noticed in any of the other Illusione vitolas. The flavor is bold yet balanced with the sort of smooth strength that can sneak up on you given the depth of the taste.

The depth is further accented by the additions of dark chocolate and nuts towards the midway point. The roasted nut flavor and the sweetness on the finish really makes the cg4 stand out. Even with all its nuance, though, the cigar definitely falls in the full-bodied range. But unlike so many powerful smokes on the market, this one has the complexity—it’s not brute force.

I’d expect a corona gorda that costs $7-8 to have good construction, and the cg4 doesn’t disappoint. The stable ash holds firm. And the burn, while not perfectly straight, doesn’t require any touch-ups to stay mostly even.

I don’t think I’m surprising anyone by throwing my recommendation behind the Illusione cg4. The cat has been out of the bag for years now, and most would agree that the near universal praise for the Illusione recipe is justified. That’s certainly the case with this smoke, which earns 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.”

Looking for a good way to spend $5? It’s hard to think of a better buy than the 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Natural Robusto from Pinar del Rio. This Abe Flores creation has a mixture of Ecuadorian, Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobaccos that combines to produce an outstanding profile of dry oak, grass, nuts, and cream. With excellent construction, this five-inch cigar is an easy recommendation. Try it with a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

“We are the cigar for the majority cigar smoker, not the…corporate exec sitting in his big leather chair smoking a $20 cigar…You, the majority cigar smoker, are who we labor for.”

That’s the idea behind C&C Cigars, a new outfit that announced itself at the IPCPR Trade Show in July. Reading through the company’s website, you get the idea that C&C intends to position itself as a purveyor of premium cigars that won’t break the bank, and it hopes to win over cigar veterans who are looking for a solid values.

You’ll remember C&C’s owner, Joe Chiusano, as the former president of Cusano, a brand that ended up getting purchased by Davidoff in 2009. He and his team of former Cusano/Davidoff employees—including Jeff Aronson, Maurice Tisseur, and Shane Hays—have cooked up three premium lines that are handmade in the Dominican Republic: Corojo, Maduro, and Connecticut.

The Connecticut will ship towards the end of the month, and the Maduro and Corojo started hitting retailers in late October. Each blend is available in three sizes of 18-count boxes: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 52), and Churchill (7 x 50). In keeping with C&C’s goal of value, the MSRPs on these cigars all fall in the $3.99 to $4.49 range.

The Corojo Robusto certainly doesn’t look like a smoke that costs less than $4. The samples I examined for this review each had clean, moderately oily Ecuadorian wrappers and nice triple caps. Underneath, the Dominican binder and filler tobaccos are packed in well enough to create a heavy, firm feel in the hand, yet carefully enough to yield a smooth draw. The pre-light aroma is earthy.

The first few lit puffs give off a smooth, oaky character with virtually none of the spice that I associate with corojo tobacco. After a half inch, though, a richer profile emerges. Notes include molasses, toast, graham, and a soft spiciness that lingers in the finish. As C&C says, “the spice sneaks up on you.” I’d have to agree.

While the flavors don’t really change from the first inch to the nub, they do tend to slowly increase in intensity throughout the smoke. Despite this amplification, the Corojo Robusto remains toward the lighter end of the medium-bodied range.

With these characteristics and outstanding physical properties, the C&C Corojo Robusto is a very good choice if you’re looking for a milder corojo that won’t break the bank. No, you won’t find a ton of complexity here. But even discerning smokers will agree that, for the money, this is a welcome addition to the market, one worthy of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

“Made in the U.S.A.” is a phrase not often associated with premium cigars. But that’s the sort of spirit Walter “Lilo” Santiago wants to bring to his new brand, Crémo Cigars.

When Crémo actually hits the market in early 2012, Santiago will be promoting the fact that the cigars are crafted at the El Titan de Bronze Cigar Factory on Miami’s Calle Ocho. The factory, according to a recent Crémo press release, is “known best for its old-school Cuban entubado techniques, [and] is a family owned and operated ‘fabriquita’ which employs level-nine rollers from Cuba, who have worked for Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta, Corona, and Partagas. These torcedores, like a painter to a canvas, handcraft each cigar with meticulous detail.”

I recently received several samples of Crémo’s inaugural blend—called “Classic”—in the mail from Santiago. Sure enough, along the side of each cream-colored band is the phrase “handcrafted in Little Havana.” But the tobacco within the blend is not American. It is comprised of a Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Exclusively blended by Willy Herrera prior to his departure to Drew Estate, Classic will be offered in three vitolas: a corona gorda called Magnum Opus (5.75 x 46), a robusto called Excelsior (5 x 50), and a toro called Intrepidus (6 x 52). The robusto will carry an MSRP of $8 while the other two formats will be priced in the $10-12 range.

The Intrepidus is a pale-looking smoke with a roadmap of thin veins across its otherwise smooth surface. The cap is constructed well, and there’s a moderately soft feel from head to toe. I notice faint pre-light notes of honey and hay as I take a draw before touching fire to the foot.

After establishing an even light, the cigar starts with a dry wood flavor, some coffee, and plenty of Nicaraguan kick. The latter taste, which comes across as a black pepper spice, slowly fades after the first inch, leaving a creamier texture and a more rounded profile. I’d be willing to say the Intrepidus starts fairly full-bodied and transitions to the medium-bodied range rather quickly. That’s where it remains until the end, giving off floral notes and cedar along the way. Construction on the toro is about as close to perfect as you can get.

Santiago tells me Crémo will be introducing a maduro line at the company’s official launch at next summer’s IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando. I look forward to trying that. For now, the Classic Intrepidus has made an impression on me, with all three samples smoking well, yielding complex flavors, and producing aromatic resting smoke. For these reasons, I have no qualms about rating this up-and-coming smoke four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Ask any cigar enthusiast to name his top three cigar brands, and there’s an excellent chance Padrón will be one third of his answer. This vertically integrated company has been in the business for almost 50 years, and it has produced some of the most sought-after cigars this side of Cuba—including 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 aged for two and a half years.

The Executive is a double corona that measures seven and a half inches long with a ring gauge of 50. I picked it up for $7 at a tobacconist in downtown Chicago. It’s a long, rugged-looking cigar that takes a good two hours to smoke to completion. Before setting fire to the foot, it’s impossible not to take note of the Executive’s pungent pre-light aroma of chocolate and earth.

I’ve read that the draw on this vitola can be a bit airy, especially for its length. Using a punch instead of a guillotine cutter yields a perfect draw. Once an even light is established, a syrupy taste of coffee, leather, and pepper emerges. And while there’s a bit of sweetness on the finish, the cigar is far less chocolatey than expected.

I don’t really mind that because the Executive’s taste is agreeable and the resting smoke is very aromatic and pleasant. These are important points, especially since the profile hardly changes from beginning to end. A two-hour smoke with an unwavering flavor can often be a bad thing. But, in this case, the taste is interesting and balanced enough to hold my attention.

With superb physical attributes—including a solid white ash and a straight burn—the Executive Maduro is a great way to get that classic Padrón quality without paying top dollar. Sure, the complexity doesn’t match the Anniversary Series or the Family Reserve, but try finding those premier smokes for $7. I rate this vitola three 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.”

This A.J. Fernandez cigar has been my go-to maduro in recent weeks. Sure, I’ve enjoyed it since it was launched in 2010, but a year of age has improved this Mexican-wrapped smoke, making the chalky taste of espresso, black pepper, and cayenne spice more balanced and sweeter. Expect more chocolate and nuts from the first generation of San Lotano Maduros, and expect them to be quite tasty. That makes the Robusto (5 x 52) a good investment at around $6 apiece.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Back in July, StogieGuys.com was in Las Vegas for the 79th annual IPCPR Trade Show. We reported on two new releases from General Cigar: the highly anticipated CAO OSA Sol and the La Gloria Cubana Retro Especiale.

The Retro Especiale just started to ship in late September, which makes this a good time to review the new line. It is comprised of a Honduran-grown Connecticut-seed wrapper with dual Nicaraguan and Mexican binders around filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper, according to a press release, was specifically cultivated to allow “each of the cigar’s components to enjoy equal bearing on the overall taste of the cigar,” rather than having any one part dominate.

Packaged in attractive art deco wooden boxes that were inspired by an antique humidor found at the El Credito factory, Retro Especiale is available in four sizes: Taino (7 x 52), Habanero (6 x 52), Cubano (6.5 x 58), and Club (5.75 x 47). Each carries an MSRP between $7 and $8.15.

The Club has faint pre-light notes and a light exterior leaf that’s far from intimidating. Despite its golden hue, though, General Cigar says “the blend is brash in its full flavor and engages the entire palate.” That’s certainly true upon first light, where the cigar has a powerful, somewhat salty taste that’s characterized by dry wood.

I don’t find overt saltiness particularly appetizing, so I’m pleased to report that the profile becomes much less abrasive after only a few puffs. Core flavors like peanut, cedar, cream, black coffee, and citrus emerge. The result is a more balanced cigar that stands firmly in the medium- to full-bodied range. Each puff produces large volumes of smoke, and the resting smoke is aromatic and sweet.

I really like the taste of this cigar, even if some stale notes waft in and out in the final third. All the while the construction is what I’ve come to expect from General Cigar creations: a straight burn line, a clear draw, and a solid ash that holds well.

At $175 per 25-count box, the Club is a solid buy. This young cigar, which I think shows good aging potential, is a nice addition to the La Gloria Cubana portfolio and worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys