The Stogie Guys

Toraño brought out two new cigars at last August’s IPCPR Trade Show. Loyal, a value-priced cigar featuring an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler, came out immediately after the show.

The more highly-anticipated Toraño Vault only shipped a couple of months ago. The Vault concept originates from a book of cigar blends, which according to Toraño documents every blend ever created by the company since the 80’s, including many that never made it to market. Toraño executives Charlie Toraño and Bruce Lewis have now begun using the documented blends as inspiration for new blends.

Liga A-800 is the first such Vault-inspired blend. In the Vault book (now kept in a bank vault, according to Toraño’s marketing materials) the A-800 “recipe” uses a shade-grown Nicaraguan Colorado wrapper, Honduran Jamastran binder, and Nicaraguan filler from both Estelí and Condega.

After tasting their reconstructed A-800 blend, Toraño decided to add one ingredient that wasn’t available to Toraño when it was originally made in 2000: a second binder using Nicaraguan Ometepe tobacco (from the volcanic island in Nicaragua that was previously exclusive to General Cigars). This new recipe comes in three sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 50), and Torpedo (6.1 x 52), plus a limited release Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46).

I reviewed the Torpedo, which sells for just under $8 each. The cigar is firm with no soft spots on the dry, reddish-brown wrapper. It has a complex combination of cinnamon, black coffee, leather, and wood. It’s a medium- to full-bodied cigar with a dry, clove-like spice that I associate with Ometepe tobacco.

There’s not a lot of variation from start to finish, though dry chocolate and leather emerge slightly in the blend that is dominated by wood and spice. Construction is superb, which I’ve come to expect from Toraño.

This is a good smoke, but I’m not sure it ranks with Toraño’s best. (My favorite is the 50 Years Exodus.) Still, it’s well-made and complex, and makes me look forward to the next Vault blend. That all earns the Toraño Vault Liga A-008 Torpedo a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

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.”

Created for Avo’s 82nd birthday, this toro features an Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper around Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The Tesoro has cool, damp smoke with mushroom (a common characteristic of Davidoff-made cigars) and a creamy core. The mild smoke sports plenty of sweetness too, with cashew flavors. It’s far milder than any of the more recent annual Avo releases, but it may be my favorite. If you come across any of these, I’d suggest you pick one up.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Avo

We spend a lot of time writing about spirits you can pair with a cigar. Rum, scotch, bourbon, beer, and wine have their place, but sometimes nothing beats a cup of coffee.

Whether in the morning, after lunch, or at the conclusion of dinner on a chilly night, a strong cup of coffee is often times more appropriate, or just plain better, than something stronger. On the other hand, bad watery coffee can ruin not only the immediate experience, but coffee in general. Coffee certainly isn’t the most exotic drink (over half of all Americans consume it everyday, and the per capita consumption is 1.6 cups a day) but a fine cigar paired with a good brew can turn the average to the exotic.

And the flavors in a good cup of coffee are highly complimentary to fine cigars. Vanilla, mocha, chocolate, and roasted notes, nuttiness, and earth, can all be found in both cigars and coffee. In fact, tasting wheels used for coffee tasting would help any cigar smoker identify flavors in tobacco.

But much like bad cigars, too often when people think of coffee they think of bad coffee, like that sludge they serve at your workplace. But doing so would be like thinking that all cigars are like Phillies. To fix that, here are a few tips I adhere to for making a proper cup of coffee.

First off, you need good beans. There are many good ones out there and plenty of boutique roasters to explore, but these days my go-to is Major Dickason’s blend by Peet’s, a full-flavored multi-region blend. Best of all, it’s easy to find (my local supermarket carries it) so I don’t have to order it through the mail or worry about when I’ll be able to pick some more up.

The biggest improvement the average person can make to their coffee experience is grinding them at home immediately before brewing the coffee. Burr grinders are best, as they evenly grind the coffee without burning the grinds like blade grinders do, and these days you find a decent one for $50 or $60.

Of course, some people take it a step further, roasting their own beans, and buying thousands of dollars worth of brewing equipment. But such a setup isn’t necessary for good coffee. I use one of the cheapest methods, a Melitta pour over a coffee maker that makes one cup at a time and uses easy-to-find paper filters.

When it comes to a cigar with your proper cup of coffee, there are as many good cigars to choose from as there are exotic coffee blends. Mild Connecticut smokes in the morning, dark full-bodied maduros later, is an easy rule of thumb, but you shouldn’t feel bound to any particular rule. Just don’t overlook coffee when it’s time for a cigar. And let us know your favorite coffee and cigar pairing below in the comments.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

This cigar, from CAO’s small batch Escaparate series, is exclusive to the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Company. It features a Costa Rican maduro wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and Nicaraguan filler from Estelí, Jalapa, and Condega. The Corona Gorda (6.5 x 50) is a very sweet, medium-bodied smoke. It features milk chocolate, clove, subtle leather, and just a hint of spice in the second half. Construction is excellent. This is a very enjoyable smoke that has some unique qualities.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This week there was another development in the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) push to regulate cigars. The agency announced it was extending the public comment period on it’s proposed regulation of cigars.

No reason was given for extending the comment period, but the extension gives cigar smokers another chance to register their opposition to FDA regulation. Cigar smokers got a hint at what regulation would mean in a recent Daily Caller article on the subject.

In the article, an FDA spokesperson said that under an FDA regulation regime cigars “would be subject to general controls, such as registration, product listing, ingredient listing, good manufacturing practice requirements, user fees for certain products, and the adulteration and misbranding provisions, as well as to the premarket review requirements for ‘new tobacco products’ and ‘modified risk tobacco products.'”

Such regulation would be devastating to the cigar industry, and in particular to boutique cigars and the creation of new blends. And “user fees” is just a bureaucratic term for more taxes on cigars, which are already at record high rates.

The FDA spokesman’s quote also shows a complete misunderstanding of the handmade artisanal nature of premium cigars.

“Ingredient listing” would be nearly impossible beyond “100% tobacco” since blends are regularly tweaked to provide consistent flavor from one year to the next. Further, even if blends aren’t changed, the chemical composition of tobacco leaves changes from harvest to harvest, meaning any disclosure of “ingredients” beyond tobacco would be either completely stifling or totally meaningless.

Similarly, by forcing new cigars to go through a costly FDA approval process, the now constant stream of new cigar blends would grind to a halt. Suddenly, instead of releasing small batch blends, cigar makers would be forced to focus on large runs that they think would have mass appeal after a time-consuming approval process.

All this should worry everyone who enjoys premium cigars. Fortunately, there are two important actions that can every cigar smoker can take.

If you haven’t yet registered your opposition, or even if you already have, please do so here by submitting a comment. Also write your Senators and Congressman today and ask them to support the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011,” which would repeal the FDA’s authority to regulate cigars.

–Patrick S

photo credit: FDA

As it gets colder outside, my preferences for a spirit to pair with a fine cigar change with the seasons. For me, scotch always seems like the appropriate drink for a chilly winter night.

When it comes to single malts, I enjoy many different varieties. I’m particularly a fan of peaty whiskies, such as Talisker and Laphroaig. Still, sometimes a more classic single malt seems appropriate.

And it’s hard to find a more classic expression of a single malt scotch whisky than Macallan 12 Year. Made in Moray, Scotland, in the Speyside region, it’s the third best-selling single malt in the world behind Glenfiddich and Glenlivet.

This particular Macallan is aged 12 years in sherry casks, which is how all Macallan’s were originally aged until they more recently added the Fine Oak range which uses both sherry and American bourbon barrels. It’s bright golden amber in color and the nose shows the sherry, along with some spice and orange peel.

On the palate, the Macallan 12 features ample nutty flavors, raisins, sherry, oak, and cream. It’s perfectly balanced, with impressive depth and complexity. The finish is long and warm with a bit of sweet toffee.

“Simply the best 12-year-old single malt around” is how renowned whisky writer Paul Pacult described Macallan 12. I’m inclined to agree, and you won’t be surprised to know that I think it makes for a terrific accompaniment to a fine cigar.

Nearly any medium- or full-bodied would go fine, but I think that balanced Dominican cigars are particularly ideal. The Davidoff Millenium Blend and PG 15th Anniversary come to mind.

Available for around $50 a bottle, it’s become a staple in my liquor cabinet, particularly in the cold months of winter. If by some chance you haven’t tried this classic single malt, I highly suggest you do so.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

I’ve had this five and a half inch by 54 ring gauge cigar in the bottom of my humidor for at least a few years. Time has mellowed it slightly, but the Nicaraguan puro is still full-bodied. It’s earthy and leathery, with dense powdered cocoa. With excellent construction, it’s still a favorite of mine.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys