The Stogie Guys

Last year, with considerable mystery, a website for Tatuaje Anarchy sprung up. As we first revealed, the cigar was an exclusive cigar made for the West Palm Beach-based Smoke Inn chain of cigar shops. That cigar (reviewed here) was the first exclusive made to celebrate Smoke Inn’s 15th Anniversary.

Proprietor Abe Dababneh has since followed up the Tatuaje Anarchy with more exclusive blends. Currently available is the Padrón Anniversary 1964 SI-15 blend, a thick toro size of the popular Padrón Anniversary line available with both natural and maduro wrappers. Coming in August is the My Father El Hijo, produced at Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. (A final release, by Fuente, is due this Fall.) (more…)

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 cigar by Casa Fernandez came in the sampler pack sold by Cigar Rights of America to support their fight against anti-tobacco laws. The Nicaraguan smoke features a flawless dark wrapper with just a bit of shine. The blend is the same as the original Casa Fernandez line, but the size is new. The cigar tastes of roasted coffee, cedar, and a distinctive spicy finish that focuses on the tip of the tongue. Complex and full-bodied with superb construction, it’s great with a pour of Zaya rum.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

I’ve always been a fan of Knob Creek. I recall my father picking up a bottle at some point when I was in college, and I remember it tasting far better than the Jim Beam I had grown accustomed to drinking at school. (Coincidentally, Beam makes Knob Creek along with other small batch bourbons that I’ve come to enjoy, including Booker’s and Baker’s.)

But I didn’t realize Knob Creek came in a Single Barrel edition until a friend recently bought me a bottle. (He owed me after he polished off most of a bottle of my Baker’s.) Sure enough, late last year Knob Creek came out with its first single barrel Knob Creek. (more…)

When Jonathan Drew announced the release of his personal blend—named My Uzi Weighs a Ton (presumably after the Public Enemy song) and available only in sizes with a 60 ring gauge—I assumed the cigar would be another full-bodied flavor bomb.

And when it came to light that the cigar would be made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory, known for producing full-bodied cigars, I considered my assumption confirmed. As you’ll see below, I was wrong.

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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.”

There are may reasons why Northern Virginia is a good place to be a cigar smoker, including having PG Cigars’ flagship shop nearby. There, you not only can buy every hard-to-find PG smoke currently made, but they also sell a number of cigars with well over a decade of age on them. This corona, for example, was rolled back in 1993. Despite the often mellowing effects of age, it has plenty of flavor with leather and cedar notes and a musty tinge. It’s well-balanced and medium-bodied with flawless combustion. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, it’s well worth picking up.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

CAO Cigars is entering a new era, and we wanted to find out what that new era would bring for the brand’s many fans.

In 2007, the family-owned company was purchased by the Scandanavian Tobacco Group (STG). Later, in early 2010, STG merged its premium tobacco division with General Cigar (maker of Macanudo, La Gloria Cubana, Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, and many more well-known lines). Since then, a number of CAO stalwarts have left the company, including President Tim Ozgener, Chairman Gary Hyams, and Lifestyle Director Jon Huber, and CAO left Nashville to join General Cigar at its headquarters in Richmond, Virginia.

To get the scoop on what all this means for those who smoke and enjoy CAO Cigars, I talked to Ed McKenna, senior brand manager for CAO.

Stogie Guys: What is your background in cigars? How long have you been smoking, and do you remember the first cigar you really enjoyed?

Ed McKenna: I joined General Cigar several years ago, after being on the marketing team for Bacardi’s tequila portfolio. The premium cigar business shares many similarities to the world of spirits, but as I quickly learned, this industry is its own universe and to this point, I haven’t been able to compare it to any other. Since I’ve been with General Cigar, my focus has been on Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, and Excalibur cigars. Together with Rick Chandler (director of Villazon brands at GC), with the product development team at HATSA (our factory in Honduras), and with input from our consumer ambassadors, I’ve launched Upper Cut by Punch, Reposado en Cedros, and Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary. I’m now managing the CAO business full time.

I have always liked cigars. My Dad was a casual cigar smoker, and I got bitten by the bug as they say, way back in college when my friends and would go over to our local tobacconist (then, it was Tobacco Village in Delaware), and pick up a few smokes to enjoy during the weekend. Those were great times. The first cigars I remember smoking were Partagas (my father’s favorite), Macanudo, and Onyx (random, I know).

I smoked cigars regularly in college, but there’s one standout occasion with Partagas. That was with my dad. We celebrated my college graduation over a robusto, and I remember thinking that I’d remember that cigar for the rest of my life. Along with a Punch Rare Corojo at my wedding last year, that Partagas cigar will go down in history as one of my favorite smokes. (more…)

Elected officials looking to raise cigar taxes to close budget deficits should look at New York State before proceeding. Despite two large tax increases, tax revenues from cigar taxes have fallen off dramatically.

In 2009, the state raised taxes in “Other Tobacco Products” (OTP) from 37% of the wholesale price to 46%. Then, in July 2010, the tax went up again to 75%—the highest in the nation. On top of its OTP tax, New York has a 4% state sales tax that is also applied to cigars and other tobacco products.

Meanwhile, taxes collected on premium handmade cigars have fallen over 50% from over $8 million per year in 2007 to about $4 million in 2009. The 2010 numbers aren’t available at this time, but Empire State retailers have observed continued declines. (more…)