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.”

I enjoyed this robusto when it came out early last summer, enough to go pick up a box before they were gone. Eight months of age hasn’t made this cigar markedly better, but it certainly hasn’t made it any worse. I still found the same sweet honey and graham cracker flavors. And it still has excellent balance, a long toasty finish, and flawless construction. These cigars have been sold out for some time now, but if you’re offered one I wouldn’t recommend passing on the opportunity.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This Sunday is International Pipe Smoking Day, a day for celebrating the tradition of pipe smoking. If you haven’t tried a pipe, it’s a good time to see if you like it.

Unlike the love-hate relationship between cigar and cigarette smokers, pipe smokers are natural friends of cigar smokers, and not just because we frequent the same shops. Remember that the IPCPR, after all, represents both cigar and pipe retailers.

Like cigar smokers, and unlike cigarette smokers, pipes are a hobby, not a habit or an addiction. A pipe, like a cigar, is a great way to slow down the hectic pace of life and reflect on the past, present, and future.

Pipe smokers are often also similarly discriminated against, even among smokers. I’ve seen signs that read “No Cigars or Pipes” too many times to remember.

Personally, I’ve tried a pipe on a few occasions, and while I enjoyed it, ultimately it wasn’t for me. I can see the appeal, but the idea of constantly cleaning a pipe seems like a bit too much for me. I’ve also never smoked a pipe that has the complexity of a fine cigar. (But then, I’m an amateur when it comes to pipes.)

So don’t take my word for it. Many cigar smokers regularly enjoy pipes too. And with International Pipe Smoking Day on Sunday, what better time to give it a try?

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

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 has been sitting in my humidor since the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. The well-constructed robusto features a Nicaraguan wrapper, a Dominican binder, and a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos, as well as flavors of cedar, earth, coffee, and a bit of sweet toffee. It is medium-bodied smoke and relatively well-balanced. Given the approachable price point of about $5 per stick, I’m impressed with what the Augusto Reyes Sixth Generation Robusto has to offer.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Write a review about an expensive cigar and one question will be inevitably asked, almost without fail: Is it worth the price?

That’s a fair question, and one that I often ask myself. After all, cigars cost money, and buying one stick usually means less left over to spend on others. And yet, in my reviews, you won’t find the answer to that question. It’s not that it doesn’t occur to me; it’s just that I don’t think my personal answer would (or should) be helpful to readers.

First, each person’s financial situation unique. A college student is going to be far less likely to buy an $20 cigar than a millionaire. Meanwhile, some collectors are perfectly willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a box of vintage Cubans. Personally, when I first started smoking cigars in college, $5 seemed like an awful lot to spend. Now I consider that to be a pretty inexpensive sum to pay for a smoke. (And if I won the lottery tomorrow, I may suddenly think that $30 or $40 isn’t all that much for a cigar.)

But the means to pay for a cigar isn’t the only aspect that impacts whether a cigar is “worth the price.” One’s palate and preferences can have just as large an impact.

Many but not all cigar smokers find that their palates become more refined over time, and what they value in a cigar’s flavor changes. I appreciate complexity and subtlety much more now than back when I first started smoking. Practically speaking, that means I’m more willing to shell out a few extra bucks now for a more complex smoke than I would have been a few years ago.

In other words, what people value in cigars is as varied as their financial situations. This isn’t to say that some cigars aren’t worth the price. Sure, there are still some cigars that I wouldn’t recommend for anyone; but these days, with higher quality the norm, such cigars are fewer and farther between.

Which brings us back to cigar reviews: If you read a cigar review thinking it will tell you whether or not a cigar is worth buying, I think you’ll be disappointed. The truth is, only you can know if a cigar is “worth the price.” But by reading a detailed review written by a reviewer you trust, you’ll have a better chance of finding those cigar that are best for you.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

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.”

Someone generously gave me this value-oriented Holt’s house blend, which sells by the box for under $2 per stick. With a dark Nicaraguan wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler from four countries (Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Brazil), the Boardwalk Pyramid has the potential to punch above its weight. Ultimately, it features mostly earthy flavors with an unpleasant sour taste that goes in and out. And the medium-bodied smoke has nothing in the way of balance or finesse.  For the price I didn’t expect much (and it does have solid construction) but this cigar’s flavors just don’t deliver.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Details on the Forbidden X, which isn’t mentioned on Fuente’s website, aren’t easy to come by. But this much is clear: The cigar was released as a “Cigar in a Bottle”—which had a Forbidden X encased in a bottle of Grand Pommier XS Calvados.

The pairing wasn’t a coincidence. The tobacco, which comes from the same Fuente Dominican farms as the tobacco from the Opus X, is aged for five years and finished in Calvados barrels imported from Normandy, France.

The samples I smoked were part of the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) sampler series. I smoked two for this review (one from the second sampler and the other from the holiday sampler).

Both samplers, which include ten cigars and yearlong memberships in CRA, sold for $100, which would be a fair price just for the cigars (it’s an even better deal considering the worthy cause). According to CRA’s website, the holiday sampler is still available.

Even though the tobacco is sourced from the same farms that produce Fuente’s popular Opus X, the Forbidden X offers a distinctive and unique flavor profile. The wrapper is lighter in color (because it is shade-grown) and not nearly as rustic as Opus’ reddish rosado sun-grown wrapper.

The toro-sized Forbidden X is far more balanced than the standard Opus X, lacking the sometimes overpowering spice of the Opus. More medium-bodied (although it ramps up in the final third), it has hints of salt and pepper, with dominant paper and cedar notes. Occasionally, I pick up subtle fruit, oak, and brandy notes, imparted, I suspect, by the Calvados barrels.

As one would expect from a smoke that, if you can find it outside the CRA sampler, will sell for well over $30, the Forbidden X has excellent construction. The burn is razor sharp, the light gray ash easily holds for an inch, and the draw is easy.

Cigars like the Forbidden X are special. Perhaps it isn’t the most complex smoke around, but the flavors are interesting and, most notably, perfectly balanced. That’s why the Forbidden X earns a rating of four 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.”

This house brand for the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Company is made by Avo. The Toro (6 x 52) features a Connecticut broadleaf maduro leaf that, while not as dark as many wrappers of that variety, has plenty of oils. The filler is a combination of Dominican Olor, Cubano, and San Vicente tobaccos. The well-constructed, medium-bodied smoke displays a combination of roasted flavors, peanuts, and café au lait.  Even at $10, this is an excellent buy and a reminder that house blends need not be a cheap bundled smokes.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys