The Stogie Guys

It often seems impossible to find a place to kick back with a cigar these days. Here in Virginia, site of StogieGuys.com’s global headquarters, our state’s politicians have forced hundreds of businesses to enact smoke-free policies, limiting the number of safe havens to just a handful.

It was that Virginia smoking ban that inspired Stephen Boyajian to found CigarFriendly.us, a searchable database of over 2,000 cigar-friendly restaurants, bars, clubs, and cigar shops. And so, on December 3, 2009, just two days after Virginia’s smoking ban went into effect, Cigar Friendly officially launched.

“I didn’t really think the ban would alter my habits very much and assumed my local spot, a cigar lounge on the 3rd floor of a upscale restaurant, would be exempt,” Boyajian wrote over email. “Sometime in November we learned that while the location met the criteria of having doors to separate it from the non-smoking section, it lacked the secondary criteria: ventilation.”

“I hadn’t lived in the area very long and had no idea where else I could go,” Boyajain continued. “I talked to a few people on Facebook and Twitter and came to the realization that many people had the same problem I had. It was really a no-brainer from there. I had been doing web development for over a decade, I might as well use my skills to build something useful.”

Steve is a proud member of Cigar Rights of America and a self-described “cigar enthusiast who enjoys promoting the greatest aspect of the hobby: the friendship.” Through Cigar Friendly and his new magazine, The Cigar Network, his goal is “to educate people and bring the cigar community closer together.”

As a cigar rights supporter, Boyajian opposes smoking bans, but when a new smoking ban is forced onto cigar smokers, he makes sure that Cigar Friendly keeps pace. “We do our best in situations like this, although sometimes it’s unclear who is exempt and who is not. When we aren’t certain we will usually call and verify. We’ll also do this when adding a new location if we can’t find proof online that the business is either still around or can allow smoking,” he said.

“One of the best features we added was the ability for site users to mark a location as ‘No Longer Cigar Friendly’. This can be used for any reason, be it a smoking ban, a smoking establishment that simply no longer allows cigars, or even if the location has gone out of business,” wrote Boyajian.

As of this writing, the site has 2,131 cigar-friendly listings in 47 countries and every state except Vermont and Utah (both have 100% smoking bans in all workplaces). To find a location near you visit CigarFriendly.us today, and if you find a location not yet listed, do cigar smokers everywhere a favor and add it.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Cigar Friendly

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.”

Like the original Hammer + Sickle, this Connecticut broadleaf-wrapped maduro is crafted by Davidoff master blender Henke Kelner and features Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Only 10,000 cigars were made, packaged in black crystal ten-count boxes. The thick toro (6 x 54) is perfectly constructed. The flavors are a classic full-bodied maduro, with coffee, wood, and earth. As such, the line is a radical departure from almost everything else blended by Kelner. Even if Moscow City is a bit pricey at over $10 each, it’s an interesting smoke worth a try, particularly for those who enjoy full-bodied maduro cigars.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With the election in the rear view mirror and many state legislatures not yet in session or not taking critical votes, one might think it would be a good time to rest easy. Minus a few exceptions, there seems to be less bad news than normal on the cigar rights front recently—fewer smoking bans and tobacco tax hikes.

But now is the most important time in the battle against anti-smoking legislation. Complacency now could be devastating later, while diligence and action now will pay dividends later when trying to stop the next smoking ban or tax hike from passing.

That’s because politicians are currently deciding which bills to introduce. Dozens of bills around the country have already been introduced that impact tobacco rights (the IPCPR tracks them here) and equally important are the bills that haven’t yet been filed. Because it is so early in the process, a call or letter to your state legislator now can have a big impact.

By informing them that you care deeply about these issues and oppose any effort to expand smoking bans or raise tobacco taxes, you let them know that you’re watching them carefully. After all, nearly all politicians at their core want to avoid making voters angry. Before they publicly take a position on a bill, you want them to know that doing so will anger people in their district.

Which is why being active and vocal early in the process is most effective. A perfect example was the report yesterday by the IPCPR that a bill in the Virginia House that would have increased the state’s OTP (other tobacco products) excise tax rate by 400% died in the State House’s Finance Committee.

With more vigilant action now, hopefully similar bills in other states will meet the same demise. If you’re unsure of who your state legislators are, click here and the IPCPR can tell you.

–Patrick S

photo credit: IPCPR

Christmas may be over but, if you hurry, it’s still not too late to pick up some of the fantastic offerings that breweries create for the holidays. I recently selected three Christmas-inspired Belgian ales from my local beer store.

While the following brews can be hard to find, I wasn’t necessarily looking for these particular beers; rather, I was more interested in the broader Belgian ale style, which has the strength, flavor, and complexity to go well with cigars.

Delerium Noels

Over 20 years ago, before micro-breweries took off and Belgian ales could be found with regularity in the U.S., Huyghe Brewery released the well-known Delerium Tremens ale. In 2006, the brewery produced a Christmas Ale, which features a cola-like sweetness and fruitcake flavors. That light sweetness goes perfect with a Cameroon-wrapped cigar, like the Fuente Hemingway.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

This abbey ale from Watou in West Flanders has a remarkably strong, intense nose. The 10% alcohol-by-volume beer features fruit notes of cherry and dates, a syrupy intensity, and roasted nut flavors. It’s a full-flavored beer that can stand up to a maduro. I recommend pairing it with the EO 601 Blue.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Available November through February each year, the Corsendonk Christmas Ale  is an inviting mahogany color. It is well-balanced with chocolate notes and a touch of citrus, Christmas spices, and molasses. While each ale was enjoyable, of the three this was my favorite. My pairing of choice is the Davidoff Millenium Blend.

These three holiday ales demonstrate that while whiskeys and rum may be more classic pairings, a flavorful Belgian ale can be an excellent accompaniment to a fine cigar. And don’t worry if you can’t find these specific beers, as there are many great and unique others (and finding your favorite can be part of the fun).

If you have a favorite Belgian ale that you think pairs with a fine cigar, let us know 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Originally released in 1995, the ultra-rare Partagas 150 features a Cameroon wrapper that is over 30 years old. It shows no ill-effects from its age, with firm construction, an excellent draw, and perfect combustion. The cigar features surprising strength, with plenty of medium-bodied Cameroon spice and sweetness, combined with a myriad of subtle flavors including earth, cocoa, honey, and oak. Back in 1995 this sold for around $12 per stick, but the one I smoked featured a price tag of around $50. Despite the considerable cost, when you factor in the opportunity to smoke a piece of history, connoisseurs should consider picking up this exquisite smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The new year is less than two weeks old, and that means it’s not too late to for a list of hopes for the cigar community in 2011. Here are my top five wishes:

More Limited Editions

Limited edition smokes can be frustrating. They’re often hard to get and, if you don’t move quickly, you may not be able to buy any, meaning you may have to make a decision before you really know all the details about the smoke. Still, there’s a refreshing bit of honesty in limited edition cigars. Many cigar makers, particularly those who don’t grow their own tobacco, have only enough tobacco to make a small run without sacrificing quality and consistency. So limited releases can be some of the best (if rare) cigars available. For that reason, I welcome more limited cigars, as long as they’re limited for a good reason and not just a marketing gimmick.

Reasonably Priced Cigars

After a few years of seemingly exponentially expensive new smokes, 2009 and 2010 saw a number of solid new cigars in the more reasonable $4-7 range. With the confidence in the economy wavering (to say the least), cigar makers seemed to understand that for dedicated cigar smokers to enjoy more cigars, they would require good cigars that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Let’s hope that this lesson is taken to heart in 2011.

Innovation from the Big Guys

It has become commonplace for veteran cigar smokers to seek out boutique smokes and ignore those made by the largest companies, particularly those by industry giants Altadis and General Cigar. But those companies are large and successful for a reason, not the least of which is massive tobacco stores that ensure consistency and quality control second to none. Last year, more innovative blends like Altadis’ Warlock and General’s new La Gloria Cubana offerings showed that bigger doesn’t need to be bland. So in the new year I’m hoping the cigar industry’s biggest companies continue to pair their knack for consistency with boundary-pushing, innovative cigars.

More New Cigar Companies

It seems like every week I get another press release announcing a new cigar from a company I’ve never heard of before. In the cigar boom of the late 1990s, this was a symptom of the fact that anyone and everyone thought they could make money by bringing a new Don Nobody cigar to market. It would be easy to dismiss all the new cigars as another similar boom, but I’m inclined to think there’s an important difference: Today, most of the people behind new brands seem genuinely passionate about creating quality sticks. Sure, not all of them are great and not every new brand will succeed, but the net affect is a push towards better cigars as current companies feel pressure to maintain quality and remain innovative.

Enhanced Awareness of the FDA Threat

I think cigar smokers are finally catching on to the serious threat that smoking bans and cigar taxes pose to their hobby. The realization that FDA oversight of cigars poses a serious, if not mortal, threat to cigars is coming more slowly. If FDA bureaucrats and anti-tobacco advocates have their way, every new cigar brought to market would have to undergo months, if not years, of testing before it receives FDA approval. That burden would stifle all the new innovation I mentioned above, making it too risky financially for all but a few new cigars to reach the market in a given year. Hopefully, 2011 will be the year that all cigar smokers realize the grave threat that FDA regulation of cigars poses to the innovation that we’ve come to expect and enjoy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Google Images

Eighteen months ago, my colleague reviewed the pre-release version of the Tatuaje L’esprit de La Verite. According to the wine-inspired model of the Vintage line, the Churchill-sized La Verite is tops in the blend, while that L’esprit de La Verite he smoked is the “second.”

That isn’t the only thing about the Tatuaje Vintage line that takes a cue from the wine world. Unlike almost every other cigar on the market, the Tatuaje Vintage line consists of tobacco entirely from one farm. In this case it’s Don Pepin Garcia’s La Estrella farm in Estelí, where the Nicaraguan habano tobacco was grown.

Also like wine, Tatuaje creator Pete Johnson planned to use a futures system to sell the cigars before they were available to be consumed. That ambitious plan fell through for the 2008 vintage—not necessarily all that surprising given that it took decades of consistent wine making for top Bordeaux wines to develop a robust futures market—but I suspect in a few years he won’t have much trouble pre-selling much of the Vintage production, particularly if buyers get a nice discount for their faith.

The cigar has a classic look, with a matte, nearly vein-free medium brown wrapper framed in a classic gold band that displays the 2008 vintage. The gold trim differentiates the Churchill (7 x 47) from the robusto-sized L’esprit de La Verite, which has a silver band.

When you finally get around to smoking the $20 cigar, the first thing you’ll notice is its immaculate balance. La Verite features a combination of subtle cedar, coffee bean, paper, and cream. There’s also a bit of peppery spice when you retro-hale.

As it develops, the profile moves from medium-bodied to more full-bodied and cedar emerges as the dominant flavor. If most top cigars are like Bordeaux, with rich, well-defined flavors, this is more like fine Burgundy: balanced, subtle, and noble.

I’m interested to see how aging affects this smoke. Johnson says the Churchill is blended to age longer, with slightly more ligero tobacco. That potential for greatness may be enhanced by the fact that the cigar was rolled immediately after fermentation, so it could age entirely as a completed cigar.

Ultimately, this is a very good cigar with the potential to be even better in the future. Still, I’m looking forward to the Vintage 2009, which will use a combination of habano, criollo, and pele de oro tobacco; I expect this to better demonstrate the blending talents of Johnson and Pepin. But just because I’m more excited for the next edition of the Tatuaje Vintage doesn’t mean that the balanced strength of the 2008 is at all disappointing. With the potential to get even better, the Tatuaje La Verite 2008 earns a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys