The Stogie Guys

The IPCPR Trade Show’s first full day was yesterday. By now, information about many of the new cigars expected to hit retailers’ shelves in 2017 has already been released and widely reported. From what I’ve learned so far, here are five new cigars I’m most looking forward to trying. (Of note: This list does not include any cigars of which I’ve already smoked pre-release samples.)

Winston Churchill the Late Hour — Davidoff of Geneva

In my experience, Davidoff doesn’t make a lot duds. When they put the Davidoff name on a cigar, it carries a lot of weight with me. (Not to mention the Churchill name, which might be the historial figure most associated with premium cigars.) I very much enjoyed the original Winston Churchill cigar, in addition to the revamped Davidoff-branded blend, so consider me interested in this new cigar with filler aged in single malt scotch casks.

Undercrown Sun Grown — Drew Estate

I’m not a huge fan of Mexican San Andrés-wrapped cigars, which makes my enjoyment of the original Undercrown something of a rarity. The later Undercrown Shade is a very well-made cigar too, but the new Sun Grown blend sounds particularly inviting. The combination of an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and a Habano stalk-cut binder with Nicaraguan filler has excellent potential.

Todos Las Dias — Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

I haven’t yet had a Steve Saka cigar I didn’t enjoy. True, I may not have loved Sobremesa as much as its many sky-high reviews, but it’s still undoubtedly a very fine cigar. And, for my taste, Mi Querida was the best Broadleaf cigar introduced last year, and I think Umbagog is one of the best values on the market. With that pedigree, I’m looking forward to trying Todos Las Dias, Saka’s new Nicaraguan puro made at Joya de Nicaragua.

Navetta — Fratello Cigars

By delivering on an excellent combination of value, branding (one of the best bands around), and flavor, I’ve really come to appreciate Omar de Frias’ Fratello Cigars. Navetta features an Oscuro Habano wrapper and plays into Frias’ NASA roots.

1932 Millisime — Padilla Cigars

Even though I smoked my last one over five years ago, the original 1932 Padilla (made by Don José “Pepin” Garcia at El Rey de los Habanos) rates among my all-time favorite cigars. That means my ears always perk up when a new Padilla 1932 is introduced. The price of the Millisime ($47) is more that a little off-putting, but I’ll admit I’m intrigued to try it, even if I’m only smoking one before buying a second.

What new cigars are you most interested in trying?

–Patrick S

photo credit: Padilla Cigars

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.”

The Fuente Hemingway is a classic blend that may have introduced more cigar smokers to Cameroon wrappers than any other cigar. I hadn’t smoked one in at least a year, but for whatever reason I decided to pick one up recently. I’m glad I did. Made with a Cameroon wrapper and Dominican tobaccos, the perfecto (4.5 x 49) demonstrated cream and coffee flavors with notes of cinnamon, black pepper, and cedar. Flawless construction and a reasonable price (around $6) make this an easy recommendation for seasoned smokers and newbies alike.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Earlier this year I reviewed the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA 2017, noting it reminded me “to revisit the regular offerings in the Jamie Garcia Reserva Especial line.” It also inspired me to pick up the new Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2017 at a recent My Father Cigars store event. The new cigar was released in May and carries a hefty price tag of $17.

The Limited Edition cigar first appeared in 2011. That release came in boxes of 16, whereby 15 had a Broadleaf wrapper and one had an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. This year, only 3,000 boxes of 16 are being made, a slight decrease from the 2011 release. (The ribbon helps differentiate this release from the 2017 release.)

The 2017 release is all made with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper (no experimental wrapper single this time) in a toro (6.5 x 52) format. The recipe sports Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, including reportedly two leaves of strong, flavorful, but hard-to-grow Pelo de Oro from the the Garcia’s Nicaraguan farms.

The cigar features many of the oak and chocolate notes of the regular Jamie Garcia line with considerably more intensity and strength. It is highly complex and full-bodied. Initial dark chocolate and minty spice notes quickly turn to sharp black pepper and barrel char. There are also roasted notes and coffee bean, although the interplay between wood, cocoa, and spice dominates the two-hour smoke.

While one of the two cigars I smoked had an unfortunately tight draw for the first quarter, it soon opened up and a sturdy, monotone, light gray ash developed that held for two full inches before I tapped it off. Besides that self-correcting issue, construction is excellent.

This is a significant step up in complexity, flavor, and strength from the regular line, and even from the Especial TAA 2017. Fans of Connecticut Broadleaf cigars will want to seek this one out, even if the price means it will probably be only an occasional indulgence. That’s why the Jamie Garcia Reserva Especial Limited Edition 2017 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.”

If you’ve been smoking cigars for more than a decade, you might remember Pinar, a brand claiming to use pre-embargo Cuban tobacco. This article from 2005 unquestioningly retells the story. Some of their cigars were puros. The Serie B, however, only claimed to use some Cuban tobacco (supposedly 40 or 50 percent) with the rest Ecuadorian or Dominican, depending on what source you read. I purchased a five-pack in 2006 for just $21 and, over a decade later, I’m lighting up one of two remaining cigars. It features leather and sour notes, with underlying damp cardboard. Despite decent burn and combustion, this is simply a poor-tasting cigar. It’s so bad I put it down less than halfway through, which probably explains why I never finished the five-pack I bought eleven years ago. Fortunately for you, you won’t be able to find a Pinar 1958 Serie B Pre-Embargo Cuban Rothschild to buy.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In two weeks the annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Trade Show will be in full swing. In more than one ways, this year’s show represents a new era. Here’s why:

New Venue

Although the Trade Show isn’t held every year in Las Vegas, there is little question the Las Vegas Sands Expo Center has been its de facto home for the past decade. The convention was originally set to return there again this year. However, late last year IPCPR announced not only was the show being moved up five days, it was moving up The Strip (and a block off it) to the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

While the LVCC is larger than Sands Expo, it is also off The Strip, meaning transportation to and from the venue is more challenging. The Sands Expo is attached to both the Venetian and Palazzo hotels. While the LVCC isn’t attached to a hotel, it is across from the Westgate Resort and Casino (formerly called the Las Vegas Hilton), which is the primary hotel for this year’s event and host to most of the opening day seminars and the breakfast featuring former New York mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. If the new location goes off without a hitch, it could be a win in the long run for IPCPR since they would have two proven locations in Las Vegas.

New Regulations

Last year’s Trade Show took place weeks before the FDA regulations went into effect. Now, even though some enforcement has been delayed, the rules are in effect. The IPCPR has announced that the FDA’s ban on samples for consumers doesn’t effect samples at the convention since the show is only open to the industry and not to the public.

The biggest part of the rules, however, will have a large impact on the event. Usually, numerous new cigars are announced or debuted at the Trade Show, but the FDA rules mean cigars introduced after August 8, 2016, need to go through an FDA approval process before they can legally be sold. It also means cigars introduced since early 2007 will eventually need to either win FDA approval or be removed from the market. One of the interesting things to watch for is how many post-2007 cigars are removed from manufacturers’ offer sheets, especially in light of some hope in the industry that the regulations could be scaled back by the new administration or through litigation.

New Releases

Since any new cigars will need to go through a yet-to-be-defined FDA approval process, there won’t be any new cigars at the Trade Show, right? Not exactly. Since last August, and especially in the past few months, we’ve seen a steady number of “new” cigars announced, with many scheduled to debut at the upcoming show.

Cigar manufacturers knew the regulations were coming and they’ve planned to mitigate the regulations as best they can. One of the ways they’ve done this is though stealth cigar releases prior to the August 2016 deadline. While these cigars may have been sold to a friendly retailer to establish they were on the market in advance of the cutoff date, they haven’t been formally or widely released. This will account for many of the “new” cigars that will be available for the first time at the Trade Show. That said, the number of new releases compared to previous years will be something many observers will be watching closely.

–Patrick S

photo credit: IPCPR

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.”

The Churchill-sized Taino has always been an underrated vitola in the original Tatuaje Brown Label line. Like the rest of the Broadleaf Collection, this cigar features the same binder and filler but with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The well-constructed cigar sports a profile of espresso, dark chocolate, and light wood spice. I’ve been surprised by the variation in the Broadleaf Collection (some have been excellent; others less so), but this Taino is excellent.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

These days most new bourbons seem to fit into one of two general categories: young bourbons lacking an age statement with a marketing emphasis on boutique craftsmanship, and well-aged bourbons that are highly limited and expensive. Today I try two new limited edition bourbons distinctly in the latter category.

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary celebrates a quarter century since the introduction of Knob Creek, one of the first premium “small batch” bourbons (before that was such a crowded category). Made by Jim Beam, it is a single-barrel offering bottled at cask-strength (120- to 125-proof) and aged 12 to 13 years.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades is the second Master’s Keep release, a follow-up to a seven-year-old bourbon released in 2015. Decades is a blend of 10- and 20-year-old bourbon.

Tasting Notes

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary ($125)
122-proof (61% ABV), barreled 2/25/2004
Color: Dark mahogany
Nose: Roast corn, vanilla, and cedar
Palate: Praline, cherries, and toasted oak
Finish: Very long with vanilla, allspice, and wood

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades ($150)
104-proof, mix of 10-year-old and 20-year-old bourbon
Color: Deep copper
Nose: Spice cake, raisins, and oak
Palate: Resin, ginger, allspice, and toffee
Finish: Medium in length with clove and malted cereal

Both bourbons are surprisingly similar, with lots of woodsy spice yet enough sweetness to avoid being called over-oaked. Each is very enjoyable neat, as neither has too much heat (particularly impressive for the 122-proof Knob Creek).

Both feature a combination of finesse and full flavor that pairs well with almost any cigar. For the Knob Creek 25th Anniversary, I’d particularly suggest a rich Broadleaf cigar like the Mi Querida or Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial. For the Wild Turkey Decades, try a balanced yet full-flavored cigar like the Davidoff Nicaragua or RoMaCraft Aquitaine.

The price of each bourbon is the biggest downside, especially considering the excellent bourbons each company makes at far lower prices (Rare Breed and Russell’s Reserve from Wild Turkey, and the regular Knob Creek Single Barrel or Booker’s from Beam). These are bourbons I’d suggest you try first at a bar before splurging for a bottle. Still, for fans of Wild Turkey and Knob Creek, respectively, Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades and Knob Creek 25th Anniversary keep the character of their younger brethren while showing off the depth of flavor that extra aging and expert barrel selection can achieve.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys