The Stogie Guys

National elections are always a big deal in Washington, where politics is the largest “industry.” It is safe to say this latest presidential election, however, was watched with even more interest with emotions stronger than usual on both sides.

In that context, I was particularly excited when I found out about plans for a cigar dinner the night after the election (November 9) organized by Paul Garmirian Cigars, which has its headquarters inside the Beltway in nearby McLean, Virginia. The dinner was fittingly hosted by Morton’s The Steakhouse at the downtown location just blocks from the White House.

The event was the first seated PG dinner hosted in Washington in a decade, which isn’t a coincidence since the city’s smoking ban went into effect in 2007. Fortunately, Morton’s has a covered balcony which, no matter the weather (it can be enclosed and heated), is without a doubt one of the best places in the city to enjoy a cigar with a fine meal.

Fittingly, the dinner was neither a celebration of the previous night’s election results nor a consolation. Except for a handful of walk-ins, most of the nearly 50 guests had made plans to attend long before the election was settled early that morning.

Over four courses of excellent food, drink, and four PG cigars, guests bonded over their shared enjoyment of fine cigars and food. Politics came up, of course, as not discussing the biggest news of the day wasn’t an option. But the conversation was never heated nor angry.

Cigar smokers can attest that when you’re enjoying a cigar at your local cigar shop, you tend to run into a diverse group. In the chair next to you could be a retiree, a lawyer, a college student, a small business owner, etc.

The same dynamic made the PG dinner so enjoyable, especially after an exhausting, seemingly never-ending, highly contentious election. Does this mean cats and dogs are at peace, and Democrats and Republicans now agree on politics?

Hardly. Especially when you consider that as we lit our PG 15th Anniversary Belicoso Extras, protesters were lighting candles a few blocks away as part of their vigil in front of the White House. Still, it does remind you that cigars have the unique ability to create camaraderie that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

As the night wrapped up, the question on everyone’s mind was when would Morton’s and PG hold their next dinner. Hopefully soon. Anytime people can put their politics and agendas aside for an evening and come together over premium cigars, it is worth celebrating.

–Patrick S

photo credit: PG 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.”

Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co. burst onto the cigar scene with Leaf by Oscar, which came wrapped in a tobacco leaf instead of cellophane. The Oscar Habano maintains the same unique packaging, this time with a Candela leaf covering the aqua-colored band. The dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper surrounds Honduran binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. The resulting smoke features oak, bread, cream, pepper, and earth. It reminds me a lot of the original San Cristobal (a cigar I enjoy), but with an added Honduran grittiness and red pepper spice. Even with a price tag of $11, I’m very impressed by The Oscan Habano.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Yesterday, voters in four states considered ballot measures to hike state tobacco taxes, including on handmade cigars. Voters in North Dakota, Colorado, and Missouri appear rejected the proposed tax hikes, while it  California tax increase is passed.

Below are the latest results, which will be updated as votes are tallied. Here are the final percentages for each vote:

North Dakota Measure 4 (Results: 62% Against)

North Dakota’s Initiated Measure 4 would increase the tax on cigarettes 400% from 44 cents per pack to $2.20. All other tobacco products, including cigars, e-cigarettes, and vaping products, would see state taxes double from 28% of the wholesale purchase price to 56%.

Colorado Amendment 72 (Results: 54% Against)

In Colorado, anti-tobacco forces are trying to alter the state constitution to include triple taxes on tobacco products. The amendment would increase the tobacco tax by $1.75 per pack of 20 cigarettes, from 84 cents to $2.59, and jack up taxes on other tobacco products, including cigars, by 22% of the wholesale list price (on top of the existing 40% tax already in effect).

Missouri Proposition A (Results: 55% Against)

Missouri’s Proposition A would more than double taxes on cigarettes from 17 cents per pack to 40 cents, with the increase being phased in through 2021. Taxes on other tobacco products, including cigars, would increase by 5% of the manufacturer’s invoice price to 15%. Missouri voters are also rejecting Amendment 3, which would hike tobacco taxes 400% from 17 cents to 77 cents, with extra fees being applied to companies not subject to the master agreement settlement with the state.

California Proposition 56 (Results: 63% In Favor)

Anti-tobacco forces in California proposed to increase cigarette taxes $2 per pack, from 87 cents to $2.87. Other tobacco products, a tax category that includes cigars, would face a corresponding 230% increase in a state that already has record-high taxes.

The presidential result and Republican control of the House and (likely) Senate also have important implications for cigar smokers when it comes to FDA regulation, taxes, trade, and Cuban policy. More on that in the coming days.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

With Election Day less than one week away, all eyes are on the presidential race and, to a lesser extent, which party will control the House and Senate next year. But voters in four states will also be weighing in on ballot questions that, if passed, would hike tax rates on tobacco products, including cigars.

California Proposition 56

Anti-tobacco zealots hope to increase cigarette taxes $2 per pack, from $.87 to $2.87. Other tobaco products (OTP), a tax category that includes cigars, would face a corresponding 230% increase. Critics say the tobacco tax hike “lines the pockets of special interests, but fails to address pressing needs facing California families, like fixing schools, roads, water storage, and violent crime.”

North Dakota Measure 4

North Dakota’s Initiated Measure 4 would increase the tax on cigarettes 400% from 44 cents per pack to $2.20. All other tobacco products, including cigars, e-cigarettes, and vaping products, would see state taxes double from 28% of the wholesale purchase price to 56%. Although proponents say the money will be spent on smoking cessation, opponents point out that the measure contains “nine pages of print that only detail four sentences as to how and where this money will be spent,” leading to wide discretion for bureaucrats and politicians to potentially spend the money on pet projects.

Colorado Amendment 72

In Colorado, anti-tobacco forces are trying to alter the state constitution to include triple taxes on tobacco products. The amendment would increase the tobacco tax by $1.75 per pack of 20 cigarettes, from 84 cents to $2.59, and jack up taxes on other tobacco products, including cigars, by 22% of the wholesale list price, on top of the existing 40% tax already in effect. Those against the amendment note that the tax would disproportionately impact low-income people, and that because the revenue would be earmarked in the constitutional ammendment, it couldn’t be directed to government programs where it might be put to better use.

Missouri Proposition A

Missouri’s Proposition A would more than double taxes on cigarettes from 17 cents per pack to 40 cents, with the increase being phased in through 2021. Taxes on OTP, including cigars, would increase by 5% of the manufacturer’s invoice price to 15%. In part because the proposition would automatically repeal the additional taxes if a measure to increase any tax or fee on cigarettes or other tobacco products is certified to appear on any local or statewide ballot, many of the anti-tobacco forces that usually back higher taxes on tobacco actually oppose Proposition A as an impediment to even higher taxes later.

Missouri voters will also vote on Amendment 3, which would hike tobacco taxes 400% from 17 cents to 77 cents, with extra fees being applied to companies not subject to the master agreement settlement with the state. Because it does not impact cigar taxes, many cigar-oriented trade groups, like the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), don’t take a position on Amendment 3. Under Missouri law, if both Amendment 3 and Proposition A pass, the one that passes with the higher percentage takes effect.

As you’d expect, groups like Cigar Rights of America (CRA) and the IPCPR oppose all four ballot questions that would add additional taxes to cigars, which (between state and federal taxes) are already taxed at record-high levels. Opponents of such tobacco taxes point out that they are highly regressive (by impacting those who can least afford them the most) while threatening to put cigar shops out of business, and that if additional revenue is needed a fairer approach would be a broad-based, more evenly-distributed tax instead of one that hits an already targeted minority.

Cigar smokers in California, North Dakota, Colorado, and Missouri should exercise their right to vote NO on Tuesday to prevent further punitive taxes on cigars.

–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.

Reviewers, including my colleague, raved about Steve Saka’s debut release from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust: Sobremesa. Although I enjoyed that cigar, something about it didn’t quite hit my palate right (I consistently found a slight metallic flavor detracted from otherwise excellent flavors). My experience with Saka’s second release, Mi Querida, however, has given me no such hesitations. Made with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler, the cigar produces rich flavors with wood, roasted notes, and just a bit of subtle sweetness. Construction is excellent from start to finish. The Churchill-sized (7 x 50) SakaKhan is slightly mellower than the smaller sizes I tried (more medium-bodied than medium- to full-bodied) but it is highly enjoyable and easy to recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Some of the most sought-after bourbons come out this time of year, including Pappy Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Parker’s Heritage, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, and Four Roses Small Batch Barrel Strength. Since 2012, you can add the Angel’s Envy Cask Strength to that list.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength (AECS) has a suggested retail price of $179 and, unlike some of the aforementioned limited releases, you actually have a decent chance of finding AECS at that price, or something close to it. (Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year, in contrast, theoretically retails for $150, but the going market price is over $1,000.)

The 2016 Angel’s Envy release is 124.6-proof, or 62.3% ABV, slightly lower than last year’s release which was 127.9-proof. Just 8,000 bottles are being produced this year, up from 7,500 in 2015.

The bourbon pours a copper color and features an intense but inviting nose with ginger, pear, black pepper, sugar cookies, and some pure alcohol heat. On the plate, there is a full-bodied combination of figs, butterscotch, red apples, oak, and the notable influence of the port barrels in which this bourbon is finished. The finish is long and spicy with wood and port.

This is an intense, almost overpowering bourbon when sipped neat, but just the smallest amount of water smooths the rough edges and opens up a cacophony of more subtle flavors. Last year, after trying the sample I received from Angel’s Envy, I went out and purchased a full bottle (the bottle in the picture). Although the price is high, this tasty cask-strength bourbon has me considering doing so again.

Pair this bourbon with a bold, spicy smoke. Here are a few suggestions: Arturo Fuente Opus X, Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu, Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary, and Joya de Nicaragua Antaño.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

On Friday, news broke that federal rules for importing Cuban cigars (and rum) were changing. While the Obama administration has been largely hostile to handmade cigars, moves towards normalizing relations with Cuba have been a silver lining to the otherwise draconian stance by the Obama presidency, most notably the FDA, towards cigars. The changes officially went into effect on Monday, October 17. Here’s what you need to know:

Cuban cigars bought overseas can now be brought into the U.S.

In December 2014, for the first time since before Cuban Embargo, it became legal to import Cuban cigars into the United States, but only for officially licensed travelers to Cuba and only if the value of the cigars (and rum) totaled $100 or less. Further, until March 16, 2016, it was also technically illegal to buy Cuban cigars overseas even if they weren’t smoked outside the U.S. Now, it is legal to bring back cigars purchased in Cuba or elsewhere, as long as the cigars are for personal consumption.

Online sales from overseas on hold for now.

Many of the news stories about the rule change were vague and implied that all overseas purchases of Cuban cigars for personal consumption were allowed. Since non-approved alcohol can be purchased from overseas for consumption, it left the window open for Cuban cigar purchases overseas online, which would then be delivered into the U.S. However, the Treasury Department has made clear that the rule changes for importing Cuban cigars only apply to accompanied baggage: “OFAC is also removing the prohibition on foreign travelers importing Cuban-origin alcohol and tobacco products into the United States as accompanied baggage.” So while non-FDA approved, non-Cuban cigars can be purchased from overseas and shipped into the U.S., Cuban cigars still cannot be imported unless you are personally traveling with them (in other words, they must be in your baggage).

Taxes and duty still must be paid on Cuban cigars.

While you can bring in Cuban cigars, you are still responsible for declaring them on your customs form. The Treasury Department also notes that you may have to pay when you bring your cigars back with you: “In all cases, the Cuban-origin goods must be imported for personal use, and normal limits on duty and tax exemptions will apply.” Generally, you can bring back up to 100 cigars with a value of $800 without paying duty. Note you also may be required to pay federal excise taxes on the tobacco products you are importing.

There are lots of fake Cuban cigars out there.

Cuban cigars tend to be expensive, which creates an incentive for people to sell counterfeits. Since we first wrote about how to spot a fake, Habanos (the Cuban government-controlled distribution company) has beefed up its assistance to cigar smokers when it comes to verifying a Cuban cigar’s authenticity. In addition to a helpful page detailing the anti-counterfeiting measures they use, they also have a page where you can input the serial number of a box to check authenticity. But the best advice remains to purchase your cigars only from reputable and official Cuban cigar retailers, and always be weary of a deal that seems to good to be true. Fake Cubans have even been spotted at duty-free shops in airports. And the guy at the beach selling “discount Cubans” is almost certainly selling fakes.

Don’t get caught up in the Cuban hype.

We’ve said many times that while Cuban cigars can be very special, they are not the be-all-end-all of cigars. Many of the finest cigars produced today are made outside of Cuba, and if you are not used to Cuban cigars, you may not find them particularly enjoyable as they tend to be different from the finest Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan cigars. The benefit of the new rules is that more Americans will get to legally try authentic Cuban cigars for themselves, and they will finally be able to judge them free from the hype and mystique that is tied up in trying a banned product.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Flickr