The 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.

After the Warped Futuro Selección Suprema earned our first top rating of 2016, I decided to check out the other vitola from the release, the slightly larger Selección 109 (6 x 52). The cigar, which carries an MSRP of $9.75, features a head that is rounded at the top but with a little more taper above the band than a traditional parejo. Once lit, it produces a full-bodied combination of powdery sawdust, earth, paper, and savory, salty notes. The 109 is slightly fuller-bodied and maybe a touch less complex than its smaller brethren, but both are easy to recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.

One of two additions (along with the “Big Belly” large torpedo) to the original Toro size, this Short Robusto (4.5 x 50) was introduced last summer. The cigar features a dark, rustic Broadleaf wrapper with plenty of black and brown discoloration. Gritty earth is the dominant flavor, along with oak and pepper, in this full-bodied smoke. Since the Nica Rustica blend yields few flavor changes with each smoking experience, I think the small Short Robusto vitola is the best format for the line to date.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

“Boutique” is a word that gets thrown around a lot in marketing, especially cigars. While larger cigar companies fight for big chunks of market share, smaller boutique companies focus on filling the niches.

In many ways PG Cigars, founded in 1990 to coincide with Paul Garmirian’s book A Gourmet Guide to Cigars (which you can steal on Amazon for $4 shipped), could be considered one of the original boutique producers. Over the years, it has developed its niche by bringing well-aged cigars to market, and eschewing the industry norm of introducing a new cigar every year. Walk into the company’s cigar shop and headquarters in McLean, Virginia, and you’ll find numerous cigars for sale with 20 years of age. (I’d venture to guess the small, somewhat cramped stripmall storefront has more cigars for sale that have been aged 20 years or more than anywhere else in the country.)

With 2015 being the 25th anniversary of the company, PG Cigars did what any boutique cigar company would do: release a 25th Anniversary cigar, albeit in PG’s own understated way. The lone announcement for the anniversary smoke came in a pre-Christmas email along with a link to an NPR story about Cuban cigars that quoted Garmirian.

The 25th Anniversary Connoisseur comes in one size, a 6-inch by 52-ring gauge toro. The company hasn’t released details on the blend, but the deep brown, oily wrapper certainly looks similar to the Havana-seed wrapper used on PG’s 20th Anniversary blend.

Each of the four cigars I smoked for this review (provided by PG Cigars, although I walked in intending to buy the samples) featured excellent construction. There wasn’t a soft spot to be found on any of them and the burn and draw were flawless. (I also appreciate that the bands on these were easy to remove without damaging the wrapper, which is a problem I’ve had on other PG smokes.)

Once lit, the Connoisseur starts out with a unique sweet and bready combination  that reminds me of raisin bread. As it progresses, it reveals a combination of oak, cedar, mushroom, bread, and a salty savoriness that especially kicks in towards the second half of the cigar.

More than anything, this is a cigar characterized by restrained strength. You get the distinct sense that if it had been rushed at all the Connoisseur would have had some rough edges, but instead the full-bodied woodiness is tempered by a cornucopia of other subtle flavors.

While $19 is a lot for a cigar, and you’d expect a lot for such a premium price, the PG 25th Anniversary delivers. It demands a slow, speculative pace to be fully appreciated, and each cigar I smoked easily lasted two hours, but the time is well spent.

For now, this is a single-vitola blend, but PG’s 15th and 20th Anniversary blends were later expanded into multiple sizes, and I certainly hope the same happens for the 25th. In my opinion, the 25th Anniversary surpasses PG’s 20th Anniversary blend and is the equal, although a very different cigar, to the 15th Anniversary. That earns the Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur our highest rating of five stogies out of five.

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.”

A collaboration between big and boutique, this Romeo y Julieta is made by Aging Room at La Palma and sold by Altadis under the Romeo label. The thick toro (6 x 54) is expertly constructed, producing an easy draw and even burn. The medium- to full-bodied cigar features earth, cinnamon, syrup, roast nuts, and dry wood. A complex and enjoyable cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

For better or worse, Gifted Horse is one of the most interesting new American whiskey releases this year. The least expensive edition of the Orphan Barrel series to date cannot be called a bourbon because it is a mix of 38.5% 17-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 51% four-year-old Indiana bourbon, and 10.5% four-year-old corn whiskey also distilled in Indiana.

The eyebrow-raising story behind that odd blend is that the components were mixed together by mistake, which turned out so good they decided to release it as a one-time limited offering. For what its worth, this is hardly the first time a cigar or whiskey company has turned a supposed error into a marketing opportunity. (Wild Turkey Forgiven started with an accidental blending of rye and bourbon, and cigar makers regularly find long-forgotten, extra-aged tobaccos.)

In any event, the “accident” resulted in at least over 8,000 bottles (my bottle number was 8,328) which were released at a barrel-strength 118-proof. It sells for $50, although prices have been all over the place relative to suggested retail for the Orphan Barrel releases.

The reddish gold whiskey features an astringent nose with red berries, roast corn, and vanilla. On the palate are strong woody flavors, cereal grains, burnt sugar, and tea notes. The finish is relatively short with charred wood.

There’s a tannic sharpness to Gifted Horse that isn’t due to the proof but from the combination of old, quite possibly over-oaked, bourbon with younger whiskey. It’s disappointing because I had high hopes for Gifted Horse. Unlike previous Orphan Barrel releases, which could be fairly criticized for being underproofed, I was hoping this blend would offer fine flavors without being watered down.

Despite Gifted Horse’s shortcomings, the full proof does offer some tasty cigar pairing options. It certainly can stand up to a full-bodied cigar like the PG 25th Anniversary Connoisseur (pictured, review coming soon), Coronado by La Flor, My Father El Hijo, and Arturo Fuente Opus X.

Plenty of people have criticized the Orphan Barrel series as more marketing hype than good bourbon, but I’ve praised the previous offerings (some more than others) as an actual opportunity to buy ultra-aged bourbon at a reasonable price. Gifted Horse, however, is much tougher to recommend despite its friendlier price. Unless you’re more interested in trying an experiment than a fine whiskey, you’re better off spending more to find different Orphan Barrel offerings or any number of less expensive bourbons.

–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.

Liga Privada was the traditional cigar that put Drew Estate’s marker down as a force in the traditional premium cigar market (previously, the company was best-known for its infused cigars). Lately, though, my favorite line from Drew Estate has been Herrera Estelí. The cigar sports an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Honduran binder, and Nicaraguan filler to produce a “Cubanseque” profile in a lineup of five traditional sizes. Recently, Drew Estate added a box-pressed version as part of its line of exclusive box-pressed smokes for the Drew Estate Lounge at Corona Cigar Company’s location in Sand Lake, Florida. The cigar features plenty of cedar along with cream, hay, and roasted nut notes. Although it’s a solid cigar, I prefer the original sizes to this pressed vitola, which burns a little hot, probably because the box-press yields a loose draw.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.

While the bulk of capacity at Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño is devoted to RoMa Craft production (CroMagnon, Aquitaine, Intemperance, and Neanderthal) the boutique Estelí factory has slowly been adding a few other clients. The Powstanie line is made for the Florida-based retailer Cigar Hustler. The first Powstanie blend (a second Habano-wrapped blend followed soon after) sports a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Indonesian binder, and Nicaraguan filler. The result is a medium- to full-bodied smoke with sneaky strength. Dominant flavors are wood, earth, and unsweetened chocolate. The finish is short and clean and the construction very solid. It’s hardly my favorite cigar made at Nica Sueño, but it’s still very enjoyable.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys