The Stogie Guys

First Smoke is a new series of Quick Smoke reviews, each evaluating a single pre-release cigar. Like the Quick Smokes we publish each Saturday and Sunday, each First Smoke is not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

At the Pinar del Rio booth this year at the IPCPR Trade Show, the focus was on this new super-premium offering. I’m a fan of Connecticut Broadleaf, so I’ve seen a lot of them, and in terms of dark, oily wrappers, few are as impressive as this seven-year-old wrapper. It surrounds dual binders from Nicaragua and Ecuador and filler consisting of Dominican Corojo and Nicaraguan Criollo. The cigar comes in four sizes (priced $16-19) and I smoked the Robusto (5 x 52).

The cigar starts off with slightly grassy notes, but soon settles into a more interesting combination of sourdough bread, light spice, and oak. It’s medium-bodied and well-balanced. Construction is excellent from the first draw to the final ash. Given the price, I wouldn’t rush out and buy a box of 15 when it is released later this fall. But fans of cigars with Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers shouldn’t hesitate to pick one up at their local shop.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Want evidence of a bourbon boom? Look no further than network television. Both Fox and NBC have recently begun development of two dramas based on the industry.

If you wanted to make the case for a bourbon bubble, this would be it. Bourbon is hot, there’s no doubt about it, but there are still some hidden gems. While the premium end of the market gets more expensive there are still some excellent values out there if you know where to look.

Old Ezra 101 7 Year fits that bill nicely. It’s available for $20, or even a few bucks less. It weighs in at a solid 101-proof and, unlike many value-oriented bourbons, it carries an age statement, which means all the bourbon in the bottle is at least seven years old.

The golden-hued bourbon features a straightforward nose with vanilla, bananas, and spice. On the palate is a pleasant combination of vanilla, rich oak, and rye spice. Think banana bread and wood spice. It’s surprisingly smooth for the proof, perhaps due to the charcoal filtering (like the process that Jack Daniels undergoes). The finish is pretty nondescript, but for just a Jackson I’m not going to complain.

The bottle isn’t dissimilar to Jack Daniels and I don’t think that’s an accident (Jack Daniels is, of course, the best-selling American whiskey). But it would be a mistake to write off Old Ezra 101 as a Jack Daniels knockoff, as it offers a richer, woodier flavor.

Pair it with any woody cigar and I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed. Here are some recommendations: Aging Room F55 Quattro, Arturo Fuente King T, Coronado by La Flor, El Cedro, and La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet.

Unfortunately, Old Ezra 101 7 Year can be a bit difficult to find because the distribution seems to be limited (not because of excess demand). Still, bourbon fans in general, especially those on a budget, should definitely seek out this tasty bourbon value.

–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.”

Smoking Jacket is made at Hendrik Kelner Jr.’s Kelner Boutique Factory in the Dominican Republic. The line consists of four sizes each with a unique blend (in part because two sizes use a Brazilian Cubra wrapper and two, including the  Favoritos (6 x 46), use a 9-year-old Dominican Cotuí grown on Kelner family farms). The cigar starts out leathery and spicy, but settles into a medium- to full-bodied blend with cedar, earth, and a feint sweetness. It isn’t the most balanced smoke, but with lots of flavor and excellent construction it is enjoyable.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

First Smoke is a new series of Quick Smoke reviews, each evaluating a single pre-release cigar. Like the Quick Smokes we publish each Saturday and Sunday, each First Smoke is not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

 

Whether by design or not, Nica Rustica has always seemed like sort of a discount version of the immensely popular Liga Privada No. 9. (Think of it as a second wine from a top Bordeaux producer.) Both feature Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers (Liga uses “Broadleaf #1 Darks” while the Nica Rustica uses a “Broadleaf Medium”), and both debuted in just one size, a Toro, before expanding to multiple vitolas. Continuing to follow in Liga’s footsteps, Nica Rustica is expanding with two new sizes this year: Belly (7.5 x 54) and Short Robusto (4.5 x 50).

The Nica Rustica Short Robusto features powdery smoke that coats the mouth in oak, earth, bread, grass, and pepper. Although the final Nica Rustica blend doesn’t use a wild Nicaraguan strain of tobacco that pre-release test blends included, the rustic, gritty characteristics are still evident, which is exactly what Nica Rustica intends. Construction is excellent and features Drew Estate’s trademark smoke production. You won’t mistake it for Liga, but with a $5.95 MSRP, the Nica Rustica Short Robusto delivers good value.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

1792 Sweet Wheat Bourbon is a new offering from the Barton Distillery, which is better known for Very Old Barton and 1792 Small Batch Ridgemont Reserve. (1792 is the year Kentucky gained statehood.)

My favorite bourbon writer Chuck Cowdery explained the details and differences between the original 1792 expression and the new Sweet Wheat:

The flagship expression of 1792 was launched in 2003. It is a rye-recipe bourbon with a higher-than-normal barley malt content, although the exact percentage has never been disclosed. It also features a yeast strain not used for any other brands. The product was created by Barton Master Distiller Bill Friel not long before he retired….

Now the Barton 1792 Distillery is set to release its first 1792 line extension, called 1792 Sweet Wheat. It was distilled in 2007 so, like the flagship, it is eight years old. ‘Using wheat instead of rye gives the taste profile a softer and more delicate flavor,’ said Ken Pierce, director of distillation and quality assurance. ‘The soft flavor is balanced by rich oak tannins extracted by the bourbon while aging in the charred oak barrels.’

In case you’re wondering, bourbon made with wheat as a secondary grain instead of rye has always been a minority of all bourbon made, but it includes some very popular ones, not the least of which is Pappy Van Winkle. While rye is characterized by spice, wheated bourbons (which also include Maker’s Mark, Old Fitzgerald/Larceny, and the Weller family of bourbons) are known for a softer, sweeter edge.

Sweet Wheat pours a light bronze color. It features a muted nose with honey, wood, and red fruit. On the palate, Sweet Wheat is as advertised. It’s soft and lush, with a little resin, oak, cherries, and apples. The finish is much of the same with apples and caramel.

1792 Sweat Wheat Bourbon is 91.2-proof and retails for $33 a bottle. Though expect to spend bit more (I found one for $38) if you can find them at all (my local store sold out in two days) as the first release is fairly limited.

Pair it with a balanced, mild or medium cigar. A few recommendations: Illusione Epernay, Paul Garmirian Gourmet Vintage 1991, Arturo Fuente King T Rosado Sun Grown, and Ashton Classic.

I wouldn’t necessarily suggest spending a lot of time or money finding the new 1792 Sweet Wheat, but it is a good bourbon for the price. If you like Old Weller Antique, Larceny, or Maker’s Mark, it iscertainly worth trying.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

At this point it is pretty cliche to point out that Macanudo has a reputation as a beginner’s cigar brand. Despite the knock, Macanudo has a lot a going for it: It’s easy to find, has reliably excellent construction, and features consistent flavors from cigar to cigar.

And yet General Cigar, which owns the Macanudo brand, seems to have been introducing new fuller-bodied Macanudo blends aimed at the more seasoned cigar smoker for at least as long as I’ve been writing about cigars. But the ubiquitous green and white Cafe line, a blend whose popularity is the reason Macanudo can lay claim to the title of best-selling handmade cigar in the U.S., is still what most people think of first.

At this year’s industry convention, General Cigar showed off a new updated logo for Macanudo to go along with some new packaging. Also new is the third edition of Macanudo Estate Reserve, which comes handsomely presented in individual coffins in a box featuring the black, yellow, and green of the Jamaican flag.

The Jamaican link is no coincidence. Macanudo was made in Jamaica for many years utilizing Jamaican tobacco until about 2000. For this blend, like last year’s Estate Reserve, Jamaican filler is used.

But the star of the show is a 10-year-old Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which has a nice sheen and is nearly jet black in color. It surrounds a Mexican binder and filler from Nicaragua, the Dominican, and a a special low-yield strain of Jamaican filler (which General Cigar calls Silver Tongue).

The resulting blend features a rich chalkiness with cocoa, earth, and a little charred oak. It’s medium-bodied and leaves a pleasant, dark chocolate finish that lingers. Towards the final third there’s a little woody spice.

I sampled three of the robusto-sized No. 9  vitola (5×50), which I received from General for this review. (The blend is also available in a belicoso (6 x 57) and a Churchill (7 x 50).) Each burned flawlessly, with the excellent construction I’ve come to expect from Macanudo.

At $16 each, the Macanudo Estate Reserve Series 2015 No. 9 isn’t inexpensive. But it is a well-executed, flavorful, medium-bodied maduro that would go equally well with a bourbon or a coffee. That earns the Macanudo Estate Reserve Series 2015 No. 9 a rating of four 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.”

CAO unveiled Concert at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, but now you don’t hear much about it. Only a few boxes were on display at the most recent convention, and I’ve always got the feeling the line failed to live up to some high expectations from the team behind it. The Amp (5.5 x 46) features medium- to full-bodied flavors with breadiness, cafe-au-lait, and cedar. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper around Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. It’s solidly made, tasty, and affordable at $5.75.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys