The 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.”

I’ll admit it: I don’t get why the CAO Concert didn’t catch on. Launched two years ago, we hardly hear about the line anymore, and CAO seems to have largely stopped promoting it. Maybe it’s the non-traditional packaging (guitar pick band, speaker amp box) that caused people to miss the well-made, traditional cigar that Concert is.  The corona-sized Amp (5.5 x 46) demonstrates classic Ecuadorian Habano flavors. Think medium- to full-bodied cedar, coffee, bread, and a hint of pepper spice. If you like Ecuadorian Habano-wrapped cigars like the Emilio AF2 or My Father, check out the Concert Amp. It offers similar flavors at a price that might be below $4 if you pick it up by the box.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

La Palina has accomplished a lot in the four and a half years since the brand was launched, or technically re-launched. (The original La Palina was introduced in 1896, and later developed by the vision of William S. Paley, who went on to found CBS.)

I attended the La Palina launch event in 2010 when the company introduced its first cigar, made at Graycliff in the Bahamas. If you had told me then where this brand would be now, I would have been both impressed and surprised.

Since 2010, La Palina has introduced a steady stream of new cigars, with nearly two per year. The latest offering is La Palina Black, the second La Palina cigar (after the Classic) to be made at Abe Flores’ Pinar del Rio factory in the Dominican Republic.

The line comes in four sizes—Gordo (6 x 60), Toro (6 x 50), Robusto (5 x 52), and Petit Lancero (6 x 40)—with prices ranging from $9 to $11.50 per cigar. La Palina has always had a classic look, but the black accents in the primary band combined with the black and gold secondary label make this an especially sharp presentation.

For this review, I smoked two Robustos provided as samples by La Palina. Each features a deep brown Brazilian Bahiano wrapper. Underneath are dual binders from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua around filler tobaccos from the same two countries.

The cigar has notable dried fruit flavors on the pre-light draw. Once lit, I found medium-full bodied roasted flavors of coffee, leather, and oak. There’s a slight hint of licorice too, and perhaps an echo of sweetness.

As it progresses, a chalky element adds into the mix, but mostly the flavors are consistent from start to finish. The aroma is very pleasant with dense oak and pepper. Construction is flawless, including a light gray ash that holds for an inch and a half before falling off.

This latest La Palina has many of the qualities that make the brand unlikely to disappoint. It’s well-made and features pleasant flavors, even if it doesn’t have much of a wow factor. That earns the La Palina Black Robusto 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.”

I recently revisited this Cuban Romeo y Julieta dubbed the Wide Churchill. The name is a bit strange. Short Wide Churchill would be more accurate (since it’s not just wider than a Churchill), though also more awkward. Name aside, the cigar is attractive and well-constructed, which is certainly welcome considering that Cubans have a deserved reputation for inconsistent construction. The Flavors are classic Habano: medium-bodied and balanced with roasted notes, lots of cedar, and coffee. It remains one of the better Cuban cigars I’ve had recently.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here’s a late addition to my two–part StogieGuys.com A-Z Guide to Rye Whiskey: Templeton Rye. Templeton, like many ryes on the market, is distilled at the the Indiana distillery formerly known as LDI, now known as MGPI (it’s also their stock ticker).

But as we’ve explored in our series on rye, just because the rye has the same source doesn’t mean it tastes the same. Templeton, bottled in Templeton, Iowa, at 80-proof, sells for around $40 a bottle.

Templeton was one of the first to tap into the LDI rye, and for a while it was a bit of a mystery where the rye was made. A marketing story about being made from the recipe that was preferred by Al Capone got the brand in a bit of hot water, but it has since taken steps to clarify that, while inspired by an Iowa-made whiskey enjoyed by Al Capone, the current product is distilled in Indiana.

Controversy aside, what’s most important is how the whiskey tastes. And this one tastes good.

The color is a light caramel and the nose is an inviting combination of sweetness, tropical fruit, and spice. Think bananas foster with lots and lots of cinnamon.

On the palate, Templeton has a lush mouthfeel. It features toffee, wintergreen, dates, and a little oak. The finish is clean with a minty element.

It definitely shares the basic profile of most LDI ryes, but each takes on its own character. For Templeton, I was somewhat surprised at the intensity it keeps, despite being bottled at only 80-proof, the lowest proof a straight rye can legally be.

The combination of sweetness and spice screams out for a Cameroon-wrapped cigar. My three favorites right now in that category are the Fuente Hemingway, La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet, and the Nirvana by Drew Estate.

With so many excellent ryes out there, including so many from the same distillery source, it’s hard to recommend one over the other. All of them are tasty, and each has its own distinct character. Templeton, while a few bucks more than some of the others, is worth checking out. Rye fans will each have their own preferences, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend picking up a bottle of Templeton to decide for yourself.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

These days almost anyone can have their own cigar line, if they have the cash and a name to put on the band. Such cigars can be excellent or lousy, mostly depending (I suspect) on the degree to which the brand owner knows and cares about insisting on a quality product. Selecting a good partner to make the cigar for you helps too, I’m sure.

So I really didn’t know what to expect when I was offered samples of Señor Rio cigars, two cigar blends from the owners of the Señor Rio tequila line. In the introduction email I received, Señor Rio co-owner Jonathan Gach said his direct enjoyment of cigars goes back to the late 1970s, plus even longer if you count enjoying the aroma of the cigars his father smoked.

Further emails revealed he had traveled to Nicaragua and worked with A.J. Fernandez on his two cigars: Señor Rio Añejo and Señor Rio Diamanté, the latter of which I’m reviewing here.

The Diamanté blend has Nicaraguan binder and filler from Estelí, Ometepe, and Condega, wrapped in a medium-brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The dual bands surround a fun-sized (5 x 40), box-pressed smoke. It’s a quirky size for introducing a blend, but it works. It’s available for $7.99 at Total Wine shops around the country, as well as a growing number of other cigar retailers.

The well-constructed cigar has an easy draw that reveals an interesting combination of medium-bodied flavors. There are bready notes, a slight habanero spice, and coffee flavors, along with a unique, crisp, almost belt pepper taste.

There’s not much variation in flavor as the cigar progresses, as it maintains its medium- to full-bodied profile. The finish is long as the flavor coats the roof of the mouth.

I paired one cigar up with a sample of the Señor Rio 2 Year Añejo tequila. I wouldn’t say the cigar pairs better with the tequila than, say, a fine bourbon or whiskey, but it is a nice combination. (The tequila itself if very smooth with oak, citrus, and melon flavors.)

I started out saying I didn’t know what to expect from this cigar. Having smoked four of them, I’m impressed with the blend Señor Rio ended up with for Diamanté, no doubt in small part by choosing to work with A.J. Fernandez. It earns the Señor Rio Diamanté 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.”

Mister Anderson is precisely the type of cigar you might expect in the cigar pack from Saints & Sinners (the private club built around the Tatuaje). It’s a little mysterious, but definitely good. It probably refers to John Anderson of Draper’s cigar shop in Washington, but there’s a little Matrix vibe going on too. I had one from another S&S cigar pack a few years ago, but that was much smaller than the large box pressed-size of this edition. The cigar itself is full-bodied, earthy, and gritty with some spice and excellent sweetness. If you can get your hands on one, it’s a fantastic treat.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This is a fun time of the year for bourbon enthusiasts, with many excellent limited releases heading to stores. If you’re lucky enough, you may find a bottle of the annually released Pappy Van Winkle, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Four Roses Small Batch Cask Strength, or Parker’s Heritage.

In recent years, you could add Angel’s Envy Cask Strength bourbon to that list of highly sought-after but hard-to-find limited offerings released in the fall. Angel’s Envy port-finished bourbon and rum cask-finished rye (a personal favorite of mine) are now offered year-round. Like the widely distributed Angel’s Envy bourbon, the limited Cask Strength offering is finished in port barrels after extended aging in standard new charred oak barrels.

The 2014 Cask Strength is a hearty 119.3-proof, and only 6,500 bottles (an increase over previous years) are being released. The suggested retail price is $169—for better or worse a fair price given the huge demand for such limited-release bourbons in the increasingly hot bourbon market.

The Angel’s Envy Cask Strength pours a deep copper color. The nose features a tightly wound combination of cherries, toffee, and vanilla. It’s barely a speed-bump compared to what’s to come.

On the palate, the full force of this bourbon comes to bear. Thick clove, dried fruit, charred oak, and butterscotch. The finish lingers with much of the same, plus a hint of ginger spice. It drinks very well neat, but a splash of spring water opens it up.

Angel’s Envy has quickly filled a niche in the American whiskey scene as a brand without a distillery (though they have started work on a Louisville distillery). Simply reselling whiskey made elsewhere is a tough business when you’re competing against the companies that make it themselves, but by adding the twist of unique barrel aging, Angel’s Envy has quickly become an established and respected addition.

Deep, intense bourbons like this one are made for cigars. And rich, full cigars are the way to go. Connecticut Broadleaf-wrapped cigars like the Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 or Tatuaje Reserva fit the bill.

The price, understandably, will make some people hesitant to pick up the Angel’s Envy Cask Stength release—especially considering you can buy three or four excellent bottles for the same price. But this is a special, limited, and unique offering. Pass up the opportunity to buy one at your own peril.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys