The Stogie Guys

A couple times each week 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 Corona Gorda size of the Cubariqueño Cigar Company’s Protocal Themis blend was formerly exclusive to Pennsylvania-based Famous Smoke Shop. Earlier this year, though, it became available to all retailers. Made at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona cigar factory, the cigar’s shiny, golden Ecuadorian wrapper surrounds Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Ideal combustion qualities reveal a medium-bodied combination of light roast coffee, hay, cream, and nutmeg, backed up with a sneaky green and red pepper spice on the finish. Judging from the one I had this is a versatile cigar that could be enjoyed in the morning with a coffee, after dinner with a whiskey, or anytime in between.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I was recently smoking a JFR Lunatic Short Robusto and trying to explain the name to someone not familiar with it. Turns out it’s not an easy task; not much about it makes sense.

JFR stands for “Just for Retailers” (brick-and-mortar only). But while that was once true, the line is now sold online and in catalogs. “Lunatic” refers to the absurdly large ring gauge sizes (two 60s, one 70, and one 80), but that doesn’t apply to the more traditionally proportioned Short Robusto.

Even “Short Robusto” is a misnomer as the cigar is 4.75 inches long with a ring gauge of 52, a size far more often designated as just “robusto.” (The Aganorsa site says it is 4.25 inches, but my trusty tape measure confirms it is a half inch longer.) Of course, none of that really matters when it comes to whether or not the cigar is worth smoking.

Weighing in favorably on that side is a value-oriented sub $6 price. Made by Aganorsa Leaf (which, up until a spring 2018 re-brand, had been known as Casa Fernandez) at their TABSA factory in Estelí, the cigar features a Nicaraguan Aganorsa binder and filler wrapped in a rustic Ecuadorian habano leaf.

The cigar starts out with a burst of toast and sweetness as you burn through the closed foot. It soon settles into a medium- to full-bodied profile with notes of roast cashews, honey, light oak, cream, and a slightly metallic note on the finish.

While there isn’t much variation after the first few minutes, the consistent notes still comprise a pleasant combination of flavors with plenty of sweetness until the final third. Construction is also impressive with an easy draw and sturdy ash, although one of my three specimens required multiple touch-ups to correct the burn.

It isn’t hard to see why this cigar has garnered favorable reviews, including being featured at number eight on Cigar Aficionado‘s Top 25 list for 2018. The simple fact is, good cigars that cost closer to a Lincoln than a Hamilton are hard to find, even if it isn’t the best offering in the Aganorsa Leaf/Casa Fernandez portfolio.

While value is always appreciated, we don’t factor price into our full reviews. (Everyone’s sensitivity to price is personal, so we let you factor that in yourself.) Still, solid construction and pleasant flavors earn the Aganorsa Leaf JFR Lunatic Habano Short Robusto a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

A couple times each week we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

For many years, the spicy, full-bodied  Dominican puro Fuente Opus X was one of those hard-to-find cigars that consumers constantly asked their tobacconists for, and were just excited to find at close to suggested retail price. At least partially in response to that demand, Cohiba introduced Puro Dominicana, also a Dominican puro oriented towards those seeking a spicier Dominican smoke.  Cohiba Puro Dominicana features dry oak, light spice, restrained pepper, and leather. You won’t mistake it for an Opus X, but it is a well-made, tasty, medium- to full-bodied cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A couple times each week we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Not the oldest cigar in my humidor, but probably among the dozen or so oldest. La Aurora celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003 with 100 Años. The Dominican puro (fitting, given La Aurora’s status as the oldest Dominican cigar maker) features an oily Corojo wrapper. Remarkably full-bodied given its age, the Robusto sports robust leather, roast nuts, and hints of green pepper. Good luck finding 100 Años, but if you happen across one, smoke it.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It may sound obvious, but it’s a big decision. If you’re a brand owner that doesn’t own a cigar factory, you have two choices: (1) partner with one factory/cigar maker to produce your cigars exclusively, or (2) produce different cigars at different factories. There are clear pros and cons to each strategy.

In the former, you have a partner who, if times get tough, you can work with knowing your businesses rise and fall together. In the later, you get the variety of experience and diversification to make particular blends at a factory where each style excels.

For the first few years after Crowned Heads was launched in 2011 by CAO veterans John Huber and Mike Conder, the company partnered exclusively with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A., and seemed content doing so. That changed with the introduction of Las Cavaleras in 2014, made at the Garcia Family’s My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The cigar proved so popular it became a regular offering in 2015, in part due to demand from cigar retailers. La Imperiosa features the same components: a dark oscuro Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan filler and binder.

The sizes are different from Las Cavaleras, with a Dukes (5.5 x 54), Corona Gorda (5.75 x 46), Double Robusto (6.4 x 50), and Magicos (4.5 x 52), the latter being the subject of today’s review. Suggested retail is $9 to $10 per cigar, though you may be able to pick up a five-pack for $20 to $25 if you search around online.

The short robusto starts out with a burst of spice but quickly settles into a more medium- to full-bodied combination of roast nuts, black pepper, bread, and charred oak. Particularly interesting is a peanut butter flavor that coats the roof of your mouth.

The finish is long with oak and coffee. The cigar’s construction is flawless, with a dark, oily wrapper (framed nicely by a teal band), an even burn, and a sturdy, light gray ash.

My Father Cigars S.A. makes a lot of cigars that use oscuro Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. This is a classic Garcia combination. A natural question is how La Imperiosa measures up to others. Personally, I slightly prefer the Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu and My Father Le Bijou 1922, but that is more a matter of personal taste than a measure of quality.

La Imperiosa is well-made, rich, and classically Garcia and Nicaraguan. (This makes it very distinct from the previous Crowned Heads blends made by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza.) That impressive combination earns Crowned Heads La Imperiosa Magicos a rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Bubble. Boom. Whatever you want to call it, whiskey has been on the upswing for years. And, recently, Japanese whiskey in particular has been a victim of the realities of supply and demand.

Some combination of branding, style, distribution, and long-overdue recognition has catapulted Japanese whiskey from an oddity to a sought-after luxury in recent years. That culminated last year when Nikka From the Barrel was designated 2018 Whiskey of the Year by Whiskey Advocate.

The 51.4% ABV spirit demonstrates many of the mysteries and anomalies of Japanese whiskey. The blended whiskey is produced by Nikka Whisky Distilling, but few details are available beyond that.

While all Japanese whiskey meets the legal definition of whiskey (distilled malt or grain aged in oak barrels), the fact is there are few requirements beyond some step in the process taking place in Japan. Japanese whiskey can be single malt, grain whiskey, or a blend, and it can even be aged or distilled in Japan or elsewhere. (Yes, that Japanese whiskey you are drinking may have started in Canada, Ireland, or Scotland.)

In short, it’s the wild west (or perhaps wild far east) of whiskey. The reputation of what’s in the bottle is far more dependent on the label than the region or Japanese designation. With supplies of Japanese-distilled whiskey dwindling, there is every reason for consumers to be skeptical of that new Japanese whiskey you come across.

However, Nikka From The Barrel doesn’t suffer any lack of reputation or pedigree, as detailed in Whiskey Advocate‘s write-up: “In 1985, Nikka Whisky Distilling Company’s blending team, led by Shigeo Sato, designed this whisky using both malt and grain whiskies produced at Nikka’s Yoichi and Miyagikyo Distilleries. When taking into account the full array of casks—bourbon barrels, sherry butts, refill hogsheads, and more—over 100 different constituent whiskies are enlisted.”

The result is an amber whiskey with a rich nose full of sherry and bourbon-y vanilla with hints of hints of seaweed and sulphur. On the palate you’ll find a balanced, complex combination of flavors with ginger, stonefruit, oak, tobacco, and red fruit. The finish is clean and balanced with lingering ginger and light wood spice.

It is without a doubt an enjoyable whiskey, and the price ($80) isn’t unwarranted given the hype of Japanese whiskey (though, at that price, there are quite a few scotch single malts I’d prefer). With this bottle being increasingly hard to find, you certainly shouldn’t be eager to pay more than that suggested retail price.

Pair it with a medium-bodied or even mild cigar if you want to appreciate all the nuanced flavors that Nikka From The Barrel can reveal. Some suggestions include: Aging Room Bin No. 1 B Minor, Cabaiguan, Cohiba Siglo, Illusione Epernay, Paul Garmirian Gourmet, and Warped Futuro.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A couple times each week 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 consider myself lucky to live near multiple excellent cigars shops that carry plenty of store exclusivew and other hard-to-find limited cigars. This La Flor Dominicana was made exclusively for one of those (the northern Virginia-based chain Old Virginia Tobacco Co.), and has an undisclosed blend with a dark brown wrapper and a lightly box-pressed shape. The cigar features flavors of roast nuts, cedar, coffee, and a spice that builds towards the final third. Balanced, well-constructed, and medium- to full-bodied, it’s easy to recommend.

–Patrick S

photo credit: N/A