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 put a box of these Torpedos in my humidor a couple years ago, and they already had years of age on them before they came into my possession. This Padilla 1948 was made by Pepin before the two parted ways back in early 2008. It was never a particularly full-bodied smoke, and the years have only mellowed this cigar. There are hints of cream, coffee, and cedar with a slightly sour, damp cardboard flavor. While the construction is still excellent, the flavors are just so-so.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Note: The following is one of a series of articles regarding StogieGuys.com’s recent visit to Nicaragua as part of Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari. Read all our Cigar Safari articles here.]

Visiting Drew Estate last week, one year after my prior visit, it would have been hard miss the company’s growth. According to Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka, the company is now the third largest premium cigar company in the United States behind only General Cigar and Altadis (as determined by the Cigar Association of America).

One year ago while visiting, I was told they were planning a large new “pre-industry” facility for fermentation, aging, and sorting tobacco. Today, the frame of a massive $3.7 million airplane hangar-like structure is standing (pictured above and below from each end). The plan is for it to be operational by this September and, if current projections are correct, it will be at 100% capacity by 2015.

Liga Privada capacity is increasing too. I was told the company shipped twice as many Ligas in 2012 as it did in 2011, and the number will increase again this year. Given that it can take two years for the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper to be ready, that’s significant.

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As you’ve no doubt seen if you’ve been following StogieGuys.com on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram over the past week, I was fortunate enough to participate in Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari in Estelí for the second straight year.

Like last year, I want to thank all the fine folks at Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua for showing us an amazing time on the incredible trip, especially Jonathan Drew, Steve Saka, Willy Herrera, Juan Martínez, José Blanco, Mario Perez, Pedro Gomez, and Johnny Brooke.

I’ll share my specific thoughts on some exciting new developments from Drew Estate and Joya in the coming days but, first, I wanted to share some photos from my trip.

Drew Estate recently finished a new mural that greets visitors on Cigar Safari. You can see the old mural here.

We visited La Finca de Joya, a tobacco farm owned by Oliva Tobacco that supplies tobacco to Drew Estate and others. This field, with tobacco as far as the eye can see, is actually on the small size. One acre produces anywhere from 1,800 to 2,400 pounds of filler tobacco.

Steve Saka discusses the process of curing tobacco inside a curing barn. The process removes moisture from the leaves as the color changes from green to brown by controlling temperature and humidity. While the technique may vary, it usually takes around six weeks. Even the relatively small curing barn we visited can hold $150,000 worth of tobacco when full. (more…)

Last year around this time, Patrick A and I visited Nicaragua as part of Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari. The trip was as fun as it was informative.

We visited the Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estate factories, toured sorting and processing facilities, made our own blends, and spent time with some of the best cigar people around, including Jonathan Drew, Steve Saka, José Blanco, and Mario Perez.

You can revisit the trip by checking out our coverage here and by watching this playlist of our videos:

But the reason I post this isn’t just for a trip down memory lane. Tomorrow, I’m heading back down for another visit to Drew Estate, Cigar Safari, and Estelí, Nicaragua.

So I wanted to ask our readers: What do you want to know about Drew Estate?

Leave your questions in the comments and while I’m in Nicaragua I’ll work to get you answers. Keep an eye on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and StogieGuys.com for responses to your questions.

–Patrick S

photo credit: N/A

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 new addition to the La Palina brand, the Classic is the most affordable La Palina line to date with prices ranging from $7.50-8.50. It’s also the first (and currently the only) La Palina made in the Dominican Republic at Abe Flores’ factory. The cigar features a Brazilian Habano wrapper, Ecuador binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. The Robusto (5 x 52) demonstrates very smooth, balanced flavors with milk chocolate and coffee notes. It’s an enjoyable mild- to medium-bodied cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I wrote about Angel’s Envy Bourbon when it was first introduced. The bourbon, created by Lincoln Henderson who previously wielded his talents to produce Woodford Reserve, is unique in that it is finished in port barrels after its traditional aging in new charred oak barrels.

The result was delicious, with just the right amount of traditional, rich bourbon flavor and added complexity due to finishing in port barrels. Now Angel’s Envy is adding a rye to its lineup with a similar twist: This time they finish their traditional rye in Caribbean rum casks.

It’s worth pointing out that while Angel’s Envy and its parent, Louisville Distilling Company, said they had plans to build their own distillery, none of their products are distilled by the company. In fact, according to bourbon writer Chuck Cowdery, any plans for a Louisvile Distilling Company distillery have been put on the back-burner. Of course, that doesn’t mean the whiskey in the bottles isn’t tasty, and clearly Angel’s Envy’s finishing process makes it a unique spirit.

As for the rye, the company wouldn’t reveal the source of the whiskey, but there are some strong hints. The rye uses a mash bill recipe that is 95% rye and, as far as I know, only one company (Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana) makes such a bill, and they happen to make it all for sale to other companies. So it’s fair to say I have a strong suspicion that this is the source of the rye which Angel’s Envy then takes and “finishes” in rum casks.

Whatever the source, the result is a 100-proof rye that will sell for $70 per bottle when it comes out next month in a limited number of states. Even though the rye doesn’t carry a formal age statement, the company reports the it is aged for around 6 years before being transferred to the rum casks for up to 18 months.

The color is a deep golden like well-aged Sauternes. On the nose, Angel’s Envy rye shows a fresh combination of pineapple, pear, pine, vanilla, and rum. A sip reveals plenty of alcohol heat but also sherry, oak, and maple candy. The finish shows soft woodiness, rum, and oak.

It’s a very interesting, unique rye that is dominated by maple sweetness and tropical fruit with hints of characteristic rye spice. Frankly, if you didn’t know what was in your glass, you might find it difficult to identify it as a rye. Still, it’s enjoyable straight with a cigar.

What it calls for is a flavorful cigar cigar with clean balance. I smoked two cigars with this rye that fit the bill: the Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series (well-aged if you can find it), and the Asylum, made by Christian Eiroa, formerly of Camacho. If I had more rye to sample with some other cigars, I’d be looking for other medium-bodied cigars with excellent balance.

Ultimately, this is a far different rye than most (for example Bulleit, which is also made at LDI, the likely source of Angel’s Envy). But it’s uniquely enjoyable. If a rye that will change your opinion of what a rye can be sounds up your alley, then pick up a bottle of Angel’s Envy Rye finished in Caribbean rum casks in May when it arrives on store shelves. I will.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As early as today the Senate is set to pass a bill to impose state and local sales tax on all internet purchases, including cigars. Named the “Marketplace Fairness Act” by its supporters, the bill would require internet and mail-order retailers to collect sales tax on all transactions.

Currently, such purchases include state sales tax if the retailer has a physical presence in the state where the customer resides, but a Supreme Court ruling prohibits a state or locality from requiring businesses in other jurisdictions to collect such taxes. Technically, consumers may be required to self-report such taxable items, but the reality is only a fraction of those taxes are actually collected.

The bill easily passed a procedural hurdle yesterday, and President Obama has issued a statement of support. The bill has moved through the usually slow-moving Senate at breakneck speed, as it was only introduced one week ago while the nation’s attention was focused on the tragic attack in Boston. It’s expected to pass the Senate as soon as today, although it’s not clear if it has the support of a majority of legislators in the House or, critically, Republican House leadership.

Critics suggest the bill is “a tax grab and a bureaucratic nightmare…an infringement on states’ rights and a federal encroachment on the almost-sacred ground of Internet commerce.” While that all may be true, the bill poses a special threat to cigars due to the fact that 48 out of 50 states tax cigars with an additional excise tax.

Bill Could Trigger State Cigar Tax Increases, Online and Off

Currently only Florida and Pennsylvania don’t have an additional excise tax on cigars (and New Hampshire doesn’t tax “premium cigars”), with over a dozen states taxing cigars at 50% or more of the wholesale or manufacturer price (pdf), which amount to a few dollars per cigar. Given the vast differences in excise taxes, it is no surprise that most of the largest online and catalog retailers are based in Pennsylvania or Florida, including Cigars International, Famous Smoke Shop, and Thompson Cigar.

One cigar industry expert I spoke with estimated that as much as 60% of all cigars are now sold either online or through mail order, and that states would quickly move to force online retailers to collect cigar excise taxes in addition to regular sales taxes. The issue has largely gone under the radar since cigars (as part of the “Other Tobacco Products” or OTP designation) are one of only a handful of products that are subject to state excise tax and are sold online. (Tires, through online retailers such as TireRack.com, and wine, depending on state shipping rules, are two other examples of goods subject to state excise taxes that are often sold online.)

While it’s not clear that online retailers would immediately be subject to excise tax in the same way that they would be for sales tax in the jurisdiction of the customer under the internet sales tax legislation, the bill does appear to clear the legal hurdle to doing so. Under one scenario, states could start demanding that out-of-state retailers begin collecting state tobacco taxes almost immediately, claiming that they are now authorized to do so. Under another scenario, if states faced resistance, it would not be difficult for legislatures to re-brand their excise taxes as a special sales tax.

That result would have implications beyond just online and catalog cigar purchases. Currently, one of the best reasons for not raising state OTP excise taxes is that a high tax rate is likely to drive sales online, eliminating tax revenues and pushing purchases away from local businesses. Without states worried about driving sales to untaxed, out-of-state businesses under the so-called “Marketplace Fairness Act,” OTP tobacco tax increases may soon multiply across the country as fiscally strained states look for more revenue.

Further, unlike across-the-board sales tax increases which anger wide swaths of voters, targeted tax increases on cigar smokers only affect a small percentage of voters, making them an especially easy target.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys