The Stogie Guys

Yes, I admit it. I’m a little obsessed over HR 1639, the bill to bar the Food & Drug Administration from regulating premium, hand-rolled cigars. Frankly, though, I cannot understand why every cigar smoker isn’t.

I believe enactment of this legislation would offer extraordinary protection for cigars smokers and the cigar industry. By recognizing a specific category for premium cigars, it would make it easy to exclude them from future tobacco taxes and restrictions.

The good news is the bill is tantalizingly close to the support it needs for passage in the House of Representatives. But now is not the time to let up. Soon, the solons will be off for the summer and for campaigning. Little will transpire on Capitol Hill.

The bill has just over 180 supporters, but, alas, Guam’s representative has no vote, and David Wu resigned after signing on. I’ve recently spent time analyzing the list of cosponsors and discovered some interesting data. What’s most interesting is I think it can help push the bill to enactment. And maybe it’ll inspire more readers to get in touch with their representatives and urge them to get on board.

• As you’d expect, Florida has the most supporters. Still, only 18 of its 25 representatives are signed up. Next up, Pennsylvania, undoubtedly second only to Florida for cigar shops and retail sales, and Texas, are tied with 13. Again, that leaves quite a few who aren’t on board in both states.

• Surprisingly, the state most identified with tobacco, Virginia, has under 50% signed up, with 5 of its 11 representatives sponsoring the bill. Granted, most of the state’s tobacco connection involves cigarettes, but General Cigar Co.’s headquarters are in Richmond. And Connecticut, home of the eponymous high-quality wrapper, has but 2 of 5 representatives as cosponsors.

• Five states, admittedly all small, have seen all their representatives endorse HR1639: Arkansas (4), West Virginia (3), Kansas (4), Hawaii (2), and New Hampshire (2).

• Three times that many states have no representatives on the list. They’re generally concentrated in New England and the West: Massachusetts (10), Rhode Island (2), Vermont (1), Maine (2), New Mexico (3), Montana (1), Idaho (2), Utah (3), Oregon (5), Washington (9), Wyoming (1), Alaska (1), North Dakota (1), South Dakota (1), and Delaware (1).

• While Republicans outnumber Democrats among supporters by about 3 to 1, the bill has strong bipartisan support. Just consider those states that are fully signed up: Arkansas has 3 Republicans and 1 Democrat; West Virginia, a Democrat and 2 Republicans; Kansas, 4 Republicans; Hawaii, 2 Democrats; and New Hampshire, 2 Republicans. And it isn’t just the parties. Supporters include every point along the ideological spectrum, something well worth pointing out to anyone who isn’t a supporter.

So, how can all this help? First, I hope you’re inspired by how close to passage this legislation is. Then, you can see how just a little more pressure applied at the proper points could push HR1639 across the finish line.

If you’re a cigar smoker who hasn’t taken action, be sure to write, email, or telephone your representative if he or she isn’t a supporter.

If you own a smoke shop and there are representatives in your area who haven’t signed on (I counted more than two dozen Massachusetts shops that are IPCPR members and 15 in Oregon, for example) invite them to your shop for an event where they can meet constituents, enjoy a cigar, and learn firsthand why this bill is so vital.

You can find all the information you need about the bill’s cosponsors here and how to make contact here. Let’s get this bill passed. Then I can go back to obsessing over other important things, like humidity levels in the humidor.

-George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

What is it about cigars and music? Or, to be more precise, what is it about cigar makers and making music?

Foremost among the musicians in the cigar world undoubtedly is Avo Uvezian. The pianist, performer, and composer has an eponymous line of top-flight cigars created with master blender Hendrik Kelner and Davidoff. Avo also has created a unique aura with his wide-brimmed hats, white suits, and association with “Strangers In the Night.” Lucky is the smoker who’s able to attend an event where it’s possible to light up an Avo and hear the octogenarian entertain at the keyboard.

Next up is an ex-musician who has been turning out top cigars for years, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. A one-time jazz drummer, he gave up the stage to join his cigar making father in Miami and launched his La Gloria Cubana line that became synonymous with the boom of the ’90s. The former jazz man is still involved with family, as he and his children create cigars that make smokers whistle a happy tune.

Then there’s Pete Johnson. Not only does he share names with an immortal boogie woogie pianist, the younger Pete was a bass player on the Los Angeles music scene before teaming with Don Pepin Garcia to set cigardom on its ear with Tatuaje. Just think how much different today’s cigar world would be if he had kept picking instead of blending.

Charlie Toraño played guitar as a kid and still gets a gleam in his eye when he talks about the pleasure he takes from the instrument. At a recent Toraño event, Charlie spent his down time chatting with the guitarist who was performing at the shop. He seemed to enjoy it as much as talking about his cigars, though no amount of coaxing could get Charlie up on stage.

Rocky Patel, on the other hand, can usually be lured on stage with a simple request, whether it’s to sit in on drums with the Doobie Brothers or tap the bongos at Burn, his club in Naples, Florida. The peripatetic cigar maestro has played percussion since he was a youngster and still loves doing it.

Not all the musical cigar connections involve big names, either. A blender I’ve never met, Alberto J. Medina, writes on the site for his Pio Cigar Co. about selling his bass guitar to get the money to start rolling in Miami’s Little Havana.

And these are just the ones of which that come to mind. There are undoubtedly many others. After all, creativity flows through the cigar industry just as it does through the worlds of music, painting, and other imaginative pursuits. Creating a cigar from many disparate parts and melding a complex operation into a harmonious whole doesn’t seem so much different from conducting a symphony.

So, the next time you light up, listen for—as well as taste—the harmony of the leaf.

-George E

photo credit: Flickr

Like many pursuits these days, the cigar world is often driven by the phrase, “What’s new?”

I am as guilty as most, if not more so, of seeking the new, the different, and the as-yet-to-be-smoked. Writing for StogieGuys.com, I consider it my duty to report on cigars that our readers might not have tried. Since I rarely light up more than six or seven sticks per week, that increases the pressure to search the humidor for untried cigars whenever I visit a B&M.

All this came to mind the other day when I pulled an Oliva Serie V Churchill Extra from my humidor. The cigar was a gift, and I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I smoked one. But I did remember how much I had enjoyed them when Oliva introduced the Serie V as a full strength addition to its lineup nearly five years ago. I smoked them often.

The smooth, spicy, complex cigar was every bit as satisfying as it was back then. Why, I wondered, had I stopped smoking them? Of course, I knew the answer. They’d just been pushed aside by newer cigars. Not better cigars, necessarily. Just newer.

So I vowed I would change my ways. On my next smoke shop visit, I looked specifically for cigars I had not smoked for awhile. I settled on the San Cristobal Elegancia Imperial, a Pepin-blended creation from Ashton that captivated my taste buds when the line extension came out about a year ago. Back then, I ran through a box of the relatively mild, beautiful robustos. But I had not had one since.

The Imperial was great. A joy to smoke. It made me think how strange is our obsession with new cigars when those that are very old are the most highly prized. But that’s another story.

For now, I’m content to learn my lesson. New cigars can be great. But so are many of those that have been around awhile.

-George E

photo credit: Flickr

[Editor's Note: "Cigar Face-Off" is a new feature where we compare and contrast cigars that share at least one important attribute. Please let us know what you think about the new feature in the comments below, and feel free to suggest two cigars for a future Face-Off.]

When most cigar enthusiasts think of Padrón, the lines that come to mind first are the Anniversary Series (both 1926 and 1964) and Family Reserve. Not to be overlooked is the original Padrón line, which includes over a dozen vitolas that are available in either Natural or Maduro formats. Each is comprised of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobacco.

The Executive is a double corona that measures 7.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 50. To see how the two varieties stack up in this format, I bought one Maduro and one Natural at a tobacconist in downtown Chicago. The cost was $7 each.

Padrón Executive Maduro

Unlike its counterpart, the Executive Maduro has a dark, noticeably oily wrapper that imparts a sensation of decadence and exudes pre-light notes of chocolate and earth. Based on first impressions, one might expect the taste to be akin to moist chocolate cake. The profile, however, is less sweet than expected with thick flavors of coffee, leather, and pepper.

The fine aroma of the resting smoke and the cigar’s balance help maintain my attention during the two-hour experience even though the actual profile of the smoke doesn’t change much from light to nub. All the while the physical properties are good, including a solid white ash and a straight burn.

Padrón Executive Natural

The Executive Natural doesn’t make as good of a first impression as the Maduro. It has a dry, mottled wrapper, several lumps, and even a few soft spots. I would have a hard time paying $7 for a cigar that looks like this unless the band was stamped with the venerable Padrón name. Or unless I had read/heard good things.

After establishing an even light, the cigar’s musty—somewhat minty—pre-smoke smell transitions to a taste of coarse pepper and cayenne spice. With plenty of heat on the lips, some sweetness or cream would go a long way towards balance. Just as I find myself thinking that, notes of dry cocoa join in, accompanied by coffee. This is how the cigar remains until the end. Good construction is exhibited throughout.

Conclusion

Given the amount of time and tobacco you get for $7, either of these smokes is a good buy. But I would have to give the slight edge to the Padrón Executive Natural. Its classic taste has a bit more complexity and balance, notwithstanding the deficiencies in appearance.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Recently, Empire Cigars in Raleigh, North Carolina, held an auction for some rare, old, non-Cuban cigars. Billed as “the Holy Grail” of cigar auctions, it got me thinking about what smokes were my “Holy Grail cigars.”

Frankly, many of the cigars available in Empire’s auction were cigars that I don’t think necessarily benefit from more age. (High-end Fuente-made smokes like the Opus X, Añejo, and Ashton VSG often lose flavor after a few years, in my opinion, because the tobacco is already extensively aged.) But that doesn’t mean there aren’t old, hard-to-find cigars that I wouldn’t snap up in a second.

I’ve had the privilege of smoking hundreds (probably thousands) of different blends, from cheap bundles to pre-embargo Cubans over half a century old. Still, there are plenty of cigars I’d still like to try.

A quick list of my “Holy Grail” cigars would have to include these four cigars, two of which I’ve smoked before and two of which I haven’t ever come across (at least not at a price I could justify purchasing them at):

Cuban Davidoffs – Until they pulled out of Cuba in 1991 because of sub-standard tobacco (which Zino Davidoff symbolically burned to show that it wasn’t up to his standards), Davidoff Cubans were the perfect combination of capitalist production standards and the ideal climate of Cuban tobacco. Ironically, my father, who isn’t much of a cigar smoker, tells me he used to come across, and occasionally enjoy, a Cuban Davidoff cigar regularly in the 80s and early 90s while in Europe. I always wished he had picked up a few extra cigars for me (though I was quite a few years from cigar smoking at that point) since early and mid-80s Cuban Davidoffs were considered some of the finest cigars ever made.

Pepin-made Padilla 1932 – The current version of the Padilla 1932 is a good cigar, but the original 1932 was one that made me appreciate just how complex, balanced, and exquisite a cigar really could be. In 2008 Pepin stopped making cigars for Padilla, but for a while I could still find Pepin-made Padillas, which had a different band from the post-Pepin variety. I still regret not having scooped up more than I did.

Tatuaje Black Corona Gordo “Ceramic Jar” – Here’s another cigar I wish I had scooped up when I had the chance. Only 1,000 jars of 19 were made. From the dozen or so I have smoked, no other Tatuaje quite compares (high praise when you look at all the high ratings Tatuaje has received). I’ve smoked nearly all of the Tatuaje Blacks, including those exclusive to the Saints & Sinners package, and while all are excellent, none have the perfect balance, sweetness, and smooth flavor of the Ceramic Jar.

Pre-Sandinista Joya de Nicaragua – After the Cuban embargo, Joya de Nicaragua was widely considered to be one of the finest cigars legally available in the U.S. Then, in the late 1970s, all that was destroyed when the Sandinista regime took over. Today, Joya de Nicaragua makes some tasty cigars, but none that compare to what I’ve heard about the original Joya de Nicaraguas, which were the inspiration for Illusione.

So those are my “Holy Grail” cigars. Let us know yours in the comments.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In this segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I look at a rousing success, a continuing failure, and the burning of something other than tobacco.

A True Cigar King

First, some good news. In a recent essay in The Tampa Tribune, King Corona Cigars owner Don Barco explored the comeback in the city’s one-time cigar manufacturing hub, Ybor City. For cigar lovers, the most telling parts came when Barco talked about recent trends at his restaurant/bar/café/cigar shop situated on East Seventh Avenue, the district’s main drag. Barco wrote that 2010 was his best since opening 14 years ago, even better than during the ’90s boom. Then, 2011 beat it in sales, “and as the year ended we had our best week of business since the Super Bowl of 2009.” I’ve never met Barco, but I’m sure I’d enjoy having a cigar with him. His shop is my favorite place to enjoy a smoke in Ybor, and StogieGuys.com has sung the praises of one of his house brands, Ybor City Handmades. It’s great to salute a cigar success.

Cuba: Good and Bad

Last year Cigar Aficionado published a colorful report of Havana’s top tourist spots. For a view of life on the island for those who live there, check the March 24-30 issue of The Economist. Its 10-page report has such startling revelations as the fact that while state farms hold 75% of Cuba’s agricultural land, 45% of it was idle and weed-choked as of 2007; the post office sells email access for $1.50 a minute; and Cuba is the only Latin American country with a declining population, a population whose percentage of those under 15 and those over 60 is about equal.

Where There’s This Smoke, There’s Definitely Fire

If you’re involved in fighting smoking restrictions, you can likely find some interesting facts in an InvestigateWest report on the health dangers of wood smoke. For example, Washington state’s “Ecology Department estimates that sooty pollution from sources including wood smoke and diesel exhaust contributes to 1,100 deaths and $190 million in health costs annually.” And among the hazardous chemicals released by burning wood are the carcinogen benzene and carbon monoxide, linked to heart damage. But not a lot is being done because of the high costs and potential punitive impact on poor people who rely on wood for heat. My point isn’t to argue for more restrictions. I think this kind of information can be used to point out to lawmakers that there are many risks and to question whether it’s fair to focus on tobacco simply because it’s an easy target. If air quality is such a vital concern, shouldn’t it be dealt with in a comprehensive fashion? It might well be asked, when do they plan to take action on fireplaces and wood stoves?

-George E

photo credit: Flickr

Gary Mormino and George Pozetta bring us The Immigrant World of Ybor City, one of the best books on Tampa history. And in reading about Tampa, once the cigar-rolling capital of the world, we’re served a little-known slice of cigar history too. Starting with the history of Tampa’s Ybor City, home to more than 250 cigar factories during its peak, the authors take us through a turbulent century of labor disputes, the arrival of Italian, Cuban, and Spanish immigrants, and the rise of one of the world’s great cigar towns.

This excellent read is made for consumers of American history. Highlighting the Spanish-American War and the arrival of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Tampa, through the city’s immigrant culture we glimpse into a world of American nostalgia and understand why so many who arrived from foreign shores decided to stay. Cigar makers were paid well, and their families had access to libraries, theaters, baseball fields, and affordable healthcare. It was the American dream at its finest. And Mormino and Pozetta have captured it all. From the evolution of Tampa as an urban center to the economic adjustments of the Great Depression. From the establishment of an immigrant culture in to World War Two and beyond.

This book was extensively researched and includes dozens of photographs from the early era of cigar making, from a cigar worker’s neighborhood roots in Italy, to the factory floors of the 1910s. See immigrant women stripping stems from stacks and stacks of tobacco and watch skilled tobacco-selectors grade and pair aged tobacco leaves. Look into the Cuesta Rey factory in 1924 and watch an animated lector shout from an opened newspaper while hundreds of cigar workers listen quietly and roll their product.

What struck me, apart from the vividly detailed history, was the sense of closeness the authors provided. Though many of the anecdotes are from long before the writers were born, they address the day to day activities of the average cigar maker with the familiarity of a man just home from a day at the factory. Their depictions of the local culture—the street-corner orators, the dinging trolley cars, the street vendors—with an intimacy that makes you feel you are watching some tropical Cuban version of The Godfather Part II.

A window into another time, a time when Tampa was the cigar capital of the world. The Immigrant World of Ybor City makes great summer reading for the curious cigar historian.

-Mark M

photo credit: Amazon