Last week, the left-leaning Huffington Post published a hit piece entitled “Congressional Cigar Association is Front for Lobbyists.” By sensationally linking lobbyists and tobacco, the article has prompted denials by Congressmen and plenty of hand-wringing by commentators, particularly those who are predisposed to disagree with Republicans (like the one who sponsored the association) and dislike  tobacco. I’ve even seen many of my fellow cigar smokers recently refer to the article as exposing something shady.

But what exactly is wrong with the Congressional Cigar Association (CCA)? So far as I can tell, absolutely nothing.

While I’ve never attended a CCA event, I’ve been invited to them, and have spoken with people who have attended. Far from clandestine or “shady,” the events are described to me as fun and educational. They simply involve Congressional staffers enjoying cigars with a beverage or two. Tobacco, after all, is a legal product, and my experience in DC suggests that a sure way to attract low-level Hill staff and public policy types is with discount drinks.

At CCA events, typically someone from the cigar industry talks about the unique process of making handmade cigars, and maybe gives staffers some insight into the burdens placed on family businesses by cigar taxes and regulations. It’s factual information that they don’t hear from the well-funded and well-connected anti-smoking lobby.

The Huffington Post article makes a big deal of the convoluted House ethics rules (and believe me, as someone who has read parts of them, they are definitely complex and convoluted). But ultimately even that line of inquiry comes up empty, as it seems the CCA has worked with the House Ethics office since its inception, and no violations have been found.

What was conspicuously absent from the Huffington Post article, and the commentary that surrounded it, was any discussion of the fact that communicating with Congress (better known as lobbying) is a constitutionally-protected act. After all, the First Amendment specifically states that citizens have the “right to petition government for redress of grievances.”

Maybe the Huffington Post author’s real agenda is that he doesn’t think cigar smokers and cigar makers should be able to exercise these rights. But fortunately the Constitution doesn’t let the Huffington Post decide who can or cannot petition the government, no matter how they may wish they had that power.

And that seems to be the real story here. Anti-tobacco lobbyists have been circling Capitol Hill for years, pushing legislation to cripple the rights of cigar smokers. And now that the cigar industry has dared to come up to Capitol Hill to defend their product and show congressional staffers the victims of their legislation, the anti-tobacco forces want to shut them up and shut them down.

-Patrick S

photo credit: wikipedia

The aroma from an unlit Mi Barrio was stunning. If my eyes had been closed, I might have believed it was a crème de menthe thin mint near my nose, not a cigar. As perfume makers and aroma therapists can testify, smell is a powerful sense. It’s also one that many of us don’t employ enough when we enjoy cigars.

Since that recent encounter, I’ve tried to be more conscious of the fragrance of cigars before I smoke them. Most cigars have at least some aroma from the wrapper, the foot, or both. But there’s extraordinary variety, and, interestingly, I’ve noticed some significant differences among cigars from the same line.

For instance, I’ve had a 601 Blue, a maduro with a Nicaraguan wrapper, give off a thick chocolate fragrance and I’ve had another stick from the line present almost no aroma at all. On the other hand, some smokes seem remarkably consistent. I invariably inhale the smell of nuts whenever I take one of the Padrón “Thousands Line” in hand.

Another curious aspect is that a lack of pre-light aroma doesn’t indicate lack of taste. I’ve found virtually nothing emanating from the extremely tasty Cabaiguan.

I know there are smokers skeptical of those who detect different tastes in cigars. But it would be hard to argue there isn’t a wide spectrum of aromas from the wrappers and fillers of unlit tobacco. Does anyone think a Cuban Cohiba and a Marlboro give off the same air?

It’s difficult to discount the power of the nose. Brown University professor Rachel Herz, a foremost expert on “olfactory cognition and emotion,” quotes Vladimir Nabokov in one of her books. “Smells are surer than sights or sounds to make your heartstrings crack,” the novelist wrote. (If you’re interested, you will find all sorts of fascinating stuff about scents and smell at Herz’s website.)

If you don’t regularly check your cigar’s aroma before lighting up, give it a try. And if you do, let us know what you find in some of your favorites.

-George E

photo credit: Flickr

We’ve all seen them. They’re relatively rare compared to other cigar formats but can be found in cigar shops, online, and at events where manufacturers are eager to display their talents. They’re called “culebras” and, if you’re like me, they always seem to prompt the same question: Why?

Why in the world would anyone braid three cigars together like snakes engaged in some sort of weird ménage à trios? Why, with all the creative cigar shapes and sizes, do we need a twisted tobacco pretzel of cigars married by conforming shape and shiny ribbon?

And why three? Much like Schick and Gillette are ensnared in a razor blade arms race (re: Gillette’s Mach 3, Schick’s Quattro, Gillette’s Fusion), why haven’t cigar makers started to pack more sticks into culebras? More is better, right?

I suspect tradition has something to do with it. In the cigar business, tradition usually reigns supreme—as does legend. One explanation for culebras claims that 19th century cigar factories allowed rollers to take home three sticks per day. Naturally, the rollers twisted three together in an effort to bring home three times more tobacco than they otherwise could, and the culebra was born. Another (less fanciful) explanation suggests mere marketing creativity.

Whatever their origin, some culebras have stood the test of time, most notably with Davidoff, Illusione, and the original Partagas brand from Cuba. Intrigued, I recently shared a culebra from Pinar del Rio’s Selección series with two friends to see what all the hubbub is about.

First off, the drawbacks. Culebras take up more space in the humidor than three separate cigars otherwise would. They’re also difficult to travel with, prone to burn and draw issues, and often aesthetically damaged around curves. And they just feel like a damn gimmick meant to lure suckers.

That said, my inaugural culebra experience was a wonderful one. The presentation was spectacular and attention-grabbing for my two guests and I (you have to smoke a culebra with two other people simultaneously; it’s a rule). And since we were all smoking the same thing, the conversation centered on the flavor and physical properties of the Selección—both of which exceeded expectations.

So, when it comes to culebras, I guess shouldn’t be wondering “Why?” but rather “Why not?” For many of us cigars are about company and conversation. So while I can’t see myself regularly burning through culebras, I’m not going to dismiss them either. It’s a smart format to have on hand when you’re with two other cigar enthusiasts and you want a unique conversation-starter.

Three’s company? No. Sometimes three’s culebra.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I like to think that I’m the kind of person who properly appreciates the time and talent that go into creating a fine handmade cigar, but sometimes it takes a firsthand experience to remind me just how detailed and rigorous the process is.

During my recent trip to the Dominican Republic I saw the entire process in detail. From the Guillermo León’s farm, to tasting pure grade tobacco with José Blanco, to the aging and, finally—but certainly not least—the expert bunching and rolling, you see the dozens of people necessary to create just one great cigar.

I even tried my own hand at making a cigar. After smoking five cigars made completely from one tobacco each, I selected three, proportioning them in a way that I thought (hoped?) would yield a interesting, complex, medium-bodied smoke. After making the blend, when I told León that my blend utilized 40% Dominican corojo tobacco with equal parts Nicaraguan and Brazilian bahia, he laughed and told me I had created a “bomb.” (So much for my smooth, medium-bodied smoke.)

The challenge really began when I had to bunch, bind, and wrap my cigar. Even though I used the Lieberman machine to apply the binder—many premium smokes are created completely by hand—it was a struggle to fit my cigars in the mold.

After the cigar was pressed for a few hours, I returned to apply the wrapper. Despite the experienced roller standing over my shoulder, making plenty of corrections and suggestions, the ten cigars I produced (pictured above) were decidedly sub-par. Maybe a few of them could pass for factory seconds.

As a reviewer who takes off points for faulty construction, it was a most humbling experience. Given the difficulty in the process, the consistency that even relatively inexpensive cigars have is very impressive.

And speaking of inexpensive, considering  how many hours of labor and years of skill go into every smoke, it is amazing that prices are as low as they are. If you are lucky enough to see it first hand, you’re unlikely to complain about the price of your smoke again, and you’ll certainly gain a new appreciation for cigars.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you’re like me, you probably thought this past Monday was Memorial Day, a day for pausing to think about the men and women who gave their lives to protect the freedoms we take for granted. As I did, you may have also celebrated the unofficial start of summer with some time spent outdoors, around the barbecue, and enjoying a fine cigar or two.

But, for the bureaucrats at the World Health Organization (WHO), May 31 wasn’t Memorial Day. Rather, it was “World No Tobacco Day“—a day for promoting the policies they call “Tobacco Control.”

No time to celebrate freedom, the WHO issued a Call to Action, with such action items as implementing a complete ban on advertising of tobacco; enacting total workplace smoking bans that presumably include restaurants, bars, and even tobacco shops; and creating “gender-specific tobacco control policies.”

For those of you at home counting, those are calls to violate such fundamental American principles as freedom of speech, property rights, and equal protection under the law, respectively. And it’s all part of the international organization’s “Tobacco Free Initiative” which, as it sounds, seeks to stamp out the so-called “tobacco epidemic.”

The contrast couldn’t be starker. The day we honor U.S. soldiers who gave their lives for our country, often fighting against authoritarian dictatorships, anti-tobacco forces seek worldwide enactment of laws designed to strip citizens of their choice to enjoy even an occasional cigar.

One can’t help but look back through history, when America sent soldiers to battle with a daily ration of tobacco. In World War II, a K-Ration, or daily combat ration, included four cigarettes. On the other side of the battle field, Hitler despised smoking (which he saw as a filthy Jewish habit) and led Nazi Germany to enact the first modern smoking ban.

No, they aren’t Nazis, but in today’s struggle between freedom and oppressive collectivism, international bureaucrats use the projects like the Tobacco Free Initiative at the United Nations to infringe on fundamental individual rights. Meanwhile, our troops continue to put themselves in harms way as they seek to uphold their oath to the Constitution and the individual liberties that it stands for.

That’s why I hope you joined me in honoring our troops on Memorial Day. And if you also happened to smoke a cigar as part of your Memorial Day, then all the better. Now, why not take the opportunity to donate some cigars to the troops? That’s what the last Monday in May is supposed to be all about, not stamping out our freedom to smoke.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Jim Leyland, manager of the Detroit Tigers and longtime fixture of Major League Baseball, is not above the law. So when Michigan’s statewide smoking ban took effect on May 1, he was barred from smoking cigarettes and cigars in his workplace, Comerica Park.

Leyland had been known to sneak into the bowels of the stadium for cigarettes between innings. Now, though, this occasional cigar smoker has to remain tobacco-free at the ballpark just like the rest of us.

I’ve always thought it a shame that it’s so difficult to enjoy cigars inside big league parks. (My colleague and I actually petitioned the Washington Nationals to accommodate cigars back in 2006. We failed.) Sure, a few stadiums—including Comerica—have built-in cigar bars, but admittance to these exclusive locales includes a hefty price tag and segregation from the outdoor splendor of baseball.

Too bad. Baseball and cigars are such a wonderful pairing. Unlike faster-paced sports and sports that are played indoors or out in the cold, America’s pastime is meant to take place outside under natural summer sunlight. Nowadays most teams play most games under the lights. But when I think baseball, I think suntan lotion, floppy hats, peanuts, cold beer, and frosty malts.

I also think relaxation. While many criticize baseball for its lazy pauses between pitches, batters, and innings, I’ve always enjoyed those breaks. They give you the opportunity to study the game and have conversations. Is this a hit-and-run scenario? Would the opposing manager consider a pitch-out with this count? How does this hitter fare against left-handers? Are they drawing the infield in to guard against a bunt, or are they staying at double-play depth? The answers to such questions are better pondered over premium tobacco.

That’s one of the reasons why, when I can’t be at beloved Wrigley Field to watch my hapless Cubs, I do most of my baseball watching at home. The laptop computer is such a great resource. For a price, you can watch or listen to any game—live or archived—in the comfort of your patio furniture. The atmosphere is perfect. Cigars are welcome and plentiful, and beers are more modestly priced.

So, notwithstanding the NHL playoffs, now is the perfect time to set aside an evening or a weekend afternoon, spark a big cigar, and relax to the sights and sounds of bats cracking, umps yelling, fans cheering, and beer cans opening. Each team only has about 120 games left. That may seem like an eternity, but baseball season goes by way too quickly.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

I recently opened a box of cigars to find a pleasant surprise. A small piece of paper inside let me know exactly when the cigars began aging, when they went in the box, and when they were released to be sold.

The box was a sampler of six La Aurora Preferido Maduro Perfectos. As you can see in the photo, the box includes a card with the pertinent dates and information about the batch of cigars.

It’s such simple information—amazingly, though, such information is completely absent from many of the high-end cigars that are made these days. Nevermind information about when the cigars began aging, even box dates are missing from the majority of cigars on the market.

Ironically, Cuban cigars always have box dates. Perhaps because they are often rushed out of the factory without extensive aging, it’s particularly important for Cuban smokers to know  if their cigars have had enough time to develop. Box dates on Cubans also reinforce the collectors mentality that surrounds the smokes (while serving as a check against counterfeiting). It’s a lesson that non-Cuban producers would do well to emulate.

For all the talk we hear about treating cigars as a collectors item like wine, consumers still don’t have the details they need to treat cigars like a collectors item. Good wines always have some basic information on the bottle; usually at least the vintage and basic information about the composition of the blend.

Cigars should welcome that approach, even if it means dispensing with the idea that every cigar is best smoked immediately after it is released. Doing so would encourage cigar smokers to become collectors who want to learn more about the cigars they buy and how to get the most out of them through aging.

Towards that end, others should follow the example set by La Aurora and let smokers know the vital facts about the cigars on which they spend their hard-earned money. (And, in case you were wondering, the pictured La Aurora Preferido Maduro Perfectos began aging in November 2007, were boxed on August 4, 2008, and left the factory on August 8, 2008; they’re great right now.)

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys