The Stogie Guys

Will the biggest ring gauge offered for sale be 70, 80, or larger?

What percentage of new exhibitors from last year is still around?

Will anyone actually be kicked out under IPCPR’s “crackdown” on retailers bringing consumers?

Which booth will have the best food?

Will Mike Ditka be there?

Who will have the most outrageous booth?

Will the bad guy from Judge Dread be there to promote his new cigar?

Eleven new lines from General Cigar: over or under?

Will Altadis USA’s new strategy of creating modern spinoffs of classic brands work?

Who will be the most under-dressed attendee at Davidoff’s black tie dinner?

Will Wayne Newton be there again?

Which booth will be completely empty and abandoned?

What crazy artwork will Drew Estate feature in their booth this year?

How many respected cigar blogs aren’t coming because IPCPR makes them pay to attend?

Will the Cigar Press party run out of beer?

Biggest “booth”: General Cigar, Davidoff, Altadis, or Drew Estate?

2.5 cars on the show floor: over or under?

More bikini-clad ladies: cigar companies or hookah companies?

Which C-list celebrity will unexpectedly appear?

Does winning a “best booth” award actually impact sales?

Will there be any other cigars that use fire-cured tobacco besides Drew Estate’s MUWAT KFC and Leccia Black?

How many online media members of the IPCPR are there anyway?

Will the giant hookah (~40 feet high) be back?

How many people will tell me how much better Las Vegas is for IPCPR than Orlando?

Which trademarks from our trademark quiz will actually be put to use?

24 cigars that I’ll smoke while in Las Vegas for 73 hours: over or under?

–Patrick S

photo credit: N/A

I’m truly looking forward to my upcoming trip to the IPCPR convention in Las Vegas. Last year, I attended my first, when the show was in Orlando. It was, honestly, a bit overwhelming.

Part of that was the size and scope of the show, part of it was me. Now, with some idea of what to expect, I feel I’m better prepared to deal with what’s there. As for myself, some doctor-administered performance-enhancing drugs to help with my deteriorating joints, and some weight loss should make negotiating the trade floor easier.

While I’m confessing I’ll also own up to my technological shortcomings, both skills and equipment. My cell phone is the old candy bar style, without a camera or texting capacity. Who knows if I could use either if it did? I do have an iPad, but it’s a first generation, so no camera there, either. So I’ll be leaning on both Patricks, both of whom I’m glad to say make my computer savvy positively Paleolithic.

For those who haven’t been to IPCPR, it’s somewhat difficult to grasp the breadth of exhibitors. They are by no means limited to cigars. You don’t just see My Father Cigars. You’ll also see My Cigar Chair. Hookahs might outnumber briar pipes. Matches, canes, knives, electronic smoking devices, hats, software… The list seems endless.

But cigars are at the heart of the show. “What’s new?” is the question on nearly everyone’s lips. New blends, new blenders, new lines, new sizes, new companies, new alliances.

So far, it appears there aren’t as many new offerings in 2013 as in the past couple of years, at least judging by pre-convention announcements and teases. Of course, that can change.

I would expect, though, that at least some manufacturers are finally recognizing that shops—virtual as well as concrete—have limitations on what they can stock and promote. A new line that simply displaces an old line isn’t much of an advance.

Of course, quantity isn’t the true measure. It’s quality. If there’s one new cigar introduced this year that becomes one of your favorites, that’s a success.

As for Las Vegas, you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you how many years it has been since I visited. I’m not really much of a gambling, big-show entertainment guy.

There is one spot, though, I hope I can visit: the Bouchon Bakery at The Venetian. I’d like to try a cup of Equator Coffee. If I make it, I’ll let you know how it tastes.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

On average, do you tend to smoke cigars alone, or with a friend or two?

For regular readers of cigar web-magazines like StogieGuys.com—and for people like me who write for such publications—I hypothesize we smoke alone a relatively larger percent of the time. Not because we’re introverts. But because, unlike more casual cigar smokers, we don’t need a special occasion or a gathering of friends to light up. We’ll smoke alone and not think twice about it. We’ll smoke alone often if we have to.

That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy smoking with friends. I really do. And I suspect that camaraderie is a big reason why I got into cigars in the first place.

Next month, at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show, I’ll have the opportunity to smoke with two friends I (unfortunately) rarely get to see in person these days: Patrick S and George E. While at least one person from StogieGuys.com has personally covered the Trade Show every year for the past six years, all three of us have never attended the show simultaneously. I’m really looking forward to this.

Even if you peruse StogieGuys.com regularly, it may not be abundantly clear that Patrick S, George E, and I all write from different cities (Washington, Tampa, and Chicago, respectively). Getting all three of us in the same location is about as rare as a Cubs pennant. It’s almost as if we have a policy similar to those in line to be President: never get the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, etc. in the same room—just in case.

I plan to make the most of our time together by sharing good smokes and covering the heck out of the Trade Show. Check back at StogieGuys.com when the convention begins for our extensive coverage. And check back in the ensuing weeks and months as we review many of the new cigars that are set to debut.

In addition to my colleagues, there are plenty of other friends I’m looking forward to seeing. These include various cigar makers, peers from other online cigar media, folks at Cigar Rights of America, etc. I think the Trade Show’s host city, Las Vegas, will provide a solid setting for fun, food, drink, and smokes.

As I’m doing all this catching up and reporting, keep in mind I’ll be asking industry leaders as many questions, and gathering as much info as possible during the trip. So if you have some burning inquiries you’d like me to ask, say, your favorite cigar maker, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll get as many answered as possible.

Until then, I’ll raise my glass—and my cigar—to a long overdue meeting of old friends.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

With serious coffee drinkers, it isn’t just what you drink. It’s how you prepare what you drink.

These days, there are two big trends in the world of coffee preparation. For the majority, it’s single-serve pods. For the connoisseur, it’s pour-over. Of course, it doesn’t stop there.

While nothing could seem simpler than pour-over preparation, you won’t be surprised to learn that even such a rudimentary system offers numerous options. These can range from the plain, inexpensive Melitta to the elegant and pricey Chemex.

And chic coffee bars, like Stumptown out of Portland and Chicago’s Intelligentsia, now make individual cup preparation part of their shops.

You’ll find a good guide to seven methods—though Melitta is omitted—at Prima Coffee Equipment’s blog. Another excellent instruction site, Brew Methods, collects guidance from many sources, including 17 on pour-over alone.

Recently, the website Lifehacker asked its readers to nominate the best coffeemaker and then reported on the top five vote-getters. Interestingly, the French press method came in first, followed by AeroPress and none of the uber-trendy Japanese manufacturers, such as Hario, or Kalita made the cut. You’ll also find quite a few other articles and reviews on coffee and coffee-making at Lifehacker.

An in-depth drip-off was done a couple of years ago by Serious Eats, which compared ceramic cones.

So, go as deep into the subject as you like. Just don’t forget to enjoy the end result.

–George E

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.]

One of the more interesting nuggets from the trip was Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka telling me that if production capacity allowed, he has as many as a dozen blends he thinks are market-ready. Here, I will look at some potential upcoming blends from Drew Estate.

First, one important note: I’ve only smoked one sample of each of these cigars (some in Nicaragua and some upon my return) and they may or may not be the final blend; so what follows are (obviously) not reviews, or even Quick Smokes.

My Uzi Weighs a Ton Kentucky Fire Cured

This is the “Beef Jerky” cigar (or at least a variation of it) that Saka first told me about at the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. While you won’t see it in Drew Estate’s marketing copy—almost certainly for trademark reasons—I expect this cigar to be known by most smokers as simply “Uzi KFC” or just “KFC,” which certainly has a familiar ring to it. The blend, which I’m led to believe is pretty much finalized since it has been officially announced for the 2013 Trade Sshow, uses up to three different fire-cured tobaccos, including one as a cap for the wrapper that imparts flavor directly on the mouth. The fire-cured tobaccos definitely have a smokey, mesquite aroma and flavor, but those flavors weren’t as dominant as I thought they might be. It’s definitely different, but I for one look forward to trying more.

Drew Estate Nica Rustico

This cigar uses a unique strand of tobacco that grows wild in Nicaragua that comes from a different variation of the tobacco species than is normally used in cigars. It was described as having rough characteristics and that certainly is true from the sample I smoked. I would describe it as gritty, rustic, slightly vegetable, and even a bit grating. Those characteristics come on a bit strong at first, especially for smokers who value balance in their cigars, but it does seem to mellow slightly as the cigar continues (though perhaps just because you become accustomed to it). I find this to be an even more unique cigar than the KFC and more likely to be either loved or hated by each particular smoker.

Herrera Estelí Maduro

Possibly for release later this year, this is the maduro project that is a derivation of the original Ecuador Habano-wrapped Herrera Estelí. Dubbed “WH Project M” on the test bands, it sure seems like a finished product to me. It features medium- to full-bodied flavors and adds earth and dry chocolate to the basic profile of the original Herrera Estelí. Whether it’s just the Estelí Herrera with a different wrapper or a more extensively tweaked blend, I’m not sure. (I’d certainly believe the former, but knowing Drew Estate’s attention to detail the latter seems more likely.) Like Willy Herrera’s projects before and at Drew Estate, it maintains the Cuban-esque style he is known for. This is my favorite of the the blends listed here.

“WH Cuadrado”

This is another blend created primarily by Willy Herrera. It would be his first box-pressed cigar, hence “Cuadrado,” which translates to square. Herrera told me he’s always wanted to create a box-pressed smoke. The cigar starts very full-bodied before rounding out slightly, though it’s certainly more full-bodied than his other blends while keeping in the Cuban style.

–Patrick S

photo credit: JonathanDrew1/Stogie Guys

I’m writing this on an unseasonably mild, sunny afternoon as I smoke a Tatuaje Fausto Avion 11. On the one hand, it offers a nearly perfect example of how a pleasant experience can enhance the enjoyment of a cigar. But the reverse is also true: A very good cigar makes a good time even better.

I began to wonder a bit about what it is that I find so enticing about Avion. I smoked them fairly regularly after discovering them shortly their release, but it has been months since my last. This stick has probably been sitting in my humidor for at least a year. I can’t say, however, that time had much effect, at least that I could detect. Other than losing much of its box-pressed shape, the lovely perfecto didn’t seem noticeably different from those I have smoked right out of the box

Of course, it has characteristics common to many Tatuajes I like. Strength, pepper, complexity, to name a few of the most obvious. Thinking more, though, I believe the characteristic that it—and other cigars I prefer most—embodies is one that’s easier to name than to explain: smoothness.

There is no bite, no kick, no harshness in the smoke or in the finish. The tobacco, from first to last, comes across as well-aged and fermented. The flavors, some subtle and some bold, are part of a cohesive blend that is as tightly woven as braided rope. It is without sharp edges or deep troughs.

Smoothness can be present in a cigar anywhere along the strength spectrum, from mild to full, and regardless of size, from a lancero to a thick smoke. It represents, for me, what sets the best apart from the rest. Sort of my Unified Field Theory of Cigars.

Creating these cigars can’t be easy, though there are quite a few blenders and manufacturers who do it regularly with aplomb. And those of us who get to enjoy them on a lovely afternoon are truly the lucky ones.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In this latest segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I ponder cigar names, electronic smoking devices, and cigar sponsorships.

Name That Stogie

I’ve been critical of the names some cigar makers choose for their sticks, so it seems only right that I offer some praise for what seems to me to be a good trend: fewer and fewer with Cuban roots. It’s easy to see why, after Cuba nationalized the cigar industry in the ’60s, former owners who fled wanted to keep their brand names for new operations elsewhere. But others seem to have simply adopted Cuban brand names simply to cash in on the association with Cuban cigars. In recent years, though, the trend seems to have slowed considerably. Perhaps it’s partly the influence of numerous successful cigar makers without a Cuban background, such as Rocky Patel.  Perhaps it’s part of the industry’s natural growing process. Or maybe they’re finally just running out of good Cuban names. Whatever the reason, I think it’s a good trend, one I’m happy to see continue.

Electrifying

Occasionally, I hear from an electronic cigarette manufacturer introducing a new product, asking if I want a sample to review, or simply extolling the virtues of vaping. Frankly, I can’t think of anything much more misguided than e-cig makers trying to appeal to smokers of premium cigars. E-cigs, like conventional cigarettes, are simply nicotine delivery systems. Premium cigars aren’t. It’s as simple as that. I have nothing against e-cigs. I hope the industry grows and prospers. But I also hope they learn a little bit more about cigars, and what makes cigar enthusiasts tick.

Patron-izing

I’m pleased to see the Orange Bowl debacle didn’t discourage cigar companies from sports sponsorships, both charitable and commercial. Among the latest is General Cigar, which is sponsoring the Golf Channel program Big Break Mexico. And Arturo Fuente and J.C. Newman were among those involved in a benefit for a local Tampa little league.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr (CC)