The Stogie Guys

Ever wonder just how quickly the tyranny of smoking bans and cigar taxes are sweeping the country? Well, there’s a map for that.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—an anti-tobacco lobbying organization funded by Johnson & Johnson, maker of Nicorette and Nicoderm (both sold to people who want to quit smoking cigarettes)—has an animated map that shows how these anti-cigar laws are sweeping the supposedly “Land of the Free.”

In the first tab (“Smoke-free Laws”), by selecting “any of the above” you can watch how since 1998  the number of states with smoking bans has gone from 2 to 33. Smoking bans now effect over 74% of Americans, and that doesn’t include the numerous local bans on the city and county levels.

Then, if you click tab two (“Cigarette Tax Rates by State”), you can see the dramatic increases in tobacco taxes over the same period. (Note that while cigar taxes don’t always correlate perfectly with cigarette taxes, more often than not cigars are included when cigarette taxes go up.) And the map understates the situation by omitting federal and local taxes.

It’s a sad state of affairs that an anti-tobacco group like the Johnson Foundation would post this map to gloat over their success in passing legislation designed to snuff out smoking in the country. Still, it should provide a clear warning to cigar lovers everywhere.

The anti-smoking forces will never stop until the entire map is filled with smoking bans and massive tobacco taxes. They refuse to compromise and won’t stop until our cigars are taxed or banned out of existence.

Groups like Cigar Rights of America have a lot of work to do and they need your help. As Litto Gomez recently told us, until politicians feel cigar smokers—and others who respect the freedom to choose to smoke—begin pushing back, there’s nothing to stop this anti-cigar legislation from continuing to sweep the country.

–Patrick S

map source: RWJF

My cell phone alarm sounds. Annoying tune. I hit the snooze button once, sometimes twice. I begrudgingly get up, brush my teeth, shower, and ponder the necessity of shaving. I get dressed. (Have I worn this to work lately?) I plop in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal to catch the weather forecast and a few SportsCenter highlights. I lock the front door behind me. As I walk to my car, I mentally prepare myself for a commute in Washington traffic that promises to test my patience and my driving skills.

We all have our morning routines. For some, like me, they regularly dictate the actions of most weekdays—up until I sift through a few articles in The Economist before bedtime.

I find my moderately regimented existence extends to cigars. When it comes to choosing when to smoke on weekdays, for instance, I do so almost exclusively after dinner. I wish that weren’t the case. I wish I could find more time to relax and enjoy some premium tobacco. But with work, grad school, exercise, and other commitments, the evening is often the only time available during the workweek.

I’d love to be able to squeeze in more lunchtime cigars now that the weather is more agreeable. Every blue moon, when the stars align just right, I can make it happen. While the midday break cigar is a rewarding escape from an otherwise fast-paced workday, my lunches are frequently cigar-free because of meetings or deadlines.

Weekends are a different story. Sometimes I have a smoke with a cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes I’ll fire up a stogie in the afternoon or in the evening. Sometimes all three. It just depends on the situation and my mood.

Routines also play an important role in other aspects of cigar smoking. From snipping the cap and toasting the foot with wooden matches to storing the band and emptying the ashtray, I have predictable pre- and post-cigar rituals from which I rarely deviate.

But there is at least one un-regimented characteristic of my affair with cigars: choosing which cigars to smoke. Unlike many enthusiasts, I don’t really have a regular rotation. Rather, my selections depend upon what reviews are needed for StogieGuys.com (i.e., new cigars, cigars we haven’t yet examined, etc.). It’s a tough job but—routine or not— somebody’s got to do it.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Two recent news items got me thinking about cigars for women. Both, I think, demonstrate a  clear double standard.

First, Cubatabaco, Cuba’s national tobacco company, introduced a new cigar designed for women. Julieta is described as “a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar.” Only days later, a classic sports moment played out: The championship team returned to the scene of their triumph to celebrate with some champagne, beer, and fine cigars. It looked just like Michael Jordan celebrating a championship,. The only difference was the athletes were women.

Soon the Canadian women’s hockey team was embroiled in controversy with one IOC official even saying, “I don’t think it’s a good promotion of sport values.” But given how common such celebrations are in sports, I couldn’t help but feel that a double standard was being applied, in part because these female champions had the audacity to celebrate with cigars in range of a camera.

The two incidents got me thinking about why cigars marketed to women tend to be either flavored or mild. I posed the question to Lindsay Heller, cigar blogger and tobacconist at Nat Sherman Cigars in New York.

“Honestly, I find it rather demeaning,” she told me by email. “This is not the Victorian Era anymore and it’s not considered illicit for a woman to be smoking, so why treat women who wish to smoke as if they can’t handle the ‘real thing?'”

She continued: “In terms of marketing those products towards women I think it’s insulting because in many B&Ms when a woman comes in wanting a cigar the sales associate automatically assumes something flavored. If you give a woman half a chance and explain to her the cigar she will be smoking, you’ll probably find that even the most inexperienced of female smokers will appreciate it and ditch the Havana Honeys. I think the same thing goes for the mild scenario:  If a woman wants to smoke a cigar after eating filet mignon and drink a few glasses of Bordeaux, any tobacconist in their right mind would not offer her a Macanudo Gold Label. In the tobacco business we need to stop addressing women as these fragile figures because women have palates, too.”

As for the new Cuban Julieta cigar, Lindsay had her doubts: “Maybe this is my palate talking, but I don’t find the traditional Romeo y Julieta Cuban cigars to be all that strong, so if this is truly that much more mild, it would probably be like smoking an expensive ultra light cigarette.”

So how should the cigar industry market their cigars to female smokers? “Women definitely need to be addressed like they are just one of the guys,” she responds.

“While the numbers of female cigar smokers in the U.S. are increasing due to a number of factors (curiosity, joining a boyfriend/husband in the activity, etc…) seeing a woman smoke cigars is still very taboo for Americans and it’s not looked at as nearly an oddity in other countries. I work in this business and there are random people who walk into my store and react like I’m doing some illegal by being a female with a cigar in my mouth. It’s funny because I actually find more men smoke flavored or infused smokes like Acids and Tabak Especiales and many of the women I come across are more apt to try a traditional cigar…Women are not stupid and shouldn’t be treated like they can’t handle what the boys do.”

On that point I couldn’t agree more. With the cigar industry under pressure from smoking bans and other anti-cigar legislation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see efforts to attract new customers. But treating women like they can’t enjoy the same wide range of fine cigars as men is just, well, sexist.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Boston.com

A couple of years ago, I took a look at the cigars rated five stogies out of five. Now, well into 2010, it’s appropriate to  examine the best of the best from 2009 and consider the interesting mix of sticks rated at the top of the Stogie Guys’ scale.

One thing to bear in mind is that we try to review a wide range of cigars and provide variety. And when you consider our ratings system, I think you’ll see that we try to judge cigars on their own rather than making it a competition.

The list has a real mix, ranging from one of the most widely praised to a brand that’s likely unknown to many readers. If there’s one common characteristic that jumps out, though, it’s that these superb cigars were produced in small amounts, certainly when compared to top-selling sticks.

There’s only one Cuban, a Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008, which Patrick S called “one of the finest cigars I’ve ever smoked.” He also awarded top rank to the Arturo Fuente Opus X Perfecxion No.2 and said it “lives up the hype.” His other top pick was Don Pepin and Pete Johnson’s Cabaiguan Robusto Extra.

Patrick A praised the “great complexity and construction” of the Berger & Argenti Entubar Torpedo. He also had the rare privilege of enjoying an 18-year-old Paul Garmirian Gourmet Belicoso Fino ‘91 and found it to be a masterpiece. He introduced us to the Tesa line, citing the Vintage Especial Rothchild as “an absolute treasure…if you’re a smoker who can appreciate milder creations.”

Patrick M awarded the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 2 top honors. That cigar that later was selected as the StogieGuys.com top reviewed cigar of 2009. (That list was sent out exclusively to email subscribers.)

As for me, well, it seems I didn’t find a cigar worthy of five stogies last year. I confess I’m a little surprised. But it provides an easy New Year’s resolution: Look a little wider and smoke a little more.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here are a few more random thoughts about cigars and the cigar industry:

Time to Stop Being Rational

Cigar smokers are an accommodating bunch, sometimes to a fault when it comes to fighting the anti-tobacco lobby. The anti-cigar forces have learned to never ever be happy with the status quo no matter how anti-tobacco that status quo already is. Case-in-point is Santa Cruz, California, where anti-smoking zealots have passed one of the most oppressive smoking bans in the country. The law covers all “public” indoor and outdoor spaces including parks, beaches, restaurant patios, and sidewalks.

Despite that, when smoking ban lobbyist group ALAC (American Lung Association in California) was handing out grades for cities, it gave Santa Cruz a “D” for not sufficiently being against so-called second-hand smoke.

Czech Cigars?

When I visit websites with foreign languages Google asks me if I’d like to translate them into English, which is helpful enough. At times, however, it wants to translate pages that are already in English. For example, Google wants to translate our Stogie Reviews Archive from Spanish to English, which is understandable given the hundreds of cigars listed there with Spanish in their names. More mysterious is why Google has repeatedly tried to translate pages on a certain online auction site (known to some as the “devil site”) to French or even Czech.

Hot Cigars

Be careful when relighting the nub of your cigar; even the best smoke is ruined by singed nose hair. Along the same lines, if you can’t hold a cigar anymore without burning your fingers, it’s time to put it out. (And, sorry, but roach clips don’t have any business being near fine tobacco.)

Magnificent Mild Smokes

While there has certainly been a trend towards bolder cigars in recent years, I’m also seeing a counter trend among some cigar enthusiasts. An excellent mild cigar, with all the subtleties it can have, is one of the most challenging cigars to blend. That makes such a superb mild smoke all the more impressive.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

Last night, during his State of the Union address, President Obama spent a fair amount of time speaking about how to restore American jobs. He even touted various “targeted” tax cuts that he signed into law.

Obama said in his speech that he would visit Tampa, Florida, to have a townhall on the issue today. I can think of no better place for such an event. Tampa, after all, has been ground zero for the devastation caused by the SCHIP tobacco tax increase.

In a decision that Altadis USA directly attributed to the SCHIP tobacco tax hike, the Hav-A-Tampa factory, which began producing cigars in 1902, made its last cigar and closed its doors in July of last year. The move left around 500 employees without jobs.

One of Obama’s first acts in office was to sign the SCHIP tax hike into law. That bill increased the tax on small cigars to $50 per 1,000 (up from $1.80) and increased the tax on “large” handmade cigars a whopping 750%—from 5 cents to 40 cents per cigar.

Such a massive new tax burden has a real impact, and the 500 jobs lost at the Hav-A-Tampa factory near the site of Obama’s appearance tomorrow are just the most visible example of the many thousands of jobs eliminated by the tax on tobacco users, a group that already pays more than their fair share of taxes.

So today, instead of heading to a sports arena to hold a meeting with politicians and well-connected activists, Obama might want to visit the now-empty Hav-A-Tampa cigar factory and talk to the 500 workers who lost their jobs because of the tax increase on tobacco the president so proudly signed into law.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Telegraph

Recently, I got a perfect lesson in what drives cigar smokers to the internet. I tagged along with my wife to a nearby town. She met up with some friends and I went to a cigar shop adjacent to a restaurant to smoke and watch the playoffs.

I’m not sure what the first hint of trouble was, but I think it was seeing the TV tuned to an All in the Family rerun. I asked the young clerk if he’d mind putting the game on, and he immediately asked me what game and if I knew the channel. He flipped the remote while I explored the humidor.

Now I can’t be sure, but the smell I noticed was more like cedar chest than Spanish cedar. Ignoring that, I eyed the wares. Quite a few sported hand-written notes pointing out price reductions of 25 to 50 cents, thereby putting them about 10% over MSRP.

I chose a robusto, since I was to meet the group for dinner, and went to pay for it. The clerk didn’t know the cost. Fortunately, I remembered. (I was struck by this later when a couple of customers came in to buy a half-dozen or so sticks each and the clerk asked them to go back and check the prices.)

I picked up the cutter and it was so dull it didn’t really cut the head of my cigar. It just sort of tore a piece off. Lousy cutters are one of my pet peeves at cigar shops.

I know I could avoid this by bringing my own cutter, but I rarely remember. And anyway, why should I have to? Do you bring silverware to a restaurant in case they forgot to wash it? Or a needle to the doctor’s office so they won’t have to re-use one to draw blood? It’s hard to have confidence that a shop owner who has so little regard for tools has much more for his cigar inventory.

The shop did have two leather chairs and the TV worked once the clerk found the game. Since it was the only shop in town, I returned after dinner for the second game. No customers were there either time. After an hour or so, the clerk announced that he was closing up—this after saying earlier that the shop stayed open until 10 p.m. on Saturdays. I made a grumpy remark and walked outside, standing under an awning to avoid the rain while I tried to figure out how I was going to kill an hour or so.

That’s when the most positive event of the evening occurred. A woman from the restaurant came out and asked if I was coming back in. I said the kid had closed the shop, at which point she reopened it and let me back in.

I consider myself a big fan of cigar shops. I’m also lucky to have quite a few first-rate shops close to my home. But if all I had to frequent was a shop like that one, I think I’d be ordering my sticks online. At least my cutter’s sharp and my back deck doesn’t close early.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr