The Stogie Guys

It’s no secret that it’s becoming harder and harder to find a place to smoke. Smoking bans have forced us out of offices, restaurants, and bars, and smoking bans now target outdoor areas, multi-unit apartment buildings, and even cars.

Smoking ban advocates claim their concern is protecting people from exposure to secondhand smoke. So they shouldn’t object to people smoking in a cigar shop, right?

After all, no one enters their local brick and mortar because they don’t want to be around smoke; they go there to enjoy cigars and hang out with fellow smokers. Those who work in cigar shops do so because they are passionate about cigars, and often the B&M is the only place they can smoke while at work.

But as you might guess, it isn’t that simple when it comes to the anti-smoking zealots. Instead, the last havens of cigar smokers are under siege, just like so many other places.

Indeed, in a handbook titled “Fundamentals of SmokefreeWorkplace Laws,” a group of anti-tobacco lobbying organizations lay out their strategy for spreading smoking bans, and include a passage on opposing any exemptions for tobacco retail shops, cigar bars, or hookah bars. (The “handbook” also opposes exemptions for private clubs, grandfather clauses, and any exemptions for financial hardships.)

But bans aren’t the only foes of cigar stores. Even where smoking is allowed, regulations are designed to do harm. In New York City, for example, the century-old Barclay Rex cigar store recently found itself in trouble with city inspectors who cited the shop for serving free coffee to its customers using a $9,000 automatic espresso maker. The violation was for serving “food” without a permit. Problem is, according to New York’s strict smoking ban, no place that allows smoking can have such a permit.

Other shops in New York have had similar problems.  When Nat Sherman launched it’s new flagship store in Midtown, it opened a downstairs members-only lounge, complete with a full bar. But during my last visit I was told that the bar was temporarily closed while they waited for the appropriate approval from city authorities. Free coffee and water were provided, so don’t tell the city officials.

These are just some of the ways cigar shops are being targeted. Unlike online retailers, who can pick their base of operations to minimize taxes, local shops can be instantly driven out of business by massive tobacco tax hikes or complete bans.

The shame of it is that cigar stores are the lifeblood of cigar culture.  They’re where we go to sample new cigars, get recommendations about what to try, and enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow smokers. That’s why it’s so critical that we support our local B&Ms and defend them against these attacks.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If I were the worrying kind, I might be concerned about the future of cigars. No, not because of all the restrictive laws and rising taxes and health scares. While those are all serious threats, I’m more anxious about the fact that cigars seem to be everywhere these days.

I can hardly pick up a magazine without having the smiling face of Avo Uvezian look back at me or seeing a Macanudo smoker wistfully thinking about his pickup. And I’m certainly not just talking about cigar magazines.

The other day, while waiting to get my hair cut, I was thumbing through Popular Mechanics and there, big as life, was a Punch ad. I can’t remember the last time I thumbed through any magazine with a significant male audience without seeing at least one cigar ad.

I also recently ran across two photos of cigar smokers in one day’s newspaper. A few nights later, I noticed a character—not even a villain—in a TV series casually smoking a cigar.

What’s wrong with all that? Well, premium cigar smokers are obviously a small crowd in the grand scheme of things, and manufacturers need to work at getting more people to join the party. I would surely agree with that.

Heck, I think everybody should smoke good cigars. Those who don’t, quite simply, don’t know what they’re missing. Those who do are better people for it.

But could this be the beginning of a cigar bubble? Not like the past “boom” that was fed and then killed by lousy cigars. But the kind of overexposure that leads public opinion to quickly turn on something or someone, be it Paris Hilton or disco.

Maybe, though, this is where all the smoking opponents are doing us a favor. With it now nearly impossible to smoke anywhere you can be seen, perhaps I’m overestimating the danger of exposure, much less overexposure.

So, I think I’ll just light up and relax. Where’s that copy of Popular Mechanics?

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

If you’re like most of the cigar smokers who check websites and peruse walk-in humidors for new brands, this is a stressful time. Just five initials (IPCPR) cause sweaty palms and a burning sensation in the pocket where you carry your wallet.

Yes, it’s almost time for the 77th annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association Trade Show. That means new cigars, new line extensions, new lighters, new ashtrays, and new gimmicks. I especially look forward to all the new knick-knacks that no one needs and, more likely than not, few will buy.

Like Sirens, the latest and greatest cigar creations lure us—and our dollars. We’re hopeless to resist. In fact, the only saving grace is that after you’ve read about all the new cigars (StogieGuys.com will have live updates from the Trade Show floor starting this weekend), you actually can’t find them anywhere.

Months later, when they finally appear in quantities greater than a salesman’s samples, we’ve forgotten all about them.

Maybe that’s why so many of the new cigars don’t seem to last. Or maybe we’re just overloaded and the industry is overextended.

I sat with my eyes closed the other night, enjoying a cigar, and ticked off a seemingly endless list of names of different cigars available right now. Heck, it’s hard to maintain enough butane in the lighter to ignite them all.

And how many times can you say, “Man, what a pepper pot!” or “There’s definitely some leather in there.” or “I like it. I’m not sure what I’m tasting, but I like it.”

This year, though, I’m ready. I have created a special amulet to ward off the spell of new cigars: a little pendant made from the Swisher Sweets shield. That should work, don’t you think?

–George E

photo credit: RTDA.org

Earlier this year, Camacho Cigars used viral marketing—and a giveaway—to promote three of its cigars. Labeled “The Black Band Project,” it featured three videos and three sticks. The project was, according to company marketing director Dylan Austin, a huge success. “It blew past our expectations,” he said, adding that the massive response was about 500% greater than they anticipated.

I got the three robusto-sized sticks, banded A, B and C, about a week ago. As the package requested, I smoked them before checking the website to learn just what they were. Here’s how they struck me:

Triple Maduro: An incredibly dark and oily stick with a nice nutty pre-light aroma. I had high hopes for this cigar. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver, particularly because it kept scraping the back of my throat with a sharpness that I associate with tobacco that’s not ready for rolling.

Corojo: This cigar was dark as well, though not showing much oil. It began with a pleasant charred taste that soon gave way to a sourness accompanied by a great deal of dryness and heat. Based on this example, using corojo tobacco for the filler, binder, and wrapper seems to be too much of what’s often a good thing.

Connecticut: Like the Camacho Connecticut I smoked last month and the one my colleague reviewed on Monday, this was an interesting, satisfying cigar. The wrapper was flawless, the burn perfect, and the flavors complex and varied throughout. This medium-strength creation was easily the best of the lot.

Whether this marketing effort will sell cigars, I don’t know. But it certainly provides an answer to those who complain that the cigar industry is too hidebound and hampered by tradition. I applaud Camacho for trying something different. And, while the giveaway has ended, you can still watch the videos and seek these sticks out for yourself to form your own impressions.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It’s been happening a lot recently. So much so that I thought it appropriate to write this and get it all out in the open. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m speaking about the fact that our cigar ratings—particularly those published over the last month—have been climbing like grade inflation at an Ivy League school.

Yesterday’s review of an Opus X Perfecxion No.2 was no exception. Including the Tesa Vintage Especial Rothchild and the Montecristo Sublime Edición Limitada 2008, it was the third stick to receive our highest rating in the last five weeks. This may not sound like cause for concern, but consider that only 21 cigars have earned the “five stogies out of five” distinction since we started publishing reviews.

Those three exceptional cigars aside, we’ve also recently given high marks to the Casa Magna Colorado Torito, Nub Habano 464 Torpedo, Tatuaje L’esprit de La Verite, and both Nestor Miranda 20 Aniversario blends. All of these scored better than our average rating (about 3.5/5 when you calculate the mean of our library of almost 300 reviews). So what’s the deal?

In anticipation of any concerns, no, we haven’t changed our methods. We’re still relying on our tried and true—albeit unique—ratings system, and we’re still smoking multiple samples of each cigar before we publish a full review (unless we specify otherwise).

I’d also like to reiterate that ads or samples from manufacturers in no way influence our decisions. We’ve worked hard to earn your trust over the years; believe me when I say that we have much more to lose by being dishonest than we have to gain.

The recent upward trend of ratings can best be explained in this way: We’ve simply been choosing a lot of fantastic cigars to smoke, read, and write about. Heck, even though we can’t let preconceived notions impact our ratings, it’s much more fun to fire up that highly anticipated new release than it is to sift through value smokes to try and find a diamond in the rough.

We understand we must do both, however, if we are to provide our readers with the most comprehensive coverage of the world of cigars. Rest assured that we haven’t abandoned our goal of identifying undervalued and under-priced gems. Be it the timing of new releases or be it coincidence, we’ve just been picking a lot of winners lately. Hopefully you’ve been doing the same.

One final note: I realize some of you don’t buy into numerical ratings altogether. I can dig that. That’s why my colleagues and I spend so much time and text discussing our impressions of a cigar and so little time and text describing how we derived its score. Consider the rating a mere guide—more of a means to evaluate cigars relative to one another than an ultimate judgment.

After all, remember that the best cigar in the world is the cigar you like the best.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I recently spent four days in Las Vegas and I’ve come to this conclusion: Something about smoking makes many normally considerate people extremely rude.  As cigar smokers have gotten more and more considerate when they light up, some non-smokers have decided to throw good manners out the door.

I realize that smoking isn’t as accepted as it once was, and I do my best to be considerate of those who may not appreciate the fantastic aroma of premium tobacco.  Nowadays, when I’m somewhere that smoking isn’t to be expected, I usually ask around to make sure smoking doesn’t bother anyone. “Mind if I smoke?” is a question that cigar enthusiats are accustomed to asking these days before lighting up.

Too bad smokers’ increasingly courteous behavior isn’t being returned by all non-smokers. As my trip to Vegas revealed, rudeness towards smokers seems to have become acceptable.

Repeatedly, I found people complaining out loud, pretending I couldn’t hear their complaints.  This was apparent even where smoking is the norm, on the  vice-filled casino floor—one of the few “public” places left to light up a cigar in this country—and often when I had been smoking well before the obnoxious complainer had arrived.

For some unfortunate reason, rudeness towards smokers has become acceptable, even as our our culture has become more and more tolerant of other differences and personal choices. Tolerance and even basic manners, it seems, goes out the window when tobacco is involved.

Maybe it’s all that propaganda about smoking that floods our televisions, radios, and newspapers. People have been told that one second of tobacco smoke will instantly put them in the hospital.  This despite the fact that it takes years, if not decades, of “second-hand smoke” before any statistically meaningful increase in risk takes place.

Add to that all the hyped-up fear and law after law—be it a smoking ban, a paternalistic regulation, or a punitive tax hike—that treats smokers like second-class citizens, and we’ve got society where bigotry against smokers is acceptable. (A “bigot,” after all, is defined as “a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group with hatred and intolerance.”)

While cause and effect are hard to determine, no matter what the reason, it seems we have turned a corner as a society. Smoking, once accepted as a personal choice that adults can make for themselves, has unfortunately become a subject where prejudice and narrow-mindedness are increasingly accepted.

Bad manners may be the result now, but if history is any indicator, as prejudice and bigotry become more widespread, this anti-smoking mindset will become increasingly entrenched and institutionalized in our laws and culture. It’s not a pleasant conclusion, but the sooner we realize and accept it, the better chance we have of stopping it.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Amazon.com

The art of smoking cigars is all about enjoyment, relaxation, and taking a much-needed break from an otherwise hectic day. That and tasting delicious, delicious tobacco. At least that’s why I consider myself a cigar enthusiast.

Maybe you ride the stogie train for completely different reasons. But pretty much nobody smokes cigars in order to get pissed off. Despite that, and as my colleague pointed out in April, there are a number of industry nuisances (aside from smoking bans and tobacco taxes) that need to be addressed. So I begrudgingly submit to you my top five cigar pet peeves:

1. So-called “super-premiums” with poor construction. When I spend $10 or more on a single, I expect top-notch physical properties. Anything less than a sturdy ash, a clear draw, and a sharp burn is disappointing—no matter how fantastic the flavors might be. An expensive stick that smokes poorly is like a Porsche with bad steering alignment.

2. Polarization towards industry superstars and popular brands. Cigar consumers and publications alike tend to gravitate towards towering figures like Don Pepin Garcia and Rocky Patel. Perhaps deservedly so. But it irks me when enthusiasts use this fascination as an excuse to ignore B&M house blends and boutique creations—especially since uncovering an underappreciated gem can be so rewarding (and not to mention easier on your wallet).

3. Expensive cigar gadgets that under-perform. We all need cutters, lighters, and other accessories to keep puffing away. And even though we’ve written about well-made options that won’t break the bank, sometimes—depending on income, preference, or occasion—it may be appropriate to shell out good money for top-of-the-line wares. Nothing’s worse, though, than when a $100+ lighter stops working well before your sub-$5 Ronson.

4. Insufficient information on cigar websites and boxes. Since each manufacturer has various lines, shapes, sizes, and wrappers, and since the name of each individual stogie is rarely printed on its label, knowing exactly what you’re smoking can be difficult. Is it too much to ask to have the complete cigar name printed on boxes? Is it too difficult for producers to keep comprehensive and updated catalogs of their blends on their websites? I’d rather not have to bring a pen and paper with me every time I visit my local tobacconist.

5. Inconsistency. In a perfect world, where all cigars are stored in ideal conditions, each stick of the same blend and vitola would taste and perform similarly. It’s frustrating when you try a stick, like it, and buy a whole box only to have your new purchases smoke completely differently. While I realize there are many variables (some of which—like the weather—are out of cigar manufacturers’ control), inconsistencies make finding and maintaining a supply of what you like all the more difficult.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Despite these pet peeves, smoking cigars is still one of the most enjoyable activities around. Perhaps it’s telling that my biggest complaint is often that I don’t have enough time to engage in this hobby as I’d like. So I guess I could keep listing off gripes but, with all the great cigars out there, who’d listen?

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr