Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

I enjoyed this Churchill-sized vitola considerably more than the torpedo-shaped No. 9. At seven inches with a 49 ring gauge, it provides several hours of sweet, earthy flavors with few sour or stale notes. The combination of an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed sungrown wrapper and Dominican binder and filler tobaccos yields a straight burn and a firm white ash. Expect to pay around $6-7 apiece, and expect a long and pleasant smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It should come as no surprise to regular StogieGuys.com readers that government-mandated smoking bans and the anti-tobacco zealots who advocate them get no sympathy here. We’ve made no secret of the fact that such invasive bans limit choice, violate private property, and are justified only by shoddy “science.”

So when I come across interesting stories about bar owners who either outright defy or creatively sidestep smoking bans, I have to applaud them. These entrepreneurs are rightfully taking steps to regain control of the establishments they risked so much for and worked so hard to open – much to the chagrin of bureaucrats and tobacco-hating buffoons. Below are three of my favorite smoking ban defiance stories from recent headlines; they range from courageous to downright ingenious:

1. Colorado Springs, CO: “Several bar owners around Colorado Springs refuse to go smoke free despite the state-wide smoking ban that’s been in effect for nearly two years. The owner of Murray Street Darts, Bruce Hicks, says he’s not stopping his customers from lighting up. He does however ask that they donate $1 if they do decide to smoke inside his bar. Hicks says he’s using the money to pay smoking tickets and lawyers. Hicks has been going to court to battle his smoking tickets and he believes he’s winning. ‘I’ve gotten 23 tickets and 19 of them have been dismissed so far,’ said Hicks.”

2. Blackpool, United Kingdom: “Hamish Howitt, 55, of Park Road, Blackpool, denied five counts of failing to prevent smoking in his Del Boy Sports Bar. Howitt, a non-smoker, was fined £1,950 and told to pay £2,000 costs. On Wednesday, Preston Magistrates’ Court was told that officers from Blackpool Council found Del Boy’s ‘thick with smoke’ on five occasions in November 2007. A board outside the premises read: ‘Our political conscience will not allow to put smokers and non-smokers on the street. It’s our choice.’ Howitt, who represented himself, said the Health Act 2006 was ruining his business and had left him ‘on the verge of bankruptcy.’”

3. Maplewood, MN: “A new state ban on smoking in restaurants and other nightspots contains an exception for performers in theatrical productions, as long as patrons are notified in advance. So some bars are getting around the ban by printing up playbills, encouraging customers to come in costume, and pronouncing them ‘actors.’ The customers are playing right along, merrily puffing away – and sometimes speaking in funny accents and doing a little improvisation, too. The state Health Department is threatening to bring the curtain down on these sham productions. But for now, it’s on with the show.”

-Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

The big event that we had been writing about and planning for over a month finally went down yesterday at Carpool in Arlington, Virginia. And I am happy to report that the DC Stogie Guys Cigar Smoke Out was a huge success.

While we had hosted a few of these events in the past, yesterday’s Smoke Out was particularly fun because our friends at Cuban Crafters generously provided free cutters and cigars from their Cameroon line for all attendees. Based on what I overheard, I think it’s safe to say everyone enjoyed the sticks, which boast mild, woody notes and a typical Cameroon sweetness.

But Cuban Crafters’ generosity didn’t end there. They also provided a three-finger black leather cigar case, a stainless steel cutter, a marble ashtray, and a 100-count humidor for us to give away in a free raffle. Stewart Cumbo, seen below, took home the grand prize.

Thank you once again to Cuban Crafters for making the event possible, and thank you to everyone who joined us for a great afternoon of cigars and camaraderie. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Despite the fact that StogieGuys.com is about cigars, not politics, we’ve spent considerable time and text communicating the evils of government-imposed smoking bans. And rightly so. When the state violates the private property rights of bar and restaurant owners in this unjustifiable fashion, it eliminates many occasions that would otherwise be perfect cigar opportunities.

It also eliminates liberty. I’ve written before that smoking bans, like many government regulations, present a slippery slope. These invasive laws – once relegated to restaurants, workplaces, and bars – have moved closer to our homes, cars, and other private places. Many anti-smoking zealots will not rest until tobacco is outlawed completely.

A recent BBC article signals the next trend in their indefensible crusade for more regulation and less personal freedom. A senior government advisor in England is publicly proposing that smokers be required by law to purchase a £10 ($19.61) permit to purchase tobacco.

Professor Julian Le Grand, a former adviser to ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, says that such a law would encourage smokers to quit. “You’ve got to get a form, a complex form – the government’s good at complex forms; you have got to get a photograph,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Professor Le Grand goes on to say that “it’s a little bit of a problem to actually do it, so you have got to make a conscious decision every year to opt in to being a smoker…So if you just make it that little bit more difficult for them to actually re-start or even to start in the first place, yes I think it will make a big difference.”

These outrageous statements help demonstrate that the anti-smoking movement isn’t about secondhand smoke or public health; it’s about using the government to violate the rights of the minority. Politicians and bureaucrats think they know what’s best for smokers, and they will use their power to criminalize activities that they deem worthy of eradicating.

Thirty years ago, the concept of government-imposed smoking bans on a grand scale was almost incomprehensible. So is it all that insane to think that we’ll have to get permits to purchase cigars in the future?

-Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

CHICAGO — I’m writing to you from my most recent hometown trip and, let me tell you, Chicago is a different place. Well, at least the bar scene is, and – for better or worse – that’s where I spend most of my time catching up with Windy City friends.

The big difference is that ever since January 1, Illinois has been under the same nasty spell that has befallen countless other cities and states: a government- imposed smoking ban. The intrusive statewide law criminalizes consenting adults who choose to smoke and the entrepreneurial business owners who choose to accommodate them.

As a cigar enthusiast, the ban doesn’t severely inconvenience me, aside from the fact that Cigar Aficionado recently had to cancel its 14th annual Big Smoke Chicago event. Most bars and restaurants didn’t allow cigars before the ban (private policies I have always abided by), and I’ve never been a cigarette smoker.

But many of my friends are, and it was odd to see them occasionally excuse themselves into the evening chill of Wrigelyville for a nicotine fix. Maybe they were engaging in “smirking,” a new flirting technique whereby patrons who are forced outside to smoke have approximately three minutes to score a co-ed’s number.

Still, even though the law is just a mild nuisance for me, it is no doubt part of a troubling trend that should worry all Americans who value personal freedoms and individual rights. That’s half of the reason why I will return to my current residence in Virginia with a heavy heart.

The other half? Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine last week announced that he will be backing a “statewide ban on smoking in all restaurants, bars, and public and private clubs.” Ugh.

So I’d like to leave you today with some well-written words from a recent Washington Post op-ed, authored by two employees of the Cato Institute (one of which is a friend of StogieGuys.com):

“Restaurant and bar owners want to make money, and they do so by catering to different market niches. In Northern Virginia, many restaurants and bars advertise that they are smoke-free, while others cater to a smoking crowd. This offering of many different choices is a virtue of open markets. So why would Kaine override the smoking choices of different people and instead impose his preference on all Virginians?”

-Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Cigar Aficionado has released its top ten cigars of 2007. StogieGuys.com readers will see many familiar names, and perhaps some you aren’t so familiar with.

All ten received a score of 92 or higher (out of a possible 100). Of note is a revamped Dunhill brand, new lines from CAO and Cohiba, and the relatively unknown brand called Illusione. Here’s the list, with special attention given to the top five:

10. Dunhill Signed Range Toro (Nicaragua)
9. CAO Vision Prana (Dominican Republic)
8. Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Maduro Epicure (Honduras)
7. Illusione CG4 (Honduras)
6. Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos (Cuba)

5. Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Torpedo – This line has also fared well here at StogieGuys.com, scoring an impressive four and 1/2 rating. It has a tremendous, full, earthy flavors. Personally, I think the Churchill-sized Sorcerer is a better vitola than the torpedo, but you can’t go wrong with any of the VSGs.

4. Oliva Serie V Torpedo – This new cigar received a lot of praise. It is the same excellent quality that you’ve come to expect from Oliva, but in a more powerful format. Particularly of note in this line is the seven inch by 38 ring gauge Lancero size.

3. Montecristo No. 2 (Cuba) – The Montecristo No. 2 is perhaps the single most famous cigar in the world, and for good reason. I recently enjoyed one and found the same delicate, yet medium-full flavored, combination of wood, earth, and spice (not unlike the Montecristo Petit Edmundo). This cigar has been wowing smokers for years, and in all likelihood it will continue to for many more.

2. Fuente Fuente OpusX PerfecXion No. 2 – OpusX has been one of America’s most sought after cigars since its introduction in 1995. Like the previous three selections, this is a torpedo of generous proportions. Its balanced, full-flavored spiciness make this the Fuente flagship.

1. Padrón Serie 1926 No. 9 – This Nicaraguan puro’s smaller brother, the No. 6, scored a rare five out of five rating here at StogieGuys.com way back in December 2006. The No. 9 (rated 97 by CA) has a thick ring gauge of 56, a 5 and 1/4 inch length, and interestingly is the only non-torpedo in the top five. Like the No. 6, the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 9 is a perfectly balanced cigar with tons of earth and chocolate, but not a hint of harshness.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Cigar Aficionado