The Stogie Guys

Since May we’ve been keeping you up to speed on Altadis’ war against fake cigar trafficking and the ensuing controversy.

As you will recall, the Florida-based cigar manufacturer – which holds the exclusive trademarks to the famed Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Romeo y Julieta brands – has been funding undercover Miami-Dade police investigations into fake stogie rings.

Well, while StogieGuys.com was on its holiday break, one of Altadis’ targets received his punishment. Juan Penton, a 43-year-old carpenter from Hialeah, was sentenced to five months of house arrest, five years probation, and a $7,500 fine for selling $3,000 worth of counterfeit Cuban cigars.

Altadis holds the rights to some of the most famous “Cuban” brands because its parent company, based in Spain, bought them from Cuba’s exiled cigar-baron families decades after Castro’s revolution in 1959. As such, the prosecution pitted Penton against the giant cigar company that funded part of the criminal investigation.

Throughout the trial the defense countered by accusing Altadis of manipulating police work, which included an undercover buy of 60 wooden boxes of Dominican stogies in boxes stamped “Made in Cuba.”

While counterfeiting cigars is certainly a deplorable business, let’s not forget that fake Cubans wouldn’t be in such high demand without our government-imposed, hypocritical embargo on Cuban goods. Even so, something about a large company funding police work that it stands to benefit from doesn’t sit quite right.

Well, until this whole mess is sorted out, it wouldn’t hurt to revisit our May post on how to spot a fake.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

StogieGuys.com will be taking a few days off for the holidays so we can relax, recharge, and have a few cigars. Our hiatus will conclude on January 3, 2007 when we will resume posting daily content.

But before our little break begins, we figured a quick look at the first year of StogieGuys.com was in order. Here are a few of our favorite posts from 2006:

– On May 15 we officially launched www.StogieGuys.com with this article.

– On May 16 we introduced our readers to La Rosa Cubana, which makes handmade cigars in the heart of New York City.

– On May 25 we told you about our experience smoking cigars with best selling author P.J. O’Rourke.

– On June 1, in one of many Stogie Tips, we described the proper way to cut a cigar.

– On June 5 we documented the first of many casualties of the Washington, DC smoking ban.

– On June 15 we told the sad story of how anti-smoking zealots managed to take the cigar our of Winston Churchill’s mouth.

– On June 30 we described how, despite thousands of empty seats, the Washington Nationals rebuffed our proposal (backed by JR Cigars) for a Cigar Night at RFK Stadium.

– On July 5 we gave you some tips for smoking cigars on the golf course.

– On July 14 we introduced the first of our many weekly Friday Samplers.

– On August 10 we reviewed our first Cuban cigar, the Cohiba Siglo V.

– On August 23 we gave some suggestions for selecting a drink to enjoy with your cigar.

– On September 7 we announced a contest to win two tickets to Cigar Artisans 2006. The winner, George Edmonson, later joined StogieGuys.com as the Tampa Bureau Chief.

– On September 20 we filed an exclusive report on what cigars the New York Mets chose to celebrate their National League East Title.

– On September 26 we gave some suggestions to cigar producers for displaying names and other vital information with their cigars.

– On October 2 George Edmonson filed his report on Cigar Artisans 2006.

– On October 5 we told you about some crazy guys that run marathons while smoking cigars.

– On October 11 we gave some advice on how to avoid the pitfalls that came from the mid-90s cigar boom.

– On October 26 we told you about the sad news that nearly half of Americans support tobacco prohibition.

– On Halloween we gave you some suggestions for cigar-friendly costumes.

– On Election Night we provided live results for the many anti-smoking initiatives on ballots around the country. The next day we wrapped up the results.

– On November 21 we explained that trying to restrict the freedom to smoke isn’t a liberal or conservative thing…It’s an anti-smoking thing.

– On November 28 we gave some tips for giving the gift of cigars.

– On December 4 we told you about the Stogie Guys’ adventures in Ybor City.

– On December 11 we gave just the third perfect five out of five rating to the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 6.

– On December 18 we unveiled the new look of the StogieGuys.com website.

– On December 21 we told you what we really want for Christmas this year.

Looking back, it certainly has been quite a year. We look forward to providing you with more news, reviews, commentary, and tips in 2007.

–The Stogie Guys

Tags: cigars

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We’re taking the day off to celebrate with friends, family and good cigars. We strongly suggest you do the same.

–The Stogie Guys

Following success in New York, Washington, London, and Jakarta, General Cigar recently opened another Club Macanudo lounge in the cigar city of Miami. The 2,500 square foot space is located in the private Havana Club at Miami City Club.

According to General Cigar, owner of the Macanudo brand, the club’s December 15 opening was a star-studded event that included musical performances by Jon Secada and Arturo Sandoval. Many recording artisits were also in attendance, and famed record producer Scott Storch’s birthday was celebrated in the Macanudo Club lounge.

In a press release, Cooper Gardiner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, said, “The Club Macanudo lounge at the Havana Club represents a golden opportunity. Not only is the lounge a luxurious embodiment of the Macanudo brand, it also affords us an opportunity to share the Club Macanudo experience with cigar connoisseurs in South Florida.” As the closest city in the United States to Cuba, and a city with a large Cuban population, Miami has had a long and rich association with cigars.

The Havana Club at the Miami City Club is a members-only establishment located on the 55th floor of the Wachovia Financial Center, the jewel of the Miami skyline. The 15,000-square-foot Club boasts a 360-degree view of Miami and its surrounding waters.

Membership to the Club is limited to 800 members who have access to the club’s private humidor, 24-hour concierge service, conference room, and business center, along with other perks. Havana Club members will also enjoy membership to the Downtown Athletic Club, as well as reciprocal memberships to more than 150 clubs worldwide, including the other Club Macanudo locations. As a private club, Club Macanudo is not affected by Florida’s draconian anti-smoking laws.

The Havana Club at the Miami City Club will carry an array of General Cigar’s premium offerings including Macanudo Vintage and Macanudo Gold Label, Partagas 160 and Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas, Cohiba XV, and La Gloria Cubana Reserva Figurados.

General Cigar also tells StogieGuys.com that they are discussing the creation of a special La Gloria Cubana line that would be available exclusively at the Club.

For reviews of General Cigar’s offerings, visit the Stogie Reviews Archive.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Cuban cigars are famous all around the world. The best known brands such as Montecristo and Cohiba (which received a rare 5 stogie rating for the Siglo V) are also some of the most expensive cigars sold, and they cost even more in the United States where the embargo on Cuba makes them contraband (and a high percentage of “Cuban” cigars are fake).

So that’s why we were fascinated by a story on Cuban cigars from the opposite end of the market. Long before the embargo, President Woodrow Wilson’s V.P. Thomas R. Marshall once remarked, “What this country needs is a good five cent cigar.”

Now according to this article, Cuba has answered the call with a local cigar that costs just one Cuban Peso (or approximately four cents). But that begs the question, are these deeply discounted Cubans any good?

Writer John O’Doherty enlisted two experienced two cigar merchants (Edward Sahakian of Davidoff and Paul Bielby of JJ Fox & Robert Lewis) to find out:

Reloba was by far the most prevalent of the brands available in the peso shops. They cost one Cuban peso each, about 2p. As with all hand-rolled cigars, one end has been sealed with tobacco leaf. Sahakian snips off this end with a small cigar-cutter, lights it and takes a slow, deliberate puff. “It’s not that bad,” he says, pleasantly surprised after I tell him the price. “But it’s a bit harsh.”

Bielby is more enthusiastic about the Reloba but is concerned with the way the cigar was rolled. A poorly packed cigar creates an uneven burn. Sure enough, as Sahakian and Bielby smoke their Relobas, the embers on one side race up the cigar, leaving the other side almost unburnt.

Both agree that the cigar was recently rolled and with fresh tobacco, and consequently not as mellow as a cigar that has been laid down for a few years. “There are many similarities between champagne and cigars,” says Sahakian. “They both need time to mature. From about seven to 15 years old, after they have mellowed, they will be at their best.”

For more on cheap Cuban cigars, read the rest of this Financial Times article.

–Patrick S

In the past we’ve noted the similarities between the anti-smoking policies of Hitler and the Nazis and today’s anti-smoking zealots.

Now we read reports that another of America’s mortal enemies, the Taliban that supported Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist attacks, is also a distinctly fascist when it comes to smoking.

This report from The Scotsman notes that a ban on smoking is rule 18 of the 30 rules recently handed down by the Taliban’s “highest leader”:

18. Mujahideen should refrain from smoking cigarettes.

And while cigarette smoking is a no-no, killing a teacher isn’t a problem – provided that the proper warnings are given:

25. Anyone who works as a teacher for the current puppet regime must receive a warning. If he nevertheless refuses to give up his job, he must be beaten. If the teacher still continues to instruct contrary to the principles of Islam, the district commander or a group leader must kill him.

Just so we’re clear: Killing a teacher – mandatory (after warning and beating). Smoking cigarettes – absolutely forbidden!

Now obviously we know that the smoke-hating terrorists are maniacal (that’s why they’re terrorists), but their anti-tobacco policy does raise one question: If terrorists want to ban smoking, does that mean that when we ban smoking the terrorists win?

–Patrick S

They’re dropping like flies. The question is not if another major city will fall to a fascist smoking ban, but which will fall first. For what it’s worth, my money is on Baltimore.

If you have a great memory, you may recall a July 19 post on cigar etiquette in which I briefly recounted a drunken evening smoking stogies at various Baltimore bars. Well, according to the Baltimore Examiner, I may have to get back up to the Charm City very soon if I ever want to do that again.

While the highly anticipated vote on the citywide smoking ban was delayed at Monday night’s council meeting, both sides continue to maneuver to tally votes and win support. And though advocates and opponents argue they have the upper hand, many believe the fate of the smoking bill could come down to the support of a yet-to-be-selected council member. “If Stephanie Rawlings Blake becomes City Council president, as it appears, then the person who replaces her on the Council could be the deciding vote,” City Council Member Robert Curran said.

Now I know I just asked Stogie Guys Nation to make some phone calls to Ohio’s Department of Health to give those bureaucrats hell for their upcoming statewide smoking ban, but I can’t resist asking you to pick up the phone again – especially if you reside in Baltimore. Since this ban is currently teetering on the fence, a flood of phone calls to the Baltimore City Council may actually tip policy in our favor.

Anyways, I just think it’s worth a shot. Many Baltimore business owners, like Ron Furman, worry that if the ban passes they “will be looking at losing 30 to 40 percent of business” because “a lot of our customers are cigar smokers and cigarette smokers.”

He’s probably right. Would-be customers like me will be less willing to make the trip up to Baltimore from Washington (and other locales) if the city government votes to outlaw free choice.

–Patrick A