The Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This Cameroon-wrapped Robusto from La Caya is one of those cigars I only rarely light up, but every time I do I wonder why I don’t pick up this smoke more frequently. For a Cameroon fan like myself, it has everything you’d hope for in an everyday smoke. The price is very affordable at around $5 apiece. The physical properties are outstanding, including a straight burn line and a solid ash. And the flavor profile has plenty of sweetness complimented by pine and clove. Give this cigar a try the next time you have a chance.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

CAO’s “Last Stick Standing” promotion will let cigar smokers help choose the next CAO blend. Three blends—“C”, “A”, and “O”—are offered for participants to rate without knowing anything specific about each blend. I received a tin of the three cigars in the mail and decided to light up the “C” blend the next day. The well-constructed smoke starts out with dry spice, wood, and buttery flavors. It’s medium-bodied (maybe medium-full) with good balance and a clean finish. After smoking it, I looked on the Last Stick Standing website and saw that it’s currently in third place, though only slightly. I can see why. While it’s a pleasant cigar with excellent construction, it’s not particularly complex (though I should note that it might not be completely fair to smoke it just a day after multiple days in the mail).

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Back when the Liga Privada No. 9 was just hitting the market, I received a few of these “pre-release samples” dated 2007 as a throw-in when I bought a box at a Liga event at my local tobacconist. Now with around five years of age on it, I decided to light up my last remaining one to see how time has changed the cigar. It is well-balanced with milk chocolate, slight spice, and bready flavors. Not nearly as full-bodied as a more recently rolled Liga No. 9, it’s a very good smoke, but I definitely prefer a more recent vintage.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Boutique manufacturer Viaje has made quite a name for itself in the cigar world with limited run smokes and sharp marketing. The Oro is a Nicaraguan puro with a double binder and a Corojo ’99 wrapper. I smoked the Delicado, a 6-inch stick with a ring gauge of 50. I found it a well-made, enjoyable smoke, though not as full-bodied or complex as advertised. At around $8, it’s not one I’d reach for over and over, but a nice selection every once in awhile.

Verdict = Hold.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

One of many cigars A.J. Fernandez created for online giant Cigars International, Ruination was the full-bodied followup to the original Man O’ War, made with an Ecuadorian Habano ligero wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. The Belicoso (5.7 x 56) features deep, full-bodied flavors, including chewy nut, coffee, cream, leather, earth, and vanilla. It’s a tasty smoke with just a hint of black pepper on the finish. Selling for $6-7 (though discounted below that from time to time), the well-constructed Man O’ War is highly recommended for fans of strong, flavorful cigars.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Haven’t heard of Los Hermanos? I hadn’t until I got one as a throw-in with an order I placed from Atlantic Cigar, apparently the exclusive provider of this cigar made by Casa Fernandez and Tropical Tobacco. The Toro (6.5 x 52) is a Nicaraguan puro that sells for just under $7. It starts out dry and woody with a slight bitterness. Fortunately, it doesn’t stay that way as the bitterness fades and the cigar shows coffee, leather, and even some black pepper. Los Hermanos may not be complex, but it’s a decent, medium- to full-bodied cigar at a fair price.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This “Mother of All Bombs” (the 2012 edition) is a slightly smaller version of the Father of All Bombs I reviewed earlier this week. The MOAB (4.5 x 52) also has an all Nicaraguan blend with a dark, ebony-colored, sun-grown criollo wrapper. The cigar features the same dark flavors as the FOAB, with charred oak, dark coffee, and damp earth, paired with some bready flavors. While not particularly different from it’s slightly larger Father, the MOAB was strong but not off-balance, with excellent construction. Even at $9 a stick, like the FOAB, this is an enjoyable cigar worth picking up if you can find one of just 7,500 that were made.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys