The Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

Previewed at the 2007 RTDA Convention and released this month, the Camacho 10th Anniversary held the promise of continuing the brand’s revitalization – and it delivers. This line is characterized by all the flavor and complexity of the Corojo Diploma line, but delivered in a medium-bodied blend that is much more approachable for the average smoker. Most interesting is the Torpedo (6.125″ x 54). This beautiful box-pressed vitolla has a great balance in filler vs. wrapper contribution. Its thin wrapper pays off in aroma and in the consistency of the burn. One of the few cigars on the market well worth the $12.25 price tag.

Verdict = Buy.

-Submitted by Skip Martin, Hava Cigar Shop and Lounge, Galveston, TX

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

This Don Pepin production got a cosmetic makeover last year, apparently an effort to boost the line’s profile. I’m not sure that helped but – judged on its own merits – Vegas Cubanas is a good cigar. The Invictos is a five inch by 50 ring gauge robusto with a lovely Habano Rosado Claro wrapper and a blend that includes Cuban seed Corojo 99 and other Nicaraguan tobaccos. It is lighter than most of Pepin blends, though it begins with his typical pepper. That fades at the halfway point, replaced by a woody flavor. Unlike many of Pepin’s sticks, this one burned just fine. At $6, it’s worth a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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

This pudgy little smoke (4″ x 50) has an attractive vein-free Ecuadorian wrapper. The flavor is of wood and paper with a tiny hint of black pepper spice. The draw on this mild smoke is good, but this is a hard purchase to justify at over $7 apiece.

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 take on a single cigar.

One of the six original Cohibas known as the Línea Clásica, this four and 7/8 inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto is an admirable smoke with excellent construction. I found pleasant flavors of sweet hay and honey with a touch of spice – not unlike my colleague’s full review. Expect to pay anywhere from $12 to $15, which is a fair price if you’re a lover of mild- to medium-bodied smokes.

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 take on a single cigar.

Big, black, and bold, this five and ½ inch by 60 ring gauge Bucanero behemoth packs rich, textured flavors of dark chocolate and burning timber. The Nicaraguan, Honduran, Italian, and Costa Rican blend is full-bodied and well-balanced. With decent construction – including a fairly even burn for its large girth – I can recommend this at $7 a pop.

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 take on a single cigar.

This was last year’s addition to the mild Toraño line, said to have begun life as the house blend for the family’s Central American operations. The six and ¼ inch by 50 ring gauge Toro has a pretty wrapper – which I believe is a Connecticut Broadleaf grown in Ecuador – and excellent construction. But the flavor is just so-so. A thick, woody taste predominates, punctuated by a bitterness that’s biting rather than intriguing. There’s a little of the warm, dark coffee or cocoa flavor that’s often associated with maduro wrappers, but I wondered if these cigars might develop better with a few years of aging.

Verdict = Hold.

–George E

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

Rocky Patel can do almost no wrong in my book. Nevertheless, I hesitated to try his Indian Tabac Split Decision Quad (6” x 52, $10), a barber pole comprising four distinct wrappers: Habano natural, Connecticut shade, broadleaf maduro, and candela. With its camouflage-like appearance, this stick is an attention-grabber. I was pleasantly surprised by the cigar’s medium body and smooth, subtle flavors of spice, cream, and leather. Unfortunately, the draw was quite loose and the burn was hot and uneven. Ultimately, as striking as this cigar may look, I simply can’t recommend a purchase – especially with far superior barber poles on the market.

Verdict = Sell.

-Submitted by Jon Nathanson of Los Angeles, CA