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.”

Made at La Aurora in the Dominican Republic, Viva Republica’s Rapture features an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder, and filler from Brazil,  the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru. This robusto-sized smoke (4.5 x 50) is well-constructed and mild with sawdust, cedar, and toast. It’s pleasant and balanced, but ultimately a little on the bland side.

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 isn’t my favorite cigar from RoMa Craft Tobac—that honor still belongs to the Intemperance BA XXI A.W.S. IV—but it’s damn close. The CroMagnon Cranium (6 x 54) is a heaping pile of rich, full-bodied flavor, yet it also brings ample complexity to the table via well-balanced notes of pepper, coffee, peanut, and chocolate over a base of hickory and leather. Construction is excellent. Something tells me Skip Martin knew what he was doing when he blended this Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper with a Cameroon binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. At $8.50, the toro-sized Cranium is a steal.

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.”

For at least as long as I’ve been writing about cigars, it seems Davidoff has been introducing new cigars to appeal to fuller-bodied tastes. And yet, at least for me, it remains their milder, Connecticut-wrapped cigars that are most quintessentially Davidoff. The Anniversario blend certainly fits that bill. The cigar features light cedar, hay, a hint of honey, and classic Davidoff mustiness, all elegantly layered and well-balanced. Construction is flawless, including an even burn and an ash that holds for nearly half the cigar. Even if a milder perspective isn’t what you regularly seek, you can still appreciate the perfect execution of the iconic Davidoff style.

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.”

Gran Habano is expected to introduce two new cigars this summer: Los Tres Reyes Magos—a culebra consisting of intertwined lancero sizes of its Gran Habano Connecticut #1, Maduro #3, and Corojo #5 lines—and a new blend called La Conquista. The latter sports a Nicaraguan wrapper around tobaccos from Costa Rica, Colombia, and Nicaragua and will be sold in three sizes that retail for $8-9. I recently took the Gran Robusto (6 x 54) for a test drive and found good combustion qualities and a medium-bodied profile of oak, sweet cream, coffee, musty earth, and popcorn. The resting smoke is beautifully aromatic, sweet, and mouth-watering. That said, the actual taste is missing something and, on my palate at least, feels a little flat.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.”

This medium-bodied blend from Abe Flores and his team at Pinar del Rio features a pale brown Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. Underneath is 100% Criollo ’98 tobaccos, including filler from Nicaragua and binder and filler from the Dominican Republic. The cigar has straw and cedar flavors, along with hints of cream and coffee. A pleasant, balanced cigar with solid construction and combustion qualities, the 1878 Capa Natural would go great with a cup of coffee.

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.”

Introduced about one year ago, the Swag Brown Connecticut line from Aging Room Cigars boasts a beautiful, golden Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper around Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Crafted at the Tabacalera Palma factory, the Lavish (5 x 54) retails for about $7 and includes a mild- to medium-bodied flavor of dry oak, butter, peanut, and a soft white pepper spice. Construction is impressive, as is the cigar’s smooth texture and complex, balanced flavors. If you’re looking for a morning or mid-afternoon smoke to pair with iced coffee this summer, you should give Swag Connecticut a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys