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.”

I consider myself lucky to live only short drive away from Paul Garmirian’s boutique in McLean, Virginia, which not only carries every PG line, but also has an excellent selection of aged PG cigars rolled in the 1990s. Those well-aged cigars can be outstanding, but I still think the finest offering in the PG humidor may be the 15th Anniversary blend. The cigar features the musty, woody notes normally associated with Davidoff-made cigars, but also added complexity from grass, cocoa, spice, and chalk. It’s a layered, complex, medium- to full-bodied smoke. Construction is just what you would expect from a cigar that will cost you around $16. It’s the kind of cigar that is well worth seeking out.

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.”

This was the next-to-last issue in Eddie Ortega’s 2013 monthly Wild Bunch series. With its sandpapery rough, thick Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper and perfume-scented pre-light aroma, Da Byrdman (6 x 54) makes a strong opening statement. And the cigar lives up to the promise. After aging nearly a year in my humidor, it’s a bit smoother with the Nicaraguan filler melding well with the wrapper, creating a medium-strength smoke. These can still be found here and there for about $9. Pick one up when you can.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.”

The third variation of the San Cristobal brand, Revelation features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The Mystic is a corona size (5.6 x 48), and it’s an excellent representation of the blend. The Sumatran wrapper imparts a distinctive sweetness that is especially apparent in the pre-light draw. Once lit, the cigar sports a medium- to full-bodied profile with rich, powdery flavors with cedar spice, cinnamon, earth, and dried fruit. The construction is flawless despite the cigar seeming a little under-filled. I like the original San Cristobal better, but there’s nothing about the Revelation that I wouldn’t recommend.

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.”

Mayimbe has been around for nearly two years, yet I’ve never really given this premium-priced line from A.J. Fernandez the attention it deserves—either in terms of print or my own smoking rotation. That’s going to have to change. This blend, which sports a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper around tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras, is complex, full-bodied, and highly satisfying. The Robusto (5 x 56) displays flavors of coffee, cocoa, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Construction is exquisite. While the $14-15 range is a lot to ask for a Robusto, this cigar really delivers.

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.”

Released in 2013, this limited extension of Tatuaje’s Fausto line can still be found here and there. If you spot one, light up. It’s a very good cigar. With a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler, the pressed figurado opens with strong pepper and a lot of smoke. The blend is excellently balanced, with the pepper never overpowering as other flavors shift in and out along the 6.875-inch frame. Strength is upper medium, satisfaction full. A worthy purchase at $11.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.”

Habano leaf has a very distinctive flavor, and perhaps the purest Habano-tasting cigar I’ve come across is the AF2 made by A.J. Fernandez for Emilio Cigars. It’s not a flavor I want all the time, but sometimes it really hits the spot. The BMF (I’ll let you guess what that stands for) is the large gordo (6 x 58) version of the blend. It features dry bready flavors, mild coffee, and very light wood spice. While the size makes it an over two-hour cigar (I was driving to visit family while I smoked it; I lit it in Washington and didn’t finish it until New Jersey) it also loses a lot of the finesse in the massive size.

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.”

As we reported yesterday, Drew Estate has announced a new Nica Rustica size called Belly (7.5 x 54, $7.95) that will be available nationally in September. For now, the only size in the blend is El Brujito (6 x 52), a toro that boasts a rich, full-bodied profile of black pepper, coffee, and leather with some vegetal notes and excellent construction. This Connecticut Broadleaf-wrapped smoke is an excellent way to help satiate that Liga No. 9 craving at a fraction of the price. Of course, Nica Rustica isn’t quite the cigar Liga No. 9 is, but it’s nice to get some similar flavors and textures without worrying about cost or scarcity.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys