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.”

Tatuaje’s Monster Series is a highly sought-after release around Halloween every year. Last year, Tatuaje released a sampler of Pudgy Monsters, which are shorter versions of the same blends, all in a relatively thick format. The JV13, the 2013 Monster release, became the pudgy monster known as Jason. The blend uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. The result is a very full-flavored cigar with classic Broadleaf flavors: earth, chocolate, grittiness with a slight sweetness. Construction is excellent. You can still pick up Tatuaje Pudgy Monsters at some retailers, and I highly recommend picking one up so you can try some of the more limited blends from Pete Johnson.

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 dark Robusto (5 x 52) is priced very reasonably—right around the $5 mark—yet it has the presentation of a cigar twice the price. The pigtail cap is gorgeous, as is the clean, oily Habano Oscuro wrapper. More importantly, its taste makes this one hell of a bargain. Once lit, flavors of espresso, roasted nut, cinnamon, and dark chocolate fill out the medium-bodied profile. With excellent combustion, the Pinar del Rio 1878 Capa Oscura Robusto is a joy to smoke and a great choice for a solid everyday cigar that won’t break the bank.

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.”

 

I’ve had this small format (4.375 x 40) Cuban cigar in my humidor for at least five years. Cubans often require extended aging before they show their best, so my hope was this was ready to shine. Once lit, I found a subtle, mild cigar. Hay, honey, and light cedar are the primary flavors, but there’s also a slight creaminess and some spice. Cubans are also known for construction issues, but there were none to be found here with an easy draw and a sturdy stack-of-dimes ash. While I find myself often underwhelmed by non-super premium Cuban lines, this well-aged Trinidad Reyes hit the spot.

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.”

As the name suggests, the Short Run line from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is an annual release of a one-time, limited production run (see here for our reviews of the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Short Run editions). The 2015 release is just hitting retailer shelves now, sold in three sizes—Imperios (6 x 60), Napoleon (5 x 50), and Vencedores (6 x 52)—of which only 1,500 cigars each will be made. The blend includes a Criollo Jalapa ’98 wrapper around Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. I picked up a Vencedores single for $9 and found it to have a dark, rich profile of black coffee, pepper, dried fruit, and cinnamon spice. In my honest opinion, this is an OK cigar now, but it has some great aging potential.

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.”

Papas Fritas, the little (4.5 x 44) cigar that uses the cuttings of the Liga Privada No. 9 blend, just got some new packaging. Instead of a metal tin with a four cigars, they will be sold in boxes of 50, and the price per cigar dropped from $6.40 to $5.25. Like its bigger brothers, Papas Fritas produces copious amounts of smoke and chocolate, earth, and rich wood spice. There are valid complaints about a petit corona-sized, mixed-filler cigar that costs over five dollars (though the price cut helps a little), but that doesn’t change the fact that it is an enjoyable smoke.

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.”

It was about a year ago that I first got to sample the blend that would become Joya Red. I was wholeheartedly impressed then, sitting around a table at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in Estelí, and I’m still impressed now. One of the best new releases of 2014, Joya Red is a Nicaraguan puro with a Habano wrapper and a profile of roasted nuts, citrus, cedar, coffee, and a little black pepper. With excellent construction and a balanced, complex taste from light to nub, the Joya Red Robusto (5.25 x 50) is easy to recommend, especially at the reasonable asking price of about $6.

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.”

Ever dig through the bottom of your humidor and find something you didn’t know was there? That’s how I came across this Alec Bradley Connecticut Robusto, featuring an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper around Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. The cigar  boasts notes of hay, cream, paper, and cedar. It’s medium-bodied with a straightforward flavor profile and excellent construction. There’s a very slight bitterness that isn’t unusual for a Connecticut smoke. It’s the very definition of a solid, but not exceptional, cigar.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys