The Stogie Guys

The Dominican-made Romeo y Julieta brand has been a longtime staple in the portfolio of industry giant Altadis. But over the years, even as the brand grew to ten blends of varying strength, Romeo y Julieta always seemed to be associated with the milder spectrum.

The newest Romeo y Julieta blend, called simply Romeo, aims to change that. “A manly cigar, bold and robust, Romeo is an awesome smoke, rich in complex flavor sensations,” reads a marketing pamphlet from Altadis. “It is, quite likely, the finest Romeo y Julieta ever.”

Romeo is certainly the most modern-looking, sporting a unique band that breaks from the traditional motifs of its predecessors. The line’s sleek, curved boxes are definitely not traditional. And Romeo also adopts the contemporary mantra of “big and bold” with large ring gauges and a recipe of tobaccos that’s evidently built for power.

That recipe includes a dark Ecuadorian Habano-seed wrapper, a Dominican olor binder, and Dominican filler tobaccos of the piloto and olor varieties. The line is comprised of four vitolas that are crafted at the Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic: Churchill (7 x 56), Toro (6 x 54), Robusto (5 x 54), and Piramide (6.1 x 52). I sampled three Toros for this review, each—in the interest of full disclosure—provided to me free of charge by Altadis.

The Toro is a clean-looking smoke with a hearty weight and a firm feel from head to toe. The foot confirms a tight cross-section of tobaccos. The pre-light aroma is musty and earthy and the draw is moderate.

After setting an even light, the introductory taste is bold yet stale. By this I mean there’s tons of strength from the smoke but very little in terms of identifiable flavor beyond pure heat. My strategy on cigars like this is to let them rest un-puffed for a few minutes to see if they settle into a more enjoyable profile as the foot cools.

Fortunately, the Romeo Toro does. Before crossing the half-inch mark, tastes of leather, dry wood, and espresso become dominant with a bit of nougat on the finish to add sweetness and balance. The resting smoke is quite sweet. Later, at the midway point, I find the body settles back toward the medium spectrum and some nutty notes take precedence over the leather. The final third features a reprise of power. All the while the construction is near perfect.

Altadis has made a considerable effort to get samples of Romeo in the hands of many internet reviewers, so I expect you’ll see much written about this cigar in the weeks to come. It will be interesting to read all the reviews. From my perspective, this is a fine smoke that will do well on the golf course. I would recommend picking up a Romeo as the blend hits the shelves of a tobacconist near you. I think cigar enthusiasts who typically stray away from Altadis smokes will be pleasantly surprised by the Toro, which is worthy of three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I didn’t know what to think when Camacho announced a partnership with jewelery maker Matt Booth in 2009. Camacho would be making cigars to be sold under Booth’s Room 101 brand, named after the torture room in George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Four years later, I’ve enjoyed quite a few of the Camacho-made Room 101 cigars, particularly the Conjura and Namakubi. I found this latest Room 101 San Andres the way I find many cigars, by simply walking into my local cigar shop and asking, “What’s new?” The answer on this particular day was the Room 101 San Andres, which was released last month.

By my count, San Andres is the fifth Room 101 blend, created by Room 101-creator Matt Booth and Camacho Cigars. It’s the third regular release joining the original Room 101 and the Connecticut-wrapped Namakubi, while the OSOK (One Shot One Kill) and the Conjura are limited releases. The result is a more affordable cigar that comes in five sizes selling in the wallet-friendly $5-7 range.

For this review I lit up three of the corona-sized 213s (5.5 x 44) which cost me just under $6 each. The cigar features a San Andres wrapper grown by the Turrent family in Mexico. The largely vein-free, milk-chocolate wrapper surrounds a Honduran corojo binder and corojo and criollo filler from Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

It’s a serious departure from Room 101′s previous releases, but very pleasant with chewy peanut butter, cocoa, and a slightly spicy cedar core. As the cigar evolves, coffee becomes apparent and more spice comes forward towards the second half of this hour-long smoke.

With perfect construction and a reasonable price tag, the 213 is a very enjoyable medium- to full-bodied cigar. That combination earns this Room 101 San Andres vitola an impressive rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It’s hard to think of a cigar maker currently on as long of a streak of widely-praised cigars as Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. Ever since founding the EPC Cigar Co., Ernesto has seemingly produced hit after hit.

The Short Run is no exception. So far, the line has resulted in one release per year, although when it was first introduced we were told there might be two Short Run releases per year. The concept is pretty simple: Make a limited run of a blend utilizing tobacco that isn’t available in enough quantities to become a full blend.

The original Short Run, introduced in 2010, featured an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. The 2011 edition featured an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around similar binder and filler tobaccos. Personally, I preferred the original 2010 edition, but I’ve talked to plenty of people who preferred the 2011 Shot Run.

The 2012 edition is a slightly different animal. It features the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper from the New Wave Connecticut around binder and filler tobaccos from the Core Line Maduro (Ecuadorian binder with Dominican and Nicaraguan filler). Unlike the others, in theory they should be able to continue making this cigar (if EPC choses to), since all the components come from regular production lines.

The Short Run 2012 comes in three sizes: Exquisitos (4.9 x 50,) Invictos (5.9 x 52), and the Reinados—which apparently also going by the name Nitidos—(6.25 x 60). The cost ranges from $6.30 to $8.60 with only 1,000 boxes of 24 of each vitola made. I smoked three Invictos for this review. The Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper is slightly splotchy, but it has a bit of oily shine. The cigar is well-constructed. It is firm with an even burn, easy draw, and sturdy ash.

The flavors are perfectly balanced. The profile has lots of cedar, graham spice, and hints of straw, cream, and honey. There’s not much variation from start to finish, but the flavors are pleasant. The cigar is very similar to the original regular New Wave Connecticut, which isn’t a bad thing. But it punches up the body just a bit from medium-bodied to medium-full and adds some extra complexity.

It’s a cigar Connecticut fans will love and non-fans will like. The balanced flavors and solid construction earn the Short Run 2012 Invictos a rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Abe Flores reinvented Pinar del Rio Cigars (PDR) in 2010 by re-blending his standard lines, dropping his prices by 10%, and introducing some new creations. Prior to this company re-launch, many cigar enthusiasts had not even heard of PDR. After, PDR grew a solid base of loyal fans who appreciated the value and craftsmanship of Flores’ offerings.

I fall into the camp of folks who became PDR fans once I was properly exposed to the company. Smokes like the Cubano Especial Capa Natural, Sun Grown, and Selección have been regular visitors to my humidors for a couple years. And I’m also enjoying newer offerings, like Small Batch Reserve—both Habano and Maduro.

But my exposure to the PDR portfolio has not been comprehensive. The Clasico Exclusivo line, for example, has somehow flown under my radar since it was released about three years ago. This blend has an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Dominican criollo ’98 binder, and a filler blend of tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It is available in nine sizes: Robusto (5 x 50), Corona (5.25 x 44), Corona Gorda (6 x 46), Toro (6 x 52), Torpedo (6.5 x 52), Churchill (7 x 50), Lancero (7.25 x 38), Magnum (5 x 60), and Double Magnum (6 x 60).

The Robusto retails for around $5 per single or $90 for a box of 20. Underneath its double bands and yellow ribbon is a silky wrapper with minimal veins and seams that are barely noticeable. The exterior leaf gives off hardly any aroma but, at the foot, the exposed filler tobaccos smell of sweet hay and honey.

After clipping the cap to reveal an even draw and toasting the foot, the initial flavor is peppery and a bit more intense than traditional Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped cigars. Dry spice is concentrated on the tip of the tongue, on the lips, and on the finish. Notes of oak and grass are evident if you smoke through the nose.

As flavors of nuts and cream come to the fore, it becomes clear that this smoke has outstanding physical properties. Light up the Clasico Exclusivo Robusto and, like me, you’ll surely be admiring its perfect burn line, sturdy gray ash, and smooth draw. These attributes aren’t to be overlooked. It’s a lot easier to find a $10 cigar with poor construction than it is to find a $5 cigar with excellent construction.

In the end, while the taste isn’t remarkably complex or astonishingly unique, this Pinar del Rio creation is a fine choice if you’re looking for a morning coffee companion. It goes equally well with a glass of wine in the evening. It seems to forgo my least favorite characteristics of mild smokes—a chemically aftertaste or a papery finish—while exhibiting the best traits of the breed—light on cost and oozing with creamy nuttiness. You can’t complain with that. And I also don’t think you’ll object to my rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This fat Robusto is part of the four-vitola line introduced by Toraño at last year’s industry trade show that continues to be promoted as a low-cost, high-quality smoke.

At a recent event, Charlie Toraño remarked that the Loyal has been getting a good reception from smokers, and I’m not surprised.

As a long-time admirer of Toraño’s skill in artfully blending tobaccos from many origins, I’m always interested in trying one of their releases. Recently, I’ve smoked several of this 5-inch stick with a 56-ring gauge as well as a couple of the company’s new, and generally more highly regarded, Vault line.

Truth be told, I prefer the Loyal. I think that the Nicaraguan Ometepe tobacco that was added to the Vault’s original recipe creates a dry, somewhat dusty taste that just isn’t my particular cup of tea.

The Loyal, on the other hand, is an under-$5, medium-strength Robusto with smoothly blended Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers that provide enough flavor shifts to keep it interesting. There’s a bit of pepper on the opening that ramps up until about the midway point, when it begins to recede. Layered over it at that point is a nice sweet tobacco taste and a little leather and wood.

It smokes slowly, and the additional girth make it a Robusto with an extra-long experience.

My complaints relate primarily to construction. I’ve experienced some unraveling of the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and an uneven burn on occasion, which appeared to be related to poor combustion of the Nicaraguan binder.

The Loyal should have wide appeal, especially for those smokers looking for a traditional cigar at a low price. For me, it rates three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-George E

photo credit: Toraño

Certain cigars just look like they’re going to taste good, and the Pinar del Rio Small Batch Reserve Maduro fits that bill. It features a deep brown, oily wrapper, firm construction, and a triple-cap, all framed by a simple but classic-looking white band. Even before I tasted my first, at least visually, it reminded me of one of my favorites, the Liga Privada No. 9.

Pinar del Rio has been making cigars out of its Don Leoncio factory in Tamboril in the Dominican Republic, but the new Small Batch line is the first (along with the upcoming Flores y Rodriguez) to come out of their new PDR Cigars factory, which is also in the Dominican.

Like the Small Batch Reserve Habano, the Maduro utilizes the entubar bunching technique to combine corojo-seed viso, seco, and ligero tobaccos from Estelí and the Dominican Republic as the filler with a Dominican criollo ’98 binder. Three sizes are available: Gran Toro (6 x 54), Robusto (5 x 52), and Torpedo (6.5 x 52) in both the Habano and the Maduro. The latter has a dark Brazilian ligero leaf with an appetizing sheen.

Once lit, the Small Batch Rserve Maduro shows a nice combination of cocoa, molasses, and a slight woodiness. It’s medium-bodied to start but the flavors build to become fuller by the final third.

The flavors are balanced and savory. It’s a great combination of the best of Nicaragua and the Dominican, with earth, woodiness, dried fruit, and a touch of spice. The solid white ash looks like a thick piece of chalk. Flawless construction and a perfectly straight burn are maintained throughout the hour-plus smoke.

I smoked two PDR Small Batch Maduros (which I received as pre-release samples) and I can only conclude that I will be purchasing more soon, especially at a reasonable price of around $7 each. It’s not hard to see that both of the new Small Batch cigars by Pinar del Rio will be hits, but I think the Pinar del Rio Small Batch Reserve Maduro is even better than the Habano, which is why the Maduro earns a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Over 20 years ago, Avo Uvezian became an unlikely addition to the world of cigars when the Juilliard-trained pianist founded a cigar company. But, in partnership with Hendrik Kelner, he would quickly make an impact on the industry and ink a distribution deal with Davidoff.

Uvezian recently celebrated his 86th birthday with a new cigar called La Trompeta. The release follows in the tradition he started 11 years ago when he introduced a limited edition smoke to celebrate his 75th birthday. (We have previously published reviews of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Avo Limited Edition cigars, with the 2011 being my favorite.) La Trompeta is available in just one size, a pyramid that measures 6.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 54. Only 100,000 cigars were released worldwide on March 28. Each carries an MSRP of $15.50.

The most striking feature of La Trompeta is a row of three light circles in the dark Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper that’s intended to resemble a trumpet’s keys. The three circles are not cutouts in the wrapper that simply show the Dominican piloto binder; rather, each is affixed on top of the wrapper leaf. At the foot is a cross-section of Dominican ligero and Peruvian seco tobaccos. This foot has a musty, mushroom-like smell that I’ve come to consider a trademark of Hendrik Kelner cigars. Fans of Davidoff, Paul Garmirian, and Avo will know this aroma well.

I find a tight draw after using a double guillotine cutter to clip the cap of the sharply pointed pyramid. Cutting a little further down and at an angle (to increase the surface area) yields a slightly smoother draw. This makes it easier to establish a thorough light across the foot.

Once lit, a flavor of black pepper spice is instantly recognizable and heavily concentrated on the tip of the tongue. There’s also a meaty, char-like taste and some notes of walnut and dry wood. Aside from the mushroom flavor (which I personally love) the other characteristics of the full-strength, medium-body cigar are quite starchy and not as balanced as I had hoped. Some sweetness or creaminess would have gone a long way towards making La Trompeta more memorable.

I also would have preferred much better construction from such a rare, expensive smoke. The burn line tends to meander. The draw never really opens up. The smoke production is on the low end. And, most concerning, La Trompeta requires several re-lights just to keep burning.

All told, La Trompeta isn’t a bad cigar. But I find it hard to justify the price, or to compare it to the 2011 Avo Limited Edition—as that was one of the finest smokes released last year. Personally, I’d much rather have a regular production Davidoff or PG, knowing full well that the balance and complexity will be there and the construction will be solid. That’s my basis for giving La Trompeta a rating no higher than three stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys