The Stogie Guys

Last month, Charlie Toraño announced some big changes, not the least of which were renaming his company the “Toraño Family Cigar Company” and exercising his option to retake distribution from a deal with CAO. “It belongs in the family,” he told us in an interview.

He also told us about three new blends that have since been introduced at the IPCPR Trade Show: Master, a bundle line called Brigade, and Single Region. The latter, a tobacconist-only release, brings a vintner’s approach to cigars. “Each Serie will feature a blend that is created entirely from tobaccos grown on one carefully selected finca in one particular region,” reads a Toraño press release. “The blend’s flavor and aroma will reflect the influence of the region’s soil, weather, and topography.”

Charlie Toraño chose the Serie Jalapa as the first Single Region debut. It features tobacco from the El Estero Farm in Jalapa, Nicaragua—a small plot of sandy, red clay that’s naturally irrigated by a stream. The unique location grows “some of the finest and most aromatic tobacco in the world,” according to Toraño.

Three Serie Jalapa vitolas are in production (Churchill, Robusto, and Toro Grande) with price tags that range from $6.50-6.95 apiece. All are handmade at the Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras.

Measuring five inches with a 52 ring gauge, the Robusto is a clean, reddish cigar with a neat cap, a moderate cold draw, and a well-packed cross section of tobacco at the foot. It looks and feels more expensive than it is, even with its understated double bands.

After establishing an even light, the Single Region’s sweet pre-light aroma transitions into a taste of tea, leather, and toffee. It’s medium-bodied with remarkable balance for a cigar with such a homogeneous lineage. I expected something more monotonous, even though the tobaccos were cultivated in different years from El Estero.

As the cigar progresses, two characteristics stand out. One, the physical properties are just about perfect. The burn line remains even absent any maintenance, the draw is smooth with moderate resistance, and the gray ash is sturdy. Two, the flavor adds a creamy, nutty element that rounds out the profile nicely. The only drawback is a subtle stale taste that creeps in and out towards the finale.

But don’t let that singular flaw deter you from purchasing the Single Region Serie Jalapa. This is a tremendous smoke, especially for the price. I predict it will win over many cigar enthusiasts in the months to come, and I award the Robusto four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As the economy struggles to hit its post-recession stride, some sympathetic cigar makers are cutting us a break by introducing modestly priced blends. Case in point: the new “1989” from Nestor Miranda.

It celebrates the year Miranda founded Miami Cigar & Co., distributor of such brands as La Aurora, Tatiana, Don Lino, and Miranda’s eponymous Special Collection. It also celebrates frugality. “While we do not have any cigars in the Nestor Miranda Collection that are expensive, we wanted to offer an excellent smoke at a very reasonable price point,” said Rene Castañeda, vice president of Miami Cigar. “It has become obvious that smokers, like everyone else, these days, are seeking to restrain their spending.”

When I think of restrained cigar spending I don’t think of the combined talents of Nestor Miranda and Don Pepin Garcia. But, for $5 per cigar, that’s exactly what you get in the 1989 blend. To make it, Miranda commissioned Garcia to develop a cigar based on his desired flavor profile and Garcia concocted a recipe of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos.

Available since May, 1989 is handmade at Garcia’s My Father Cigars in Estelí with one third medium-filler and two thirds long-filler. Three vitolas are in production: Belicoso (6.1 x 52), Robusto (5 x 50), and Toro (6 x 50). Each comes in either a Habano Rosado or Oscuro wrapper.

I sampled three Oscuro Belicosos for this review. This is a dark, mottled cigar that’s bumpy, dry, and a bit veiny. Spongy in the hand with a clear pre-light draw, it sports an ornate band (with Miranda’s name in super-small script on either side) and a wonderfully pungent aroma of cocoa.

The first puff reveals a taste of damp earth, black pepper spice, and coffee beans. While the Oscuro is billed as medium- to full-bodied, the airy texture of the smoke seems to diffuse the concentration of flavors, resulting in a lighter profile than anticipated. Things get more interesting after the first inch. Here, a creamy nuttiness develops to offset what was once a predominantly salty taste. The ensuing balance is a welcome addition until it seems to fade down the home stretch.

On construction, the 1989 delivers over and above what you’d expect from a $5 sandwich-filler cigar. The gray ash holds together well and the burn requires hardly any touch-ups to stay even.

Notwithstanding these notable physical properties, I doubt this new Nestor Miranda creation will blow any seasoned cigar veterans away. But it probably isn’t supposed to. While its taste may be a bit monotonous at times—even a tad papery now and then—the Belicoso offers consistency and a straightforward profile in an affordable package. A respectable everyday selection, it earns three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you’ve met Jesus Fuego, I’m sure you’ll agree that he is a likable, animated cigar personality with a sincere passion for high-quality tobacco. My first encounter with him was at the IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans last summer.

More recently, we chatted at the Cigar Expo in June. That’s where he told me about the forthcoming full release of his Origen line, which is set to launch next week at the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. Over the last two years, three limited edition Origen vitolas have been leaked to the market, starting with 500 boxes of the inaugural size, the Toro. Fuego said he chose this strategy to thank those retailers who have supported his brand from the beginning.

The Origen recipe is composed of 100% Cuban-seed corojo tobaccos with a Costa Rican binder and a two-country filler blend from Honduras and Nicaragua. The wrapper, a Brazilian corojo leaf, is “the darker sister of the wrapper of the 777 Corojo,” Fuego told me. It is intended to produce a “much richer blend.”

Now he is ready to share this blend on a larger scale with a complete lineup of sizes, including a Lancero (7.5 x 38). This slender smoke retails for approximately $6-7 apiece. It has a toothy, almost leathery exterior with modest veins and ample oils. Reddish in color and firm in the hand, it carries a sweet, earthy fragrance.

Establishing an even light is as easy as striking a match. From the outset, the medium-bodied flavor is of coffee beans, nuts, and dry wood with some sweet caramel on the finish. Balanced and savory. The draw is a tad tight but on par with what you’d expect from a typical lancero.

Moving into the midway point, the profile becomes creamier and sweeter while losing some bite. The overall taste remains decidedly medium-bodied, however, especially since the dry wood and coffee flavors maintain their prominence. As the draw opens nicely to reveal more of a smooth, chalky texture, I am surprised at the level of spice—seems to me like there would be more zing from an all-corojo creation.

But I won’t count that against the Origen Lancero; it has a unique flavor that stands all on its own. Complementing the taste are superior physical characteristics, not the least of which are a perfectly straight burn and a well-built white ash.

So this new line from Jesus Fuego earns high marks in my book. While I don’t think it’s going to blow cigar veterans away, it is consistently enjoyable from light to nub. Based on the three samples I smoked for this review, the Origen Lancero is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Twenty-three years ago, Avo Uvezian founded a cigar company at the age of 61. A Lebanese-born jazz pianist and a former jewelry designer, he was an unlikely addition to the world of cigars. But this Juilliard-trained talent would quickly make a big impact on the industry.

His two-year search for the best Dominican tobacco ended with Hendrik Kelner of Davidoff. No surprise there. Uvezian paid Kelner top dollar to secure the highest quality leaves and the most attractive packaging for his eponymous brand. The gamble paid off. In only its third year of existence, Avo sold over 750,000 cigars, prompting Uvezian to ink a distribution deal with Davidoff to expand his market.

Uvezian ultimately sold his brand to Davidoff in 1995. Avo has since grown well past its Classic line to include the XO Trio, Quartetto, Signature, Maduro, Puritos, 787, various limited editions, and the Domaine.

The latter was introduced in 1998 as a stronger counterpart to the traditional Classic series. It boasts a double-fermented Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper with tobaccos from the “Domaine Avo” fields in the Dominican Republic.

There are six vitolas currently in production. The robusto-sized Domaine 10 (5.1 x 50) is a smooth, dark-looking smoke with scant veins, a beautifully crafted triple cap, and a gorgeous purple and silver band. The external leaf gives off only the slightest pre-light aroma, but the foot emits a bouquet of sweet chocolate. In all, a great first impression.

As for taste, the Domaine 10 starts with a flourish of powdery cocoa and black pepper. It is neither mild nor strong with a medium-bodied flavor that’s enhanced by a nutty creaminess. Each effortless draw yields tufts of thick, billowy smoke, lending to the dry profile a light texture.

This cigar’s clear draw also makes it prone to overheating. Smoking slowly will help you avoid the harsh bitter notes that crop up if the tobacco is cooked at too high a temperature. The other combustion qualities are superb, however, including a nice burn and a fine white ash.

The Avo Domaine 10 is enjoyable from beginning to end, but it’s at its best between the black pepper intro and the spicy cedar finale. That’s when all the silky creaminess is allowed to shine through. A smart buy for $6 apiece with subtlety that overshadows a few hiccups, this cigar 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

Fonseca, established in 1974 when the Quesada family opened a Dominican factory, has built a reputation for mild-tasting cigars anchored by its original Connecticut shade blend. These days their portfolio is a bit more diversified.

Their collection includes Habana Selección, a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos wrapped in a habana criollo ’98 leaf. I reviewed the robusto-sized Cosacos in March and found it to be uncomplicated and, frankly, rather dull.

Hoping for a better outcome, I’ve set my sights on the Serie F, a three-vitola line launched in 2003 by Manuel Quesada to attract fans of fuller-bodied cigars. It features a Connecticut wrapper with a Mexican binder and Cuban-seed ligero filler—a blend that is said to be only slightly stronger than the original Fonseca. Quesada, after all, is no fan of brute power.

Handmade at the Manufactura de Tabacos S.A. factory in Santiago, the Serie F Toro measures six inches with a 50 ring gauge. It is a sturdy stick with a well-packed cross-section of tobacco, a firm feel, and several prominent veins and protruding seams. The golden, triple-capped exterior yields only the slightest pre-light aroma of sweet hay and sawdust.

The “F” in “Serie F” stands for fuerte, which is Spanish for “strong.” And while the blend is certainly stronger than the original Fonseca, it is a far cry from the bold cigars that have grown in popularity in recent years. I would even venture to say that the Toro leans to the milder side of the medium-bodied spectrum.

But it certainly isn’t without flavor. The profile is characterized by a dry, biting saltiness with warm tobacco and plenty of cedar and spice. A vegetal flavor—one that I can best describe as green pepper—dominates the lingering aftertaste and the aromatic resting smoke. The whole effect is interesting yet lacking in nuance.

As far as the physical properties are concerned, the Toro earns high marks for its solid white ash, straight burn, and clear draw. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cigar in this price range with better construction.

Still, I can’t see myself reaching for another Serie F Toro in the near future. Despite its wallet friendly price tag of $4-6 apiece, it is too salty, occasionally hot and bitter, and, although unique with hints of sweetness here and there, not balanced enough to hold my attention. I therefore award this Fonseca two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Another trade show from the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association is almost upon us. If you’re like me, though, you still haven’t tried a number of the new releases from the 2009 convention.

Such is the case with Prensado, an offering from Alec Bradley that was introduced last August. In my estimation, and given the accolades it has received, this blend may be the most prominent 2009 debut I have thus far overlooked. I decided to rectify that oversight by sampling three Robustos for this review.

The highlight of Prensado is its wrapper, a corojo leaf grown in 2006 in Trojes, Honduras. Alan Rubin, Alec Bradley’s founder and president, first tried it in 2008. It took Rubin and his team another six months to decide to pair the wrapper with the right blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos. The result is a five-vitola blend that’s made at the Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras, the same site that furnishes cigars for Illusione, Casa Fernandez, Padilla, and others.

The five inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto is a dark, slightly veiny cigar with a triple cap and glistening oils. It sports a slight box press (prensado is Spanish for “pressed”) and pungent pre-light notes of powdery cocoa off the foot—the sort of aroma that’s simultaneously mouth-watering and sneeze-inducing. A great fragrance.

From the outset it’s easy to see why Rubin calls Prensado his strongest blend to date. It starts with a hearty, chalky flavor of spicy pepper and black coffee. Sheer power with little depth or balance. The profile settles quickly, however, to include a creamy caramel sweetness.

The taste remains consistent from the second third through the finale as the gray, sandy ash builds off the foot. Each easy puff yields loads of thick, mouth-coating smoke, and the imperfect burn requires few touch-ups to remain even.

I enjoy this blend, but it leaves me underwhelmed in terms of complexity. Sure, while the interplay between bold peppery notes and creamy sweetness is interesting, I’m looking for more intricacy from a cigar that retails for just under $10 apiece. That’s ultimately why this Alec Bradley offering earns three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This cigar, blended by Jaime Garcia, stands out from the myriad sticks produced by My Father Cigars. For starters, it sports a dark, oily maduro Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, used only occasionally by Jaime and his father, Pepin Garcia.

And when you smoke it, you’ll find a flavor profile that differs significantly from what you expect from the house of Pepin.

The 54 ring gauge Toro does kick off with spicy notes. Mixed with the thick, woody flavor of the wrapper, though, it is a deep and sharp taste. From the start, the smoke is thick and profuse. The spice drops off after about half an inch and an earthy, damp hay taste takes over.

The taste changes aren’t finished yet. About halfway down the  six inch stick, you’ll begin to notice more and more of that typical maduro sweetness. The spice reemerges, too, and creates an interesting combination.

It’s a little difficult to find a lot of definitive information on these sticks. Having been introduced to the market late last year, but hitting most retailers’ shelves only recently, the My Father Cigars’ website doesn’t appear to even list them. The company’s site appears to be undergoing extensive work, though, and doesn’t have much information about anything.

I think it’s clear, though, that the filler is Nicaraguan. One site described it as a blend of tobacco grown by the Garcias and by the Oliva Tobacco Co. Despite some sites listing the binder as Nicaraguan, a press release about the cigar’s launch event at the Cigar Inn in New York confirms that it is Ecuadorian.

On the other hand, there’s no dispute about quality. It’s first rate, from appearance and construction to flavor and price. I paid $6 for the Toro, a small investment for a top-flight experience. I give this cigar four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys