The Stogie Guys

Magazine editors have forever believed that green is a bad color to put on their covers. After looking at the unpleasant gummy bear green tones in the CL3 band, it’s hard not to think that cigar makers might want to adopt the same shibboleth.

Of course, bands don’t count when evaluating a cigar. But they do help create a first impression and influence the decision to buy or pass. Who, for example, can really take a Helix seriously?

Another problem with the CL3 is trying to find out about it. Argenese’s website reveals almost nothing except that it is grown from “100% first generation Cuban-seed corojo.” Checks on other sites indicate the CL stands for Corojo Ligero and that it is a Dominican puro.

With the emphasis on ligero, this line touts strength and spice. If you’re looking for a Pepin-style stick on steroids, though, I think you’ll be disappointed. I found the CL3 a little slow to develop and not really all that powerful throughout.

Pepper predominates early, but backs off about halfway down to give way to leather and cedar. The biggest drawback is a sharpness that sometimes creates an unpleasant taste and finish.

The torpedo is six and 7/8 inches long with a 52 ring gauge. The price is low, with specials on boxes of 20 hitting down as low as $40. For that, they’re a bargain. They also would seem to have good potential for aging. Maybe that would smooth out some of the rough edges.

All in all, this isn’t a bad cigar. It just isn’t outstanding, either. I didn’t enjoy the Arganese CL3 Torpedo as much as my colleague, so I’d rate it three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In September, fresh off my trip to New Orleans for the IPCPR Trade Show, I reviewed the 777 Corojo, a wonderful new release from master blender Jesus Fuego. I was impressed and made a commitment to better acquaint myself with the other lines of the relatively young J. Fuego brand.

The “Natural” blend is as good a place to start as any. It was, in late 2006, the first blend to debut after Fuego launched his eponymous brand by the Miami-based Tabacos S.A. company. Before this venture, Fuego had completed a master’s degree in agronomy at Havana University, worked at Camacho, and gained industry prominence through his instrumental role in developing Rocky Patel’s Vintage lines.

Now, in partnership with the Plasencia family, J. Fuego features the Gran Reserva, Delirium, and 777 Maduro lines—in addition to the aforementioned 777 Corojo and Natural. The latter is handmade in Honduras with Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos and a shade-grown criollo wrapper.

With a six inch by 54 ring gauge frame, the Natural Belicoso is a heavy, sizeable smoke. It sports two white bands, faint pre-light notes of grass, and a firm feel. The clean, oily wrapper is attractive despite some lumps and discoloration.

After toasting the foot, the initial flavor is of oak, damp earth, and butter with a balanced texture that’s both creamy and spicy. Black pepper keeps the taste interesting, as does a faint sweetness. But the overall effect is pretty mild.

That remains true at the midway point. Here, about 40 minutes into the cigar, the sweetness becomes more pronounced as the spice slowly dissipates. And a few new flavors—namely sage and walnut—also join in.

With a burn that requires little maintenance, a decent gray ash, and a draw as smooth as its taste, the Natural Belicoso won’t disappoint in the construction department. It smokes true to the finish, just as a $6-9 cigar should.

I think I most enjoyed this J. Fuego creation for what it isn’t. It isn’t flashy. It isn’t ground-breaking. And it doesn’t start off with a pleasant mellowness only to turn boring or harsh.

While it may not carry the character or value of the 777 Corojo, the J. Fuego Natural Belicoso is a traditional midday smoke with an agreeable taste that won’t leave you weak in the knees. It earns three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Available at a only a select few stores, Tatuaje built on the success of last year’s “Frank” with two more limited release Halloween cigars in 2009: “Boris” (a Frank “out of costume”—i.e., with a different, less green wrapper) and the Drac.

Drac is a fang-shaped torpedo (6.75 x 52) with a simple red and black band around the foot. Only 1,300 boxes of 13 cigars each were made of the habano maduro-wrapped Nicaraguan puro.

Individual cigars sold for $13 each, if not a few dollars more due to the high demand for the smokes. I was fortunate enough to land a pair of the sought-after sticks from a friend of a friend who had gotten his hands on a box.

In response to some issues with those boxes, Tatuaje maker Pete Johnson put out a special bulletin on the Tatuaje website recommending that people put the cigars in their humidor without the box for a few weeks. It seems that since the coffin-shaped boxes were delayed, they smelled of fresh paint when the cigars were boxed. So Johnson recommended waiting for that odor to dissipate.

I didn’t notice any paint smells from the samples I smoked, which had spent enough time in the humidor before they were smoked. But the Drac did have a distinct aroma of sweet licorice and it left a notable bready flavor on my lips when I drew on the unlit cigar. The dark brown, matte wrapper had a few prominent veins and was slightly spongy to the touch.

The Drac opened up with an interesting combination of raisin and prune flavors mixed with a bit of chalk and subtle mint. It was also peppery on the lips. As the cigar progressed, it became leathery, occasionally to the point of some bitterness. In the final third, dry woody notes were added to the lively flavor profile.

Construction was quite good, with an exceptionally sturdy light gray ash. The torpedo produces plenty of smoke, although at times the deliberate draw bordered on tight.

This is an interesting cigar, with many twists and turns and a very unique and complex combination of flavors. The Tatuaje Drac earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Of all the cigars I’ve been lucky enough to try since the IPCPR Trade Show in August, the Entubar Torpedo remains my favorite. The only problem? That magnificent smoke, the flagship blend of the new Berger & Argenti brand, is too pricey to be an everyday stogie.

Luckily, this Miami-based boutique has another, more affordable line: Exile Wired. Its four vitolas carry MSRPs ranging from $108 to $144 per Spanish cedar box of 24.

While they currently sell under the Berger & Argenti label, they debuted back in 2008 as a product of Cuban Imports, Inc. You may recall that Albert and Michael Argenti of Cuban Imports launched Berger & Argenti in August with Don Kiki Berger, who fashions the Cupido, Cubano Claro, and Don Kiki lines for Cuban Crafters.

At any rate, the ingredients of Exile Wired include a filler blend of Nicaraguan (ligero and viso) and Dominican (seco) tobacco surrounded by a Connecticut broadleaf binder. The dry and clean wrapper is an Ecuadorian Havana-seed criollo leaf that was previously unavailable to the U.S. market.

The result tested well in the mainstream cigar media. Exile Wired was hailed by Cigar Insider as a Best Buy of 2008 and rated 90 by Cigar Aficionado—the highest score for a non-Cuban smoke in the publication’s Winter 2008 issue.

With a clean look, a firm feel, and a sharp head, the Torpedo (6 x 54) certainly appears worthy of high praise. I also find the double bands to be unique and attractive. Too bad they cause trouble when it’s time to remove them. On the two Torpedos I smoked for this review, both bands were tightly stuck to the wrapper, making it nearly impossible to take them off without tearing the exterior leaf.

Troublesome bands like these are a pet peeve of mine because they usually cause construction issues. But here, thankfully, the combustion qualities remain excellent, including a razor-sharp burn, a fortified white ash, and a smooth draw.

The medium-bodied flavor, notably consistent from light to nub, has a spicy cedar core with tones of ginger, walnut, and wine. Balanced, albeit slightly dry. The aftertaste is smooth and mellow with a soft pepper tingle.

That’s ultimately why I think this 90-minute smoke is good for beginners. It has enough flavor and nuance to keep you interested, but little strength or harshness. For me, the $5.50 Exile Wired Torpedo offers a wallet-friendly, not-too-exciting and not-too-bland change of pace from my regular rotation. It earns three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With all of the hype surrounding the Tatuaje “Monster Series,” it’s easy to forget that Pete Johnson has plenty of other limited cigars on the market that are easier to find. At least, that is, until Tatuaje’s loyal fans locate all the hidden gems.

Along with other shop-specific releases—which include the T-110, Bombazos, and Cohete—the Tatuaje Porkchop can be found at only one B&M. This four inch by 46 ring gauge cigar is a limited release  with reportedly only 100 boxes of 25 made for Gloucester Street Cigar owner Jose Agosto.

The Porkchop features a Nicaraguan ligero wrapper similar to the one used on the Reserva J21 and is finished with a wrapped, fuma-style foot. As with most Tatuajes, the construction on the Porkchop is almost flawless.

The cigar has very few veins and the pre-light draw has just the right amount of resistance. The wrapper smells of pepper, earth, and faint floral notes.

In typical Tatuaje fashion, the Porkchop opens up with a blast of pepper and spice that fades after a few minutes. Then a very sweet butterscotch flavor emerges.

After some initial burn irregularities, probably due to the wrapped foot, the burn straightens out and produces a nice gray ash. The spice returns slowly near the end.

The Porkchop is sweeter than the other Tatuaje Reservas that I have smoked and, despite its small size, takes an hour and fifteen minutes to smoke. With an MSRP of around $9 per stick, the it is a wonderful cigar that is definitely worth a try, especially if you’re a fan smaller formats.

All of which earns the exclusive Tatuaje Reserva Porkchop an impressive rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Like the Tatuaje Black and the Avo Classic No. 2 that my colleague recently reviewed, the CAO Lx2 Rosado Especial is exclusively available in a ten-stogie sampler for Cigar Rights of America (CRA) members. So, since the samplers are limited to one per member, this review is likewise based off a single sample.

The original Lx2 (“ligero times two”) line was released by CAO at last year’s IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas. Following CAO’s Mx2 (Maduro) and Cx2 (Cameroon) blends, it features a hearty helping of spicy, full-bodied ligero leaves surrounded by a Honduran binder and a sungrown Nicaraguan wrapper.

The six-inch Rosado Especial instead has a Nicaraguan-grown rosado leaf. Made exclusively for CRA at the CAO Fabrica de Tabacos facrory in Danlí, Honduras, it is said to have “a bold, muscular structure layered with flavors of bittersweet chocolate, paprika, and woody tobacco notes,” according to Tim Ozgener, president of CAO. “The exquisite rosado wrapper imparts a pleasant floral note upon the flavor profile, which balances superbly with the three different ligero fillers.”

Before firing up the Rosado Especial for myself, I surveyed its handsome appearance. This cigar is easily distinguished from other Lx2s by its pink band extension and CRA logo across the foot. Underneath is an oily, somewhat veiny wrapper with plenty of tooth and a sweet smell.

The firm toro cuts neatly to expose an easy draw. Then, almost immediately after the first puff, I began to compare the taste to my limited experience with the regular Lx2 line. Based on the handful of Lanceros that I’ve smoked recently, I’d have to give the edge to the Rosado Especial.

The base flavors remain largely unchanged. These include black pepper, smoky wood, roasted nuts, and coffee beans. But here, as Mr. Ozgener correctly pointed out, they are complemented by floral characteristics—definitely lavender and maybe a bit of coconut. Personally, I find this combination more interesting than the sweetness offered by the traditional sungrown leaf.

I also wasn’t disappointed by this cigar’s construction or how it develops with spicy, creamy, and savory textures.

Becoming a CRA member is already a good idea if you value freedom and want to join the fight against excessive tobacco taxes, regulations, and smoking bans. Having the chance to try this cigar is just another reason to sign up. CAO definitely made a nice addition to the sampler, which is why the Lx2 Rosado Especial earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

There were many sought-after new releases at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, but perhaps none as anticipated as Padrón’s newest creation. Unlike most cigarmakers, Padrón doesn’t always put out a new cigar every year. When the company does, though, it’s usually in high demand.

That was certainly the case with the new Padrón Family Reserve No. 45. Released in two versions (natural and maduro) with one size (six inches with a 52 ring gauge), it celebrates the 45th anniversary of Padrón Cigars. The cigar comes in boxes of 10, and individual cigars sell for around $25 each.

For that price you’d expect a well-made cigar, and the Padrón 45 certainly has the look of a well-made smoke. The Nicaraguan puro features an oily, dark maduro wrapper carefully pressed into an ultra-firm toro shape.

The Padrón Family Reserve starts out medium-bodied but soon becomes a full-bodied treat. It has a combination of rich espresso, cocoa, and a spicy, woody edge.

Despite that powerful combination of flavor, the defining characteristic of the new Padrón is how remarkably smooth it is from start to finish. It’s an amazing intensity of balanced flavor without a bit of edge.

Surprisingly, the two samples I smoked both had unexpected construction issues, as the wrapper on each became slightly detached from the binder. The other physical properties were excellent, however, with the densely packed smoke creating a long, sturdy ash.

Back in June, Jorge Padrón told me that he plans to make the Family Reserve an annual release.  Ideally, around September 8 each year (the anniversary of the company’s founding) they will release a new limited release in just one size.

And of course I’m looking forward to that natural version of the No. 45.  Until then, though, we just have the Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro, an extremely decadent cigar that 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