The Stogie Guys

With Monday’s El Rey del Mundo and yesterday’s Ashton, this week has featured some truly great cigars. I wanted to keep that trend going when I picked out a Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown for today’s review.

Surprisingly, we haven’t written much about this brand, save for a February Quick Smoke of a Centenario. Cuesta-Rey got its start back in Cuba in 1884 under Angel La Madrid Cuesta and is now part of the “Cigar Family” that includes Arturo Fuente and Montesino.

At six and ¼ inches with a 52 ring gauge, the Centro Fino No. 9 is a large, torpedo-shaped cigar with some striking aesthetics. The Sumatra-seed Ecuadorian sungrown wrapper is quite nice, despite a few small tears and some discoloration. While I like the classic, portrait-style look of the double band, I had to remove the top half before lighting up because it was too close to the head.

With a few wooden matches, I had an even burn and immediately encountered an interesting and unique flavor of sweet hay and spicy graham – very similar to the first puffs of the Davidoff Grand Cru series (which isn’t at all bad). The Dominican Republic filler tobaccos are airy and mild, and an earthy base of tea adds some complexity at the halfway mark.

My only complaint on flavor is that traces of sour, stale notes rear their ugly head from time to time, mostly towards the very end. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what this taste is, but I know it’s unpleasant. Fortunately, it doesn’t linger too long, and I found you can help avoid it by smoking slowly.

The physical properties of this cigar are fair. The burn is pretty damn straight (but may require a few touch-ups), the draw is quite loose, and – despite some flakiness – the ash holds pretty well.

Overall, my mild- to medium-bodied smoking experience was enjoyable. The flavor is well-balanced, but the sweet hay notes are what I’ll remember most. In the $5 to $7 range, the Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Sungrown No. 9 deserves three out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Whenever someone would ask what kind of cigar I prefer, I used to reply, almost automatically, medium- to full-bodied sticks. Lately, though, I’ve been rethinking my preferences. One conclusion I’ve reached is that what I like depends a great deal on the circumstances.

When I want to simply relax and enjoy a cigar, I find more and more that a high-quality mild stick fits the bill. I appreciate the way the cigar repays my attention.

The Ashton Classic Corona is just that sort of cigar. Like every Ashton I’ve smoked, this stick was immaculate, from the exquisite Connecticut shade wrapper to the smooth, creamy smoke. I paid $7 for the five and ½ inch by 44-ring gauge beauty with Dominican filler and binder. It burned slowly for more than an hour and held a tight ash.

To me, the blend was just about perfect. The flavors mixed finely, some just touching the tongue (as with a citrus), while others would linger a while (the case with nuttiness). Smoking slowly and enjoying a cup of coffee proved just the right touches.

If you smoke several cigars a day, this probably isn’t a good one to light late in your rotation. A clear palate undoubtedly helps enjoy the subtlety of this Ashton.

I think every Ashton reviewed here at StogieGuys.com has been rated highly; this one is no exception. Overall, I really can’t think of anything I’d change. So, I give it a perfect five out of five stogies.

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

–George E

After a couple less-than-thrilling Habanos in the form of a Partagas Serie D and a Romeo y Julieta Exhibición, I was hoping to find a Cuban that would live up to its expectations. I decided to try my luck with an El Rey del Mundo.

For those of you who don’t habla Español, the brand’s name literally means “king of the world.” (How’s that for expectations?) It dates back to 1848 when Antonio Allones – no relation to Ramón – established a tobacco business in Havana. At one time, El Rey del Mundo was the most prestigious and expensive stogie in the world.

These days, the brand is manufactured by Habanos S.A. and advertised to “discriminating” smokers as a woody, leathery stick with a fresh, herbal bouquet.

The Petit Cornona is five inches with a 42 ring gauge, and can be found for as little as $5.70 or as much as $9 apiece. Its appearance is both rustic, with coarse veins and prominent seams, and regal, with a medieval red and gold band.

The preliminary taste is superbly pleasing as heavy notes of roasted coffee and leather dominate. Soft and doughy to the touch, each puff seems to produce just the right amount of earthy smoke. A black pepper spice is quick to join the flavor profile and builds nicely to the midway point.

Some sweet notes would do the cigar good, if only to balance out its woody, spicy taste. I’d recommend pairing this Cuban with a sugary drink, like some El Dorado rum. Even so, this is a wonderful smoke, especially if you take your time.

On construction, the burn is fairly even (but by no means perfect), the draw is loose and clear, and the ash can fall off unexpectedly.

When you get right down to it, this particular stick is a great deal for under $6 and overpriced at $9. Either way, you’ll get a terrific medium-bodied taste in a relatively quick format. I give the El Rey del Mundo Petit Corona four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

In August I spoke with former-All Star MLB pitcher Luis Tiant about his line of cigars: El Tiante. Having had the chance to smoke a few, I can now offer a review of the El Tiante Maduro Torpedo.

Tiant’s cigars are all made at the Tabacalera Tambor cigar factory in Nicaragua. The El Tiante Maduro line features Habano Nicaragua and San Andreas Mexican filler, with a Mexican Sumatran binder and a Habano Nicaragua wrapper. (The natural line features the same Habano Nicaragua tobacco in the filler and wrapper, but instead uses an Indonesian binder and drops the San Andreas tobacco from the blend.)

The line features three sizes: a five inch by 50 ring gauge robusto, a seven inch by 50 ring gauge Churchill, and a six inch by 54 ring gauge torpedo, which is the subject of this review. The red and gold band features Tiant in his number Red Sox uniform just about to unwind from his famously contorted pitching motion.

Wrapped in the shiny gold band, the cigar’s fairly oily maduro wrapper is attractive with only a few small veins. To the touch, the classically proportioned torpedo is firm and not at all spongy. After clipping the end, I took a draw before lighting up and found floral and grass flavors. In my mouth the wrapper imparted plum flavors and it was salty.

Once lit, I found a subtle mix of multiple tastes, including apricot and plum fruit, grass, and classic maduro sweetness. The draw is deliberate but not forced, and the cigar produces ample amounts of light aromatic smoke.

In our interview Luis told me he “wanted my cigars to be mild and smooth with lots of flavor.” Usually I find such claims to be overstated, but I must say this truly was the rare milder cigar that had a rich, complex flavor. Although I wouldn’t strictly classify this cigar as “mild” – rather more mild- to medium-bodied.

In addition to the “mild but flavorful” tastes, the cigar had an unimposing cedary finish that lingered only for a few seconds. Construction wise, the burn was fairly even and, while I would have liked the ash to hold a bit longer, it wasn’t a big distraction while smoking.

Overall, I found myself really enjoying these cigars, probably because of how many cigars I’ve smoked that claimed to be “mild but with lots of flavor” but failed to live up to the billing.

Retailing for around $7 each, this cigar isn’t exactly a bargain, but it certainly doesn’t seem like too much to pay for the unique taste – something far too rare in today’s cigar industry in my opinion.

For bucking the trend towards ever stronger cigars without dulling down the flavor, the El Tiante Maduro Torpedo earns an impressive rating of four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

From the fertile Cibao Valley in the northern region of the Dominican Republic comes the Avo XO Trio series, an attractive line of six cigars blended for a rich flavor with a smooth body. Unlike the ultra-mild Classic series, of which I am not a fan, Avo Uvezian created the XO Trio line for a slightly fuller taste.

The Intermezzo is a five and ½ inch by 50 ring gauge stick that’s soft and spongy to the touch. At about $7.60 apiece, it sports a clean Connecticut Shade wrapper adorned by the traditional mahogany-colored Avo logo.

I had no trouble establishing a nice, even burn with a few wooden matches. From there, the first few puffs are predominantly salty, a characteristic that leads me to believe the Dominican binder and filler is at least partly made up of Olor tobacco.

(Davidoff, which owns Avo, also uses Olor leaves to balance out the flavor in its wonderful Grand Cru series.)

Fortunately, the one-dimensional taste quickly matured to reveal light complimentary notes of syrup, butter, and ginger. Even as a spice builds into the final third, the stogie remains mostly mild-bodied. Some sour flavors get in the mix during the homestretch, but these can be minimized by taking your time.

While the ash is a bit flakey and unstable off the foot, the draw is clear and the burn stays even throughout the one hour and 20 minute smoke.

When you get right down to it, I find this stick to be very enjoyable – especially in the middle where a well-balanced, aromatic smoke dominates the palate. I noticed no chemical aftertaste, an unimpressive trait that’s all too common among Connecticut Shade stogies.

So even for its somewhat expensive price, I’m recommending the Avo XO Trio Intermezzo as a nice morning/mid-afternoon smoke, and giving it three and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

One of the joys of cigar smoking is discovering something new and enjoyable. I’ve mentioned the Costa Rican manufacturer Vegas de Santiago before, but now I’d like to focus on one of the company’s cigars that truly impressed me.

The Don Luis line was created to honor the Cuban cigar maker who had a tremendous influence on the company. I’d urge you to check out the website to learn more about Don Luis and their interesting approach to all aspects of the industry.

The beautiful honey colored Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper (which I’m afraid my photo does not adequately reproduce) sets the tone for a warm, smooth, and complex cigar. Don’t confuse mildness with boring. The blend of Nicaraguan filler and Indonesian binder tobaccos in this Churchill frequently shifts tastes, from pepper, nuts, and warm tobacco to a somewhat fruity sweetness. It is a cigar that repays careful attention.

Vegas de Santiago told me it has some dealers in the U.S. I’ve never come across one and have ordered cigars only online. Several very reasonable samplers are available. It also offers each line in a number of packaging options. Don Luis Churchills, for example, can be purchased in a cedar box of 10 for $42 or in a package for $38, as well as other ways.

The confidence of Vegas de Santiago is refreshing. They state flatly that they “do not try to imitate Cuban cigars,” preferring, instead, to set their own standards. I think you’ll find they are well on their way. I did, and I give the Don Luis Churchill a rating of four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

A three-day weekend calls for a special cigar. So last night I decided to wind down Labor Day with Rocky’s Vintage 1990 Toro.

Regular StogieGuys.com readers may recall my deep affinity for the Vintage ’92 line. I happen to count the Torpedo among my all-time favorite smokes, and have even said its full-bodied flavors “hands-down outmatch the Vintage 1990 line.”

That claim was based on my countless experiences with various vitolas of the two blends. It may not have been a fair statement at the time because, until now, I had never given a ’90 the attention required of a full review.

To start things off, it’s worth noting the main difference between the two highly successful blends is that the ’92 line has an Ecuador Sumatra maduro wrapper and the ’90 line has a Honduran Broadleaf maduro wrapper. I can’t tell the two blends apart on sight alone without looking at the bottom half of their double maroon and gold bands.

The Toro is a six and ½ inch by 52 ring gauge beauty that retails for $6.50 to $8 apiece. I rather like its slender and sleek box-pressed look. With Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, Rocky advertises the ’90 blend as a good “balance of flavor, complexity, and richness” with “notes of cedar and espresso.” The line was dubbed the Best of the Best in the 2004 Robb Report.

From the get-go it’s easy to see why, as delicious notes of cocoa and spicy wood dominate. After two inches, the flavor isn’t terribly different from the ’92 Toro – an attribute that’s a-ok with me.

At the midway point, the spice seems to slowly fade as floral tastes come and go. This is really where the flavors of the two blends diverge. What the ’92 line has in chocolate and almond the ’90 line has in cocoa beans and jasmine.

The final third of this medium-bodied smoke is really outstanding, as the many flavors seem to come into their own. Very balanced on the palate and certainly not harsh.

The one complaint I have concerns construction. Each time I have a ’90 Toro I find a number of touch-ups necessary to keep an even burn. This stogie was no exception but, to its credit, it did have a clear draw and a dense ash that held firm for up to two inches.

On the whole I’m impressed with Rocky’s Vintage 1990 Toro, but don’t think it quite lives up to the standard set by the ’92 blend. Still, this is a terrific stick that’s well worth the price and worthy of a four and ½ out of five stogies rating.

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

–Patrick A