The Stogie Guys

Well, Election Day is finally here. We were going to publish some diatribe on smoking bans and urge you to vote, but – quite frankly – we’re sick of all the politics.

So when you’re finished doing your civic duty (and we know you will), why not take time to get away from all the partisan rhetoric, hypocrisy, and negative ads to have a quiet sit with a cigar? Last night I got a head start on that escape by bundling up, hitting the patio, and relaxing with a La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda.

This six inches by 52 ring gauge stogie had a light brown Ecuador Sumatran wrapper with a few prominent veins and some small imperfections. It was packed tightly, but still soft and doughy to the touch.

After snipping the cap with my V-cutter, I noticed the pre-light draw was extremely easy and the aroma was rich and creamy. Immediately after lighting, however, the Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos surprisingly produced a rough, spicy flavor that was a bit too harsh for my liking (and I like full-bodied smokes). Fortunately, the stick gradually mellowed out into the second and finishing phases, and I noticed pleasing coffee and almond notes – especially when smoked through the nose.

More so than any other stogie I can recall, the Corona Gorda particularly highlighted the acidic locales of my palate, which produced a lot of saliva. (Acid tends to do that. Just bite into a lemon and you’ll see what I mean.) This cigar would therefore make a good companion in situations where beverages aren’t always readily available, like on the golf course.

On construction, the burn was nice and even and the draw was very easy, yielding a lot of smoke with each puff. But when it came time to remove the band (even though I did so with great care), the wrapper tore, and some irreparable construction flaws plagued the last fifth of the cigar.

At about $4.50 apiece, you won’t break the bank on one of these babies, but I think that money would be better spent elsewhere for an Election Day escape. For harsh flavors and serious physical setbacks, I give the La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda an unfortunate two and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

I still vividly recall the pleasure of the first Toraño Exodus 1959 Silver Edition I smoked a couple of years ago in the hospitable lounge at Cigar Central in Clearwater, Florida. Since then, I’ve had most, if not all, of the Toraño lines, and the Silver remains my favorite. The latest, smoked on my deck, was every bit as satisfying as the first. Like good music, the Silver repays the careful attention it deserves. But relegate it to the background and you’ll waste the opportunity to enjoy an intricate, subtle performance.

Toraño prides itself on blending diverse tobaccos; the Silver is no exception. While it shares some of its name with the original gold band Exodus, they are very different cigars. My recent Silver Corona Grande (six and 1/8 inches by 46 ring gauge) was a complex smoke, with tastes of pepper and sweetness, coffee and chocolate, that emerge, blend, and fade on the tongue and the finish. The taste of fine tobacco was always present, shifting from dominant to supplemental.

The draw was easy. Smoke was abundant, thick and creamy from the first puff to the last.

The cap was small and I worried about clipping too much with a cutter. So I used a punch, which was no problem. The foot toasted nicely, and the burn was straight and clean throughout the hour or more I smoked the Silver. I can’t recall having had a burn problem with any Toraño I’ve smoked.

Some will be put off by the Silver’s appearance. The Criollo wrapper, a lovely shade of brown, can appear mottled. Fans of a long ash are also likely to be disappointed with the loose, somewhat crumbly and gray one that the Silver produces. These issues matter little to me. My biggest complaint is Toraño’s propensity to use too much glue applying the bands.

On its website, Toraño calls the Silver medium- to full-bodied. But it’s so smooth, I’d be more inclined to rate it mild to medium, while noting that it presents a full flavor profile without any harshness.

I think most buyers will find an individual Silver Exodus reasonably priced at their local shops. A spot check of online dealers shows that a box of 25 Corona Grandes runs from about $85 to $100, plus shipping.

Obviously, I’m a fan. Not everyone is. Better, though, to set aside some time for contentment and sample one of the Silver’s four vitolas yourself. I hope you enjoy the experience. At four out of five stogies, I sure did.

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

–George E

The Alonso Menendez is not your average cigar. It is a Brazilian puro made from the highly aromatic Mata Fina tobacco (unlike the Honduran-made CAO Brazilia, which employs a Brazilian wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler).

While Stogie Guys readers may be familiar with Alonso Menendez, it is unlikely many American cigar smokers have heard of the cigar, which is from a lesser-known line by the Menendez Amerino Company that also makes the still relatively unknown Dona Flor line. The cigars are top sellers in Brazil, but are only now making their way into the American market.

This thick robusto (five inches by 52 ring gauge) has a dark brown wrapper that is considerably looser than most premium cigars. But the attention to detail in the construction – such as the Cuban-style triple cap – suggests this characteristic is not a oversight, but a conscious choice.

Pre-light this cigar gives off a rich aroma with sweet chocolate notes. It lights easily and the smooth, easy draw becomes immediately apparent. The smoke is not at all hot or harsh despite the quick burn. Coffee and milk chocolate notes abound, but as the cigar progresses a slight peppery spice develops. Hints of clove were noticed when smoked through the nose.

The stogie is very balanced on the palate and falls somewhere between a medium and full bodied cigar. It has a sturdy white ash, although the burn was bit uneven – a problem that developed in multiple cigars. Thankfully, this flaw was never a problem that interfered with the cigar’s complex, rich flavors.

Overall, this robusto had a strong showing. It won’t be everyone’s favorite, but it is well worth trying to see if a Brazilian puro is just what you’ve been looking for…That is, if you can find it! (You may have to ask your local store to help you locate the cigar.)

Rich balanced tastes and a unique flavor profile earn the Alonso Menendez Robusto an impressive four out of five stogies.

Note: The cigar pictured has a classic white band. We like the look, but we’ve been told that it will be changing. You may find this cigar as “Alonso Menendez by Dona Flor” with a gold Dona Flor band. Fortunately, the cigar itself will remain the same.

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

–Patrick S

I’ll be honest: I love Punch. While I certainly try to maintain an impartial perspective on all cigar reviews, journalistic integrity requires me to mention that Punch is one of my favorite brands. And loyal readers will recall they’ve tested quite well here at StogieGuys.com. So with high (yet unbiased) expectations and a Cuba Libre in toe, I set out to try a Punch Grand Cru Robusto, the first I’ve smoked in the line.

This five and ¼ inches by 50 ring gauge cigar had a very smooth, almost veinless Connecticut Shade wrapper. An attractive red, gold, and black band adorned the expertly-rolled stick.

With care, I used my fingernails to pierce the cap and expose the filler, a mixture of Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Pre-light, the cigar had a sweet caramel aroma, fitting for its appearance. The first puffs produced a toasted graham and spice flavor that reminded me of pumpkin pie – very interesting and enjoyable.

Like most smokes, this one got spicier and spicier with each puff, but it was not obtrusive because the flavor was more acidic than salty, more sweet than bitter – just how I like it.

Unfortunately, the burn required a bit of work in order to maintain evenness, but – despite a few periods of inactivity – the stogie never went out. No complaints on the draw.

Some Punch fanatics who’ve grown to love the brand’s powerful smokes may be disappointed by the Grand Cru line’s subtlety and smoothness, but this enthusiast relished every puff. Moreover, the cigar passed the ultimate test: I smoked until I burnt my fingers.

At only $5.50 apiece, it’s hard to find better bang for the buck. For unique, complex flavors and great value, I give the Punch Grand Cru Robusto four and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

I have a friend who often goes to bars and orders their “most economical single-malt scotch.” For some reason that keeps coming to mind as I review the Curly Head Deluxe Maduro – perhaps because I envisioned asking a friendly cigar shop employee for their “most economical Fuente.”

In the budget spirit, I paired this cigar with a Chilean Merlot I purchased from Trader Joes for an affordable $5.99. [Impromptu Stogie Tip: Trader Joes is a great place for decent, reasonably-priced wine.] This particular wine was not as dry as many Merlots and featured strong black currant flavors.

Combined with the $1.85 I paid for the cigar, this is certainly an economical wine and cigar pairing. And with the Fuente name that we’ve rated so highly in the past, I had high hopes for the cigar. Unfortunately, sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

This was not an attractive cigar. The Maduro wrapper was dry and veiny. It featured the largest vein I’ve ever seen in a cigar wrapper that ran two thirds of the way down from the head of this 6 and 1/2 inches by 44 ring gauge stick. The vein caused the head to be quite asymmetrical and a bit awkward in the mouth. Also, rather than have a clean cut foot, the wrapper extended beyond the filler tobacco and was bent inward so it covered much of the foot – sort of like a poor man’s perfecto.

Pre-light this cigar gave off licorice flavors. Lighting it with a single wooden match was easy, facilitated by the unfinished foot. Once lit the burn was mostly even as long as I kept the slow burning edge facing down. Because this cigar uses medium filler – as opposed to long filler which runs the length of a cigar – I had the unfortunate experience of finding bits of the tobacco in my mouth after each draw.

At first this cigar had black pepper notes and overwhelming “dirt” flavors. Near the middle of the cigar, the pepper faded out and the earthy dirt weakened, leaving bitter notes. Additionally, the draw became tight and difficult. Had I not been reviewing this cigar, I would have put it down, as the experience was not at all enjoyable. (The things we do for our readers!)

Finally, near the end the cigar began to improve a little, as the bitterness dulled allowing some licorice to come through the strong earthy flavors. Also, the draw improved near the end. Throughout the smoke, the cigar produced cracked gray and black ash.

Overall, this was a disappointing cigar. Visual imperfections are to be expected from a budget cigar – even one with a Fuente band – but coupled with a taste that was harsh and unpleasant at worst and barely tolerable at best, this cigar proved unsmokable.

Maybe in a few years I’ll bravely pick up another Curley Head Deluxe, but until then stick with Fuente’s mid and premium smokes that offer the quality we’ve come to expect from Fuente stogies. The Arturo Fuente Curley Head Deluxe Maduro receives a poor rating of one and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

A month back we received an email from a reader asking our opinion of a JR special on the Montecristo Afrique Kilimanjaro (10 cigars and a travel humidor for about $60 or, for $25 more, a sharp-looking glass top humidor with the cigars). Since we hadn’t had one yet, we couldn’t offer an opinion. But when we came across a Kilimanjaro at our local JR store, we scooped it up for ten bucks.

The first thing you notice about this 7 inches by 46 ring guage lonsdale is that is quite handsome. I’ve always been a fan of the classic brown Montecristo band, but this cigar is dressed up even more with a nice cedar sleeve with KILIMANJARO burnt down the center. Completing the ensemble is a black band at the bottom that reminds you the cigar is from the Afrique line.

But the stogie’s appearance isn’t all bells and whistles. The dark brown Cameroon wrapper makes the cigar standout long after the cedar sleeve is crumpled up in the trash. Pre-light, the cigar had subtle woody notes. The top grade wrapper was also free of veins.

Once lit, the cigar lived up to its billing as a very unique smoke. It had a dark coffee flavor, which was augmented by the Iced Café Americano I paired with this stogie. But the coffee flavors were swirled up with chocolate and subtle hints of what I can best describe as English breakfast tea. Elsewhere I’ve seen people claim to notice chai flavors in this cigar, and while I didn’t occur to me while reviewing the cigar, in hindsight it is plausible that chai flavors were present.

Overall it was a very complex, yet balanced flavor profile. Additionally the construction was flawless – with an even burn, easy draw, and sturdy white ash.

While I have had better cigars from the “ultra-premium” price range, I highly recommend that everyone try at least one cigar from the Afrique line. Not everyone will love the unique flavors, but they’re worth checking out.

For one-of-a-kind flavor with excellent construction, this cigar earns an impressive four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

We’ve made a concerted effort here at StogieGuys.com to review a wide range of cigars since the site was founded in May. A quick glance at our archived reviews page reveals a list of most major brands – as well as a few surprises. But this work in progress is by no means complete, so I headed to one of my favorite B&Ms, Georgetown Tobacco, to fill in a gap or two.

I would not be disappointed I chose an H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon Corona. This five and ½ inches by 44 ring gauge cigar comes beautifully wrapped in a printed cedar strip with three – count ‘em, three – gold and red bands. Very regal. I slid the strip down to uncover a smooth, earthy-brown Cameroon wrapper that was dotted with plume.

(It’s worth noting here that I did not age this cigar after purchase, which suggests these babies are ready to smoke right out of the box.)

Immediately after toasting the foot with a wooden match, the cigar produced a harmonious floral flavor that was pleasing to my entire palate. The combination of Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Peruvian fillers yielded pleasing notes of jasmine.

In the second phase, the taste shifted from floral to fruity with significant hints of citrus and pear. With such pronounced flavor I expected this stick to be a bit harsher, but the taste remained smooth and creamy. Like many cigars, however, this parejo became quite spicy towards the end of the smoke.

On construction, this stogie earns high marks. It lit quickly with a few wooden matches (I was outdoors), it burned evenly, and the draw was easy with a bit of resistance – just the way I like it. My only complaint is that it went out once mid-smoke after I had failed to puff for about three minutes.

Conclusion: At approximately $4.50 apiece, this cigar is a bargain. For well-rounded flavor and great construction, I give the H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon Corona four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A