The Stogie Guys

Welcome back, Stogie Guys! I hope you all capitalized on the Labor Day holiday by smoking a great cigar (or five). Since the weekend was extra long, today I’m reviewing an extra long cigar – the Punch After Dinner EMS.

This elegant full-bodied cigar is a commanding 7 and ¼ inches by 46 ring gauge with a dark and sandy Ecuador Sumatran wrapper. It’s worth noting that, since the surface was more coarse and veiny than most premium stogies, smokers who pay close attention to the aesthetics of wrappers may not find this cigar to their liking (I would recommend an oily Punch Grand Cru instead).

After snipping the head with a double guillotine cutter and toasting the foot with my torch, the stogie produced irresistible earthy leather flavors with the strongest emphasis on the salty and acidic regions of my palate. About midway into the smoke, the tastes mellowed out and transformed into citrus and sweet notes – a wonderful contrast to the proceeding phase.

This cigar earns high marks for construction: The burn was fairly even, the draw was nice and easy (each puff produced ample smoke), and white ash accumulated nicely on the foot throughout the two-hour smoke. I also noticed the stogie’s mascara (the thin black ring between the ash and the wrapper) produced an outstanding sheen, signaling the tobacco leaves were fully matured when harvested.

Overall, like most Punch cigars, this one’s a keeper. The thin body is a refreshing contrast to the 52 ring gauged behemoths that dominate the American market, the change in flavors is interesting and unique, and – at about $4.50 apiece retail – it’s a steal. I give the Punch After Dinner EMS a solid four out of five stogies.

–Patrick A

In early July I said that a review of the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedo was coming. Now, after nearly two months and dozens of emails, here it is:

Rocky Patel’s reputation for quality cigars has been growing for years because of his consistent quality and smooth, rich tastes. With that in mind I poured myself a rum and Coke and lit up this 6 and 1/4 by 52 ring gauge rounded torpedo. (In hindsight it may have paired better with a glass of port.)

The five-year-old Ecuadorian wrapper was not as dark as many sun growns, but its silky, medium brown sheen was pleasing to admire with its Rocky Patel signature twin red bands. The wrapper had only a few small veins and no soft spots.

Before lighting up, the cigar gave sweet hay notes, but that would soon change. Immediately after being lit, the cigar quickly started to produce an uneven burn (though this occurred in only one of the three that I smoked). Fortunately, the cigar righted itself almost immediately and, after this initial problem, it maintained an even burn to the end.

From the first puff, I could tell that this would be a full, smooth cigar. It had deep creamy mocha flavors with hints of almond and macadamia nuts. These tastes proved consistent throughout, and the cigar had a tight, white ash that held firm for a full inch and a half before falling off. One small disappointment: While I wanted to smoke this cigar down to the nub, it seemed to go out slightly prematurely.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this stogie. It is one of those far-too-rare cigars that is full flavored but not at all overwhelming. Its creamy nutty flavors will be appreciated by both cigar novices and experienced Stogie Guys alike. I suggest you smoke this after a fine steak dinner.

And since I got a five pack of these for less than $4 a stick, it also was a great value. For such great value and flavor, I enthusiastically give this cigar four and 1/2 out of five stogies.

–Patrick S

Of Macanudo’s three main lines, Natural, Robust, and Maduro, I am least familiar with the Maduro series. So, with an open mind, I proceeded to delve into this 5 and ½ by 50 ring gauge Macanudo Maduro Hyde Park.

An initial inspection of the cigar revealed a dark, somewhat toothy wrapper with a few small veins. Unlike many maduros, there is little if any oil apparent on the surface. And, like most Macanudos, this is a solid, dense cigar – not a bit spongy or soft to the touch.

After lighting up, the caramelization of the maduro wrapper’s many sugars deposited a sweet aroma into the air. My first taste revealed a creamy flavor with hints of dark chocolate. The draw was a bit tight, but far from unsmokable.

For a maduro, this is a very smooth and mild cigar. The creamy mocha flavors held consistent throughout. A testament to Macanudo’s high construction qualities, the burn was perfectly even to the end and the white ash held from inch to inch until gently knocked off.

While not a very complex cigar, I would recommend this as an excellent beginner’s Maduro.

For smooth flavor and dependable construction, the Macanudo Maduro Hyde Park receives three out of five stogies.

–Patrick S

On Saturday night I found myself at Shelly’s Back Room, a cigar bar located a stone’s throw from the White House. The room’s luxurious furniture, impressive array of high definition plasma televisions, and wide selection of bourbons and rums make Shelly’s the ideal DC locale for a relaxing evening smoke.

While the bar wields an extensive assortment of cigars, I didn’t come empty-handed. After all, I had been meaning to try the Onyx Vintage ’97 Epicure ever since it became JR Cigar’s “Cherry Pick of the Month.”

This 4 and ½ by 50 ring gauge stogie is a medium-bodied maduro with a rich, dark brown Mexican wrapper and a Connecticut Broadleaf binder. And its smooth surface and two black bands make this box-pressed stick quite pleasing to the eye.

After puncturing the head with my fingernails and fumbling to establish a proper light, I quickly found that the flavors were anything but subtle. The well-aged blend of Nicaraguan, Peruvian, and Brazilian fillers coupled with a 1997 San Andreas leaf produced savory nut and wood notes – most noticeably toasted almond. While the tastes remained unchanged throughout the second and finishing phases, they were so complex and enjoyable I never lost interest in the cigar.

Unfortunately, the construction left much to be desired. Although the edges retained an even burn, the middle of the filler burned much too slowly during this hour-long smoke, leaving an awkward conical point protruding from the foot where a gentle curved end should be. Sadly, I found myself routinely working damage control with my matches. It’s also worth pointing out that the draw was not as easy as I would have liked – especially for such a thick stick.

Overall, this cigar hit a hole-in-one on flavor, but was not up to par on construction. I give the Onyx Vintage ’97 Epicure three and ½ out of five stogies.

–Patrick A

I received two of these CAO Criollo Patos (4 7/8 inches by 50 ring gauge) in samplers and decided that, after nearly two months of aging, I should give them a try. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

This robusto had a lovely silky brown wrapper, with only a few small veins. It had a firm feel but was not too dense. The understated light brown band matched the wrapper’s color and made it an attractive cigar in the humidor (where bands are typically in bold contrast to the cigars they surround). Adding to this cigar’s uniqueness, and a sign of its high quality construction, was a pigtail on the cap.

Unlit, the stogie had a pleasant cedar aroma. I cut it with my double guillotine and gave it a proper light after toasting the edges, but nothing could prepare me for the ride it was about to give my taste buds.

After starting out with a powerful burst of pepper with hints of licorice, reminiscent of a Partagas Black, the cigar quickly mellowed to reveal creamy toffee flavors. At about the halfway point the flavor shifted again, dropping its sweet edge to become slightly bitter.

Accompanying this new, more bitter flavor was an almost metallic twang that, for some strange reason, reminded me of drinking PBR out of an aluminium can. But even this rare sensation would fade away as the creamy toffee flavors – only this time more muted – returned for the home stretch as I smoked down to the nub.

The cigar produced a very cool smoke and white ash that came off with a gentle tap or two. The light smoke was so sweet it could only offend the most militant anti-smoking activist. After catching a slight uneven burn early, it required very little in the way of touch-ups.

I would not recommend smoking this cigar when you are going to be easily distracted. Its complexity requires one’s complete attention to be properly enjoyed. However, if you have an hour to devote to the CAO Criollo Pato, you will probably find it well worth the time and effort.

For such surprising complexity and solid construction, I give the CAO Criollo Pato a rating of four out of five stogies.

–Patrick S

We have received a number of comments from our wonderful readers inquiring when we planned to post a review of a Cuban cigar. After all, over the past few months, we discussed Oswaldo Payá, analyzed Cuban reform, and even shared a Cigar Aficionado Fidel Castro interview with you. Well, beloved Stogie Guys, inquire no more.

A few days ago, I was lucky enough to partake in a Cohiba Siglo V. Since JFK signed the trade embargo in 1962, of course, Cuban cigars have been illegal in the Land of Liberty. I should therefore point out I was overseas when I purchased and smoked this cigar (cough, cough).

The Siglo V is an expertly constructed 6.69 inches by 43 ring gauge stogie with a beautifully smooth creamy brown wrapper. Placing the foot of this unlit cigar under your nose is like breathing in the subtle perfume of a delicate angel.

I gave the stogie a proper snip with my V-cutter (I didn’t want to unnecessarily squander any delicious tobacco) and patiently toasted the foot with an array of wooden matches. A sweet plethora of notes gradually accumulated.

The first puff yielded a heavenly blend of sophisticated floral notes pleasing to the whole palate. The second and finishing phases of this Cuban witnessed an evolution of complex salty and sour flavors complemented by an ever-present dark chocolate sweetness. Not surprisingly, I have no complaints about the burn or draw.

Now some will argue, perhaps effectively, that Americans are over-fascinated with Cubans simply because they are illegal. While I agree that forbidden goods are always more desirable, I tried to clear my head of such thoughts while writing this review.

Notwithstanding my attempts at inward thought control, I can’t honestly conjure any negative aspect of the cigar and, thus, must wholeheartedly give the Cohiba Siglo V a perfect five out of five stogies.

[Reader Contest about this article here.]

-Patrick A

In our July 26 post, Patrick mentioned that we planned to attend a La Flor Dominicana BBQ at Bethesda Tobacco. I just recently had the opportunity to smoke one of the cigars I purchased at that event – and I was not disappointed.

The La Flor Dominicana Reserva Especial Belicoso is a beautiful milk chocolate-colored stick in a silky Ecuadorian Connecticut seed wrapper. With a handsome red and black band, this smooth five and ½ inches by 52 ring gauge stogie is truly a pleasure to behold.

After snipping the cap with a double guillotine cutter and toasting the foot with my torch, the cigar gave off a delightful array of spicy notes. The first puff produced peppery bitter flavors with tiny hints of sweetness, an intriguing interplay between the Piloto Cubano filler and the Nicaraguan binder. Overall, this stogie yielded a nice, subtle balance on the palate. But – for a medium to full-bodied cigar – the flavors were not as pronounced as I would have liked.

Fortunately, there were no issues with body construction: The burn remained perfectly even throughout, and the draw was anything but cumbersome. In my own experience, I’ve noticed that a stogie’s physical attributes are at their peak when you don’t notice them at all. When there are no problems with burn and/or draw, the smoker can focus his or her attention on the most important characteristic: the taste of the tobacco.

On the whole, this is a superior cigar with a lot to offer. The only drawback is that its flavors aren’t as strong as advertised. Notwithstanding that critique, I give the La Flor Dominicana Reserva Especial Belicoso a very respectable four out of five stogies.

-Patrick A