The Stogie Guys

I’m a firm believer that, if stored properly, cigars – much like fine wines – only get better with age. After all, every single noteworthy stogie producer initially ages its crop for about four to eight weeks after it has been rolled to dry, stabilize, and allow the tobacco to mature. But if you have the patience, letting cigars age even longer in your humidor will allow the flavors to further blend, bond, and mellow into more melodious smokes.

I must admit, I usually don’t have this patience. When I bring stogies back from my tobacconist and place them in my humidor, I usually can’t wait more than a few weeks before indulging. Call it a weakness, but when I see their oily, smooth wrappers and their glistening, golden bands…well, I can’t help myself.

For one reason or another, however, I was able to keep my hands off a Punch Café Royale that had been aging beautifully in my humidor for over one year. That’s over 365 days! I know – I can’t believe it myself.

But I recently caved and smoked this fine five and 5/8 inches by 45 ring gauge cigar and, I must say, I was not disappointed. It was bold yet smooth, and its flavors – which ranged from leather to oak – were delightfully complex. They say that Punch is “the cigar with a taste that’s true to its name.” I’m a believer. While the burn wasn’t as even as I had hoped, I am highly recommending this cigar.

It’s true this review may be biased given the months I allowed this stogie to develop and mature in my humidor, but I can certainly say over the years I’ve smoked enough of these cigars to confidently give the Punch Café Royale a praiseworthy three and ½ out of five stogies.

-Patrick A

The Partagas Black is a truly unique line of smokes. While not for everybody, I found this particular dark and peppery smoke truly exquisite.

I picked this up as part of the two for three special on general cigars at the Macanudo Ambassador event at Georgetown Tobacco. The black wrapper and classic Partagas band makes this particular stogie look quite distinct, as did its generous 54 ring size.

And while the cigar’s appearance makes it stand out in the humidor, this stogie can only fully be appreciated after enjoying its distinctive flavors, which are so unique they are difficult to properly describe. My best attempt: a warm, toasty-peppery essence.

And the flawless construction – even burn, white ash, and smooth draw – ensured that nothing distracted from the flavor.

Overall, I suggest that all you Stogie Guys go out and try this cigar at least once. Not everyone will be as impressed with this cigar’s flavor as I am, but if you like it half as much as I did, you won’t be disapointed. I enthusiastically give this cigar four out of five stogies.

-Patrick S

As you may recall from my profile, my palette – which changes with my temperament – allows me to enjoy a wide array of cigars. Last night, I was in the mood for something mild.

So I sat down on my porch to relax with a Macanudo Natural Rothschild. At six and ½ inches with a 42 ring gauge, this light brown Dominican is one of the most gentle-bodied smokes on the market. It sports a woody, almost cedar-like flavor, and the Connecticut wrapper yields an even burn with a long, white ash.

While I was satisfied with this cigar, I must admit it lacked the sort of pleasing character and complexity you will find in other Macanudo lines (i.e., Maduro or Robust).

And despite my mellow disposition, the flavor was still a little too mild for me, especially towards the end of the smoke when the heat from foot overpowered its delicate aroma and taste.

Nonetheless, this subtle cigar has earned my respect. At $5.50 apiece it’s not cheap, but certainly worth a try (if you’re in the right mood).

I would not recommend, however, enjoying this stogie with any strong-flavored adult cocktail. A glass of merlot, for example, is sure to completely drown out its faint flavors.

I give the Macanudo Natural Rothschild three out of five stogies.

-Patrick A

After two underperforming smokes in my most recent reviews, I selected this robusto-sized Romeo y Julieto Vintage III from my humidor in hopes that I could buck the trend. I would not be disappointed.

The cigar had a silky light brown wrapper and was flawlessly constructed. With the classic looking dark red Romeo y Julieta band, it is truly a cigar to show off. But the stogie’s impressive performance did not end with appearance.

After I lit up and had my first taste, I immediately knew this cigar would be a “finger-burner” (meaning I wouldn’t want to put it down, even when it became too short to handle). This cigar had the far too rare quality of being both mild and full-flavored.

The cigar had a creamy, almost cappuccino flavor, with hints of cocoa that are just delicious. I’ve found that in the past it seems as though mild cigars tend to burn a little hot, but this stogie also bucked that trend with it’s cool, easy pull. Combined with its flawless even burn and steady ash, this cigar was a true joy to smoke.

At $130 for a box of 25, this cigar isn’t a bargain. But if you are looking to really indulge yourself or celebrate, the Romeo y Julieta Vintage III is worth every penny. That’s why I give this robusto a robust four and ½ out of five stogies.

-Patrick S

I can’t ever recall having a handmade cigar that was just unsmokable… until this one. And I really wanted to enjoy this smoke. After all, it was a New York stogie!

I bought this good looking smoke with its oily brown wrapper on the same trip during which I visited the La Rosa Cubana factory/store. And I sought out these local cigar makers after reading a Cigar Aficianado article that described Taino Cigars in this way:

A bit west and north of P.B., at 506 Ninth Avenue between 38th and 29th streets, is Taino Cigars, one of the local chinchale success stories. Owner Julio Suris opened Taino in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen in 2000. He had learned how to roll cigars in Cuba, so in the true American spirit he set up a small table in his storefront, rolled a bunch of cigars and called them Tainos.

Business has been good. “We opened, five months ago, a store downtown,” Suris says, talking about his new shop at 93-99 Nassau Street, at the corner of Fulton Street. The Hell’s Kitchen store no longer has a rolling table—he’s moved that downtown—and he couldn’t keep up with demand, so most of his cigars are now made by his brother in Miami, who has 10 rollers. “We didn’t have the space for 10 rollers here,” says Suris. He uses a variety of tobaccos for his Tainos, working with Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers and Sumatra-seed wrappers grown in Ecuador.

Yet after properly toasting the wrapper and lighting up this Robusto, I simply could not get an even burn. No matter what I did (trying to moisten up the half that burned too quickly, clipping the unburnt half so it could more easily catch up) the top half of this cigar simply was burning twice as quickly as the bottom half, forming the dreaded “canoe” shape.

It was as if there was a fuse in this cigar that forced half of it to burn much too quickly, and less than five minutes into this smoke it seemed as if the top half was completely hollow.

I still maintain that this cigar had potential. When I wasn’t distracted by the terribly uneven burn, it had wonderful licorice flavor. But such poor construction is impossible to overcome. Currently I have a two other Tainos in my humidor (a Maduro Robusto and a good looking Torpedo), and I expect much better from them.

So while I might one day give this Robusto another chance (as maybe this is just a fluke), this particular smoke scores a very disappointing one and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[Note: Since I bought this cigar straight out of the Taino humidor without any band, I’m not certain which of the three Taino lines this Robusto came from. However, judging from the descriptions, I would guess that this from the Red Line.]

-Patrick S

Montecristo has long been one of my favorite brands. I’ve tried both Cuban and non-Cuban Montecristos (even though they really only share a name) and liked them all. I’ve even tried and enjoyed the JR alternatives to both the Cuban and non-Cuban Montecristo No. 2.

Given that history, I had high hopes when I decided to try the Montecristo Robusto Minor. Unfortunately, unlike my previous Montecristo experiences, I found this stogie lacking.

There is no doubt that the Montecristo Robusto Minor (4.5 x 50) is a beautiful cigar. The perfect light brown wrapper provided a nice, even burn for 40 minutes.

Yet the taste left something to be desired. Instead of the earthy, rich flavor I’m used to Montecristos providing, this smoke seemed docile and underwhelming.

Shocked? So was I. But let’s put it this way: Forget the scotch or bourbon with this stogie; maybe a beer or some red wine would make a nice pairing.

Unfortunately, despite the weak performance, you will still pay a premium for that classic brown band.

My advice: If you don’t already have this cigar, take a pass on it.

Already own it? Then leave this stogie in the humidor, where its classic look will dazzle the eye. Because I think you’ll find the taste is quite disappointing.

This cigar earns only two and 1/2 out of five stogies.

-Patrick S

Last week I told you about my visit to La Rosa Cubana, where handmade cigars are being produced right in the heart of midtown Manhattan.

I noted the joy of seeing a cigar made, but that left one very important question unanswered: How is the cigar? I lit up a La Rosa Cubana Robusto to find out.

This Robusto had a veiny Connecticut shade claro wrapper that reminded me of a Jamaican Macanudo (La Rosa Cubana also produces cigars with a Dominican Maduro wrapper) . The cigar itself was well constructed (it wasn’t too firm or too soft) and it had classic Robusto proportions: 5 inches x 50 ring gauge.

I found the stogie to have a sweet leathery smell when lit. The burn was perfectly even to the end, and the ash held firm at well beyond an inch.

The flavor of the cigar was influenced by the leathery smell, but a peppery taste was the most intense flavor that this mild to medium cigar provided. Ultimately, this cigar lacked the complexity of bigger-name cigars (which is to be expected given the small size of the operation). After all, there is no way that La Rosa Cubana can compete with massive companies for tobacco, and it doesn’t have the facilities for extended aging of tobacco.

And yet I thoroughly enjoyed this stogie. While lacking the sophistication expected of an after-dinner cigar, this stogie would work well as a late-afternoon smoke while one is enjoying the outdoors… say on a golf course or over a barbecue.

All you Stogie Guys in New York would be well advised to head over to La Rosa Cubana’s midtown factory/store, watch an experienced master roll you a cigar, and then light one up… taking pleasure in telling people that you’re not smoking a Cuban or a Dominican, but an authentic New York stogie.

All told, I give this cigar a solid three out of five stogies, and I particularly recommend it to those who enjoy a more mild cigar.

-Patrick S