The Stogie Guys

All Out Kings has been an extraordinarily anticipated cigar since the initial announcement last year. A collaboration between Caldwell Cigar Co. and Drew Estate, the line began shipping only recently.

Here’s how the blend is described on the website set up for the line: “All Out Kings debuts with tobaccos from La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua, including Connecticut stalk-cut and sun-cured Habano wrapper with an Indonesian Sumatra binder and filler comprised of Jalapa Viso, Estelí Viso, Dominican C-98 Seco, and Connecticut Broadleaf Ligero.” Originally, production was planned to take place at the Joya de Nicaragua factory, but ultimately the blend was rolled at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate.

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

I thought so before I tried one. But the flavors from this smoke just didn’t line up with what I enjoy in a cigar.

First, there was what I can describe only as a dirty taste that I’m guessing comes from the stalk-cut wrapper, a procedure which can produce heavily earthy notes. Then there was the sharp, back-of-the-throat bite that was particularly intense in the first inch or so and came back in the final third.

Much of the cigar—I smoked three of the robusto-sized Smash (5 x 52), for which I paid $69 for a five-pack—exhibited what I’ve come to think of as a campfire taste with some astringency along the way.

On the other hand, the cigar is an extraordinary performer. The draw and smoke production in all those I smoked were excellent, while the burn was razor sharp. The white ash held on tightly throughout.

I can’t imagine this cigar will engender many middle-of-the-road reactions. If it suits your palate, you’ll likely be a big fan; if not, your reaction will probably be similar to mine. And the only way to find out where you fall on the scale is to try one.

All Out Kings comes in four vitolas. The other three are Gimme Your Lunch Money (5.75 x 46), Foreverlast (6.5 x 54), and The Fourth Pose (6 x 54). All are available in 20-count boxes.

For me, this is a tough cigar to rate. All Out Kings is obviously not a bad cigar. It just doesn’t appeal to me. which is why I give it three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Caldwell/Stogie Guys

In October, Meier & Dutch, announced Lucious Lyon. If the Meier & Dutch name doesn’t ring a bell, it is the distribution arm affiliated with Cigars International, which is owned by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group, which is also the parent company of General Cigar.

Lucious Lyon is inspired by the FOX television program Empire. I’ve never seen the show, so, employing my crack research skills, I will rely on the following Wikipedia summary of the premise: “Although filmed in Chicago, the show is set in New York and centers on a fictional hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama among the members of the founders’ family as they fight for control of the company.”

The Lucious Lyon cigar line—certainly not the first cigar venture aiming to capitalize on a TV series (e.g., The Sopranos, Breaking Bad)—is named after Empire’s lead character, portrayed by Terrence Howard. Along with the cigar, Meier & Dutch also released a line of complementary Empire-themed accessories, including a crystal ashtray, a high-gloss humidor, and a cutter and lighter by Xikar.

The cigar is made in Honduras at the STG Danlí factory and features a Connecticut wrapper, dual Connecticut Broadleaf and Mexican binders, and filler from four countries: the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Mexico. Three sizes are available: No. 1 (5.5 x 50, robusto), No. 2 (6 x 54, torpedo), and No. 3 (6 x 52, toro).

I smoked several Lucious Lyon No. 1s for this review. This vitola retails for $12.50 and comes with a large black band that easily slides off the oily Connecticut wrapper. Underneath is a well-rolled cigar with tight seams and soft pre-light notes of hay and molasses. The cap clips easily to reveal a moderate cold draw. Overall, the robusto makes a good first impression and sets the expectation that it is a high-quality mild cigar worth of your attention.

After an even light is established, the initial profile is dry, spicy, and surprisingly potent. The most prominent flavors include oak, cedar, salt, bread, and more black pepper spice than I was anticipating. After about half of an inch, however, the spice subsides a bit, and notes of cream and roasted nuts start to displace the dry bite. Thereafter, the robusto settles considerably into a mild- to medium-bodied experience with a focus on cream, hay, oak, and occasional hints of peanut.

Throughout, the draw is slightly tighter than I would prefer, and the smoke production is a little below average. That said, the burn line is straight and true from light to nub, and the ash holds very well off the foot.

I can’t help the fact that I’ve always been weary of any cigar bearing a celebrity name, an endorsement from a popular athlete, or a tie-in to a TV show. My sense is you often pay dearly for the name and licensing, while more important aspects like tobacco, blending, construction, etc. can be somewhat of an afterthought. In the case of Lucious Lyon No. 1—while I’m sure a portion of the $12.50 price tag represents a licensing fee to FOX—I’m happy to report the cigar is pretty good. Overpriced, but good.

In my book, this robusto would score better if the price more closely matched the quality of the experience. It would be a much better value in the $6-8 range. As it is, though, the Lucious Lyon No. 1 is a good mild- to medium-bodied smoke that gets off to a fast start and quickly settles into a creamy, nutty profile that’s familiar yet enjoyable. That earns it a mark of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I still recall the first La Gloria Cubana Serie R I smoked, lighting it up years ago at the now-shuttered Bethesda Tobacco just outside Washington, D.C. It was undoubtedly the strongest cigar I’d smoked up to that time, and it knocked me for a loop.

Back then, the natural Serie R, with filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, was among the more powerful sticks on the market, as well as a progenitor of the large ring gauge craze.

Ernesto Perez-Carrillo introduced the Serie R in 1999, the same year he sold his El Credito operation to General Cigar.

I suspect the extraordinary success of that original Serie R line is what led General Cigar to introduce numerous variations. The Serie R Black Maduro is one of two that debuted last year. It’s for sale online, with the sibling Serie R Estelí Maduro sold as a brick-and-mortar exclusive.

The Black Maduro comes in three sizes, with the name of each reflecting the ring gauge: No. 60 (6 x 60), No. 64 (6.25 x 64), and No. 58 (6.9 x 58). You’ll find them all online for about $5 apiece by the five-pack—even cheaper by the 18-count box.

No. 58 has a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with the same Nicaraguan blend of binder and filler found in the original Serie R Estelí line. The colorful band features the familiar updated La Gloria Cubana female image with a secondary red band demoting “Maduro” in silver, as well as a foot covering.

The pre-light aroma of the wrapper is typical of many maduros: rich, warm, and a little sweet. And, after firing the cigar up, the flavors also include those we often associate with a maduro cigar. There’s chocolate and coffee, of course, and a bit of raisin. Mixed in as the cigar progresses is some pepper that tends to remain in the background.

From the start, the burn and draw are excellent, with smoke production first-rate. The burn is fairly slow, and this big vitola lasts a long time.

Coming in at such a low price, this cigar is easy to recommend for smokers who enjoy maduros, or those who haven’t tried them and want to expand their palate. I give the La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black Maduro No. 58 three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: General Cigar Co. / Stogie Guys

When The Sopranos debuted on HBO in 1999, the series ushered in a new era of television, one where the most exciting and edgy viewing wasn’t available from the networks or even in the theater, but on cable, especially premium channels (and, later, on streaming services). By 2006, when its sixth and final season began, The Sopranos was a cultural icon, complete with its own licensed cigar.

If you watched The Sopranos, you probably noticed how frequently Tony lights up a cigar: in his car (in the opening credits), by the pool, at the Bing, at Vesuvio, outside Satriale’s Pork Store, and on and on. With that as the backdrop, CAO partnered with the show in 2005 to create the CAO The Sopranos Edition line of cigars.

The line featured three sizes: Associate (5 x 52), Soldier (6 x 54), and a belicoso called Boss (7 x 56). Later, a Tony Soprano Signature (6.5 x 60) was added. All were packaged in boxes that looked like the trunk of of an old Cadillac. For what it’s worth, I thought this presentation was extremely unique and creative.

In 2013, six years after the show finale, CAO (now under the STG/General Cigar umbrella) announced CAO Sopranos was being discontinued. But that wasn’t to be the blend’s final act. Last year, the cigar was resurrected as Consigliere. The primary band remained the same, but the red trunk-style box and Sopranos-branded secondary foot band now sleep with the fishes.

The blend, however, remains unchanged with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper and Honduran binder around filler from Nicaragua, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. The three original sizes and names all returned, with prices slashed almost in half (presumably, some of the savings came from no longer having to pay a licensing fee to The Sopranos and/or HBO).

I smoked three of the robusto-sized Associates for this review. Out of the gate, each is dominated by heavy leather notes along with charred oak and light pepper. Bread and rich espresso notes have an extended cameo. The full-bodied smokes featured excellent construction. The flavors don’t change much until the end where the spice and leather ramps up even more, joined by a savory meatiness.

I never smoked the original CAO Sopranos much, perhaps because for $10+ the line was in some pretty elite company price-wise at the time. With the Associate selling for $7 now, it is definitely worth another look.

I often find cigars that were full-bodied a decade ago seem more medium-bodied today. That isn’t the case with this blend, which remains a heavy, leathery (if not exactly balanced) smoke. It’s enough to earn the CAO Consigliere Associate a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In March 2009, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo ended his nine-year tenure with General Cigar. The move effectively made the Artesanos de Miami his last blend with La Gloria Cubana, the brand he built from relative obscurity to industry prominence.

Perez-Carrillo parted ways with General to establish his own family-owned boutique. He wasted no time in that endeavor. With a factory in Santiago and a work-in-progress website, the EPC Cigar Co. was up and running in time to debut its first blend at the IPCPR Trade Show that August.

Few in the industry doubted he would be successful in his new venture. That Perez-Carrillo has done well on his own is no surprise to anyone. One industry insider described him to StogieGuys.com as the tobacco world’s “mad genius.” Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley is said to have bestowed Perez-Carrillo with another fitting title: “the original rebel.”

Perez-Carrillo evidently appreciated the compliment. Last summer, he debuted a new blend called Original Rebel Maverick (as well as a Broadleaf maduro-wrapped companion line called Original Rebel Rebellious). It sports a pigtail cap, a closed foot, and an oily, clean, medium-brown Ecuadorian wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Three Maverick sizes are available. I recently sampled several in the “52” format (5.5 x 52), a robusto extra that retails for about $9.

Once lit, pre-light notes of sweet hay and dried fruit transition into a toasty introductory profile of oak, butter, and dry cedar spice. Intermittently, those flavors are accented by a delicious taste that I can only describe as a combination of salted caramel and sweet cream. The effect is one of balance and complexity. I find few changes in flavor or strength from light to nub. At times, notes of leather and some black pepper spice waft in and out, but that’s about it. I don’t consider the consistency in taste a defect, mind you, since the billowy, medium-bodied smoke is satisfying and harmonious.

As for construction, the draw is virtually effortless throughout, and the smoke production is above average—a welcome trait since the resting smoke is sweet and aromatic. The ash holds well off the foot. The burn is imperfect though not troublesome; a torch touch-up is necessary here and there to keep the burn line even.

If the E.P. Carrillo Original Rebel Maverick blend has thus far flown under your radar, I would suggest springing for a single to take it for a test drive. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself buying a box of ten shortly thereafter. In my book, this fine cigar is worthy of an admirable rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

While you may have encountered the Cornelius & Anthony Meridian in the past, don’t confuse it with this cigar. That’s because the company scrapped the original iteration that debuted in 2015 and replaced it with something new while keeping the name.

That something is a medium-strength smoke with an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. They’re rolled at Erik Espinoza’s La Zona Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

For this review, I smoked the Robusto, a 5-inch stick with a ring gauge of 52 and a $9.25 MSRP. The line also features a Gordo (6 x 60), Toro (6 x 50), and Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46). All come in 20-count boxes illustrated in the bygone art style that’s become something of a Cornelius & Anthony trademark. Another familiar touch is the use of a secondary band with the cigar’s name.

The Meridian starts with quite a bit of power that tapers off after about a half-inch, maintaining a medium strength level for the remainder of the experience. The finish is pleasing and lingers a little before dissipating.

My first taste impression is of rich wood mixed with a little tobacco sweetness. A pleasant combination. As the strength wanes as a moderate spice enters the mix. From start to finish, the flavors weave in and out of each other, making for an interesting journey.

Combustion performance was excellent in all of those I sampled. Lots of smoke, straight burn, and an excellent draw.

I’ve enjoyed quite a few Cornelius & Anthony cigars, and the new Meridian is no exception. It’s a cigar I think will appeal to almost all smokers regardless of their level of experience. I rate the Cornelius & Anthony Meridian Robusto four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Years ago, Florida-based retailer Smoke Inn launched the Microblend Series, a program that commissions custom, limited edition blends from top manufacturers. “The Microblend Series not only represents my love and passion for fine cigars but the appreciation and fellowship for the cigar manufacturers that were so amazing to work with on each release,” said Abe Dababneh, owner of Smoke Inn.

Today, the series includes Tatuaje’s Anarchy and Apocalypse, My Father’s El Hijo, Padrón’s 1964 Anniversary SI-15, Quesada’s Oktoberfest Dunkel, Room 101’s Big Delicious, Drew Estate’s Pope of Greenwich Village, and 601’s La Bomba Bunker Buster. One of the earlier additions—and one of the few from the collection I hadn’t smoked, until recently—was Solaris from Arturo Fuente.

“For this Microblend installment, Smoke Inn played no part in the creation of the size or blend,” says the Smoke Inn website. “When Dababneh approached Fuente about making a Microblend, they decided this would be a perfect project for a small batch of cigars made over six years ago. Carlos Fuente Sr. had produced a small batch of belicoso cigars made from Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper that was uniquely light in its complexion. The cigars sat and aged for over six years.”

Solaris has a light brown, slightly reddish, clean wrapper beneath a classic Fuente band of red, gold, and green and a secondary band denoting the Solaris name. It clocks in at 6 inches long with a ring gauge of 49. The well-constructed belicoso cap clips easily to reveal an ultra-clear cold draw. The pre-light notes are incredibly faint, even at the foot; only the slightest hints of sweet hay are evident.

Smoke Inn describes the Solaris experience as follows: “When smoked, we found the flavor mellow yet complex. One could definitely taste the quintessential Fuente flavor profile behind the elegantly aged smoke.” My experience was not dissimilar. I would describe the profile as balanced, bready, medium-bodied, classic, and Cubanesque. Flavors range from sweet cream, roasted nuts, hay, toast, and warm tobacco. There is minimal spice. A pesky sourness can creep in randomly, but this taste can be limited by taking your time between puffs.

As Solaris progresses to the midway point and beyond, the texture takes on a more syrupy character and the intensity ramps up a bit—though, in my opinion, never moves out of the medium-bodied range. The sweetness and nuttiness are awesome at times, difficult to detect at others. All the while the construction is impeccable. The smoke production is high, the ash holds firm, the draw is clear, and the burn is straight.

Solaris sells for $44.75 for a 5-pack or, while not currently available, $89.50 per 10-pack. That means the per-cigar price is $8.95 apiece. That’s a great value, especially if you’d appreciate a classic-tasting, well-constructed, finely balanced, medium-bodied cigar with a profile that will remind you of other fine Fuente smokes. That’s why I’m awarding the Arturo Fuente Solaris an admirable rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys