The Stogie Guys

Last week my business travels brought me to Manchester, New Hampshire. Naturally, while in the area, I visited the Londonderry location of Twins Smoke Shop, a tobacconist with a solid lounge, full bar, and an incredible selection of cigars. (Twins is also home base of the acclaimed 7-20-4 brand by Kurt A. Kendall.)

As closing time approached, the shop’s staff recommended I try the Illusione *R* Rothchildes for one last short smoke before heading back to my hotel. I’m glad I did. I had never smoked one before, but now I can see I had been missing out. This small, value-priced Illusione is outstanding, and it deserves a spot in my regular repertoire.

The *R* Rothchildes (4.5 x 50) was added to the Illusione portfolio in 2013. It carries an impressive price point of $4 and has been dubbed “a cigar for the masses” with “unmatched” quality for the price, according to the Illusione website. I’m happy to report I enthusiastically agree.

Made at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) in Nicaragua, *R* Rothchildes features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It looks a little rough around the edges—most San Andrés-wrapped cigars do—but sports a smooth cold draw and rich pre-light notes of leather, earth, and cocoa.

Once an even light is established, the medium-bodied profile exudes a balanced taste of roasted nuts, sweet cream, earth, and warm tobacco. The texture is meaty and the resting smoke is beautifully floral. Black pepper and cocoa build at the midway point. Towards the finale, there’s a slight increase in spice and the wonderful floral notes grow to become prominent.

The burn line may not be perfect, but any deficiencies in the construction department are merely aesthetic in nature. Expect to not have to fiddle with torch touch-ups, and expect the draw to be easy, the ash solid, and the smoke production above average.

I have to agree with Illusione that the quality is impeccable for the cost. How better can you spend $4 and about 45 minutes? For its value, consistency, balance, complexity, and awesome floral notes, I’m awarding the Illusione *R* Rothchildes a fantastic rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Some first impressions from this limited Zino release aren’t the best: marbling wrapper, a light feel in the hand, not much aroma, loose pre-light draw, and Frankenstein-style veins.

But remember what your mother told you about looks being deceiving and Bo Diddley’s warning not to judge a book by the cover? They were right. The Make of L.A. Collector’s Edition is a strong, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable cigar.

This limited release—3,000 boxes of 10—follows Davidoff’s marketing strategy to make Zino appealing to a younger, affluent market. Like the earlier Make of New York, the cigar comes in one vitola (6 x 54) and four box designs, these featuring artwork by Burton Machen. It also sports a hefty $18 price tag, though I got a box online for less than half that cost.

The tobacco is an interesting mix of a variety of Dominican fillers with a binder from Yamasa (the region where Davidoff grows Puro d’Oro wrapper leaf). The wrapper is a caramel-colored Ecuadorian Habana.

Construction has generally been good in those I’ve smoked. The draw turned out to be fine and smoke production is excellent. I had a bit of an uneven burn in one, but others performed just fine.

The Make of L.A. begins with a touch of cedar and light spices before opening up to reveal more power. The flavors shift frequently and pleasantly, while the cigar maintains an excellent balance. I found wood, leather, pepper, and honey along the way. Each time I smoked one was more revealing than the last, with new flavors braiding in and out.

The finish is light, perhaps one reason the strength wasn’t immediately apparent. Not that this is a knock-you-in-the-face cigar, but it’s also far from a tap-you-on-the-shoulder stick.

I haven’t smoked enough Zino cigars to say how this release fits among its offerings. Judged on its own, it’s an excellent cigar.

But the obvious drawback is the price. Eighteen dollars for a fat toro is, from nearly anyone’s view, an expensive cigar. For the $7.50 I paid, I’d call it a great buy, a gamble I feel I clearly won, since I’d never had one before. Now, I wish I’d bought two boxes.

If you’re looking for an occasion cigar, pick up a Make of L.A. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, especially if you can take advantage of a markdown.

I give the Zino Platinum Make of L.A. Collector’s Edition a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Back in June, Miami Cigar & Co. announced it would be revamping and re-launching its series of lines bearing the Nestor Miranda name. The move coincides with the company’s 25th anniversary and honors its founder as Nestor Miranda reduces his workload.

“It has been an honor for me to begin the process of creating a new look and feel which is worthy of what Nestor Miranda and the Miami Cigar & Co. team have accomplished over the last 25 years,” said Jason Wood, Miranda’s son-in-law and vice president of (and presumed heir to) Miami Cigar & Co.

Wood was the driving force behind the overhaul of the Nestor Miranda Collection, providing us with a vision of where he plans to take the company in the future. Evidently, the changes were met with Miranda’s approval. “I am excited about the new vision [Jason Wood] has for our future and the re-branding of the Nestor Miranda Collection… [He has positioned us] to make a lasting impression on the cigar industry for years to come.”

The new Nestor Miranda Collection is made at My Father Cigars and is broken up into three lines: Habano (green band), Maduro (red), and Connecticut (blue). While the former are original blends, the Connecticut has the same recipe as the old Special Selection Connecticut cigar. All come in 4 sizes—Robusto (4.5 x 50), Toro (5.5 x 54), Corona Gorda (6 x 46), and Gordo (6 x 60)—and retail for about $7 to $9 apiece.

The Habano version has a dark wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a three-country filler blend from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil. It’s a stout, oily specimen with a well-executed cap and a clean surface. The pre-light notes are rich and reminiscent of espresso bean and cocoa. The firmness is moderate (perhaps a little soft at the foot), and the cold draw is tight.

With a cigar like the Habano Robusto—where the large band covers roughly 30% or more of the actual cigar—I always remove the band before lighting. Underneath is an impeccable wrapper with only a few thin veins. Once lit, the cigar produces a medium-bodied profile of oak, coffee, roasted nuts, and some creamy sweetness. The texture is leathery, and the finish leaves some cedary spice on the tip of the tongue.

After the first third, the draw opens considerably and the smoke production increases. The flavor remains consistent throughout, save for some notes of baking spices that surface towards the end. From light to nub, the burn stays straight and the ash holds firm.

I’m looking forward to trying the other new Nestor Miranda Collection lines, and I also want to try some of the larger sizes of the Habano blend. But my first taste of this new twist on the series is a good one. The Habano Robusto packs a lot of flavor and spice into a condensed format, and the sweet creaminess plays well off the coffee notes. For that, it earns three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Ezra Zion has been around for a while now, but looking through our hundreds of reviews, somehow we’ve never written up one of their cigars. So let’s change that today.

The Tantrum P.A. is a follow-up to the original Tantrum, released last year by the Ezra Zion, which is distributed by House of Emilio. Tantrum comes in a single petit corona size called Prensado Pequeño and sports an all-Nicaraguan blend featuring a seven-year-old wrapper.

The “P.A.” (short for Passive Aggressive, as opposed to the fully aggressive Tantrum) also comes in one size: this time 6.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 44 and a box press. It’s a Nicaraguan puro with a Cuban-seed Corojo ’99 wrapper. The cigar is sold in boxes of 28 with a planned annual production of just 700 cigars. The Tantrum P.A. carries a suggested retail price of $9.95. I smoked two for this review, both provided by Ezra Zion.

Pre-light there is quite a bit of cinnamon and sweetness. Once lit, I find a medium-bodied combination of leather, slight clove, earth, and roasted nuts. The flavors don’t change much over the hour-plus of smoking time, but the cigar has complexity, with a multi-layered profile.

Tantrum P.A. actually reminds me quite a bit of the 2013 Illusione Singulare (which I recently smoked for a Quick Smoke between the samples I smoked for this review), probably in part because it’s from the same factory and a similar size.

Neither of my Tantrum P.A. samples had any construction issues. What really stands out is the copious amount of dense, palate-coating smoke, and a sweet, almost molasses-like, aroma.

I’ll admit I haven’t had many Ezra Zion cigars, but what few I have impressed me. This is no different, and it makes me want to give a better look at some of their other offerings. While the price prevents it from being a great value, it is a thoroughly enjoyable smoke. That earns the Ezra Zion Tantrum P.A. a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I didn’t intend to buy a whole box of cigars. And I wasn’t planning to spend $130. But that’s just what I did when I was lucky enough to come across a 10-count box of The Jekyll, the latest cigar from Tatuaje’s popular Monster Series.

My impromptu purchase speaks to the rarity of Monster Series cigars, the success of Tatuaje’s marketing, and the well-earned reputation Pete Johnson’s company has amassed over the years. I simply could not let the opportunity to buy The Jekyll slip through my fingers. And after smoking a few, I’m glad I didn’t.

Since 2008, Tatuaje has released an annual Monster Series smoke around Halloween, celebrating some of Johnson’s favorite characters from the horror genre, including The Frank, The Drac, The Face, The Wolfman, The Mummy, and The JV13 (Jason). This year it’s The Jekyll, a nod to the 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Next year, the Monster Series release will be The Hyde.

As is tradition, Johnson only produced 666 “dress boxes” of 13 The Jekyll cigars, with only 13 “unlucky” retailers getting the bulk of the boxes to sell. He also released 4,500 plain 10-count boxes, equating to a total run of just under 54,000 individual sticks. Each The Jekyll features an Ecuadorian Sancti Spíritus wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The single vitola (7 x 49) is made by My Father Cigars.

The Chuchill-sized smoke sports a silky exterior with a few prominent veins. Firm to the touch with a good weight in the hand, the cigar has a belicoso-like cap that’s expertly constructed. A precise guillotine cut at the very tip is all that’s needed to reveal a smooth cold draw. At the foot, the subtle pre-light notes include honey and sawdust.

Right at the outset, there’s a lot going on with the medium-bodied flavor. The profile is balanced with notes of sweet cream, cinnamon, damp wood, and white pepper. The aftertaste is long and characterized by both red pepper and cedar. The texture is bready, and the resting smoke has an incredible creaminess. As The Jekyll progresses, an understated hint of black licorice creeps in and out but never really grabs the spotlight. Throughout the two-hour smoke, the defining trait remains the interplay between spice and a creamy sweetness.

Being the weak man that I am, I couldn’t wait any longer than five days to fire up one of these, even though my box had been shipped and likely suffered through some winter conditions. Even so, the physical properties perform beautifully. The burn line never requires so much as a touch-up, the draw is clear and true, and the smoke production is excellent. It should be noted, however, the white ash is extremely flaky.

Those familiar with the classic tale will recall Mr. Hyde is the sinister split personality of the gentler Dr. Jekyll. So I would expect 2015’s The Hyde to be more intense. Hopefully I can hang on to a few The Jekyll’s to do a side-by-side comparison next year. For now, The Jekyll is an excellent, well-balanced smoke that’s well worth the $13 price and worthy of the Monster Series name. It earns the outstanding rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A.J. Fernandez is one of the most respected cigar makers in the world. And deservedly so. He has one of the best résumés you could hope to come across in the industry.

Born in Cuba, Fernandez worked with the late Alejandro Robaina, Cuba’s foremost producer of top wrapper leaves and the namesake of the Vegas Robaina brand. Fernandez quickly gained fame making cigars for other companies including Rocky Patel, Padilla, Graycliff, and Gurkha, as well as crafting exclusive cigars for catalog giant Cigars International (for whom he makes Diesel, Man O’ War, La Herencia, and others.) Then, in 2010, he introduced his first solo national brand, San Lotano, which became a hit.

These days, Fernandez’s portfolio includes Pinolero, Mayimbe, New World, and five different San Lotano blends. He also has a line called Fallen Angel, which features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper from the highest priming available around Nicaraguan tobaccos.

There are five Fallen Angel vitolas sold in the affordable $6-8 range: Churchill (7 x 48), Double Toro (6 x 60), Toro (6 x 50), Torpedo (6 x 52), and Robusto (5 x 52). The latter—gifted to me by the fine folks at CigarsFor.Me—is box-pressed with a clean, moderately oily wrapper that’s almost vein-free. The cap is executed well, the seams are barely noticeable, and the pre-light notes remind me of dry earth and milk chocolate.

As I set the light, I notice the draw is a little stiff. Still, once the foot is burning evenly, each puff seems to yield ample smoke. Once underway, a medium-bodied profile emerges with notes of oak, black pepper, and a syrupy sweetness. I find the flavor balanced and pleasing, though not terribly complex.

After an inch, a spicy aftertaste of cinnamon and cedar introduces itself—just in time to pique my interest after a start that’s, frankly, a little lackluster. Tastes of cream and pecan join the fray at the midway point. The final third is characterized by more intensity and more spice, though I can’t say the Robusto ever leaves the medium-bodied spectrum.

Throughout, the physical properties are exactly what you’d expect from Tabacalera Fernandez in Estelí: superb. The white ash holds incredibly well, the burn never requires so much as a touch-up, and the draw opens nicely after the first few puffs.

This is not A.J. Fernandez’s finest cigar, and I doubt it will amaze anyone. That said, it’s tasty, well-built, and affordable. You might consider keeping a few on hand for an afternoon complement to coffee, or to share with guests who are infrequent cigar smokers (this is a very approachable smoke). Overall, I rate the Fallen Angel Robusto three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Once again I will be eating my words at the beginning of this review. When I reviewed the Swag Black, I laughed at the name—until I realized it’s actually a solid cigar. Well, with the Black Label Trading Company Salvation I did the same thing.

When my cigar shop ordered these, we were sent decals and patches with the Black Label logo, and I couldn’t help thinking they were trying to appeal to a hard-rock/biker group of smokers. Which, to clarify, is not a bad thing. I just don’t like gimmicky marketing. So, anyway, I began working my way through the six different lines in Black Label’s portfolio, and each time I had to admit to myself I should not have written these off based on appearance.

Today, I’d like to talk specifically about the Black Label Trading Company Salvation Toro. Toros are not a size I traditionally enjoy, but with all the fantastic box-pressed Toros that have been released this year, I find the vitola growing on me, in both the box-pressed and standard parejo formats.

The Salvation Toro features a beautiful, reddish-brown Ecuadorian sun-grown Habano wrapper, tightly rolled around a Honduras binder with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Nothing matches the aesthetic appeal of a sun-grown wrapper to me. This cigar has a slight oil to it with a nice natural sheen that makes it catch your eye.

I smoked three Toros for this review. I cut two with my standard guillotine cutter, and V-cut another. I did not notice a difference from either cutting method; both produced a nice amount of smoke on an easy, slightly tight draw. In terms of consistency, I did notice that the third cigar got harsh in the last third, which did not happen in the other smokes. But I am not sure if this was the fault of the cigar, the lighter, the storage, or some other variable.

The flavor from cigar to cigar was consistent—an attribute I expect from a $10 stick. There is nothing worse than loving a single, picking up a five-pack, and being disappointed by the rest.

The flavor starts off as a solid, medium-bodied, leathery experience, with the nice light earth and natural tobacco flavors that sun-grown wrappers normally carry. As the cigar develops, it gains a unique, pleasant herbal spice on the retrohale, almost like an Italian spice mix. It’s a really cool taste that becomes the forefront for the second half of the smoking experience. As the cigar finishes, a lot of the leather comes back, and the body and flavor step up to medium- to full-bodied for the final inch or so.

This is a very enjoyable cigar, and would serve as a great introduction to the Black Label Trading Company. Like all Black Label products—including Redeption—only 1,000 boxes of Salvation are being produced. So, while they certainly are not as rare as some smokes, they are not available everywhere. If you do find one, be sure to pick this stick up. You’ll find a unique, albeit non-complex, flavor at a $10 price point that stands up to most of its competition. Overall, this cigar scores four stogies out of five.

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

–Joey J

photo credit: Stogie Guys