The Stogie Guys

This review, my third for regular Crowned Heads lines (see my reviews of Four Kicks and Headley Grange here and here), focuses on the most unusual. The cigar is definitely different, one that didn’t particularly impress at first puff but came back stronger with each additional smoke.

The HR46 is a comfortably sized smoke (6 x 46) that retails for about $9. From beginning to end, it is markedly different from other Crowned Heads creations.

Most notable immediately is the rugged, thick texture of the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. Not Backwoods rough, but far from Davidoff smooth. Covering Nicaraguan filler and an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, the strength is medium and the flavor is full.

The cigars are rolled in Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Dominican factory, and construction, in every aspect, is excellent. The burn is slow and produces lots of smoke.

The J.D. Howard—which takes its name from the pseudonym employed by outlaw Jesse James when he lived in Nashville, home base to Crowned Heads—starts off with notes of wood and leather. Later, those fade, as they get overtaken by a little spice and a bit of bitterness. In the final third, I picked up more of the leather again, with the not-unpleasant bitter taste remaining.

It’s a different cigar, and initially I wasn’t pleased. But by the time I was halfway down the first J.D. Howard, my opinion was changing. Smoking a few more, I grew to like it quite a bit.

This isn’t a cigar I’m likely to smoke on a regular basis, but one that I will certainly pick up on occasion. If you like experimenting, I highly recommend trying one of J.D. Howard’s five sizes. Maybe you’ll decide it’s for you right off the bat. If not, though, don’t be shy about giving it a second or third chance. Like me, you might be surprised.

I give it three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Keep an eye on the Tesa Cigar Company, the boutique manufacturer with a lounge in Chicago and production facilities in Estelí, Nicaragua. While I’ve been writing about the outfit since 2009, Tesa may be on the verge of becoming much more prevalent in the near future.

For years, Chris Kelly has been the most talented cigar blender you’ve never heard of. (If you don’t believe me, read the many Tesa reviews in our archive, or visit the Tesa online store, place an order, and try his blends for yourself.) Now he’s expanding Tesa’s distribution. And he’s also offering up new cigars that are priced to broaden Tesa’s base beyond its core lines, which typically run in excess of $10 per smoke.

First among the new value smokes was the Picadura King Connecticut, which I reviewed back in March. It is made with a Connecticut shade wrapper and Nicaraguan long-filler mixed with short-filler scraps (called picadura). The result is a fantastic smoke with notes of oak, hay, cream, and roasted nuts, and it has similarities to the exquisite Tesa Vintage Especial—yet, at $4-5 apiece, it’s a fraction of the price.

Picadura King now also comes in a Habano variety. It features a moderately veined Habano Ecuador wrapper that’s dry and a little rustic around a Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 binder and a mixture of long- and short-filler from Nicaragua. Both sizes (5 x 44 and 5.5 x 48) come with closed feet and bands with the Tesa Cigar Company’s new “TC” logo.

The Picadura King Habano has an unassuming appearance and pre-light notes of earth and mustiness that aren’t exactly inspirational. Couple these attributes with a $6 price and you might not expect much from this cigar. But you’d be wrong. The numerous samples I smoked for this review have led me to agree with Tesa’s website that Picadura King “has truly elevated the world of bundles,” and the brand is “setting new standards for the art of mixed fill blends.”

From the start, the cigar is silky, balanced, and a little spicy. Sweet cream, leather, and espresso all contribute to the core of the well-rounded, medium-bodied profile. The resting smoke is particularly sweet, and the finish is short yet satisfying. Throughout, the construction qualities are impeccable, and I find zero issues resulting from the use of mixed filler, or anything else for that matter.

I don’t think either Picadura King variety is going to supplant or surpass the depth and complexity offered by Tesa’s hallmark blends, like Cabinet 312 or Vintage Especial. But I absolutely love what the Picadura King Habano brings to the table for such a reasonable price. For that reason, I consider this one of the best new cigars of 2013, and I bestow it with a stellar 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

Dunhill certainly isn’t the sexiest brand on the market today. Owned by British American Tobacco and made and distributed by General Cigar Co., you could argue Dunhill is somewhat neglected by the online cigar community, gets lost in General’s portfolio of more visible brands, and hasn’t quite lived up to its rich legacy.

That legacy pre-dates the communist takeover of Cuba, when the Dunhill shop in London had exclusive marketing and distribution agreements with various Cuban cigar makers, including Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, and Partagas. You can read more about Dunhill’s fascinating history—and its relationship with King George VI and Sir Winston Churchill—in my colleague’s previous review of the Aged Reserva Especial 2003 Robusto Grande.

Since then, Dunhill has bounced around with cigars by Toraño and Altadis, finally settling under the General Cigar umbrella with three lines: Dunhill Aged Reserva Especiale, Dunhill Aged, and Dunhill Signed Range. The latter “is made in Nicaragua with only the best aged tobaccos from its mother country as well as the Dominican Republic and Cameroon,” according to the General Cigar website. “The Signed Range is an aristocratic, medium- to full-bodied cigar that consistently delivers a superior taste, rich in complex, silky flavor.”

Six vitolas are available in the Signed Range lineup: Churchill, Toro, Torpedo, Corona, Robusto, and Petit Corona. The Toro (6 x 50) costs about $200 for a box of 25 or about $9 for a single. It’s a handsome smoke with minimal veins, a nice cap, a consistently firm feel, and a fair amount of oils on its clean surface. Only the slightest pre-light notes of milk chocolate can be found at the foot.

Once underway, a toasty, balanced profile emerges with notes of coffee, chocolate, and oak most apparent. The defining characteristic, however, has to be the red pepper spice that lingers on the aftertaste, particularly on the sides and the tip of the tongue. While the strength is more medium-bodied than full, this spicy finish lends an assertiveness to the Toro—making it, in my opinion, a wonderful cigar to pair with bourbon or your favorite sipping rum.

As the Dunhill Signed Range progresses, a myriad of flavors come and go, including sweet cream, damp earth, and charred steak. The texture is savory and the resting smoke is bready. All the while the physical properties are outstanding. The draw is smooth with each easy puff yielding ample tufts of smoke. The gray ash resists the urge to fall off prematurely. And the burn line is just about as straight as they come.

Dunhill may never be the talk of the town, but cigar enthusiasts who overlook the brand are only doing themselves a disservice. The Signed Range Toro is a very good smoke that delivers on the expectations set by its price range, even if its profile and body are a little more muted than the bold cigars that seem to be favored by most seasoned cigar vets these days. As a morning or mid-afternoon treat, I’ve concluded it’s 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

Altadis has been re-creating and re-branding some of its most popular brands, including Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta (check out my reviews of Monte and Romeo).

One development that received less attention was Altadis’ re-introduction of the once-discontinued Juan Lopez brand. Making its official debut at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, the new Juan Lopez recipe includes all Nicaraguan tobacco. “The Juan Lopez cigar perfectly captures the renowned boldness and richness of Nicaraguan tobacco,” reads the Altadis website. “Great care was taken to incorporate tobacco from each of Nicaragua’s three growing regions to create a complex blend that is sure to impress.”

Three vitolas are available: Selección No. 1 (5 x 54), Selección No. 2 (6 x 54), and Selección No. 3 (6 x 60). Boxes of 20 retail in the affordable $80-90 range, and singles run $5-6 apiece. This positions Juan Lopez towards the value end of the premium cigar market—which would make it a great deal if it lives up to its high Cigar Aficionado ratings.

The Selección No. 2 has a dark, slightly reddish Nicaraguan Habano wrapper that has minimal veins and very noticeable seams. The surface is characterized by tooth and lots of oils. At the foot you can see a cross-section of tightly packed filler tobaccos and smell musty, earthy pre-light notes. The double-cap clips to reveal a moderate draw.

Once lit, I find a thick, leathery texture with flavors of black pepper spice, damp earth, sweet cream, meat, and roasted nuts. Typically, I’m not a fan of the meaty flavor that can sometimes show up in cigars—whether it’s a chewy meat or a charred steak element. But here it’s balanced nicely by the creamy and nutty notes, and I find the overall impact quite pleasing. The resting smoke is very sweet and aromatic.

Throughout the slow-burning Selección No. 2, which takes me over 90 minutes to smoke, the flavors don’t change much at all, save for some increase in spice in the final third. All the while the physical properties are solid. The gray ash holds firmly off the foot. The smoke production is ample. And the burn line stays true. My preference would be for a somewhat easier draw, though.

I doubt Juan Lopez is the kind of blend that will wow many cigar enthusiasts, and I don’t anticipate it will make many best-of lists. But it’s a smooth, nicely balanced stick that will keep you company for a long time. And best of all, it won’t break the bank. You can’t argue with that. All this adds up to a nice rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

You don’t have to pour over cigar press releases, attend the IPCPR Trade Show, or even peruse the online cigar community to notice the trend toward thicker cigars. Ring gauges of 54, 56, 60, and even wider aren’t hard to come by these days.

Interestingly, there’s a paradox at play here. The cigar makers I’ve spoken to say they don’t care for large ring gauges. And I also find many of the most seasoned cigar veterans think of these bulging sizes as somewhat of a gimmick. Yet money talks, and the market is dictating the production of thick smokes in vast quantities.

Amid this shift towards large ring gauges is a renewed interest in thinner smokes, which I perceive as being led (at least in part) by regular cigar smokers and the online cigar community. This movement values the more concentrated flavors thin cigars afford over the “bigger is better” approach.

Picking up on this, some cigar makers are adding Lanceros—long, thin, elegant-looking cigars—to their lineup of the usual vitolas. Included is Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars, who offers a limited edition Lancero to his La Musa Μελέτη, which also has a Toro, Torpedo, Corona, and Robusto. Only 200 Lancero boxes are made available annually to select retailers.

La Musa Μελέτη is the second of the blends that follow from the re-branding of Grimalkin (the first being the Habano Rosado-wrapped Mοῦσα, which is the same recipe as Grimalkin with a different name and band). Μελέτη boasts a dark, leathery Nicaraguan wrapper that leaves a fine coating of oil on the fingers. It has a rustic exterior and a firm packing of Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Pre-light, I find notes of dark chocolate and an easy draw.

After toasting the narrow foot and establishing an even light with a single wooden match, La Musa Μελέτη Lancero starts with a deep, bold espresso flavor. The texture is rich and a little gritty with a striking Nicaraguan zing on the aftertaste. Underneath is a creamy, almost nougat-like sweetness that helps add balance. At the midway point and beyond, bready flavors come and go, as do occasional meaty notes.

Construction is excellent. My two samples exhibited straight burn lines, good smoke production, solid gray ashes, and clear draws.

This is a more powerful smoke than Grimalkin was (or La Musa Mοῦσα is). I’d be interested to try it in a slightly larger ring gauge, since I assume the boldness would be less concentrated. But don’t get me wrong. This is a complex, balanced smoke with more substance than your standard flavor-bomb. And that’s ultimately why La Musa Μελέτη Lancero earns a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Not being a Led Zeppelin fan, I wouldn’t know the drums in “When the Levee Breaks” from “Moby Dick.” Not that it really matters. We are, after all, smoking, not beating out a rhythm.

After a successful, but limited, debut in 2012, Headley Grange went on to become Crowned Heads’ second regular line. It is available in five regular vitolas and a limited edition drumstick, released earlier this year. The corona gorda is 5.6 inches long with a ring gauge of 46. I paid about $8 each for the most recent sticks.

The blend comprises a familiar combination: Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with binder and filler from Nicaragua. Headley Grange, like Four Kicks, is rolled at Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza factory in the Dominican Republic. I consider that the cigar world’s equivalent to the Good Housekeeping Seal when it comes to quality and consistency, and it surely is in this case.

From appearance to draw, burn line to ash, Headley Grange is first-rate. My initial smoking impression was that this cigar is a bit milder than Four Kicks and that held up throughout. The predominant flavor is deep, rich tobacco with a light layer of spice at the back of the throat.

About halfway down, Headley Grange ramps up a bit, becoming, in fact, a bit sharp. That quickly dissipates, though, and by the final third, it’s again smooth with just a little spice.

This cigar is well worth trying. Descriptive words that come quickly to mind are satisfying, rich, and deep. What I don’t think you’ll find are much complexity or surprises.

I give the Crowned Heads Headley Grange a paradiddle and a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Crowned Heads

One could make the argument that Nicaragua has become, or is quickly becoming, the nucleus of premium cigar production. The Central American nation is closing the gap on the Dominican Republic, currently the largest exporter of cigars to the U.S., and a list of the world’s hottest brands is likely to have as many Nicaraguans as any other country.

This is a relatively new trend. Ten years ago, few would have predicted Nicaragua would be where it is today, competing with the likes of the Dominican Republic and Cuba for quality, attention, and prestige. And going back even further to 1968, there was only one cigar manufacturer in Nicaragua: Joya de Nicaragua.

This year is Joya’s 45th anniversary, and the company is celebrating by doing something it hardly ever does: releasing a limited edition. “With this cigar we are capturing the true Nicaraguan Spirit, rich in the tradition that embodies our cigars and that defines us as the archetypal Nicaraguan cigar maker, because before Joya, there was no Nicaraguan cigar,” said Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, head of Joya de Nicaragua. “While this cigar promotes our heritage, it is also a celebration of the future and the many years we still have ahead of us.”

Called Cuatro Cinco, the cigar is a Nicaraguan puro with tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa. The filler is of particular interest; it’s aged Ligero that had been resting in oak barrels. Only 4,500 boxes of 10 have been made, and only one vitola is available: a large, semi-box-pressed smoke that measures 6 inches long with a ring gauge of 54.

With a smooth, reddish wrapper, pre-light notes of cocoa and dried fruit, and a well-executed cap, Cuatro Cinco is aesthetically pleasing. It clips easily with a double guillotine to reveal a smooth cold draw that leaves a little mustiness on the lips.

Once lit, the cigar opens with a complex, balanced profile that tastes a little leathery and a little sweet, with a base of earth and moderate spice. Espresso and cashew enter the equation around the midway point. In the final portion, there’s an increase in spice and dry wood. All the while the combustion qualities are befitting a cigar of the Joya de Nicaragua name: great draw, straight burn, solid ash, and above average smoke production.

For my personal taste, the asking price of $13 is more than fair. Cuatro Cinco hits all the right notes. It’s traditional in flavor yet somehow also unique. It’s powerful yet nuanced. And, perhaps above all, it leaves a lasting impression. That results in the stellar 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