The Stogie Guys

The story of Elizabeth Short is a tragic and gruesome one. It need not be repeated here. That said, if you’re interested, you’ll find no shortage of material across all manner of media—including books, films, and the internet—on the 1947 unsolved murder of the young woman who would come to be known as Black Dahlia.

Far be it from me to explain why you’d name a cigar line in honor of a grotesque crime that has persisted in the public consciousness over seven decades. Yet Gran Habano did just that when it launched Black Dahlia in 2017.

Made in Honduras at Gran Habano’s GR Tabaqueras Unidas factory in Danlí, Black Dahlia sports a Nicaraguan Corojo Shade wrapper, dual Habano and Nicaraguan binders, and filler tobaccos that include Habano, Nicaraguan Cubita, Colombian, and Costa Rican leaves. It is offered in three sizes, each packaged in 20-count boxes: Robusto (5 x 52, $9), Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46, $9.50), and Gran Robusto (6 x 54, $10).

The Robusto features a pale, light brown wrapper that’s wrinkled and traversed by a fair number of thin veins. The surface is moderately oily with tooth and some lumps. While the feel is consistently firm throughout with no soft spots, the cold draw is smooth. At the foot, I find gentle pre-light notes of sweet hay and herbal tea.

Black Dahlia might be marketed as a full-bodied smoke but, if the three Robustos I smoked for this review are any indication, it’s a decidedly medium blend. The core profile includes café au lait, white pepper, and a gentle cedar spice. The finish is short with warm spice on the tip of the tongue. At times, there are flashes of roasted peanuts.

As the Robusto progresses, the core flavors remain unchanged but a smooth, sweet creaminess enters the equation. The final third is more of the same, yet slightly more intense. All the while the combustion qualities are solid. Even though the burn might waver a bit here and there, it always self-corrects and almost never requires a touch-up. The draw is easy. The ash holds well off the foot. And the smoke production is generous.

Perhaps, like me, this line escaped your radar when it was introduced a couple years ago. I’m certainly glad I finally gave it a try and recommend you do the same. The S.T.K. Black Dahlia by George Rico Robusto offers balance, nuanced flavors, and good bang for your buck. It’s suitable for a morning smoke with a cup of black coffee, an afternoon round of golf, or a post-dinner treat with some sipping rum. For that, it earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Long a major player in the machine-made cigar market, Villiger has for some time worked to raise its profile in the hand-made segment of the industry. For the all-important U.S. customer base, the Swiss company has introduced new cigars and brought some over from Europe.

That’s where La Meridiana comes in. Released in Europe about 20 years ago, the Nicaraguan puro was recently introduced in the United States, albeit with some differences in the sizes.

The U.S. line features five vitolas: Corona (5.5 x 42, $6.50), Robusto (5 x 50, $7.50), Torpedo (6 x 52, $8), Churchill (6.9 x 48, $8.50), and a box-pressed Toro (6 x 54, $10.60). All come in 10-count boxes.

They are rolled in Estelí, Nicaragua, at the Joya de Nicaragua factory. The cigar name itself also celebrates a factory, though it’s a Cuban one that ceased rolling operations years ago.

The wrapper is a smooth, darker brown leaf, highlighted by the prominent orange coloring in both the regular and the foot bands. There’s a mouth-watering pre-light aroma from the filler.

From the start, it is apparent La Meridiana is not a particularly strong cigar, despite its Nicaraguan components. But strength should never be confused with taste. La Meridiana has plenty of the latter.

It starts a little woody, then quickly adds some sweetness and mild spice. The flavors begin with excellent balance and maintain that throughout. Other flavors that crop up include a bit of citrus and some nuttiness.

All of those I smoked performed excellently. The draw was good and smoke production thick and plentiful. The white ash held firmly, and the burn was slow and even.

This cigar would seem to be one of Villiger’s best efforts yet. The prices are competitive, the medium strength makes it accessible, and the flavor profile is one that can appeal to a wide range of smokers. That earns the Villiger La Meridiana Toro four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you’re familiar with the name Bugatti, it’s most likely for the performance, super-limited, super-expensive cars. But the name is also a brand of cigars (plus plenty of other luxury items), with a trademark for use as a cigar brand filed in 2014 and issued after some legal wrangling in 2015.

The Bugatti Cigars launched in 2015 as part of Integral Logistics, corporate parent of well-known accessory brands Lotus, Vertigo, Black Label, and Bugatti accessories. The brand originally launched with three lines: Ambassador, Signature, and Boss.

Since, the Scuro blend has been added. The line is distributed by Meier & Dutch, a wholesaler associated with Cigars International and its various retail operations (which were acquired by STG in 2010). The line comes in four sizes: Churchill, Robusto, Toro, Torpedo. I smoked three Robustos (5 x 50) for this review.

Scuro is made in the Dominican Republic (likely at the PDR factory with the other Bugatti lines, though that isn’t confirmed). It features a dark, slightly mottled Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper, Sumatra binder, and filler tobaccos from four countries: the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the United States.

Each of the samples was a touch spongy, however none showed major ill-effects in terms of combustion. The draw was a bit on the tight side though not problematic, while the burn was even and ash a reasonably solid light gray.

The multi-country blend was a surprisingly complex combination of black coffee, anisette cookies, raisin, wet rope, and charred oak. The medium-bodied cigar features a peppery finish.

There’s not a whole lot of variation from start to finish but I’ll admit to be pleasantly surprised by a cigar that seems to be the most discount-oriented of the Bugatti line. While the “suggested price” may be closer to the other Bugatti lines ($8), in reality this isn’t a hard cigar to find online for around $3.

At that price, it has quite a bit to offer, even if you may not feel like you are smoking the Bugatti supercar of cigars. All told, the Bugatti Scuro Robusto earns 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 2015, Gran Habano—the Florida-based operation of the Rico family—announced a few changes to its portfolio. Chief among them was the introduction of the George Rico S.T.K. Miami Zulu Zulu Mas Paz Edition, which is made in Miami, features design work by artist Mas Paz, and benefits an orphanage in Bogotá, Colombia. Gran Habano also added a few sizes, discontinued a vitola in the G.A.R. Red line, and changed some packaging.

Five years before all these changes, in 2010, the Gran Reserva #3 line was introduced, showcasing well-aged tobaccos from 2008. The cigar was a success, and it spawned a few follow-ups: Gran Reserva #3 2009, Gran Reserva #5 2010, and Gran Reserva #5 2011.

The latter is the latest and only Gran Reserva to be featured at the Gran Habano website (since the cigars are produced in limited quantities, presumably there’s no reason to market the previous Gran Reserva lines). It is offered in five formats: Corona Gorda (5.1 x 46), Gran Robusto (6 x 54), Imperial (6 x 60), Czar (6 x 66), and Grandioso (7 x 70).

It goes without saying that Gran Reserva #5 2011 skews large and thick. Frankly, only two of the sizes even pique my interest: Corona Gorda and Gran Robusto. Today I’m reviewing the latter, after having smoked three samples.

Like its brethren in the Gran Reserva #5 2011 line, the Gran Robusto sports a Nicaraguan wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It is made at Gran Habano’s GR Tabaqueras Unidas factory in Danlí, Honduras.

After removing the beefy cigar from its cedar sleeve, I find a firm, dark specimen that’s dry, toothy, and marked only by thin veins. The densely packed foot showcases pre-light notes of green raisin and coffee grounds. The loosely applied band of red and gold slides effortlessly off the cigar. After clipping the head with a double-guillotine, I find a clear draw that imparts a little spice on the lips.

There’s a lot of tape holding the cedar sleeve and foot ribbon together. If you’re patient enough to peel in all away, though, you can use the cedar to light the cigar—a time-honored tradition I’ve always found to be pleasant. Plus, since the Gran Robusto has a large ring gauge (54), the cedar is helpful in thoroughly establishing an even light from the get-go.

Once underway, the flavors are medium- to full-bodied with notes of espresso, char, black pepper, cedar, and a bit of warm tobacco sweetness. Cocoa powder and creamy cashew help to add balance. After about an inch, the spice and char recede and chocolate and nuts become more prominent.

The voluminous, cool smoke keeps the body (now decidedly medium) and spice at bay, making room for flavor. The taste is also not inhibited by the physical properties, which are admirable. The burn is straight, the white ash holds well, and the draw is smooth.

The final third isn’t much different than the rest of the cigar, save for the introduction of some cayenne heat in the background. And that’s ultimately the biggest knock on this otherwise fine cigar: It tends to overstay its welcome. I don’t dislike the core flavors, but I’m also not sure the offer enough to warrant such a significant time commitment.

That makes the Gran Reserva #5 2011 Gran Robusto a difficult cigar to score. But score it I must, and I’ve settled on a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

While cigar companies are well-known for never missing an opportunity to commemorate an anniversary with a special cigar, not many companies can claim a milestone as old as 125 years. Gurkha, despite only being introduced in the U.S. in the mid-1990s, has a better claim than most.

The company’s 2012 125th Anniversary series was meant to celebrate the first association of Gurkha’s name with cigars, as opposed to the anniversary of the cigar company itself. It is made at the Tabacos Don Leoncio/PDR Factory in Tamboril (many of Gurkha’s recent offerings are made at this Dominican factory).

The cigar employs a dark, reddish-brown Brazilian Habano wrapper with some black discolorations but a consistent sheen. Beneath, it has an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos.

I smoked four of the Rothchild size (6 x 54) for this review. This vitola retails for around $10 but, since it has been on the market for a few years now, you’ll be able to find it for significantly less online if you shop around.

The large toro features a complex mix of flavors: medium-roast coffee, toast, pine nuts, slight citrus, and clove. And while there are myriad flavors, the complexity is in the Rothchild’s depth, not its changes from start to finish (which are minimal).

It is medium-bodied with a long, leathery finish. Construction is excellent with an even burn and sturdy ash. (Though I did discard one additional sample that had cigar beetle holes beneath the band; fortunately, thanks to improved quality control industry-wide, this is a rarity these days.)

In certain circles, I think it’s safe to say Gurkha has amassed a reputation as a brand with more marketing skills than cigar-making chops. That said, the Gurkha 125th Anniversary rightfully is seen by many as a turning point. (It was also introduced shortly after the company brought in cigar veteran Gary Hyams to assist in establishing Gurkha in the premium cigar market, a space to which Gurkha has always aspired.)

Complex, well-constructed, and (now) priced around $6-8, this cigar offers good value. That earns the Gurkha 125th Anniversary Rothchild a rating of four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The latest Diesel cigar is a single-vitola limited edition with a price tag that belies its quality. With more and more cigars moving toward the $20 and up range, it’s a pleasant surprise to find one this large and this good for only $10.

Hair of the Dog is a lightly pressed, toro-sized (6 x 54) smoke with a smooth, golden brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Sweet hay dominates the pre-light notes.

While the cigar, overall, is in the medium-strength range, it begins with a strong pepper blast reminiscent of some of Don José “Pepin” Garcia’s early smokes. That tapers off after the first few puffs.

Other flavors along the way include cashew, white pepper, toast, a bit of cinnamon and, in the final third, a little licorice.

The cigar’s performance was tops in all respects. The burn was sharp and even, the ash held tight, smoke production was voluminous, and the draw exhibited just the right amount of resistance.

One small complaint: The paper bands, sporting the distinctive lower-case “d” that identifies the brand, were glued so tightly that removing them became quite a chore.

The cigars are rolled at A.J. Fernandez’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The original Diesel was one of the cigars that helped Fernandez rise to prominence through its initial sales by online/catalog giant Cigars International. The line—and its availability—has been expanding. Last year, for example, saw the release of the Diesel Whiskey Row that incorporated tobacco aged in Rabbit Hole Bourbon barrels.

Hair of the Dog is a production with General Cigar (part of the same conglomerate that owns Cigars International) and that guarantees wide release, even with the limited-edition production ceiling.

The name is a bit hard to fathom. Using a phrase that commonly refers to having a day-after drink to ward off the effects of a hangover seems pretty far removed from tobacco. But in these days of odd monikers and trademark lawsuits, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by almost any cigar name.

If you see one, give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Hair of the Dog checks in at four out of five stogies.

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

–George E & Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last year, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje re-introduced three cigars he had discontinued in 2007: Nuevitas, Nuevitas Jibaro No. 1, and Nuevitas Jibaro No 2. If you don’t recall them by name, perhaps you will remember them as the Tatuaje cigars not made by Don José “Pepin” Garcia.

Tatuaje is synonymous with Garcia and My Father Cigars. Today even more so, because the three cigars that used to be crafted at Tabacalera Tropical in Nicaragua are now handmade at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Estelí.

The trio features a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos. If not for the differences in the bands, you could be forgiven for confusing Nuevitas with Jibaro No 1.; but Johnson threw us a bone and made the former white with orange trim, and the latter orange with white trim. Jibaro No. 1 also has an exposed foot.

But while Nuevitas (5 x 52) and Jibaro No. 1 (5 x 54) are virtually the same size, Jibaro No. 2 is a toro-sized smoke (6 x 52). It sells for just under $10 for a single and also has an orange band and an unfinished foot.

Jibaro No. 2 is a moderately oily specimen with its fair share of thin veins and noticeable seams. The cold draw is smooth. The wrapper has a faint citrus aroma with some dry earth, but the foot is awash with hay and a sweet nuttiness.

After setting flame to the binder and filler, the cigar yields a spice-forward introductory profile with white pepper, black pepper, and cedar at the core. On the palate, the spice hits the tip of the tongue the hardest. Background notes of bread and warm tobacco add some depth, but the overall sensation is very dry and spicy.

If you allow the Jibaro No. 2 to rest between puffs, the smoke will cool and the spice will subside. What’s left, however, is a dry, papery taste that’s in need of… well, flavor. That flavor starts to build around the midway point with soft floral notes, citrus, and cinnamon. A smooth creaminess contributes complexity which, up to this point, had been frankly lacking. The spice recedes, and the texture is bready.

These changes are too little too late, though. They’re also short-lived. The final third is hot, harsh, spicy, and papery. While the physical properties are in line with what we’ve come to expect from My Father Cigars—including a solid ash, clear draw, straight burn, and good smoke production—the flavors simply aren’t up to par.

There are many, many wonderful Tatuaje cigars. Too many to cite here. But I’m sorry to report the Nuevitas Jibaro No. 2 leaves much to be desired. In my book, it earns a disappointing rating of two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys