The Stogie Guys

If you ever wanted to smoke a cigar that projects the “I’m a total badass” image, you could do worse than to choose the Surrogates Skull Breaker.

This intimidating stick, which is made for Ohio-based online retailer New Havana Cigars (NHC), has a menacing name, the look of a rustic rifle shell, and a dark, frightening band that could be flown from the mast of a pirate ship. But the price—$7.50 for the Belicoso (5.25 x 52)—is intended to be more approachable.

Like the Bone Crusher, the Skull Breaker is called “Surrogates” because it’s supposed to be a premium cigar that’s “consumer price conscious,” one that could be a replacement for an expensive, limited release. “Created to bring the excitement of a limited edition stick at a consumer-conscious price point and be readily available,” reads the NHC website, “these vitolas answer the question of whether to save it or smoke it with a blaring ‘Smoke it! Every day!’”

That’s a tall order. The folks behind Surrogates, though, are some of the best in the business. The line is blended by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje and crafted by the Garcias at their My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Other than that, not much is revealed in terms of details, except that the cigar’s wrapper and filler are Nicaraguan.

Aside from its double bands and dark, mottled leaf, the first thing I notice about the Skull Breaker its rough, somewhat sticky cap. I also find a nice pre-light aroma of cocoa powder. Once clipped, the cigar displays a good draw with only the slightest resistance.

While toasting the foot, the sweetness of the pre-light aroma turns into a powerful earthy smell that reminds me of campfire. Fortunately, though, the actual taste of the cigar is more complicated, and it captures some of the anticipated sweetness. Chocolate is apparent when smoked slowly. But if you puff too quickly, the full-bodied base flavors of leather, espresso, and black pepper will drown out any cream or sugar, rendering this smoke too bold and too monotonous.

As Skull Breaker winds down, I can’t help but notice some occasional profile similarities to Drew Estate’s outstanding Liga Privada No. 9 blend—particularly in the Flying Pig format. I’ve smoked a fair number of Flying Pigs this year, and each has a unique flavor, distinctive resting smoke, and chalky texture that I love. While it’s no replacement, the Skull Breaker does remind me of the Flying Pig at times, albeit with less complexity.

You don’t have to take my word for it, though. Go ahead and pick up a single or a five-pack from NHC and try out the Skull Breaker for yourself (or wait a bit until Pete Johnson’s new L’Atelier Imports brings Surrogates national, which is expected shortly, and you my find this cigar in a shop near you). With excellent construction, an interesting taste, and a bold yet controllable body, this cigar 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

Wandering around a local shop the other day, I spotted an old friend in new dress. The Don Pepin Garcia, known universally as the Blue Label from the band’s predominant color, was sporting a foot wrap and a secondary band reading “Original.” (The old style band is pictured right.)

Enticed, I realized it had been years since I smoked one of these and recalled reading about the company instituting cosmetic changes to make the presentations more cohesive. I picked up the Delicias, a 50-ring gauge Churchill.

This Nicaraguan puro was the first Don Pepin made under his own name. Bursting with flavor and strength, they rolled out of his little factory in Miami’s Calle Ocho and helped propel him to cigar stardom.

Had it changed? I spoke with José Ortega, vice president of sales at My Father Cigars at the company’s headquarters in Doral, Florida, where the cigars are now made, to find out. Ortega confirmed that changes were made to the look of the Blue Label, the Cuban Classic, and the Series JJ lines to create a more unified look.

“The appearance just makes a world of difference,” Ortega said, adding that the blends weren’t altered. Several Blue Label sizes were discontinued, he said, bringing the total now to nine. The Delicias retails for about $7.50 a stick, less by the box of 24.

And how was the smoke? Well, I can answer with a question you’ll likely ask yourself: Why haven’t I been smoking more of these? The cigar has great construction, draw, and burn, working slowly down the 7-inch frame as it produces a wildfire volume of smoke.

That time allows the Blue Label to develop and change several times. Beginning with pepper, it shifts to deep wood and rich leather and even hints of cinnamon and cocoa as it moves along.

Years ago, Patrick S gave another vitola in this line four and a half stogies out of five, and I wouldn’t dream of arguing.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I first ran across this line a few months back, I was impressed by a single Presto. Now, I’ve been able to smoke quite a few of the Mezzo (6 x 54). If anything, I like it even more.

My shorthand description is that smoking this cigar is akin to lighting up a spice rack. Not the hot, peppery spices that burn, but the exotic tastes that light briefly on your tongue. By no means, though, is that all this limited-run cigar offers. Devote care and attention to it and you will find yourself rewarded with all sorts of flavors, from light, sugary caramel to thick wood and many others.

It’s a fairly fat stick, not a ring gauge I’d usually select. But the additional size adds to the complexity and variety of the cigar, making for an even more satisfying experience. I paid around $8 for an individual purchase.

For me, it’s hard to believe this is an all-Dominican cigar, though many blenders such as Litto Gomez and the Fuentes have shown it’s a mistake to pigeonhole Dominican tobacco. Still, the Aging Room’s punch and pop do make me stop and think. Strength is in the middle range, with virtually no nicotine bite in the well-aged tobacco.  There’s lots of thick, rich smoke, and the draw is excellent.

I have experienced burn problems with a couple I’ve smoked. They weren’t major, mostly just an occasional wrapper going a tad off kilter.

I would recommend this cigar to almost any smoker, from newcomer to veteran. There are some, though, who I think should definitely give it a try. If you’re attempting to expand your palate and see if you can find more flavors, a trip to the Aging Room should be just the sort of graduate school assignment you’re looking for. Or if you’re someone who has gone over the deep end for strong cigars, take a break and try an Aging Room M356. See if you aren’t pleased at what you find.

Speaking of finding, that isn’t always easy with this line. Designated “small batch,” Oliveros (which has recently be renamed Boutique Blends Cigars) says production is limited by the tobacco available, and when it’s all used, it’s over. At the IPCPR Trade Show they told me that while they are introducing two new sizes of this blend, the tobacco stock to make these is dwindling. There are two new Aging Room blends coming and we can only hope they are as tasty.

An excellent cigar, the Aging Room M356 Mezzo is close to the storied five-stogie mark, though burn problems knocked it down just a shade to four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It was only a few years ago that the hot cigar company, the one with the buzz, the edgy promotions, and presentations, the intense interest in every new release, was CAO. Vision. The Sopranos. The America with its barber pole. Mx2. Lx2. And of course La Traviata.

Think Drew Estate nowadays: Liga Pravada. Undercrown. T52.

For CAO, though, it seems that what was once a leading edge cigar company has been dulled by ownership and management changes, a headquarters relocation, and being tucked inside one of the world’s largest tobacco conglomerates.

But the folks at General are applying the whetstone. Their first CAO release, the OSA Sol, was accompanied by lots of hype. Concert is the latest to get the treatment. And the full treatment it is.

The Concert’s box looks like an amp, its band is built around images of a guitar pick and Stratocaster-like guitars, and cigar promotions will be tied to musical events. Introduced at this month’s IPCPR Trade Show, the cigar is scheduled to ship in September.

Concert comes in four sizes. I smoked several of the Roadie, which I received at the convention. Its MSRP is $6.75, and it measures 5.5 inches long with a 54-ring gauge. Interestingly, all of the CAO Concert sizes are 5.5 inches long, with four varying ring guages: 46, 50, 54, and 60.

The first impression comes from a beautiful wrapper. The thin Ecuadorian Habano rosado leaf has few veins and almost glistens with an oily sheen. A Connecticut broadleaf binder encases “a special combination of four different Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers not previously used in any other General Cigar offering,” according to the press release.

I didn’t find much pre-light aroma and lit it using cedar, which added to a healthy kickoff. The draw was just the way I like it, a tad deliberate while easily delivering a mouthful of thick, creamy smoke.

The Concert is a complex, smooth cigar. The first third or so is peppery and fairly strong before it transitions into a more mellow and varied middle marked by a citrus flavor. The strength actually seems to go down a bit in the final third, as there’s some sweetness along the way.

Construction was fine, except in one of those I smoked. It developed a small tunnel about halfway down and the tobacco didn’t fully combust for a bit. That cut down on the smoke volume and created a dusty taste for a number of puffs.

This cigar has a lot going for it, from flavor to value. I’d recommend giving Concert a try. Whatever your musical taste, I think it will likely fit your cigar palate. And for that, I give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

And so it begins: the flurry of reviews from mainstream publications and the online cigar community on smokes that were released at the recently concluded IPCPR Trade Show.

Here at StogieGuys.com, we’ve already reviewed some of the new 2012 releases that either officially hit the market before the convention, or that we were mailed pre-release samples of. But now the floodgates are wide open. So today I bring you my review of the Toro size (6 x 52) of the Montecristo Epic Vintage 2007 from Altadis USA.

In full disclosure, Altadis sent me a three-pack of Toros, nicely presented in a yellow wooden box with the following written on the lid’s underside: “The task of creating Montecristo Epic was assigned to a special team of our most skilled and accomplished cigar makers—Grupo de Maestros—artisans with centuries of combined experience. Every step of the process, from hand selecting the ultra-premium tobaccos to each cigar’s flawless construction is performed with meticulous attention to detail and obsessive devotion.”

The blend—comprised of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic—is being marketed as “a masterpiece of complexity and full-bodied smoking pleasure.” Three standard vitolas are offered in the $13-15 range: Churchill, Robusto, and Toro.

The Toro is an oily, handsome smoke with a classic Montecristo band on top and a second band below that designates it as “Epic” and “Premium Selection ’07” (which means all of the tobacco in the cigar was harvested in 2007). The veins are few and thin, yet pronounced, and the cigar is heavy in the hand with a firm packing of tobaccos. I notice a peculiar pre-light aroma that reminds me of dried apricot.

Once underway, the profile is cool, creamy, and mellow with a dry, cedary aftertaste. There’s some bitterness present. Coffee, nutmeg, and raisin come to mind. At the midway point, not a ton changes, except for the introduction of tart notes. Construction is excellent throughout, including a solid ash, clear draw, and a perfectly straight burn that requires no touch-ups.

With a name like “Epic,” a price tag north of $13, and a number of favorable reviews already, I was expecting a lot from the Montecristo Epic Vintage 2007 Toro. It delivers in terms of balance, complexity, and performance. Seasoned cigar veterans who might stray away from Altadis brands will be impressed by this, just like another impressive Altadis release that came out earlier in the year: the VegaFina Sumum Edición Especial 2010. For these reasons I award the Epic Vintage 2007 Toro a very solid rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

We’re only days away from the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, and that means the cigar world is fixed in a forward-looking gaze to the new, the sexy, and the most aggressively marketed. No doubt a few of the smokes released at the event will become favorites for years. Many others will soon be forgotten duds.

My colleagues and I have long encouraged our readers to read about and sample the newest creations on the market, but we’ve also done our best to remind you that there’s something to be said for the tried, tested, and true. That’s why today I’m reviewing a smoke that’s no newcomer, and one that is manufactured by one of the oldest, most consistent cigar makers on the planet.

The Work of Art by Arturo Fuente boasts a unique shape that’s a wonder to behold. With a narrowed foot and a torpedo-style cap, the ring gauge of the Work of Art quickly swells to 60, hits 56 at the midway point, and shrinks to 46 just after the red, gold, and black band. It must take years for torcedores to build the skills to create this complex vitola.

Work of Art is available in two varieties: Maduro and Natural. I picked up a Natural at my local tobacconist for right around $11, which is a considerable price to pay for such a small smoke. It has a toothy, brownish-yellow Cameroon wrapper around aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The foot has a light, sweet aroma of honey and hay.

As you might expect, it’s easy to get the narrowed foot lit with a single wooden match. The draw is a bit stiff at this point. As the ring gauge balloons the draw opens nicely. Don’t be surprised if you have to make a minor touch-up at the outset to get the burn straight. Once you do, though, the burn is perfect to the nub.

The flavor at the beginning is classic Cameroon: plenty of sweetness balanced by notes of spice and cedar. As the cigar widens, the profile builds a bit and some bitter leather notes creep in. All the while a light, creamy nuttiness adds texture.

I really do like this cigar. I think many seasoned cigar veterans probably pass it up because it’s mild and small for its price. But there are times when I want a smaller, milder cigar, and I don’t mind paying $11 every once in a while for such a well-built, nicely balanced, beautiful smoke. If you haven’t tried one lately, pick up an Arturo Fuente Work of Art Natural the next time you get the chance. It’s worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

On Tuesday I gave my opinion of the brand new Illusione Singulare 2012. Now I turn to its box-mate, the Illusione Singulare 2011 (which, despite its 2011 designation, is also new). To recap, here’s what I wrote two days ago about the dual release:

The original Illusione Singulare 2010, known as “Phantom,” is one of my favorite cigars of all time, a cigar I bought four boxes of before the the 1,000-box run was exhausted. I remarkably still have half a box left. If ever I’m pressed to give my hypothetical “desert island cigar” (a single cigar that would be the only one you’d smoke for the rest of your life), Phantom is always in consideration.

That makes the 2011 and 2012 Illusione Singulare cigars some of my most anticipated smokes of the year. Both were shipped to stores last week together in boxes of 15, selling for $170 (around $11 per cigar). Boxes apparently randomly have eight of one blend and seven of the other. The two blends can be easily identified because the 2012 comes wrapped in tissue paper and the 2011 doesn’t.

More obviously, the 2012 features a San Andreas maduro wrapper, while the 2011 features a natural corojo wrapper that looks similar to the original 2010 version. Both have a combination of Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Notably, these are the first Illusione cigars to be made in Nicaragua at the TABSA factory operated by Eduardo Fernández, who also owns the Honduran Raices Cubanas factory where all the previous Illusione cigars have been made.

Like the San Andreas-wrapped 2012, the corojo-wrapped 2011 is a toro (6 x 52), whereas the 2010 was slightly thinner (6 x 50). The wrapper is relatively veinless with a bit of shine. It looks a lot like the original Illusione Singulare 2010 Phantom. Not to mention that Illusione-maker Dion Giolito says both (the 2010 and 2011) use a corojo wrapper.

Flavor wise, there are also some similarities to the 2010 Singulare. Like that cigar, the 2011 strikes me as a combination of the Epernay and original Illusione (natural) line. It’s medium-bodied with a lot going on.

The cigar is a very Cuban-esque combination of cedar and earth. Balanced and complex, with flavors that are hard to identify. There’s a hint of the tannic flavors I so enjoyed from the Singulare 2010, especially in the second half of the cigar, but not as pronounced.

It features excellent construction, with an easy draw and even burn. Though wholly unscientific, I think this cigar has real potential for aging, if you have the patience not to smoke them all too quickly.

While currently I think the Singulare 2012 smokes better than the corojo-wrapped 2011, I suspect (given the experience of the 2010) that the Singulare 2011 will age tremendously. With excellent construction, balanced, complex flavors, and good aging potential, the Singulare 2011 earns a formidable four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys