The Stogie Guys

Though I haven’t gotten around to reviewing any of them, Kurt Kendall’s 7-20-4 cigars have become staples in my humidor. The “Dogwalker” size has particularly become a favorite as it delivers full cigar flavors in a small size (4 x 40) that takes less than 30 minutes to smoke.

So when I heard Kendall was introducing a new line at this year’s industry trade show, I was looking forward to trying it. It is called 1874, which commemorates the opening of the 7-20-4 factory in Manchester, New Hampshire. Two years ago Kurt Kendall, who runs the Twins Smoke Shop in New Hampshire, re-introduced the 7-20-4 blend (and resurrected the trademark) which had been made at the Manchester factory until 1963. (more…)

After finishing my first MJ12, I couldn’t help but think how much I would like another. Though I didn’t light one up immediately, not having another two hours or so to spare, I have had several since that initial experience. And all have been excellent.

This thick, oily cigar from Dion Giolito’s Illusione brand is rich in flavors, complex, and balanced. Beginning with peppery spice befitting its Nicaraguan tobacco, the cigar evolves as it slowly burns down the six-inch length. I’ve picked up leather, cedar, floral notes, coffee, and a tobacco sweetness that blends nicely with various spices. (more…)

The Cohiba Behike has embodied the very definition of cigar hype since it was announced in February 2010 and hit international retailers in May of that year. Habanos SA, Cuba’s state-owned tobacco monopoly, called it “the new standard among smokers worldwide.” Longtime enthusiasts lauded it for ushering in a second era of Cuban dominance. And Cigar Aficionado named one of the Behike sizes the top smoke of 2010—awarding it a whopping 97 points.

To say this cigar has earned its fair share of press and accolades would be a massive understatement. This hype is due, at least in part, to the exorbitant prices commanded by the three Behike vitolas, which can reach as high as $75 per cigar depending on the market. Notwithstanding that cost, boxes of Behikes (named for the Taino word for sorcerer or doctor) have been selling out all over the world, making the El Laguito-made brand exceptionally rare.

The BHK 54 (5.7 x 54) certainly has the look of luxury and exclusivity. Packaged in a sleek black box of ten, complete with a fabric underside and a magnet latch, the cigar comes dressed in a beautiful reddish wrapper and a hologram-faced band. Beneath are tightly packed filler tobaccos, at least a portion of which is medio tiempo—a type of sun-grown leaf that’s found at the top of some tobacco plants.

Clipping away a small portion of the pigtail cap reveals an easy draw despite the crowded cross-section of interior tobaccos. Here you’ll find a gentle aroma of hay and honey. Once lit, the BHK 54 starts medium-bodied with subtle notes of cedar, coffee, earth, cream, and grass. I also find powdery cinnamon on the finish, especially after the midway point. But identifying these individual tastes doesn’t accurately describe the profile. The theme throughout is balance and restraint, and this harmony makes it difficult to pick out the components of the sum.

The flavors themselves—or, rather, the overall effect of the flavors—doesn’t change much from beginning to end. I suspect some will find this annoying given the cigar’s price, while others will be pleased with the consistency of the balance. Either way, the profile is amplified in the final third but remains in the medium-bodied spectrum. And all the while the physical properties are superb (including a finely layered gray ash that will hold strong beyond expectation).

At the end of the day, I can’t help but factor price into the equation when deriving a final rating for the Behike BHK 54. Is this Cuban really worth $500-600 for a box of 10? No, especially when you consider the other cigars you can buy with that kind of money. That said, this is a wonderful creation in its own right, and one that promises to deliver a memorable experience to the lucky few who get to try it. So I’m settling on a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I interviewed Tatuaje creator Pete Johnson in the summer of 2010, right around the time the 2008 Vérité was set to become available, he told me the line was his “most serious project to date.” This statement resonated with many enthusiasts who already considered Tatuaje to be among the world’s best cigar outfits.

I can understand why Johnson held Vérité (French for “the truth”) in such high regard given the uniqueness of the venture. “La Vérité Vintage,” as he calls it, brings a vintner’s approach to cigar making, employing a wrapper, binder, and filler all grown on the same farm. “Much like a single vineyard wine, La Vérité showcases the soil where the tobacco was grown,” reads the Tatuaje website. “The seed varietal varies from year to year based on the crop planted and the tobacco yielded.” (more…)

If you do a little research on the Trinidad brand, you’ll find no shortage of inconsistencies. Some claim that Cuban Trinidads were once reserved for foreign diplomats visiting the communist isle. Castro himself refuted this. Others maintain that Trinidad was specifically crafted to appeal to American consumers who illegally purchase Cubans. This assertion remains highly controversial.

Whatever the case, today there are two separate versions of the brand that is named for the city of Trinidad, Cuba: one made by Habanos SA with Cuban tobacco, the other made by Altadis USA in the Dominican Republic. Like so many other cigar brands, the split was a direct result of Fidel Castro’s criminalization of private enterprise and the subsequent embargo. (more…)

Last year, with considerable mystery, a website for Tatuaje Anarchy sprung up. As we first revealed, the cigar was an exclusive cigar made for the West Palm Beach-based Smoke Inn chain of cigar shops. That cigar (reviewed here) was the first exclusive made to celebrate Smoke Inn’s 15th Anniversary.

Proprietor Abe Dababneh has since followed up the Tatuaje Anarchy with more exclusive blends. Currently available is the Padrón Anniversary 1964 SI-15 blend, a thick toro size of the popular Padrón Anniversary line available with both natural and maduro wrappers. Coming in August is the My Father El Hijo, produced at Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. (A final release, by Fuente, is due this Fall.) (more…)

I was browsing my local tobacconist in Chicago the other day when I came across a display of Select Cabinet Reserve cigars. Alec Bradley introduced this line back in 2009, but I couldn’t remember trying any of the five vitolas.

I decided to purchase three Gran Robustos (5.5 x 60) for $7.50 apiece. I can’t say I was particularly drawn to this thick size—I’m usually not a fan of cigars wider than 52 ring gauge—but, for one reason or another, I gravitated to it over the line’s more traditional formats: Robusto (5 x 50), Corona (5.5 x 42), Torpedo (6.1 x 52), and Churchill (7 x 48). (more…)