The Stogie Guys

A.J. Fernandez, the subject of yesterday’s interview, is a prolific cigar maker who has crafted smokes for the likes of Rocky Patel, Padilla, Graycliff, and Gurkha. He also has a wonderful new solo project—San Lotano—and several limited distribution lines, including Man O’ War, Diesel, and 5 Vegas Triple-A.

The latter is not to be confused with the original 5 Vegas Series ‘A’, which sports a Costa Rican maduro wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a three-country filler blend. For starters, it isn’t mentioned on 5 Vegas’ website. Second, the Triple-A is available in only one size: a robusto-sized smoke that measures five inches long with a ring gauge of 56. Third, while Series ‘A’ is marketed primarily as medium-bodied, Triple-A is described as a powerbomb.

With a recipe that includes Cuban-seed ligero tobaccos from Condega, Jalapa, and Estelí, that description sounds plausible enough to me. A quick examination of the Triple-A reinforces that perception. The Pennsylvania broadleaf maduro wrapper is incredibly dark, the feel is firm, and the potent pre-light notes smell of rich coffee.

Online descriptions of the Triple-A feature phrases like “earthy nuances,” “black pepper,” “oak and leather,” and “espresso and cocoa.” For the first few puffs I couldn’t really taste any of these. At the outset, the taste is so bold and overbearing that it’s difficult to pick out individual flavors. Not terribly enjoyable or interesting.

After the preliminary puffs, though, the profile settles considerably. Even though the body is still very full and the strength is still quite powerful, distinct flavors are now discernible, including a cocoa-like sweetness, dark espresso, spice, and charred meat. The overall effect is agreeable, albeit straightforward. Smoking slowly helps bring out fleeting notes of roasted nuts and cream. This is pretty much how it tastes until the nub.

While you may expect a ligero-laden cigar like the Triple-A to have combustion deficiencies, this robusto smokes like a champ. The burn line is straight, the draw is effortless, and the white ash holds tight for well over an inch.

I rarely reach for cigars that are so brash, opting instead for subtlety and balance over shear force. But enthusiasts in search of a reliable, full-bodied cigar that won’t break the bank would do well to pick up the 5 Vegas Triple-A, which retails for $5-7 online. That value helps this A.J. Fernandez creation earn three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Perhaps inspired by the art deco of South Beach not far from the offices of Miami Cigar & Co., this cigar line is tricked out in the style popularized in the 1920s and ’30s. The foil band’s design and colors would be at home on the hood of a Packard or Cord, and the metal container, with 21 sticks, carries the theme along.

I couldn’t find the cigar on Miami’s website, so I am relying on info from retailers and the company’s release announcement in 2010. This cigar is a Pepin Garcia creation that is a mixture of 60% Nicaraguan and 40% Dominican filler, as opposed to his more common all-Nicaraguan blends. The wrapper is a corojo ’06 leaf from Nicaragua and the dual binder pairs Dominican criollo ’98 and Nicaraguan habano ’00 tobacco.

I’ve smoked several of the Robusto Grande, which is 5.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 54. All were good looking cigars, the wrapper dark and the cap nicely applied. Construction was also first-rate, the draw consistently even and the ash tight. The price is a bit over $7.

So, now you know there’s a “but” coming, right? And you’re correct. Perhaps I was expecting too much, because overall I think this is a fine cigar. I just wasn’t bowled over by the taste or complexity. While it isn’t as full-powered as many of Pepin’s sticks, it is no wimp. I’d rank it as medium in strength.

Flavors are certainly pleasant. I found rich tobacco, leather, wood, and a little pepper. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this cigar, especially to someone who’s looking to expand the palate. However, for those seeking a new startling Pepin cigar, I don’t think this is it. For all its positive attributes, I give the Art Deco Robusto Grande three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Cigar maker Rolando Reyes, Sr. is known throughout the industry for his dedication to quality control. Prior to his retirement in 2007, at the age of 83, his work habits included toiling at his Honduran factory long after hours and inspecting individual cigars up to seven times before they shipped.

Today his grandson, Carlos E. Diez, is president of Reyes Family Cigars (formerly Cuba Aliados). He oversees production of all the brands in the company’s portfolio, including Cuba Aliados, Cienfuegos, and Puros Indios.

The latter is a seven-viotla blend that sports an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and binder around filler tobaccos from Ecuador, Brazil, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Affordably priced in the $2-4 range, the Rothschild (5 x 50) is mottled and somewhat spongy with pre-light notes of honey and spice off the foot. The exterior leaf is papery in both appearance and feel, and the well-applied cap clips easily to reveal an easy draw.

After toasting the foot and establishing an even burn, a flavor of dry wood, roast coffee, and peat emerges. At times I also detect a vegetal taste, particularly on the finish. The balance is notable for a cigar in this price range and the smoke is aromatic, cool, and slightly sweet. Nothing too spectacular or complex, but nice for the price.

This profile is a major departure from my previous experiences with this blend. In the past, I’ve found other Puros Indios vitolas to be harsh and salty with sour, disagreeable flavors. But the two Rothschilds I smoked for this review were much, much better.

Perhaps the blend is simply best suited to this format. While that may be the case, I rarely find the performance of blends varies so drastically by size. No, I’m guessing there’s another variable at work: time. Before I lit them up, my Rothschilds had been in my possession for at least two years. My previous experiences with this blend were with much younger cigars.

This is just a hypothesis, mind you. If you decide to pick up a box of Puros Indios cigars in any size, however, I would highly recommend letting them age for a year or more if you find the first specimen to be lacking. Your patience will reward you with a satisfying, albeit straightforward, value cigar with good combustion qualities—one that’s worthy of a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Editors’ Note: The following is a guest review authored by Chris Verhoeven, a friend of StogieGuys.com who is a cigar enthusiast extraordinaire.]

When I think of candela cigars, I usually think of sweet grass and caramel flavors with a dry bitterness. But that’s not what you get with the Illusione 88 Candela.

Apparently, when Dion Giolito was making his limited release Illusione Maduro cigars, he decided to make an even smaller batch of candelas to prove that it’s possible to make a good one. The Illusione Candela 88 and hl are the result. I was intrigued by the idea and picked up a 5-pack of the 88 (reputedly the better of the two) to see if he had succeeded. Being exceedingly rare, I went to my go-to rare cigar hookup at Uptown Cigar and purchased them for $8.50 per stick.

Visually, this is a stunning cigar. This robusto-sized smoke (5 x 52) features the standard white Illusione band which plays nicely off its deep olive wrapper. The veins, compared to the delicate wrapper, are rugged and give an otherwise smooth cigar some character. The head is finished in a beautifully executed triple cap.

The cigar bolts out of the gate with a strong spice—not a typical black pepper spice, but something new and difficult to explain. This quickly takes a backseat and becomes a tingle on the palette. The rest of the first third is dominated by a creamy taste with undertones of peanut.

As it progresses into the second third, the creamy profile remains but the distinct peanut flavor regresses into a less recognizable, but still enjoyable, general nuttiness. The tingling on the palette almost disappears at this point.

The final third brings hay flavors with a mild sweetness that seems familiar from the early parts of the 88 Candela, as if they had always been there, hiding in the background. Although the cigar has some of the dryness I’ve come to expect from other candelas, this dryness is in no way overpowering or unpleasant.

Despite its composition, the cigar has a respectable medium body and produces bountiful smoke, which holds my interest for the full hour it takes to smoke the stick. All the while the burn doesn’t waver much and the ash holds firm.

It seems Dion Giolito has proved it’s possible to make a whole-heartedly enjoyable candela cigar, and I hope he considers releasing more of them in the future. My only complaint comes in the form of the final third of the cigar, where the profile loses some of its complexity. Despite that fault, I’m confidently awarding the Illusione 88 Candela four stogies out of five and announcing that this cigar is well worth the effort to track it down.

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

–Chris Verhoeven

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As noted by my colleague when he reviewed a pre-release Trident, La Sirena is a new, full-bodied addition to the Miami Cigar & Co. portfolio. The blend consists of Nicaraguan criollo and corojo filler tobaccos, dual Nicaraguan habano and corojo binders, and a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper.

Since the samples I smoked were not pre-release, they each came with a band—and what a band it is, taking up almost two-thirds of the cigar. When removed and flattened, the band has a compass look that adds to the nautical theme of the blend.

“The Prince” is a standard Robutso size at five inches long with a ring gauge of 50 (and an MSRP of $8). Pre-light, it smells strongly of hay, almost overpoweringly so, with just a hint of chocolate. The wrapper is toothy with a dark, dull espresso color and surprisingly few oils.

Without any construction issues, the cigar takes to fire well, revealing an initial core of spice and cane syrup sweetness. The smoke is dense and mouth feel definitely puts this cigar in the full-bodied range.

Despite its fullness, as noted by my colleague, the cigar is surprisingly lacking in strength. The ash holds for about an inch before being removed with a light tap.

As the cigar progresses, the spice fades a little allowing chocolate and earth flavors to emerge. There’s also a long, sweet finish that’s quite intriguing. The remainder of The Prince displays variations on the same theme.

Notably, I found that the cigar smoked better when stored at a higher humidity. I smoked one sample that had been in my travel humidor for a few days and that sample was much flatter than the rest.

Still, La Sirena performs admirably, and fans of full-bodied maduros will certainly find this to be an enjoyable smoke. The Prince earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The 107 blend has been one of La Aurora’s most popular releases. It’s no surprise, then, that the Dominican’s oldest cigar maker has opted to add several vitolas.

When it was introduced in 2010 to mark La Aurora’s 107th birthday, 107 came in three sizes: Belicoso, Robusto, and Toro. Later, a Corona and a Lancero were introduced, the latter thanks to demands from fans via social networking websites.

The newest addition to the 107 lineup is the aptly-named “Gran 107,” an intimidating smoke that measures seven inches long with a ring gauge of 58. Here’s how the cigar is being marketed in promotional materials: “After our recent visit to La Aurora, we noticed that many of the rollers/blenders were smoking a 107 in a large format. We asked ‘The Big Cat’ what this was and with his blessing the Gran 107 was born.”

Like the other sizes in the blend, the Gran 107 features an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Dominican binder, and a two-country filler blend from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It retails for $9 and makes a great first impression with an oily sheen and pre-light notes of sweet hay.

The initial flavor is slightly different than the other 107 cigars I’ve tried. While it also encompasses toasty, bready notes and a spicy aftertaste, the Gran 107 more prominently displays an element of sweet graham cracker. Roasted nuts and cream add depth as the white ash progresses. Slightly bitter notes akin to dark chocolate come and go throughout the 150-minute smoke. All the while the construction is top-notch. The burn line tends to meander but never necessitates a touch-up, which is impressive given the wide ring gauge. The draw is smooth and the ash holds firm.

I have to admit that I was skeptical of this size when I received three samples of the Gran 107 in the mail from Miami Cigar & Co., La Aurora’s distributor. I tend to appreciate the 107 most in its narrower ring gauges. My hypothesis is that the blend tastes better when the wrapper-to-filler ratio is highest.

As expected, I’ve concluded that the Gran 107 is not my favorite vitola in the blend. Aside from my preference for the Corona and Lancero in the line, I’m usually not a fan of cigars with ring gauges in excess of 52. That said, the Gran 107 is still a 107, and that means it has a well-balanced, satisfying profile with all the quality I’ve come to expect from La Aurora. So I’m awarding the Gran 107 three and a half stogies out of five and recommending that 107 fans who enjoy large cigars put this beast on their must-try lists.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In an effort to help New York retailers who have been saddled with a 75% tobacco tax, several manufacturers have created blends that are intended to be sold exclusively at tobacconists in the Empire State. One such blend is the Broadway Series by La Aurora, which is currently offered in only one size: “Sumo Toro” (5.75 x 54). The MSRP, including the tax, is $12.25.

The Broadway Series has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, dual binders from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and a filler blend with Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian tobaccos. The construction is excellent with no noticeable imperfections. It is moderately toothy with some rather large veins. Pre-light, the only smell I am able to detect is that of tobacco with maybe a slight hint of sweetness.

The first thing that strikes me is how much stronger this cigar is than the last few offerings I’ve smoked from La Aurora. The Sumo Toro definitely starts off in the full-bodied range with initial flavors of cracked white pepper, earth, and candied almonds. It burns well through the first third with a solid ash and an almost perfect draw.

As the cigar progress, the white pepper spice fades and a slight hint of dark chocolate enters the mix. There’s also a flavor of fresh ground coffee, but the taste is dissimilar to brewed coffee. Throughout the last third, the aforementioned flavors come and go in varying quantities.

As my friend Barry mentioned when he reviewed this cigar, I’m not sure how a $12 exclusive cigar is going to help boost New York retailers’ overall sales. Maybe La Aurora intends to attract out-of-state buyers to New York retailers. Still, wouldn’t New York retailers and cigar enthusiasts alike be better served with a solid smoke in the $5-7 range?

All this aside, I really enjoyed my samples of the Broadway Series. The Sumo Toro reminds me of a much stronger Guillermo León, which isn’t a surprise given the similarities of the blends. While the added strength of the Broadway Series makes it more upfront and slightly less nuanced, I am awarding this extremely enjoyable smoke four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys