The Super Bowl has plenty of cigar tie-ins. In fact, for a brief few days in the run-up to the big game, Indianapolis might have been the center of the American cigar scene.

Ron Jaworski hosted his third annual cigar party to support his charity. A celebrity poker event hosted by Devin Hester and LeSean McCoy at the Indianapolis Zoo featured Punch cigars. Anther charity fundraiser offered guests El Tiante cigars. And revelers at the Rolling Stone party were treated to a pairing featuring Bacardi rum and cigars (La Gloria Cubana or CAO La Traviata).

But really there’s only one cigar every fan and player wants to smoke at the Super Bowl: a victory cigar. As a New Yorker and a Giants fan I was  lucky enough to get to light up a victory cigar after this year’s game. (I’m also a Mets, Knicks, and Rangers fan, so celebrating championships is a rare thing indeed.)

For my celebratory smoke I fired up the last of my Cohiba Behikes and poured a glass of fine bourbon. The cigar tasted great, even though in the past I’d always found the Behike 54 to be a little underwhelming, especially for the $50 pricetag.

But then that’s the point. A cigar tastes better when you’ve got something to celebrate, and the bigger the celebration the better. Birthdays, weddings, and championships are all prime time for a fine cigar. And while those events may be few and far between (especially for Mets fans), there’s a lesson in there that’s applicable to everyday life. The most under-looked aspect of whether a cigar will be enjoyable or not is the mindset of the smoker.

So find something (even if it’s small) to celebrate every time you light up a cigar, and you’ll find the cigars taste better.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Winston Churchill Gallery

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We know it gets harder all the time to find spots where you can enjoy a cigar outside a shop or your personal smoking space. But that doesn’t mean it is impossible.

I’m starting a campaign to share venues that are cigar-cordial and likely not on the typical list of such places. Hopefully it can be a resource for everyone, from those traveling to an unfamiliar location to folks seeking a new experience right around home. I’ll kick it off with two places in my general area (Tampa Bay) where I’ve enjoyed cigars in a friendly atmosphere.

Skipper’s Smokehouse. This amazing restaurant and concert venue is a Tampa institution, presenting music ranging from Americana to Zydeco. The stage is outside—fans in the summer, heaters in the winter—with chairs, picnic tables, and benches around the dance “floor.” The only comments I’ve had when smoking were inquiries about whether you could buy a cigar there. Alas, no, but it‘s also only a few miles from two large shops, Tampa Humidor and Cigar Castle. So you can stock up on stogies before hitting Skipper’s for a dinner and a show.

Miss Vicki’s. A quintessential Florida burger joint, Miss Vicki’s consists of a covered bar, open-air tables, and a small stage that often features local musicians. But the star of the show is the restaurant’s extraordinary waterside location where the Anclote River enters the Gulf. You’re only yards from the water and facing west for beautiful sunsets. Who could resist lighting up in a setting like this in a place called Holiday? One caution and one hint: Seating is limited and it’s often packed; try the Key Lime pie.

Now it’s your turn. Add your suggestions. Let’s keep this going and create a resource that will make cigar smoking even more enjoyable.

-George E

photo credit: Flickr

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Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

The Alec Bradley Prensado has gotten plenty of buzz lately after being named Cigar Aficionado‘s Cigar of the Year, but I’ve generally preferred the Family Blend, which was released around the same time. This time, I’m smoking the “VR1″ size (5.5 x 50). It’s a medium-bodied cigar with good balance. The flavors are woody and roasted, and the construction is excellent. And yet, this particular cigar was uncharacteristically flat. I’m still a fan of this line (and even this size), but this single cigar just didn’t have the complexity I’ve come to expect from the Family Blend.

Verdict = Hold.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I really enjoy the Lonsdale in this blend, which I reviewed back in March 2011. But I continue to find the Robusto (5 x 48) to be less than spectacular. For some reason, this vitola in the Habano Ecuadorian-wrapped line doesn’t have the sweetness or the balance of the Lonsdale, leaving the main profile of dark coffee, pepper, and leather to be too singular and sometimes bitter. I have all the respect in the world for Pete Johnson and Tatuaje, but I don’t consider this El Triunfador to be worth the $7 it retails for.

Verdict = Sell.

-Patrick A

photo credit: N/A

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As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) Imperial Tobacco Group, a United Kingdom-based company that owns Altadis and is considered the world’s largest producer of cigars, announced a 10% jump in net revenue thanks to increased sales in Cuban cigars, as the company owns a 50 percent share in the Cuban national cigar distribution company Habanos. Sales of cigars in emerging markets such as China and Russia were particularly strong—up 14% in the last year. “In the U.S., the market remains highly competitive with first quarter volumes impacted by trade buying patterns around our October price increase,” reads a statement from the company.

2) Should the government be able to fine you for smoking in your own vehicle? Some Ohio lawmakers think so, and they have introduced a bill in the state senate that would criminalize citizens for lighting up in their own cars if children are present. Ohio already has a statewide smoking ban. If the bill is adopted, the Buckeye State would join Louisiana, California, and Maine as the only states where you can be ticketed for smoking inside a private vehicle.

3) Inside the Industry: CAO is adding the Luminoso (4.5 x 50) frontmark to its La Traviata Maduro line, which will sell for $5.10 each or $153 for a 30-count box. General Cigar is adding a Gigante size (6 x 60) to its best-selling Macanudo Cafe and Macanudo Maduro lines, with each selling for $7.99 each or $199.75 for a box of 25.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Padilla Artemis. Cigar Explorer explores the Liga Undercrown Corona (pre-release). Cigar Fan fires up a Vega Fina José Seijas 2011. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Reinado Habanito. Cigar Inspector inspects an Elogio Serie LSV. Casas Fumando smokes the Carlos Toraño Signature Collection.

5) Deal of the Week: Smoke Inn has a selection of 10-packs on sale for just $27, including free shipping. Choices include 10-packs of the Montecristo Classic, Padilla 1968 Golden Bear, Partagas Black, Perdomo, Rocky Patel Edge, Romeo y Julieta Vintage, and Trinidad 100th Anniversary.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Imperial Tobacco

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In 2010, Rocky Patel bought a 50% share in EO Brands, maker of such lines as EO 601, Cubao, Murcielago, and Mi Barrio (all made at Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua). Yesterday, Eddie Ortega, co-founder of EO Brands along with Erik Espinosa, announced he was leaving the company and starting his own outfit called Ortega Cigars.

“I’ve wanted to do this for quite some time and now is the right time,” Ortega told Cigar Aficionado. “Eric [Espinosa] is like my brother, but I wanted to be independent.” His new company will be headquartered in Sunrise, Florida, just north of Miami. A buyout of his share in EO Brands is being finalized.

Ortega’s new website has already announced three cigar lines. The first, due in March, is the Series D, which will feature a San Andreas maduro wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Ortega also announced two other lines, Brotherhood and Aftershock, but details were hard to come by. To get some information on the other lines, I touched base with Eddie to see what he is planning.

As for Brotherhood, Ortega tells me he doesn’t have the blend yet, but plans to soon. “I just wanted to start promoting the project because it is for a great cause. I want to somehow help out our military heroes and their families. Fifty percent of all profits will be donated to some of the organizations that help our military men and their families,” Ortega told me. He also said that Aftershock is also still in development.

Ortega plans to keep his company small. He says he already has 100 accounts lined up and wants to limit his exposure to around 300 stores. “I don’t want to open a zillion accounts…just good retailers that support the product. That would be cool with me.”

If that happens, he told me he might not even attend the annual IPCPR Trade Show where new cigar companies usually go to promote their brand and open new accounts. At the moment he is handling his own distribution, but he is “in talks with a couple of distributors, but only to distribute to certain areas in the country.”

The Series D is being made at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua, which is run by the Pepin family, his longtime collaborators at EO Cigars. As for future lines, he said he was “planning to make some brands with other factories.”

Ortega described the Series D as an “awesome blend…We are using some fillers from Jalapa and Estelí that are crazy good and help create a profile that is full-bodied with lots of spice, flavor, and aroma. I know the consumer will love this one!”

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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Ever since June 2009 when President Obama signed the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,” my colleagues and I have written ad nauseam about the danger of granting the Food & Drug Administration jurisdiction over handmade cigars.

Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Co., hasn’t been taking this threat sitting down. As chairman of both Cigar Rights of America and the recently established Puro Pac, Borysiewicz has graciously volunteered his time and money to defend cigar rights. His current efforts are focused on building support for HR 1639, a bill that would exempt premium handmade cigars from FDA regulation.

To draw attention to the bill and raise money in support of it, Borysiewicz partnered with the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. to launch a line called House Resolution. Offered in three vitolas—Chairman (5 x 56), Speaker (7 x 52), and Whip (6.5 x 52)—the blend is made in Nicaragua with a San Andreas maduro wrapper and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-filler tobacco.

The House Resolution Chairman is priced at $79.95 for a box of 20 or $37.50 for a 5-pack at Corona Cigar Co. The dark, textured smoke is firm to the touch with no soft spots. The foot emits pungent pre-light notes of peanut and cocoa.

After establishing an even light, a profile of leather, black coffee, and charred wood emerges. Normally I would associate such flavors with full body. But this cigar seems to bundle bold tastes into a smooth package, leaving the overall impact milder than you might expect. Helping to tone down the body is a faint chocolaty sweetness. This sweetness builds as the cigar progresses. All the while the physical properties are excellent, including a straight burn line, an easy draw, and a gray ash that holds nicely off the foot.

The per-stick price when you buy by the box ($4) makes the House Resolution Chairman an easy recommendation. Although it doesn’t have loads of complexity or a whole lot of balance, it sports an interesting flavor that fans of San Andreas tobacco will find delightfully familiar. And it does so while going easy on your wallet and contributing to the cause of cigar freedom. For that, I tip my cap, and I award this cigar three and a half stogies out of five.

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

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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The world can be split into two types of people: those who know about Pappy Van Winkle bourbon and those who don’t. Say “Pappy” around those who know, and they’ll start talking about how they procured a rare bottle or the time they saw it on a shelf at a bar. Everyone else just gives you a funny look and says, “Pappy what?”

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve bourbon (some of the oldest bourbon around at 15, 20, and 23 years) is notoriously difficult to find. If you’re lucky, you might get on a waiting list for some of the rare nectar, which pretty much never makes it to a store’s shelf because it’s always sold out in days.

Still rare, but not as impossible to find is the Van Winkle Special Reserve, which at 12 years old is still old by bourbon standards and sells for anywhere from $50 to $90. Called “Lot B” (even though nothing they make is called “Lot A”), the Special Reserve uses no rye, but instead uses wheat along with a majority of corn that’s required to legally be called a bourbon.

The resulting bourbon is bottled at 90.4-proof and deep copper in color. The nose features butterscotch and vanilla. The bourbon starts out with oak, caramel, toasted corn, vanilla, and just a hint of nutmeg and pepper spice. There’s also plenty of heat from the 45.2% alcohol content. It’s thick on the palate with a long, soft finish that features citrus and oak.

Perhaps not quite as extraordinary as the older Pappy Family Reserve lines, the Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year is certainly an excellent spirit. It has the depth of flavor to stand up to even the most full-bodied cigar. So if you’re on the waiting list for the older and rarer Pappys, you could do far worse than the Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Bourbon. It’s one of those special spirits that every bourbon fan should try at least once.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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Years ago, I overheard a gentleman make a wise statement in a cigar shop that has stuck with me ever since. “The best cigar is the cigar you like the best,” he said.

What a wonderfully simple (and true) declaration. So many people choose to smoke cigars that are new or expensive because they think those sticks will make them look cool. Others only choose cigars that have received the highest ratings, or those that are made by the trendiest cigar makers. Still others only smoke the biggest, the boldest, the darkest, or the thickest. And others hunt for certain flavor profiles.

But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that the cigar you choose makes you feel great and provides a pleasant experience. There’s no right answer when it comes to picking your cigar or deciding when, where, or how to smoke it. As long as enjoyment is the end result, you’re doing it right. Keep up the good work.

And if you have an all-time favorite cigar, well that’s fine too. I applaud your ability to narrow down the massive field to one supreme smoke, whether you’ve deemed that smoke supreme for its sentimental value or its physical attributes. Just don’t be shocked when I tell you I don’t have a favorite.

I often get asked what my favorite cigar is, and I think people are surprised—and sometimes disappointed—when I don’t have an answer. The truth is, I don’t have a favorite all-time song either. The music I listen to depends on a lot of different variables, not the least of which is my mood. Results can vary across genres that are completely dissimilar. If I could name a favorite song, it would change so often that it would render the act of naming a favorite completely meaningless.

That said, I do have a dozen or so songs that I would consider consistently among my favorites, some because they have sentimental value, some because I just really like the way they sound. The same could be said for cigars. Maybe I should have a “top five” answer prepared for the next time I’m asked what my favorite cigar is. Or maybe it’s enough to say, “I like too many cigars for too many different reasons to pick a favorite.”

No, I don’t think you have to have a favorite cigar. But I won’t hold it against you if you do. If you have a favorite, feel free to share it in the comments below, and feel free to mention why it’s at the top of your all-time best-of list.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Every time I light up this Abe Flores creation I find myself wondering why I took so long to come back to it. I may not light up a Cubano Especial Capa Natural Robusto (5 x 52) very often but, when I do, this Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped smoke never disappoints. It has a tremendous flavor of dry oak, vanilla, nuts, and cream that’s complemented by some floral notes. And the construction is outstanding. For its sub-$5 retail price, this is a steal.

Verdict = Buy.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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