The Stogie Guys

This special winter edition of Random Thoughts from the Humidor is dedicated to the snowstorm that blew through my hometown of Chicago this weekend. I know many of you are also dealing with ice, snow, and plummeting temperatures, so I thought today we’d dig into our extensive archives to find some tips that are especially relevant in these cold months.

Take a Year-End Inventory

In a perfect world, I would only have one very large humidor to worry about, not a handful of medium- to small-sized humidors. But because my many humidors carry sentimental value, I can’t bring myself to consolidate. Plus, given the space I have in our condo in Chicago, one very large humidor would be a lot tougher to make space for. One challenge with this setup is monitoring the humidification levels of each individual humidor. Another challenge is understanding what I have and where it’s located. For this reason, every so often I’ll empty the humidors out, get the stock re-organized, remind myself what cigars I have (and what I’m missing), and “re-charge” the humidors. It takes some time, but I find the process enjoyable and valuable. I suggest you do the same, especially as you prepare your own humidor(s) for the winter. If you can, take your time while you work, and enjoy an excellent cigar you’re sure to be surprised to find at the bottom of your stash.

Re-Acquaint Yourself with a Good Tobacconist

In the winter, a good tobacconist that provides a comfortable, warm place to smoke is worth its weight in gold. As you search for a home base from which to conduct your winter cigar operations, feel free to use this article as a helpful decision-making framework. It lists criteria for consideration, like a good selection, fair prices, hours of operation, WiFi, cleanliness, beverage options, and more.

Brave the Cold

If you don’t have an indoor cigar sanctuary in or near your home, you’ll want to start smoking shorter, smaller cigars to minimize your time outdoors. Other than gloves, space-heaters, hats, and long underwear, that’s probably the best advice I can give you. Remember: That 7-inch, 50-ring gauge Churchill you’ve been eyeing in your humidor is a serious investment in time. If you smoke slowly—as you should to maximize enjoyment—it could take two or more hours to complete. Also, keep these words of wisdom from my colleague in mind; they might help you muster the strength to endure the elements: “To brave inclement weather shows true dedication to the wonderful hobby that is cigars… The cold weather smoker need not smile while he bundles up for a sub-freezing stogie session, but he does. When many might close up the humidor until late spring, the cold weather smoker bravely smokes on.”

Drink Well

While you’re out in the snow, warm your bones with some of our favorite winter libations. The Stonewall Jackson has been a favorite of mine for years. You also can’t go wrong with a hot buttered rum. And don’t forget that winter beers can definitely make solid cigar accompaniments.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

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.”

A blend previously only available as a store exclusive, Cigares Privé was added as a full-production line by Illusione shortly before the IPCPR Trade Show earlier this year. The blend is listed simply as having a Corojo wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler, and I’m smoking the gordo size (6 x 60). (There is also a Mexican Maduro wrapper version, and both come in a gordo, plus a pressed toro and a robusto.) After some initial sourness, the cigar settles into a woody, bready profile with light spice and nice medium-bodied balance. This is another winner from Illusione and I particularly look forward to trying it in a more traditional vitola.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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 can’t remember that last time I lit up a La Flor Dominicana smoke, which is truly amazing given how consistently solid the brand is. This realization hit me as I was scanning the selection of a walk-in humidor at a cigar shop. So I picked out a Ligero L-400 (5.75 x 54). This Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped smoke, which features Dominican binder and filler tobaccos, has a balanced profile of sweetness, cream, and subtle spice with a straight burn and a solid ash. I found it to be a good value at about $8.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Famous Smoke Shop

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) Another congressional effort to stop the FDA from regulating premium cigars appears dead after the House of Representatives approved a continuing resolution to fund the government into April without mentioning cigars. The industry had hoped to get changes approved in an appropriations bill, but the continuing resolution does not address the issue. A couple of potentially contentious matters, unrelated to the FDA, could slow, or even halt, approval of the continuing resolution by the Senate.

2) Win Free Cigars: In celebration of its holiday gift page—which helps make finding perfect gifts for cigar enthusiasts easy and fun by showcasing best-rated, best-selling smokes—Holt’s Cigar Company is giving away a $20 gift card to one lucky reader. To enter to win, please “like” the StogieGuys.com Facebook page and leave a comment on the contest post with your dream cigar-related gift. One commenter will be chosen at random in about a week to receive the prize. (You can find our contest rules here.)

3) The impact of the FDA on premium cigars got more national exposure last week when the Washington Post featured a lengthy report on the impact in Ybor City, the area that gave Tampa its moniker as “Cigar City.” Highlighting the plight of the largest operation, the J.C. Newman Cigar Co., the article noted that many “wonder whether the once-booming cigar industry may be on its way out.”

4) Inside the Industry: Villiger Cigars is set to begin shipping a redone 1888 line that was first introduced in 2009 to celebrate the Swiss company’s founding year. The new 1888, as reported by Cigar Aficionado, sports red packaging and a blend based on a 2010 limited edition that marked Villiger’s 100 years in Germany.

5) From the Archives: Getting the most for your money is one of the key selling points for cigar samplers. But you want to make sure it’s the cigars, not your wallet, that get burned. Doing so can sometimes require a bit of planning, and these easy-to-follow tips for selecting a sampler can help make your order a winner.

6) Deal of the Week: Limited quantities of our StogieGuys.com-selected sampler are still available at Cigar & Pipes. Included are cigars we enjoyed years ago that still remain staples in our humidors. Just $58.49 gets you 10 cigars, well below MSRP, including some high-end smokes from Padrón, Fuente, and Oliva.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

More than once I’ve praised the Buenaventura line by Curivari as not only an excellent smoke, but an excellent value (the cigars retail for around $5 each). Over the past couple years, Curivari has begun adding extensions to the line, starting with the Pralines blend in 2015. (Since then, a Connecticut-wrapped Cremas extension and a mixed-filler Picadura version have debuted, too.)

An aside: Curivari has adopted one of my favorite practices when it comes to packaging by selling cigars exclusively in ten-count boxes. This is, as far as I’m concerned, a very consumer-friendly decision, and one that makes the commitment (both financially and simply as a matter of confidence that you’ll enjoy it) much easier in which to enter. I wish more companies would adopt the practice.

The Pralines line extension takes the all-Nicaraguan blend of the original Buenaventura line and adds a Mexican wrapper. I smoked three of the P554 size (a pressed 5.75-inch, 54-ring gauge robusto) for this review, though the blend also comes in Toro (6.75 x 52) and Gordo (4.9 x 60) formats.

Visually, it’s a classic, attractive cigar with a relatively vein-free, toothy, medium-brown wrapper and a not-too-sharp box press. Unless you find the classic, albeit simple, band cheap (I don’t), there is nothing about this cigar that gives away its value-oriented price.

Once lit, you’re greeted by dry wood with light spice, bread, roast coffee, and graphite notes. As the cigar develops, the spice becomes a more pronounced red pepper flavor mingled with gingerbread, plus the slightest hint of sourness.

It’s firmly medium-bodied throughout, though there are some notable variations in flavor from start to finish. Construction is excellent with a deliberate but not overly firm draw, mostly even burn, and solid salt and pepper ash.

While not quite as flavorful or perfectly balanced as the original Buenaventura blend, there is still a lot to like about this cigar, including its sub-$6 price tag. That earns the Curivari Buenaventura Pralines P554 a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

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.”

 

Before Gary Griffith retired from Emilio—a cigar outfit he founded in 2010 that grew to become a distributor of various boutiques under the House of Emilio umbrella—he introduced Draig Cayuquero. This four-vitola line is comprised of a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The Toro (6 x 50) retails for about $12 and yields a medium-bodied, straightforward profile of dark cherry, leather, and musty earth notes. Hints of black pepper and cedar spice come and go, and the combustion properties are fine, though the draw can be a bit tight. I was hoping for more, especially in this price range. And I wasn’t terribly impressed with occasional waves of heat, harshness, and bitterness.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys