The Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

Spanish Press is the latest line from General Cigar Company’s La Gloria Dominicana brand. It is made at the El Credito rolling gallery within the General Cigar Dominicana factory. “There, artisans place the freshly-rolled cigars into wooden trays with dividers that apply uniform pressure,” reads General’s website. “The trays are then pressed to define their shape. Once pressed, the cigars are placed in specially sized boxes that apply slight pressure to maintain their shape. This process is reminiscent of the old Spanish-press technique used in pre-embargo Cuba where the boxes were used to create the cigars’ distinct form.” The Spanish Press recipe calls for a dark Nicaraguan wrapper from Jalapa around a Mexican San Andrés binder and a filler blend from Nicaragua (Jalapa), Brazil (Mata Fina), and the Dominican Republic (Piloto Cubano and Olor). The Robusto (5.5 x 50, $6.29) is one of three vitolas. It starts with a hearty dose of black pepper spice, leather, and cereals, and a background hint of black cherry. Along the way, the pepper recedes, and the Robusto takes on a creamier composition with standout notes of roast peanuts. The combustion properties are solid (the draw starts a bit tight but quickly opens up). This is my first experience with Spanish Press, though it certainly won’t be my last. I’m impressed, especially for the price. I plan to test drive 3-4 more of these and will report back with a full review. Until then, don’t hesitate to pick up this new La Gloria Cubana.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

There was a time when I stressed over keeping my cigars at a perfect humidity. These days, I’m not so fussy about monitoring my humidors, as I’ve learned to keep all my cigars smoking well without worrying on a daily basis about the readings of my hygrometers.

When you first get into cigars, you read that 70/70 (humidity/temperature) is the ideal way to store your cigars. Soon, though, you probably realize that a slightly lower humidity (62-65%) is often better.

We’ve covered the fundamentals of proper humidity before, but as the outside temperature gets hotter it’s a good time to recap. Anywhere from 62-70% is generally fine. (You can even go all-out and build your own temperature-controlled humidor, or just buy one.)

It’s often a matter of personal preference if you like your cigars a little drier. On the low end of that range, your cigars are certain to burn easily, but possibly a bit quick and hot.

Of course, the first step in proper humidity is making sure your hygrometer is properly calibrated, especially for the inexpensive spring-loaded hygrometers that come with most humidors. For those you can use the salt calibration test.

Eventually, though, you might get to the stage where you don’t even need a hygrometer. I now keep most of my cigars in humidors without one (or I have one but rarely consult it).

I’ve gotten to the point where I’m really only concerned about keeping a select few cigars at their ideal humidity. Over time, I’ve found certain cigars smoke better at slightly higher or lower humidity levels. Thick Broadleaf wrappers, in particular, tend to benefit from a slightly higher humidity.

Other cigars I may pull out of the humidor a few hours before smoking to let the humidity drop a bit before lighting it up. Cigars with a closed foot, which is becoming more common, tend to hold moisture more easily than traditional cigars, so they may benefit from this. The same goes for cigars with a particularly firm draw.

In the end, it’s a case of trial and error, and you may want to experiment a bit. Of course, you’ll want to keep an eye on humidity, and when it comes time to add humidity you shouldn’t hesitate to do so. My favorite way to do this is adding the extra large 320-gram Boveda packs, which do an excellent job maintaining humidity for months at a time, even for the largest humidor.

Ultimately, it’s about checking on your cigars enough to start to know when it is time to add humidity. Once you know how a cigar smoked properly, smoking them (or, at the very least, checking on them regularly) is the best way to keep your cigars smoking ideally.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Cubariqueño Cigar Company introduced itself to the cigar world in a way that was both humble and, by virtue of its association with a longstanding veteran, firmly grounded. In 2015, the small outfit came on the scene with a nondescript table at Erik Espinosa’s booth at the IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans.

Back then, Cubariqueño founders Juan Cancel and Bill Ives, both police officers, were not entertaining delusions of grandeur. They set a goal to open 20 accounts and produced at one factory (Espinosa’s La Zona in Estelí). Before the show was over, they had sold their inventory.

Flash forward to today and Cubariqueño is still very much a small, boutique outfit. But, in an indication of their continued success, they’ve just launched a new size of their fourth blend—Official Misconduct.

The blend sports an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around a Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa. Originally, it was only available in a Toro (6 x 50). As of this summer, though, you can also find it in a Corona Gorda format (5.6 x 46). The retail price is $9.95 and the cigar is packaged in boxes of 10.

Beneath the Corona Gorda’s two silver bands and silver foot ribbon is a Colorado-hued, dry wrapper with more than a couple sizable veins. There are no soft spots; the feel is moderately firm throughout. The well-executed cap clips cleanly to reveal a smooth cold draw. At the foot, the pre-light notes are reminiscent of molasses.

Once lit, the initial flavor is chalky, papery, and dry with considerable black pepper spice. The effortless draw seems to contribute to the airy, papery sensation. Fortunately, after half an inch inch, the profile assumes a more interesting stance with the additions of cocoa, black coffee, and peanut. The next transition, which occurs within the first third, is even more welcome: a replacement of dry, airy notes with a creamy richness and more pronounced peanut. From here, there are few changes before the Corona Gorda is complete.

Construction is solid from light to nub. The burn line is straight, the draw clear, the smoke production voluminous, and the white ash holds well off the foot. None of this should be surprising. Cubariqueño might be new, but La Zona is an experienced, well-respected operation.

I’m looking forward to trying additional blends and sizes from Cubariqueño. And while I like the Protocol Official Misconduct Corona Gorda, the way this cigar starts—which was consistent across the several samples I smoked for this review—gives me some pause. That’s ultimately why I’m awarding it a score not greater than three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A couple times each week we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

No. 1 is a four-country blend: Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Costa Rican binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler tobaccos. The $9 Robusto is well-constructed with a even burn, easy draw, and sturdy ash. It features a medium-bodied, well-balanced combination of leather, pepper, oak, and cream. Pleasant though hardly overwhelming, you’re unlikely to be disappointed by the La Palina No. 1 Robusto.

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 take on a single cigar.

The Avo Classic line sports a Connecticut-seed, sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper around Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The toro-sized No. 2 (6 x 50, $10) features the familiar musty, mushroomy notes that are typical of Hendrik Kelner creations, along with white pepper spice, cream, and macadamia nut. Construction isn’t perfect—the spongy smoke has a meandering burn line and a flaky ash—but the balanced, interesting taste is more than enough to earn my recommendation.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Collaborations between cigar makers are a common way to get consumer attention. If you are a fan of one of the collaborators, you might be turned onto the second brand. If you already like both, the joint effort becomes a must-try new cigar.

Such collaborations aren’t as common in the spirits industry. But that’s the case with Probitas, which is a blend of rums from Foursquare in Barbados and Hampden in Jamaica, blended together by Richard Seale of Foursquare.

The white rum (which sells for around $35 a bottle) sells under the name “Veritas” outside the U.S., presumably due to trademark issues. It is an unusual combination of “coffey column” still rum (from Foursquare) and “double retort pot still” (from Hampden). The resulting blend is 47% ABV.

For a white rum it has a notably yellowish tint, likely because Probitas (and Seale) make a point of unadulterated (and, thus, not over-filtered) rum. The nose features lemon custard, booze, and bananas.

Tasted neat, it shows off tropical notes of pineapple and banana, a pleasant creaminess, and rich molasses with oak. The short finish tingles the tongue with light cedar and caramel.

It’s enjoyable neat, which I’ll admit is unusual for a white rum. But it really shines in cocktails. It’s perfect in a daiquiri (two parts Probitas, one part simple syrup, and one part fresh lime juice) and has just the right amount of funkiness for a Kingston Negroni (equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth, and rum).

Foursquare and Hampden happen to be two of my favorite rum distilleries, so it’s hardly a surprise that I enjoy Probitas. Foursquare is known for not adding sugar to its rums, while Hampden is known for traditional Jamaican funk. Both elements are apparent in this premium-priced white rum.

If you want to treat yourself to a white rum that really shines, Probitas is well worth trying. If you’re drinking it neat, pair it with a balanced, mild cigar like the Cabaiguan, Davidoff Grand Cru, Illusione Epernay, or Paul Garmirian Gourmet. It you’re using it to upgrade your rum cocktail, pair it with any fine cigar you like.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Editors’ Note: In the coming weeks, I will be writing about my experience consolidating my cigar storage setup. As a precursor, today I am republishing an article I wrote about managing multiple humidors. It originally appeared here on April 25, 2012.]

Wouldn’t it be nice to have one large humidor in your home, preferably a walk-in, with all the cigars easily accessible, sorted by name, and labeled with received dates? It would make aging simpler, humidification easier to monitor, and your whole stash more organized.

Sometimes I think those of us who regularly visit the online cigar community, or those of us who write for it, automatically assume every reader has one elaborate cigar storage setup that costs thousands of dollars. I’m sure some do. But I don’t. And chances are you don’t, either. That said, I want to be clear that I’m not complaining. As I’ve written before, I’m fortunate to have a wonderful cigar den that allows ample room for my humidors, as well as nice space for indoor smoking during those cold Chicago winters. While I may not have a walk-in teeming with the world’s rarest and most expensive smokes, I’m certainly happy and thankful for what I have.

All this isn’t to say that my setup doesn’t present some challenges. It does, and I think many of the challenges apply to the average cigar consumer. So I figured I’d outline my top two challenges—and the solutions I’ve concocted to confront them—so the information can help others (or with hopes that you have comments and suggestions about how I might improve my own setup).

First, let me say that at any given time I have anywhere from five to seven humidors. The variance is explained by the fact that, depending on inventory, I sometimes outfit two large Tupperware containers with humidification beads and Spanish cedar to store spillover smokes. 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 the five traditional wooden humidors all carry sentimental value (i.e., the one I got for my wedding that’s engraved with the wedding date) 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. Each humidor seems to hold onto humidity differently, and that can make proper maintenance difficult. My solution? Once every so often (more often in the winter, when the natural air humidity is lower) I examine and rotate the cigars in each humidor. I also check to see if the humidification device in each humidor needs to be “recharged.”

The second challenge—especially with all the rotation—is keeping track of which cigars are stored where. I combat this by keeping brands together (i.e., Tatuaje with Tatuaje, PDR with PDR, etc.) and then noting in a spreadsheet which brands are in which humidor. This isn’t perfect because it requires me to reference a document if I’m looking for something in particular. But I’ve found it helpful. I’m considering doing something similar but, instead of organizing the cigars by brand, organizing them by type (i.e., cigars that need to be reviewed, golf course smokes, special cigars for special occasions, etc.).

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on how to improve my setup. Or, if you have a completely different setup/strategy, please feel free to share in the comments below as well.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys