The Stogie Guys

For one cigar company, the biggest gift of the year doesn’t come under the Christmas tree but at the top of Cigar Aficionado’s annual Top 25. This year, the legendary García family scored the win with their My Father Le Bijou 1922 Box-Pressed Torpedo.

Interestingly, My Father also took the top spot on Cigar Snob’s list, but it was the El Centurion H-2K-CT Toro that landed there. Cigar Journal’s number one choice was the Eiroa Classic Prensado, which did not appear on the other two lists.

As sure as winter brings cold weather, year’s end brings a seemingly endless array of rankings of cigars from magazines, blogs, and podcasts. Smokers argue about their value and validity, but you can’t deny the lists can make a difference in sales.

StogieGuys.com, by the way, doesn’t do a best-of list. Even with three regular smokers, we know it’s possible to evaluate only so many cigars, so we opt to present, without ranking, what we found to be the best we had during the year, and those that came very close.

Unquestionably, the most discussion of lists centers on the industry’s 800-pound gorilla, Cigar Aficionado. Love it, hate it, follow it, or ignore it, there’s no denying that a top rating by the slick publication moves the market like no other. Just ask Alec Bradley or Oliva. This year, perhaps CA’s most controversial topic of conversation was choosing General’s CAO Flathead V660 Carb at the number three spot.

I spent some time going through a number of the lists, especially those from CA, Snob, and Journal, as well as looking at some past rankings.

The first thing that jumped out at me was CA’s 2013 list. There at number nineteen was that same My Father Le Bijou 1922 Box-Pressed Torpedo that was tops this time. Last year, the highest a Pepín/My Father-branded smoke made it was seventeen. Of course, the My Father crew works with numerous brand owners, such as Tatuaje and Ashton, which often rank highly, and García’s Flor de las Antillas Toro was the top pick of 2012.

A noticeable oddity: Bringing up the rear of both CA and Journal’s Top 25 lists was the same boutique cigar: Sublimes Robusto Extra. Almost as close were the magazines’ rankings for La Boheme Pittore. Journal put it at eleven, CA one notch lower.

One of the most anticipated cigars of 2015—Steve Saka’s Sobremesa—didn’t place on any of the three lists. Another hot debut smoke, El Güegüense, from Saka’s fellow former Drew Estate colleague Nick Melillo, was only on Snob’s list, at twelve.

On the other hand, the blog Blind Man’s Puff had El Güegüense first and Sobremesa second. And Stogie Review’s Ben Lee rated them fourth (Sobremesa) and third (El Güegüense).

But just to show how much cigar preferences are a matter of personal taste, Lee’s top smoke was the Avo Syncro Nicaragua Toro. That same smoke was sixteen on CA’s list and didn’t show at all on the Snob or Journal selections.

Padrón, the brand cited often by many tobacconists as their best seller, had a cigar on each of the three magazine lists. Again, though, the ratings illustrate the variations in taste. CA rated the Padrón Family Reserve 50 Years Natural at five, Journal put the Maduro version at two, and Snob went for the Padrón Damaso No. 8 at fifteen.

Whatever your feelings about year-end lists, they are invariably a good place to start when you’re looking for new smokes. At the least, you know someone thought they were good.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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.”

Last year La Flor Dominicana’s Coronado blend returned after being discontinued in 2013. In smoke shops, though, it seemed the cigar never went away at all, like the one where I found this Double Toro (7  x54) from the original run. (You can tell the new version by the new band which prominently features “LFD” in the center, while the old version only says “Coronado by La Flor” in small letters at the bottom.) The cigar features heavy oak, light cream, a little pepper, and a dusty, powdery element. It’s medium- to full-bodied with excellent construction that requires a deliberate slow pace. The original Coronado might not have sold well—hence the remaining availability despite the line being pulled from the market years ago—but I always enjoyed Coronado, and this was no exception.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Chattanooga’s Burns Tobacconist put itself on the national radar with its annual “Chattanooga Tweet-Up” event featuring a litany of cigar companies and personalities. More recently, the Tennessee cigar shop further expanded its national profile by introducing a series of exclusive cigars.

Earlier in 2015, a La Aurora 100 Años Cameroon Lancero and Sabor de Chattanooga by Guayacan Cigars (also a lancero) were introduced as store exclusives. Late last year, a Corona Gorda version of Blind Man’s Bluff by Caldwell Cigar Co. was added to the lineup.

Like the three regular Blind Man’s Bluff vitolas, the Corona Gorda (5.75 x 46) is made at the Davidoff-owned Agroindustria LAEPE, S.A. factory in Honduras, which is home to Camacho. It sells for $7.50 each, or $120 for a box of 20 (when you add the discount code BMB4LE).

The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that is medium brown and dry with some visible veins. Underneath is a Honduran Criollo binder, and the filler consists of Honduran Criollo Generoso and Dominican San Vicente.

Pre-light, the Corona Gorda features sweet earth and dried fruit. Once lit, it imparts a combination of wood and damp earth with salt and pepper notes and a slight vanilla sweetness.

As it progresses, the pepper spice falls off slightly as charred oak emerges along with some creaminess. There is a light cocoa powder on the long finish.

Although the cigar feels slightly under-filled, it doesn’t suffer any combustion problems. The draw is ideal, the ash solid, and the burn, while not perfectly straight, is not a problem.

All around, this is an enjoyable cigar. It’s rich with just the right touches of spice, cream, and wood. It has solid construction and decent balance, all at a reasonable price. That earns the Caldwell Cigar Company’s Blind Man’s Bluff Corona Gorda a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

One of the best cigars I smoked in 2015, and one of only six to receive our top rating, was the Paco Robusto size of the debut blend from Las Cumbres Tabaco: Señorial. So, in 2016, I’m resolving to smoke my way through the remaining four vitolas in the Señorial catalog to see which size best suits my palate. Today I’m reviewing the Corona Gorda No. 5.

To refresh your memory on the background of this blend, recall José Blanco left Joya de Nicaragua in 2013 after creating the critically acclaimed CyB cigar line (formerly Cuenca y Blanco). Some speculated CyB’s sales never lived up to expectations—notwithstanding virtually unanimous praise from the online cigar community.

Blanco, a longtime industry veteran and roving cigar ambassador who is well known for his tasting seminars and extensive travel to cigar shops, headed back to the Dominican Republic (before joining Joya, he spent 29 years at La Aurora). He announced the creation of Las Cumbres Tabaco in February 2014. The venture, which translates to “summits of tobacco,” includes a partnership with Tabacalera Palma, operated by Blanco’s cousin, Jochi Blanco, in Tamboril, Santiago.

The first Las Cumbres blend was officially launched June 2014. Called Señorial (Spanish for “lordly”), it boasts a Habano Ecuardor wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder from Estelí, and Dominican filler tobaccos of the Piloto Cubano and Corojo varieties. Marketed as “full-bodied and truly full-flavored,” it is offered in 5 sizes that retail for $7 to $11: Paco Robusto (5.25 x 52), Toro Bravo (6 x 54), Le Grand (6 x 60), Belicoso No. 2 (6.25 x 52), and Corona Gorda No. 5 (5.5 x 46).

The latter boasts a clean, oily wrapper that’s silky to the touch and traversed by a network of veins that range from thin to prominent. Moderately spongy to the touch, the unlit cigar smells of cinnamon, apricot, and sweet hay. A simple punch cut is all that’s required to reveal a smooth cold draw.

After setting an even light with a single wood match, a toasty profile emerges with notes ranging from red pepper and cedar spice to cinnamon butter and dry wood. Unlike the Paco Robusto, my palate doesn’t find much dried fruit or creamy nut, though there is some molasses and black pepper towards the halfway mark and into the final third. Green raisin makes an appearance from time to time in the medium-bodied blend.

The physical properties were outstanding across the several samples I smoked for this review. Expect a solid white ash, clear draw, even burn line, and above-average smoke production.

In my review of the Paco Robusto, I wrote, “Señorial is the kind of blend that makes you want to expect more from cigars. And it’s the kind of cigar that makes you want to light up another as soon as it’s finished. It delivers handsomely in the departments of flavor, balance, complexity, and construction.” All this remains true in the Corona Gorda No. 5 format, though I have to give the slight edge to the Paco Robusto since—to me, anyway—that shorter, thicker smoke is a little more complex. Still, this is a tremendous cigar, and one that’s worthy of a very commendable rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

From all of us at StogieGuys.com, we want to wish you a happy and healthy 2016 filled with many fine cigars! We’re taking a few days off to celebrate the new year with friends and family, but we’ll be right back here on Monday with more cigar reviews, news, interviews, commentaries, and tips in what will be our tenth year covering the world of cigars.

Until then, you can follow us on our official Twitter feed, on Instagram, and on Facebook, or you can sign up for our free email newsletter.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

[In order to help our readers ring 2016 in right, we’re republishing this tip about how to pair cigars and champagne. Enjoy!]

Pairing brown liquor with  cigars is the more obvious choice, but champagne (or other sparkling wines) can go surprisingly well with a smoke. Not to mention the celebratory nature of the bubbly. To enhance your champagne and cigar enjoyment, here are a few basic tips:

Save the top-dollar champagne.

Champagne can be fantastic, but unless you have unlimited funds, the vintage Dom Pérignon should be held back if you’re smoking a cigar. You pay a price for the champagne name (meaning it’s from the Champagne region of France). There are plenty of good champagne-style sparkling wines that can be had for a reasonable cost. Spending $50 or $100 on brand name French bubbly will probably be a waste (considering you’re going to lose some of the complexities due to your cigar). Spanish Cava, in particular, can be had for a fraction of the price.

Stick with mild cigars.

Champagne doesn’t have the heft of rum, whiskey, or even beer or coffee. The best champagnes are the most subtle, so the same subtlety is needed in the cigar you pair with your sparkling wine. Stick with mild cigars that have balance. Too often Connecticut-wrapped cigars feature bitterness, so look for those with age and balance. Extra-aged Cubans can be a great pairing, and a special mention is deserved for the Illusione Epernay, which is named after the Champagne region and was blended with a champagne pairing in mind.

Age your cigars and your champagne.

Smoking a cigar with champagne calls for a cigar that is smooth, mild, complex, and subtle, all of which can be the result of aging a cigar. Some cigars just lose their flavor with age, so be careful, but others are enhanced by months or years aging properly in a humidor. Some of the same things happen to aged champagne which, while not for everyone, loses some of its bubbly crispness but adds creaminess and depth along the lines of a well-aged white burgundy. Usually you pay extra for vintage champagne. But if you can get some of those same qualities by just putting aside a good champagne and waiting, don’t be afraid to give it a try. (Not long ago I had some non-vintage Champagne Tattinger with a decade of age, and the result was very impressive.)

Cheers!

–Patrick S

photo credit: Wikipedia