The Stogie Guys

First Smoke is a new series of Quick Smoke reviews, each evaluating a single pre-release cigar. Like the Quick Smokes we publish each Saturday and Sunday, each First Smoke is not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

BG Meyer is an offshoot of the re-branded Camacho line and a project of Hollywood writer and producer Rob Weiss, a member of Camacho’s “Board of the Bold” (along with Matt Booth and Mike Ditka). The recently introduced BG Meyer Gigantes line is the third BG Meyer release, and it showcases a seven-year-old Nicaraguan-grown Habano wrapper. Underneath is a six-year-old Brazilian Mata Fina binder and six-year-old filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The line comes in four sizes. For this assessment, I’m smoking the 56 (5 x 56). (The Gigantes name, by the way, isn’t about the sizes in the line, but rather a reference to giant personalities and influences.)

The cigar is dominated by earth and oak, though notes of coffee, bread, clove, and hints of red pepper are also apparent. Davidoff (which owns Camacho) has been emphasizing Nicaragua lately in its releases, but Gigantes may be the most quintessentially Nicaraguan smoke in its entire catalog. The cigar, which sells for around $12, is nicely balanced, medium- to full-bodied, and well-constructed.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

According to a recent report, the Obama administration may exclude the U.S. from an annual United Nations vote that condemns America’s 54-year-old embargo on Cuba. The vote is expected to take place next month.

The move comes amid thawing diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana, as well as Pope Francis’ visit to the communist island nation (Francis “worked behind the scenes to broker the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations,” according to the Associated Press).

“U.S. officials tell the AP that the Obama administration is weighing abstaining from the annual U.N. General Assembly vote on a Cuban-backed resolution demanding that the embargo be lifted. The vote could come next month. No decision has yet been made, said four administration officials who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on sensitive internal deliberations and demanded anonymity. But merely considering an abstention is unprecedented. Following through on the idea would send shock waves through both the United Nations and Congress. It is unheard of for a U.N. member state not to oppose resolutions critical of its own laws. By not actively opposing the resolution, the administration would be effectively siding with the world body against Congress, which has refused to repeal the embargo despite calls from President Barack Obama to do so,” reports the Associated Press.

In early July the U.S. and Cuba moved to formally restore diplomatic relations, including the re-establishment of embassies in Washington and Havana. By then President Obama had already issued an executive order making legal travel to Cuba a little easier—and had already removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism—which represented the biggest changes in a generation with respect to U.S.-Cuban relations. Obama has also called on Congress to end the trade embargo.

Under new rules, legal visitors to Cuba are allowed to bring up to $100 worth of Cuban cigars back to the U.S.; an outright end to the embargo, however, would unquestionably herald drastic, long-lasting changes for the cigar industry, as well as present new challenges and opportunities.

You can read more StogieGuys.com analysis of everything that’s new with Cuba here and here. And, as always, we’ll keep you posted with new developments as they arise.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

Last week I found myself in Belgium on duty for StogieGuys.com (more on that in the coming days). When my return flight was delayed, I had time to visit the duty free shop. Despite some claims that it’s the biggest scam in retail you can get some good whiskey deals there, including a number of “travel retail exclusive” offerings.

These days scotch whiskey producers are creating lots of whiskies just for travel retail, many of which don’t carry an age statement. Balvenie, however, decided to introduce a range of three single malt whiskies it calls “triple cask.”

According to the Speyside distillery, “The three expressions in The Balvenie Triple Cask series have been matured in three kinds of wood—‘traditional refill casks’ to mature and mellow the spirit, but not dominate its flavour; ‘first-fill ex-bourbon barrels,’ which add vanilla and coconut to the flavour; and ‘first-fill Oloroso sherry butts,’ which typically impart rich dried fruits and spice to the spirit.” It comes in 12, 16, and 25 year expressions. I selected the 16 year, which cost 72 Euros ($81).

Bottled at 80-proof, the color is a dark straw. The nose is pleasant although light with a little oak, honey, and apple.

On the palate, Balvenie Triple Cask is a bit thin. There are cereal grains, honey, vanilla, and slightly bitter oak. There’s also a surprising amount of raw alcohol that makes the whiskey taste far younger than 16 years old. The finish is light and sweet with honey and pear.

For a cigar pairing, you’re going to want to choose a mild smoke so as not to overwhelm the soft and mild flavors of the Balvenie Triple Cask 16. I’d go with something like an Ashton Classic, Illusione Epernay, Paul Garmirian Gourmet, or Fuente Chateau Fuente.

I’ll admit I was quite disappointed with this single malt. Balvenie’s style tends to be very light and smooth, which can be excellent, complex, and delicate, but this was smooth to the point of being a bit dull, plus it had a rough grain edge that is uncharacteristic for a 16 year old whisky. I’d much prefer the standard Balvenie Doublewood, 12 Year Single Barrel, or Caribbean Cask 14 Year to this, especially at the price.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Sam Leccia rose to prominence in the cigar world not by simply going off the beaten path but by carving out his own personal freeway. When he pioneered Nub—a concept now widely copied—Leccia promoted it passionately. Affable and engaging, he hit the road like an evangelist on a tent-show revival tour, gaining new fans wherever he went.

Stymied by a non-compete after he left Oliva, Leccia was out of the picture for a while but never out of the thoughts of those who admired his work. Forums and blogs often sizzled with rumors of his return. When Leccia did come back, heading an eponymous company, the inaugural Black and White cigars earned high praise, particularly his use of fire-cured tobacco, quite unusual at the time.

Then came another speed bump. Industry giant General Cigar acquired his distributor, Toraño, and soon thereafter Leccia licensed his brands to General and went to work for the company. And, once again, Leccia and his cigars were the center of attention and rumor. Would the creative iconoclast be swallowed up by the corporate behemoth? To some, it seemed as if Steve Jobs had gone to work for IBM. (Interestingly, Leccia was a trailblazer in this as well, his move foreshadowing the angst that followed the sale of Drew Estate to Swisher shortly afterward.)

These days, Leccia says, he’s splitting work time among his home in Pittsburgh (site of Leccia Tobacco headquarters, aka “my garage”), General’s offices in Richmond, and on the road. In an email, he said he’s been to over 30 states and 4 countries since February: “I find that being on the road and meeting with retailers and customers is one of the most important aspects of this business, and I don’t imagine that ever slowing down.”

Interestingly, Leccia said the biggest surprise for him at General has been “how truly small this large company really is… People think of it as some huge corporate goliath, and it is so far from that. The premium cigar industry is incredibly small, so sure, General is a big fish, but the pond is more of a deep puddle.”

When it came time for this year’s cigar trade show, consumers were keenly interested in what Leccia would introduce. Once again, he went his own way. Rather than something completely new—which is what might have been expected—Leccia showed off an extension of his existing Luchador line, called El Gringo. (Of course, he did that his way as well, bringing a professional wrestler—masked, of course—to the floor to knock Leccia around.) With four sizes, each named for a wrestling move, El Gringo has a Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Ligero from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. The band features a distinct version of the line’s Mexican wrestling mask.

General sent me samples of the Frog Splash, which retails for $8.25 and comes in boxes of 21. Short (4.5 inches), sharply pressed (Leccia refers to it as a “mat press”), and thick (70 ring gauge), it looks like a powerhouse. And it doesn’t disappoint, displaying strength in the upper-medium to full range.

I wasn’t sure at first how it would smoke. For someone not particularly fond of large ring-gauge cigars, Frog Splash is a bit intimidating. The press, though, does make it more comfortable. I tried a guillotine cut on the foot of a couple, but found a large punch worked better, tightening up the draw a tad. Each one I smoked performed excellently: slow, even burn; tight ash; and lots of smoke.

From beginning to end, it is a smooth, rich cigar, with pepper, dark chocolate, spice and coffee tastes that rise and fall throughout. I found it engaging and enjoyable from beginning to end, which was about two hours.

I recommend giving this line a try, especially if it is outside your cigar comfort zone. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. As for a rating, I give the Frog Splash a high-flying four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

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.”

La Riqueza (Spanish for “riches”) is made by Tatuaje’s Pete Johnson, even though it’s often in the shadows of Tatuaje’s more popular lines. The lightly box-pressed No. 4 (5 x 48) features a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It delivers a medium-bodied, balanced combination of cedar, chocolate, and bits of leather and spice.  Construction is excellent. Not only is this an impressive cigar, it’s highly under-rated, especially considering you can find it for under $5 online.

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.

From the gorgeous, dark Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper to the satisfying final puffs, this new release is, for me, one of the finest regular production lines from Avo. The blend, with Nicaraguan Ometepe, Dominican, and Peruvian filler, begins with a peppery kick. Along the way, the slow-burning, box-pressed Toro (6 x 54, $10) mixes in an undertone of nuts, a little hay, cedar, and some occasional sweetness. A fine cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A