The Stogie Guys

Cigar makers and brand owners must feel a constant pressure to continuously work on the next big thing. From what I can tell, retailers and consumers alike are always asking about what’s new. And it must be quite challenging to keep a steady stream of traffic flowing at your annual convention booth if you don’t have something fresh and exciting to show off.

That’s why, as my colleague put it recently, “the seemingly irresistible urge to introduce new blends, new line extensions, new brands, new tobaccos, new curing methods, and on and on reaches its annual pinnacle at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show.”

Yet there’s something to be said about the slow and steady approach: not wearing yourself too thin, and only coming out with something new when you’ve got a product worth introducing. So far, that’s the strategy Omar de Frias has employed for Fratello Cigars, the venture he began in 2013. The original Fratello line was a project over two years in the making. It would be another two years until a second Fratello cigar would come to market.

Called Bianco, the four-vitola line features a San Andrés Negro wrapper, Dominican binder, and filler tobaccos from Pennsylvania, Nicaragua, and Peru. “We wanted a richer, darker, and a fuller body smoke that would be smooth, complex, and characteristic of our full flavor cigars,” said de Frias in a May press release. Bianco cigars sell in the $8-9 range and are packaged in 20-count boxes.

I smoked three in the “Event Exclusive” size, which measures 5 inches long with a ring gauge of 44. As is sometimes the case with San Andrés, the cigar looks a little rough around the edges with noticeable seams, a slightly sloppy cap, and a toothy texture. The pre-light notes, however, are an inviting, potent combination of cocoa and espresso, the cold draw is smooth, and the surface has ample oils.

Once lit, I find a medium-bodied profile of black coffee, pepper, dark chocolate, and oak. The texture is leathery. As the cigar progresses, the complexity deepens with the additions of creamy nut, damp earth, and a dried fruit sweetness. The smoke production is commendable and the resting smoke has a fragrant, sweet bouquet. The final third is slightly more intense with espresso taking center stage.

The physical properties perform beautifully from light to nub, including a straight burn line, solid white ash, and good draw that has just the right amount of resistance.

Like the original Fratello, it’s hard to not like Bianco. I’ll take that a step further and say Bianco has its predecessor slightly beat in terms of complexity, flavor, and texture. (I doubt this will be a popular opinion; it’s fashionable to put down San Andrés-wrapped smokes, but I think San Andrés really makes this blend shine.) Try Bianco yourself and you’re bound to be impressed. I rate the Event Exclusive size four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The new Route 66 cigar line sports a retro band, an all-American name, and filler that includes the trendy Mexican San Andrés tobacco.

If you haven’t seen Route 66 yet, that’s not surprising. Acme Cigar Co.’s Jay Lundy said they have just recently begun to roll out nationally from their Texas base after what he called an “absolutely great” reception at this summer’s cigar industry convention in New Orleans.

But you’re likely to have come across Acme even sooner if you’re even mildly active on social media. The company is very active on various platforms, along with AKA Cigars, its sibling.

Route 66, rolled in Estelí, has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Jalapa Criollo binder, and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, in addition to the San Andrés tobacco. It comes in four sizes, including a massive (8.5 x 52) cigar with both ends closed that Acme says can be split and smoked as two Rothschilds.

The Hot Rod, which I smoked for this review, is a Robusto (5 x 50, $5.90). The cigars were supplied by Acme.

It’s a pleasant cigar with excellent construction, good burn, and a fine draw. I didn’t notice the dirt flavor I often associate with San Andrés wrappers, but the cigars did have a somewhat raw finish and an occasional back-of-the-throat scratch.

Flavors included pepper, burned coffee, and a little hay, all of which were nicely blended. I’d call it a medium-strength smoke.

The name Acme has a special place in American pop culture. Cartoon fans recognize it as the source of nearly every hair-brained gadget Wile E. Coyote used to try to catch the Road Runner. Before that, though, Acme gained widespread use when phone books came out because Acme would land your firm at the top of the list. Still today, you can type “Acme” followed by just about any business you like—pharmacy, auto, sporting goods, sponges, plumbing, etc.—into Google, and you’ll find numerous examples. Earlier cigar-related Acme trademarks had apparently expired and that enabled Lundy to grab it.

As part of its push to get cigars into more hands, Acme is sponsoring a Stogie Guys contest with five-cigar sampler packs as prizes. To enter, all you have to do is follow Lundy on Instagram at @akajaylundy and post a comment here to say that you’ve done so. (You’re a StogieGuys.com reader, so we trust you; no proof necessary.) We’ll pick the winners at random in a week or so.

As for the Route 66 Hot Rod, I’d suggest you give it a try, especially if you’re looking for a modestly priced addition to a regular rotation. I give it three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: 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.

CAO has long had an association with music due to its Nashville roots, but Jimmy Buffet’s island- and rum-inspired tones probably aren’t the first to spring to mind. At least until CAO announced a pair of officially licensed Margaritaville brand CAO cigars this summer. One is a piña-coloda flavored cigar, while the other, called Havana Daydreamin’, is a traditional blend with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over Nicaraguan tobaccos.

The latter comes in three sizes. I smoked the Robusto (5 x 50), which features a notably shiny, golden brown wrapper. Once lit, it produces very mild, mellow flavors, with paper, cream, and light cedar. The construction is excellent with a firm but not difficult draw, sturdy white ash, and an even burn. With so many “Parrothead” Buffet fans, CAO has a good chance of commercial success, but the cigar itself is just too bland for me to recommend, even to a novice cigar smoker.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last spring, Pinar del Rio announced it would launch a cigar to celebrate 10 years since the opening of its factory in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. “The Flores y Rodriguez Reserva Limitada is a creation to commemorate a decade of passion, commitment, and artistry,” reads a press release from May 2014. “Abe Flores and the Rodriguez Brothers came together 10 years ago to create the Pinar del Rio cigar brand and began a journey that has led to the PDR Cigar factory now creating some of the most acclaimed cigars on the market.”

Today, the 10th Anniversary isn’t difficult to find. And when you do come across a tobacconist that carries it, you won’t have trouble locating the brand on the shelf. The band’s raised borders and graphics of white really pop off the dark green background. At least to my eye, this is one of those bands that stands out and cuts through the clutter.

Beneath the band is a toothy, thinly veined, medium-brown Habano Ecuador wrapper that sports a fair amount of oils. It surrounds an Olor binder from the Dominican Republic and seven-year-old Piloto filler tobacco “complemented by the finest tobacco from Nicaragua’s Jalapa Valley.” Three vitolas are available: Robusto (5 x 52, $9), Grand Toro (6 x 54, $10), and Wide Churchill (5.1 x 58, $11).

I smoked three Wide Churchills for this review. One of the samples—the one pictured, in fact—had a tiny green discoloration (sometimes referred to as “frog’s eyes”) that’s harmless and, in my opinion, detracts nothing from the experience. The other two cigars were devoid of any green patches. All three had potent pre-light notes of green raisin.

After setting an even light, the Wide Churchill yields an initial profile that’s dry, medium-bodied, and reminiscent of natural tobacco with white pepper, bread, and a little cayenne spice. Given the cigar’s pre-light aroma, I was expecting dried fruit to play at least a background role in the flavor, but that isn’t really the case. Instead, as the cigar progresses, sugar and cream help add balance as black pepper slowly grows in intensity. The texture remains bready.

At the halfway mark and beyond, the body moves into the medium-full to full range, yet I’m not noticing any nicotine kick. The flavors remain consistent, except for the welcome addition of cashew. Construction-wise, the Wide Churchill performs admirably with an even burn line, solid ash, easy draw, and good smoke production.

Pinar del Rio makes some excellent cigars that are priced very affordably. While the Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada is on the pricier side, you get what you pay for. With loads of flavor and nice balance, this cigar rates an impressive four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

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.

This was my first Cubanacan, but it definitely won’t be my last. With an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and Nicaraguan filler, it kicks off with pepper and wood, adds a natural tobacco sweetness along the way, and comes back with more pepper in the final third. Medium strength, excellent construction, and straight burn—a bargain at about $8.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Cubanacan

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

MBombay has made an impression on the cigar world in its brief existence. This Mora vitola (5 x 58) comes in canisters and sports a regular-sized band without the firm’s large overwrap. Like other MBombay cigars, these are rolled in Costa Rica. The wrapper is a lovely Dominican leaf with an Ecuadorian binder and filler from Ecuador, Peru, and the Dominican. They combine for a spicy smoke with citrus overtones and a smooth floral note somewhat reminiscent of medium-strength Cuban smokes. Well worth a try at about $14.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: MBombay