The Stogie Guys

At this point it is pretty cliche to point out that Macanudo has a reputation as a beginner’s cigar brand. Despite the knock, Macanudo has a lot a going for it: It’s easy to find, has reliably excellent construction, and features consistent flavors from cigar to cigar.

And yet General Cigar, which owns the Macanudo brand, seems to have been introducing new fuller-bodied Macanudo blends aimed at the more seasoned cigar smoker for at least as long as I’ve been writing about cigars. But the ubiquitous green and white Cafe line, a blend whose popularity is the reason Macanudo can lay claim to the title of best-selling handmade cigar in the U.S., is still what most people think of first.

At this year’s industry convention, General Cigar showed off a new updated logo for Macanudo to go along with some new packaging. Also new is the third edition of Macanudo Estate Reserve, which comes handsomely presented in individual coffins in a box featuring the black, yellow, and green of the Jamaican flag.

The Jamaican link is no coincidence. Macanudo was made in Jamaica for many years utilizing Jamaican tobacco until about 2000. For this blend, like last year’s Estate Reserve, Jamaican filler is used.

But the star of the show is a 10-year-old Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which has a nice sheen and is nearly jet black in color. It surrounds a Mexican binder and filler from Nicaragua, the Dominican, and a a special low-yield strain of Jamaican filler (which General Cigar calls Silver Tongue).

The resulting blend features a rich chalkiness with cocoa, earth, and a little charred oak. It’s medium-bodied and leaves a pleasant, dark chocolate finish that lingers. Towards the final third there’s a little woody spice.

I sampled three of the robusto-sized No. 9  vitola (5×50), which I received from General for this review. (The blend is also available in a belicoso (6 x 57) and a Churchill (7 x 50).) Each burned flawlessly, with the excellent construction I’ve come to expect from Macanudo.

At $16 each, the Macanudo Estate Reserve Series 2015 No. 9 isn’t inexpensive. But it is a well-executed, flavorful, medium-bodied maduro that would go equally well with a bourbon or a coffee. That earns the Macanudo Estate Reserve Series 2015 No. 9 a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This special limited edition from Miami Cigar & Co.—one of three released this year—is unmistakably maduro. From the deep rich coffee and chocolate aroma of its Broadleaf wrapper to the sweetness in the smoke, this large cigar stands out.

At 7 inches in length and a 56 ring gauge, the Danno cigars are not spur-of-the-moment smokes. I clocked about two hours with each of the two I sampled.

What you get in that time is a medium-strength cigar with balanced flavors and a light finish. Problems sometimes encountered with large cigars—especially with the burn and the draw—were non-existent. My only complaint was smoke production: I’d have liked a little more.

With the first one, I began with a V-cut at the foot, which sports a small pigtail. After a half-inch or so, I used a guillotine to open it up in hopes of getting more smoke. And that helped some, as it did for the second cigar, when I simply started with the straight cut.

The cigar begins with notes of spice, which give way fairly soon to some of the typical dark maduro flavors like coffee and cocoa. They remain throughout, with the second half becoming sweet, with a taste sometimes reminiscent of burned sugar.

The maduro edition of the 2015 Danno line, named to commemorate Nestor Miranda’s late son, has Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Peruvian filler tobaccos with the Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 binder common to all three. The MSRP is $12, more than reasonable considering the size.

Miami Cigar, which supplied my samples, produced only 1,000 20-count boxes of each of the three at the My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua.

I don’t smoke a lot of maduro cigars. Too often, I’ve found a sameness in many of them that can lead to a fairly boring smoke.

That wasn’t the case with the Danno Maduro. It has distinct flavors and remains interesting, though, honestly, I probably would have liked it better in a somewhat smaller vitola.

Overall, I preferred the Habano, which I reviewed in June. The Connecticut review is coming up.

The Nestor Miranda Danno Collection One Life Edition Maduro is a fine smoke. I rate it 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.”

CAO unveiled Concert at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, but now you don’t hear much about it. Only a few boxes were on display at the most recent convention, and I’ve always got the feeling the line failed to live up to some high expectations from the team behind it. The Amp (5.5 x 46) features medium- to full-bodied flavors with breadiness, cafe-au-lait, and cedar. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper around Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. It’s solidly made, tasty, and affordable at $5.75.

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.

Released a couple of years ago, this line from Jesus Fuego was an early adopter in identifying its use of Mexican San Andrés tobacco (binder). The other components are an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and filler that’s half Nicaraguan Corojo and half Honduran Corojo. And, as you’d expect from the name, the 5-inch smoke is fat, with a 60-ring gauge. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much flavor or smoke, and the draw was too tight. I couldn’t help but wonder if one of the smaller vitolas would produce better performance and results.

Verdict = Sell.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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) This week CBS news looked at what will happen if and when the Cuban embargo ends and Cuban cigars can be legally imported to, and purchased in, the United States. The article, which interviews U.S. cigar experts, global experts, and cigar makers in Cuba, suggests that if Cuban cigars become legal “the Cuban tobacco industry believes it would dominate the $6.7 billion U.S. cigar market, predicting a 25 to 30 percent share in the first year, and in time, a 70 percent share.”

2) StogieGuys.com was in New Orleans recently and visited Harrah’s Casino. So it is no surprise to us that Harrah’s says the smoking ban is hurting business. This article states that profits at the company are down 31% due largely to the ban. While it is easier for big employers like Harrah’s to quantify the lost business, the often tight margins of smaller businesses likely means that many New Orleans businesses are hurting even more.

3) Inside the Industry: The Nicaragua Tobacco Association has announced the dates of its 2016 cigar festival, Puro Sabor. The event, which is entering its fifth year, runs from Tuesday, January 12, 2016 through Saturday, January 16. The festivities start in Managua, Nicaragua, and include a visit and tour of the Flor de Caña rum distillery and wrap up in Esteli where the majority of the country’s cigar factors are located and will be open for tours.

4) Deal of the Week: Tatuaje  Pudgy Monsters is a 10-pack of cigars featuring each of the past Tatuaje Monster Halloween blends plus two upcoming blends. Cigar Place currently has the 10-count box on sale for just $90. It’s a must-have for any Tatuaje fan.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Despite whatever bourbon shortage there may or may not be, there are plenty of good bourbons available these days. Not only that, but there are plenty of excellent bourbons available for $30 or less. (In fact, there are quite a few very good bourbons on the shelf for under $20.)

That approachable price for good quality is what differentiates bourbon from Scotch whisky. To that list of good, affordable bourbon you can add Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond Single Barrel 10 Year Bourbon.

Even before tasting it, this bourbon (made by Heaven Hill, which also makes Evan Williams and Elijah Craig) checks off three of the characteristics many bourbon fans find desirable: single barrel, well-aged (10 Years), and a decent proof (100-proof). In fact, it is the only 10 year Bottled in Bond bourbon on the market.

The Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel has gone through multiple iterations over the years, and the latest version (pictured) puts all the key features up front.  The bourbon is a light copper color. The nose is straight forward although inviting with vanilla, wood, and butterscotch.

On the palate, McKenna 10 is surprisingly soft for its 100-proof. Most prominent is butterscotch, wood, and apple brandy, although clove, cinnamon, and rye spice are also apparent. The finish is smooth and sweet with vanilla and fruit.

Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel is a versatile bourbon for pairing with a cigar, but I think an ideal cigar pairing is mild or medium-bodied. A couple examples would be Illusione Epernay, Davidoff Grand Cru, Paul Garmirian Gourmet, or the Tatuaje Black.

Ultimately, Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel doesn’t quite break into my best bourbons under $30 list, but it is clearly a tasty, widely available bourbon that costs only $25-30. I don’t think any regular bourbon drinker would be disappointed with picking up a bottle.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This cigar looks so nice, it’s hard not to wonder whether it can match that impression when you smoke it.

It can. And does.

This entry from Global Marketing & Distribution (GMD) is a class act from start to finish. Rolled at Hendrik Kelner Jr.’s Dominican factory, the Heritage 1492 Tradicionales is a medium-strength smoke with excellent construction and lots of flavor.

The first taste is a bit of grass-hay, not surprising given the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. It diminishes throughout the first third, almost disappearing by the second half. Other flavors rise along the way. I noticed leather, nuts, and some sweetness, though never the “fresh pastries” GMD mentions in its marketing material.

The binder is from Nicaragua and the filler is a combination of U.S., Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobaccos. Construction on the three I smoked was nearly perfect, with a great draw, burn, and level of smoke.

According to GMD—a relative newcomer to the cigar world that continued to add to its portfolio this year—the finished Heritage cigars are aged a year before going to the marketplace.

The regular line has five sizes, of which the Robusto (5 x 52) sports the largest ring gauge. There are also two big Edition Especial sizes under the Heritage 1492 Tradicionales brand: a Gigante and a Bellicoso Gigante. These, said to be spicer and more intense, have a Cubra Brazil wrapper.

The Robustos I smoked were provided by GMD. This is a cigar worth seeking out, whether you’re a beginner or a long-time smoker.

At $12 for the Robusto, it’s on the higher end. I think it’s a fair price, and certainly plan to keep an eye out for more. To me, it seems the kind of cigar that is most suited to smaller vitolas; I’d be most interested in trying the half-inch shorter Rothschild.

This cigar earns a high rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys