The 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.”

Tatuaje’s Monster Series is a highly sought-after release around Halloween every year. Last year, Tatuaje released a sampler of Pudgy Monsters, which are shorter versions of the same blends, all in a relatively thick format. The JV13, the 2013 Monster release, became the pudgy monster known as Jason. The blend uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. The result is a very full-flavored cigar with classic Broadleaf flavors: earth, chocolate, grittiness with a slight sweetness. Construction is excellent. You can still pick up Tatuaje Pudgy Monsters at some retailers, and I highly recommend picking one up so you can try some of the more limited blends from Pete Johnson.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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) A.J. Fernandez is set to release New World Connecticut, a line that previewed at the IPCPR Trade Show last summer. Expected to begin appearing at retailers in May, the blend features a Connecticut Shade wrapper around a Mexican binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Brazil. “Master blender A.J. Fernandez created the New World brand to pay homage to the discovery of the ‘mystical smoking leaf’ named tobacco by the Europeans, when their ships landed in what is now known as the New World,” reads a press release. Fernandez says, “The New World cigar was a very special project as it was the first cigar that was created with the help of my father Ismael Fernandez since he joined me at A.J. Fernandez Cigars.” Four sizes will be available in 20-count boxes: Corona Gorda, Robusto, Toro, and Belicoso. “Smokers of the New World Connecticut will experience notes of cream, wood, and almonds in a very well-balanced and refined cigar.” The cigars will cost about $6.

2) Online retailer Famous Smoke Shop is launching an exclusive cigar called Inferno 3rd Degree, which is made by Oliva. “The first shipment has just arrived at the company’s warehouse and is currently available for sale on their website,” reads a press release. “The company has expressed that the new brand will be available in limited quantities, but is not a one-time release and will be a consistent offering for the foreseeable future. The Inferno 3rd Degree is the third release under the Inferno umbrella… Inferno 3rd Degree cigars utilize a blend of all Nicaraguan tobaccos with a triple-fermented Ligero and Viso longfiller core, and a Habano-seed binder, all encased in another silky Habano-seed wrapper.” Four sizes will be available in the $5.80 to $6.50 range: Churchill, Double Toro, Robusto, and Toro.

3) New Orleans’ smoking ban went into effect this week, but many bars went out in a blaze of glory. Shelly Waguespack, owner of the famed French Quarter spot Pat O’Brien’s, noted how the smoking ban contradicts the best aspects of New Orleans. “It’s that overall bohemian kind of free spirit that we have in New Orleans that makes it so unique, and it’s why people love it.” Pat O’Brien’s, along with Harrah’s Casino and other businesses, are suing to overturn the ban.

4) Inside the Industry: Davidoff is set to introduce a cigar at the upcoming IPCPR Trade Show that will, for the first time in the company’s history, include a significant percentage of Brazilian tobaccos. The Turrents, the famed Mexican cigar family, has severed is distribution relationship with Altadis USA and will soon introduce a Casa Turrent cigar which will be distributed in-house.

5) Deal of the Week: This Hidden Treasures Sampler features eight solid cigars for just $60. Included are the Padrón 3000 Natural, Camacho Ecuador Toro, La Jugada Habano Toro, Sindicato Corona Gorda, RyJ Toro, 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster, H. Upmann The Banker Annuity, and the Nat Sherman Timeless Dominican Hermoso.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: A.J. Fernandez

April marks the end of scotch season for me. (I’m a seasonal drinker: Single malts and the occasional cognac in the colder months, rum and tequila/mezcal when it warms up. Bourbon and rye year-round, of course.) So lets wrap up the season with with this Glenfarclas 17-year-old single malt whisky.

Glanfarclas is an independent distillery, owned by the same family for 150 years. It’s a Speyside distillery that makes a range of single malts, with 10-year and 17-year the most readily available, at least here in the States. They also bottle a 105 cask-strength variety, of which I’m a big fan.

The Glenfarclas 17 is bottled at 86-proof and sells for around $100 a bottle. It’s a light golden color. (Note that because single malts can have caramel coloring added, color doesn’t mean as much for scotch as it does for straight bourbon or rye, and a light color may only mean coloring wasn’t used.

The nose with sweet toffee and pear serves as a preview of the subtle, classic style of this whiskey. The Glenfarclas 17 coats the palate with a rich combination of creaminess, sherried fruit, orange peel, toffee, and clove. There’s a bit of smokiness and just a wisp of peat. The finish is light with oak and brown sugar.

I’m just guessing here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a combination of sherry cask and bourbon cask whisky, as the sherry is evident, but subtle. The whisky seems to grow in complexity as you drink it. It’s hard to suggest that Glenfarclas 17 is anything but delicious, subtle, and approachable.

For a cigar pairing, you’ll want a cigar that’s not so overpowering as to overwhelm the delicate aspects of this single malt. Go with a Fuente Chateau, Tatuaje Black, Illusione Epernay, or a well-aged Cuban Trinidad.

I’m not one to recommend turning a bourbon drinker into a scotch drinker, as you’ll always find better value in American whiskey, but for bourbon drinkers branching out into single malt, Glenfarclas is an excellent place to start. That said, before you buy this, try the 10-year, which is also excellent but only half the price. But if you like the 10-year and want to see the complexity that additional age can add, I very much recommend Glenfarclas 17, even if my own preference is slightly for the cask-strength 105 variety.

The Spanish word “añoranza” loosely translates to nostalgia, or a yearning for days gone. So you’d expect a cigar line called Añoranzas to have classic flavors and a traditional look.

The Miami Cigar & Co. website calls Añoranzas “a soft, box-pressed beauty” that provides “a look into the cigars of yesteryear with the profile and body that today’s discerning cigar smoker wants and expects from a premium cigar.” Añoranzas is “nostalgic in name, but modern in delivery.” To me, that sounds like Miami Cigar is promoting this line as contemporary in taste but old-school in packaging. Truthfully, though, I couldn’t much care what the marketing department wants me to think about Añoranzas; I’m interested in how the tobacco performs.

That tobacco, by the way, is all Nicaraguan, including dual binders and a dark Habano Oscuro wrapper. The blend, launched in 2012, is said to be a tweaked version of the Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve 2011, and the cigars are crafted in Estelí by My Father Cigars. Four sizes are available in what many consider to be Miami Cigar’s boldest blend: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 52), Belicoso (6.5 x 54), and Gran Toro (6 x 60).

The list price on the Toro seems to be $7.50, but I believe some retailers are selling it for as little as $5 or less, especially when bought by the 20-pack. Its surface has almost invisible seams and only the thinnest of veins. The cap was applied with care, and the foot shows a cross-section of tightly packed tobaccos. The cold draw has only the slightest resistance.

Once lit, pre-light notes of sweet milk chocolate transition to a rich, full-bodied profile of espresso, dry wood, cocoa, and black pepper. A char-like spice is concentrated on the tip of the tongue, and that char lingers throughout the long aftertaste (this trait, by the way, is one reason I consider this blend such a solid complement to an after-dinner glass of sipping rum).

Throughout, hints of red pepper, cashew, chocolate, and earth come and go, making this an exceptionally tasty and complex cigar—and one that rewards those who take their time between puffs and smoke through the nose. From light to nub construction is also admirable, including a smooth draw, good smoke production, and a sturdy white ash. The burn line may require a touch-up or two along the way, but combustion is certainly not problematic.

So far as I can tell, Miami Cigar is essentially selling the Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve 2011—a cigar, mind you, that was a good buy north of $10—at a significant discount and under a different name. That’s a win in my book. This should definitely be on your radar as a box-worthy full-bodied cigar that’s consistent, complex, and downright delicious. The Añoranzas Toro earns four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’ve written a few times about how 2014 was a year of significant cigar anniversaries, and thus also plenty of anniversary cigars. E.P. Carrillo celebrated its fifth year, for example, and the Padrón’s celebrated a half century in the business.

La Flor Dominicana had an anniversary, although not a significant one for the La Flor Dominicana brand. Still, 2014 marked 20 years since Litto Gomez started his cigar venture in 1994 (the La Flor Dominicana line wasn’t founded until two years later).

To celebrate, Gomez and La Flor Dominicana introduced a blend simply called 1994. The line comes in five sizes, including a special Toro (6 x 54) that comes in a very cool-looking beer stein. (I got a look at one in person at a local shop recently.)

The beer stein was delayed until early 2015, but the other sizes (Conga (5 x 52), Aldaba (6 x 58), Rumba (6.5 x 52), and Mambo (7 x 54)) were released in 2014. I smoked four of the robusto-sized Congas (MSRP $7.50) for this review.

In addition to the beer stein packaging, all the sizes feature a sharp-looking band. It’s a nice combination of the classic LFD bands with a more ornate touch worthy of a celebratory, anniversary cigar.

The cigar uses a dark San Andrés wrapper. Binder and filler are all Dominican from La Flor’s Dominican farms.

Once lit the cigar features lots of woody spice, leather, and charred steak. It starts out very full, but quickly dials back. There’s dry cinnamon, a slight sourness, and plenty of grittiness on the palate, but it’s a slightly superficial strength. Construction is excellent from first draw to the final ash.

The one drawback I found was a persistent sour, sometimes bitter edge that settles on the back corners of the tongue. Those flavors are frequently embraced when found in beer, like you might pour in a La Flor 1994 beer stein, but it doesn’t work quite as well in a cigar. Perhaps extended aging will see those flaws fade away.

Despite that, it’s still a solid, well-constructed smoke full of interesting flavors. It’s enough to earn La Flor Dominicana 1994 Conga three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With Avo getting an update—new packaging, lower prices, eliminations—current retailer inventory is a prime candidate for the discount table. At my local shop, the remaining on-hand stock is marked 40 percent off.

As an Avo fan, I couldn’t resist the bargain. I picked up a 20-count box of the Short Robustos size with a price tag coming in under $4 per cigar. I don’t think I’d ever smoked this little vitola—weighing in at only 4 inches long with a ring gauge of 56—but I’ve enjoyed other Heritage sizes over the years.

The Heritage extension was introduced in 2010 to give Avo a competitor in what was then an emerging market for stronger cigars. It features an oily, brown, sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper over a Dominican binder and Dominican and Peruvian filler.

For a while, Heritage was hot, helped by its somewhat lower price tag among Avo offerings. Our review of the Robusto not long after it hit the shelves earned a four and a half-stogie rating.

I don’t know how old this box is, but the cellophane on the individual cigars is yellowed considerably, and I’d guess it has been on the shelf for a year or more.

A noticeable pre-light trait is a fairly loose draw, always a concern with a small smoke for fear of overheating the tobacco. But after lighting, there wasn’t a problem; the draw was fine. Other technical aspects like smoke production, burn, and the ash were excellent.

The Heritage is a complex cigar, even in this small package. Beginning with cedar and a hint of the hay and grass common to many Davidoff productions, there’s quickly quite a bit of spice. Along the way, I also picked up cocoa, coffee, and leather, all engaging and harmonious.

The Heritage Short Robusto could be enjoyed any time of the day. It pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee for a morning smoke, even if it’s a bit stronger than many might normally consider at that time of day. If you’re looking for a break in the afternoon, it is an ideal size. Similarly, it’s a cigar to appreciate as a nightcap.

With its good flavors, versatility, and strong performance, I highly recommend the Heritage Short Robusto and concur with the earlier rating given to its sister stick: four and half 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.”

This dark Robusto (5 x 52) is priced very reasonably—right around the $5 mark—yet it has the presentation of a cigar twice the price. The pigtail cap is gorgeous, as is the clean, oily Habano Oscuro wrapper. More importantly, its taste makes this one hell of a bargain. Once lit, flavors of espresso, roasted nut, cinnamon, and dark chocolate fill out the medium-bodied profile. With excellent combustion, the Pinar del Rio 1878 Capa Oscura Robusto is a joy to smoke and a great choice for a solid everyday cigar that won’t break the bank.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys