The Stogie Guys

The Red Wheat Harvest Collection (or maybe it’s Signature Craft Harvest Collection Red Wheat… it’s not entirely clear) is part of the rapidly expanding Jim Beam Signature Craft line. The name is a mouthful, but it’s actually quite descriptive of the many ways this limited offering differs from your standard-issue Jim Beam.

What’s most notable about Red Wheat is the mashbill which, unlike every other Beam bourbon to date, uses wheat instead of rye, along with corn and malt barley. And the 11-year age statement makes it considerably older than every other current Beam offering except its recent 12 Year Signature Craft.

The bronze-colored spirit features a nose full of vanilla, damp oak, and a hint of dried fruit. On the palate there’s a lush creaminess, cookie batter, vanilla, and a hint of red apple. The finish is long with some clove and wood spice.

It’s a got hints of that distinctive Beam yeasty funk, but there’s a lot more going on than just that. There is a soft, delicate edge that adds to the complexity and enjoyability.

It also makes the Red Wheat a versatile bourbon for cigar pairing. All but the strongest cigars would make for an excellent pairing, from a mild Connecticut-wrapped cigar to a medium-full Nicaraguan blend.

It deserves to be tasted neat, as too much water or ice could tame the 90-proof spirit. Really there’s not much to complain about, except maybe the price.

Certainly, $45 for a 375 ml. bottle is very steep. But then when you consider that the only other wheated bourbons with similar age statements (Van Winkle Lot B and Weller 12 Year) are becoming exceedingly difficult to find at retail, the cost isn’t so ridiculous. My recommendation: See if you can try some at a bar before going in on an entire bottle.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

These days, Emilio Cigars is a brand that seems to be flourishing—thanks in no small part, I believe, to the warm welcome the outfit has received from the online cigar community.

In addition to the growing blends in the Emilio portfolio (many of which we’ve reviewed), brand owner Gary Griffith also controls distribution for several other companies under his House of Emilio umbrella. Included are 1502, Bodega, Epicurean, Ezra Zion, Guayacan, and Nomad Cigar Co. It’s hard to imagine Emilio Cigars is just a few years old.

The Emilio family was further expanded last fall with the addition of Mia Dora, a new line that started shipping to retailers at the end of October. Mia Dora is produced by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua and features a Habano Rosado wrapper and Nicaraguan filler and binder. It comes in three sizes: a Robusto (5 x 50) and a Toro (6 x 50), which come in 21-count boxes; and the Coronita (5.25 x 44), which comes in a 40-count box.

Mia Dora sports bands with a theme dedicated to the Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, birthplace of the ancestors of the love of Griffith’s life, Dora. They envelop a splotchy, light brown wrapper with minimal veins and moderate oils. The Toro feels firm in the hand, and the foot emits soft pre-light aromas of straw, tea, and syrup.

Setting an even light doesn’t take more than a single wooden match. Once underway, flavors reminiscent of clove, toast, and cinnamon take center stage. The texture is bready and the strength is medium. The aftertaste is ever-so-slightly bitter, and the resting smoke is pleasant and sweet.

About a quarter-inch in, the balance really starts to shine as a creamy sweetness comes to the fore. While a slight cedary spice is present throughout, the finale is characterized by more oak and less cedar.

All of my samples smoked impeccably well with no need for any touch-ups, re-lights, or other maintenance. The draw has just the right resistance, the gray ash holds well off the foot, and the burn line stays true all the way to the nub.

The Mia Dora Toro is a very impressive specimen, and one of the better options from Gary Griffith to date. The $10 price tag is a solid value for a cigar that affords good balance and complexity in a medium-bodied format. It’s worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you are, like me, in the ever-increasing part of the country where the temperatures have taken a dive, then maybe you’re looking for a fun way to warm up. And what better way than a warm drink that also packs a little boozy kick? Here are my five favorites:

Hot Toddy — A classic that can be made with scotch whisky (save the single malt, use a blend), bourbon, or even brandy. It’s simple to make. Just add sugar, lemon, and cloves to boiling water and your spirit. (Feel free to swap in honey or cinnamon, or even look for a recipe that uses ginger ale.)

Stonewall Jackson — A simple classic consisting of hot cider and bourbon (but rye, Tennessee whiskey, or even spiced rum fill in nicely). Want to kick this up notch? Add some mulling spices to turn it into mulled cider. Just don’t boil the booze out.

Hot Buttered Rum — Perhaps my favorite of the bunch, hot buttered rum is a little more complicated to make than the above drinks, but you’ll find that it’s really not too difficult. If you want, you can make a batch of the batter ahead of time (it will last in the freezer) or just make it as you go directly into a mug.

Mexican Hot Chocolate — While there are lots of recipes out there, “normal” Mexican hot chocolate is spicy and intense with unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, and chiles. Adding some tequila kicks it up a notch. While I use something similar to this recipe, I might also add a splash of Cointreau.

Spiked Coffee — There are plenty of variations of the basic coffee (milk and sugar optional) with booze. Coffee or chocolate liqueurs are particularly popular options, although there’s nothing wrong with simply adding whiskey, rum, or brandy. Want a recommendation I picked up traveling in Mexico? Add goat milk caramel (you can buy it from Amazon) to coffee and Kahlua.

–Patrick S

photo credit: AccuWeather

First, I have to say I have nothing against cigars with big ring gauges. I’ve smoked quite a few I’ve enjoyed. I’m sure I’ll smoke more.

But as the ring gauge explosion continues, it seems a good time to reflect on what makes smaller sizes special, too.

For example, consider the blend. In a smaller cigar, the wrapper—the most expensive and often most desirable leaf—exerts a greater influence on the overall taste because there is proportionally less filler. This doesn’t make it better. But it does often mean the filler in a large cigar tends to dominate. That’s good if you like the filler. Sometimes, though, to my mind it’s not so good if you’re looking for the greater subtlety and complexity that can come from the mixing of tobacco types.

Then there is the matter of lighting. Big ring gauge cigars can be difficult to light evenly and to keep burning evenly along the way. An uneven burn disrupts the blender’s concoction because the components aren’t working harmoniously the way they were intended.

Another factor that plays a role is the act of smoking itself. As the tobacco burns at the foot and you draw smoke down the body of the cigar, the unignited tobacco traps some of the tar and other byproducts of combustion. They can build up and be unpleasant.

When it comes to bigger ring gauges, it helps to remember some of that high school geometry you probably haven’t used in years. Ring gauge measures a circle, and the area of a circle increases with the square of the radius. That means when you double the ring size you’re increasing the area by four. (It’s the same reason that buying a bigger pizza is almost always a bargain based on what you pay and what you get.)

In the case of cigars, the result is much more tobacco burning and more tobacco trapping, which could lead to bitterness in the final third or so.

Again, I’m not attacking big ring gauges. You should smoke what you enjoy. I’d just urge you to remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “A great man is always willing to be little.”

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

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.”

Drew Estate’s Liga Privada gets all the attention, but a strong case could made that Herrera Estelí is the company’s most well-made cigar. The Cuban-esque smoke features roast nuts, cedar, cream, and just a hint of spice. It’s a medium-bodied blend that trades strength for balance and finesse. While Liga is the big, bold Bordeaux, Herrera Estelí is a sophisticated, restrained Burgundy. Depending on the time and place, each can be ideal.

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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I last reviewed this cigar in November 2013, writing that the bold Lancero is “a complex, balanced smoke with more substance than your standard flavor-bomb.” Taking it for test drive for the first time in a long time, I found my previous assessment holds water. The Nicaraguan puro features a strength-forward profile of espresso, black pepper spice, and some sweet notes in the background. Construction is solid, rendering La Musa Μελέτη Lancero a solid purchase.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

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) Over the next two weeks, General Cigar is “teasing out” details about a new blend called Punch Signature, a Honduran line that will ship on March 2 and be a permanent addition to the Punch portfolio. “Master Blender Agustin Garcia hinted that Punch Signature ‘was inspired by the original Punch’ and that it ‘mixes tradition with modern tastes,’” according to a General Cigar press release. “He also said that he and his team ‘spent three years developing the blend.’” Punch Signature’s band is “a re-creation of artwork developed in the 1800s for the first Punch cigars.”

2) Earlier this week the cigar industry lost Estelo Padrón, the 87-year-old uncle of Jorge Padrón who is best known for his management of Villazon’s HATSA (Honduran-American Tobacco S.A.) factories, as well as heading up the Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey brands once General Cigar acquired Villazon. “Born in Cuba in 1927, Estelo expatriated to Spain in 1969 before his brother, Padrón company patriarch Jose Orlando Padrón, brought Estelo from Spain to Nicaragua that same year,” according to Cigar Aficionado. “Estelo joined the Padrón family cigar business and stayed on until 1971. Shortly after, he moved to Honduras to join Villazon and its HATSA factories.”

3) Inside the Industry: Black Label Trading Company announced it is opening its own cigar factory in Estelí called “Fabrica de Oveja Negra.” Davidoff announced a series of five Exclusive Edition cigars for 2015, including three cigars available only in Davidoff Flagship Stores in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and New York City, plus one only available at Heinemann Duty Free shops, and a final offering only available in Russia.

4) Deal of the Week: Fans of My Father Cigars will want to check out this store-exclusive lancero release of the highly-ranked Flor de las Antillas made for Stogies World Class Cigars in Houston. Lancero fans should also see their store-exclusive Room 101 H-Town Namakubi Lancero. Use the discount code “SG10” for 10% off your first order, plus land free shipping on all five-pack or box purchases.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar