The Stogie Guys

I have three cigar wishes for the new year. I’m not normally the optimistic type. More the way Billy Crystal described his grandfather: the kind of guy who always thought the glass was half full… of something that would kill you.

So, I can’t say I’m likely to see my wishes granted, but there’s always hope.

An exemption from FDA regulation. This, I think, would top every cigar smokers’ list. (Or it at least should.) If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t accept—or have forced upon it—an exemption for premium, hand-rolled cigars, it might not be a death blow to the industry. But it will most certainly inflict a crippling injury and likely render it unrecognizable within a few years. Expectations are for the regulations to come no sooner than this summer, but the uncertainty could easily stretch further into the future.

Good weather for tobacco crops. As cigar blenders continue to experiment with tobacco from more and more countries, the global climate becomes increasingly significant. Though the quality of 2015 crops won’t be apparent until years in the future, a top harvest would be a boon for manufacturers and ensure more great smokes to come.

Clean up the catalogs. Why do major catalog retailers devote more and more pages to machine-made cigars and electronic cigarettes and cigars? Money, of course. But I think it’s penny-wise and pound-foolish. I’ve got nothing against machine-mades or e-cigs, but I hate to see them closely associated and pitched with premium cigars. As the industry struggles to separate itself from nicotine delivery devices, this type of advertising hurts. Why not print separate catalogs for those who want them?

What’s on your list as we head into 2015?

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

Unless you’re a complete stranger to the online cigar community, you probably know of Barry Stein. Barry is highly active on social media, the founder (and former proprietor of) A Cigar Smoker, a former employee of Miami Cigar & Co., and a current employee of the New Hampshire-based Two Guys Smoke Shop, a chain of cigar retailers.

These days Barry is also doing some marketing for United Cigar, an outfit with smokes manufactured and blended by Nelson Alfonso’s Selected Tobacco (Alfonso is known for his work with the Cohiba Behike). United Cigar’s website is under construction.

Barry was kind enough to send me a three-pack of United creations—one cigar each of the Atabey, Byron, and Bandolero blends (complete with travel humidifier tubes and a gorgeous presentation, no less). To be clear, while the three-pack is greatly appreciated, I did not petition Barry for any samples, and his generosity and thoughtfulness in no way impacts this review.

Atabey is handmade in Costa Rica using an undisclosed blend of “Caribbean and Central American” tobaccos. It bears a striking resemblance to the ultra-exclusive Cohiba Behike in several ways, including the band (dots with black and gold) and the light, clean wrapper. In addition, the Atabey name itself is a nod to the goddess the Taíno Indians would pray to through the leader of their group, known as the “Behike.”

Six vitolas comprise the Atabey portfolio: Ritos (6.1 x 55), Delirios (5.75 x 55), Sabios (5.25 x 52), Brujos (4.9 x 52), Divinos (4.25 x 50), and Idolos (4.5 x 55). All retail north of $20 for a single.

The Atabey Ritos is a large, beautiful cigar with an impeccably smooth wrapper, a well-executed triple-cap, and soft pre-light notes of sweet hay off the foot. After setting an even light, I find a balanced, medium to mild-medium profile with notes of cream, oak, white pepper and a little syrup. The texture is bready and the aftertaste leaves a gentle spice on the tongue. Towards the midway point and beyond, there’s a slight increase in intensity with flavors of walnut and black pepper joining in. Construction is perfect.

Atabey has actually been around since 2011, but never available at more than 30 retailers nationwide and always operating with a fairly low visibility. Given Barry Stein’s connections to the online cigar media, I think you’ll be seeing a lot more about this brand in 2015.

Yes, the Atabey Ritos is expensive. No, it doesn’t taste terribly similar to the Cuban Behike (I’m not sure the comparison is fair but, after all, the manufacturer is inviting it). That said, it’s a complex, balanced, wonderfully nuanced cigar, and it won’t leave you disappointed (unless you were hoping for a full-bodied powerbomb). I award it 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I don’t buy a lot of cigars by the box, but the Curivari Buenaventura is one I’ve been keeping on hand lately. The Nicaraguan puro is medium-bodied and especially well-balanced. It has subtle wood spice, cocoa, and earth. I’ve never had any issues with the construction. The quality to price ($5-6) ratio on this cigar makes it perfect for smoking yourself or handing out to either seasoned cigar smokers or novices.

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.”

In August 2013, I reviewed a pre-release sample of Abbadon (6.25 x 52), a single vitola made by Skip Martin’s RoMa Craft Tobac exclusively for Blue Havana, a tobacconist in Chicago. I immediately loved the full-bodied smoke, which later appeared on our list of the best cigars of 2013. Jump forward to December 2014, when I found myself near Blue Havana and unable to withstand the temptation to go in and buy an Abaddon bundle. I’m glad I did. This dark, oily smoke—which features a Nicaraguan hybrid (Criollo/Corojo) wrapper around a Mata Fina binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic—is a triumph. It boasts a huge, powerful profile of black pepper, coffee, leather, and creamy nut with superb construction. And I think there’s some solid aging potential here, too.

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) Nebraska’s eleven cigar bars can continue to allow smoking, at least for a short while longer. Last August, the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a longstanding exemption from the state’s indoor smoking ban. For now, paperwork and bureaucracy are delaying enforcement of the ban at the bars in question. In addition, “some lawmakers said there will be an effort to allow for cigar bars this upcoming session. Sen. Tyson Larson, who’s running to be chairman of the General Affairs Committee, believes they’ll come up with a proposal that is constitutional,” according to the ABC affiliate in Omaha.

2) Love it or hate it, you can’t deny Cigar Aficionado’s recent list of the Top Cigars of 2014 will have an impact on sales (and probably also influence the behavior of retailers and manufacturers). Highest honors went to the Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado—the first time Oliva has topped the list. The top ten included the E.P. Carrillo La Historia E-III, Illusione Fume d’Amour Clementes, Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial Tubo, Rocky Patel Royale Toro, Fuente Fuente OpusX PerfecXion X, Padrón Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro, Ashton Estate Sun Grown 22-Year Salute, Monte Jacopo No. 2, and A. Flores 1975 Serie Privada Capa Habano SP52.

3) Inside the Industry: Jordan Alexander III Cigar Company will be shipping it’s new Corojo cigar next month. The cigar—made with a Dominican corojo wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler at the Quesada factory—will come in four sizes with suggested prices ranging from $7.95 to $9.75. Also shipping in February is the new Room 101 Master Collection Three. The Camacho-made cigar will feature an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican binder, Nicaraguan filler, and will come in five sizes.

4) Deal of the Week: AVO’s upcoming rebranding/reblending will result in some excellent deals on the current AVO offerings. These deals from Emerson’s are no exception. Buy any box of AVO cigars and you recieve a 10-pack of AVO Classic No. 2 cigars (valued at over $100). We’d particularly recommend the AVO Heritage line, which starts at just $112 for a box (plus the bonus 10-pack).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

In this latest segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I think about what the new year will bring for Cuban policy and the FDA, plus the potential impact on the cigar industry of a new Nicaraguan canal construction project.

Watching, Waiting on the FDA

Since passage of the FDA bill in 2009, we have been warning of the danger it poses to the cigar industry. Last year, when the Deeming Document and proposed rule were released, more people finally caught on to the disruptive potential. Now we wait.

This chart explains the nine-step process. It’s important to remember the FDA is currently on step 7, which includes reviewing all the public comments. But that process doesn’t take place in a vacuum. Politics will play a role, along with science, public opinion expressed in the comments, and the legislative mandate.

That’s why continuing the push for legislation to exempt handmade cigars from the FDA remains critical. While having the bill become law would obviously be great, even without passing the legislation it can influence the FDA to think twice about going against the wishes of a significant number of members of Congress. So with a new Congress starting earlier this week, let your representatives hear from you today.

Could the Nicaraguan Canal Impact Cigars?

Here’s a story to keep an eye on. Construction has just begun on a $50 billion construction project to build a canal across Nicaragua. The murky Chinese-funded project is projected to be completed in five years and will allow ships too large to pass through the Panama canal to cross from the Pacific to the Atlantic by traveling through a series of canals connected through Lake Nicaragua.

So what’s the cigar impact? Too early to tell exactly, but it could be significant. The canal could make shipping cigars from Nicaragua to the U.S. even easier, and it could result in more Nicaraguan cigars being exported to other countries, especially China. However, there are potential downsides too. Some have raised concerns about the environmental impact, especially on Lake Nicaragua, which is where the volcanic island of Ometepe is located, also one of the four notable growing regions for Nicaraguan cigar tobacco. Thankfully, no one is proposing using nuclear bombs for construction of the canal this time.

I Heard they Legalized Cuban Cigars

I expect retailers will get questions from occasional cigar smokers asking about Cubans. That’s because the announcement just before Christmas wasn’t particularly clear, nor did the media do a good job reporting what it meant. (We clarified everything here, but the short version is, unless you are visiting Cuba with the explicit permission of the U.S. government, nothing has changed.)

As for more action on the Cuban embargo, I would be shocked to see any in the next two years. Ending the embargo takes an act of Congress and the president’s signature. Plus, as long as Florida remains a key swing state for presidential elections, changing Cuban policy will be a risky play for anyone with national ambitions. So any talk that the recent announcement was the first step towards a quick end to the embargo is unwarranted.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

StogieGuys.com was born from a love of cigars. Its founders created the site (over eight years ago!) as an outlet to share their passion, and it has grown and evolved through the years, though cigars remain at the core.

I’ve spent some time reading through all our entries for 2014. In addition to scores of reviews, we’ve covered topics that range from tips for beginners to author interviews, from guides on great libations to exploring pertinent legislation. And many, many others, including reports from overseas.

As we head into a new year, it seems appropriate to do a little reassessing. To ask, as former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was fond of inquiring, “How am I doing?”

That’s where you come in.

Tell us what you’d like to see at StogieGuys.com in 2015.

Should we cover more of the growing number of high-end releases? Or scout for worthwhile low-priced sticks? Do you like to see interviews with industry leaders, or has the explosion of social media made them so visible that interviews aren’t really necessary nowadays?

One issue we struggle with is, when you’ve been doing this as long as we have, there’s a danger of being repetitive. Still, many readers are newcomers and could benefit from information or advice that may have been presented years ago.

Another big item for discussion: For the first time in years, we didn’t cover the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show in person. Our absence, mind you, wasn’t a protest; it was simply a reflection of the fact that (1) our site founders have day jobs and family obligations, and (2) travel accommodations are not inexpensive. Did you miss us not covering the event live? Or did we still give you enough reporting on the new releases and activities? Do you think it’s essential we cover this summer’s convention in New Orleans in person?

We’ve dabbled a bit into the world of pipe smoking. Should we do more?

Looking back, one area I’m particularly proud of is our coverage of federal legislation and regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We’ve also tried to rally readers to the cause. The outcome has the very real potential to dramatically alter—even destroy—every cigar smokers’ ability to continue enjoying cigars. Too much? Not enough? Just right?

I could go on. As you can see, I have barely scratched the surface of areas of interest.

So, if you would, take a minute or two and leave a comment, or send us an email, with your thoughts about Stogie Guys in 2015. And trust that we really value your feedback.
I can’t promise we’ll be able to satisfy everyone, though we will certainly consider all of your replies carefully.

And I will guarantee one thing: Cigars will always be front and center. We still love them.

–George E

photo credit: N/A