The Stogie Guys

Last month I reviewed Abaddon, a forthcoming single-size blend from Blue Havana, a tobacconist in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Crafted at Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño in Estelí by Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac, I found the cigar to be unique and flavorful, and I mentioned that I looked forward to its release in September.

September is here, and so is Abaddon. On Friday, to be exact, Blue Havana hosted a Nica Sueño event to welcome Abaddon to the shop’s selection of smokes. The cigar, which takes its name from the dwelling place of the dead in the Hebrew Bible, sells for $8.15 and sports a dark, oily, slightly mottled Nicaraguan hybrid (Criollo/Corojo) wrapper from Nicaragua, a Mata Fina binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. I liked the cigar enough to award it a rare rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

So I was understandably eager to try Ouroboros, the other RoMa Craft-produced Blue Havana exclusive that also made its debut on Friday. Named after an ancient symbol depicting a dragon eating its own tail, Ouroboros is also available in one size (6.25 x 52). It retails for $8.50 and has a Mata Fina wrapper from Brazil, an Indonesian binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Only 40 boxes of 12 will be produced in the first run.

Ouroboros is dark, firm to the touch, and heavy in the hand. Its wrapper is clean with few veins and plenty of tooth. I don’t find much pre-light aroma besides faint syrupy notes. Interestingly, despite the closed foot, the cold draw is smooth after clipping the cap.

Once an even light is established, a dense, leathery flavor emerges with pepper spice, coffee bean, earth, and traces of bitterness. Hints of black licorice come and go, and the aftertaste is characterized by a lingering paprika spice. The final portion of the cigar, rather than predictably building to intense bitterness or heat, is characterized by cream and cedar.

With outstanding construction—something I’ve come to expect from Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño—I’m happy to report that Ouroboros, like Abaddon, is a very pleasing cigar. The balance, complexity, and fragrance make it well worth its price tag and worthy of another solid rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This annual release from Quesada continues to impress, beginning with an extraordinarily oily wrapper and ending, for me, with a nubbed cigar. I recommended the line last year and I do the same in 2013.

The Bavarian, whose named honors the home of Oktoberfest, is a 5.5-inch beauty with a mix of Dominican filler leaf that creates a sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy stick. Exhaling occasionally through the nose adds another dimension to the tastes.

A leader in expanding the expectations of Dominican tobaccos, Quesada has certainly imbued this puro with more power, punch, and complexity than the stereotypical mild cigar from the Dominican.

In those I’ve smoked, construction has generally been fine. I have had to touch up the burn a time or two, but the problems were relatively minor. The draw was right on target, and the smoke production excellent. The ring gauge of 52 is comfortable.

The limited edition has grown this year to 6 sizes, including a Corona (5 x 43 ). With the small number of cigars produced, though, I’d be surprised if many shops carry all sizes.

My one small complaint is that I’d prefer Quesada to include the production year somewhere on the band, which, frankly, I’d like to see on all limited editions.

Quesada set out to create a cigar that would match the Märzen style of Bavarian beer associated with Oktoberfest. I have no doubt it will. But I think you’ll enjoy the cigar no matter what drink you pick up.

For me, this year’s Oktoberfest, like its predecessor in 2012, is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: SAG Imports

For the first time, Tesa cigars can now be purchased at a location other than Tesa’s shop in Chicago. Starting on Friday, Riverside Cigar Shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana, began carrying Tesa’s “ultra-boutique” cigars, and the tobacconist kicked off its new relationship with an event featuring Chris Kelly, owner of Tesa Cigars.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Jeff Mouttet [owner of Riverside Cigar Shop] for several years now, and since he has heard about my cigars and factory, Jeff has been vocal and proactive about spreading the word, “ said Kelly in a press release. “Jeff has created a great environment for cigar smokers with a top-shelf selection of cigars, and I am proud to be able to have Riverside as our first authorized dealer.”

I recently exchanged text messages with Kelly about this development, inquiring if an even larger distribution of Tesa is in the works. He did not rule out the possibility of more tobacconists carrying Tesa in the future.

Since I discovered them several years ago, Tesa’s various blends have been among my favorite cigars on the market, and also some of the highest-rated cigars at StogieGuys.com. Riverside will be carrying several of (what I consider to be) Tesa’s best smokes, including Vintage Especial, 312, and Picadura King. All are made at Tesa’s small factory in Estelí. Until now, these smokes could only be procured via a personal visit to Tesa’s shop, or by placing an online order at Tesa’s website.

Self-described as “an Irish kid from the South Side of Chicago,” Chris Kelly is a young, atypical cigar maker who may be one of the most talented blenders in the industry. For a while now I’ve been saying Tesa is a company to watch given its tremendous quality of complex blends, consistency, and growth potential. Riverside Cigar Shop carrying Tesa is one small step towards realizing that potential.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Tesa

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 got a shot at this limited release sooner than I expected, as a local shop scored several boxes at the IPCPR Trade Show. It’s a remarkable concoction of sweetness and strength, satisfying from beginning to end. My only complaint is a somewhat erratic burn, caused, no doubt, by the thick Mexican maduro wrapper. That’s the only flaw in this box-pressed torpedo that weighs in at 6.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 52. If forced to choose, I’d opt for the original Melanio, but this is a great cigar to put in the mix. It runs about $13 per stick and comes in 10-count boxes.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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.”

Black Label Trading is a new company with a skull-and-bone pirate theme and six debut blends. Redemption, the blend I smoked, is a Nicaraguan puro with a Habano wrapper that comes in two sizes: Robusto (5 x 54) and Gordo (6 x 60). A first in my experience, the large band on the sample I smoked seemed to be a final production band, but it also had the phrase “pre-release sample” across the top. The cigar sported lots of deep, dark flavors, yet it keeps a medium-bodied profile with woody notes. I expected an ass-kicker, but got a balanced cigar. Without knowing the MSRP, I think this is a cigar with some real potential. I’m looking forward to trying more from Black Label Trading.

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) September is a great month for cigar events. The fifth annual Crush & Roll West starts today at the Paso Robles Fairgrounds in California. The gathering is expected to attract hundreds with cigars, wine, craft beer, poker, and entertainment. Twenty cigar makers will be on hand representing Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the KC Cigar Festival kicks off tomorrow. And W. Curtis Draper’s Little Puff is slated for September 27 in Washington, with proceeds benefiting DC-area academic scholarships.

2) The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, created by the J.C. Newman and Fuente cigar companies, is again hosting an event in the Dominican Republic where the Fuente factory and farms are located. The event will be held February 5-8 and costs $295 a person. Attendees will get the chance to help the foundation, tour Chateau de la Fuente, and enjoy a cigar dinner celebration. Details can be found here.

3) Inside the Industry: Palm Beach-area retailer Smoke Inn is introducing the latest addition to its MicroBlend Series. The Quesada Octoberfest Dunkel uses the same binders and fillers as Quesada’s regular Oktoberfest release. However, the wrapper is a broadleaf maduro with an underlying Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper only at the foot. Production is limited to 750 boxes with 15 cigars (6 x 54) that retail for $8.95 per stick or $134.25 for the box.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Camacho Havana. Stogie Review reviews the Joya de Nicaragua Rosalones. Nice Tight Ash checks out the King of Kings Cuadrado. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Kilo. Stogie Fresh smokes the Joya de Nicaragua CyB.

5) Deal of the Week: Maduro fans should take a good look at this five-cigar sampler. Just $27 lands you one each of the Ortega Serie D No. 6, Perdomo Noir Epicure, Pinar del Rio Small Batch Maduro Robusto, Kristoff Ligero Maduro Matador, and the AVO Maduro No. 9.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Crush & Roll West

Take two of the most popular cigars on the market (Padrón Anniversary 1964 and Liga Privada No. 9), switch a couple numbers, squish them together, and what do you get? The Nat Cicco “Aniversario 1965 Liga No. 4.” At least that’s what the name seems to imply.

It wouldn’t be the first time Nat Cicco has created a brand—without violating any trademarks—that alludes to another brand. A while back, I reviewed the Nat Cicco HHB which, in name and packaging, quite clearly is designed to invoke the Cohiba Behike.

According to Zander-Greg, who now owns the Nat Cicco line, the Aniversario 1965 Liga No. 4 is a celebration of the first time (1965) the “Factory Rejects” concept was produced. Back then it was the National Cigar Company, which has since been shortened to Nat Cicco, whose “Rejects” is still the company’s best-known line.

Aniversario 1965, the company’s first big move into the higher end of the market, is available in Robusto, Toro, and Churchill shapes, and has Nicaragua-grown Habano-seed  filler, binder, and wrapper tobaccos. I smoked four Toros (provided by Nat Cicco) for this review. The press release put out last year says the cigars retail for around $8, but it also says the cigars are band-less, and clearly they aren’t.

It’s a well-made, box-pressed cigar with an even burn, easy draw, and sturdy ash. The cigar features a pigtail cap and a dark, oily wrapper. The profile tastes of molasses, powdered chocolate, earth, and a little leather. It’s pretty simplistic, though pleasant, with not much variation from start to finish.

The Aniversario 1965 Liga No. 4 doesn’t exactly stand out, but it’s still a well-made, tasty cigar. A classic example of the new higher baseline for cigar quality that I mentioned in my recent commentary.

Well-made, well-constructed, and featuring a pleasant, if not particularly balanced, profile, it’s an interesting new addition that I wish was easier to find. (A quick Google search suggests it’s tough to find.) While it’s no Liga No. 9 or Padrón 1964, the Nat Cicco Aniversario 1965 Liga No. 4 does earn a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys