The Stogie Guys

Over the years my colleagues and I have written many articles about various bourbons, rums, ryes, whiskies, mixed cocktails, beer, and coffee—and which cigars they pair best with. (You can peruse all of those articles here, or you can simply use our search bar at the upper right to locate the libation you’re looking for.) During this time I’ve found a few rules of thumb for pairing drinks with cigars. Keep in mind these conclusions are mine and mine alone. They may fly in the face of my colleagues’ opinions, your own experiences, or even conventional wisdom. But they’ve served me well. I list them here with hopes they help with your own experimentation and/or prompt a constructive dialog.

Coffee

I’ve admittedly turned into a bit of a coffee snob and lately have been favoring Chicago-based producers like Metropolis and Inteligensia. Both have myriad blends that accentuate notes of fruit or nuts over the standard bitter flavor that’s dominant in less superior black coffee. These blends pair outstandingly with milder, Connecticut- or Ecuadorian-wrapped smokes. No, you can’t judge a cigar by the color of its wrapper, but, as a general rule of thumb, lighter, golden wrappers make for excellent coffee companions.

Wine

I’m not a fan of pairing cigars with white wine (or even champagne, for that matter). Big, bold reds, however, tend to be a treat with dark, maduro cigars, particularly those that yield chocolate notes. I’ve especially found that cigars with significant Mata Fina tobacco are good candidates for red wine pairings. I’ll leave any musings on specific varietals—pinot noir, zinfandel, merlot, malbec, etc.—to myself for now since that’s a little too specific for this article’s purpose.

Beer

While I’m not going to win any friends with this opinion, I must say that beer, for me, just doesn’t jive well with cigars at all. I’ve pretty much decided that I’m either smoking a cigar or drinking beer, not both. One tends to ruin the other. My hypothesis is this mismatch stems from my affinity for hoppy, bitter beers. When it comes to pairing a drink with cigars, bitter is not something to look for in a spirit.

Bourbon/Rum

Bourbons and rums are the opposite of beer. Pick any bourbon or rum. Pick any cigar. Relax and enjoy. Whether straight, on the rocks, or even in most mixed drinks, these spirits tend to go well with just about any cigar. The only suggestion I’ll make is, for example, if you’re drinking a particularly sweet rum, like Zaya, pair it with a spicy smoke. The objective is all about balance. And, unlike wine, don’t be afraid to select a full-bodied smoke. Bourbon or rum can hold its own on the palate.

So there you have it. Some general rules of thumb on pairing drinks with cigars from one humble man’s perspective. I look forward to hearing what you have to say in the comments.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It’s been almost two months since the IPCPR Trade Show so, with the dust settling, it’s a good time to look back at some industry trends that were on display at the show.

Quality Increasing

It’s my belief that quality is going up across the board in the cigar industry, and smoking plenty of samples only solidifies this opinoin. Obviously these are generalizations and no doubt there are exceptions, but it seems not only are the cigars being produced now better constructed than they were 5-10 years ago, they are better cigars that lack obvious flavor flaws. The result is good for consumers. Whether you buy discounted samplers online, or just pick up what looks interesting at your local cigar shop, odds are you’re going to end up with decent or good cigars.

Expectations on the Rise

When finding a good cigar is easy, consumers expectations are raised. The result can be challenging for cigar companies. Here’s a thought experiment: Take a recent cigar release and imagine how it would have done if it was released five years earlier. Last year, CAO introduced the Concert series, a cigar with sales (I get the sense) that seem to be a little disappointing to CAO’s parent company, General Cigar. I’d suspect that if that same blend at the same price point had been introduced five years earlier (two years before CAO La Traviata) it would have been a smash hit. It is, in my opinion, a classic example of a cigar that would have stood out in 2007 or earlier, but now is just another good cigar in the crowd.

Small Brands Fill Niches

It’s easy to discount cigar brands that don’t own a factory but instead contract someone else to make their cigars. For one thing, there’s an extra level, and that means an additional mark-up before the cigar reaches consumers. The brand owner has to buy cigars then mark them up before they are sold wholesale. Also, people assume that if the blend was so great why didn’t the factory just release and market it themselves? Those are valid points, but there’s also a niche that these small brands can fill. For large companies like General Cigar, Altadis, Davidoff, and Drew Estate, it doesn’t make a ton of economic sense to create a cigar that will sell only 40,000 cigars. But for a small cigar line owned by a single brand owner, that level of volume can be a nice little business, and they can afford to make a cigar that, while it may never be a huge seller, may find a small but dedicated fan base.

Protecting Brick-and-Mortar Shops from Online Discounters

Increasingly, one shop owner concern about bringing in a new cigar is that it will soon be available online for a significant discount. Traditionally, cigar makers have sought to deal with these concerns by protecting prices with a maximum discount (say 10% below MSRP) under which the cigar can’t be sold. But with the increasing number of consumers showrooming (visiting local stores while simultaneously price shopping online), that’s not always enough. The response from cigar makers is bifurcating their lines with some available and marketed to online retailers and others specifically brick and mortar only. The AVO Serenata is an example of a new line strictly for brick and mortar retailers. This has been going on for a while, but it seems to be more prominent recently.

What’s a Flavored Cigar?

With the advent of fire-cured tobacco, the line between traditional and flavored cigars is beginning to blur. Drew Estate’s Kentucky Fire Cured and Sam Leccia’s Black line are the most prominent, but others (Gran Habano) are introducing cigars that use fire-cured tobacco. It’s an interesting development where the line between traditional and flavored (Drew Estate calls them “infused”) is breaking down, because the difference isn’t unnatural chemicals being introduced to the cigar making process, but the traditional process being tweaked using old technology not normally used for handmade cigars. Look for this trend to continue.

–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.”

Made for the St. Louis-based Table 36 by Nestor Plasencia, Integrity is a Nicaraguan puro with a Jalapa wrapper, double binders from Estelí and Jalapa, and filler tobaccos from Condega and Jalapa. The Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46) has a slight box press that, at least on the single sample I received at the IPCPR Trade Show, is very pronounced at the foot while hardly noticeable at the head. The result is a powerful, full-bodied smoke with earth and graphite, along with hints of clove and molasses. This was the first Table 36 I’ve smoked, and I’m looking forward to trying others.

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) Joya de Nicaragua announced yesterday that José Blanco, the company’s senior vice president, has stepped down and will be leaving Estelí for “his roots in the Dominican Republic.” While Blanco’s two-year contract with the oldest cigar maker in Nicaragua will not be renewed, he leaves behind his eponymous, critically acclaimed CyB cigar line (formerly Cuenca y Blanco). Some have speculated CyB’s sales never lived up to expectations—notwithstanding virtually unanimous praise from the online cigar community. The terms of Blanco’s departure did not include a non-compete clause, and StogieGuys.com expects (and hopes) he will continue to work in the industry. Blanco formerly worked at La Aurora in the Dominican for 29 years and is well known for his tasting seminars and extensive travel to cigar shops.

2) For those in the Chicago area, Blue Havana is hosting a RoMa Craft Tabac event this evening from 5-9 pm. The gathering will include deals on RoMa’s Intemperance, CroMagnon, and Aquitaine blends. RoMa produces the forthcoming Ouroboros and Abaddon blends for Blue Havana, both of which are expected to debut in September.

3) Inside the Industry: Hammer + Sickle is introducing the mild Icon Series by Hendrik Kelner, made at Kelner’s Tabacos Dominicanos factory with a Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican binder and filler. In addition to José Blanco stepping down, Joya de Nicaragua announced a number of promotions by its Board of Directors this week, including the election of Juan Ignacio Martínez, son of longtime Joya head Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca, as executive president.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Punch Rare Corojo Champion. Cigar Fan fires up the CLE Corojo. Stogie Review reviews the CAO Flathead. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Miami Cigar Kilo. Stogie Fresh smokes the Avo La Trompeta.

5) Deal of the Week: This Silver Tray Sampler has five full-bodied sticks for just $27. The deal includes the Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro, a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender, a La Sirena, one Asylum 13, and the Punch Gran Puro Sesenta.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

El Cedro is a new brand recently launched by Anwar Elboustani. Elboustani experienced what he calls “love at first smoke” while stationed in Iraq as a translator in the U.S. Navy. In early 2013, nearly ten years later, Elboustani founded El Cedro Cigars, a new boutique brand “inspired by the men and women of America’s armed services.”

The name means “The Cedar,” which refers to the ancient Mediterranean cedar trees which dot the mountains of Lebanon, some of which date back nearly 2000 years. “I chose the cedar tree because to me it embodies eternity… I want ‘The Cedar’ to memorialize those who have fallen for the freedom that every American enjoys,” Elboustani says. (Spanish) cedar also happens to be the type of wood most closely associated cigar making and proper cigar storage.

El Cedro cigars are produced at the new Kelner Boutique Factory in the Dominican Republic, run by Hendrick Kelner Jr.(son of “Henke” Kelner, who oversees Davidoff production and produces many other cigars). Henke Jr. also makes his new Tuxedo Cigars at the new facility.

El Cedro has a Dominican wrapper and binder around a blend of Dominican tobacco (supplied by Kelner Jr.’s sister Monica) and Nicaraguan ligero from an undisclosed source. The blend comes in two sizes: Robusto (5.5 x 50) and Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46), the latter of which is really more of a traditional corona size; they retail for $8 and $7, respectively. I smoked four of the Corona Gorda size for this review, all provided by El Cedro before its national release next month.

With a white and gold band around a medium brown wrapper with only a few veins, it’s a classic-looking cigar. It’s well-constructed with a flawless draw (just enough resistance, but not too much) an even burn, and a solid ash that holds for at least an inch.

The cigar is medium-bodied and distinctly Dominican. Dominant flavors are dry cedar and dusty earth. It’s nicely balanced, even if it’s not overly complex. The tobaccos have a character that suggests they are properly aged and not rushed.

These are the first cigars I’ve smoked from the Kelner Boutique Factory and I’m largely impressed. It doesn’t feature the mustiness that characterizes most Davidoff cigars, but it is smooth, balanced, and well-aged. Those characteristics earn this fairly-priced cigar a very respectable four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Few expected Sam Leccia to stay away from the cigar industry any longer than he was legally obligated to. Leccia fans will recall he originally tried to jump back in the business in 2011 with a Toraño-distributed brand called Debut, which prompted a lawsuit from Oliva and postponed his return until this year.

With the conclusion of his non-compete agreement with the Oliva Cigar Co., his former employer, Leccia’s return was formally announced in April, and in June he unveiled his new company at the IPCPR Trade Show. His venture is called Leccia Tobacco.

It has two inaugural blends—Black and White—that fall in the $7-9 range and are distributed by Toraño. Each comes in four sizes. My colleague recently reviewed the Black 552 (5 x 52), which is made in Nicaragua and features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan Rosado binder, and a filler blend of Dominican Ligero, Brazilian Mata Fina, and some fire-cured tobacco.

I personally haven’t tried Black yet. My first experience with Leccia Tobacco is the White 650 (6 x 50), a toro I grabbed at my local shop for $8.50. Made in the Dominican Republic, it’s a Cameroon-wrapped smoke with an Ecuadorian binder and a filler blend that includes Pennsylvanian tobacco. Soft to the touch with a rough cap, the toothy, nearly vein-free cigar has a sweet caramel smell at the foot. The pre-light draw is smooth.

After setting the burn with a couple wooden matches, a doughy texture emerges with flavors of coffee, nuts, milk chocolate, and cream. The impact is mild- to medium-bodied with a little black pepper and cedar on the finish. The resting smoke has a wonderful, sweet aroma.

Construction is very good with a straight burn and a solid gray ash. My only complaint is the draw errors on the side of airy, which renders the toro a fast-burning, quick cigar (albeit with great smoke production). Taking your time between puffs is highly advised.

When it’s all said and done, the Leccia Tobacco White 650 is the kind of cigar I can see myself buying regularly. It pairs as well with morning coffee as it does with after-dinner drinks, and it’s a very approachable choice to hand out to occasional smokers. I’m awarding it a deservedly high rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’ve come to lump bourbons into two categories: those who make their bourbon and those who buy their bourbon. This isn’t a value judgement (I’ve had excellent and mediocre examples of each) just a matter of information. For some bourbons, the owner is a distiller; in other instances the owner is a “non-distiller producer” (NDP) who buys and perhaps ages and blends bourbon made elsewhere.

By the way, the same is true of cigars. Some cigar makers have own their factory, while other brand owners contract someone else to make it for them. But for both bourbons and cigars there’s a wide range of those who fall in the latter category. Some companies are completely upfront about who makes their cigars (they may be more like co-producers), while others are completely secretive. Fortunately, for cigars, the top-secret undisclosed factory is the rarity.

For bourbons, those who don’t distill their own tend to be more tight-lipped about their sources. Black Maple Hill falls into that category. The California-based company has Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (itself an NDP) blend and bottle its bourbon. Sources aren’t disclosed, but Kentucky Bourbon Distillers says it buys bourbon from every major distiller except Maker’s Mark. Which ones end up in Black Maple Hill? The handful of people who know won’t tell.

Black Maple Hill occasionally releases very small runs of extra-old (and very pricey) bourbons and ryes, but these days, if you find it at all, it’s likely to be the Small Batch variety. It’s bottled at 95-proof (47.5 ABV) with no statement of age. Not long ago this could be found for $35-40, but now you might pay quite a bit more. My bottle cost $58 at my local Virginia state-run store and still it was sold out a week after I first spotted it on the shelf.

Black Maple Hill Small Batch is an orange amber color. The nose has corn along with coconut, toffee, and oak. On the palate corn continues to dominate with buttered kettle popcorn. There’s also fudge, malty sweetness, and caramel. In other words, tons of sweetness. The finish continues much the same way, with more corn sweetness and touches of oak.

It’s largely a one-dimensional bourbon (corn sweetness anyone?), but it’s a pleasant dimension, even if $60 seems like way too much for it. The sweetness makes it a versatile pairing with a fine cigar. A refined mild cigar (Macanudo or Davidoff) works just as well as a full-bodied maduro (RoMaCraft CroMagnon or La Riqueza).

Ultimately, for the price, Black Maple Hill Small Batch is outmatched by such staples as Blanton’s, Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage, and fellow Kentucky Bourbon Distillers’ NDP Noah’s Mill. But I wouldn’t say don’t try it. I’d just say, don’t mythologize the fact that it’s so difficult to find. It may be relatively rare and quite tasty, but that combination doesn’t necessarily make it better than bourbons that are more easily procured.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys