The Stogie Guys

When Cigar Aficionado announced its top cigar of 2008, I can recall being shocked, as well as reflecting on how little I knew about the Casa Magna Colorado Robusto. I don’t place much stock in Cigar Aficionado ratings, much less the magazine’s annual Top 25 list, but this selection appeared to come out of left field—especially when you consider the pedigree of the 2008 runner-up, the Padrón Serie 1926 80 Years Maduro.

Admittedly, like many other curious cigar enthusiasts, the designation prompted me to try the smoke for myself. I did. I also tried the Torito. I grew more and more impressed by Casa Magna’s ability to generate a top-quality blend for a very reasonable price. Kudos to the partnership between Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plasencia.

In the years that followed, the Casa Magna hype seemed to die a predictable death. Maybe it’s just me, but I hear and/or read very little about the brand these days. And for one reason or another, I rarely pull a Casa Magna out of one of my humidors.

I couldn’t resist reacquainting myself with the Casa Magna Colorado when I saw the Corona vitola on sale at my local tobacconist for $5.50. Like its brethren, the Corona is blessed with a super-oily wrapper that boasts a reddish hue (hence “Colorado”). The pre-light aroma reminds me of honey and cocoa. A punch cut is all that’s needed to reveal a smooth draw.

After setting an even light with a few wooden matches, the cigar—made from 100% Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos—displays a bold taste of pepper and black cherry. Soon I start to notice the unique flavor that attracted me to the other Casa Magna Colorado formats: dried apricot. Other notes come and go throughout, including earth and peanut.

Back when Casa Magna was the talk of the town, I recall many smokers/reviewers reporting construction issues. Maybe I’m just lucky, but those issues continue to evade me. All three Coronas I smoked for this review exhibited solid white ashes, straight burn lines, and clear draws that yielded plenty of smoke with each puff.

That top rating from Cigar Aficionado in 2008 may have been the best and the worst thing to ever happen to the blend. On one hand, I think it’s safe to say many more people tried this cigar than otherwise would have; on the other, it seems like some expect this sub-$6 smoke to exceed the complexity of the best Padrón. It doesn’t. What it does is make an oily, well-constructed, uniquely flavored cigar available at a very modest price point. That affords the Corona a solid rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Note: The following is one of a series of articles regarding StogieGuys.com’s recent visit to Nicaragua as part of Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari. Read all our Cigar Safari articles here.]

One of the more interesting nuggets from the trip was Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka telling me that if production capacity allowed, he has as many as a dozen blends he thinks are market-ready. Here, I will look at some potential upcoming blends from Drew Estate.

First, one important note: I’ve only smoked one sample of each of these cigars (some in Nicaragua and some upon my return) and they may or may not be the final blend; so what follows are (obviously) not reviews, or even Quick Smokes.

My Uzi Weighs a Ton Kentucky Fire Cured

This is the “Beef Jerky” cigar (or at least a variation of it) that Saka first told me about at the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. While you won’t see it in Drew Estate’s marketing copy—almost certainly for trademark reasons—I expect this cigar to be known by most smokers as simply “Uzi KFC” or just “KFC,” which certainly has a familiar ring to it. The blend, which I’m led to believe is pretty much finalized since it has been officially announced for the 2013 Trade Sshow, uses up to three different fire-cured tobaccos, including one as a cap for the wrapper that imparts flavor directly on the mouth. The fire-cured tobaccos definitely have a smokey, mesquite aroma and flavor, but those flavors weren’t as dominant as I thought they might be. It’s definitely different, but I for one look forward to trying more.

Drew Estate Nica Rustico

This cigar uses a unique strand of tobacco that grows wild in Nicaragua that comes from a different variation of the tobacco species than is normally used in cigars. It was described as having rough characteristics and that certainly is true from the sample I smoked. I would describe it as gritty, rustic, slightly vegetable, and even a bit grating. Those characteristics come on a bit strong at first, especially for smokers who value balance in their cigars, but it does seem to mellow slightly as the cigar continues (though perhaps just because you become accustomed to it). I find this to be an even more unique cigar than the KFC and more likely to be either loved or hated by each particular smoker.

Herrera Estelí Maduro

Possibly for release later this year, this is the maduro project that is a derivation of the original Ecuador Habano-wrapped Herrera Estelí. Dubbed “WH Project M” on the test bands, it sure seems like a finished product to me. It features medium- to full-bodied flavors and adds earth and dry chocolate to the basic profile of the original Herrera Estelí. Whether it’s just the Estelí Herrera with a different wrapper or a more extensively tweaked blend, I’m not sure. (I’d certainly believe the former, but knowing Drew Estate’s attention to detail the latter seems more likely.) Like Willy Herrera’s projects before and at Drew Estate, it maintains the Cuban-esque style he is known for. This is my favorite of the the blends listed here.

“WH Cuadrado”

This is another blend created primarily by Willy Herrera. It would be his first box-pressed cigar, hence “Cuadrado,” which translates to square. Herrera told me he’s always wanted to create a box-pressed smoke. The cigar starts very full-bodied before rounding out slightly, though it’s certainly more full-bodied than his other blends while keeping in the Cuban style.

–Patrick S

photo credit: JonathanDrew1/Stogie Guys

First, let’s talk about what this cigar is not. It is not the one handed out at Don Pepin Garcia events and said to be a replica of his storied blend for the original El Centurion.

No, this cigar is what might be referred to more aptly as the “Not-So-Special” My Father Special.

While occasionally offered for sale, nearly always in a three-pack, this line is more frequently found as the extra stick in a My Father sampler or an inducement giveaway.

According to what little information I was able to find, the light brown wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano-seed and the binder and filler are Nicaraguan tobaccos. The cigar carries typical Robusto proportions: five inches long with a ring gauge of 50.

What it isn’t, however, even for a big Pepin fan, is particularly special.

I’ve had four of them and, as you’d expect from My Father, they are consistent and well-constructed. Good draw, good burn.

It’s in the flavor that the cigar falls somewhat short. While it kicks off with a bit of the typical Pepin spice, the cigar quickly settles in with a flatter, less lively taste. There’s also little complexity, and the stick more or less maintains the same profile from head to foot.

I don’t find that at all surprising, since I wouldn’t expect a manufacturer to use its best tobacco in producing what is, essentially, a fill-in cigar.

This is by no means a bad cigar. It just isn’t anything special. As such, it fits right in to the “pretty respectable” three-stogie rating.

[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 Nicaraguan puro from Alec Bradley and made at Nestor Plasencia’s factory features a sun-grown Habano wrapper from Jalapa. The dark leaf is a stark reminder of the difference that location makes, as it’s one of the darker Habano wrappers I’ve seen (especially compared to Ecuador, which also grows a lot of Habano wrapper). It started out with a burst of bitterness, but fortunately that fades relatively quickly leaving blend dominated by dry earthy flavors. Construction was free of any problems. It’s a decent smoke at a reasonable price ($4.75) but hardly inspiring.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.”

This new release from cigar polymath Frank Herrera sports a wrapper from the increasingly popular tobacco fields of Brazil, paired with Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. I’m always wary of Brazilian tobacco because I frequently find it shares a quite unpleasant dirt taste common to its Mexican sibling. And, quite frankly, this Toro (6 x 54, $6.50) did exhibit a bit of that, but not too much. If you’re a fan of Brazilian Arapiraca or just want to try something a little different, give this three-vitola line a chance.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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) It’s the last day of May, and that means we’re set to reveal the the winners of the seven fantastic prizes we’re giving away to celebrate the seventh anniversary of StogieGuys.com. In case you missed the announcements, the prizes are epic, and they come courtesy of some of our favorite cigar makers, including CAO, Dante, Drew Estate, La Palina, Paul Garmirian, Prometheus, and Tesa. If you’re one of the 2,400+ who registered for this contest, keep an eye on your email in the coming days. We’ll be using our free email newsletter to announce the seven randomly chosen winners in short order. Best of luck to you all.

2) In our most recent sidebar survey, we found 42% of StogieGuys.com readers resolved to try more new cigars, 26% resolved to smoke better cigars, 26% resolved to smoke more cigars, and 6% resolved to smoke fewer cigars. To participate in our current survey, please do so in the sidebar to the right. And if you have an idea for a future survey, please contact us.

3) In honor of Memorial Day, Fox News ran a story about the oldest living U.S. veteran: Richard Arvine Overton, a Texan who served in World War II and is 107 years young. His secret to longevity? Up to 12 cigars per day and whiskey in his morning coffee.

4) Inside the Industry: Gurkha Cigars announced the release of The Rogue, the third release in its East India Trading Company line, made with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and filler from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican. Davidoff is releasing the new golf-inspired Davidoff Masters Edition Club House Toro, a limited release of just 7,000 boxes of 10 with individual cigars selling for $22 each.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Tatuaje TAA 2012. Robby Ras reviews the CyB Lancero. Stogie Fresh rates La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet Chisel. Cigar Inspector inspects a Davidoff Puro d’Oro.

6) Deal of the Week: This “Around the World Sampler” features five cigars for $5 a stick. It includes such popular cigars as the Oliva Master Blend 3, Four Kicks, Alec Bradley Family Blend, and CAO Brazilia Lambada.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

About a decade ago, as small batch bourbon was really taking off, Wild Turkey released Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Bourbon as a limited release. A few years later it became a regular release, and gradually shed the Wild Turkey branding as it became its own line.

Of course the influence of Wild Turkey never really went anywhere given that it’s distilled and aged at Wild Turkey and is named after its Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, who says this 10 year bourbon is the spirit he drinks most regularly. The 10 year “small batch” spirit is bottled at 90-proof and sells for around $30 (I picked up a bottle for $32).

Russell’s Reserve 10 is a dark, amber-colored bourbon that shows a good bit of vanilla sweetness along with soft oak and hints of dried fruit. It has a rich mouthfeel that tingles the palate with lots of dry woodiness, cinnamon spice, roasted nuts, and only hints of sweetness. The finish is long with more oak and candied flavors.

It’s a fine spirit for the price and one that is very approachable, yet with enough complexity to keep even the discerning palate interested. I tasted some side by side with the barrel strength Wild Turkey Rare Breed (essentially just a different expression of the same mash bill) and, even accounting for the difference in proof, found the Russell’s Reserve more rounded and refined.

That refined complexity makes Russell’s Reserve Small Batch 10 Year perfect for mild- and medium-bodied smokes. I found the EPC Short Run 2012 a perfect pairing. For something more medium-bodied, I enjoyed the Viaje Late Harvest.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys