The 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.”

Recently, I did a Quick Smoke on this cigar’s Natural sibling. With all the praise garnered by the Maduro, I thought I should give it a try, despite the fact that I’m not naturally a big Maduro fan. And had I remembered that the Maduro’s wrapper is Mexican San Andres, I’d have been even more inclined to pass. I found it to be an OK smoke, with some Maduro sweetness and good construction. But, for my taste, it doesn’t compare to the excellent Natural.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.”

Named for Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka’s favorite food, “Papas Fritas” (Spanish for french fries), this little cigar uses the cuttings of the Liga Privada No. 9 blend to create a small cigar (4.5 x 44) that sells in tins of 4 for $24 ($6 each). With a broadleaf wrapper and Brazilian binder, it produces loads of thick, white smoke. Cocoa, cedar, pepper, and earth all shine through in this little spark plug of a smoke. It’s medium- to full-bodied, well-balanced, and easy to recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’d like to interrupt our regularly scheduled StogieGuys.com content to congratulate Patrick Ashby and his wife Melissa on the birth of their first child!

Grant Henry Ashby was born in Chicago at 1:43pm on Monday, February 18th. He is a healthy 8 pounds, 5 ounces, and 21 inches long. Patrick tells me both Melissa and Grant are doing very well and looking forward to heading home from the hospital today.

We’ll resume our coverage of the world of cigars in a couple days but, in the meantime, feel free to use the comments to congratulate the Ashby family and give a recommendation for a celebratory cigar.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Patrick A

Dunhill is a historic name in cigars, but you could argue the name hasn’t fully lived up to its rich legacy recently. Prior to the communist takeover of Cuba, the Dunhill shop in London had exclusive marketing and distribution agreements with various Cuban cigar makers, including Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, and Partagas. (I smoked a 70-year-old one here.)

The cigars were popular with such legendary smokers as King George VI and Sir Winston Churchill, who reportedly got a call from Dunhill shop employees immediately after a German air raid hit the store to reassure the prime minister that his cigars in storage had been relocated prior to the raid. After the Cuban revolution, Dunhill retained a number of “Dunhill Selección” exclusive sizes and also had its own Don Alfredo line produced at the H. Upmann factory in Havana.

Later, in the early 1980s, Dunhill worked out a deal with Cubatbaco to produce cigars under the Dunhill name. Those cigars, whose main competition was Cuban-made Davidoffs, were produced until 1991, but they are still among the most prized cigars today.

Since then the name, under the control of the British American Tobacco company and separate from the London shop, has bounced around with cigars by Toraño and Altadis being sold under the Dunhill name. The new Dunhill Aged Reserva Especial 2003, introduced at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, is now made at the Dominican factory of General Cigar, which has taken over distribution.

The Dunhill Aged Reserva blend features a Connecticut shade-grown wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and Dominican filler from the 2003 crop. It comes in one size, a Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54), that sells for $15 each in ornate boxes of 10.

The attractive cigar features double bands around a slightly shiny wrapper. It’s the kid of classic styling you’d expect from a cigar bearing the Dunhill name. Construction was excellent on two of the three samples I smoked, but on one the wrapper cracked badly. I’m wiling to write that off as a function of some temperature changes, but you should be aware that the wrapper is quite fragile.

The Robusto Grande features light honey, cedar, straw, slight leather, and a dampness reminiscent of Davidoff. It’s a pretty mild cigar that starts out mild and refined and occasionally touches on bland. Still, throughout, it’s well-balanced, and never harsh or even a little bitter. A friend described the Dunhill Aged Reserva Especial 2003 as a “leathery Davidoff” and I don’t think that’s far off. And it’s probably not a bad thing for Dunhill, since it’s competing for the same part of the market as the Dominican-made Davidoffs.

If you enjoy full-bodied Nicaraguan smokes, this isn’t the cigar for you. If you’re looking for a balanced, refined, mild cigar with a little more complexity than your normal beginner’s smoke, however, it’s worth a try, even if the price is a little steep. That earns the Dunhill Aged Reserva Especial 2003 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

“Put a chill in your whisky without diluting the dram of your dreams.” That’s the clever tagline for, and the concept behind, Whisky Stones, a product distributed by Teroforma.

Some of us, myself included, prefer our whisky colder than room temperature. Others like to add a splash of water to round the edges and open up the flavors. And still others are looking for both.

For folks in the latter category, ice is the preferred solution. But what if you want to chill your whisky without adding any water? Or what if you want to carefully control how much water gets added? That’s where Whisky Stones come in. They chill liquid without melting or adding flavors. And they definitely spark conversation if you’re entertaining.

Whiskey Stones ($25 for 9 cubes) are made from soapstone in Vermont. “The stones are non-porous and will impart neither flavor nor odor,” reads the package. “More gentle than ice, Whisky Stones can be used to cool down your favorite spirits just enough to take the edge off without ‘closing down’ the flavors.”

Before use, Whisky Stones are supposed to be placed in a freezer for at least four hours. After use, they can be rinsed, dried, and returned to the freezer. The talc-based soapstone is “particularly effective at retaining temperature for extended periods of time.”

Three stones are recommended for each serving of whisky, with the liquid height barely exceeding the height of the stones (as seen in my picture). In my experience, after about five minutes this makes the whisky noticeably colder—but not as cold as a similar volume of ice would have made the drink. If you are impatient and drink the whisky in less than five minutes, you may not experience much change in temperature at all. But if you take your time, and if you’ve ever accidentally killed your drink with excess melted ice, Whisky Stones are worth looking into.

Truthfully, I enjoy having them in the house, and especially like them when I have friends over for a cigar and some whisky or rum. Hopefully the effectiveness of the stones doesn’t wear off over time. I’m not fond of the name, though; I don’t like to be reminded of the existence of kidney stones—especially when I’m relaxing with a drink.

–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.”

You don’t necessarily hear a ton about it, but I think the CAO Concert was one of the better new releases from last year’s IPCPR Trade Show. The Amp (5.5 x 46) features excellent construction and medium- to full-bodied flavors. The blend, an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper with Nicaraguan and Honduran filler, produces cedar, cream, coffee, and pepper flavors. Particularly noteworthy is the reasonable $5.75 pricetag.

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.”

Few cigar makers have as high a standing here at StogieGuys.com than Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. We’ve reviewed four E.P. Carrillo sticks: two four-stogie ratings, and two at four and a half. In all honesty, this terrific cigar would be right there, but I haven’t smoked enough for a full review. Billed as the strongest addition to its expanding line, the Cardinal Natural features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with Nicaraguan filler and binder. The strength doesn’t come at you full bore, but rather evolves as you progress. The flavors are a complex, interwoven mix dominated by an earthy, woody, grassy combination that’s occasionally flecked with spice and sweetness. Pick one up.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A