The 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) On Tuesday, in addition to voting for the next president at the polls, Americans will be faced with plenty of other choices, some of which—including several referendums—will have lasting implications for cigar rights. Notable among these choices is the race between Republican Jeff Flake and Democrat Richard Carmona (pictured) for one of Arizona’s U.S. Senate seats. CRA is endorsing Flake over Carmona, which isn’t a surprise since Carmona has a history of advocating an all-out tobacco ban. “I see no need for any tobacco products in society,” he testified before Congress in 2003. “If you’re asking me, would I support banning or abolishing tobacco products? Yes.”

2) Andrew Brennan has joined La Palina, makers of El Diario, Family Series, and the La Palina Collection, among other cigars. Brennan was formerly the vice president of sales at La Flor Dominicana. “The addition of Andrew Brennan is a great fit to our growing company,” said Bill Paley, president and founder of La Palina. “His experience in cigar sales complements that of the company’s vice president, Courtney Smith.”

3) Inside the Industry: Pete Johnson is re-packaging La Riqueza, the slowest-selling line in his portfolio, to be sold in 10-count boxes instead of 25. The new boxes are expected to hit retailer shelves in the first quarter of 2013. “I can’t find an audience for the cigar,” Johnson recently told Cigar Aficionado. “We did a push at the [IPCPR] trade show to see if people would pay more attention to it. Right now, we’re just letting the old packaging run out.”

4) Around the Blogs: Tiki Grange kicks back with a Vie Havana Maduro. Cigar Brief smokes an Oliva V Melanio. Half Wheel lights up a La Aurora Preferidos Lancero. Casa Fumando fires up a Vallejuelo.

5) Deal of the Week: Emerson’s Cigars has the Tatueje Little Monsters in stock. Get them before they sell out (which they will quickly).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

Quesada (SAG Imports/MATASA) makes some very good cigars, and the Garcias (My Father Cigars) need no introduction. So the project between Patricia Quesada, Raquel Quesada, and Janny Garcia—the “tres reynas” (three queens)—is a promising collaboration.

“Janny is like a sister to us…We always have such a great time together, so we thought it would be fun to make a cigar that would represent our special bond. It is a project we have been discussing for a while and are so excited to finally be able to share it with the world,” Raquel Quesada said of their cigar.

The cigar is made at the Garcia’s My Fathers Cigars Factory in Nicaragua. Available in three sizes—Robusto (5 x 50), Torpedo (6 x 54), and Gordo (6 x 60)—it sells for $7-8 each, with only 1,000 boxes of each vitola made. The cigar features a dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.

Pre-light the well-made Robusto (I smoked three for this review) features sweet tobacco and raisin flavors. Once lit, I find a combination of coffee, vanilla bean, milk chocolate, and hint of grass.

I was a little surprised by the lack of strength in this cigar given its Nicaraguan and broadleaf components. I’d classify it as mild- to medium-bodied. The only spice that makes an appearance is a hint of black pepper that comes and goes.

Still, it’s well-constructed, nicely balanced, and features a notably cool smoke. It’s the type of cigar that goes nicely with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon.

All around it’s a solid smoke: well-made, pleasant, balanced, and rich. Even though I didn’t find it to be exceptional, it earns a rating of 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

Here’s one of those instantly recognizable cigars that needs no introduction, a Cuban that has received its fair share of praise since it was released as the “Partagas Pirámide” in 2000.

Notable among the Partagas Serie P No. 2’s commendations is the number four spot on Cigar Aficionado’s list of the best cigars of 2011. “The cigar shares the same dimensions as all of Cuba’s pirámides, and the Partagas Serie P No. 2 is currently smoking better than all of them, even the legendary Montecristo No. 2,” wrote the magazine. “It has been transformed into something incredible, a perfect example of the level of top-quality smokes that are being made in Cuba today.”

When CA rated the Serie P No. 2, it was examining samples with box dates of March 2011. I don’t have the luxury of knowing the box date of the two samples I’m smoking for this review. While I’m very confident in the authenticity of the cigars, I did not acquire an entire box. I hope you’ll forgive me since each No. 2 costs about $18.

Carefully sliding the Cuban out of its black, cedar-lined aluminum tube, the first thing I notice is the tremendous amount of oils on the mottled Colorado wrapper. I also take note of the substantial weight of the cigar (6.1 x 52), which is explained by the dense cross-section of filler tobacco that’s visible from the foot. Pre-light the aroma is of hay and syrup.

After lighting the foot, the initial flavor is very well balanced with tastes as varied as white pepper, cream, and roasted nut. The texture is bready. I find a little spice and some kick, but the profile is decidedly medium-bodied. It’s the sort of start you hope for if you spend $18 on a single.

So I wasn’t terribly disappointed to find the Serie P No. 2 remaining consistent in flavor from light to nub. Aside from a gradual increase in intensity as the end draws near, there aren’t many discernible changes in taste, save for a texture change from bready to syrupy. Construction was OK, but the burn—which requires a few touch-ups along the way to stay even—leaves something to be desired.

I guess I was hoping for something a little more exciting given the Serie P No.2’s reputation and price. While I enjoyed the cigar thoroughly, I’m taking into account the fact that you can buy better (non-Cuban) smokes for a fraction of the price when I award it four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Single malt scotch whisky tends to be aged in bourbon and sherry casks, which makes this relatively new addition to the Balvenie line particularly interesting. After a period of aging in a traditional oak bourbon barrel, this 14-year-old single malt is finished in rum casks.

Introduced in 2010 as a U.S.-only release, the 14 Year Caribbean Cask Balvenie sells for around $60. It’s a bit more expensive than their 12 year Doublewood (an excellent value) but similar in price to Balvenie’s 15 year Single Barrel.

The whisky pours a golden straw color that’s not as dark as I would expect. The nose is where the unique character of the Caribbeam Cask starts to shine through as citrus and tropical fruits join with toffee and muted oak.

Once you get down to sipping your dram, you’ll find burnt sugar, a bit of smokiness, oak, dried fruit, and maltiness. It has a great roundness on the palate, not heavy, but crisp and lively. The finish is medium-long with both sweet and dry flavors.

A very good single malt, the lightness surprised me, but it wasn’t a bad thing. It’s the type of Scotch that goes well with a milder cigar, something with a Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican filler (or a milder Cuban like an H. Upmann). No matter the cigar, the Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask Single Malt is a tasty whisky with it’s own character that leaves a hint of the tropical influence of its production.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A sibling of Holt Cigar Co.’s house brand created by Don Pepin Garcia, the Gold Label takes its name from the light brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. But if it were receiving medals for the taste/price ratio, I think it could be in contention for gold as well.

With the Connecticut wrapper, it is, as you’d expect, a bit milder than the original corojo-wrapped Old Henry. But only a bit, and in some ways the Gold Label blend accentuates the pepper and spice from the Nicaraguan filler. I used a V-cut to slice the pointed head perfectly, and my lips were tingling before I put flame to the foot. To me, it’s a medium strength cigar that’s full of flavor.

The Belicoso is a 5.5-inch stick with a 52-ring gauge. It’s the only one of the line’s five sizes I’ve tried, and each Belicoso was excellently constructed. They burned straight and even, with a draw that was the way I like it, not loose or tight and full of smoke.

I’ve been a fan of the original Old Henry since the first one I smoked. I suggest you check my colleague’s 2008 review for a somewhat different view. One interesting note: The prices seem to have actually gone down since then!

I think they’re pretty darn good cigars, especially considering the price. Holt’s lists the Belicoso at $5.50 for a single, but it’s more than a dollar cheaper than that by the box of 25.

When you consider that the catalog giant often throws in some freebie with an Old Henry box order, it’s nearly unbeatable. (I remember once they threw in a couple of coffee cups, and I was so disappointed when they arrived because they had the Holt’s logo and not the great looking visage of Old Henry I was expecting.)

I usually have Old Henrys on hand, and now I think I’ll alternate the original with the Gold Label. I find it tough to rate. I’d have to say I don’t think it’s complex enough to be a four-stogie smoke, but I think it deserves a good bit better than a fairly routine three stogies. I guess I’ll split the difference and go with three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George

photo credit: Holt’s Cigar Co.

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.”

Erik Espinosa’s new factory in Estelí, “La Zona,” is now the home of 601, Murcielago, and Mi Barrio. It’s also producing “Espinosa,” which was released at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, a Nicarauan puro featuring a medium brown Habano wrapper. The cigar starts off a bit hot with a sawdusty edge, but very quickly becomes more balanced and pleasant. At its core, it’s a medium-bodied smoke with lots of dry wood and hints of spice, hay, and earth. Construction is good and the price ($6) is reasonable.

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.”

I remember a lot of cigar enthusiasts being, well, enthusiastic about the value-priced CAO La Traviata Maduro line when it was introduced in 2010. Since, I haven’t heard much about the blend, which features an Ecuadorian wrapper around a Cameroon binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. So when I came across a Luminoso (4.5 x 50) in my humidor that had been resting for about two years, I couldn’t help but fire it up. What I found was a cigar with excellent construction and a surprisingly spicy profile of red pepper, leather, cocoa, nut, and warm tobacco. You can’t argue with that for $5.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys