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) In early June, Californians headed to the polls to vote on Prop. 29, a measure that would have increased already-high cigar taxes in the Golden State by a whopping 73%, crushed cigar shops statewide, and paved the way for similar tax hikes in other states. Weeks later, the vote was too close to call, with a razor-thin margin of less than a half of a percentage point. This week, what had long been suspected was made official as Prop. 29 supporters failed to close the gap via a recount. Thanks to all the California cigar enthusiasts who voted against this tyrannical attempt to tax cigars even further.

2) Contest: In case you missed it yesterday, we’re giving away a fantastic prize worth almost $200 to one lucky reader. The only catch is you have to be a dues-paying member of Cigar Rights of America. If you already are, just leave a comment saying so on yesterday’s post. If you aren’t yet, sign up today. In a week we’ll select one person at random to receive a Prometheus 20th Anniversary Edition God of Fire Serie B 5-Cigar Assortment Box and a Prometheus Retro 20th Anniversary Lighter, all courtesy of our friends at Prometheus.

3) Inside the Industry: In addition to launching the new Ortsac Habana, Victor Vitale’s The Cigar Agency is now the U.S. distributor of Don Duarte. Registration is now open for the 013 ProCigar Festival, which will take place February 17-22 in the Dominican Republic. Dona Flor is bringing the Alonso Menendez brand back to the U.S.

4) Around the Blogs: Nice Tight Ash checks out an Antonio Benitez Maduro. Cigar Brief smokes a Tres Reynas. Casas Fumando fires up a Foundry. Cigar Inspector inspects a My Father. Stogie Review reviews a La Dueña.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a nice sampler of ten cigars for just $30 (or 20 for $50). “Perdomo vs. Toraño” features five cigars by each of the well-regarded cigar makers.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Defeat Prop. 29

We’ve praised the efforts of Cigar Rights of America many times. The organization does tireless work defending the rights of cigar smokers against harmful government-imposed regulations, taxes, and smoking bans.

That alone should be reason enough for cigar smokers to pay the modest sum of $35 to formally join and support this important endeavor. But with the assistance of Prometheus, a purveyor of fine cigars and accessories that has supported CRA since its founding, we thought we’d give you yet another reason to join Cigar Rights of America.

Prize: Prometheus, which is run by Keith Park, who was instrumental in founding CRA, has graciously donated a fantastic prize consisting of a Prometheus 20th Anniversary Edition God of Fire Serie B 5-Cigar Assortment Box and a Prometheus Retro 20th Anniversary Lighter (combined MSRP $198). Both items will go to one lucky winner.

How to Enter: Entry is simple. If you’re already a dues-paying member of CRA, just leave a comment on this post stating so. If you’re not a member yet, head over to CRA and join (you’ll get two free cigars for joining), then leave a comment saying you’ve just joined to enter. (By entering, you give us permission to verify with CRA that you are a dues-paying member in good standing.) We’ll randomly select a winner (fine print here) in a week.

If you’re on the fence about joining CRA, consider this: Two years ago it seemed a forgone conclusion that by this time the FDA would be regulating cigars, most likely imposing restrictions that would limit new cigars that could be developed, alter traditional packaging, eliminate cigar shop events that include free samples, and outlaw walk-in humidors. Today, in large part because of CRA and its promotion of the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act (which has majority support in the House and significant support in the Senate), those devastating restrictions have not come to fruition. And passing the bill seems a real possibility, something that seemed impossible when the bill was first introduced.

So if you haven’t already joined Cigar Rights of America, do so right away (and be eligible to win this top-notch prize). And if you are currently a member, proudly enter the contest, because you have already taken an important step in the defense of your cigar rights.

Once again, thanks to Prometheus (who also makes Sencillo and Angelenos) for providing this excellent prize in support of a great cause.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Prometheus

Lately I’ve found myself smoking cigars with friends who are very occasional cigar smokers. (By “occasional” I mean barely one cigar per year.) Almost without fail, these fine folks tend to make the same mistakes each time they light up that all-too-rare cigar. In these circumstances I find myself playing the role of teacher.

Without pointing any fingers, and hopefully without coming across as a snobby know-it-all, today I’d like to point out some of the most common cigar mistakes made by newbies for those of us who are seasoned veterans. Why? Because as good cigar smokers, it’s our duty to politely and patiently introduce interested parties to our fine hobby, and that introduction has to include some cigar basics to help our friends get the most out of the experience. So without further ado, here are my top five errors made by infrequent cigar smokers:

Cutting too much cap. The temptation to cut away too much of the cigar is too great for a rookie, especially if you’ve supplied him with a guillotine cutter. Either let him use a V-cutter or, better yet, take the time to show him where the cap should be snipped with a guillotine. Remember to instruct him to position the blade so it will enter the stogie just above the shoulder (where parejo cigars stop being round). If he’s smoking a torpedo or a pyramid, a good rule of thumb is to slice off about a quarter of an inch.

Failing to establish an even light. For starters, make sure he’s using a butane torch or a wooden match. It is inadvisable to light cigars with paper matches, stoves, candles, or lighters that use lighter fluid. Once the proper ignition tool is selected, I find that newbies are really good at lighting the middle of a cigar’s filler, but really bad at toasting its edges thoroughly. This can result in tunneling or uneven burns. So take care to explain that lighting a cigar is a process, almost a ritual, and checking the foot to make sure the cigar is fully lit is a good idea.

Smoking way too quickly. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Smoking is not a race, and there’s no prize for finishing first. You may have to say this twice to guys who are accustomed to sucking down cigarettes in a manner of minutes. You can also say that each cigar puff is intended to be savored, not to mention the fact that smoking too quickly can ruin the taste of premium tobacco.

Ashing like a cigarette. Whether your infrequent cigar smoker is a cigarette smoker or not, all rookies tend to ash their cigars like cigarettes. Too often and too carelessly. This over-ashing will only serve to increase a cigar’s heat and harshness, and flicking the cigar to remove the ash may damage the wrapper. On the other hand, leaving the ash on for a while promotes cool smoke because it allows less oxygen to reach the burning tobacco. This is key if you actually want to taste the cigar rather than simply be subjected to its spice and heat.

Assuming cigars are too expensive to smoke more regularly. Time and again my friends are surprised to learn that the cigar I handed them—a cigar they’re really enjoying, no less—costs somewhere in the $6-8 range. This falsehood that cigars are only for the rich is so pervasive that some people think all decent smokes cost upwards of $15 or $20 apiece. These folks are usually pleased to learn that you can buy many, many excellent smokes for less than $10.

Understanding these mistakes and having the proper, patient response ready for those who are seeking knowledge is vital to being an effective representative for the cigar community. Thank you in advance for your service to this noble cause, and feel free to list your own observations in the comments below.

–Patrick A

photo credit: N/A

In my hometown of Washington, the unquestioned top cigar event of the year is Little Puff. Since 1999, the event has been put on by W. Curtis Draper and, while I was unable to attend the main event Friday, I dropped by the After Puff lunch Saturday.

Little Puff Tops $600K Raised for Charity

Since its inception, Little Puff has expanded from one day to a full weekend of events, starting with a Thursday night VIP dinner, followed by the main event on Friday night, and culminating with the After Puff lunch on Saturday.

While ticket prices may be more than many other cigar events, the premium seems worth it because proceeds (including from an auction with one-of-a-kind cigars provided by manufacturers) go to charity. This year at After Puff, it was announced that since its founding, the event has surpassed $600,000 raised for various charities.

New CAO Hurricane Coming

Remember CAO’s Last Stick Standing promotion? Cigar smokers were encouraged to try three blends—”C”, “A” and “O”—and vote on their favorite. The “C” blend (after a few tweaks) turned into the new Concert, which was introduced at the IPCPR Trade Show.

Now Rick Rodriguez and Ed McKenna of CAO (pictured at Little Puff with the Capitol in the background) tell me another blend that originated from Last Stick Standing (this time the “O”) is set to be released. Dubbed the “Hurricane,” the slightly updated version of the “O” blend will come out at the end of Hurricane season in November. A smaller size of the cigar (with a label reading “AP 2012”) was handed out at the CAO-sponsored After Puff event.

–Patrick S

photo credit: @CAOCigars

By now, most of us know that the new Iconic Leaf Cigar Co. was “founded by two very well-known and well respected legends in the cigar industry” who have “chosen to keep their identities private in a pursuit to make the very best premium boutique cigars that can be found anywhere in the world without the influence of their names.”

I’ll resist the temptation to guess the identities of the two individuals behind Iconic Leaf. Rather, I’ll keep this review focused on what we know for sure about the company and its first release, Recluse.

Available in ten box-pressed sizes, Recluse debuted this summer at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando. It boasts a Brazilian maduro wrapper, a Cameroon binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic—all of which go through eight fermentation cycles. Recluse is made under the direction of Don Jose Rafael in the Leyendas Cubanas factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

“Every Recluse is rolled in the old Cuban tradition of tubing, which is taking each filler leaf and rolling it into a tube instead of folding it,” reads the Iconic Leaf website. “Once all the filler leaves are each individually rolled into a tube shape, they are brought together and surrounded with the binder. This is time-consuming but creates an effortless draw and an unparalleled smoking experience. We then box press each cigar to compress the leaf and reduce air space.”

I smoked two Recluse Toros for this review, both of which were sent to me by Iconic Leaf. The Toro size measures 6.25 inches with a ring gauge of 50. It carries an MSRP of $7.80 and has a strikingly mottled wrapper that’s oily and devoid of thick veins. The cigar is soft to the touch with pre-light notes of milk chocolate and damp earth.

Establishing an even light is very easy. Once it’s burning, I can instantly appreciate the time and effort that was put into the tubing of the filler tobaccos, as the result of this painstaking process is a wonderful draw that yields bountiful tufts of thick smoke. The Toro’s other physical properties are also excellent, including a straight burn and a solid ash.

Construction is important, but flavor and texture are paramount. Fortunately, Recluse does very well in these categories as well. The smoke is cool and airy with a powdery mouthfeel. The taste is well-balanced with notes of cocoa, leather, cinnamon spice, and creamy nut. The flavor doesn’t change much from light to nub.

And nub it I did. While Iconic Leaf may have sent me the two Toros to make this review possible, I will definitely be purchasing more in the near future for my own enjoyment. This is one of the most impressive new cigars of 2012 (at least among those I’ve tried to date), worthy of a rare rating of four and half stogies out of five.

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

–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.”

The first thing you have to do with this cigar is decide whether to smoke it or load it into the bay of a B-2 bomber. It’s big. Huge. The full inch of a 64/64 ring gauge, made explicit by a tape measure band. Obviously, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has decided that if consumers want large ring gauge cigars, he’ll oblige, though he’s said that limited tobacco means only about 125,000 sticks will be made this year. Oddity aside, though, how is the Inch? Very good, really. Like most massive sticks, the burn can be a problem. But the rich filler mix and fine Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper produce a smooth, full-bodied, and tasty smoke.

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.”

Released by Pete Johnson last year, the 7th Capa Especial (5.9 x 46) boasts a rustic Sumatra wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos. Creamy nut, espresso, black pepper spice, and a bit of cocoa on the finish characterize the profile, which tends toward the full-bodied spectrum. No doubt there’s a lot going on here in terms of complexity and balance, and the physical properties—including a straight burn and a solid gray ash—are predictably excellent. You can’t go wrong with this cigar, which runs about $8-9.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys