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) This week U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) became the 14th cosponsor of S. 1461, a bill that seeks to protect cigars from harmful FDA regulations. The companion bill of S. 1461 in the House of Representatives, H.R. 1639, currently has 219 cosponsors. Senator Heller is a welcome addition to the growing list of legislators who understand how disastrous FDA regulation would be to premium cigars. The consequences of such regulation could include banning walk-in humidors at cigar shops, restrictions on advertising, and blending requirements that would render limited edition productions essentially impossible—and make it more difficult for small-batch producers to compete with larger manufacturers. If your representative or senators have not yet taken a stand for cigar rights, please contact them today.

2) More than 100 years ago, baseball players knew how to celebrate. In a recent Wall Street Journal story about teams commemorating major victories, baseball historian John Thorn said that when the Philadelphia Athletics won the 1910 World Series, they celebrated with champagne and 1,000 cigars on their train ride home.

3) Inside the Industry: Crowned Heads is releasing a limited edition of Four Kicks called the “Mule Kick” that will feature a darker wrapper and more ligero.

4) Around the Blogs: Nice Tight Ash checks out a Nicaraguan Cigar Co. Condega Serie F. Stogie Review reviews a Pinolero by A.J. Fernandez. Cigar Inspector inspects an El Rey del Mundo RE No. 1. Tiki Bar kicks back with a J. Fuego Origen Maduro. Casa Fumando smokes an Illusione 888 Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Silver Tray Special” features ten top cigars (with free shipping) for $50. Included are five each of the Oliva Master Blend 3 and Rocky Patel Renaissance.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As I’ve said before, crisp fall evenings tend to make me want to pour a few fingers of scotch whisky. And so on a recent such evening I decided upon a bit of Highland Park 12 Year, a single malt from Highland Park, the northern-most distillery in Scotland.

Highland Park is one of seven Island Single Malts, which are technically part of the Highland Region. Island Single Malts vary greatly from distillery to distillery, and Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt its own barley, using locally cut peat.

The 12 Year expression was first produced in 1979 and has been received ever since to high acclaim. Available for around $50 a bottle, it is affordable, at least as far as scotch goes. Highland Park uses both used bourbon casks and sherry casks, which results in a rounded, balanced whisky, especially considering its young age for a single malt.

The color is golden amber and the nose is distinctly sweet with heather, honey, and fudge notes. On the palate, the Highland Park 12 reveals peat and smoke, along with the sweetness of honey, malt, and subtle tropical fruit. The finish is short and clean, with a good amount of smokiness.

All in all, this is an excellent whisky for the price. And the combination of balanced sweetness and smokiness makes it an excellent spirit to be paired with cigars. I fired up a Cuban Bolivar Belicosos Finos and found it to be an excellent choice. Although completely different, the Corona Cigar Company exclusive Little Boris was another great choice, leaving me to think that almost any good medium- to full-bodied smoke will go well with this versatile single malt.

Tasty, balanced, complex, and affordable, the Highland Park 12 Year is a strong contender for best single malt for your buck (the other, in my opinion, is the Macallan 12). Any scotch whisky fan should make a point of trying it. Personally, it’s a regular in my liquor cabinet.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Cigars, like friends, have different personalities. Some are boisterous back-slappers. Others are quiet and contemplative. Occasionally, a newcomer will fit right in at first meeting, while a long-time buddy is always welcome.

Here’s a look at five cigars I think of as friends and what makes each one special to me.

Fausto Avion 11 Perfecto Grande. This tasty, peppery Tatuaje cigar with Nicaraguan filler and a Habano Ecuadorian wrapper is a delight. But what makes it stand out for me is the thick, white smoke the Avion produces in extraordinary volume. Few sticks can go head-to-head with it in this category.

Illusione Epernay Le Matin. A rich treasure trove. When I want to just sit back and luxuriate in the cigar smoking experience and all it has to offer, this is the one for me. It’s a cornucopia of flavors woven together as smoothly as a boatswain’s whistle knot.

Double Chateau Fuente Sun Grown. This Arturo Fuente cigar is like the long-time friend who can accompany you anywhere, from an afternoon ballgame to an evening ball. The cedar sleeve and black band at the foot accent a fine presentation, while the cigar itself is second to none in price, quality, and enjoyment.

Paul Garmirian Symphony 20th Connoisseur. Think about who you want with you when celebrating life’s great moments. That’s how I think of this exquisite, high-dollar smoke. If memorable is the goal, Symphony 20th is the path to get you there.

Punch Champion. Like some old friends, I recently realized I haven’t seen this one for some time. Perhaps all the new Punch line extensions have pushed it from retailers’ shelves. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame. This little pig-in-a-python cigar—I prefer the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over the maduro—is fun, pleasing, and a good companion.

There you have it. Let’s hear about some of your friends in the comments below.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

Last week I interviewed Michael Frey who owns Casa Fuente in Las Vegas, a cigar destination worth visiting if you are ever in Sin City. Today, I’m reviewing the new Casa Fuente exclusive cigar, which Frey mentioned he was smoking while answering my questions.

The new smoke is the second Casa Fuente exclusive smoke, made (no surprise) by Arturo Fuente. The first, we were told by Casa Fuente manager Michael Fayerverger, was a variation of the Opus X blend made with a Cameroon wrapper.

This second, new Casa Fuente blend is quite different. According to Frey, the cigar features a Havana-seed Ecuadorian sun-grown rosado wrapper around binder and filler comprised of “secret tobaccos” from the Fuentes’ Dominican farm. The cigar, he says, was blended by Carlito and introduced earlier this year. (The rosado wrapper is likely the same as the Rosado Sungrown Magnum R blend.)

The cigar is available in three sizes: 806, 807, and 808, which I’d estimate to be a robsuto (5.25 x 52), double robusto (5.75 x 52), and toro (6 x 54). I smoked one of each and found them to be sufficiently similar to be summarized together in one review. The cigars cost $21, $22, and $24, respectively and, depending on what report you read, are strictly limited to one or two cigars per person on a given day.

The new 800 series Casa Fuente features a complex combination of clove, nutmeg, molasses, wood, leather, and earth. It’s medium- to full-bodied with excellent balance and tons of complexity. The molasses and clove build towards the second half, creating an extraordinarily savory blend.

While it contains Dominican binder and filler tobaccos, I seriously doubt it uses the same binder-filler combination as the Opus X and original Casa Fuente, as both are the same cigar except for the wrapper. This cigar has far less peppery spice than either of those cigars. Instead, it is full of clove and cinnamon spice.

Tasty, unique, complex, and, yes, expensive. The original Casa Fuente is a tremendous cigar and this new rosado-wrapped version is a worthy successor. For that, the new Casa Fuente 800 series earns a formidable four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I think of tasty, consistent, well-constructed cigars that don’t break the bank, a few choice brands come to mind. Oliva is always near the top of the list.

The Oliva Cigar Co. has only been around for less than two decades but, in that relatively short time, it has built a well-deserved reputation for quality and affordability (even though it also sells a higher-priced line called Master Blends). The brand’s foundation consists of lines like the Cameroon-wrapped Serie G, Connecticut Reserve, and the Habano-wrapped Serie V. All are highly-rated blends that are also wallet-friendly.

The Oliva Serie V boasts a sun-grown wrapper around a Nicaraguan binder and Jalapa ligero filler. “This cigar is blended to deliver full body taste while maintaining an unparalleled smoothness,” reads the Oliva website. “This flavorful blend exhibits complex tobacco with rich coffee and dark chocolate tones. A subtle and well-balanced spice is present throughout.”

Serie V is available in seven sizes: Churchill Extra (7 x 52), Special V Figurado (6 x 60), Double Toro (6 x 60), Torpedo (6 x 56), Belicoso (5 x 54), Double Robusto (5 x 54), and Lancero (7 x 38). The latter has a caramel-colored, somewhat reddish wrapper with minimal veins and a fair amount of oils. It sells for around $6-7.

The flavor of the Lancero, even at the outset, is strong. Not the full-bodied blast of pepper strong that’s common these days. But rather an intense nicotine strong coupled with an old-school taste of warm tobacco. Mind you, with a ring gauge of 38, the ratio of ligero filler to wrapper/binder in each puff is smaller than any of the other vitolas in the line. That said, Lanceros can be bolder than thicker cigars of the same blend because of the density of their filler tobaccos. I’d wager that comes into play with this cigar.

In addition to nicotine strength and warm tobacco, the Serie V Lancero displays flavors of cocoa, leather, espresso, earth, and a touch of toffee sweetness. It also exhibits good construction, including a reliable draw and a straight burn, albeit with a gray ash that tends to fall off a bit prematurely.

In my experience, this cigar is best enjoyed after a hearty dinner with a serving of bourbon to complement its considerable power. It’s a solid choice if you’re looking for a bold Lancero but want to spend less than $7. For that, it earns four 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.”

If anything, this cigar got better since I first smoked it almost two months ago. Still my favorite of the two most recent Singulare releases by Illusione, the San Andreas wrapper isn’t the best-looking wrapper, but the flavors are right on point. The cigar imparts plenty of dry chocolate and earth notes, with coffee, roast nut, and a bit of pepper. Like the original 2010 Singulare “Phantom,” it has a wine-like tannic property that leaves your lips tingling. With excellent construction and complex medium- to full-bodied flavors, I highly recommend it.

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.”

With handsome double bands, a jet-black wrapper, and an unfinished foot, the Robusto (5 x 52) in the Liga Especial Reserva Superior blend looks fantastic in a humidor. This Pinar del Rio doesn’t smoke too bad, either. Blended by Abe Flores to be full-flavored, the cigar—comprised of a Dominican Habano wrapper, Brazilian and Nicaraguan binders, and ligero fillers—has a bold profile of espresso, earth, and pepper. The going rate of about $6 for a single makes this an easy smoke to recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys