The Stogie Guys

Last night I arrived in Orlando to attend the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show, where cigar makers gather to debut their new releases. I’ve attended every year since 2008 and, for the first time, I find myself not in either Las Vegas or New Orleans.

Today I’m attending the seminars IPCPR holds before the show officially opens, including one on cigar politics and another on scotch and cigar pairings. Instead of traditional updates, I’ll be updating the StogieGuys.com Twitter feed. So check back often for the latest. Updates will also appear below (along with my latest photos uploaded via Instagram):

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Tomorrow is the official opening of the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to debut new creations. This year’s event is being hosted in Orlando and StogieGuys.com will be on site to bring you the latest news as it develops.

Leading up to the big show, we’ve been relaying new cigar announcements to you for weeks. And yesterday my colleague gave summaries and his first impressions of new cigars he has already smoked. Today I disclose a few of the notable 2012 cigar releases that we haven’t already written about. We expect these cigars to be formally introduced in Orlando.

Arturo Fuente

In honor of 100 years of business, the Arturo Fuente Cigar Company is producing limited boxes of Destino al Siglo (pictured), a four-cigar sampler that includes an Opus X BBMF, two Opus X Tauros the Bull, and a Don Carlos Anniversary Edition Double Robusto. Each box comes with a travel humidor, a documentary DVD about the Fuente family, and a photo book. The retail price will be $165. Only 2,012 boxes will be made.

CAO

In the brand’s second year under the General Cigar umbrella at the Trade Show, CAO is set to debut Concert, “a new collection that celebrates CAO’s ties to music and harnesses the legendary energy of Music City.” The line will be sold in four sizes that will retail for $5.75-7.50. It will include an Ecuadorian Habano rosado wrapper with a Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Paul Garmirian

One of our favorite boutique cigar makers, PG, is launching two new sizes of the Symphony 20th blend: Belicoso (6.25 x 52) and Bombones Extra (3.5 x 46). Suggested retail on these sizes will be $450 and $220, respectively, for boxes of 25. Of particular note is the Bombones Extra, an “old Cuban size from the turn of the century that Paul Garmirian came across in his research,” according to PG.

Montecristo

Altadis is expanding the Montecristo portfolio with a new line called Epic. Dubbed “Vintage 2007” and available in three sizes, Epic will feature an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republuic. The Churchill, Toro, and Robusto will sell for $13-15.

Primer Mundo

Sean Williams of the Primer Mundo Cigar Company will be in Orlando to introduce La Hermandad, a Brazilian arapiraca-wrapped blend made by Abe Flores at Abe’s factory in the Dominican Republic. “The cigar delivers a rich full-body smoke with accents of roasted coffee beans and cocoa,” reads a Primer Mundo press release. “La Hermandad is packaged in a wheel of 24 cigars per box and …will be in the $8-$9 range.”

This brief list is by no means exhaustive. Check back at StogieGuys.com during the IPCPR Trade Show, which begins tomorrow, for much more information about the new cigars that will soon be hitting tobacconist shelves near you.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Arturo Fuente

With the trade show just around the corner (it opens on Thursday), announcements about new releases are coming fast and furious. Instead of our traditional preview article (which would be longer than ever this year), I thought I’d cover some of the new cigars debuting at the show that I’ve already smoked.

Room 101 Daruma

The newest Room 101 blend comes in five sizes (4 x 42, 4 x 48, 7 x 38, 7 x 48, and 5 x 60) ranging from $6.25 to $10.25. It’s an interesting blend containing an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Brazilian mata fina binder, and Honduran and Dominican filler (utilizing corojo, criollo, and pelo de oro tobacco).

My Take: I smoked one in the “Papi Chulo” (4 x 42) size. It has a unique edge to it that’s hard to put my finger on, and it’s dominated by lots of charred oak and clove notes. Definitely full-bodied.

A. Flores Serie Privada

Via press release from Pinar del Rio: “A. Flores Serie Privada will be released with a Habano Ecuador wrapper and a Maduro Habano Ecuador wrapper. Both cigars will be comprised of Nicaraguan Habano binders as well as Nicaraguan Habano and Dominican corojo filler.” The cigars come in 24-count boxes featuring three vitolas with MSRPs in the $9.75-12.75 range: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), and Churchill (7 x 58). The Robusto and Toro are box-pressed, while the Churchill is not.

My Take: I smoked one of the Maduro Habano Ecuadors in the Robusto size at Famous Smoke Shop’s Cigarnival event and thoroughly enjoyed it. I remember noting the medium- to full-bodied flavors with excellent balance.

J. Fuego Edición de Familia 2012

Jesus Fuego gave me the details on the Edición de Familia when I saw him at Cigarnival. The cigar features a ten-year-old sun-grown Sumatran wrapper  around Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos. It is the most limited (150 boxes of 10 in each of the three sizes) and expensive cigar Fuego has released. It won’t ship until November. The 2012 is the first of what Jesus plans on becoming an annual release.

My Take: Great balance in this smoke. I’d put it squarely in the medium-bodied range. It features a little spice, and heavy bready flavors.

Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Papas Fritas

A highly anticipated new release, “Papa Fritas” (pictured with the prototype “Black Rat” and “Big Black Rat” bands) is a Liga Privada-based blend that will sell for around $6 each. It’s a mixed-filler cigar (5 x 53) with a twisted cap. It uses the same broadleaf wrapper as the original Liga (using smaller second cuttings) and a Habano binder. Sixty percent of the filler is “picadora” using the cuttings from Liga Privada cigars, while the rest of the filler is split between viso and ligero.

My Take: Based on the one sample I smoked (given to me during my visit to Drew Estate in May), it’s certainly similar to the LP blend, but it doesn’t smoke exactly like one. I’m not sure if that’s due to the short-filler or the blend, but either way it’s a tasty cigar.

My Uzi Weighs A Ton +11

This is the second MUWAT without a 60 ring gauge (the first being the Baitfish). At $8 each, the smoke (5.5 x 52) will come in packages of ten, similar to the original My Uzi. Reportedly, the blend will be a little stronger than the original, but not as much as the Baitfish “EF” blend.

My Take: While not officially confirmed, I’m almost certain I smoked one of these in Nicaragua (given to me by Jonathan Drew while touring the Joya de Nicaragua factory). For me, it’s the perfect combination (in terms of both size and blend) of the original Uzi and amped-up Baitfish blends.

Recluse by Iconic Leaf Cigars

There’s mystery surrounding this new boutique cigar maker. Its website says “Iconic Leaf Cigar was founded by two very well-known and well-respected legends in the cigar industry [that] have chosen to keep their identities private.” The box-pressed cigars, made with the entubaro method, are being released in ten sizes. They feature a unique combination of a Brazilian wrapper, Cameroon binder, and Dominican filler.

My Take: I’ve smoked the Toro and found it to be a very interesting cigar, heavily influenced by the Cameroon binder. It features cinnamon-like spice and leather. With a very oily wrapper, this is a cigar I look forward to smoking more of.

 In addition to these cigars, read our reviews of the following cigars, each of which are being released at the IPCPR Trade Show: Dona Flor Puro Mata Fina Robusto, Santos de Miami Haven Parejo, and Dona Flor Seleção Robusto. Our coverage of the 80th annual IPCPR Trade Show will start Thursday with live updates.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

We’re only days away from the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, and that means the cigar world is fixed in a forward-looking gaze to the new, the sexy, and the most aggressively marketed. No doubt a few of the smokes released at the event will become favorites for years. Many others will soon be forgotten duds.

My colleagues and I have long encouraged our readers to read about and sample the newest creations on the market, but we’ve also done our best to remind you that there’s something to be said for the tried, tested, and true. That’s why today I’m reviewing a smoke that’s no newcomer, and one that is manufactured by one of the oldest, most consistent cigar makers on the planet.

The Work of Art by Arturo Fuente boasts a unique shape that’s a wonder to behold. With a narrowed foot and a torpedo-style cap, the ring gauge of the Work of Art quickly swells to 60, hits 56 at the midway point, and shrinks to 46 just after the red, gold, and black band. It must take years for torcedores to build the skills to create this complex vitola.

Work of Art is available in two varieties: Maduro and Natural. I picked up a Natural at my local tobacconist for right around $11, which is a considerable price to pay for such a small smoke. It has a toothy, brownish-yellow Cameroon wrapper around aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The foot has a light, sweet aroma of honey and hay.

As you might expect, it’s easy to get the narrowed foot lit with a single wooden match. The draw is a bit stiff at this point. As the ring gauge balloons the draw opens nicely. Don’t be surprised if you have to make a minor touch-up at the outset to get the burn straight. Once you do, though, the burn is perfect to the nub.

The flavor at the beginning is classic Cameroon: plenty of sweetness balanced by notes of spice and cedar. As the cigar widens, the profile builds a bit and some bitter leather notes creep in. All the while a light, creamy nuttiness adds texture.

I really do like this cigar. I think many seasoned cigar veterans probably pass it up because it’s mild and small for its price. But there are times when I want a smaller, milder cigar, and I don’t mind paying $11 every once in a while for such a well-built, nicely balanced, beautiful smoke. If you haven’t tried one lately, pick up an Arturo Fuente Work of Art Natural the next time you get the chance. It’s worthy of 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.”

This highly-anticipated new release from last year’s IPCPR Trade Show seemed to lose its buzz when the man responsible for blending the cigar, Willy Herrera, left El Titan de Bronze (the Miami factory where the cigar is made) for Drew Estate before the cigar even came to market. Still, the Casa Miranda Robusto has been growing on me of late. The “made in America” cigar features an Ecuadorian wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The flavors are classic, no-frills, and designed (in my opinion) to appeal to cigar aficionados—it’s woody, earthy, and dominated by what can only be described as warm tobacco notes. The medium- to full-bodied Robusto is notable to me in that the more I smoke it the more I enjoy it. Originally selling for an MSRP of $10 per cigar, if you have the chance to pick up a box for half that (as I did), I’d strongly suggest you consider 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.”

I’ve smoked only a few Room 101 cigars, but when I saw this year-old release on the shelf I had to try it. Touted as more powerful than other Room 101 cigars, it reminded me of the first 601 Red I experienced: spicy hot and nearly lip-numbing. I was hooked. I was smoking the 6.5-inch, 54-ring gauge vitola. I couldn’t find much about this line, except that it has a Rosado wrapper, Honduran binder, and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, and that it comes in four sizes. Whichever one you see, give it a try.

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) Politicians in Santa Monica—the unofficial ground zero of anti-tobacco lunacy—were considering a bold regulation that would criminalize smoking for new tenants in apartments and condos, and they had even asked city employees to recommend a date by which all existing apartment and condo units would also be deemed smoke-free. These measures have been surprisingly dropped for the time being, but not because the city didn’t want to encroach on the rights of consenting adults in their own homes. Instead, the city is tabling the regulations because it doesn’t want to interfere with those who smoke medicinal marijuana.

2) With this year’s industry trade show just around the corner, many cigar makers are issuing press releases about the new smokes they plan to bring to market. Gurkha, for example, says it is launching a 125th Anniversary blend of four sizes that will retail for $8-11 apiece. Miami Cigar & Co. is producing a Nicaraguan habano oscuro-wrapped blend called Añoranza. Mercer Cigars is releasing a series of blends handmade by “Handsome Jimmy,” a cigar roller from Cuba. The Toraño Family Cigar Company is rolling out Salutem. And Iconic Leaf Cigar is debuting a line called Recluse. These excerpts are but a few of the many press releases we have received over the past week. Stay tuned in the days leading up to the IPCPR Trade Show for more coverage, and be sure to check back on August 2 when the trade show actually begins, as the StogieGuys.com team will again be on hand to cover the year’s biggest cigar event.

3) Inside the Industry: Macanudo is sending eight contest winners to Augusta National to watch the 2013 Masters. Each winner and one guest will be whisked away to the mecca of golf from April 10-15 where they will enjoy a golf-lover’s dream come true: all-access tickets to the first major golf championship of the year, including roundtrip airfare and accommodations. Enter here.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Casa Fernandez Miami. Nice Tight Ash checks out the CAO LX2 Rosado Especial (CRA Edition). Cigar Brief smokes the J. Fuego Origen Maduro Original. Cigar Fan fires up a Partagas 1845.

5) Deal of the Week: Last call to enter the Hoyo de Monterrey box-a-day giveaway.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr