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.”

This new version of the Tatuaje Cojonu blend hasn’t been released yet, but I was fortunate enough to get one at a Tatuaje event last month. The new Tatuaje Conoju 2012 will come in three versions: one with a Habano wrapper, one with a Sumatra wrapper (Capa Especial), and one with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper (Reserva). It’s a potent, bold smoke that features earth, dark chocolate, black coffee, and black pepper spice. With flawless construction, this new Tatuaje smoke is certainly a ballsy, full-flavored Nicaraguan cigar.

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.”

Although this stick came out last year, I’ve only recently gotten around to it. Little about the Retro Especiale line, from band and box to wrapper and taste, is common to the traditional La Gloria Cubana. The blend is a complex mixture of several tobacco strains from four countries, including a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Honduras and a double binder that includes Mexican leaf. Numerous flavors developed throughout, with strength about medium. The draw felt a little loose and the burn wandered a bit, but it is certainly an interesting cigar worth 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) The price of premium cigars increased by 25 cents per stick in Chicago yesterday. The president of the Cook County Board, Toni Preckwinkle (pictured), had originally proposed a 30-cent tax on cigars in November. When she did, Bill Spann, chief executive officer of the IPCPR, fired back in a press release. “This is wrong on so many levels,” he said. “First of all, Cook County and Chicago residents and consumers are already paying high taxes on all tobacco products. If the County Board or City Council increase those taxes, consumers will take their business elsewhere. In addition, bootlegging of tobacco products will be encouraged, as will their purchase over the internet, neither of which generates taxes.”

2) As the 2012 Habanos Festival rolls on, Cuban officials have released figures that show a 9% increase in sales in Cuban cigars in 2011, adding up to over $400 million. Spain remains the top listed market with emerging markets like China, Russia, Brazil, and the Middle East gaining pace. The U.S. is the world’s consumer of cigars, though it is difficult to tell how much money Americans spent on Cubans last year since the 50-year-old trade embargo relegates those purchases to the black market.

3) Inside the Industry: Only available for a few months, General Cigar is releasing the Punch Rare Corojo and Punch Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary in limited quantities. Tickets to the Midwest Smoke Out, held on April 19 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, are being sold here for $150 apiece.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Paul Stulac Angel. Cigar Brief smokes a La Gloria Cubana Retro Especial. Cigar Obsession obsesses over a St. George Sumatra. Cigar Fan fires up a Casa Magnus Domus Magnus Limitada. Cigar Inspector inspects a Juan Lopez Maximo (RE Switzerland).

5) Deal of the Week: This “Petite Elite Sampler” features ten corona-sized cigars for just $25. Included are two-each of the Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve, Punch Elite Natural, Carlos Toraño 1916, Cielo Eros, and Puros Indios.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Examiner

Yesterday, a federal judge slapped down the Food & Drug Administration’s new tobacco warning labels as a violation of the Constitution’s free-speech protections. The legal challenge was brought by five tobacco companies, including some of the largest cigarette makers.

The new FDA labels, which take up half of the surface area on a pack of cigarettes, were scheduled to debut in September. Proposed last year, they were full color photos (including images of a cadaver with a sewn-up chest, diseased lungs and gums, and cigarette smoke drifting around an infant) accompanied by a “Quit Now” toll-free phone number.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling sharply criticized the FDA for misrepresenting the labels. In a key footnote, he wrote, “Although the FDA conveniently refers to these graphic images as ‘graphic warnings,’ characterizing these graphic images as ‘warnings’ is inaccurate and unfair as they are more about shocking and repelling than warning.”

Later in the 19-page decision, Leon wrote, “The graphic images here were neither designed to protect the consumer from confusion or deception, nor to increase consumer awareness of smoking risks; rather, they were crafted to evoke a strong emotional response calculated to provoke the viewer to quit or never start smoking.”

In concluding that the labels were a violation of the First Amendment, Leon wrote, “The government has failed to carry both its burden of demonstrating a compelling interest and its burden of demonstrating that the rule is narrowly tailored to achieve a constitutionally permissible form of compelled commercial speech.”

Analysis

While not specifically related to cigars, this ruling has significant implications for all FDA regulation of tobacco, showing that there are limits to the government’s seemingly endless war on tobacco.

Judge Leon’s frequent criticism of FDA misrepresentations is particularity important, finally putting the brakes on the anti-tobacco movement’s attempt to play fast and loose with the facts. Critically, it sets a precedent that anti-tobacco regulations must be fact-based, and can’t merely be designed to oppose smoking.

Left unsaid was the hypocrisy of how anti-tobacco advocates frequently point back to supposed scientific misrepresentations of tobacco companies many decades ago, but now are the ones who frequently rely on suspect scientific conclusions and dubious logic. For example, the FDA’s own study released in October 2010 found that although the labels may stir the emotions of smokers, they might not cause smokers to quit.

For cigars, whose often ornate and decorative packaging is steeped in tradition, the limits on labels is even more important than it is for cigarettes. And with the FDA currently moving to regulate cigars like cigarettes, this ruling could be critical to limiting the damage done to to cigars until H.R. 1639 becomes law.

–Patrick S

photo credit: FDA

Let me start by saying that Bill Paley’s La Palina Cigars has been a longtime supporter of StogieGuys.com. My colleagues and I pride ourselves on offering honest, trustworthy reviews of cigars, and that’s what I’m going to give you today. But I wanted to mention this at the outset in the interest of full disclosure. Especially since I really, really like this cigar.

Now on to the smoke. La Palina was reborn in early 2010, 84 years after the original company (founded by Bill’s grandfather, Samuel Paley) closed its doors. Bill called the first cigar “1896” to honor the year Samuel founded the Congress Cigar Company. Then, later in 2010, La Palina launched its second blend: the Family Series.

Like 1896 (and unlike El Diario), the Family Series is made at Graycliff’s factory in The Bahamas. Two of the vitolas in this four-size line come with a Costa Rican wrapper—Pasha (7.25 x 50) and Babe (5.25 x 50)—surrounded by a Costa Rican binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. The other two sizes—Alison (6 x 52) and Little Bill (4.5 x 52)—feature the same binder and filler tobaccos wrapped in an Ecuadorian wrapper for “added intensity.”

Alison, according to La Palina’s website, is “dedicated to Bill’s wife, Alison Van Metre Paley, whose support and encouragement have made La Palina’s revival possible.” It is a handsome, toothy torpedo that retails for $22 apiece. Firm to the touch with a beautiful cross-section of tobaccos at the foot, the cold draw is smooth and easy.

After establishing a straight burn, the pre-light aroma of syrup transitions to a profile of leather, dry wood, and a whole assortment of tastes from the spice rack. But trying to identify individual flavors is a bit of a fool’s errand. The torpedo is balanced and nicely complex. You’ll have more fun if you just sit back and enjoy the ride. That ride starts in the full-bodied range and leans in the salty direction. But as the straight burn works its way from the foot and the gray ash builds in volume, the Alison becomes more medium-bodied. Floral notes and hints of sweetness become more pronounced.

My overall assessment of this cigar is that it’s a traditional-tasting smoke that forgoes bells or whistles to deliver a balanced, complex taste. If I pay $22 for a cigar, I expect a whole heck of a lot. You should too. Fortunately, the La Palina Family Series Alison delivers in a big way. Its cost may place it well out of range for my regular rotation, but this is a great special occasion smoke in the same class as the PG 15th Anniversary or some of the finer Cubans on the market. That earns it a rare four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Sending cigars out for review can pay off for manufacturers. At least in this case it did. Had I not received a couple of Warlock cigars from Altadis, I doubt I’d have ever tried one.

I rarely receive cigars from manufacturers. Lately, though, Altadis has been promoting new smokes, such as the Montecristo New York, by sending them to internet reviewers, including me.

There are several cigar makers whose products I rarely smoke, the two giants (Altadis and General Cigar) among them. It’s not that I think they make bad smokes; it’s just that when I want to try something new I’m much more inclined to explore sticks from other brands. That’s especially true of a cigar with somewhat silly ads and a name that conjures up visions of Darrin, Samantha, and a wiggling nose.

I don’t know why I picked a Warlock from my humidor the other day, though I think remembering that it ranked in Cigar Aficionado’s top 10 list for 2011 probably played a part.

This robusto isn’t a conventional size. It weighs in at 4.75 inches with a 54 ring gauge. Looking online, it seems to run about $6. The blend is a multi-country mix, with the wrapper a not overly attractive Ecuadorian Cubano, the binder from Nicaragua, and the filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The combination results in a fairly powerful smoke that begins with strong spice, a draw that’s a bit too tight, and what may be the slowest burn I’ve ever experienced. I’ve smoked many a toro that didn’t last nearly as long as this short robusto.

The Warlock isn’t a particularly complex smoke, but it does develop throughout. At the halfway point, for example, a dark, syrupy sweetness overtakes the spice. There are also flavors of wood and leather in spots. If you haven’t tried this cigar for whatever reason, I suggest you give it a chance. This one earns four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

CAO entered a new chapter in its history in 2007 when the family-owned company was purchased by the Scandanavian Tobacco Group (STG).

But bigger changes were still on the horizon. In early 2010, STG merged its premium tobacco division with General Cigar. Then a number of CAO stalwarts left the company—including President Tim Ozgener, Chairman Gary Hyams, and Lifestyle Director Jon Huber—and CAO left Nashville to join General Cigar at its headquarters in Richmond. All these changes left many wondering how CAO’s cigars would be impacted, as well as what direction the brand would head in for new releases. Some of these questions were answered in the interview we did with Ed McKenna, senior brand manager for CAO.

As for new releases, though, the proof is in the pudding. And the first batch of pudding—the first new CAO blend since the General Cigar acquisition—is the OSA Sol. The distinguishing characteristic of the line is its unique sun-grown Honduran wrapper from the San Agustin valley in Olancho (hence “OSA”). This remote area is northeast of Danlí, the epicenter of cigar production in the country. The remainder of the blend is comprised of a Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua.

OSA Sol is available in three sizes: Lot 54 (6 x 54), Lot 58 (6.5 x 58), and Lot 50 (5 x 50). The latter retails for $4-6 apiece, depending on where you get it and if you buy in bulk. Its caramel-colored wrapper is a roadmap of veins—some fine, others thick—and there’s a rugged wrinkle to this robusto. While the cap is no work of art, the cigar clips cleanly to reveal a smooth draw.

The Lot 50 starts with a woodsy spice that hits the salty and sour parts of the palate. Individual flavors include cedar, sour cream, black pepper, and some tannins. The finish is long and zesty with a bit of sweetness that adds balance. Smoking slowly keeps the cigar from becoming too bitter. As the spice in the cigar settles at the midway point and beyond, I take note of the physical properties. I have come to expect good construction from both General Cigar and CAO, and the first new CAO line under the General umbrella does not disappoint. The burn is straight, the gray ash holds well off the foot, and the draw is consistent throughout.

So what are my overall impressions of the OSA Sol Lot 50? This cigar has a fair amount to offer if you’re looking for a medium-bodied smoke with a woodsy core. It’s a good buy for around $4 and kind of a stretch at $6. I’ll be interested to see what else comes from the CAO brand under General. For now, the Lot 50 is worthy of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys