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.”

My first impression of this cigar was that the dark wrapper could pass for leather almost as easily as Connecticut broadleaf tobacco. It’s that thick and heavy looking. Not unexpectedly, it took awhile to get the foot fully lit and the burn was slow from start to finish. The 52-ring gauge stick exhibited the deep, rich, and nearly sweet flavors common to well-fermented maduros. Fans of reasonably priced cigars, maduros, or Ernesto Carrillo should pick one up.

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) All ten campuses of the University of California system will become entirely smoke-free for at least the next two years, joining nearly 600 other anti-tobacco campuses nationwide. In addition to targeting cigarettes and cigars, the new policy will ban smokeless products in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California, said the move is intended to solidify the institution’s status as a “national leader in healthcare and environmental practices.” The LA Times reports the policy will be “educational…rather than punitive” and enforcement will be up to each campus.

2) Congratulations to Carl “Swede” Lindstrom of Illinois who won our “Win Cigars and Do Good” contest. Out of the many StogieGuys.com readers who contacted their representatives to encourage them to support legislation that would protect cigars from FDA regulation, his comment was randomly selected as the winner. So we’re rewarding him with a two-cigar “Blogger Edition” pack of the new Montecristo New York Connoisseur Edition (review here). Way to go, Carl! And thanks to all who participated for helping us stand up for cigar rights.

3) Inside the Industry: With its founder, Barry Stein, leaving to work for Miami Cigars, ACigarSmoker.com has been sold to Kevin Paige, owner of Butthead’s Tobacco Emporium in Dansbury, Connecticut. Viaje reports that its Oro and Plantino blends are becoming short-run cigars and the WLP (White Label Project) Stuffed Turkey will be returning for 2012. Cigar Aficionado deemed the Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill as the top smoke of 2011, but you can read our take on the Prensado blend here and here.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Arturo Fuente 858 Maduro. Cigar Inspector inspects the Tatuaje Barclay Rex 100th Anniversary. Cigar Brief lights up the Gran Habano STK Zulu Zulu. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Tatuaje L’Espirit de Verite 2009. Cigar Explorer fires up a La Flor Dominicana Factory Press IV. The Tiki Bar kicks back with El Tiante Habano Oscuro.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a sampler with four nice smokes from Room 101. Just $25 gets you two Room 101 Namakubis, a Room 101 Connecticut, and a Room 101 LTD Conjura.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

Back in 2003 when New York City passed a smoking ban in all bars and restaurants, critics said it was only the beginning of the new expanded nanny state powers. Despite such pleas while the law was being debated and enacted, few non-smokers joined the battle against the smoking ban, leaving the battle to tobacco-using adults, bar owners worried about their businesses, property rights advocates, and retailers and manufacturers in the tobacco business.

Now, nine years later, a look at the many laws in New York shows that smoking was just the beginning. In the time since then, a ban on selling food cooked with trans fats has gone into effect, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also gone after sugar-rich sodas. Bloomberg has pushed for reduced salt in prepared foods and the city council even proposed a complete ban on restaurants cooking with salt. And now the New York Post reports Bloomberg has his nanny-state sites set on alcohol.

In other words, smokers were just the beginning of the paternalistic crusade that now impacts everyone who eats food cooked with salt or trans fats, smokes in bars, drinks soda, or wants a glass of wine or a beer. If Mayor Bloomberg gets his way, good luck getting a rum and coke, or a margarita with salt, let alone a fine cigar to enjoy with them.

It’s an important lesson to remember the next time a non-smoker says that, although they don’t think the government should stop a bar owner from allowing smoking on their property, they still won’t oppose the smoking ban because they don’t like the smell of smoke on their clothes after a night out.

When they tell you that (as I’ve been told many times), remind them that smoking bans are not the end, but just the beginning. Remind them that once you start encouraging government to restrict people’s choices in the name of “public health” it will inevitably be used to restrict their choices. New York’s smoking ban was once an anomaly, but since it’s become the model for countless smoking bans elsewhere.

Fat, salt, sugar, tobacco, alcohol…they are all targets of the nanny state, and sooner or later everyone will be affected. Just ask the citizens of New York City.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

EO Brands has created some memorable lines since it was founded in 2003 by Eddie Ortega and Erik Espinosa. In relatively short time, the 601 Series, Murcielago, and Cubao cemented the Nicaragua-based brand as a favorite among cigar enthusiasts.

The smoke that usually comes to mind when I think of EO is the 601 Green. That habano oscuro-wrapped cigar is mighty and powerful with black pepper spice, coffee, and leather. While it may not be the most intense stick on the market, you can’t deny the sheer boldness of the so-called “Green Label.”

So when EO, now distributed by Rocky Patel, announced they would be releasing their strongest 601 to date at the 2011 industry trade show, I did a double-take. I also remember thinking that “La Bomba” is a fitting name if this blend is half as strong as it’s rumored to be.

La Bomba’s recipe includes 100% Nicaraguan tobacco and a dark, oily habano wrapper. Four explosive sizes are available: Atom (5.5 x 46), Napalm (5 x 52), Atomic (6 x 60), and Nuclear (6 x 50). Each retails for $7 to $9 apiece and is packaged in boxes of 10, and each is made at Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua.

The Nuclear vitola has a unique pigtail cap that doubles as a “fuse” and a yellow band across the foot. Once the cap is clipped and the band is removed, it looks much more serious and a lot less gimmicky. Only then do I find myself appreciating the cleanliness of the wrapper, the extreme firmness of the roll, and the pre-light aroma of sweet cocoa and earth.

After taking note of the cigar’s smooth draw, a peppery profile of leather, dry wood, and espresso emerges. Many Don Pepin creations have strength, spice, and full body at the outset. But the power displayed here is more formidable than anything I’ve smoked in recent memory.

As it progresses, La Bomba Nuclear gives off traces of chocolate, nuts, cream, and black licorice. But the unwavering core of the smoke remains similar throughout. All the while the physical properties are superb, including a white ash that holds solid and a straight burn line.

If you’re looking for loads of complexity and nuance, this isn’t your best option. Cigars with this much power usually have the subtlety of an AC/DC song. That said, sometimes I’m in the mood for the screeching vocals of Brian Johnson and the blaring guitar solos of Angus Young. So don’t be surprised if the mood strikes you for a heavy post-meal smoke that can stand up to a stiff drink. The flavors are solid, and you won’t find anything to complain about in terms of construction. All things considered, this cigar 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

Cigars and scotch go together like peanut butter and jelly, but rarely is the connection so explicit as with Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve. According to Dalmore’s website, “the body and character of this extraordinary expression is the perfect complement to a fine cigar.”

You might remember the discontinued Dalmore Cigar Malt (an excellent value at around $50), but this new Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve is a different whisky. The old Cigar Malt, 40% ABV and made with 60% sherry casks and 40% bourbon casks, was discontinued, allegedly in part because some consumers either thought the scotch only went with cigars or was somehow made with tobacco. (The original Cigar Malt has, depending on who you ask, been rebranded as, or slightly changed to become, Dalmore’s Gran Reserva.)

The new Cigar Malt Reserve is similar to the original, but with a few notable changes, mainly that it ups three things. First, it goes from 80-proof to a slightly stronger 88-proof. Second, it increases the percentage of Oloroso “Matusalem” sherry from 60% to 70%. Third, the price is considerably higher at $120 for a 750 ml. bottle.

The new Cigar Malt Reserve pours a deep amber color. The nose is heavy, with toffee, chocolate, roast cashew, and a hint of the Oloroso sherry.

I tasted the whisky neat and found it to be similar on the palate to its profile on the nose. There’s oily roast nuts, sweetness from dry cocoa and toffee, and plenty of wood and earth. More subtle is a hint of citrus, black pepper, and perhaps some fermented maduro tobacco. The finish is long with lots of wood and fleeting spice.

I can see why this is billed as a “Cigar Malt” as it does indeed pair well with a fine cigar. It also feature more flavors (wood, earth, pepper, chocolate, toffee, etc…) in common with cigars than any whisky I’ve ever tasted. And it pairs with a wide range of cigars, from oily maduros to spicy Nicaraguans to subtle Cameroon-wrapped Dominicans.

For me, the result is an excellent scotch that is best appreciated neat with a good smoke. It’s also a unique, gritty, character-filled blend; not at all peaty, but also not overly sweet or light. Beyond those admirable attributes, the proud connection with cigars certainly makes me inclined towards the Cigar Malt, even if the price might make it a rare indulgence.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Dalmore

“The Ashton Classic is truly a smoke for anytime and anywhere and, like an old friend, never lets you down.” So reads the Ashton website.

I wasn’t thinking these exact words as I was browsing the humidor at one of my local shops, but I might as well have been. Going back to my earlier days with cigars—when I regularly tended toward the mild side of the spectrum—the Ashton Classic was my go-to if I wanted something special. And why not? The blend is reliable, tasty, and well-constructed.

These days, even though I still enjoy milder smokes and I make sure to include them in my rotation, I don’t find myself smoking many Ashton Classics. Not sure why. So, as I was scanning the shop’s humidor, I selected a couple Prime Ministers (6.9 x 48) for just under $10 apiece.

Like the 15 other vitolas in the line, the Prime Minister features aged tobaccos from the Dominican Republic wrapped in a golden Connecticut shade leaf. The cap is applied well and there are no soft spots from head to foot. The pre-light aroma smells of honey and hay.

Using a V-cutter to clip the cap, I find the draw is a bit stiff. This makes establishing an even light a bit more time-consuming than you’d normally expect from such a slender smoke. Once the light is set, traditional Connecticut flavors shine through. These include honey, hay, nuts, and some creaminess.

In the final third, a grassy taste becomes dominant. Then the stiff draw starts to get more difficult. As a result, I take more frequent puffs, and this probably contributes to the traces of stale flavors that emerge toward the end. Next time I’ll probably elect a guillotine cut rather than a V-cut to see if this improves the draw experience. Otherwise, the physical properties are very good, including a solid white ash and a very straight burn line.

Aside from the draw, my recent experience with the Prime Minister format was a good reminder of why I used to rely on the Ashton Classic fairly regularly. Sure, there are plenty of other Connecticut-wrapped smokes on the market, and many of them can be purchased for less. But this blend, when at its best, has a wonderfully balanced profile of traditional Connecticut flavors that’s more unique than you might expect. Keeping all of this in mind, I award the Prime Minister 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.”

La Riqueza isn’t Pete Johnson’s most glamorous blend. However, I think it might be the most underrated. This little (4.4 x 42) cigar demonstrates why La Riqueza always impresses me. It has excellent construction and combustion qualities. The petite corona-sized smoke tastes of dry chocolate, roasted flavors, and woody spice. It’s medium- to full-bodied with excellent balance. Despite being a 30-minute cigar, it still demonstrates ample complexity.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys