The Stogie Guys

Abe Flores of Pinar del Rio gives us reason to be optimistic about the future of the cigar industry. He and a select few others—including Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, Dion Giolito of Illusione, Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate, and Chris Kelly of Tesa—comprise a gifted squad of young cigar makers who are destined to be making great smokes for years to come.

Flores’ talent was on full display in the summer of 2010. That’s when he introduced his re-blended standard lines, launched a wonderful new smoke, and dropped his cigars’ prices by 10%. “I wanted to do a premium cigar that wouldn’t hurt the average guy,” he told me. “People still need to be able to buy tobacco.”

That commendable attitude has earned Flores a chorus of praise from the cigar community. It also doesn’t hurt that the cigars themselves are quite good, including the Selección Reserva Limitada, a line of nine vitolas that currently ranges in price from $100 to $125 per box of 20. Each size features a dark, mottled wrapper from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, wrapped around a criollo ’98 binder from the Dominican Republic and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The Magnum measures 5 inches long with a hearty ring gauge of 60. It’s a thick, bold-looking smoke with a pigtail cap, double bands, and a black ribbon around the foot. The pungent pre-light notes are sweet and chocolatey.

Advertised as medium in body, the Selección Magnum starts with a musky leather flavor that leaves a long, somewhat bitter taste on the tongue. Bitter isn’t a bad thing, mind you. While the word “bitter” often conjures a negative sensation, most well-balanced cigars have some bitterness to complement their sweet, salty, and acidic components.

But the Magnum isn’t all bitter. Its other flavors include cocoa, black pepper spice, espresso, and creamy undertones. And as the cigar progresses, tastes of roasted nuts and dark chocolate become more apparent, rendering this cigar a rich after-dinner smoke and a fine medium-bodied companion to a glass of rum.

The Magnum’s physical properties are likewise dependable, with a clear draw that yields bountiful tufts of smoke, a solid ash, and a burn line that requires little maintenance.

I’ve yet to come across a Pinar del Rio smoke that I didn’t like, and the Selección Magnum is no exception. With interesting flavors, zero harshness, and an affordable price point, this cigar is a good reminder of Abe Flores’ talent. It earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you live in the Northern Virginia area, please don’t read this article. Seriously, finding Four Roses Single Batch Bourbon (let alone their Single Barrel) is hard enough already.

Of the four Virginia ABC liquor stores I visit in my area (and yes, there’s a connection between state-owned liquor stores and poor selection) only one carries Four Roses Small Batch. Just like how a different Virginia ABC store is the only one that carries my favorite rums: Zaya, Ron Zacapa, and El Dorado 15.

Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, makes a number of very nice bourbons, including their standard “Yellow Label” variety which sells for the bargain price of around $20 per fifth. Lately, however, my go-to has become the Small Batch, which offers more complexity for around $32 (sometimes less, if you can find it on sale).

The Four Roses Small Batch is a blend of four different bourbons which average six and a half years of age, though they may be aged longer if master distiller Jim Rutledge deems it necessary. When all the blending is done the Small Batch is 90-proof (45% ABV).

The amber-colored spirit has a lemon cake nose with citrus, vanilla, and burnt sugar. Dominant flavors are lemon and burnt sugar, with additional complexity provided by butter, orange peel, oak, and caramel notes. The finish is long and smooth with rye, caramel, and touches of pepper and pine.

Four Roses Small Batch is a favorite of mine because it is both sweet and complex, whereas many overly sweet bourbons lose the heft and complexity in their sugary sweetness. The well-roundedness of this bourbon makes it an excellent pairing for medium-bodied smokes.

Some of the best cigars to pair with this spirit include La Aurora Guillermo León, Arturo Fuente Añejo, Isla de Cuba Aged Maduro (sadly discontinued), and the Padrón (original series) natural. For something more full-bodied (and thicker) try the CroMagnon Mandible, which has plenty of sweetness from its oily Connecticut wrapper and Cameroon binder.

Whatever your cigar pairing choice, I’m confident Four Roses Small Batch will impress you with its complexity and reasonable price. That’s why it’s become a staple in my collection.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Wikipedia

StogieGuys.com has long extolled the virtues of the humble match. Oh, sure, we appreciate a fine butane lighter that throws an exquisite flame hot and heavy enough for a bit of spot welding. And no one can discount the difficulties of trying to use matches on a windy day.

Still, it’s difficult to dismiss the long list of positive traits found in the centuries-old match. Cheap, transportable, replaceable, consistent, just to name a few. One that should be on the list — ubiquitous — is, alas, not nearly as applicable as it was in decades past. Recognition of that fact is the reason for this request of every cigar shop where people gather to smoke: Please put matches around for your customers to use.

I know most shops have lighters out with cutters, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate that owners frequently find those same implements disappear from the counter, prey to the five-finger discount. So proprietors are certainly justified in being reluctant to spread them throughout their establishment.

But having lighting implements at hand is often necessary in a cigar shop. Those ceiling and floor fans, heating and air-conditioning units, and air-moving machines that make the lounge a pleasant place also create breezes that can lead to uneven cigar burning and the need for touch-ups. Add in the growing use of tough-burning ligero tobacco and you’ve got even more cigars that need extra care after the initial lighting.

I’m still puzzled why every cigar shop doesn’t use matches as advertising. They’re not particularly expensive and present a great opportunity to create something special. If you can’t afford to design your own matches, talk to your suppliers. Is there a smoker out there who’s never picked up a box of Cuesta-Rey matches?

I’m not picky. Like most cigar smokers, I’d prefer the long cedar matchsticks that are ideally suited to the task. But I’ll settle for the shorter, conventional-length matches, though its essential they be wooden in a box rather than cardboard in a book.

Of course, match privation ranks pretty low on the scale of world issues. Yet it is an easy way to make smoking life a little more pleasant. And it seems fitting that the recommendation to light a candle rather than curse the darkness supposedly originated with the Chinese. After all, they’re the ones credited with inventing matches.

–George E

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.”

Back in May, I recommended this Dominican puro. Four months later, it still gets an enthusiastic thumbs up. The medium-bodied cigar has excellent balance and none of the leathery notes that sometimes dominate Dominican puros. Instead, it features a combination of cocoa, coffee, roasted nut, and earth. Construction is good with a notably white ash. Best of all, it costs under $5 per 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.”

The Heritage line, introduced in the summer of 2010, may be the fullest-bodied regular production cigar in the Avo portfolio. But that doesn’t mean it trades strength for substance. The Robusto (4.9 x 50) still has plenty of subtlety to go along with its boldness, with notes of leather, mushroom, bread, and black pepper as the most dominant flavors. The aftertaste is especially spicy. I paid $7.50 for this Ecuadorian-wrapped cigar at my local tobacconist in Chicago, and I didn’t experience any buyer’s remorse.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: 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) Edgar M. Cullman, the former head of General Cigar, passed away this week at the age of 93. “Cullman led the fourth generation of his family’s involvement in cigars, which, according to a company history, began in 1848 with Ferdinand Kullman, a wine merchant who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany,” reports Bloomberg. “Cullman joined his father’s tobacco business in 1944 and, in 1961, led a group of investors in buying a controlling interest in New York-based General Cigar, the producer of cigar brands including White Owl, William Penn, and Van Dyck.” Cullman presided over General from 1962 to 2005, helping make Macanudo one of the most recognizable and successful brands in the industry.

2) In August’s “Question of the Month,” we asked readers which cigar released at this year’s trade show they are most looking forward to trying. The Drew Estate Undercrown came in tops with 35% of the vote, followed by the E.P. Carrillo Core Blend Maduro (19%), Tatuaje Casita Criollo (16%), Tatuaje Fausto (15%), CAO OSA Sol (11%), and Casa Miranda (4%). Be sure to weigh in on this month’s question by voting in the sidebar to the right. And feel free to contact us if you’ve got suggestion for a poll.

3) If you’ve got an iPhone and you want to take StogieGuys.com reviews on the go, be sure to check out the new “Cigar Boss” application, which is available in paid and free (ad-supported) versions. The app also links to other websites’ reviews, locates the nearest tobacconists, and enables you to save favorites.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews an E.P. Carrillo Maduro. Cigar Fan smokes the Berger & Argenti Clasico. Smoking Stogie smokes an Illusione MKULTRA. Nice Tight Ash tries the 8-5-8 Sungrown. Your Cigar Ratings gives high marks to the Tatuaje 7th Reserva.

5) Deal of the Week: We gave the My Father El Hijo our highest rating. Even though it’s a limited edition cigar, Smoke Inn still has boxes ($150) and five packs ($50) available here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Amazon

José Blanco’s “retirement” didn’t last long. The longtime spokesman and marketing director for La Aurora announced he is joining Joya de Nicaragua as senior vice president.

Blanco left the Dominican cigar maker in June after 29 years with La Aurora and its parent company, including the last 11 as sales director for the cigar division, which was spun off earlier this year. As sales director, Blanco was responsible for developing and releasing new cigars.

In the press release announcing the move, Blanco praised his new company. “Joining Joya de Nicaragua allows me to do what I love and feel passionate for: working with tobacco. It is a choice that I feel very happy about and makes me look into the future with great enthusiasm,” he said. “Joya De Nicaragua is in my opinion an honorable company with strong tradition and history, which I value highly.”

Dr. Martinez Cuenca, owner of Joya de Nicaragua, praised the new addition to his team: “José will bring new blood and fresh ideas to our legendary company that will allow us to expand our lines of production. His experience in blending and marketing will complement our own efforts and will undoubtedly result in a great contribution to the development and growth of Joya de Nicaragua in both the U.S. and worldwide markets.”

Analysis

When I spoke with José Blanco at the industry trade show in July, it was pretty clear that while he was “retiring” from La Aurora, he had no intention of retiring completely from cigars. Even then it seemed clear to me that it was a question of when, not if, he would take another position in the cigar industry. Cigars, he told me, were in his blood. He also joked with me that unlike some people in the industry, he never signed a non-compete, a fact borne out by his return to the cigar industry just three months after leaving La Aurora.

In Blanco, Joya de Nicaragua gains not only a knowledgeable and innovative cigar veteran, but a gregarious spokesman. The company, which has relied on its distributor, Drew Estate, for its U.S. presence, will now have  its own advocate and unique voice, even as Blanco works closely with the team at Drew Estate.

Joya de Nicaragua is also doing the cigar industry as a whole a great service as Blanco is a forceful advocate for cigar rights. Additionally, he has educated thousands of smokers with his tasting seminars that break down the elements of a cigar and give smokers a peek into the complexities of cigar blending, something that will hopefully resume with his new position.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys