The Stogie Guys

Viaje is a brand I’ve never fully gotten acquainted with. Maybe that’s because none of my regular shops seem to carry it, or because buying this brand is a significant investment (especially by the box), or because with, so many limited releases, it’s difficult enough to keep track of Viahe, let alone track it down.

Still, there’s a lot going for Viaje, not the least of which is a small but growing group of loyal fans. Further, Viaje is made by the same people behind Casa Fernandez, who, addition to their own cigars, make such highly regarded smokes as Illusione, Padilla (1932 & Miami), and Alec Bradley (Tempus and Prensado) at their Raices Cubana factory. Fernandez is also the original partner of Don Pepin Garcia with whom he co-owns the El Rey de Los Habanos factory in Miami (though that is the subject of a current legal dispute).

The Fifty-Fifty concept is a unique idea, with the premise being that one cigar contains two distinct blends, which transitions from one to the other at the halfway mark. According to Viaje creator Andre Farkas, “Each cigar is carefully crafted taking triple the amount of time a normal cigar takes to roll. The cigar comes wrapped in a dark, oily Nicaraguan cover leaf with two binders holding the filler in place.”

The Black Label aims to transition from full to fuller, while the Red Label aims to be a more balanced transition from medium to full body. Like the Red Label, the Black comes in three sizes selling for around $9-10 per cigar and upwards of $200 for a box of 25. For this review I smoked several No. 1s (5.6 x 46). The Nicaraguan puro features a oily wrapper with a small pigtail cap. It has a slight give when you give it a squeeze, but no exterior indication that inside there is a change in blend.

When I finally lit this corona extra I found a medium- to full-bodied blend (though I can certainly see how some would consider it full-bodied). I was struck by the sweetness that this cigar displayed in the first half. Cafe au lait, semi-sweet chocolate, vanilla bean, and subtle leather notes were all apparent. However, when I got to the second half (and presumably second blend), that sweetness disappeared entirely. Here the cigar is a truly full-bodied smoke. It’s leathery, earthy, and heavy with significant “mouth feel.” In addition, there’s some charred notes and a subtle peppery spice on the retro-hale.

One of the four samples I smoked required a few touch-ups to counteract an uneven burn, but the construction was mostly maintenance-free. That’s impressive given the two separate blends. And while some have criticized the transition from the first blend to the second as too abrupt, I didn’t find that to be the case. I may have liked the profile of the first half better than the second, but the transition was smooth enough to make it a largely seamless and enjoyable smoke. That, combined with good construction and the successful execution of a unique concept, earns the Viaje Fifty Fifty Black Label No. 1 a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you look online, you’ll find virtually zero information about Mataza, a new line from the Alec Bradley Cigar Company, maker of such cigars as Maxx, Prensado, and Tempus.

I say “virtually” because, for now, there’s only one website that talks about Mataza. It belongs to Hiland’s Cigars, a tobacconist in Scottsdale, Arizona, that carries a nice selection of smokes and takes orders over the web and phone. Scott Hiland tells me that Mataza was sent to his store first. The line is expected to soon become more widely available.

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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 “Just For Retailers” cigar was created by the same people behind Casa Frenandez, who also produce (on contract for others) such lines as Illusione, Viaje, and Alec Bradley Tempus in their Honduran Raices Cubana factory. The Titan (6 x 60, $8) features a Connecticut wrapper around what we can only assume is Aganorsa Nicaraguan tobacco. The profile is of cream, cedar, and sweet graham notes, but hardly any spice. Not a bad smoke, but the JFR Connecticut isn’t as good as the other JFR blends (Corojo and Maduro).

Verdict = Hold.

–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 recall this line as one of the leaders in full strength cigars when it came out in 2003. The complex blend, with its smoothness, pepper, and pop, simply blew me away. It was my favorite smoke for quite awhile, even as it changed a bit through the years. Somehow, though, I got away from it and hadn’t had one in a long, long time until recently. All I could do was wonder why I waited. I smoked several sizes, and enjoyed the robusto-sized Duma most. This Miami Cigar & Co. stick gets little notice and isn’t always easy to find. Whether, like me, you haven’t had one lately, or have never tried one, I urge you to light it up.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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 generosity of the cigar community knows no bounds, and that charitable spirit is in fine display in the wake of the deadliest tornado season in 50 years. The Montecristo Relief Organization, established in 1999 by Altadis after devastating hurricanes swept through the Caribbean, is donating $25,000 in vital aid to the victims of last month’s tornado in Joplin, Missouri. It is also matching the first $75,000 donated by Altadis employees, vendors, and customers. If you’d like to contribute, you can send a check to: Montecristo Relief Organization, Joplin Tornado Relief, c/o Altadis U.S.A., PO Box 407179, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33340.

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This started out to be about a cigar, but, like so many things involving the Internet, it evolved into something else altogether. What began as a simple search to get information on a cigar given to me about which I knew nothing led, instead, to a site I can only describe as a masterwork of cigar scholarship.

The website is called Zen & the Art of the Cigar. I had read reviews there numerous times, but failed to really explore the site. It was only after the incredible information that turned up as I was searching for the Gurkha European Selection Habano 2000 that I began to grasp what was there.

Interestingly, it has something in common with a Zen koan because, while I can describe it simply, that would utterly belie its complexity. What am I talking about? Well, you could say it‘s a list of all the Gurkha cigars, comprising, as I write this, 93 blends. But in reality there’s so much in addition to the basics. You’ll learn about wrappers, strength, vitolas and what’s an Internet exclusive. And more. Jamie Sprenkel is the man behind the site and the list, as well as others he has compiled and made available under the Manufacturer Spotlight link at the top of his site.

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[Editors’ Note: The following was written by Mark McGinty, author of The Cigar Maker. His work has appeared in Cigar City Magazine, Maybourne Magazine, and La Gaceta. You can contact him at mmcginty_32@yahoo.com.]

Angel Cuesta and Peregrino Rey, both in their thirties when they started the famous cigar company in 1896, were just a pair of entrepreneurs in a city with dozens of cigar factories. In fact, the Tampa Tribune thought so little of them that the newspaper didn’t even bother to check the spelling of their names and with little fanfare, announced that Cuesta Ray [sic] had formed in Ybor City, Florida, employing 100 workers. The paper would have never expected this pair of young Spaniards to create a revolutionary cigar company that would set industry standards for quality and marketing and become one of the most recognized brands in the world.

Cuesta and Rey’s idea of cigar company management included the novel ideas of international marketing, quality control, and worker incentives, ideas that are commonplace today but bordered on being radical during the 1890’s. But it was the unique talents of each man, and their ability to divide the responsibilities of management, that played a critical role in the success of Cuesta-Rey.

Cuesta was a promoter, Rey a production manager. While Cuesta created brand identification and customer loyalty though shrewd marketing schemes, Rey ensured the quality of the product matched the reputation touted in its advertisements. He imposed a rule that no shipment of incoming tobacco would be accepted until one of the partners had personally inspected it.

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