The Stogie Guys

If you’re a cigar smoker, I can virtually guarantee you’ll be impressed by the wrapper on Casa Gomez. The Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut leaf is a beautiful warm brown with barely a vein visible from head to foot. The pre-light scent is light, reminiscent of outdoors with hints of grasses.

From the first puff, it’s apparent that Casa Gomez is a mild to medium smoke. But that doesn’t mean it’s light on taste. The blend was recently tweaked to add a little more zip, with Nicaraguan tobacco being added to the Dominican filler that’s encased by a Honduran binder. The stick’s first half has a little stronger kick than the second.

The pre-light aroma is reflected in the flavors, which present a little straw and hay, some pleasant grassiness and, in the final third, a touch of sweetness. Nothing is overpowering, creating an overall sense of balance and equilibrium.

The Benjamin, named for the current head of Casa Gomez, Benny Gomez Jr., is a torpedo (6.5 x 54). Others in the four-vitola line also sport family monikers (i.e., “Lorens” and “Junior”). Dominican rolled, the cigars have first-rate construction and produce volumes of thick, creamy smoke.

Casa Gomez isn’t an easy cigar to find. I was given several samples at an event promoting the label recently at my buddy Arnold Serafin’s shop in Spring Hill, Florida. Retail prices for the four sizes range from $5.50 to $6.50.

Gomez and his son, Loren, told me they’re gearing up to get their sticks in more shops and will again have a booth at the upcoming International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers convention. They said they’re also working on the firm’s website and hope to have it more functional soon.

This is a fine cigar, well worth searching for. If you are a fan of milder smokes, it will hit the spot; if you generally prefer stronger sticks, the Casa Gomez will give you a satisfying change of pace. I rate it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

“I’ve been able to come up with a good product at a price that people can afford,” said Abe Flores of Pinar del Rio Cigars when he talked to us at the 2010 Cigar Expo. “I wanted to do a premium cigar that wouldn’t hurt the average guy. People still need to be able to buy tobacco…Tobacco has been part of American and Latin American culture for many, many years.”

Aside from his desire to create high-quality, affordable smokes, one thing about Flores became abundantly clear during our interview last weekend: He has a keen enthusiasm for tobacco. “Tobacco is part of my background. My grandfather grew tobacco and coffee,” he says. “It’s probably in my veins. This has always been a passion for me, and people who smoke my cigars they feel the passion and the time I put into this. And the company has been growing every year.”

With a loyal following and a base at the Tabacos Don Leoncio factory in the Dominican Republic, some anticipate that Pinar del Rio is on the verge of becoming the next big thing. But it is still a young company, launching only a few years ago with two inaugural lines: Oscuro and Habano Sun Grown.

The latter is a gorgeous cigar with two intricate bands and a red ribbon across the foot. While these features enhance the cigar’s presentation, the Robusto’s (5 x 50) real beauty lies in its oily, reddish, Dominican-grown wrapper. Impressive, especially for a stick that sells in the $5-6 price range.

After clipping the triple cap and establishing an even burn across the blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos, the Habano Sun Grown’s pre-light aroma of pepper and hay transitions into a bold taste of leather, herbal spices, and creamy sweetness. Flores was right when he told me this cigar has “leathery tones to it” and “spice on the nostrils and the tip of the tongue.”

With plenty of balance and subtlety, I don’t count the Robusto’s consistency in flavor as a shortcoming. I find myself interested—and at times captivated—by the full-bodied profile, especially the interplay between spice and sweetness. The only drawbacks of the two Robustos I smoked for this review were wavy burn lines and occasional bitter flavors toward the end. But this is still a very easy cigar to enthusiastically recommend.

I realize I’m arriving late to the Pinar del Rio party, perhaps too late to be fashionable. I suspect many of you are already dedicated fans of Abe Flores’ work. As for the rest of you, consider this review your invitation to join in on the fun. For its charismatic, old school Cuban flavor and approachable price tag, the Habano Sun Grown Robusto earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I like to think that I’m the kind of person who properly appreciates the time and talent that go into creating a fine handmade cigar, but sometimes it takes a firsthand experience to remind me just how detailed and rigorous the process is.

During my recent trip to the Dominican Republic I saw the entire process in detail. From the Guillermo León’s farm, to tasting pure grade tobacco with José Blanco, to the aging and, finally—but certainly not least—the expert bunching and rolling, you see the dozens of people necessary to create just one great cigar.

I even tried my own hand at making a cigar. After smoking five cigars made completely from one tobacco each, I selected three, proportioning them in a way that I thought (hoped?) would yield a interesting, complex, medium-bodied smoke. After making the blend, when I told León that my blend utilized 40% Dominican corojo tobacco with equal parts Nicaraguan and Brazilian bahia, he laughed and told me I had created a “bomb.” (So much for my smooth, medium-bodied smoke.)

The challenge really began when I had to bunch, bind, and wrap my cigar. Even though I used the Lieberman machine to apply the binder—many premium smokes are created completely by hand—it was a struggle to fit my cigars in the mold.

After the cigar was pressed for a few hours, I returned to apply the wrapper. Despite the experienced roller standing over my shoulder, making plenty of corrections and suggestions, the ten cigars I produced (pictured above) were decidedly sub-par. Maybe a few of them could pass for factory seconds.

As a reviewer who takes off points for faulty construction, it was a most humbling experience. Given the difficulty in the process, the consistency that even relatively inexpensive cigars have is very impressive.

And speaking of inexpensive, considering  how many hours of labor and years of skill go into every smoke, it is amazing that prices are as low as they are. If you are lucky enough to see it first hand, you’re unlikely to complain about the price of your smoke again, and you’ll certainly gain a new appreciation for cigars.

–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.”

Nowadays, La Flor is best known for bold, full-bodied blends like the Double Ligero. But the Premium Line, the company’s first series, is a light cigar featuring Dominican binder and filler tobaccos and a pale Connecticut shade wrapper. Construction on the Mambises (6.9 x 48) is absolutely perfect. Still, I can’t fully recommend this $6-8 cigar because the flavor is more dry and papery than it is creamy or nutty.

Verdict = Hold.

–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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Wisconsin becomes the 28th state to enact a smoking ban starting on Monday. Passed over a year ago, the law criminalizes smoking in workplaces throughout the Badger State, including  bars and restaurants. But the new regulation is anything but clear-cut. Politicians in Madison worded the bill so poorly that questions still remain over enforcement and exemptions—a nightmare scenario for business owners who are uncertain about their options.

2) Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposal for a 30% tax on cigars was voted down on Tuesday. A disproportionate number of online cigar wholesalers call Pennsylvania home, including Famous Smoke Shop, Holt’s, and Cigar’s International—a company that threatened to move if the tax passed. This isn’t a coincidence. Along with Florida, the Keystone State is the only one without a cigar tax. Cigar Rights of America attributed the victory to CRA members who contacted lawmakers.

3) Inside the Industry: In our talks last week with Tatuaje creator Pete Johnson, he revealed two interesting nuggets: (1) the Vintage line will be arriving at retailers in the next few weeks and (2) he’s working on a new project called “Fausto” named after an old Cuban brand that took the name from a famous literary character.

4) Around the Blogs: Smoking Stogie smokes a Punch Diademas Extra. Keepers of the Flame fires up a Reyes Family Vintage. Stogie Fresh lights up the Quesada Tributo. Stogie Review reviews the Zino Platinum Crown Series 2010. Cigar Inspector inspects a Fuente Hemingway Work of Art. Nice Tight Ash checks out the La Flor Dominicana Limitado IV.

5) Deal of the Week: Sunday is July 4th, which means an Independence Day Sale is going on at Cuban Crafters. There are plenty of discounts, but our favorite deal is a box of the Cubano Claro Lonsdales for just $70. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Completing our coverage of the 2010 Cigar Expo, an event hosted by Famous Smoke Shop at their headquarters in Easton, Pennsylvania, today we feature our joint interview of Pete Johnson of Tatuaje and Jesus Fuego of J. Fuego Cigars. Both discuss their newest creations, among other things.

Thank you to Famous Smoke Shop for a wonderful event and to all the cigar makers who made time for us. We look forward to next year’s Cigar Expo.

–The Stogie Guys

video credit: Stogie Guys

Today we continue our coverage of the 2010 Cigar Expo, an event hosted by Famous Smoke Shop at their headquarters in Easton, Pennsylvania. Here’s the discussion we had with Abe Flores about his lineup of Pinar del Rio cigars.

We’re also pleased to feature our interview with Eddie Ortega, who spoke about his new partnership with Rocky Patel, changes to the various 601 blends, and a new cigar trademark he just registered for “Hardcore.”

Visit StogieGuys.com again tomorrow for our final video from the 2010 Cigar Expo: a colorful chat with Jesus Fuego and Pete Johnson.

–The Stogie Guys

video credit: Stogie Guys