The Stogie Guys

When I think of tasty, consistent, well-constructed cigars that don’t break the bank, a few choice brands come to mind. Oliva is always near the top of the list.

The Oliva Cigar Co. has only been around for about 15 years but, in that relatively short time, it has built a well-deserved reputation for quality and affordability. The brand’s foundation consists of blends like the Habano-wrapped Serie V and the Cameroon-wrapped Serie G—two highly-rated cigars that can be found for under $5 apiece. The Serie V Maduro Especial, although more expensive, is another fine specimen from this decorated Nicaraguan manufacturer.

Last year, Oliva diversified its portfolio by launching Connecticut Reserve. This mild-mannered blend was introduced at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Trade Show in August. It comes in five sizes: Churchill (7 x 50), Lonsdale (6.5 x 44), Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50), and Torpedo (6.5 x 52).

I recently purchased a five-pack of Lonsdales for $22. With a golden Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a pre-light aroma of sweet hay, and a firm feel from head to foot, this slender vitola makes a great first impression.

The cigar’s cap clips neatly to reveal a clear draw with just a bit of resistance. Then, once lit, the initial taste is of spicy oak and creamy almond. The Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos combine to make the first third bolder than expected.

At the halfway mark of this 80-minute smoke, the medium-bodied flavor settles into the mild spectrum. But, even as smooth cream becomes the dominant texture, the finish remains peppery and sweet—an appealing interplay from light to nub.

Remarkable the Connecticut Reserve Lonsdale is not. I can’t see myself reaching for this cigar if I’m in the mood to celebrate. It simply doesn’t have the complexity of fine tobacco that has been aged to perfection. And its definable flavors can be found in many other Connecticut-wrapped smokes on the market (i.e., the Camacho Connecticut).

That said, the consistency and construction this new Oliva offers—including a solid gray ash and a set-it-and-forget-it burn line—can rarely be found for such an affordable price. I’m happy to keep a handful of these in stock as morning or mid-afternoon cigars to pair with coffee. That justifies a respectable rating 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

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.”

Savinelli is better know for its pipe offerings than its cigars, but this Corona Gorda (6.6 x 46) shows that cigars aren’t being neglected. The Nicaraguan puro features a perfectly smooth, dry, medium brown wrapper. Impressive construction is highlighted by a flawless draw and even burn. The flavors are mostly earthy with some raisin and sawdust, leaving a dry finish. While certainly not a bad cigar, it loses points for leaving my mouth feeling awkwardly dry.

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.” The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

This robusto (5 x 52) has an oily wrapper that’s medium-to-dark brown with a fairly rustic look. The heaviness in the hand speaks to a fully-packed stogie, but also contributes to a tighter draw than I’m comfortable with, at least at the beginning. Flavors range from cocoa powder and coffee at the start to strong coffee and earth near the end. This is a full-bodied smoke that tastes great; I enjoyed it more than the 888, but not as much as the MJ12, although the sticker price of $8.40 makes it much more attainable.

Verdict = Buy.

–Submitted by David Jones of The Tiki Bar Online

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) This month marks the fourth anniversary of StogieGuys.com. Publishing daily since May 2006, our readership has grown steadily as we’ve brought you over 1,400 days of reviews, news, commentaries, tips, and interviews from the world of cigars. The entire StogieGuys.com team is extremely grateful for your loyal patronage and feedback. (To thank you for your continued readership, we’ll be giving away more great prizes to subscribers of our free email newsletter. If you aren’t already signed up, please do so here.) Here’s to four more great years!

2) Despite the efforts of anti-tobacco zealots, Kansas politicians failed to pass a tobacco tax hike that would have included a 300% tax increase on cigars. “This outcome may not have been possible without the earnest efforts of IPCPR’s Kansas retailers, an essential component of the overall lobbying efforts,” said a press release from the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

3) Forgetting politics, there’s one aspect of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s résumé we can all get behind. A former cigarette smoker, Kagan said in the past that she smoked the occasional cigar, though recent profiles didn’t clarify whether she’s still a sister of the leaf.

4) Inside the Industry: La Flor Dominicana’s Air Bender is growing by two sizes: “Poderoso” (a corona) and “Villano” (a lancero). Angelenos, the cigar line made by Fuente for God of Fire/Prometheus, is expanding with the addition of a Gran Toro (6.5 x 52) and  a Double Robusto (5.75 x 52).

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the new E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2010. Smoking Stogie lights up a Behike 54. Cigar Inspector fires up a Graycliff Chateau Gran Cru. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Paradigm 262. Stogie Fresh smokes the Davidoff Puro D’Oro.

6) Deal of the Week: Now is a great time to check out CitizenCigar.com, a new Tennessee-based retailer that is introducing itself with a sitewide sale. Everything is currently 10% off with free shipping. Click here to peruse their selection.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Miami Cigar & Co. made a splash in 2009 with the Nestor Miranda Special Selection 20 Aniversario. The cigar was launched to celebrate of two decades of producing a Special Selection line named for company founder Nestor Miranda. Both the Rosado and Oscuro varieties received fanfare and very positive reviews.

But there were two problems. First, the 20 Aniversario was a very limited release with only 2,000 boxes made in the original size. Second, Miami Cigar—distributor of such acclaimed brands as La Aurora, Don Lino, and León Jimenes—was faced with the daunting task of deciding how to top last year’s success.

The company’s answer? Combining Nestor Miranda’s marketing talents with the blending expertise of Don Pepin Garcia and the tobacco cultivation experience of Guillermo León of La Aurora. According to a press release from Miami Cigar, the trio worked for nine months on a special project to “pay tribute to the tobacco and cigar heritage of the Dominican Republic.”

The result is Dominicano, a new B&M-only blend that was officially unveiled in March. Made at Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua, it features Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos wrapped in a leaf from the same farm that produced the 100 Años wrapper for La Aurora. It is Garcia’s first Dominican-wrapped cigar.

Five sizes are available, all of which retail between $6-8 and come with either a Rosado or Oscuro exterior leaf: Belicoso (6.1 x 52), Coffee Break (4.5 x 50), Lancero (7.5 x 40), Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54), and Ruky (5.6 x 48 x 52). The Rosado Robusto Grande has a rustic, silky wrapper, with ample oils, a neat cap, and pre-light notes of sweet earth. The cold draw is easy and peppery on the lips.

After toasting the foot, the first third is characterized by leather, warm tobacco, and bread with a spicy cinnamon finish. Plenty of bite and no trouble producing lots of smoke. I’d argue the dry profile registers towards the lower end of the full-bodied spectrum.

As the white ash meanders into the second third, the taste evens out to include sweet toffee and a bit of cream. The ensuing balance is the highlight of the smoke—a memorable equilibrium that is sure to please a wide array of enthusiasts.

In the end, I can’t help but compare this new release to the 20 Aniversario Rosado. While the Dominicano isn’t as subtle or complex, it does offer a similar profile for a fraction of the price. And it can stand on its own as a well-balanced, well-built cigar with enjoyable flavors. That’s why, despite some minor construction flaws, the Nestor Miranda Dominicano Rosado Robusto Grande is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I recently opened a box of cigars to find a pleasant surprise. A small piece of paper inside let me know exactly when the cigars began aging, when they went in the box, and when they were released to be sold.

The box was a sampler of six La Aurora Preferido Maduro Perfectos. As you can see in the photo, the box includes a card with the pertinent dates and information about the batch of cigars.

It’s such simple information—amazingly, though, such information is completely absent from many of the high-end cigars that are made these days. Nevermind information about when the cigars began aging, even box dates are missing from the majority of cigars on the market.

Ironically, Cuban cigars always have box dates. Perhaps because they are often rushed out of the factory without extensive aging, it’s particularly important for Cuban smokers to know  if their cigars have had enough time to develop. Box dates on Cubans also reinforce the collectors mentality that surrounds the smokes (while serving as a check against counterfeiting). It’s a lesson that non-Cuban producers would do well to emulate.

For all the talk we hear about treating cigars as a collectors item like wine, consumers still don’t have the details they need to treat cigars like a collectors item. Good wines always have some basic information on the bottle; usually at least the vintage and basic information about the composition of the blend.

Cigars should welcome that approach, even if it means dispensing with the idea that every cigar is best smoked immediately after it is released. Doing so would encourage cigar smokers to become collectors who want to learn more about the cigars they buy and how to get the most out of them through aging.

Towards that end, others should follow the example set by La Aurora and let smokers know the vital facts about the cigars on which they spend their hard-earned money. (And, in case you were wondering, the pictured La Aurora Preferido Maduro Perfectos began aging in November 2007, were boxed on August 4, 2008, and left the factory on August 8, 2008; they’re great right now.)

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Back in 1995, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo was expanding his booming El Credito Cigar Company. His marquis brand, La Gloria Cubana, had been discovered by connoisseurs around the country, creating booming demand. He was making 2.2 million cigars a year between his factories in Miami and the Dominican Republic.

Now, a decade and a half later, he has sold his company to industry giant General Cigar, which he left in 2009 to to start up his own boutique manufacturer, E.P. Carrillo. E.P. Carrillo came on the scene with a bang in late 2009 when the EP Carrillo Edición Inaugural 2009 was introduced. Only 125,00 cigars  were made.

It was thought that that cigar would be the only release from Carrillo until the regular line debuted at the IPCPR in August. But with little fanfare, the new Short Run line is now available. The concept behind Short Run is simple: a one-time blend released once or twice a year made in limited numbers. (Only 108,000 of the 2010  version of the Short Run will ever be made.)

The Short Run 2010, which will be the only Short Run of 2010, utilizes an Ecuadorian-grown, Sumatra-seed wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The blend comes in three sizes: Dominantes (6.25 x 60), Populares (4.9 x 50), and Delirios (5.9 x 52). Prices for the 2010 Short Run range from $6.25-8.50.

The Ecuadorian wrapper on the Delirios is a muted brown color with lots of small veins. The toro is firmly constructed, just as I’ve come to expect from E.P. Carrillo cigars—whether made by El Credito or his new family-run outfit.

Once lit, the Delirious reveals woody spice, sweet graham cracker, and toasty notes. It’s a quintessential Ecuadorian smoke (imparted no doubt by the Ecuadorian wrapper) with sweet spice and buttery flavors. These flavors are consistent throughout, with only a slight leather flavor emerging in the final third. Still, it’s not enough to undo the balanced, medium-bodied flavors.

Construction is flawless. The ash holds admirably and the burn is perfectly straight while it produces clouds of smoke through an effortless draw.

All in all, the EP Carrillo is a fantastic smoke, even if it isn’t quite as superb as the Edición Inaugural 2009. But for almost half the price ($7) the Delirious may be an even better value. Personally, I plan on grabbing a few more of the Short Run before its run ends. For that reason, along with its tasty, medium-bodied flavors and excellent combustion characteristics, the E.P. Carrillo Short Run Delirios earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys