The Stogie Guys

A few weeks ago we spoke with La Flor Dominicana head honcho Litto Gomez about, among other things, his latest line. Air Bender, as it is called, was originally a blend exclusive to La Flor Dominicana in-store events. Once Gomez had stockpiled enough of the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper to ensure a few years of consistent production, he launched it with a series of events over the past couple months. Litto has previously used the wrapper on his Double Press cigar.

Underneath the dry, relatively vein-free Ecuadorian wrapper are Dominican binder and filler tobaccos from La Flor Dominicana’s farm in La Canela. Litto says the blend is not as spicy as his well-regarded Double Ligero. Instead, the intended profile is of “refined power.”

Air Bender is offered in four vitolas that retail for $7-8.25 apiece: Guerrero (6.25 x 54), Maestro (5.25 x 52), Valiente (6.25 x 60), and the Matatan (5 x 50). Each name honors a kung fu warrior. “I’m enamored with Chinese culture,” Gomez told us. In addition, Gomez says a thinner size will be available at the IPCPR Trade Show in August.

But contrary to some reports, the “Air Bender” isn’t just a reference to Kung Fu culture. “When we smoke, we bend the air,” Gomez told us. “You can see smoke split the air as it leaves a cigar. That’s why I thought ‘Air Bender’ would be a perfect name for my newest line.”

The robusto-sized Matatan is well-constructed and very firm to the touch. Pre-light there are notes of dried cranberries and cedar. Once lit, you quickly see what Gomez means by “refined power.” The Air Bender has a bourbon-like flavor with lot’s of pepper and dry oak.

It starts out with burst of full-flavored spice but soon settles into a more medium-bodied, balanced profile with continued wood and pepper joined by subtle undertones of cherry and cassis. Despite an occasionally uneven burn, construction was good with a notably solid ash, aptly described in a comment as “made out of cement.”

Between its solid construction, balanced flavor, and “refined power,” there is much to appreciate about Litto Gomez’s latest creation. That’s why the LFD Air Bender Matatan earns a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–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.”

Introduced one year after the original Nub, the maduro version features a Brazilian wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. This “short toro” (4 x 60) starts with a rough burst of pepper. Soon, though, it smooths out into milk chocolate, coffee, and roast nut flavors. Despite its short size, the 460 provides an hour of medium- to full-bodied flavors and excellent construction.

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.”

When I reviewed the Artesanitos (5 x 46) in January 2009, it was prone to occasional spurts of intense bitterness—an unwelcome trait that tainted an otherwise delicious cigar. Now, after over a year of aging, this Ernesto Perez-Carrillo creation has a better rounded tone. The balanced flavor of cedar, nut, and spice shines through with flying colors, and the physical properties remain superb. At $8 apiece, this is an easy recommendation if you can be patient.

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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Government officials in Tacoma are trying to close down a local cigar lounge for code violations. Paul Mackay, owner of El Gaucho restaurant, has spent $15,000 on renovations to bring his lounge in compliance with Washington’s statewide smoking ban, effective since 2005. But this week the county health department ordered him to stub out the cigars because of violations: the lounge sells food and is open to the public. “Here we are trying to stay alive, and they keep dumping new rules, regulations, and taxes on us,” said Mackay.

2) Other Smoking Ban Alerts: UK doctors are urging politicians to ban smoking inside all cars. California lawmakers eye a statewide ban for parks and beaches. Michigan’s private clubs are lobbying for a ban exemption. Arizona State may criminalize tobacco on its  four campuses.

3) Inside the Industry: La Gloria Cubana is introducing a new cigar called Artesanos de Tabaqueros, which features a band at the bottom third of the cigar, a Connecticut wrapper below, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper above. Rocky Patel is introducing a new Decade Edición Limitada with a richer, spicier blend. Online retailer Thompson Cigars has sold off its non-tobacco retail operations, leaving the company to focus on its core cigar business.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review lights up an Avo Limited Edition 2010. Cigar Inspector inspects a Fuente Work of Art Maduro. Velvet Cigar fires up the D’Crossier Golden Blend. Cigar Examiner examines a Berger & Argenti Classico. Nice Tight Ash smokes a Rocy Patel Decade Edición Limitada.

5) Deal of the Week: We’re not sure why it’s called the “Presidential Sampler,” but it’s still a good deal. You get ten cigars from big names like Montecriso, Romeo y Julieta, Graycliff, Gurkha, Camacho, CAO, Padilla, and Cohiba, for just $60 including free shipping. Grab your here.

–The Stogie Guys

graphic credit: Stogie Guys

The late Nick Perdomo Sr. was, in the words of his son, the family’s “saving grace.” Formerly an employee in the Cuban cigar industry, he relocated to Nicaragua in 1995 to oversee his son’s once fledgling Miami enterprise blossom into a successful business. He did so occasionally donning a pair of holsters and loaded .45s.

To honor is “father, mentor, and hero,” Nick Perdomo Jr. introduced the Patriarch at the 2008 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas. The cigar is, according to Perdomo’s website, “traditionally handmade in father’s favorite blends” and “comprised of exquisite tobaccos from the fertile Nicaraguan valleys of Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa.”

Patriarch is offered in three different wrappers—Connecticut, Corojo, and Maduro—and available in six traditional sizes. Included are the Churchill (7 x 48), Corona Extra (5.6 x 46), Epicure (6 x 50), Lonsdale (6.5 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), and Torpedo (6.5 x 54). I sampled two Corona Extras in the Corojo format for this review. Each Nicaraguan puro sported an oily exterior leaf, a moderately firm feel, a tight cold draw, and pre-light aromas of honey and raisin.

The medium-bodied flavor, spicy and sandy on the palate, tastes of birch and peanut. There’s an underlying creaminess present that helps smooth out what would otherwise be a dry, meaty profile. Without it, the Patriarch would be ordinary at best and somewhat harsh at worst.

Instead, it’s balanced and satisfying with some nuance. And things get a bit more interesting at the midway point when dark chocolate and coffee notes enter the equation.

The taste, somewhat bitter in the final third, mellows as the cigar approaches its end. All the while the physical properties are admirable with an even burn and a solid ash that holds strong for up to an inch and a half. My only complaint is the persistent resistance on the draw.

Overall, the Corona Extra Corojo is a dignified yet simple treat. Fire one up with friends or family, recommends Nick Jr. Heck, given the story behind the smoke, it might make for a thoughtful Father’s Day gift. Whatever the occasion, I suspect it will neither dazzle nor disappoint, earning a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by Cigars Direct.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Ever wonder just how quickly the tyranny of smoking bans and cigar taxes are sweeping the country? Well, there’s a map for that.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—an anti-tobacco lobbying organization funded by Johnson & Johnson, maker of Nicorette and Nicoderm (both sold to people who want to quit smoking cigarettes)—has an animated map that shows how these anti-cigar laws are sweeping the supposedly “Land of the Free.”

In the first tab (“Smoke-free Laws”), by selecting “any of the above” you can watch how since 1998  the number of states with smoking bans has gone from 2 to 33. Smoking bans now effect over 74% of Americans, and that doesn’t include the numerous local bans on the city and county levels.

Then, if you click tab two (“Cigarette Tax Rates by State”), you can see the dramatic increases in tobacco taxes over the same period. (Note that while cigar taxes don’t always correlate perfectly with cigarette taxes, more often than not cigars are included when cigarette taxes go up.) And the map understates the situation by omitting federal and local taxes.

It’s a sad state of affairs that an anti-tobacco group like the Johnson Foundation would post this map to gloat over their success in passing legislation designed to snuff out smoking in the country. Still, it should provide a clear warning to cigar lovers everywhere.

The anti-smoking forces will never stop until the entire map is filled with smoking bans and massive tobacco taxes. They refuse to compromise and won’t stop until our cigars are taxed or banned out of existence.

Groups like Cigar Rights of America have a lot of work to do and they need your help. As Litto Gomez recently told us, until politicians feel cigar smokers—and others who respect the freedom to choose to smoke—begin pushing back, there’s nothing to stop this anti-cigar legislation from continuing to sweep the country.

–Patrick S

map source: RWJF

The golf course is a great place to smoke a cigar. What other sport is it acceptable for a competitor, with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, to light up a fine stogie mid-competition?

You’re outdoors in presumably good weather, free (for the most part) of smoking bans, and playing a game with very long pauses in action. Still, there are a few things to consider when selecting a smoke for the golf course.

1. Length — There’s really no cigar too long for golf. Even if you’re just playing nine holes, you’ll probably be out there for two hours. This is the time for those toros, double coronas, and Churchills that you otherwise might not have time to smoke.

2. Ring Gauge — There’s a lot to like about thin cigars, but generally you’ll want to shy away from lanceros, panatelas, and coronas. Thicker cigars tend to have a sturdier ash and a more consistent burn. On the course, you’ll want a smoke that won’t completely destruct if it gets dropped. Usually 50 ring gauge and larger can handle the rigor of the links better.

3. Strength — You don’t want a cigar so strong that you need to sit down while you smoke it. On the other hand, you also don’t want a cigar that’s too mild to enjoy without your complete attention. That’s why I usually grab medium or medium- to full-bodied smokes when I’m playing.

4. Price — While everyone has their own definition of an expensive cigar, I’m of the thought that pricey cigars have no place on the golf course. When you’re playing golf, a cigar is a secondary activity. That means it’s best to leave the special occasion smokes at home and bring something that offers value instead.

5. Number — How many cigars to bring on the course is a matter of personal choice. With a typical round going five hours, two or three cigars is probably about right (and you’ll be glad you have that third one when you’re stuck behind a particularly slow group). In addition, think about bringing a few extra smokes to give to your fellow golfers. You may be slowing the group down with your horrible putting, but they’ll be glad you came along when they’re enjoying the fine cigars you generously shared with them.

Remember that smoking a cigar on the course won’t lower your handicap. But by following these few simple rules you may find that you’ll enjoy your round of golf more than ever.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr