The Stogie Guys

“Symphony” is a fitting name for the newest creation from cigar traditionalist and pioneer Paul Garmirian. Its harmonious flavor calls to mind a complex, balanced composition that leaves the audience calling for an encore performance.

That’s high praise. Rest assured, however, that my admiration is well-deserved. I’ve come to expect big things from Garmirian’s boutique, and the 20th Connoisseur exceeds my expectations in every way.

This blend made its world premier in December at a highly anticipated PG event at Morton’s in Reston, Virginia. It was a rare occurrence. PG resists the temptation to come out with something new every year—a hallmark of the company’s dedication to traditionalism and disdain for slick marketing and over-extension.

Celebrating the brand’s 20th anniversary, Symphony was crafted by Henke Kelner of Davidoff fame and Eladio Diaz, his chief blender. It consists of four different filler tobaccos, a Havana-seed binder, and an exterior leaf that PG calls “greatest wrapper we have ever seen.”

PG, evidently, went to great lengths to top their 15th Anniversary blend, released in a Connoisseur size (6 x 52) five years ago and later expanded into a full ten-vitola line. Garmirian’s work makes a great first impression. The Symphony 20th Connoisseur, the only size currently available, is dark and silky with a mouth-watering pre-light aroma of hay and molasses.

From the first puff, the profile is full-bodied with a powerful yet smooth taste of wine, warm tobacco, cereals, and roasted nuts. The aftertaste has a lingering cedar spice and the sweet resting smoke reminds me of corn and pencil shavings.

This flavor, which persists throughout the two-hour smoke, commands undivided attention. I smoked two Connoisseurs for this review, both with nothing other than a beverage and my thoughts to keep my occupied. I never found myself even slightly bored. The subtleties and balance in taste are plenty entertainment for a serious cigar enthusiast.

As it should be with a cigar that costs $17 apiece. Thoroughly impressed with its performance in flavor and construction, the new Symphony 20th is a must-try while supplies last.  And that may not be for long. The Connoisseur is the only size that will ever be available and it will never again  be in production. Why? Because the filler tobacco includes a mystery leaf of unknown origin that had been aging in Kelner’s warehouse. It therefore cannot be replicated.

So, depending on demand, PG expects B&Ms to run out of the blend in one to two years (supplies at PG’s own boutique shop could last three to five years). But I wouldn’t wait that long to try this cigar, which is unquestionably worthy of our highest rating: five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five stogie-rated cigars can be found 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.”

Made exclusively by Don Pepin Garcia as part of Cigar International’s Legends Series, this toro (5.7 x 54) features a golden wrapper and firm construction. The cigar demonstrated consistent flavors from start to finish: mostly graham and cedar. Towards the end of the medium-bodied smoke, grassy, slightly-bitter notes emerge. While not a terrible stick, I did find it to be somewhat uninspired and definitely lacking the depth of flavor I’ve come to expect from Pepin smokes.

Verdict = Sell.

–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 love it when cigar shops produce and sell small-batch house blends that you can’t find anywhere else. Such is the case with the Torres Figurado Doble Capa, a barber pole cigar made by Alex Torres of The Cigar Room in Austin, TX. The Dominican puro sports excellent physical properties and an uncomplicated flavor of damp earth, leather, and cedar spice. Give the shop a call if you’d like to try one.

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) Indiana politicians have again rejected legislation that would have criminalized smoking in Hoosier State bars, restaurants, and other “public” places. “Our Indiana association members and their customers had a lot to do with defeating this proposed legislation,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR. “They contacted their state representatives and senators in opposition to the bill because it was discriminatory, unnecessary, and it would have cost jobs and tax revenues. The General Assembly did the right thing at the right time for the state of Indiana and for that we are grateful. If the issue is raised again in the future, however, we will be ready once again to defend our rights and the rights of all the state’s citizens and help defeat any such bills.”

2) A network of “smoke-easies”—nightclubs that allow patrons to smoke illegally—have sprung up in New York City. The New York Times reports that Manhattan’s popular M2 UltraLounge is at risk of being the first establishment closed by the city government for smoking violations.

3) Inside the Industry: Tobacco giant Swedish Match, owner of General Cigar, entered into an agreement with the Plasencia Group yesterday to form Caribbean Cigar Holdings.  To promote the new Habana Serie R No. 3 size, La Gloria Cubana is giving away five trips to Las Vegas and a 2010 Lotus Elise sports car.

4) Around the Blogs: The Stogie Guys, via the Daily Caller, feature the La Flor Dominicana Mysterio Oscuro. Stogie Review lights up a Camacho Select. Nice Tight Ash fires up a Padilla Cazadores. Cigar Inspector inspects a Rocky Patel Winter Series 2009. Keepers of the Flame smokes the Brick House.

5) Deal of the Week: March Madness is nothing if not another opportunity for an unpublicized Cuban Crafters sale. There are a number of discounts, but the best deal is a box of 20 Don Kiki White Label Churchills (2001 harvest) for just $50. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

graphic credit: Stogie Guys

My cell phone alarm sounds. Annoying tune. I hit the snooze button once, sometimes twice. I begrudgingly get up, brush my teeth, shower, and ponder the necessity of shaving. I get dressed. (Have I worn this to work lately?) I plop in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal to catch the weather forecast and a few SportsCenter highlights. I lock the front door behind me. As I walk to my car, I mentally prepare myself for a commute in Washington traffic that promises to test my patience and my driving skills.

We all have our morning routines. For some, like me, they regularly dictate the actions of most weekdays—up until I sift through a few articles in The Economist before bedtime.

I find my moderately regimented existence extends to cigars. When it comes to choosing when to smoke on weekdays, for instance, I do so almost exclusively after dinner. I wish that weren’t the case. I wish I could find more time to relax and enjoy some premium tobacco. But with work, grad school, exercise, and other commitments, the evening is often the only time available during the workweek.

I’d love to be able to squeeze in more lunchtime cigars now that the weather is more agreeable. Every blue moon, when the stars align just right, I can make it happen. While the midday break cigar is a rewarding escape from an otherwise fast-paced workday, my lunches are frequently cigar-free because of meetings or deadlines.

Weekends are a different story. Sometimes I have a smoke with a cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes I’ll fire up a stogie in the afternoon or in the evening. Sometimes all three. It just depends on the situation and my mood.

Routines also play an important role in other aspects of cigar smoking. From snipping the cap and toasting the foot with wooden matches to storing the band and emptying the ashtray, I have predictable pre- and post-cigar rituals from which I rarely deviate.

But there is at least one un-regimented characteristic of my affair with cigars: choosing which cigars to smoke. Unlike many enthusiasts, I don’t really have a regular rotation. Rather, my selections depend upon what reviews are needed for StogieGuys.com (i.e., new cigars, cigars we haven’t yet examined, etc.). It’s a tough job but—routine or not— somebody’s got to do it.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

I confess. I did with this brand exactly what your mother and Bo Diddley warned you never to do: judge by appearances. OK, if a Cuban brand owner had his business nationalized after the revolution, can you really fault him for using the same name and artwork on his new production in another country? He’s got a legitimate claim, right?

With Siglo, though, we’re talking about a Cuban brand that wasn’t on the market until the 1990s. So it’s hard to see anything at work here other than crass commercialism and hope for buyer confusion. (Then again, Sigl0-maker Altadis owns a share of the Cuban cigar company Habanos, which introduced the Cohiba Siglo line in 1992—not to be confused with the Dominican Cohibas made by Altadis competitor General Cigar.)

I had been ignoring this cigar, a practice that was reinforced by a number of poor reviews I’ve seen online. But a recent positive review on Doc Stogie’s podcast convinced me to give it a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. First, I have to say I’ve smoked only a couple of Cuban Siglos. From my memory, the Altadis version, said to have been blended under the direction of Frank Llaneza, tastes nothing like them.

That, however, doesn’t mean it is an unworthy smoke. In fact, it offers a winter-time size for those chilly days when you want a cigar but don’t want frostbite: the No. I (4.25 x 44). The even-smaller No. XXI is available in tins.

There are eight other vitolas in addition to a maduro line. According to Altadis’ website, the regular line features an Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper around and a Nicaraguan binder and a mix of Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. Other sources have different information.

To be honest, though, what really makes this cigar stand out is the price. If you smoke several cigars a day or are looking for a cigar to enjoy when you’re doing something else, the Siglo is one to consider. It’s far better than a cheap yard-gar but only a bit more expensive. The No. I can be found for under $4, while the No. III, a 6.5-inch stick with a 44 ring gauge, runs around $5 or less.

While this is not a great cigar by any means, it isn’t one to totally ignore, either. I rate this stick three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: JR Cigar

New cigar smokers usually have a lot of questions as they delve deeper into the pursuit. Sometimes answers are easy to find. But then there are those questions that you really don’t want to ask, though you wish someone would address them.

Fortunately StogieGuys.com is here to help. Here are a few issues that rarely get explored at the lounge of the local B&M but nonetheless deserve attention:

I like Macanudos. What’s wrong? Absolutely nothing. Macanudo is one of the top selling premium brands in the country, so you’ve got plenty of company. Part of the disdain for the brand is just that—it’s a best-seller. Another big reason is that Macanudos are mild, which doesn’t appeal to some smokers. On the other hand, Macanudos have a consistency that other manufacturers would do well to emulate, and I’m sure all would love to match the sales. Remember, smoking is for enjoyment. If you like Macanudos, smoke ’em.

Why do reviews frequently highlight a triple cap? What difference does it make, since I’m going to cut it anyway? Well, aside from the unholy reverence for all things Cuban (the triple cap is a traditional Cuban technique), the process can make it easier to open the head of the cigar without damaging the wrapper. Just snip the little cap on top and you should be ready to go.

What’s the deal with waiting before removing the band? The strategy is that the heat from smoking will loosen the adhesive securing the band. Personally, I can’t recall that ever making much difference. And if it is true, why don’t the wrappers, which are secured with the same vegetable glue, routinely come loose as you smoke?

How on earth does anyone keep up with all these cigars? The truth is, they don’t. In fact, I can imagine that some brand owners aren’t really familiar with all of their own output. Just to get an idea of what’s out there, the 2010 edition of Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars covers more than 1,300 handmade cigars. Unless you have a memory like Harry Lorayne, it’s a pretty tall order.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys