The Stogie Guys

Fonseca, established in 1974 when the Quesada family opened a Dominican factory, has built a reputation for mild-tasting cigars anchored by its original Connecticut shade blend. These days their portfolio is a bit more diversified.

The move to attract stronger tastes began in 2003 when Manuel Quesada introduced the Serie F, a spicier blend with aged ligero filler. It is said that the Serie F is only slightly stronger than the original Fonseca—still a far cry from the Nicaraguans that have grown in popularity in recent years.

So Quesada upped the ante again when he created Habana Selección. This blend, the boldest of the Fonsecas, includes a Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binder and Cuban-seed seco and ligero filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic. It is finished with a Nicaraguan-grown habana criollo ’98 wrapper and a handsome triple cap.

The five inch by 48 ring gauge Cosacos is a fine-looking specimen, especially for a cigar that often sells for around $5. Once removed from its tissue wrapping, it reveals a smooth, somewhat oily exterior leaf and sweet pre-light aromas of honey and hay. Both of its red and gold bands peel away easily and without incident.

The initial flavor is of paper with a sharp, spicy aftertaste. While strength is immediately apparent, the singular profile leaves much to be desired. Thankfully, the taste mellows into a core of dry cedar and leather with a meaty texture.

Fonseca’s trademark construction is the finest feature of the Cosacos. The burn line is virtually perfect, the gray ash holds consistently for over an inch, and the smooth draw yields abundant tufts of cool smoke.

But construction simply isn’t enough to save this cigar from its uncomplicated, rather dull flavor. I find none of the cinnamon that other reviewers have appreciated. Even towards the end, when the taste intensifies to include a damp earthiness, the Cosacos has a hard time holding my attention.

Perhaps you’ll have better luck. Or perhaps you’ll find this cigar meets your needs as an accompaniment to some other activity like a round of golf or a backyard barbecue. In my book, though, the Fonseca Habana Selección Cosacos earns only two 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

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.”

Created in honor of Zino Davidoff’s 100th birthday in 2006, this robusto features the same blend as the Davidoff Diademas Finas. It has a veiny Ecuadorian wrapper tightly stretched around Dominican filler and binder tobaccos. After an uninspired first few puffs I was worried. Fortunately, the cigar comes into its own quickly with deep mild- to medium-bodied toasty flavors and creamy cinnamon. At over $15 each, it’s a steep price to pay but worthy of a special occasion.

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.”

This rare treasure topped our ranking of the ten best cigars we reviewed in 2009—a list we emailed exclusively to subscribers of our free email newsletter. It’s easy to see why. The profile of red pepper, cinnamon, and roasted nuts is exceptionally complex, and the fine physical properties only add enjoyment. The cost may be high, around $16 apiece, but you can’t afford to pass up the chance to buy an LG Diez Small Batch No. 2 (6.25 x 54).

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) It was announced this week that Mayor Adrian Fenty, a proponent of the DC’s three-year-old smoking ban, is granting a one-time special smoking pardon for the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. This group of Washington’s business and government elite will be allowed to smoke indoors at the Capital Hilton on March 17 to celebrate Irish-American culture. But Irish luck has nothing to do with the mayor’s newfound tolerance for tobacco. The Friendly Sons have close ties to the DC Council, including a member in Councilman Jack Evens (pictured). He sponsored the exemption legislation, a bill that also grants immunity to a St. Patrick’s Day professional boxing fundraiser in the city. Apparently you can occasionally smoke in DC if you have friends in high places. The rest of us are out of luck.

2) Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson signs a statewide smoking ban today that criminalizes smoking in bars, restaurants, most places of employment, and within ten feet of doors. The new law takes effect July 1 and exempts tobacco shops.

3) Inside the Industry: Cigar Rights of America released its second members-only sampler on Wednesday, a ten-pack of toros that were specially blended or sized for CRA. Cigars include the Alec Bradley Tempus, Camacho Limited Edition, Diamond Crown Maximus, Fuente’s Forbidden X, and La Aurora 100 Años. The sampler costs $100 and comes with a one-year CRA membership certificate.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review chats with Pete Johnson. The Tiki Bar reviews the Don Gonzalez Special Edition. Toasted Foot looks at the Vegas Cubanas by Don Pepin Garcia. Nice Tight Ash fires up a Graycliff 1666 Pirate. Cigar Rants rants on the Liga Privada No .9. A Cigar Smoker reviews the LFD Air Bender.

5) Deal of the Week:  With full-bodied spice and Cuban-like depth, people are turning to Nicaraguan smokes more and more, and this Nicaraguan Blends Sampler shows why. Included are two each from Padilla Habano, Man O’ War, Rocky Patel Fusion, and Gurkha Park Avenue, all for under $30. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Yesterday, cigar maker Litto Gomez showcased his new “Air Bender” blend at two Old Virginia Tobacco locations. We caught up with him at the in-store event in Falls Church, Virginia, to try the latest release from La Flor Dominicana and get his thoughts on the ever-encroaching war on tobacco.

Air Bender, formerly a blend exclusive to La Flor Dominicana events, sports an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Dominican binder and filler tobaccos from Litto’s farm in La Canela.  He’s been stockpiling the wrapper for a few years now to make sure that he can keep the blend consistent going forward. Not as spicy as his well-regarded Double Ligero blend, the intended profile is of “refined power,” says Gomez.

Air Bender is offered in four vitolas that retail for $7-8.25 apiece: Matatan (5 x 50), Guerrero (6.25 x 54), Maestro (5.25 x 52), and Valiente (6.25 x 60). Each name honors a kung fu warrior. “I’m enamored with Chinese culture,” said Gomez.

Some think the line’s name is itself a nod to martial arts (apparently there’s an animated television series called Avatar: The Last Airbender).

But Gomez gave us a different explanation. “When we smoke, we bend the air,” he said. “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.”

We asked what fans could expect next from La Flor Dominicana. Gomez says a smaller ring gauge version of the Air Bender should be ready in time for the IPCPR Trade Show in August.  (All the initial sizes in the line are 50 RG or larger.) He was also excited about  Small Batch No. 3, due out in a few weeks.

Defending Cigar Rights

Litto Gomez, like many cigar makers these days, is very concerned about excessive taxes, smoking bans, and other anti-tobacco zealotry. “The industry is a very easy target,” he says. “It’s important that we realize the stakes in this battle: The other side wants to erase tobacco.”

The anti-tobacco lobby has always pushed for more bans and taxes, he explained, and until politicians feel someone pushing back there’s nothing to stop them. That’s why Gomez has been a key supporter of Cigar Rights of America (CRA) since its inception in August 2008.

“I’m surprised by how apathetic smokers have been…how willing they are to accept taxes and bans,” exclaims Gomez. He says even casual smokers should join CRA because “it provides the voice of the consumer and helps defend our rights.”

–Patrick A & Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Two recent news items got me thinking about cigars for women. Both, I think, demonstrate a  clear double standard.

First, Cubatabaco, Cuba’s national tobacco company, introduced a new cigar designed for women. Julieta is described as “a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar.” Only days later, a classic sports moment played out: The championship team returned to the scene of their triumph to celebrate with some champagne, beer, and fine cigars. It looked just like Michael Jordan celebrating a championship,. The only difference was the athletes were women.

Soon the Canadian women’s hockey team was embroiled in controversy with one IOC official even saying, “I don’t think it’s a good promotion of sport values.” But given how common such celebrations are in sports, I couldn’t help but feel that a double standard was being applied, in part because these female champions had the audacity to celebrate with cigars in range of a camera.

The two incidents got me thinking about why cigars marketed to women tend to be either flavored or mild. I posed the question to Lindsay Heller, cigar blogger and tobacconist at Nat Sherman Cigars in New York.

“Honestly, I find it rather demeaning,” she told me by email. “This is not the Victorian Era anymore and it’s not considered illicit for a woman to be smoking, so why treat women who wish to smoke as if they can’t handle the ‘real thing?'”

She continued: “In terms of marketing those products towards women I think it’s insulting because in many B&Ms when a woman comes in wanting a cigar the sales associate automatically assumes something flavored. If you give a woman half a chance and explain to her the cigar she will be smoking, you’ll probably find that even the most inexperienced of female smokers will appreciate it and ditch the Havana Honeys. I think the same thing goes for the mild scenario:  If a woman wants to smoke a cigar after eating filet mignon and drink a few glasses of Bordeaux, any tobacconist in their right mind would not offer her a Macanudo Gold Label. In the tobacco business we need to stop addressing women as these fragile figures because women have palates, too.”

As for the new Cuban Julieta cigar, Lindsay had her doubts: “Maybe this is my palate talking, but I don’t find the traditional Romeo y Julieta Cuban cigars to be all that strong, so if this is truly that much more mild, it would probably be like smoking an expensive ultra light cigarette.”

So how should the cigar industry market their cigars to female smokers? “Women definitely need to be addressed like they are just one of the guys,” she responds.

“While the numbers of female cigar smokers in the U.S. are increasing due to a number of factors (curiosity, joining a boyfriend/husband in the activity, etc…) seeing a woman smoke cigars is still very taboo for Americans and it’s not looked at as nearly an oddity in other countries. I work in this business and there are random people who walk into my store and react like I’m doing some illegal by being a female with a cigar in my mouth. It’s funny because I actually find more men smoke flavored or infused smokes like Acids and Tabak Especiales and many of the women I come across are more apt to try a traditional cigar…Women are not stupid and shouldn’t be treated like they can’t handle what the boys do.”

On that point I couldn’t agree more. With the cigar industry under pressure from smoking bans and other anti-cigar legislation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see efforts to attract new customers. But treating women like they can’t enjoy the same wide range of fine cigars as men is just, well, sexist.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Boston.com

Whether or not you take Cigar Aficionado’s reviews seriously, there’s no denying that its pages are routinely splashed with praise for Cubans. A glance at the publication’s various “Top 25” lists, for example, reveals a cast of usual suspects from the forbidden island: Cohiba, Montecristo, Bolivar, and H. Upmann.

The magazine has been keeping such lists since 2004, amounting to six years and 150 cigars. Amazingly, not once is Hoyo de Monterrey mentioned, a renowned Cuban brand established by José Gener in 1865. Only the Hoyo Excalibur Epicure, an unrelated Honduran offshoot produced by General Cigar, was honored in 2007.

My, how times have changed. Seventeen years ago the Double Corona was Cigar Aficionado’s unofficial darling. By early 1993, this gigantic vitola had amassed 4 ratings of 94 or higher, including a whopping score of 99 for “some of Cuba’s finest tobacco and greatest workmanship.”

I don’t place a lot of stock in CA’s ratings, especially those from the pre-boom era. The industry has changed quite a bit since George H.W.’s single term in office. And now non-Cubans are rivaling, if not surpassing, many Cubans in quality.

But the Hoyo Double Corona (7.6 x 49) seems to have held its ground over the years. Some cigar enthusiasts consider it to be the best from a brand that includes the Epicure No. 2 and the Epicure Especial. They have no qualms about paying $16-23 for the opportunity to smoke one.

At first glance the Double Corona isn’t all that attractive. Aside from its intimidating length, it sports a lumpy wrapper with abundant discolorations and several large veins. The sharp band and the faint pre-light notes of hay, however, give a preview of the medium-bodied smoke that’s to come.

The first inch is characterized by a profile of honey, graham cracker, and a bit of leather. Complex and aromatic, it errors on the salty side but is otherwise balanced. The flavor at the midway point features floral notes, and the final third—my least favorite—has a slightly stale aftertaste.

Construction is better than what I’ve come to expect from Cubans. Throughout the two-hour smoke, the draw is clear, the gray ash is sturdy and reliable, and the burn requires only minimal attention. I found these characteristics consistent across the three Double Coronas I smoked for this review (all of which had been resting in my humidor for over a year).

In the end, this Hoyo is a tasty treat with just the right amount of spice, creaminess, and sweetness to merit an occasional purchase for a rare occasion. While I may not have liked it as much as the powers that be at Cigar Aficionado, the Double Corona is certainly worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys