The Stogie Guys

Introduced in July 2008, the Soirée blend is among the newest from cigar traditionalist and pioneer Paul Garmirian. PG, after all, is a rarity among today’s manufacturers, resisting the pressure to constantly come out with something new.

Devoid of slick marketing and gimmickry, PG quietly blends and ages classic-tasting cigars from their headquarters in McLean, Virginia. They seem keenly interested in doing a few things right and less concerned about increasing their market share or expanding their operations. But every once in awhile PG debuts a new line.

Such was the case about 17 months ago when Paul and his son, Kevork, launched Soirée. Wrapped in a reddish Nicaraguan Colorado leaf with Dominican binder and filler tobaccos, Soirée is the result of Paul’s quest for “new blends reminiscent of the great Cuban cigars PG enjoyed in the 1950s and early 1960s.”

The blend sports four sizes, including the Connoisseur (6 x 50), which retails for $290 for a 25-count box. My dad, though, paid about $190 at his local hangout in the Chicago suburbs. He was nice enough to gift me a few for this review.

One thing becomes immediately clear when you remove the Connoisseur from its cellophane: This is one of those cigars that values substance over style. The red and toothy wrapper has some coarse veins and prominent seams, and the cap isn’t all that pretty. But the overall feel is one of quality and the pre-light notes of spicy cedar are mouth-watering.

The flavor of the Soirée Connoisseur can best be described as bold yet smooth. Rarely does a cigar come along with such a big taste and yet so much subtlety and nuance. The base flavor is one of dry wood, warm tobacco, and soft pepper—all of which is complemented by creamy caramel, earth, and even some floral notes.

This complex, well-balanced profile carries through to the midway point. As PG says on its website, it is a “full-bodied after dinner cigar with an exquisite aroma and smooth finish.” True, and it’s especially nice in the evening with a glass of rum. But it also works in the afternoon thanks to its smoothness.

I wish the construction were as delightful as the taste. The ash is unstable with a penchant for flowering, the draw is a tad tight, and the burn requires several touch-ups.

Still, the PG Soirée Connoisseur is a special smoke that will satisfy the most discriminating of cigar smokers. It earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Awhile ago, we shared our invitation to the traveling debut of the newest Partagas cigar, the Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso. And even though there wasn’t an event in my area, I was able to obtain three samples for this review.

Born in Havana in 1936, Benji Menendez has a cigar pedigree that few can match. His grandfather, father, uncles, and great uncles were considered the royalty of the cigar business during the pre-revolution heyday of Cuban cigars, having developed world-class Cuban puros including Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Por Larrañaga.

Now with General Cigar, Menendez is celebrating 57 years in the business with a  new limited edition Partagas: the Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso, which comes only in a six inch by 46  ring gauge corona gorda.

The cigar features a dark, oily Cameroon wrapper wrapped around Connecticut  habano binder and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It is solidly constructed, and a quick slice with my guillotine cutter reveals an effortless draw.

Once lit, the Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso reveals a medium-bodied combination of leather, licorice, and bread. It has a woody finish.

While the flavor profile doesn’t change a whole lot, a slight peppery finish develops in the second half and a hint of nutmeg also emerges. Despite the relatively small change in flavor, it is still a complex smoke with extraordinary balance.

Only 5,000 boxes of this special Partagas are being released. The Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso sells for around $10 each, a reasonable price for an excellent smoke that earns four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

So-called “health care reform” isn’t usually a topic for a cigar publication to tackle. But the more research one does on the proposal now being debated in the U.S. Senate, the more it becomes clear that it’s grossly unfair to smokers.

The leading proposal from Congress contains many changes to current law, but three aspects of the bill in combination create a system that will increase costs for smokers while subsidizing others that are guaranteed to cost more. This despite the fact that through the punitive SCHIP tax, smokers already pay more than their fair share of health care costs.

The bill would require every individual to buy insurance and simultaneously prohibit insurance companies from refusing to cover individuals. It also mandates that insurance companies can only use three characteristics (and only those characteristics) for charging higher premiums: tobacco use, age, and family composition.

For tobacco users, Congress empowers insurance companies to charge 50% more for insurance. Because smoking is one of a few areas where insurance companies are allowed to charge more, and since every individual must buy insurance, insurance companies will be encouraged to charge even lower-risk tobacco users like cigar smokers the full 50% increase.

Meanwhile, Congress would prohibit insurers from charging more for pre-existing conditions, who are unsurprisingly the most expensive people to insure. This means that those with illnesses like cancer, lung disease, throat cancer, or anything else—including those that may have been caused by smoking—cannot be charged more while smokers can be.

The irony (and absurdity) should be obvious: If you’re already sick from something caused by smoking, you pay less than smokers who likely only have a slight chance of getting the very same disease.

There are, of course, many other reasons for opposing a federal health care overhaul that smokers may or may not agree with. However, all smokers, particularly cigar smokers who will be forced to buy pricier insurance unwarranted by their relative risk ratios, should oppose (once again) being unfairly singled out by the government and forced to subsidize the health care of costs of non-smokers.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The seasons bring on many changes. For me, those changes admittedly alter my otherwise consistent cigar smoking routines.

This time of year, for example, I generally find myself smoking fewer cigars. There just seems to be less time. The days are shorter. The holidays keep me busy with travel. And there are always an awful lot of gatherings and other functions to attend, many of which aren’t cigar-friendly.

When I do find the time to smoke, the cold weather makes it less enjoyable. It’s a big production to put on a pot of coffee, set up the space-heater, and bundle up with hats, gloves, and heavy coats. Well, maybe it’s not a big production. But you have to agree that summer smoking is a lot easier, which requires little more than a cutter, shorts, an adult beverage, and matches.

Speaking of matches, that’s another change that comes along with winter: I find myself less patient outside, forgoing my regular old wooden matches for a butane torch. I guess I’d rather just get things going quickly and spend less time enjoying the sights, sounds, and aromas of slowly toasting the foot.

As my colleague wrote almost three years ago, “to brave inclement weather shows true dedication to the wonderful hobby that is cigars.” Agreed. But these days I’d rather not be out there too long. So the weather also determines the size of cigars I smoke, making it less likely I’ll fire up a Churchill and more likely I’ll select a short stick from my humidor.

In addition to these changes, winter also makes me even more pissed off about the prevalence of government-imposed smoking bans in private places. While I hate such regulations year-round, I do most of my smoking on my patio and—until the temperatures start to drop—don’t mind being outside.

Now, though, I’d rather be indoors. And this year will be worse than last because Virginia, where I reside, recently criminalized smoking in restaurants and bars. So I’m cut off from many of my previous cold-weather sanctuaries (and those sanctuaries are cut off from my business).

But the show must go on. It will go on. I have the honor and privilege of reviewing cigars for this website. And, like many of you, I have the resolve to laugh in the face of Jack Frost…at least as long as I have a steady supply of warm coffee.

In a few months, football season will be ending and spring training—along with warmer temperatures and a return to cigar normalcy—will be here. For me, those changes can’t come soon enough.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

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 relatively new addition to the Montecristo line features a matte, vein-free Mexican wrapper and notes of cinnamon, dry cocoa, and grass.  It’s tasty, medium-bodied, and balanced with a hint of woody spice. Construction on this square-pressed Robusto is excellent, too, with and even burn and sturdy ash.

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.”

I originally reviewed this Cuban Cohiba back in early 2008. While it was tasty and well-balanced, the Pirámides Edición Limitada 2006 was unworthy of its excessive cost. Today, after 20 months of aging in my humidor, this cigar still suffers from some construction problems. And the flavors of pepper, marshmallow, and dark chocolate aren’t as exciting as they should be to command a price of over $30.

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) Yesterday, politicians in Lansing, Michigan, passed a smoking ban over the Wolverine State, which is widely expected to be signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The new restriction would criminalize lighting up in restaurants and bars, but exempts casinos and cigar bars. It will take effect on May 1 and make Michigan the 38th state with some sort of statewide ban.

2) Dating back to the 1860s, the tradition of “lectores”—cigar factory workers who read aloud to rollers—is still alive and well in Cuba. You may recall that this unique practice is why two of the world’s most famous cigar brands are named for a Shakespeare play (Romeo y Julieta) and an Alexandre Dumas novel (Montecristo). Published yesterday, this BBC article illustrates the role of lectores and their importance to cigar culture.

3) Inside the Industry: Habanos SA, the Cuban national cigar company, is introducing a new size in its  San Cristóbal de La Habana line: the “O’Reilly,” which measures six and a quarter inches by 56 ring gauge. The new EP Carrillo Edición 2009 inaugural cigar is finally shipping to stores. While the Illusione Nostros—a collaboration between Illusione and Drew Estate—debuted at the 2009 IPCPR Trade Show, its release is now being delayed until March 2010.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Punch Upper Cut. Stogie Fresh lights up a San Martin. Keepers of the Flame torches the Tatuaje Verocu No. 9. The Weekly Cigar tries the El Primer del Mundo. Cigar Jack checks out the La Traviata. Nice Tight Ash smokes the Patel Bros.

5) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is having an unpublicized sale on some of our favorite smokes. Included are the Cupido Tuxedo, La Carolina, Cupido Criollo, and Medina Miami 1959, all for well below normal prices. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr