The Stogie Guys

StogieGuys.com will be taking tomorrow off to enjoy that most American of holidays: Thanksgiving. (We will return Friday for your regularly scheduled Friday Sampler.) Known for food, family, friends, and football, Thanksgiving is a perfect time to enjoy a fine smoke. So as we did the previous two years, today we’re listing the one cigar we’ll each fire up after the big meal.

Patrick A: Since I travel back home to Chicago to visit with friends and family, I think a Tesa Cigar Co. creation will be appropriate. Tesa is headquartered in a shop on the Near North Side of the Windy City, and they produce some outstanding cigars. With a crisp profile of wine, toast, cream, and honey, the lancero-sized Tesa Havanitas Connecticut No. 1 will pair nicely with a post-meal cup of coffee.

Patrick S: As I did two years ago, I’ll enjoy an American-made cigar on Thanksgiving: the Tatuaje Reserve J21. This special robusto features an oily, rich Nicaraguan ligero wrapper. Inside is a tasty combination of cedar, leather, pepper, and coffee bean. It will pair nicely with coffee or an aged Kentucky bourbon, whichever feels more appropriate.

George E: I plan to smoke a Padrón Serie 1964 Exclusivo Natural. Because it was a gift, Thanksgiving seems just the time to light it up. I haven’t smoked one of these in a long time, and I made the decision early so I could enjoy the anticipation as well as the smoke itself.

Patrick M: Choosing a cigar to enjoy for a special occasion can sometimes be difficult for me. I have a hard time deciding between special hard-to-find cigars and cigars that I think will match up well with the festivities. This Thanksgiving, I’ve decided to go with the Churchill-sized Illusione 888. The full-bodied 888, a.k.a. Necessary and Sufficient, is the perfect cigar to enjoy after a heavy meal. Featuring bold, in-your-face flavors of spice and earth with a creamy coffee finish, the 888 is a sublime way to end a wonderful meal.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

We spend a good amount of space writing about bad news. Whether it’s smoking bans and tobacco taxes or cigar companies suing each other instead of focusing on making cigars, there is a lot of news about cigars that’s downright frustrating.

But it’s important to remember the good. Particularly since, on balance, there’s a lot more good news than bad. To that end, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are five things cigar smokers should be thankful for:

5) Fighting for Cigar Rights: It may have taken awhile, but the cigar industry is finally realizing that sitting on the sidelines while anti-tobacco activists tax and regulate cigars away just isn’t an option. Through the IPCPR, CAA, and the CRA, which seeks to energize cigar smokers in the fight against anti-cigar legislation, we’re seeing renewed vigor in the vital cause that is defending our hobby. That’s important and it’s something to be thankful for.

4) Next Generation Cigar Makers: Now is a great time to be a cigar smoker, and no small reason for that is a younger generation of cigar makers that are hitting their prime. Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, Dion Giolito of Illusione, Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate, Christian Eiroa of Camacho, Erik Espinoza and Eddie Ortega of EO Cigars, and others are part of a new generation of cigar makers. They are dispensing with some of the stuffy formalities while they focus on making great, interesting, innovative cigars.

3) Helpful Cigar Shop Keepers: Some of the most generous and knowledgeable people around are cigar shop owners and employees. They are passionate about their business in a way that you’ll never find in a shoe store or convenience shop. I’ve had store owners spend hours talking with me about cigars, knowing that at the end of the day I’m not likely to buy more than a few sticks. It’s one of the reasons that so many people aren’t simply cigar smokers, but cigar enthusiasts.

2) Experienced Cigar Veterans: Sure, the new guys are getting tons of press these days, but it’s the older generation that makes it possible. Today there are so many living legends still making cigars: Henke Kelner of Davidoff, Avo Uvezian, José Seijas and Frank Llaneza at Altadis, Benji Menendez of General Cigar, Ernesto Perez Carillo, Guirellmo León of La Aurora, Don Pepin Garcia, the Fuentes, the Padróns, and so many others. We are lucky to be cigar smokers at a time when so many masters are still going strong.

1) Fellow Cigar Smokers: There may be many living legends making the cigars we smoke, but we don’t spend a lot of time smoking with the Carlos Fuente’s of the world. More often we’re lighting up a cigar with our fellow brothers (and sisters) of the leaf. Fortunately, they’re a friendly and generous bunch of people. As cigar smokers, we instantly share a bond, and we’re eager to share our tobacco treats. That’s why the camaraderie we share with fellow cigar enthusiasts is still the aspect of smoking that I am most thankful for.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Vagalous

This summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Davies at the IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans. He was in town to debut his first cigars, the result of years spent scouring Central America for quality land and tobacco.

One of the first things I asked Davies was why he settled on the name “José Carlos Cigars.” He told me the story of how, during his exploits in Nicaragua, he met an orphan named José Carlos whose parents had abandoned him for a better life in America.

“What I saw in that young man was amazing…Not a bitter, angry, or mischievous boy, but a happy, well-mannered, polite little man,” writes Davies on his website. “That young man gave me the inspiration to find a way to manufacture excellent quality cigars in a very difficult environment.”

Genuinely thankful for his blessings and intent on giving back to the orphaned children in Nicaragua, Davies built the foundation for his premium boutique cigars in Estelí. “My philosophy is simple: Do things right, not fast,” he says.

His new lineup of cigars, grown on land tested by the Nicaraguan Agriculture University with limited amounts of fertilizers, is a result of those efforts. It is offered in three different wrappers: Connecticut, Corojo, and Habano.

The six inch by 52 ring gauge Habano Toro has a smooth, reddish Nicaraguan sungrown exterior leaf with only a few skinny veins. It is impressively firm to the touch and the draw pulls through with moderate effort.

After toasting the foot, pre-light notes of sweet sawdust give way to a medium-bodied flavor of oak, cream, and cereals. A good amount of spice is also present—especially on the finish—that tastes of dry cedar and black pepper.

The overall effect is a classic habano taste from beginning to nub with hints of sweetness.

With a solid white ash and a straight burn, the physical properties are excellent. And, like a well-made cigar should, this Toro smokes slowly, taking almost two hours to complete.

Currently, information on price and availability of José Carlos Cigars is hard to come by. But if you love traditional-tasting habanos with top-notch construction, seek this blend out. The impressive Habano Toro earns four 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.”

This re-blended version of the CAO Gold features a golden wrapper with some prominent dark veins and soft spots. It’s a mild smoke with roasted nut, butter, and subtle grass notes. As with most CAO cigars, the Crémant (6 x 52) is well-constructed with a sturdy ash. All in all, while it’s a tasty smoke, it doesn’t have a lot of depth. I’d be interested to see if this new version of the CAO Gold develops more complexity with time.

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.”

One of this year’s most anticipated releases, Murcielago is a product of Eddie Ortega, Erik Espinosa, and Don Pepin Garcia. The Rothschild (4.1 x 50) has surprisingly few pre-light notes. But once you add fire to the Nicaraguan filler, Mexican binder, and San Andreas maduro wrapper, it produces a big flavor of roasted nuts, sweet cocoa, and black coffee. I look forward to sampling other sizes in this well-constructed new blend.

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) Inside the Industry: Late yesterday, a press release announced that Altadis and Tatuaje have “reached a mutually beneficial agreement resolving recent trademark disputes.” The two companies agreed to drop all pending lawsuits in a non-disclosed settlement. While it wasn’t clear from the initial statement, Altadis has since confirmed to StogieGuys.com that the settlement also includes all claims by Altadis against Don Pepin Garcia and his family company, My Family Cigars, Inc.

UPDATE: StogieGuys.com has confirmed that My Father Cigars will continue to hold the trademark on “Jose Pepin Garcia,” which was also at issue in the lawsuit.

2) A new study, conducted by the University of Georgia and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, claims outdoor secondhand smoke is a public health issue. “Secondhand smoke contains several known carcinogens and the current thinking is that there is no safe level of exposure,” said a study co-author. Such flawed “thinking” was examined in this 2007 commentary by George E.

3) Yesterday, the two largest universities in Kentucky became smoke-free. The University of Kentucky has banned all tobacco products on campus outright. Meanwhile, the University of Louisville is relegating smoking to certain “designated outside areas, with plans for a complete campus ban by next November.” While some doubt officials’ ability to implement the new policies, the intentions of these public institutions call into question the rights of adults to reasonably engage in an otherwise legal activity.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review and the Tampa Cigar Examiner light up a Murcielago. Keepers of the Flame smokes a Cabaiguan Maduro. Cigar Inspector inspects the Ashton Cabinet Selection. Velvet Cigar torches an Oliva Serie V.

5) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is having a Thanksgiving Special with some great deals, including a humidor box of Cubano Claros ($99), a box of 25 Cuban Crafters Cameroons ($74), and a box of La Carolinas ($59). Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’m always a bit leery of cigars bearing the name or likeness of a movie character, celebrity, or TV series. Are big-name endorsements necessary if you’ve got a solid product made from quality tobacco?

But El Tiante Cigars, crafted by Cuban-born pitching legend Luis Tiant, have proven time and again to be excellent smokes. Since it was launched in 2007, my colleagues and I have written favorably about each of the company’s three main blends: Natural, Corojo, and Maduro.

It seems as though Mr. Tiante, know by many simply as “El Tiante,” is determined to follow his successful baseball career—229 career wins—by crafting exemplary boutique cigars. And now he’s adding a fourth series to the lineup.

“La Leyenda” celebrates Tiant’s 1968 season with the Cleveland Indians, a year in which he won 21 games and posted an earned run average of 1.60. No major league pitcher has since come close to that head-scratching ERA.

The blend is, according to El Tiante Vice President Kevin Anderson, intended to “demonstrate in a cigar what Luis accomplished on the mound in 1968.” It features a Sumatra-seed Ecuadorian wrapper and a Nicaraguan habano binder. The filler sports three different ligeros from Nicaragua and seco tobaccos from both Nicaragua and Honduras.

With white bands silhouetted by Tiant’s unique windup, La Leyenda comes in four traditional sizes that cost in the $6-9 range. The Pyramid (6.1 x 52) is coarse with plenty of tooth and pre-light notes of cocoa.

The first puff of this textured, oily cigar is extremely spicy. Then, after a few more smooth draws, the edges round nicely to include flavors of black coffee, dark chocolate, dry cedar, and herbs. Another pleasant taste is also present—one that I’ve found in other El Tiante creations but, frustratingly, can’t quite put my finger on.

At times, especially in the middle and end of the Pyramid, a meaty flavor fades in and out. So does an airy sweetness that’s akin to powdered sugar. While the former tends to build on the medium- to full-bodied profile, the latter counters it nicely with a softer balance.

I enjoyed the La Leyenda Pyramid for this complexity and nuance. The burn may require a few touch-ups, but the unique flavor is enough to make up for any construction flaws, earning this El Tiante four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys