The Stogie Guys

Philip Wynne, maker of Felipe Gregorio Cigars, has created many distinct blends, including some using Moroccan tobacco introduced at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show. But one blend we hadn’t seen from him until this year was a Dominican Puro.

“Pure” is a reference is to the Dominican-grown tobacco that makes up this new smoke. In fact, according to FG’s website, it all comes from a single finca (or farm) in the Cibao Valley.

Available in three sizes—Churchill (7 x 47), Corona (5 x 44), and Torpedo (5 x 54)—the blend is aged in cedar trunks for at least six months before being boxed. When it finally arrives in stores, Pure retails for around $10 each.

The Dominican wrapper is very oily with a few noticeable veins. The somewhat squared Torpedo is firm and well-constructed, and pre-light there are subtle fruit notes of dates.

Once lit, the cigar gives off a variety of intense flavors. Pure has lots of leather, cedar, and pepper with a background of cognac with a savory, charred meat. The finish is long and woody.

Despite the force of the flavors, Pure isn’t necessarily what I’d call a full-bodied smoke. Medium to full is a more apt description, especially since the final third mellows to more of a classic medium-bodied smoke.

As you’d expect from a cigar that costs $10, construction is notable with an even burn, a sturdy ash, and a draw with just the right amount of resistance. I was, however, disappointed that both of the samples I smoked for this review required re-lights in the final third because they extinguished. But Pure’s unique flavor profile compelled me to go on.

Pure has admirable construction, plenty of intensity, and remarkable complexity for a cigar built with tobacco all from one farm. That’s enough to earn the Felipe Gregorio Pure Torpedo a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It’s no secret that it’s becoming harder and harder to find a place to smoke. Smoking bans have forced us out of offices, restaurants, and bars, and smoking bans now target outdoor areas, multi-unit apartment buildings, and even cars.

Smoking ban advocates claim their concern is protecting people from exposure to secondhand smoke. So they shouldn’t object to people smoking in a cigar shop, right?

After all, no one enters their local brick and mortar because they don’t want to be around smoke; they go there to enjoy cigars and hang out with fellow smokers. Those who work in cigar shops do so because they are passionate about cigars, and often the B&M is the only place they can smoke while at work.

But as you might guess, it isn’t that simple when it comes to the anti-smoking zealots. Instead, the last havens of cigar smokers are under siege, just like so many other places.

Indeed, in a handbook titled “Fundamentals of SmokefreeWorkplace Laws,” a group of anti-tobacco lobbying organizations lay out their strategy for spreading smoking bans, and include a passage on opposing any exemptions for tobacco retail shops, cigar bars, or hookah bars. (The “handbook” also opposes exemptions for private clubs, grandfather clauses, and any exemptions for financial hardships.)

But bans aren’t the only foes of cigar stores. Even where smoking is allowed, regulations are designed to do harm. In New York City, for example, the century-old Barclay Rex cigar store recently found itself in trouble with city inspectors who cited the shop for serving free coffee to its customers using a $9,000 automatic espresso maker. The violation was for serving “food” without a permit. Problem is, according to New York’s strict smoking ban, no place that allows smoking can have such a permit.

Other shops in New York have had similar problems.  When Nat Sherman launched it’s new flagship store in Midtown, it opened a downstairs members-only lounge, complete with a full bar. But during my last visit I was told that the bar was temporarily closed while they waited for the appropriate approval from city authorities. Free coffee and water were provided, so don’t tell the city officials.

These are just some of the ways cigar shops are being targeted. Unlike online retailers, who can pick their base of operations to minimize taxes, local shops can be instantly driven out of business by massive tobacco tax hikes or complete bans.

The shame of it is that cigar stores are the lifeblood of cigar culture.  They’re where we go to sample new cigars, get recommendations about what to try, and enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow smokers. That’s why it’s so critical that we support our local B&Ms and defend them against these attacks.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I have a hard time sleeping on airplanes. So flying back after last month’s IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans, I found myself mentally drooling over all the new releases that I couldn’t wait to try. Needless to say, before we landed at Dulles International, I had pretty much decided that my gorgeous sample of an Entubar Torpedo wouldn’t last long in my humidor.

This blend carries the new Berger & Argenti brand name. Based in Miami, the company was launched in August by Don Kiki Berger—who fashions the Cupido, Cubano Claro, and Don Kiki lines for Cuban Crafters—and Albert and Michael Argenti of Cuban Imports, Inc.

Entubar is Berger & Argenti’s flagship blend. According to materials I picked up at the convention, it is “a tribute to the time-honored Cuban cigar making technique” of the same name. That procedure includes “creating delicate ‘scrolls’ of rich, flavorful tobacco” and tightly bunching the Nicaraguan and Dominican filler leaves within the Nicaraguan binder.

When you glance at the Torpedo (6.75 x 56), the first thing you’re likely to notice is the twisted bunch of filler that protrudes from the foot. Closer inspection reveals a virtually flawless and oily Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed desflorado wrapper, a carefully crafted and sharply pointed cap, and a faint pre-light aroma of sweet hay. These characteristics help explain my eagerness to light up this cigar.

Entubar is marketed as “a superior smoking experience defined by a mosaic of complex flavors, a sweet finish, and an unsurpassed draw.” I won’t disagree. With a balanced variety of tastes, the first third will impress any cigar enthusiast. The profile includes cereals, cream, grass, roasted nuts, and onion spice. And the combustion qualities are downright remarkable.

As the burn line’s thick mascara moves toward the middle of the stick, the Entubar’s flavors increase in intensity. A spicy tingle is present on the lips, and notes of bitter coffee beans join in to add depth down the home stretch. I had all but fallen in love with this traditional-tasting cigar before it was time to lay it to rest.

Brilliant cigars are often expensive cigars, and the Entubar Torpedo is no exception. A single sells for around $11, and a Spanish cedar box of 20 sells for $220. This is money well spent, however, and I wholeheartedly recommend you give this treasure a try when it shows up at your local B&M. For great complexity and construction—and for everything I’ve come to expect from Don Kiki and more—the Berger & Argenti Entubar Torpedo earns 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 take on a single cigar.

There’s no hiding that Cubao is a favorite cigar of mine. Every one we’ve reviewed has scored exceptionally, so I was excited to try the new maduro version of this Pepin/Espinoza/Ortega creation. Wrapped with an Ecuadorian broadleaf maduro wrapper, the Cubao Maduro contains a similar binder and filler blend to the original Cubao line. The new wrapper changes the profile significantly, adding more coffee and less woody flavors. But Cubao’s balance and intensity remains. While the overall construction is good, the ash is particularly impressive, which holds flawlessly for an inch and a half. I look forward to giving this cigar a full review in the future.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

With everyone focusing on all the new treats from this month’s IPCPR Trade Show, I thought it appropriate to reconnect with a great bang-for-the-buck release from last year: the ML3 from Arganese. This one’s an all-ligero blend with a dark Brazilian maduro wrapper and Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Retail on the classically-sized Robusto is $5. When I reviewed it a year ago, I enjoyed this cigar’s solid construction and bold taste of dark chocolate, bitter espresso, and pepper. Not much has changed.

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) Ever wonder how tobacco would grow in your own backyard? Well, if Al Brierly’s plant is any indication, it might take to the soil better than you think. This 83-year-old is making headlines for a 10-foot-tall tobacco plant with “platter-size” leaves that he grew at his home in Belleville, Illinois. Recalling his days growing up on a Kentucky tobacco farm where his dad would roll makeshift stogies, Brierly, now an occasional cigar smoker, said, “It’s pretty strong stuff. It’ll make you sick if you’re not careful.”

2) Last month, on the heels of a study that proposed banning tobacco in the U.S. military, the Dept. of Defense announced it would not act on that recommendation. But new reports indicate Defense Secretary Robert Gates is still “reviewing the study by the Institute of Medicine, which provides independent advice to policymakers, health professionals, and the public, to see if steps can be taken toward having a smoke-free force some day.”

3) Inside the Industry: Looking for another reason to join Cigar Rights of America? Now, with a new membership (or the renewal of your current membership), you’ll receive two exclusive cigars. The sticks are from CRA’s new exclusive samplers, which feature never-before-released blends or sizes from such makers as Padrón, Fuente, Rocky Patel, La Gloria Cubana, La Flor Dominicana, Tatuaje, CAO, Ashton, and many more. Get all the details here.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up a Casa Fuego. Stogie Fresh tries the Vogel Green. Stogie Review herfs over the CAO La Traviata. Nice Tight Ash tries an Oliva Masterblends III. The Stogie Spy examines the Casa Fuente.

5) Deal of the Week: CheapHumidors.com recently launched this “Gurkha Insane Combo Deal,” which includes five Gurkha Factums, a travel humidor, torch lighter, and a double guillotine cutter for under $40. The best part? For every sampler sold, the website will donate a cigar to the troops. Get in on the action here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: BND.com

I’m always amazed when I see someone who’s meticulous about keeping the temperature and humidity just right for their cigars and then lights up like a late-night arsonist intent on scorching away all the evidence.

If there’s a faster way to start your smoke off the wrong way than by overheating and charring the tobacco, I don‘t know what it is. Remember, you’re lighting a cigar, not practicing for a job as a welder.

If you’re a regular StogieGuys.com reader, you know we’re serious about this. Over the years we’ve written numerous times about lighters, matches, and tips for lighting up.

What you use to bring the stick to life, of course, is up to you. I believe it’s possible to light a cigar correctly with nearly any form of flame that doesn’t carry a taste or odor. And there are really only a few points to keep in mind.

First, keep the flame from directly hitting the foot of the cigar, especially if you’re using a butane torch, which can easily exceed 2,000 °F. Such extreme heat can virtually obliterate tobacco on contact, something you have to worry about much less with matches or a burning cedar strip (known as a spill).

Also, don’t light the cigar in your mouth. Hold it in one hand, the flame in the other, and rotate the stick. Stop and take a light draw a couple of times during the process to help make it even.

Finally, take your time—advice that fits with nearly every aspect of cigar smoking. Going slowly will pay off when you take those first few puffs and enjoy the tastes the blender intended, not burned tobacco.

So save the caveman flames for the barbeque grill. I guarantee you’ll enjoy the cigar afterward much more.

–George E

photo credit: Wikimedia