The Stogie Guys

Not long ago I gained a newfound respect for Drew Estate. Following a bad experience with an Acid flavored (or “infused,” as they say) cigar, I unfairly wrote off the company as a producer that just wasn’t for me.

Recently, however, I took another look after enjoying a few of their smokes last month, including appreciating—even if it still isn’t my style—a Drew Estate Acid.

With that in mind, I decided to try out the Chateâu Real Maduro. I’d previously tried and enjoyed a Natural that features a Connecticut wrapper and creamy, mild flavors.

This six inch by 52 ring gauge toro-sized smoke features a San Andreas broadleaf wrapper. It is a lovely maduro with just a bit of oily shine.

The predominant flavor is dry dark chocolate and chewy cashew nut. But there’s also an unsettling herbal, vegetal flavor of moist grass that distracts from the otherwise balanced medium-bodied smoke. It’s a combination that persists unchanged from start to finish.

The combustion qualities were quite impressive. An even burn produces thick, dense smoke, and the ash holds for an inch.

While there is a lot to like about this smoke, it is held back somewhat by the herbal and vegetal flavors described earlier.

That earns the Chateâu Real Maduro Gran Templar a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Since it debuted in May as the company’s first Connecticut-wrapped blend, I’ve heard mixed things about Camacho’s Connecticut line. Some folks love it. Some, including one of my local tobacconists, think Camacho invested too much into marketing and too little into quality control. And some think the smaller sizes are great while the larger vitolas are more average. Love it or hate it, it was high time I tried this blend for myself.

Camacho Connecticut represents a new direction for this Miami-based company. From Corojo and Camacho Select to Triple Maduro and Coyolar, Camacho is known its full-bodied smokes. This line is their “response to countless consumer and retailer requests for something on the other side of the strength spectrum.”

With six vitolas, this blend is intended to fill the niche for a “spicy yet milder mannered Connecticut-wrapped cigar with superb balance and signature Camacho body.” Aside from the smooth, dry, and delicate Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper, Camacho Connecticut includes a Honduran binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. It is manufactured by the Eiroa family at the Tabacos Rancho Jamastran in Honduras.

I paid $5.65 apiece in a local shop for two Monarcas (5 x 50). Both include faint pre-light notes of nuts and sawdust off the golden wrapper leaf. The cold taste reveals a clear draw with some tingle on the lips.

Devoid of much resemblance to Connecticut tobacco, the first half inch sports a lot of that Camacho punch, including flavors of black pepper, dry wood, and plenty of spice. Not overwhelming, but definitely attention-grabbing.

Then, as the cigar comes into its own, some of the tastes you’d expect—including cream, hay, and almond—join in to add complexity and smoothness. The interplay between the lighter wrapper and the heavier binder and filler tobaccos is the defining characteristic of this blend. As the even burn progresses and the tight ash builds off the foot, the spice slowly re-builds without overcoming the softer tones.

So, between the love it or hate it extremes, I’m leaning definitively in the complimentary direction. This departure for Camacho, in my book, proves to be a winning strategy—and cigar enthusiasts who appreciate more subtle cigars should put this on their wish lists. For its interaction of mild and medium tobaccos, abundant smoke, and good combustion qualities, the Camacho Connecticut Monarca 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 take on a single cigar.

This cigar isn’t widely available but one that’s worth checking out when you spot it. I could find little definitive information online, other than that it’s rolled with all Nicaraguan tobaccos. The Reserva MiraFlor is a tasty medium-bodied cigar with nice touches of cocoa, earthiness, and a little cedar. Very little pepper or spice. While it looks good, I suffered through poor burns in the two sampled I smoked. I paid $6.80 for the Toro (5.5 x 54).

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

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

At Famous Smoke Shop’s Cigar Expo, José and Jaime Pepin gave me this six inch by 49 ring gauge smoke, which they collaborated on to release at the 2008 IPCPR trade show. It features a deep, dark Ecuadorian habano rosado wrapper that practically oozes oils. Once lit, I find a well-balanced combination of rich earth, chocolate, and cedar, packaged in a medium- to full-bodied smoke. The construction is flawless, with an even burn that creates abundant, dense smoke. My Father leaves little wonder why it is the top tier of the Don Pepin Garcia-branded smokes; it is delicious and well worth the double digit price tag.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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) This week Famous Smoke Shop, a Pennsylvania-based retailer with a thriving online and mail-order operation, was the apparent victim of a so-called “distributed denial of service” attack. Hackers allegedly flooded Famous’ website with traffic in order to prevent legitimate users from getting through, and other online retailers appear to have suffered similar attacks. In an email to customers, Famous’ president had this to say: “Thankfully, right now our company is functioning normally again. We were attacked. Jealous competitor? Anti-smoking terrorist? It’s impossible to know at this point…Federal authorities have taken an active interest in pursuing the attackers and we intend to cooperate fully.”

2) Tobacco giant Altria reported this week that sales in its John Middleton division—maker of the hugely popular Black & Mild brand—dropped 23.8% in the second quarter to 270 million units. Black & Mild is the number two selling machine-made stick in the U.S.

3) Inside the Industry: Camacho has teamed up with LA jeweler Matt Booth to create “Room 101 Cigars,” a Honduran-Dominican blend that will debut at the IPCPR trade show. Padilla is releasing two new cigars in August: Padilla Dominus, made with 2006 corojo tobacco ($8-15); and Padilla Cazadores, made with an Ecuadoran habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos ($5-6).

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame fires up a La Gloria Cubana Reserva. Nice Tight Ash lights up a Don Pepin Garcia JJ Maduro. Tampa Cigar Examiner smokes a Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959. Daniel (at Asylum) tries the $50 Louixs. Stogie Review reviews a Verdadero Organic.

5) Deal of the Week: Full-bodied smokes are all the rage these days ,and this “Full-Bodied Sampler” has some top smokes. You get two each of such favorites as the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992, Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic, Perdomo Lot 23, EO 601 Habano “Red,” and the La Gloria Cubana Serie R. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

I have yet to be impressed by a cigar that bears the Te-Amo name. With lackluster performances from the Nicaragua Blend and the Cabinet Selection lines, let’s just say this Altadis brand hasn’t exactly relieved my skepticism of Mexican tobacco.

But I need to give Te-Amo a fair shot. After all, my experience with the standard Mexican puro series is very limited. And with the economy the way it is, I owe it to my wallet to see if anything from this value brand is worthwhile.

So I recently tried several samples from the Dominicana Blend, part of Te-Amo’s World Selection Series. This line debuted at the 2007 IPCPR trade show (then the RTDA) in an effort to improve and diversify the brand’s portfolio. According to Altadis’ marketing, it is “where the great tastes of the world’s premier tobacco-growing nations come together in one magnificent collection of truly fine cigars.”

The World Selection Series includes four different country-named blends: Cuba (criollo), Honduras (corojo), Nicaragua (criollo), and Dominicana (Connecticut shade). All four feature Mexican San Andreas binders, which is where these cigars are crafted by the Turrent Family.

The six inch by 54 ring gauge Dominicana Toro is fairly attractive for a cigar that sells for around $3 apiece. It has few veins, a healthy sheen, and delicate pre-light notes of hay and grass. Noticeably soft to the touch and easy on the draw.

It opens with a full, somewhat coarse flavor of salt, dry wood, and spice. I was expecting a much milder profile given the Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican filler combination. The early sandiness of the ash also caught me off-guard, as it has a tendency to suddenly separate from the foot before the first half inch is through.

At this point, I noticed the resting smoke’s aroma was a good deal more appealing than the cigar’s actual taste. Fortunately, the flavor starts to mirror those scents into the second third with more of a creamy, nutty characteristic. Some bitter, medicine-like tastes crop up from time to time, though. And the combustion qualities—including a burn that requires several touch-ups to keep even—leave much to be desired.

Despite its faults, this mild cheapie has its place; it may be well-suited to complement a slow day on the golf course or a weekend afternoon in the yard. Just don’t expect the Te-Amo Dominicana Blend Toro to wow you with complexity or charm. For that, it deserves two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Not long ago I wrote: “When I think of summer I think of rum drinks. And when I think of rum drinks one of the first cocktails that comes to mind is a classic: Mount Gay Tonic.” Well, an equally classic summer rum drink that comes to mind is the Dark ‘n Stormy.

While no doubt made with a number of dark rums, there is no debate over the fact that the traditional Dark ‘n Stormy version uses Goslings Black Seal Rum. In fact, as the New York Times reported, Goslings trademarked the drink so only those made with Goslings can legally be called Dark ‘n Stormy.

The other key ingredient of the drink is ginger beer. (Anyone who tells you this is the same as ginger ale is woefully misguided.) The strong ginger taste of the ginger beer melds with the dark rum to create a fantastically flavorful concoction with a punch that is known as Burmuda’s national drink.

As for that ginger beer, there’s also some contention over that, too. For many, the classic Dank ‘n Stormy uses Barritts Ginger Beer, an original from Burmuda. However, Goslings recently released their own ginger beer, which is what I used for this Stogie Spirits article. (I’ve also heard it suggested that any Jamaican-style ginger beer will do.)

For the recipe, one part Goslings, two parts ginger beer works perfectly.  Simply serve over ice in a highball glass and garnish with a wedge of lime. For the truly adventurous, you can swap regular Goslings for the ultra-high proof Goslings 151, something I did a few times during my college days with varying results.

When it comes to pairing the Dark ‘n Stormy with a cigar, you’re going to need something with some spice to stand up to the zesty ginger flavors. Three smokes that come to mind are the Arganese CL3, La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami, and my top choice for a pairing, the Gran Habano #5 Corojo. I suspect a fine Cameroon-wrapped cigar like the Fuente Don Carlos No. 2 would also go well.

Drink a few Dark ‘n Stormies and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never visited Burmuda. After all, if a Dark ‘n Stormy in one hand and a fine cigar in another isn’t a slice of paradise, what is?

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys