The Stogie Guys

I admire a guy like Sam Leccia. It takes a lot of guts to go from being an employee with a steady paycheck to a true cigar entrepreneur. But that’s exactly what this Pittsburgh native did when he left his position as a sales representative at the Oliva Cigar Company to found his own lineup of smokes.

The concept for Nub was born of Leccia’s appreciation for the “dedication, passion, and manpower it takes to create a cigar.” It was during his time at Oliva, circa 2006, that he hatched the idea for “a high quality cigar that developed its optimum flavor extremely quickly.” He ultimately concluded that a short, stubby format provided for a cooler, tastier smoking experience.

After getting Oliva on board (Leccia reportedly rolled the prototype himself), Nub launched in the spring of 2008 with three blends: Connecticut, Cameroon, and Habano. Each includes Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.

The Habano blend is supposed to be the most robust and most complex of the lot. I paid $6.50 apiece for the two Nub Habano 464 Torpedos (4 x 64) that I sampled for this review, but you can find them for around $5.50 apiece online when bought by the box of 24.

This cigar’s stubby, pointed posture and firm feel makes it look like it could be discharged from a firearm. Despite its aggressive appearance, though, the reddish-brown 464 Torpedo is a very refined stick. Its well-crafted cap cuts cleanly to reveal a tight cross-section of tobacco and an even draw. Spice tingles the lips and the pre-light aroma of rich coffee, bitter chocolate, and leather sets the tone for the full-flavored experience that is to follow.

Even though the area of the foot is far bigger than cigars with more standard ring gauges, it’s surprisingly easy to establish an even burn line and get the gray, sandy ash to start layering. Take a few moments to enjoy the toasted scent of pepper and firewood before tasting the first puff.

Whether or not you believe in Leccia’s “sweet spot” theory, you can’t deny that Nub Habano packs a powerful punch from the get-go. The flavor has plenty of that deep tobacco taste with traces of pepper, oak, and espresso. Faint notes of sweet caramel add balance.

While I couldn’t force myself to stand the Nub Habano up on its ash—a pose that is prominently featured in Nub marketing materials—the excellent construction leads me to believe that I could have done so without incident. My samples included decent burns, well-fortified ashes, and excellent draws. It’s also worth noting that I especially enjoy this particular vitola because, given the cone-shaped head, it still feels like I’m smoking a cigar with a mere 48 ring gauge.

When it’s all said and done, and after the spice gently accelerates until there’s nothing left to smoke, I have to give Sam Leccia and Oliva a lot of credit for creating a unique, well-built cigar. I’m especially grateful that the Nub Habano 464 Torpedo maintains balance and nuance throughout the 45-minute smoke. For avoiding the pitfall of many full-bodied cigars—all strength and no complexity—this hearty gem earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

President Obama signed the so-called “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” into law on June 22, placing tobacco under the jurisdiction of the FDA. While the bill, passed by the House and Senate last week, is primarily directed at cigarettes, it could have significant ramifications for cigars and other tobacco products.

Specifically, it includes restrictions on tobacco advertising (mandating all cigarette ads be black and white text only and eliminating tobacco sponsorships of sporting events); bars “flavored” cigarettes (including clove, spice, and “candy flavors” but not menthol); requires larger warning labels on packaging; prohibits describing cigarettes as “light,” “mild,” or “low tar;” mandates ingredient disclosure; and gives the FDA the sole authority to approve all new tobacco products.

Not once does the new law specifically refer to premium or handmade “large cigars,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a major threat to cigar manufacturers and the choices available to cigar smokers. Nearly every provision in the act would be a significant blow if applied to cigars.

So it is clear that the precedent has been set for the regulations to be applied to cigars as well, possibly even without an act of congress. Recently, when I spoke to a number of cigar makers at Famous Smoke Shop’s Cigar Expo, they expressed growing concerns over the prospect of FDA regulation of tobacco.

Charlie Toraño called FDA regulation of cigars a “grave threat” and predicted that politicians could move to regulate cigars sooner than three years from now. He was particularly worried about the marketing restrictions, and noted that holding promotional events where they give out free samples would almost surely be prohibited. He also observed that no one in the industry was prepared for ingredient disclosure, which would cost huge sums in testing and documentation.

Nick Perdomo also talked pasionatly about the threat from the bureaucracy on his business. The combination of FDA regulation, SCHIP tobacco taxes, and smoking bans led him to call the government his “biggest competitor.”

But perhaps the most striking comment on the FDA bill came from someone all too familiar with oppressive government. Jaime Garcia, son of famed cigarmaker Don Pepin Garcia and a top maker in his own right, told me through a translator that coming from Cuba, he couldn’t believe that in America so much power would be given to the government to control his business.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Art of Obama

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

This blend of Brazilian and Nicaraguan tobaccos has been a staple in my humidor for years. But since I’ve somehow managed to avoid the Piranha (4.5 x 46), I decided to pick up a couple at my local B&M for $5.50 apiece. These dark beauties, like the others in the Brazilia lineup, feature rich flavors of dark chocolate and coffee with a strapping white ash. While I still think the Ipanema vitola takes the cake, the Piranha is a nice option if you’re shorter on time.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.

I managed to procure this smoke, created by the Garcia Family, in celebration of Famous Smoke Shop’s 70th Anniversary at their Cigar Expo event. It features a slightly rustic habano rosado wrapper and a firm feel. Starting with a singular taste of intense cedar, it progresses to a full-flavored profile where rich earth and pepper weave in and out. With excellent construction, the Famous 70th Anniversary Garcia Robusto is a good cigar now, but I get the feeling it could be better with some age.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

As we’ve done 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) In what some call—perhaps erroneously—a “military coup,” this week Honduran President Manuel Zelaya (pictured at right) was removed from office and sent into exile. Zelaya had been seeking to change his country’s constitution to end presidential term limits, presumably so he could remain in power. Now he is wrangling for international support at the U.N. and in Washington with hopes to fulfill the remainder of his term. Honduras is a major exporter of premium tobacco to the U.S. and home to operations for many top-selling brands, including Punch, Rocky Patel, Camacho, Toraño, and CAO.

2) A nationwide ban took effect on Wednesday for Greece, criminalizing smoking in “public” places like restaurants and bars. Forty percent of the country’s 11.2 million inhabitants smoke—the highest concentration in all of Europe. While lawmakers previously tried to ban smoking in hospitals and offices, those regulations were ignored.

3) Inside the Industry: If you haven’t already, you should read our report from Famous Smoke Shop’s Cigar Expo event. It includes exclusive info on new releases from half a dozen of the biggest names in the cigar business.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review lights up a Natural by Drew Estate. Stogie Fresh fires up a Miura Diretco de Fabrica. Nice Tight Ash reviews a Padilla 1932. Cigar Inspector inspects a Montecristo No. 4 Reserva. Keepers of the Flame torches up an A. Fernandez Signature Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Gold Coast Sampler” features ten quality sticks for under $30. Included are the Perdomo Reserve Golf Ltd. Edition, Padilla Hybrid, CAO Gold, Oliva Serie G, Fonseca 5-50, and Gran Habano Corojo. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

For me, the Evan Williams brand has always conjured a negative connotation, likely because it was the rail whiskey poured by inexperienced bartenders at all of my sleazy undergraduate watering holes. But now that the days of plastic cups, flat mixer sodas, and sticky bar floors are (mostly) behind me, I’ve set out to reacquaint myself with the distiller.

Named for the Bluegrass State’s first distiller, Evan Williams is the number two seller of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey in the U.S. (the first being Jim Beam). It is distilled and bottled at the Old Evan Williams Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, where Parker and Craig Beam oversee production. Corn, rye, and barley from local farmers are the main ingredients, as is a strain of yeast that has been in the Beam family for eight generations.

Like the name suggests, each bottle from the Single Barrel line originates from one specially selected barrel, which is why the bottles vary in color and flavor both within and between years. The whole idea is to create a “unique taste experience.” In line with that goal, each bottle comes complete with two born-on dates: one for the day it was placed in a charred white oak barrel to age, and one for the day it was bottled. The bottle sampled for this tasting was barreled on November 9, 1998, and bottled on June 12, 2008.

This practice of creating a new vintage every year has helped Evan Williams accumulate plenty of accolades, including “Whiskey of the Year” (The Spirit Journal, 1990) and “Spirit of the Year” (Food & Wine, 1992).

The Vintage 1998 incarnation is no exception. It earned a silver medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where it was heralded as “one of the best whiskey bargains around” and “a stylish and charming whiskey.” And Wine Enthusiast recently wrote it is “elegant and austere.”

This is, without a doubt, no rail spirit, and that becomes clear as the bourbon takes on a golden amber hue in the glass. With a slightly milky consistency—especially on the rocks—it presents a clean nose of butter, lemon, banana, and hay. The taste of melon, honey, and sugar is highlighted by a calming butterscotch finish. A spicy tingle creeps up at the very end, almost as if to remind you to take another sip.

While the flavor is big enough to stand up to most cigars, I think medium-bodied smokes pair best. Spice is a bonus, helping to offset some of the bourbon’s sweetness. Excellent compliments include the H. Upmann Signature, Cuban Crafters Cubano Claro, La Aurora Barrel Aged, and the Hoyo Epicure Especial.

Whatever you smoke, though, I think you’ll agree that the Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 1998 is an outstanding sipping bourbon—a far cry from any rail spirit. And with a price tag in the range of $25-35 per 750 ml. bottle, you needn’t fear buyer’s remorse.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It’s a phenomenon that isn’t unique to cigars: Once you’ve got a good collection you probably find that some truly rare cigars sit in your humidor month after month, year after year.

Maybe it’s a limited edition Opus X with a few years of age, or that last highly acclaimed Cuban that’s been sitting in your humidor for half a decade. It’s like you’re waiting for a perfect cigar moment that may never come.

It’s a problem that isn’t unique to cigars. I’ve heard wine collectors express the same dilemma. With a cellar of thousands of bottles, the very best ones never get opened.  Instead, they get passed over as some of them age beyond their peak.

Like wine, many cigars peak after only a bit of aging before going downhill.  Other cigars are meant to be smoked soon after they’re released. After all, that’s why the master cigar makers who created them released them when they did.

So don’t wait forever for some perfect situation to smoke that extra special cigar. It might be getting worse, not better, while you patiently pass it over. Instead, make your own occasion to light up that special smoke. Maybe just invite a good cigar-loving friend over, grill up some steaks, and light them up after a dinner where you open that special bottle of wine.

If you’re worried this will leave your humidor without a special smoke, just use a trick that wine collectors do: Every time you smoke a truly special cigar, replace it with two of equal or better quality. Soon you’ll have a nice little collection of extraordinary cigars.

Personally, on the Fourth of July, I’m going to light up an Opus X Chili Pepper that’s been resting for two years. Why wait any longer?

–Patrick S

photo credit: VisitingDC