The Stogie Guys

When he launched his cigar operation in the mid-nineties, few expected an outsider like Rocky Patel to survive for a decade. He had no Cuban heritage and no ancestral roots in an industry dominated by firms that are often family owned and operated for generations.

Rocky, however, did much more than merely survive the cigar boom. Bolstered by critical acclaim, blockbuster sales, and a reputation as one of the hardest working men in the business, his star rose to iconic status. And his Decade blend celebrates how he achieved ten years of success “against all odds.”

Speaking of odds, odds are you’ve probably tried at least one of the original four vitolas offered in the Decade lineup since they were released in November 2007. These smokes have garnered tremendously high ratings from Cigar Aficionado which, as one retailer recently told us, has driven consumer demand to the point of shortages on B&M shelves.

But most of you likely haven’t yet had the opportunity to sample the newest Decade size: the six inch by 60 ring gauge Emperor. Released in March, this cigar was born of Rocky’s success with wider sticks and intends to capitalize on the current “thicker is better” trend that’s reverberating throughout the industry.

While the Robusto, Lonsdale, Torpedo, and Toro Decade cigars are all box-pressed, the formidable Emperor boasts a typical parejo shape. That’s about where the differences end. It too is handmade at Nestor Plasencia’s El Paraiso Factory in Danlí and is composed of a dark Ecuador Sumatra wrapper and binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua.

Fairly soft to the touch, the Emperor yields an abundant pre-light aroma of cherry and chocolate. Its generous proportions include plenty of texture and tooth but few veins or seams.

From the very beginning you can tell this is the sort of cigar that has an incredible amount of flavor with very little strength. I encountered tastes of cocoa, nuts, and cream with a long, spicy finish. No harshness to be found. Of equal importance is the fact that the plentiful resting smoke produces an intoxicating scent that’s akin to a Vintage ’90 or ’92.

The white ash is soft, sandy, and flaky, and the draw—as you’d expect from such a wide cigar—is very clear. Unfortunately, the burn requires more touch-ups to stay even than I’d like from a stogie that retails for approximately $10-13 apiece.

Not withstanding that flaw, this marvelous 120-minute smoke includes enough subtlety and nuance to impress seasoned cigar veterans and enough forthrightness and accessibility to win over newbies. That’s why I’m giving the Rocky Patel Decade Emperor four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Over a year ago, Don Pepin Garcia and Ernesto Padilla announced they would no longer be collaborating to make Padilla cigars. The partnership had produced some of Padilla’s most popular and highly acclaimed smokes, including the Padilla Miami, the Padilla 1948, and 1932.

All three cigars were blended by Pepin and produced at his Miami or Nicaragua factory, but are now are made completely by Padilla. After the split, Padilla moved forward with a plan to open a small cigar factory in Miami’s Little Havana. But despite the separation—which came about because Pepin was focusing on his many other clients, including Tatuaje, 601, San Cristobal, and Pepin’s own Don Pepin Garcia brand—many of the Pepin-made Padilla cigars are still popping up.

The handful of Padilla 1932s that I sampled for this review are from the Pepin-era. This series of photos demonstrates the differences, of which the most notable is the font used in the word Padilla: in the Pepin-era smoke, Padilla is in bold capitals; the newer band features Padilla in script. Given the timing of the split, I can conclude that my Pepin-made 1932s have at least one year of age.

Underneath the ornate band, the Padilla 1932 features a nearly flawless, deep brown Nicaraguan corojo wrapper that surrounds Nicaraguan criollo binder and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed filler. The seven inch by 50 ring gauge Churchill is firm to the touch, and has a well-made triple cap. Pre-light, the foot gives off an aroma of earth.

Once lit, I was greeted by a complex smoke of licorice, spicy cedar, roasted cashews, and bittersweet chocolate. The full-bodied taste is complex and balanced with a long, dry finish. As it progressed to the midway point, it became slightly milder, developing a bit of toffee sweetness. Some of Pepin’s characteristic peppery spice also came to the forefront. The construction was also impressive: no touch-ups were needed, the draw was deliberate but not difficult, and the ash held admirably.

The 1932 is fuller-flavored than the Padilla Miami and more complex than the 1968 blend. Once the toffee and pepper kicked in in the second half, it particularly reminded me of a combination of two of my favorite smokes: the Coronado by La Flor and the Pepin-made EO Cubao.

The cigar was created as a tribute by Ernesto Padilla to his late father, Heberto Padilla, a well-known Cuban writer and poet who was placed under house arrest by the Castro regime for “subversive” writings. Heberto was born in 1932, and it’s an impressive tribute.

At around $12 per cigar, it’s priced appropriately for the reliably complex, balanced, and, most of all, enjoyable flavors it provides. All of which earns the Padilla 1932 Churchill a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

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 was anxious to see how this habano maduro-wrapped cigar would perform after some time my humidor. While the Toro (6.25 x 52) wasn’t noticeably different than when I reviewed it fifteen months ago, it certainly wasn’t disappointing. Flavors of dark chocolate and roasted nuts dominate this stogie, Pepin’s first box press and also his first maduro. The burn required a fair number of touch-ups to stay even, but the rich taste more than makes up for construction shortcomings.

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.

Introduced a few years ago, CAO’s Italia line was a standout, garnering strong praise and high sales for its bold blend—complete with Habano-seed Italian-grown filler tobaccos—and its dash of pepper. Since then, with so many peppery cigars flooding the market, the Italia is no longer so different. But it remains a good, reasonably priced cigar, especially in this fat robusto size, which runs about $5. If you haven’t had one in a while, give it a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and informative as possible, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) It looks like Florida will remain one of the few states without a cigar tax. As legislative wrangling continued this week over state budget shortfalls, reports had the $1-per-pack cigarette tax boost living and the cigar tax dying, at least on hand-rolled sticks. The state’s many cigar importers, manufacturers, retailers, and others have been applying pressure since the proposal was first advanced. And, while noting that nothing is certain until the process ends, Brian Berman, director of membership with Cigar Rights of America, said Thursday: “We believe it’s a dead issue.” Asked about a tax on machine-rolled sticks, Berman said that apparently had not yet been decided.

2) If you haven’t done so already, please consider joining the J.C. Newman Cigar Club with a modest membership fee of $18. In return, you’ll get a four-stogie Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino sampler, a golf shirt, coupons for free cigars and merchandise, and more. Plus, best of all, the fee includes a donation to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit that has already raised over $3 million to build schools and a health clinic in the Dominican Republic.

3) Inside the Industry: The cigar industry suffered two great losses this week. Fernando León Asensio, former head of La Aurora, passed away at the age 87. And Daniel Rodriguez, the last man to run Cuba’s famed El Corojo plantation before the Cuban revolution, died of cancer at the age of 76. They will be missed.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review smokes a Rocky Patel Renaissance. Keepers of the Flame lights up a My Father. Stogie Fresh reviews a Belmore Cameroon. Cigar Monkey fires up a La Finca. Velvet Cigar tries the Rocky Patel Signature Series TAA. Cigar Spy inflitrates a Fuente God of Fire.

5) Deal of the Week: We’re not always in agreement with those Cigar Aficionado ratings, but this “Aficionado 90+ Sampler” contains some top smokes at a very reasonable price. Included are 12 smokes by Don Pepin, Padilla (1932), Gurkha, Oliva, CAO, Rocky Patel, and others, all for just $55. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Punch’s original lineup of cigars has a tendency to get overshadowed by the brand’s more visible offshoots, such as Grand Cru, Rare Corojo, and Gran Puro. The exception to the rule, however, seems to be the Champion vitola, a short and quirky figurado that we named a Gold Star Smoke almost two years ago.

While this four and a half inch stogie is said to look like a bowling pin, I think my colleague put it best in an old Quick Smoke when he said it resembles “a python swallowing a pig.” He refers, of course, to the fact that the Champion swells to a 60 ring gauge at about the one inch mark and then narrows to a 30 ring gauge at the head.

That unique shape has helped make this cigar an everyday favorite among enthusiasts. The price doesn’t hurt, either. JR sells boxes of 25 for just under $73 (including an Altadis-made Cigar Savor single-flame torch lighter). I capitalized on the same deal several weeks ago when the pre-SCHIP pricing was only $62.

Either way, the Champion, introduced by the General Cigar Company in 2001 and handmade in Honduras, is a steal. It features the same building blocks as the other vitolas in the original Punch blend—an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a Connecticut binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua—but is in its own class.

I smoked half a dozen Champions for this review (many more previously, including one right after a marathon) and all were terrific-looking sticks. Few veins, well-packed, shapely, and a tempting pre-light aroma of cedar, leather, and spice.

You only need to barely puncture the slender cap to establish a clear draw. The foot takes to a match nicely, yielding some vanilla, cherry, and a bit of typical Punch spice. The flavor of Honduran tobacco is more prominent after the burn passes its widest point, and the final third is characterized by a finale of medium-bodied spice.

Like many figurados, in my experience, the Champion also boasts outstanding combustion qualities, including a razor-sharp burn and an ash that holds strong for longer than you’d expect. Those characteristic undoubtedly enhance the enjoyment of this 40-minute smoke.

So, whether or not you’re impressed with other cigars that bear the Punch name, don’t dismiss the brand until you’ve tried the Champion. For its delicious taste, distinctive physique, and tremendous value, it earns a special place in my humidor and four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I slid the cheesy mustard-yellow cardboard sleeve from the Montecristo Buena Fortuna, I thought I’d gotten lucky. Several years in my humidor had greatly improved the look of the Habana 2000 wrapper. It was dark and oily, nearly shiny enough to reflect the light. And the aroma was rich and mouth-watering.

Hmm, I thought. Maybe I gave up on these sticks too soon. I’d bought a few five-packs from a North Carolina JR outlet, smoked a number of them without enthusiasm, and more or less forgot the rest. I’m not sure what prompted me to pick up this one the other day; perhaps it was the size, since I was seeking a small cigar. With its five inch by 47 ring gauge frame, the Buena Fortuna is a comfortable quick smoke.

My newfound enthusiasm soared with the first couple of puffs. It was thick and tasty, saturated with coffee and cocoa flavors and a little leather. I was ready to find the JR catalog for a re-order.

Ah, the foolishness of first impressions. Quickly, the cigar’s mix of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian filler returned to form and became the bitter, unpleasant cigar I recalled. By the midpoint, it had become truly nasty, and I left it dying in the ashtray.

I thought this was one of the Altadis brand extensions produced exclusively for JR, which it owns. But I saw Buena Fortuna for sale at a couple of other sites on the web, so I’m no longer sure. At any rate, it doesn’t appear on Altadis’ own website. And while I don’t recall what I paid, JR lists a five-pack at $18. I cannot imagine I paid that much, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

I can’t really think of any reason to recommend this cigar. I’d be hard-pressed to smoke one as a gift. As such, I’m afraid the Montecristo Buena Fortuna rates only one stogie out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys