The Stogie Guys

After the introduction of the Jameson Cigar Co. last March, and bolstered by a generous web offer of two sticks and a T-shirt for the cost of postage, it seemed like the entire online cigar community was writing about the new cigar outfit. So Jameson’s strategy had worked. The only problem, however, were the mixed reviews of the company’s original blend.

As Jameson President Brad Mayo told me, that Sumatra-wrapped line, now called the Red Label, was re-blended “due to several factors, including changes at the factory and problems with the wrapper. It now consists of an all-Dominican filler, Honduran binder, and Ecuadorian wrapper.”

After a positive experience with the relatively new Black Label, I decided to sit down with a couple five inch by 54 ring gauge Perfectos—the most intriguing vitola in the Red Label lineup. The shape and size features a classic yet unique character that I wish more manufacturers made available.

Handmade in Santiago, Dominican Republic, the cigar includes a dry, almost flawless Connecticut shade Ecuadorian leaf with a light yellow hue. It emanates a pleasant aroma sweet sawdust and clips cleanly to reveal a well-packed interior.

The draw, initially on the tighter side, gives way to a taste of cream, cedar, and a few floral notes. Each mild-tasting puff produces a good amount of smoke as the thick mascara widens.

At its widest point, the Perfecto’s draw loosens and notes of spice, grass, and cereals become more apparent. This is the cigar’s sweet spot. The finely layered, dark gray ash builds sturdily off the foot and holds strong in a cone-like shape for two inches or more. The burn isn’t razor-sharp, but it doesn’t require any touch-ups or re-lights.

For me, this 60-minute smoke strikes a nice balance for mid-afternoon relaxation—a good combination of high notes with a touch of bass. And the price ($30 per five-pack, $120 per box of 20) isn’t intimidating.

For its pleasurable mild- to medium-bodied profile, suitable construction, and the versatility to pair with a tasty brew or a well-mixed cocktail, the Jameson Red Label Perfecto earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

What with rising cigar prices, rising cigar taxes and rising economic anxiety, most of us are looking for ways to save money. With that in mind, here are a few tips and thoughts you may not have considered, and at least one I’m sure you have.

1. If you are the sort of occasional smoker who chooses a good cigar when you have the time and place to enjoy it, it can be difficult to save money without sacrificing some pleasure. (Unless, of course, you’re routinely toasting $20-$30 cigars, in which case you probably don‘t need my advice.) I think your best bet is to try to identify what it is you like most about your current sticks and see if there is a lower-priced line that’s close. Some of the smaller brands, such as Oliva, Alec Bradley, Camacho, and Toraño, have good, cheaper offerings.

2. For those who smoke regularly, take a good look at when and how you’re smoking. Do you barely notice a stick or two a day smoked while working? Or on the golf course? Or during a poker game? If this is the case, you could look at lower-priced sticks for those occasions. My advice on where to find them is different from what you frequently hear. I recommend the cheaper lines made by giants Altadis or General rather than searching out no-name bundles. The reasons? Consistency, quality, and availability. If you can find one you like, you can be pretty sure that the next one will taste like the previous one. And the likelihood of plugs, split wrappers, or bad rolls is smaller. Finally, it’s easy to find a couple of singles to try before you commit.

3. Similarly, don’t overlook the house brands at your local B&Ms. Again, the advantage is that you can smoke a couple before committing to a box or bundle. Many house brands are moderate- to low-priced and often they’re good (or even great) smokes.

4. This one’s been said a thousand times, but it bears repeating—and remembering. Don’t go nuts on cigar auction sites. If you engage, set limits and stick to them.

In the end, don’t forget what cigar smoking is all about: individual pleasure and enjoyment. Only you can decide how much that’s worth.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

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

This 6 inch by 56 ring gauge cigar, an all Nicaraguan puro, is the result of a joint effort by Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plascencia. It is wrapped in an appealing dark red Criollo ’98 viso wrapper that Quesada calls Colorado. Construction is almost perfect with only a small bump in the wrapper visible just below the band, and the taste offers up a creamy earth flavor at first that is slowly replaced with cedar and a hint of caramel sweetness. The finish lingers on the palate. With the Robusto in this line garnering “Cigar of the Year” for 2008 from Cigar Aficionado this blend has a lot to live up to. The Gran Toro has great flavors and construction with only the one burn problem, and at less than $6 per stick it’s a great value.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick M

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.

La Flor’s comparative advantage seems to be producing premium sticks with lots of flavor, and this pigtailed Churchill (6.9 x 49) undoubtedly reaffirms that specialty. It consists of a full-bodied taste of leather, spice, and earth—a standard profile among today’s stronger cigars—and decent physical properties. Light one of these $7.50 stogies up next time you need to kill 120 minutes after a good meal.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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) While the battle over SCHIP may be over and lost, the anti-tobacco crusade to punish cigar smokers isn’t over—especially at the state level. Maryland and Pennsylvania politicians, among others, are eyeing drastic cigar tax increases to boost government revenue. According to Luxist, the owner of Davidus Cigars, the largest B&M chain in Maryland, said the proposed “90 percent tax rate would put him out of business.”

2) Approved by the House and up for debate in the Senate, the $410 billion spending bill is spurring debate on Capitol Hill over America’s antiquated policies towards Cuba. The would-be law includes provisions that ease U.S. travel restrictions to the forbidden island nation. Proponents, as reported by the New York Times, “hailed the measures as a small but significant first step in changing the relationship between Washington and Havana.”

3) Inside the Industry: Habanos, S.A. is releasing a limited edition Gran Reserva Cohiba Siglo VI that will be sold for at least twice the price of the already expensive regular Cohiba Siglo VI. Avo will be holding a special cigar dinner in New York celebrating his birthday and the release of a new limited edition cigar. When asked about his new Winter Collection Blend, Rocky Patel says its “the most full-bodied smoke I’ve ever made.”

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review smokes an Ambos Mundos Sumatra.  Stogie Info reviews the Tex Cigars house brand. Velvet Cigar tries the Marco V. Cigar Inspector inspects the Fuente Epicure.

5) Deal of the Week: These deals from Cuban Crafters are just a few of the many cigar stimulus specials we expect to see. We particularly recommend the 4.5 stogie-rated La Carolina or the 4 stogie-rated J.L. Salazar, both selling around an amazingly low $50 per box of 25. Get yours here while these bargains last.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Over the years I’ve learned that you can judge a cigar by its appearance about as accurately as you can a book by its cover. This powerful-looking Ernesto Padilla creation, though, delivers exactly what its commanding presence promises.

One of a lineup of Edición Especial cigars released by Padilla in 2006, the Obsidian features a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, a Honduran-grown corojo binder, and a jet-black Nicaraguan ligero wrapper leaf.

While production was supposed to stop after 50,000 Obsidians, Cigars International is still selling “an encore performance” in “limited quantities” ($100 per bundle or $30 per five-pack). It’s worth noting, due to the continuation, that the “2006” refers not to the age of the tobacco but only to the year the original batch was released. Sneaky, sneaky.

The six inch by 54 ring gauge belicoso-shaped vitola is the only size still available from this burly blend. It is dark, formidable, and thick with few veins and barely noticeable seams. Intense prelight notes of dark chocolate and nuts abound.

The cold taste yielded some spice on the lips and a relatively tight draw—undoubtedly the product of the cigar’s ultra-tight packing. Once lit, I encountered a strong, mouth-coating taste of black pepper, leather, and hints of tea. The flavor settles after the first inch to include a cocoa sweetness, only to amp up again down the home stretch.

Regrettably, the meandering and finicky burn requires constant monitoring and occasional corrections. The ash is also on the flakey side.

When it’s all said and done, this heavy-handed beast of a cigar finishes just about par for the course. It’s certainly not inspiring or extraordinary, but it’s definitely satisfying, full-bodied, and appropriately priced. For that, I give the Padilla Edición Especial 2006 Obsidian three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

President Obama this week named Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as his choice to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She was picked after the president’s original nominee, former Senator Tom Daschle, withdrew his nomination after it was revealed that he failed to pay over $120,00 in taxes.

Sebelius has a record for pushing both smoking bans and tobacco tax hikes and, while neither has gone into effect yet in Kansas, her attempts to impose a draconian statewide smoking ban are ongoing. The proposed smoking ban would include all bars and restaurants, and also restrict smoking outside near doors, windows, or “air intakes.”

In an editorial interview with the Wichita Eagle, Sebelius praised smoking bans and tobacco taxes, saying they “absolutely cost nothing.” She clearly fails to recognize the heavy burden of tobacco taxes, especially on lower income citizens, and she also ignores the infringements on personal choice and property rights that result from smoking bans. She called tobacco taxes “win-win” in the same interview and criticized efforts to add exemptions to the proposed smoking ban.

Statements like those have drawn fire from cigar choice advocates like Chris McCalla, legislative director of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. “Based on impartial data generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve Bank has found that significant employment declines result from forced smoking bans, especially in bars and restaurants,” he said. “That means businesses die, workers lose their jobs, and the state and nation lose federal, state, and local tax revenues.”

McCalla went on to say that the constitutional rights of business owners are at stake when governments impose smoking bans on private property. “The marketplace has been very effective deciding which businesses elect to allow smoking or not. That’s as it should be: up to the individual business owner. For government to control private businesses is depriving citizens of the rights given to them by the U.S. Constitution.”

If confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius would be in a position to oversee national health policy and impose her anti-tobacco positions on the entire country.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Wikimedia Commons