The Stogie Guys

While both spirits work well year-round, I tend to think of rum as the supreme summertime drink and whiskey as more suitable for the cold winter months. Maybe that’s why, since November, I’ve been exploring the various blends of my favorite, most reliable Irish whiskey: Jameson.

The 12 Year Old blend is a fine choice if you want to venture away from the traditional recipe but don’t want to break the bank. One of four blends in Jameson’s Reserve line, it has a suggested retail of $35 per 750 ml. bottle—a price that, in my opinion, indicates this whiskey is undervalued.

The 12 Year Old Special Reserve, according to Jameson, is “matured for a minimum of 12 years in oloroso sherry and bourbon casks.” The blend was originally dubbed “1780” to honor the year the Jameson Distillery was established.

After peeling away the burgundy foil from the classic green bottle, I was greeted with a corked top. This nice touch, which you’ll also find on the pricier Gold Reserve, is a simple yet underappreciated pleasure.

The amber pour is strikingly similar to the original blend, if not with a slightly more golden hue. Laying the two whiskeys side-by-side, I also noticed similar legs.

You won’t really discover any significant differences, in fact, until you take in the 12 Year Old’s aroma. There’s less of an alcohol tinge on the nose. And while you’ll find similar notes of honey and oak, there’s also a richer, syrupy scent with traces of fruit and leather.

The balanced, complex flavor profile of warm almond, peach, and oak is simply heavenly as it slowly fades into spice. Full-bodied yet mellow. An ice cube or two will bring out more taste and round off some of the edges. The smooth finish goes on for days. Where the original blend is gentle and sweet, 12 Year Old is savory and comforting.

Unlike Jameson’s traditional recipe, feel free to couple this spirit with more powerful smokes. Particularly good pairings include La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero, Isla de Cuba Aged Maduro, Cubao, and the Montecriso Petit Edmundo.

As you might have guessed, my verdict is this premium sprit serves as an exciting reminder that you don’t have to spend a fortune for a respectable whiskey. But Jameson 12 Year Old is much more than respectable; it’s downright sublime.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Updated at 3pm Eastern with a response from Altadis USA.]

In a late addition to our last Friday Sampler, we reported the latest Senate version of SCHIP includes slightly higher cigar taxes than previously reported. Here are some other important updates on the cigar legislation front:

Rocky Patel: SCHIP Divides Handmade, Machine-Made Cigar Makers

This weekend StogieGuys.com spoke with cigar maker Rocky Patel for an interview that will be published in full here in the near future. One thing Rocky made clear is that, when it comes to SCHIP’s tobacco taxes, the different tax rates for premium handmade cigars and inexpensive machine-made cigars make it difficult to tell friend from foe.

According to Patel, some cigar producers that make both handmade and machine-made cigars, including industry giant Altadis, were willing to accept higher taxes on handmade cigars if it meant lower taxes on their cheaper, higher-volume, machine-made cigars. In his exclusive interview, Patel indicated a tax cap of 20 cents per large cigar or less (as opposed to the currently proposed 40.27 cents) would have been possible if not for resistance from those who sell machine-made cigars.

“The problem here is that in raising the revenue that Congress wants, they make 4.7 billion machine-made cigars, we make 300 million handmade premium cigars,” the famed cigar maker told StogieGuys.com. “So every time they pay an extra penny, it saves us a lot of money on the amount of cap that we pay on the handmade side. But they weren’t willing to go up a couple pennies so we could go down to twenty [cents per cigar].”

This issue is part of the reason why Patel strongly supports Cigar Rights of America, which he says will look out exclusively for the interests of premium handmade cigar smokers.

UPDATE: Janelle Rosenfeld, vice president of marketing premium cigars and corp. communications for Altadis USA, took issue with the way her company’s role in fighting taxes on premium cigars was portrayed by Mr. Patel.

“Unlike Mr. Patel, Altadis USA is the largest manufacturer of premium cigars and owns and operates its own cigar factories including the largest hand-made cigar factory in the world. We, in fact, have a much larger vested interest in the tax and cap than Mr. Patel. For him to suggest otherwise is inaccurate,” she said. “Altadis USA takes great pride in our quality premium cigars and is committed to our premium cigar retailers and consumers at every turn.” Rosenfeld also said that Altadis and other tradegroups had been instrumental in lowering the tax cap from its initially proposed amount of $10 to its current form of 40.27 cents.

FDA Regulation Coming with Exemption For Cigars

Likely to soon come up again in Congress—and likely to become law this time—is a proposal to regulate tobacco under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But the controversial plan hasn’t generated as much opposition in the cigar world as the SCHIP bill. That’s because its fairly far-reaching provisions, from prohibitions on adding flavors to restrictions on advertising and new brands, center almost exclusively on cigarettes.

Chris McCalla, Legislative Director for the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, recently told StogieGuys.com that cigars and pipe tobacco would not be subject to those sorts of FDA restrictions without further extensive action that isn’t expected any time soon. And while imposition of strict FDA regulation on cigars could be devastating to premium handmade cigars, some say it’s unlikely such action will ever happen.

Pipe Tobacco Versus Roll Your Own

Speaking of pipe tobacco, you may have wondered, as we have, about the SCHIP provision to boost the per pound federal tax on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8311, while roll-your-own tobacco is increased from $1.0969 to a staggering $24.78 (creating a tenfold difference between RYO and pipe tobacco). What the heck makes tobacco RYO so different from pipe tobacco? Well, it turns out the answer is not much.

Federal definitions are vague, and right now it doesn’t matter because tax rates are the same. But when there’s change, what’s to stop RYO makers from just labeling their product pipe tobacco? According to a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, they don’t have an answer. “This is an issue that we recognize as being problematic should the legislation pass,” he said. When it does, the first thing the bureau will do is study the issue to see about tightening up those definitions.

–Patrick S & George E

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’m not sure how this firm Robusto ended up in my humidor, but I wish I would have left it there. Made by Nestor Plasencia and sold by Thompson, this eye- grabbing Nicaraguan puro includes three different wrapper leaves—Connecticut shade, habana 98, and maduro—around long fillers and sungrown binders. Sure, you can pick up this stick for under $2; I just can’t see why you’d want to given its hollow, bitter taste.

Verdict = Sell.

–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 five inch by 50 ring gauge robusto-sized smoke features a dark, rustic, and veiny wrapper. It lights easily, imparting warm cedar notes with a touch of sweet honey and plenty of underlying spice. With an easy draw and an even burn, construction is good. The abundance of smoke is also notable. All around, it’s not hard to see why the Tempus has been so well received: It’s a medium- to full-bodied smoke with a unique, balanced, woody profile.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Tempus

[BREAKING NEWS: According to Cigar Rights of America, the SCHIP tax increase will be higher than originally reported. Read the press release here for details.]

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) For better or worse, Tuesday marked a new era as Obama was sworn in as America’s 44th president. Not a brother of the leaf himself (though he occaisonally smokes cigarettes), he occupies a position once held by many cigar enthusiasts. According to this list, 18 former U.S. presidents have routinely enjoyed cigars, from Adams and Madison to JFK and (cough) Clinton.

2) Some policymakers in Denver are moving to ease Colorado’s smoking ban. Responding to pleas from bar and casino owners who cite “massive losses of business since the ban was enacted,” the new measure would expand ban exemptions and remove a stipulation that prevents the opening of new cigar bars.

3) Inside the Industry: To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Miami Cigar and Company—distributor of brands such as La Aurora, 601, Don Lino, and Cubao—is planning an eight-month tour of in-store events. CAO will expand the distribution of the LX2 Lancero in March.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a CI Legends Orange. Keepers of the Flame lights up an Alec Bradley Tempus Genesis. Stogie Info smokes an Illusione 88. Cigar Inspector checks out a Partagas Shorts.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Stellar Toro Sampler” features ten top toros for $39.99 (free shipping on the entire order). Included are cigars by Don Pepin Garcia, Perdomo, Rocky Patel, Partagas, Gran Habano, Toraño, and La Aroma de Cuba. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

From smoking “dawgs” to R&B music, the unique Zino Platinum website makes clear its cigars are for “fashionable and entertainment-driven smokers who are stylishly aware of their heritage and ethnicity.” Famous even uses the word “phat” to describe this Davidoff offshoot’s unique shapes and sizes.

If I focused solely on advertising, I’d quickly conclude that Platinum cigars aren’t for me. Let’s just say I’m not exactly hip or urban. I’m more interested, however, in how these sticks smoke than to whom they are marketed.

So, scrolling past all the graphics and fluff on the website, I was able to determine that the Scepter blend is composed of a one-year-old Ecuadorian wrapper, a four-year-old Connecticut binder, and filler tobaccos from Peru and the Dominican Republic. The other Platinum line, the heartier Crown Series, is made up of ligero tobacco.

I smoked two Scepter Pudges for this review. Stubby with a few soft spots, this four inch by 50 ring gauge cigar is vein-free (yet moderately wrinkled) with a light and sweet prelight fragrance.

After toasting the foot, I found the first few puffs to be hollow, uninviting, and chemically. The taste quickly takes a turn for the better, though, exhibiting mild flavors of creamy butter and sweet hay.

The smoke, which only lasts for about 35 minutes, is at its best in the middle when undertones of spice creep in to provide a salty dynamic. Balance is the name of the game. All of the tastes add up to produce a gentle, soothing aroma that reminds me of the smell of fresh sawdust.

Anytime you have more ash than un-smoked tobacco left on a cigar, you’re likely enjoying supreme construction. Such is the case here. The burn is as straight as possible with a dark, thick mascara. The ash is concrete and finely layered. And each effortless draw yields plenty of smoke.

All told, despite the funky marketing, this is a nice little morning smoke. But as my colleague pointed out in a Quick Smoke, I don’t think the Zino Platinum Scepter Pudge deserves its lofty $7 price tag. It does deserve three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It wasn’t until I picked up one of these dark, oily sticks that I realized how long it had been since I smoked a maduro. A few years ago, it seemed at least two of every three cigars I lit were maduros.

Maybe all those spicy Pepins and mellow Cameroons I’ve been enjoying have just crowded out most of the rest of the field. If so, I need to reconsider. This maduro reminded me how good they can be.

At five inches and a fat 52 ring gauge, the thick wrapper and a mix of Nicaraguan fillers creates a complex, satisfying smoke. At first, there’s a bit of pepper, but that tends to fade fairly soon, setting up the palate for the taste array to follow. You’ll notice the cocoa and coffee common to maduros, and you’ll also find some wood, leather and nuts. Back in 2007, a guest reviewer did a Quick Smoke on the Toro and was equally enthusiastic, rating it a “Buy.”

I’ve found construction on all the Robustos I’ve smoked to be excellent: good draw, fine burn, lots of smoke, and an extremely tight ash. Another plus is the price, as low as under $4 per stick for a box of 20. About the only complaints I had with the cigar were that the finish can be a bit dry and the two huge bands are overkill.

On the other hand, I did find the Perdomo website less than useful. It’s set up to provide information in PDF files, and every one I downloaded was blank. Maybe that has something to do with my system (a Mac), or maybe it was a temporary glitch. Whatever the reason, it was annoying not to be able to get authoritative information about the cigar easily from Perdomo.

Then again, it’s cigars we smoke, not bits and bytes. And for that the Perdomo Habano Maduro Robusto deserves four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by Cigars Direct. You can purchase Perdomo cigars from Cigars Direct here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys