The Stogie Guys

Coffee is a favorite beverage of mine to pair with a fine cigar, as is a good flavorful beer. With that in mind I was excited to try the Pipeline Porter, a limited release from the Hawaii-based Kona Brewing Company. As soon as I saw it I quickly scooped up a six-pack for $8.

I’ve previously tried Kona’s flagship beer, the Longboard Lager, a crisp refreshing lager that sometimes makes an appearance at my local grocery store but doesn’t quite have the intensity of flavor to hold up to most cigars. A deep coffee-flavored porter, however, seemed just the ticket for a cigar pairing.

And Kona isn’t kidding when they highlight the Kona coffee that goes into this American-style porter. Apparently the coffee beans are mixed in with the malt during the brewing process, and the result is a beer that has the aroma of sweet Cuban coffee.

On the palate, the Pipeline Porter has classic malty flavors with a roasted taste and a touch of chocolate. Two notable characteristics are a low level of carbonation and a short, crisp finish that quickly melts away. The beer isn’t as thick or heavy as many other porters.

And yes, the Pipeline Porter goes well with a fine cigar. Surprisingly for a beer, I found it pairs quite well with full-bodied smokes. The Alec Bradley Tempus was a winner, as was the EO 601 Green. In fact, most medium- to full-flavored cigars are bound to pair well with Pipeline, provided you like the beer.

And that’s the only caveat. Ultimately, this isn’t a beer for everyone. Porters are an acquired taste (or at least one that not everyone shares), and a porter made with coffee isn’t likely to be a universal hit. However, if you’re like me and enjoy coffee and interesting, flavor-filled beer, the Kona Brewing Company’s Pipeline Porter is definitely worth a try.

–Patrick S

photo credit: 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 via email, 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.”

While StogieGuys.com has yet to try Jameson’s new Red, today I set my sights on the Black Label, a “rich, complex cigar that delivers bold flavors.” It boats a Brazilian ariparaca leaf that’s dark, textured, and unrefined. Such traits are characteristic of tobacco from South America’s largest nation, including mata fina, one of my all-time favorites.

The five inch by 44 ring gauge Corona sports a reddish hue and dimensions that are perfect for outdoor smoking during the winter months. The three I smoked for this review averaged about 40 minutes from light to nub.

Well-received by cigar website reviewers, the Black Label starts with a rich taste of black coffee and leather. The voluminous smoke that pours from the clear draw has none of the sweet cocoa flavors that I’ve come to expect from mata fina. Instead, this hearty cigar is intense, especially following the addition of peppercorn after the first inch.

From a straight burn that requires no touch-ups to a firm and sandy ash, I also noted excellent physical properties. This is the sort of stick you can light up and simply enjoy without the worry of maintenance.

To heighten that enjoyment, let me recommend you spark this Corona with a sweet, powerful drink. The taste of El Dorado 12 Year Old pairs well because the sugary rum helps offset this cigar’s spice and bitter notes.

Laying down $5 for a Black Label Corona is a good bargain, particularly if you let these young cigars rest awhile. I have a feeling age will improve their balance. For now, with or without the free T-shirt, this tiny powerhouse earns three and a half 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 caramel-brown Connecticut shade Robusto (5 x 52) was even better yesterday than when we reviewed it almost one year ago. Eleven months of humidor time seems to have improved the burn and married the creamy tastes of marshmallow, chocolate, spice, and graham into one balanced flavor. If you haven’t tried this 2007 release yet, pick up a few and employ your self-control to let them settle—the wait will be worth it.

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.

If you’re a fan of mild smokes like the Dominican Montecristo, I suggest you give Crème de Jamaica a try. Made in the Dominican by General and sold by Famous, the solid Connecticut-wrapped blend is enhanced by a free shipping box price as low as $3.12 per stick. This 5 and ¾ inch by 42 ring gauge cigar isn’t overly complex, but the smoke is thick, the burn straight, and the construction adequate.

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 snippets of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted 289-139 in favor of extending and expanding SCHIP. As we reported Tuesday, among the bill’s numerous tobacco tax increases is a 750% hike in the federal tax on large cigars. The cap on the 52.4% tax (on the wholesale price) is being increased from 5 to 40 cents. Yesterday, the bill passed its first Senate test by surviving committee.

2) Following our Tuesday coverage of SCHIP, the anti-smoking zealots over at Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) decided to hotlink to a Stogie Guys image. Rookie mistake. As a result, we made the graphic to the right appear on ASH’s homepage for over 12 hours (here’s a humorous screenshot).

3) Baltimore officials announced on Wednesday a prohibition on “the sale of individual, cheap cigars” like Swisher Sweets and Phillies. Part of a growing trend, the move is intended to discourage youth tobacco usage by keeping prices high. No word on how the city health commissioner plans to prevent kids from pooling money together and splitting up packs of five.

4) In an article about undervalued luxury items, International Listings cited our Friday Samplers as a good way to “keep an eye on how weather, politics, and the economy all weigh on [cigars].”

5) Inside the Industry: The Colibri Group, known for its upscale lighters, unexpectedly shut its doors and filed for bankruptcy. Alec Bradley revamped its website. Cigar Aficionado shocked many cigar smokers by picking the Casa Magna Colorado Robusto as its cigar of the year.

6) Around the Blogs: Cigar Jack smoked a Perdomo Squared Maduro. Keepers of the Flame lit up a Taboo Twist. Cigar Inspector tried the La Aurora 1495 Cameroon. A Cigar Smoker reviewed a Padilla 1968. Stogie Review fired up a Casa Magna Colorado Belicoso.

7) Deal of the Week: Not surprisingly, there’s a new inauguration-themed cigar sampler: the Presidential Sampler. For $49.99, you get ten premium smokes including one each from Cohiba, Graycliff, CAO, Romeo y Julieta, Camacho, Padilla, and Montecristo.  Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The airport in Providence, Rhode Island, is remarkable in at least one way. You can stroll out the front door, walk for just a few minutes, and find yourself at a commercial highway with bars, restaurants, gas stations, and other enterprises. With the weather too chilly and damp for outside smoking, I decided to use the time I had during a stopover there to eat a quick meal.

I went to an Irish pub and sat at the bar, dropping my briefcase on the adjacent stool. The bag I use is an old one emblazoned with the name of my former employer. The bartender noticed it and asked if I was reporter. I told him I’d retired a few years back and complimented him on his sharp eye. He said he was particularly attuned to it because a former Washington Post reporter had stopped in between flights recently, and they’d talked about a book he’d written. I laughed and said about the only thing I wrote about these days was cigars.

“Oh, you smoke cigars?” he said. “I do, too.” He went on to tell me he enjoyed Fonsecas, sometimes worked at a local shop, and was impressed with the selection at a local cigar store chain. I gave him one of my Stogie Guys business cards and told him about the site. He said he’d check it out.

As I left, I laid a cigar down with the tip. I was glad I had a couple with me because it seemed just the thing. I hope that when he got a chance to smoke, it brightened his day as much as he did mine that gray, wet afternoon. Is there anything else that can create instant camaraderie like a cigar?

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

I suspect, as a result of the current economic turmoil, many cigar enthusiasts are temporarily experimenting with value sticks as potential substitutes to pricier options. Let me do you a favor by suggesting you not waste any time or money on the affordable Gispert Natural Lonsdale.

Handmade in Honduras, this Altadis stogie sports a Connecticut shade Ecuadorian wrapper with Nicaraguan and Honduran binder and filler tobaccos. Astonishingly, several of the 11 Natural vitolas have rated as highly as 90 in Cigar Aficionado (Gispert has another six Maduro sizes complete with a San Adreas Morrón wrapper.)

Sounds too good to be true, especially since the six and ½ inch by 44 ring gauge Lonsdale sells for only $38-47 per cedar chest of 20. “Heck,” I remember thinking to myself before lighting one up for this review, “if it performs moderately better than George E’s Quick Smoke, this could be a decent recession option.”

I had good reason to be somewhat optimistic. With a well-applied wrapper, tight cross-section, and clean look, this Gispert has the appearance and feel of a cigar three times its price.

I was much less enthusiastic, however, after I toasted the foot and took a few deliberate draws. The uber-mild flavor of grass and sweet milk was almost nonexistent—the sort of creamy taste that can be drowned out completely by beer or wine, let alone rum or whiskey.

After the first inch I was still waiting for something to arrive, but only a light, airy, hollow taste was detectable. With nothing discernable to savor, I felt like I was smoking just for the sake of smoking. I enjoy mild cigars, but there’s a big difference between mild and bland.

Frankly, at the halfway point I wanted to extinguish the cigar and move on to something, anything, else. Never mind that the burn was straight, albeit with a strangely thick, bulging black mascara; decent physical properties don’t add up to much if the cigar tastes like white construction paper.

So, as you might have guessed, I don’t think I’ll be picking up another one of these anytime soon. The Gispert Natural Lonsdale serves as a stark reminder that, when it comes to cigars, you often get what you pay for. Recession or boom, I give it one stogie out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys