The Stogie Guys

[UPDATE: According to the IPCPR, the tax cap will be 40 cents per large cigar. Please click here for their full press release. The tax portions of the bill can be downloaded here (pdf) and the full bill can be downloaded here (285 page pdf).]

Well, it looks like today we’ll all finally learn just what the new federal tax will be on cigars. No more speculation and rumor. The facts will be laid out in the bill to reauthorize the 11-year-old State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is slated for a vote in the House of Representatives Wednesday or Thursday.

Federal budget crunchers were working the numbers Monday, trying to see if everything adds up. Apparently, the increased tax revenue—largely from a cigarette tax boost—isn’t now sufficient to expand and fund a five-year plan. So, there’s consideration of shortening the time frame and coming back again in a few years.

As I write this Monday night, the final SCHIP bill hasn’t been released. It’s anticipated this morning, and the first place you’re likely to find it is on the House Rules Committee site or on Thomas.gov. Groups involved with tobacco, such as the IPCPR and the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, will also be on top of it.

For most of you reading this, the heart of the issue is what happens with large cigars, the category that includes premium sticks. One provision that could have devastated small cigar shops, a floor tax on inventory, has been shelved. And the plan to boost the cap on individual cigars—currently about a nickel—appears also to have been scaled back.

When President Bush vetoed the previous SCHIP bill, the cap was $3. There has been intense lobbying to push it down more. A few weeks ago, a number of reports put the cap proposal at $1. Over the weekend, a couple of retail shop owners told me they’d heard the cap would be 40-45 cents. A GOP staffer on the Hill told Patrick S on Monday that he was hearing cap figures between 39 cents and $1.

Jeff Borysiewicz, an executive at the gigantic Corona Cigar Co. and executive vice president of Cigar Rights of America, said Monday night that even if the tax ends up at the lowest of those ranges, he won’t be satisfied.

“I don’t feel good about what’s happened,” he told me. The group was among those arguing for a percentage tax increase equivalent to the 156.4 percent boost for cigarettes. That would have put the cigar cap between 12 and 13 cents.

Borysiewicz said he’s convinced that a tax even in the 40-cent range will have significant negative repercussions on manufacturers, importers, retailers and customers as it ripples through the market.

As you read the figures in the new bill, bear this in mind: What you see today is almost certain to become law. SCHIP enjoys strong support from key GOP and Democratic lawmakers, and what the House approves is what the Senate will vote on. Though there has been a lot of talk about having the legislation ready for a Jan. 20 signing by President Obama on Inauguration Day, I’m told it’s highly unlikely the Senate will vote by then.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

For about a year I’ve been dipping periodically into a colorful box of Old Henry Coronas. I liked them from the start, performing something like a Pepin light with less spice than his powerhouse blends and a little more leather.

It’s been several months since I lit one up, though, and when I did I got a surprise. A pleasant surprise. A year of aging has rounded the edges of this Nicaraguan puro and turned a good smoke into a considerably better one.

That shouldn’t be surprising. When Patrick A gave the Old Henry Robusto three stogies in an October review, he commented that it seemed like a stick that would benefit from some age. I believe he was correct.

On the other hand, even though a year isn’t very long to age a cigar, I’m wondering whether these aren’t near their peak. My reasoning: If they mellow noticeably in a year, will they go too far in another 12 months or so?

Maybe not, but I don’t think I’ll wait to find out, at least for all of them. I probably have ten or so left, and I plan to smoke them a little more rapidly in 2009 than I did in 2008. Of course, who knows whether my good intentions will hold up.

I’ve also tried the Robusto and prefer the somewhat longer (5.5 inches) and thinner (44 ring gauge) Corona. For my taste, it’s a bit smoother and more satisfying. When Patrick S did a Quick Smoke on the Robusto he rated it a “Buy.”

If you keep your eyes open, Old Henry can also be a pretty good buy. As a Holt’s house brand, it’s often specially priced and offered with some bonus or other. The latest catalog lists 25 Coronas at $99.95 with a five-pack of other Pepin cigars. I believe I paid about $10 less and got a five-pack and a couple of coffee mugs.

Right now, I give this cigar four out of five stogies. And I’m wondering what I’ll think as the year progresses. Will they continue to improve, stay about the same, or begin to slide? I’ll let you know.

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

–George E

photo credit: Wikipedia

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

This six inch by 53 ring gauge cedar-wrapped Torpedo has a toothy, deep black maduro wrapper with splotches of gray. Spanish for “double maduro,” it features singular black coffee notes with some occasional bitterness. There were no problems with construction. Altogether this is a pleasant, if uninspired, medium- to full-flavored maduro.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

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 cigar, which had been resting in my humidor since I reviewed it over a year ago, was better than I remembered. Gone were many of the underperforming physical characteristics, and the spicy flavor of pepper, clove, and molasses seemed more nuanced than before. Consider the Series ’68 Robusto $5 well spent—especially if you’re patient enough to give it some time to improve.

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

1) The anti-smoking zealots’ newest weapon is the notion of so-called “third-hand smoke”—harmful particles that remain on surfaces after smoking. Chris McCalla, legislative director for IPCPR, notes that the idea, while implausible, is gaining traction. “Now that it has been given a catchy name…Google is showing nearly one million results for ‘third-hand smoke’ occurring almost overnight,” he said in a press release.

2) Jacob Grier, friend of StogieGuys.com, recently published an excellent op-ed about Oregon’s new smoking ban entitled “Let’s not pretend it’s about saving lives.” A bartender in the state, Jacob argues that nonsmokers only pretend to care about health issues in order to impose their preferences on the public.

3) Inside the Industry: ST Group, the parent company of CAO, acquired Toraño’s cigar factories where many CAO cigars are made. Arganese Cigars has released Cugine after teaming up with “The Sopranos” actor Joe Gannascoli.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an Aurora Barrel Aged. A Cigar Smoker checks out the Los Blancos Criollo. Stogie Review smokes a CAO LX2. Cigar Jack reviews a Gurkha Signature Red 1887.

5) Deal of the Week: New Years specials are still running over at Cuban Crafters where you can pick up special deals on Stogie Guys favorites like the Miami Medina 1959 Lancero, J.L. Salazar Toro, and the Cupido Criollo Doble Perfecto. Pick ’em up here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

I wanted to like this cigar. It’s from a small producer in Estelí, Nicaragua, and Luis Martinez offers sticks at reasonable prices and frequently promotes good deals. This is the kind of company you can pull for.

Unfortunately, my experience with an eight-stick sampler pack ($25 including shipping and sales tax) left me unimpressed. Construction and burn were fine. The draw was consistently good. Even the faint pre-light aroma of nuts and mint was pleasant.

Taste was the downfall. Smoking through the sampler, I noticed little difference among the various vitolas. The beginning was harsh and biting, and throughout there was a dry, musty taste—and aftertaste—that I associate with Mexican tobacco.

My assumption was heightened by the fact that while the company identifies the wrapper (Ecuadorian sungrown) and binder (Honduran Cuban-seed), it refers to the filler only as a mix from Central America.

In the second third, the Silver Selection tended to smooth out a little and there was even a little pepper here and there. Even at its best, though, the cigars were not my cup of tea.

For just a shade over $3 a stick, you won’t be risking much if you want to check them out. I believe there’s even a no-risk special deal with a travel humidor. Rating this one wasn’t easy, but in the end I can give it only two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In addition to creating some of my favorite sticks, Cuban Crafters is also a purveyor of fine cigar accessories. Among their humidors, cases, lighters, and cutters, you can find the aptly titled Revolucion cigar scissors the on the Miami-based boutique manufacturer’s website.

Now before you dismiss this cutter as another useless cigar gadget that will drain your wallet and add little to your smoking enjoyment, consider that the Revolucion passes the three tests that every smoker should check when buying stogie accessories. First, it makes performing a very necessary, very frequent task easier.

With three self-sharpening blades, the Revolucion quickly and cleanly slices through any cigar head up to a 60 ring gauge. It’s almost impossible to tear, rip, or crush tobacco given that the stainless steel envelops each side of a cigar simultaneously and evenly. Cuban Crafters also throws in a handy little brush for removing the bits of filler tobacco that flake away.

Now, despite my praise, I’m not quite ready to throw out all my other cutting devices—especially since most of them work well and travel easily. But I often use the Revolucion at home, especially if I have company; its creative design is a real head-turner.

Second on my stogie accessories test list is price. Here the Revolucion also passes with flying colors. The pictured model only costs $20 and a black version of the same product sells for $25. Compare either price to what you have to pay for high-end double guillotine cutters that may not perform as well.

Finally, the Revolucion includes Cuban Crafters’ excellent service (easy to reach a human via phone, very customer friendly) and a lifetime guarantee. As the company says, “If it should ever break or fail to function as expected, simply return it and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. It will be replaced free of charge. You will never have to buy another one.”

For these reasons and more, the Revolucion is an easy recommendation for stogie enthusiasts who demand clean cuts and want to avoid the hazards presented by traditional cigar scissors. It can also serve as an interesting and unique gift for that smoker who has everything.

Even though Cuban Crafters debuted the technology at the RTDA back in 2006, I have yet to cross paths with another smoker who owns a Revolucion. While I’m not sure why that is, I’m certainly glad I have mine. This cutter certainly isn’t necessary for every smoker, but it works well, costs little, and looks damn cool.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys