The 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 perfecto (5.5 x 52) features the same oily oscuro wrapper as it’s robusto-sized compatriot, the La Fuerza, one of my all-time favorite cigars. It features the same full flavors of leather, pepper, and earth, and the construction is also flawless. Still, I can’t help but think that La Punta doesn’t have the same complexity or strength. But I can still recommend this stick to anyone who enjoys a lively, full-bodied smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.

This extension of the Perdomo Habano line features a beautiful honey blonde wrapper and a mix of Nicaraguan filler. The most outstanding characteristic of the Toro (5.5 x 54) is how smooth it smokes. But don’t mistake the Connecticut shade wrapper for a bland smoke; while it isn’t particularly strong, it is full and satisfying. At $5.50 a stick, it’s worth 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 snippets of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) After failing in the state legislature, Michigan’s proposed statewide smoking ban will likely be off the docket until 2009. Chris McCalla of IPCPR penned a scathing refute of Michigan legislators’ attempts to enact the law, arguing that deceptive anti-smoking groups are misleading politicians and the public about the so-called dangers of secondhand smoke. He also claims an all-out ban would devastate tobacco retailers, “pillars of the communities they serve…[that] provide thousands of jobs and pay millions of dollars annually in payroll, sales, and excise taxes.”

2) Pete Johnson of Tatuaje supposedly released a “secret cigar” called El Triunfador. Cigar Aficionado reports the stick doesn’t appear on any price sheets or websites, but “started mysteriously finding its way to retailers and smokers in the beginning of September.”

3) Don’t plan on smoking—not even outdoors—if you’re one of the 110,000 college students in the 14 public universities in Pennsylvania. A spokesperson for the state’s higher education bureaucracy said, “We ultimately interpreted the [Pennsylvania smoking ban] to require a campus-wide ban.”

4) Inside the Industry: Don Pepin is partnering with Nestor Miranda to make the Nestor Miranda Signature Selection. Padilla opened its new factory and lounge in Little Havana, Miami. A number of Habanos Limited Edición cigars are now available in tubos. CAO is launching a “Rock and Rolled Tour.”

5) Around the Blogs: Cigar Jack smokes the Isla de Cuba Classic. Keepers of the Flame lights up a Cubao No. 5. Stogie Review torches a Macanudo 1968. Her Humidor tries the Reyes Family Classic.

6) Deal of the Week: Sure we have two presidential candidates who favor various anti-tobacco laws, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the Presidential Sampler. For just $49.99 you get ten super-premium cigars, many of which normally retail for $10-15, including the Cohiba Robusto, Montecristo Churchill, Graycliff 1666 PGX, Romeo y Julieta Viejo, and the Gurkha Legend Churchill. Grab yours here today.

– The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As I suggested in previous writings on Rhum Barbancourt and El Dorado, perhaps nothing is as calming as kicking back with a fine sipping rum and a well-paired cigar. And, for my money, perhaps no rum on the face of the Earth is quite as relaxing as Angostura 1919.

Oddly enough, this Trinidad & Tobago-based company is better known for its aromatic bitters—highly concentrated food and beverage flavorings—than its rum. Angostura’s beginnings can be traced back to 1824 when a surgeon general in Simón Bolívar’s Venezuelan army sought to improve the appetite and digestive well-being of the soldiers. It wasn’t until 1947 that Angostura began to ferment, distill, age, blend, and bottle rum in Laventille, Trinidad. According to the company’s history, today Angostura produces over 600,000 cases of rum each year, most of which is shipped to America, Great Britain, and other islands in the Caribbean.

Angostura 1919 is an “añejo made from a blend of light and heavy molasses-based rums aged for a minimum of eight years in charred American oak bourbon barrels.” I picked up a 750 ml. bottle (40% alcohol) for $28. With its square-ish (dare I say box-pressed?) shape, protruding black cork, and golden clarity, the bottle jumps out at you as you walk down the rum aisle.

I find the flavor to be sweet and spicy on the nose with a dry profile that includes caramel, vanilla, and toast. The long, smooth finish opens up after a few seconds to reveal a soothing, rounded heat.

This rum’s subtle complexity can be overshadowed by most full-bodied cigars, so my pairing recommendation is to stick with something in the medium-bodied range. A few winning combinations include La Aurora 1495, CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon, and Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure. For the blend’s reserved density, though, perhaps the best complementary match I found is with a Cuban Crafters Medina 1959.

I’ll end by noting that Angostura also offers an 1824 blend of more mature rums at a cost of about $55 per 750 ml. bottle (40% alcohol). I look forward to trying that out and reporting back to you. Meanwhile, don’t be afraid to purchase a bottle of 1919; it is affordable and definitely tasty enough to sip neat or on the rocks.

–Patrick A

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Sure it is tough times economically right now, but that shouldn’t deter you from buying cigars. In case you have any doubts (or need help convincing someone that now is the right tome to stock up), here are nine reasons you should be increasing your cigar reserves right now:

Hurricanes, Floods, and Locusts — Hurricanes and other natural disasters (including insect infestations or mold) could strike tobacco producing countries at any time, devastating the tobacco crop, limiting supply, and driving up the prices of whatever remains. If you have enough cigars before disaster hits, you can ride out the storm.

Stupid Politicians — They’re only one vote away from levying a massive tax on cigars or outright banning our combustible tobacco treats. There is, however, one sure way to avoid paying the taxes of the future (or having to purchase black market cigars of questionable origin): Start storing up now.

Food and Booze — Enjoying some fine dining or top shelf booze? Everyone knows that a good meal or great spirit is made better when followed by, or enjoyed with, a good cigar. You’re practically throwing your money away every time you eat or drink and fail to top it off with a fine smoke.

Cheap — I’ve said it before: Cigars are cheap compared to most entertainment and would still be even if prices doubled tomorrow (not that I’m in favor of that). Think about it, a trip to the movies can can run $40 for two people, a baseball game twice that much. Yet for five or ten dollars, you can smoke a cigar for an hour or two. Basic economics tells us when something is so under-priced it should be bought up.

Aging — Cigars, at least many good ones, get better with age. Months, years, or even decades can do wonders for the flavor of a fine stogie. The problem is waiting for the cigars to age without smoking them all. Fortunately, there is a solution: Buy so many cigars that it’ll take years to smoke them all.

Celebrations — There are countless reasons to celebrate, and many often come up unexpected. The only way to be prepared is to have a massive stash of cigars ready to go. After all, you can’t plan a drunken Vegas wedding…but you can have enough smokes on hand to celebrate the occasion.

Investment — The stock market is tanking, mortgages are defaulting, and inflation is killing the dollar, but cigars remain a good investment. Think about it. If you bought a box of Opus X cigars one year ago, it would have out-performed pretty much every stock in the Dow Jones. And given all the reasons on this list, demand (and thus prices) will only go up.

Bargains — Nearly everyday there is a great deal on one website or another, or at your local B&M (not to mention the StogieGuys.com “Deal of the Week” featured in every Friday Sampler). Any of these could expire tomorrow, leaving you stuck paying more for a cigar than you otherwise would have. Therefore, it is always smart to take advantage of these deals, right?

Idiot Repellent — Let’s face it: There are a lot of dumb, annoying people around, and the dumber and more annoying, the more likely they are to give you their unsolicited, unwanted, and uninformed opinions. Fortunately, these stupid people are also the most likely to be annoyed by the wonderful aroma of a fine cigar, making smoking the perfect way to keep such undesirables away.

Got a better reason for buying cigars now? Let us know in the comments.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Flickr

When I think of Panama, the first thing that comes to mind is the canal—not tobacco. But the Central American country has been manufacturing cigars for 100 years and, as evidenced by the Joyas de Panama brand, should be included in the growing list of nations that are exporting tobacco to the U.S. and elsewhere.

Until recently, Joyas de Panama has been sold exclusively in Europe. BCB Design, however, which acquired the brand in the fall, began introducing these Cuban-seed Panamanian puros to the U.S. market at the 76th Annual IPCPR Trade Show in July.

The blend includes a Sumatran wrapper and long-fillers grown in the Chiriqui province of Panama, “a lush region well known for its agricultural products.” Joyas says the leaves are completely organic with “no chemicals, pesticides, or machines…used in he growing or production of this sustainable product.”

Under the supervision of Miriam Padilla, a 26-year cigar vet, the Joyas de Panama factory turns out five different handmade vitolas. I smoked two Especial No. 1s (6.5 x 45) for this review, and each was very difficult to remove from its ultra-tight cellophane sleeve.

Once out in the open, the veiny, partially discolored wrapper gives off plenty of sugar-cookie sweetness. While relatively solid between the fingers, a cross-section inspection reveals the filler is bunched loosely, helping to contribute to the cigar’s even draw despite its thin physique.

The initial taste is sort of bland and uninspiring with an airy, hollow character. Fortunately, the quick additions of vanilla, onion spice, leather, and oak lend some life to the mild- to medium-bodied profile, and moderate increases in burnt sugar down the stretch keep things interesting and pretty satisfying.

For the value price of $60 per bundle of 25, I was most impressed with the 80-minute smoke’s construction. Both of my cigars exhibited very even burns, clear draws, and well-fortified ashes.

My overall assessment is that these outstanding physical properties, coupled with the minimal cost, render the Joyas de Panama Especial No. 1 a decent early morning golf, walk, or newspaper companion. Just don’t expect the cigar’s flavors to be especially captivating or complex on their own. That’s why I give it three out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

At the IPCPR Darryl Liesler, the man behind Isla de Cuba, handed me one of his new cigars. Called Blend 376, Isler told me the name came about because the final product represents the 376th blend tested while the cigar was being created. While I was able to try one of the 376 cigars while in Vegas, my palate was a bit dulled from smoking cigars by the handful, so I was glad to have the opportunity to smoke a few more and publish this review just as the cigar begins hitting stores.

This Isla features a dark attractive wrapper with a slight box press. The Robusto Extra (5.5 x 50) is firm to the touch.

The cigar is wrapped with a Mexican San Andres leaf, a Nicaraguan binder, and a blend of fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras, and other “secret” Central American tobaccos. (Why the secret? I’m not sure, but two theories come to mind: Perhaps it’s an illusion to the use of Cuban tobacco, or maybe just a way to avoid naming a politically unpopular country like Venezuela. Then again, maybe it’s just secret so cigar reviewers will talk about it!)

Pre-light I find notes of peanuts. The 376 lights up easily, quickly revealing a solid white ash. The draw is deliberate but not difficult, and the ash will hold for a whole inch. Three of the four cigars I smoked for this review burned perfectly from light to nub, while the fourth required only a slight touchup.

The flavors of the Blend 376 are reminiscent to, but not the same as, the original Classic blend. The cigar is toasty with leather and lots of nut flavors—both peanut and cashew come to mind. The short finish features roast coffee, a sensation that leaves the mouth watering.

The Blend 376 is medium-bodied and well-balanced. The flavors don’t change throughout the cigar, but they are still interesting enough to keep you engaged for the entire stick. I found that the Blend 376 reminded me of one of my favorite smokes, the Padrón 1926 (incidentally also a box-pressed smoke), although the 376 isn’t quite as complex.

At around $7 apiece, it may be a stretch to call this cigar a bargain, but I certainly think it is fair price. All things considered, between well-balanced and interesting flavors, excellent physical properties, and a reasonable price, I think Isla de Cuba has a real hit with this new cigar. The Isla de Cuba Blend 376 earns the exemplary rating of four and a half out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys