The Stogie Guys

The first wrapper grown by the Toraños on their own plantation? Tobacco from Panama? These two unique traits help define the distinctive character of the Toraño Virtuoso line.

Advertised as the brand’s strongest blend, Virtuoso is “a testament to the Toraño family’s Cuban heritage.” It sports a Nicaraguan sungrown wrapper, a Honduran binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Panama.

The 4.75 inch by 52 ring gauge Encore vitola—rated 89 in the February 2006 issue of Cigar Aficionado—is a tasty-looking treat. While you’ll find plenty of veins, some messy seams, and a hastily-applied cap, the stick is nonetheless as smooth as it is solid.

Another unique feature apparent in the two Encores I smoked for this review is the presence of a slight box press. Maybe my tobacco-laden mind is starting to play tricks on me, but the circumference appears to take on somewhat of a flat oval shape. Or maybe not.

No matter. One thing I’m certain about is the delicious prelight aroma that pours out of the foot and off the sienna-colored wrapper (which is lighter than most sungrowns). George E wrote about these “earthy, vegetal” notes in a Quick Smoke of the larger Forte size.

Once lit, those tastes carry over for the first inch or so. The dominant flavors, however, are of black coffee, pepper, oak, and nut with a little bit of cocoa sweetness adding balance. Balance is especially important on a stick like this with a flavor profile that remains very consistent during the 85-minute smoke.

The finale sees no increase in harshness or spice—or anything else for that matter—even when the nub gets too hot to hold. Don’t get me wrong, though; despite its uniformity, the full-bodied taste never left me bored.

Like most Toraño creations, at least in my experience, the physical makeup of this stick is above average. The burn is straight, the white ash strong, and the clear draw produces ample tufts of thick, rich smoke.

While this cigar isn’t quite as tasty as those from Toraño’s Signature line (face it: I’m a sucker for Brazilian wrappers), it’s still well-built and delicious. You won’t be disappointed if you pick up a box of 25 for the going rate of just over $100. That’s my justification for giving the Toraño Virtuoso Encore four out of five stogies.

[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 line landed a spot on Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 and has gotten lots of good reviews online. I paid $6.75 for this five inch stick, which features a shade-grown Nicaraguan corojo wrapper. Combined with a mix of filler from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Colombia, the “Three Centuries” generates a distinctive taste. I found it to be a medium smoke with a great, slow burn, excellent draw, and huge smoke production. I got a core of leather with some spice and a touch of sweetness in the last third or so. If you’re looking for something a little different, give one of these a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Grand Habano Cigars

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

This prototype hasn’t been released by Cuban Crafters, but we were fortunate enough to get our hands on some. While I don’t know the exact makeup of this stick I can tell you that it features a somewhat dry Connecticut wrapper that is velvety to the touch. The taste reminded me of another boutique favorite of mine, the Ybor City Handmade. I found hay notes along with cream and hints of pepper. Construction is good, despite a slightly spongy feel, with an even burn and steady ash. Even though I enjoyed this Torpedo, I think the Chruchill format—of which I’ve tried two now—is even better. Still, I can recommend you pick up this attractive torpedo when it becomes available.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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) DC-area Stogie Guys should come out to Morton’s in Reston Town Center on Monday, July 21 for a special event with Paul Garmirian Cigars. For a mere $220, you’ll get five courses of Morton’s signature cuisine paired with fine wines and premium Paul Garmirian smokes— not to mention a chance to dine with Patrick A and Patrick S. See the Special Events tab here for more details and to register.

2) Add American Tap, a drinking hole in downstate Illinois, to the growing list of bars that outright defy tyrannical smoking bans. Owner Gary McWard is rightfully ignoring the statewide law and demonstrating that enforcement is still difficult in rural communities—where smoking rates and hostilities toward smoking bans are higher. “Go ahead and fine me,” he told the state health department.

3) Inside the Industry: Cuban Imports, Inc. will introduce the Exile Wired at the upcoming IPCPR Show. According to CigarCyclopedia, Tabacos de la Cordillera will also unveil four new cigars at the convention and trade show in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks, each using different Cuban tobacco whose seeds were kept genetically pure since their planting in Cuban soil in the 1940s and 1950s.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Oliva Serie G. Cigar Jack lights up an Ashton ESG. The Cigar Spy torches up a Don Lino 1989. Keepers of the Flame tries the Padrón Corticos.

5) Happy Independence Day! Be sure to celebrate with a cigar.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: PG Cigars

This may be a golden age for cigar smokers, but it’s likely to be a tough time for your local tobacconist. If there’s a common refrain I’ve heard lately from shop owners in my area, it’s this: “Guys who used to buy boxes are now buying five or six.”

Data seems to support the anecdotal evidence. Imports of premium sticks appear to be down this year from pretty impressive levels in 2007, according to the always authoritative CigarCyclopedia.com.

Selling cigars, even in the best of times, isn’t really a road to riches. Most of those who do—though there certainly are exceptions—are strongly motivated by a love of cigars and the cigar culture. But, as they say, love don’t pay the bills.

Perhaps buoyed by Tampa’s cigar history and a general vacation atmosphere, the area where I live is blessed with an abundance of cigar shops. There are probably a dozen or so legitimate cigar shops of various stripes and sizes within a 30-minute drive of my home. I can’t help but wonder how many I’ll still be able to visit a year or two from now.

If you’re fortunate enough to have high-quality shops nearby, don’t forget what your patronage means to them and how much they mean to you. No one should need reminding that with ever-increasing smoking restrictions, cigar shops are among our only remaining refuges.

As times get tough, we all look for ways to save money. There’s no doubt that you can do that by shopping on the Internet. And I’m not suggesting you give it up. For some of you, it’s the only access you have to get many of the boutique and harder-to-find sticks. Truth be told, many of the major online cigar retailers also maintain shops, so it’s sometimes difficult to even draw a distinction.

What I am suggesting is that you bear in mind how much local cigar shops mean and remember that in an unsteady economy they need your patronage more than ever. Don’t be guilty of Oscar Wilde’s complaint about those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr

For the past few years, online retailing behemoth Cigars International has been selling a premium house brand known as the “Legends” series. These cigars, each one made by a different boldfaced name in the business, represent what CI declares “the very best for the money” (a roughly $5-per-stick price tag). For a mere $5, you can enjoy the equivalent of a much pricier Don Pepin Garcia, or Graycliff, or Perdomo, etc.—or so the marketing goes.

Curious to see if these off-label premiums lived up to their brand-name equivalents, I lit up the Purple Label, a 5.7 inch by 54 ring gauge stick blended by Graycliff mastermind Avelino Lara. The Purple Label is a good-looking cigar whose smooth appearance, slightly spongy texture, and sweet aroma certainly bring the Graycliff Crystal PGX to mind.

Unfortunately, that’s about all this offering has in common with its Graycliff cousin. I can only surmise that the Purple Label is made with inferior tobacco to that found in the name-brand Crystal PGX, because the flavor is only superficially similar. Both are mild-bodied cigars, but the Crystal PGX offers a lot of complexity to belie its gentleness.

The Purple Lable, however, is a study in bland repetition. From start to finish, I tasted a single flavor note—basically what I’d describe as the essence of wet and slightly moldy hay. This is not a very enticing flavor to encounter in one puff of a cigar, much less a hundred or so. But that’s what I got from the Purple Label: Puff after boring puff, this cigar played a symphony in the key of blah. I was all too happy to toss the nub of my first stick, and when sampling my second, I was just as pleased to put it to rest.

I suppose it’s worth mentioning that the Purple Label is a mechanically decent cigar. The draw is a bit too tight, but forgivable. The burn is sharp and even. The ash holds true for inches at a time. But do these qualities really matter when you’ve got no interest in what you’re smoking? I’d almost get the same experience just pretending to puff on the Purple Label for an hour and change, never lighting the foot.

Bottom line: If you want to smoke a Graycliff, you’re unfortunately going to have to pay for the real thing. This cigar is no substitute. Still, for solid aesthetics, competent handling and ennui-inducing flavor, I give the CI Legends Purple Label a very generous two out of five stogies.

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

–Jon N

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It has long been a suspicion that the anti-smoking movement would not be content with dictatorial smoking bans and oppressive tobacco taxes. Last week that suspicion was reinforced in a big way.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) issued a scathing press release citing that “57% of the people in Ireland support a ban on smoking in all homes and cars” and that “this could expand the latest front in the war to protect nonsmokers.” John F. Banzhaf, executive director and chief counsel for ASH and professor of law at George Washington University, went on to make this ominous statement:

“As politicians in many states continue to debate whether to ban smoking in restaurants, bars, casinos, and other public places, it looks like legislators are once again far behind the growing public sentiment for smoking bans, and also far behind how far judges and regulatory agencies are willing to go.”

Now it comes as no surprise to our regular readers that government-mandated smoking bans and the anti-tobacco zealots who advocate them get no sympathy here. We’ve made no secret of the fact that such invasive bans limit choice, violate private property, and are justified only by shoddy “science.” But this call for smoking bans in private homes and cars takes tyranny to a whole new level.

Ironically, as our friend Jacob Grier so eloquently describes, “Despite all the recent victories for the anti-smoking lobby, its increasingly untenable claims and restrictive proposals will open the door to blowback.” Such impending retaliation should have the anti-smoking community at least a little worried (that is, of course, if the cigar industry gets its act together). Physician Michael Siegel, a proponent of smoking bans in workplaces, recently penned this on the subject:

“I must also say that ASH is making the pronouncements of smoking ban opponents look good. Many years ago, when I was lobbying for smoke-free workplace laws, opponents of these laws argued that this was just the first step: Workplaces were the first step and eventually we [the antis] would be trying to get smoking banned in the home. I countered these arguments by stating no—you’re wrong—we are going to stop after getting smoking banned in the workplace. Unfortunately, it looks like I was wrong and the smoking ban opponents were correct. Thanks to ASH, all those smoking ban opponents can now say ‘I told you so.’ Why would ASH make a public statement like this? Wouldn’t ASH recognize that by doing this, it paints all anti-smoking advocates and groups as being complete fanatics whose ultimate goal is to ban smoking everywhere, even inside the home?”

Maybe it was naïve to think a complete tobacco ban wasn’t the goal of anti-smoking groups from the get-go. Is it any wonder that those who would organize and put great effort into restricting the rights of others are not to be trusted?

In any event, as a cigar enthusiast and an overall fan of individual rights, I hope the cigar industry—including all those well-intentioned groups that sprung up last month—can use ASH’s brazen lack of judgment to make some gains for smokers and liberty.

–Patrick A

photo credit: CNN