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.

I’ve mentioned before how Gurkha seems to be very hit or miss. This particular blend is a hit. With rich woody flavors and a long smooth finish, the Legend pairs perfectly with either a mojito or a hearty beer. Despite the fact that, by the end, the burn was persistently uneven, I can still recommend this six and 1/2 inch by 53 ring gauge torpedo.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and reader-friendly as possible, each Friday we’ll post a selection of quick cigar news and stogie-related snippets. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Cigar Aficionado reports that Eric M. Newman of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company was recently voted the new chairman of the Cigar Association of America. The organization, which apparently lobbies for stogie smokers’ rights, certainly has its work cut out. We’re hoping Mr. Newman can get the industry back on track.

2) If you’re considering a trip to the Tampa area, you might want to arrange your schedule for Nov. 17 to enjoy Ybor City’s ninth annual Cigar Heritage Festival. Admission is free with suggested donations earmarked for the Ybor City Museum Society. The event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature representatives from Fuente, Rocky Patel, Thompson, Camacho, 601, and others. Festivities also include a beer garden, dominoes, entertainment, and cigar rollings.

3) Add a horrifically invasive smoking ban to the list of reasons never to visit Oakland, California. Thanks to a Draconian city council, it is now illegal to smoke in ATM lines, parks, bus stops, and – get this – municipal golf courses. Is this supposed to be a joke? Who do these bans protect?

4) While presidential frontrunners Hillary and Rudy both support the failed Cuban embargo, constitutionalist candidate Ron Paul is coming down hard on the 45-year-old policy. In a recent column, Dr. Paul wrote that “it is Americans who live in a free country, and as free people we should choose who to buy from or where to travel, not our government.”

5) Around the Blogs: Cigar Command has a Padrón 1964. Matt smokes a Fuente Don Carlos No. 4. Velvet Cigar tries a Coronado by La Flor. Brian smokes a Hemingway Classic. Cigar Jack reviews a La Flor Double Ligero. Keepers of the Flame lights up a La Aurora Preferidos.

6) Deal of the Week: If you’re as impressed by Don “Pepin” Garcia’s cigars as we are, then you’ll want to try his latest creation: the Troya Classico XVIII. Tinderbox.com has five-packs for just $29.95 that usually run $45. Grab yours here (and you might also want to check out their eight-Pack Sampler).

–The Stogie Guys

Introduced at the 2005 RTDA, the “King B” is an extension of Fuente’s popular Chateau Fuente line. Like all the sungrown cigars in the blend, the cedar-wrapped foot is draped in black ribbon.

Back when it debuted, Carlos Fuente, Jr. told CigarCyclopedia that the six inch by 55 ring gauge torpedo was named after a favorite meeting spot in Tampa of his grandfather, Arturo Fuente:

We wanted a pyramid in the Chateau Fuente line because we didn’t have one. We could have called it a Belicoso or a No. 2 like a lot of other brands out there, but I like to have shape names with some emotion attached to it.

I remembered when I was a little boy in Ybor City and I would go over to my grandfather’s house in the 1950s. Catty-corner behind his house was this place that all the cigarmakers used to go to meet in the afternoon.

They could have a drink there, hear the latest rumors, talk with their friends; there were people playing dominoes and smoking cigars in the front. That tavern, or meeting place, was called the King B.

The Arturo Fuente King B features a lovely reddish-brown Ecuadorian sungrown “rosado” wrapper. Inside are Dominican filler and binder tobaccos grown at Fuente’s own tobacco plantation. Of the multiple King B’s I sampled, I noticed a few prominent veins in the otherwise flawless wrappers.

Prior to lighting the King B, one can’t help but notice the strong cedar aroma it lets off (no doubt largely due to the cedar sleeve). The cigar is firm and dense to the touch, although it feels surprisingly light in my hand.

After clipping the head and lighting up this thick torpedo, I notice the same cedary flavor I could smell pre-light mixed with earth and sweetness. Additionally, I found an underlying peppery spice that faded in and out as the cigar progressed. The finish was smooth and earthy, but during the final third a bitter edge developed to the otherwise pleasant finish.

The draw was perfect and the white ash held for well over an inch at a time. In fact, one of the King B’s I smoked only required me to gently tap the ash off twice. The only downside to the construction was that the burn was at times uneven. I found that when I focused my attention on the burn, I could, with work, keep it even. However, when I was unable to pay it my undivided attention – such as at a roulette table in Reno – it became lopsided.

The King B, sold in a box of 18 cigars, has a suggested retail price of $6.75 per stick, but due to its limited production, they often retail for quite a bit more. (At the time of this review CigarsDirect.com, which provided the cigars for this review, currently has them in stock for $159.95 per box.)

Despite the sporadic burn problems and occasionally bitter finish, this is another excellent cigar from Fuente with a full, complex, and balanced flavor. For all that, the Arturo Fuente King B earns an excellent rating of four out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by CigarsDirect.com.]

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Last year we published a list of 15 Halloween costumes that could incorporate smoking your favorite cigar.

This year we’ve expanded the list to 20, more than a few of which could be pulled together before you celebrate Halloween tonight:

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Whether you’re going as The Governator or one of his gun-toting movie characters, a big cigar won’t look out of place.

2. Michael Jordan. Now in retirement, the greatest basketball player ever never hits the links without a Macanudo.

3. Groucho Marx. Sure, it’s a little dated, but this American icon loved his stogies.

4. Ulysses S. Grant. Some historians say the super-sized prez smoked around 20 cigars a day.

5. Mark Twain. Speaking of the cigar smokers of yesteryear, how about America’s best known cigar-smoking author?

6. Kramer. Just try not to burn down Suzan’s log cabin, or use any racial slurs.

7. Scarface. He was Tony Montana. The world will remember him by another name…

8. Bill Clinton. The former President (and future possible first lady?) got into quite a bit of trouble with his cigars.

9. Monica Lewinsky. (See eight.)

10. Sigmund Freud. Do you think the cigar-smoking neurologist was into cigars because he was envious of his father’s you-know-what?

11. Jesse Ventura. I’d recommend going as his Blain character from Predator. (Note: Jesse is the second future governor from this cast. Did someone say Carl Weathers in 2006?)

12. Hot cigar girl. Enough said.

13. Winston Churchill. Leading (and smoking) England through World War II, this prime minister is by far the manliest British dude ever. By far.

14. Clint Eastwood. Step one: Grab a six-shooter, a cowboy hat, and a Backwoods cigar. Step two: Go kill some Indians.

15. A cigar store Indian. Watch out for Clint Eastwoods.

16. A cigar-chomping communist dictator. Any Pinko Commie like Fidel Castro, Kim Jong Il, or Che Guevara will do.

17. The Babe. Maybe the greatest slugger in baseball history, Babe Ruth was known for his love of food, drink, and cigars.

18. Tony Soprano. We may never know what happened after “Don’t Stop Believing” stopped playing, but we do know that this mafia boss smoked a cigar in almost every episode of The Sopranos.

19. Al Capone. If we’re talking mafia bosses, why not be the original? Capone was known for his enjoyment of cigars, booze, and women. Just don’t get syphilis.

20. A Cigar. Sure smoking a cigar while being dressed as a cigar may seem weirdly cannibalistic, but what better way to show your love for stogies?

Got any costume ideas that we missed? Don’t be shy about letting us know your stogie costume in the comments.

–The Stogie Guys

When I tell people that I’m both a runner and a cigar enthusiast, I get some strange looks. Perhaps that isn’t too surprising, especially given the general public’s flawed perception that stogies are horribly dangerous and debilitating.

Activities people usually associate with cigars include drinking, golf, womanizing, pool, and other leisurely endeavors – certainly not running. But on Sunday, five years of novice running and four months of serious training paid off when I achieved my ultimate goal: completing Washington’s Marine Corps Marathon.

As you could imagine, I’m still really pumped (and still really sore). I wanted to share the following photos with you not in a prideful display of boasting, but rather as proof that cigar enthusiasts are completely capable of tackling one of the greatest challenges in athletics.

Just a few minutes before the starting gun, I’ve got my game face on at Runner’s Village by the Pentagon. It’s Eye of the Tiger time.

A terrific cheering section, composed of my parents and my girlfriend, helps me crack a smile circa mile 13. Only another 13.2 miles to go.

Exhausted and exhilarated, I look forward to lighting up a celebratory Punch Champion.

I would be remiss if I didn’t use this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make this accomplishment possible. That list includes my parents, who flew in from Chicago; my girlfriend, who helped me take everything in stride; and several friends and family members, who sent along sports drinks, power bars, and their best wishes.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

The cigar industry, from field to shop, turns out a great product. But, I’m sorry, that’s about it. As Congress began Thursday to debate a new version of the SCHIP bill that appears to contain the same tax proposals for cigars as did the earlier legislation, I was distraught. But after the industry’s display earlier, I wasn’t surprised.

I wrote an earlier piece suggesting where mistakes had been made and how the industry could do better. The drumbeat of blundering continued, though.

Let me just highlight a few examples: Attacking a program that polls show again and again is supported by a majority of Americans; and denouncing SCHIP as a Democratic socialized medicine ploy when its biggest supporters include such GOP conservatives as Chuck Grassley and Orrin Hatch.

Then, today, I read about how online poker players are lobbying hard on Capitol Hill to get the restrictions on their game repealed. I don’t know if they’ll succeed. But from what I read they’re approaching the issue logically, sanely, and have enlisted strong congressional support.

I hope they’ll be able to afford a cigar to enjoy while they’re sitting in front of the computer trying to make that inside straight.

As for me, I’m crying “Uncle.” Though I firmly believe that the large tax increase proposed for cigars is unfair and counterproductive, I also fear it is now inevitable. Lousy performance has a price, and in this case I’m afraid smokers will be paying the bill for the industry’s ineptitude.

–George E

Tags: cigars

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

After Patrick A’s review, I was excited to try this well-proportioned Cuban cigar. Despite an overly tight draw, I found a wonderful profile of deep earth and subtle peppery spices. The finish was pleasant with long fruity undertones, and the construction was solid with an even burn and long, solid ash.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars