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.

From Reserva Especial to Alonso Menendez, we’ve made no secret of our love for the products of Brazil Cigars & Tobacco. The six and ½ inch by 52 ring gauge Piramide by Dona Flor is no exception. A Brazilian puro with a Mata Fina wrapper, this cigar delivers delicious smoke with full flavors of cocoa, molasses, and toffee. Construction isn’t perfect, but with a price of $6 per stick I can wholeheartedly recommend you give one a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

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) In celebration of its ten-year anniversary, Rocky Patel Cigars this week released Decade, the company’s “best blend yet.” Box-pressed with an Ecuadorian wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, the line comes in four sizes and will cost upwards of $9 apiece. Cigar Aficionado reports the cigars “will not be available through discount catalogue or online sources.”

2) There have been some new cigar websites going up of late. The Newman Cigar Company, the manufacturer behind Diamond Crown and Cuesta-Rey, has created two new websites to promote its expanded humidor lines: DiamondCrown.com and CraftsmansBenchInternational.com. Meanwhile, United Tobacco and JR Cigars both introduced new blogs.

3) Around the Blogs: Matt has a Fuente Don Carlos. Cigar Jack smokes a CAO America. Stogie Review reviews a Bolivar Cofradia. Keepers of the Flame lights up a MATASA 30th Anniversary. Cigar Beat tries a Cuvee Blanc. Cigar Inspector inspects a Montecristo.

4) Deal of the Week: Three weeks ago, we told you about this sampler of samplers. Now Tinderbox is doing it again. The deal sports cigars from Cuesta-Rey, Punch, Bolivar, and General Cigar (including a Macanudo Gold, a Punch Grand Puro, a Hoyo Dark Sumatra, an El Rico Habana, and a Partagas Spanish Rosado) all for $60. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

Call it luck or sheer frustration, but StogieGuys.com has gone almost one month without mentioning the words “smoking ban.” We’ve steered clear of the subject since September 28, to be exact. Between reviewing cigars and talking to industry leaders, we’ve kept ourselves pretty busy with the proposed SCHIP tobacco tax hike.

Unfortunately, our recent lack of reporting on senseless smoking bans doesn’t mean they’ve gone away. Quite the contrary. So, by way of an update, here are a few important items you may have missed. See if you can notice a menacing new trend.

1. In a move that underscores irrational big government intrusion, the Chicago Park District banned smoking in the city’s beaches and parks on October 17. The questionable ban took effect immediately. According to the Chicago Tribune, “If caught smoking within 15 feet of a beach or a playground, smokers can be fined up to $500. Park officials made their plans for the ban public Tuesday, saying the restriction would not only protect children from secondhand smoke but also keep beaches free of cigarette butts.”

2. Maine is proving that smoking bans are a slippery slope. Not satisfied with ominous control over the state’s workplaces and restaurants, anti-smoking zealots are turning their attention to citizens’ apartments and cars. As the Boston Globe reports, “Groups such as the Maine Civil Liberties Union have expressed concerns about the proposed smoking ban in cars, which involves traffic stops and $50 fines. ‘While we do not dispute that smoking has potentially severe health effects, the question is whether it’s appropriate for law enforcement to be given the power to stop and penalize people who engage in an otherwise legal activity,’ said Shenna Bellows, MCLU executive director.”

3. America’s cigar smoker in chief is showing some mixed results. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a law prohibiting Californians from smoking in cars with passengers under 18. But he also vetoed a radical bill that would strip the state’s smoking ban of many of its exemptions. According to Cigar Aficionado, Arnold said, “While more needs to be done to reduce smoking rates, I do not agree that placing further restrictions on business owners is the correct approach.”

It doesn’t take a public policy expert to realize that invasive smoking bans – once relegated to restaurants, workplaces, and bars – are moving closer to our homes, cars, and other private places. This trend is troubling for all cigar enthusiasts, especially those who value personal freedoms and individual rights.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Lately, I’ve been lighting up quite a few Corojo-wrapped cigars. I smoked one a couple of weeks ago, liked it, and thought I should try others.

To be honest, I’d never heard of the Perdomo Habano, and it was more or less a substitute when I stopped at a shop I visit occasionally and discovered they no longer carry Camacho.

I picked up a five inch by 52 ring gauge Robusto for $4.90. Between the secondary band at the foot and the humongous size of the regular band, not a lot of cigar was on display.

For the price, it is an enjoyable smoke. Some manufacturers claim the non-Cuban Corojo wrappers reflect the taste of older Habanos when the notoriously delicate leaf was a staple. I can’t say. I’ve found that I sometimes truly enjoy the spicy kick from the varieties of Corojo available in cigars for sale in the U.S.

The Perdomo Habanos I’ve smoked have been consistent, both good and bad. On the plus side, the taste is a nice spice mingled with warm tobacco and no bitterness. They burned fairly slowly and produced good volumes of smoke. I would call them medium-strength cigars.

In the negative column, I’d have to tally the flaky ash and numerous burn problems. The biggest concern, though, is with the construction and the wrapper. It has unraveled on every one I’ve smoked so far.

Overall, though, I’d say the cigar delivers for the price. I also have a suspicion that they would be even better with some aging. I give the off-the-shelf Perdomo Habano three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–George E

Kinky Freidman is a uniquely American character.

As a singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, and politician, Kinky follows in the same line as American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. His band, Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, has had hits with such distinctly un-politically correct songs as “Get your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed” and “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore.”

In 2006 Kinky ran for Governor of Texas as an independent candidate, stating that his administration would make its goal the “dewussification” of Texas. Some of his campaign slogans were: “How hard could it be?”, “Why the hell not?”, “My governor is a Jewish cowboy”, and “He ain’t Kinky, he’s my governor.”

On the campaign trail, Kinky was often seen with a cigar – he is known for his love of Cubans – and he promised to roll back “any and all smoking bans” if elected, often repeating Mark Twain’s saying: “If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go.” Ultimately, he won 12.6 percent of the vote.

This year Kinky is rolling out his own cigar line: Kinky Friedman Cigars. (Look for a review of the torpedo-shaped “Kinkycristo” in an upcoming StogieGuys.com article.)

In this special edition of our Cigar Insider series, I talked cigars and politics with the one and only Kinky Friedman.

SG: How long have you been enjoying cigars? Do you remember your first smoke?

KF: I’ve been smoking cigars since Christ was a cowboy. Started so young I used a cigar as a pacifier. Come to think of it, I still do.

SG: You are known for your enjoyment of cigars from that certain island south of Miami. What do you think makes Cuban cigars so special?

KF: Cuban cigars are special because Cubans have been cultivating their soil and their art way before Castro started arresting librarians. The only cigars that can match them are Honduran cigars made by Cubans.

SG: With so many quality smokes out there, why did you decide to make your own cigars? Can you tell us a bit about how you chose the tobacco?

KF: It’s simply not a financial pleasure to smoke eight or more Cuban cigars a day at current market prices – the only thing to avoid pecuniary calamity seemed to be start my own cigar line. But they had to be good enough to satisfy my pallet or I knew I’d be right back on the Cubans. That’s precisely what Kinky Friedman Cigars are all about: a cigar that I’d be happy to smoke that’s not Cuban. (These rated an optimum score on Kinky’s personal cig-momanometer scale.)

I always refer the question of how we chose the precise tobacco blend to others in the company like the President or CEO. I’m merely the Ronald Reagan-style pitchman for Kinky Friedman Cigars. For me, cigars are to be smoked and enjoyed – not analyzed.

SG: What was the greatest challenge in starting up your cigar manufacturing operation?

KF: My greatest personal challenge was finding a cigar that I could enjoy that wasn’t Cuban; the greatest manufacturing challenge faced was finding a cigar that I would be happy to smoke. After all, I have been smoking since a very early age and the one taste bud I have left is a discriminating little sucker.

In your opinion, what is the best beverage to enjoy while smoking a fine cigar?

KF: Nothing better than a great Kona coffee or a glass of Guiness.

SG: Had you been elected Governor of Texas, who would have been America’s “Cigar Governor”: You or Arnold?

KF: Any Texan can drink or smoke any Californian under the table. That’s why they all come to Texas – to see how we do it.

SG: Your new book, You Can Lead a Politician to Water, But You Can’t Make Him Think, features a picture of you on the cover holding a cigar. Are there any lessons about Lone Star State politics that relate to cigars?

KF: No. Politics are invariably stressful; cigars are always relaxing.

Many thanks to Kinky Friedman for taking the time to answer our questions. For more on Kinky Friedman’s cigars, or to find a retailer near you, visit KinkyCigars.com. For all things Kinky, visit KinkyFriedman.com. To purchase Kinky’s new book, visit the Stogie Guys’ Amazon store.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Day in and day out, we here at StogieGuys.com try our best to find you solid smokes that won’t break the bank. And we also try to identify which pricey cigars don’t live up to the hype. More times than not, though, it seems like you usually get what you pay for.

And that’s the sad case with the Escudo Cubano Maduro. I was hoping that the $2.20 Toro (six inches by 50 ring gauge) would bear a reasonable resemblance to a Partagas Black, but I’m sorry to say this cigar just isn’t worth your time or money.

For starters, the top quarter inch of the dark wrapper has an alarming tendency to separate itself from the Nicaraguan binder during the cut. I write this, mind you, with complete confidence that the sticks had been stored properly and the cutter was sharp. As a result – on two of the three Toros I smoked for this review – much care and attention was required to keep them from falling apart.

This proved especially troubling because the black and bumpy wrapper is so oily it stains the skin and the lips. Very unpleasant. So if you’re adventurous enough to still try this cigar, make sure to have some extra napkins handy.

Also, don’t count on an even burn, a stable ash, or a clear draw.

With all these construction issues, the taste is really difficult to pay close attention to. Here’s what I could pick up: heavy notes of rich, sweet maduro flavors that reminded me more of the Camacho Triple Maduro than the Partagas Black. For me, a little bit of this taste goes a long way. I found myself getting bored of the cigar’s unchanging flavor, particularly since the slow-burning smoke takes over two hours to complete.

With exclusive distribution to the American market from the Dominican Republic, Escudo Cubano is rarely found in B&Ms but easy to track down online. Thompson calls the brand “the epitome of the craft of cigar making” and a throwback to the old Cuban blends. I’d have to disagree on both counts.

I give the Escudo Cubano Maduro Toro an unsatisfactory one and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a reader for our Quick Smoke Cigar Giveaway contest. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

The EO 601 Habano Oscuro Trabuco is a giant, 6.125 inch by 58 ring gauge creation by none other than Don “Pepin” Garcia. This is said to be the most full-bodied of the 601 lineup. The cigar has a good draw, initially starts off with a typical Pepin taste, a blast of cayenne and black pepper, which lasts for about an inch. Then the taste profile changes to that of maduro, not sweet but complex leather, wood, and coffee. The black pepper and cayenne keeps going in and out for about two inches, then the flavor starts to build up and once again becomes sharp, but not with a kick like at the beginning. This cigar was interesting enough to keep me occupied all the way.

Verdict = Buy.

–Submitted by Louis Hodgson of Chapel Hill, NC who will receive the final Arganese sampler for winning our contest.

Tags: cigars