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.

The Punch Prensada Maduro No. 4 is a six and 1/2 inch by 43 ring gauge box-pressed “toro” that sits heavy in your hand. With a full-bodied chocolate flavor, it lacks the spice characteristic of most Punch cigars, but it’s still balanced and tasty. The cigar produced abundant smoke from an easy draw, and I can easily recommend it.

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) If you’re planning to take a cruise, be sure to ask in advance about smoking restrictions. Among the latest to extend no smoking rules is Royal Caribbean International. According to Fodor’s Travel Wire, in January 2008 the line will no longer allow smoking in guest quarters in 18 of its 21 ships. Smoking will continue to be OK in designated areas of some bars, on balconies, and starboard outer decks.

2) News surfaced on Wednesday that the House is considering its own version of the Senate’s proposed 20,000 percent cigar tax hike. Instead of charging up to $10 per cigar in federal taxes, the new bill would put the cap at $1 and does not include a tax on inventory. I guess that’s good news. Sort of.

3) Well, the anti-smoking zealots have already gotten to Churchill and Tom and Jerry; it was only a matter of time before Mickey went smoke-free too. Disney’s chief executive announced this week that the company would be eliminating smoking from its films, as well as discouraging the act under its two other labels: Touchstone and Miramax. Is the best way to deal with an issue to censor it?

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an FP Habano 98. Stogie Fresh smokes a Camacho Triple Maduro. Stogie Review fires up a Cuba Aliados. Cigar Jack tries a “JFR” Coronoa Gorda. Velvet Cigar smokes a Toraño Reserva Selecta. Cigar Beat reviews an Oliva Serie V. Cigar Monkey goes with the Ashton VSG.

5) Deal of the Week: If you’re looking to add a small humidor to your collection (maybe for the office?) or looking for a good starter humidor, this deal is for you. For just $40, you get a Mahogany humidor, humidor solution, cigar cutter, a Camacho hat, and 25 cigars. And with sticks by Perdomo, Oliva, and Camacho, the cigars alone are worth the price. Pick yours up here.

–The Stogie Guys

Finding myself blessed with several days of unseasonably pleasant evenings, I’ve been smoking more cigars on the deck than usual this time of year. More often, the heat forces me to visit a cigar shop if I want to smoke. Being able to smoke at home has allowed me to try some I’ve accumulated over the past few months.

This H. Upmann Super Fuerte Robusto was one of a seven-stick special I bought in May from JR for $19.75, including shipping. The Super Fuerte line – which was created in 2005 – is the result of JR head Lew Rothman working with Tabacalera de Garcia cigar factory manager Jose Seijas to create a stronger Upmann. Boxes of 20 can be purchased for $95 from JR, but a few other online retailers seem to carry it for less.

The maduro wrapper, a Connecticut broadleaf, is nearly as dark as coffee and oily to the eye and to the touch. Pre-light, the aroma from a blend of Nicaraguan, Peruvian, and Dominican fillers is warm and earthy at the foot. The binder is Ecuadorian Sumatra.

All in all, a beautiful five inch by 55 ring gauge cigar.

Lately, I have been taking more time lighting, working to get an even, full glow without having to puff while holding the foot above the flame. It was easy with this cigar. And as the ash grew, it showed the waving pattern of the filler leaves. Not that all that has much to do with the taste, but, as reader Mac and Nudo reminded us recently, aesthetics are important.

The Super Fuerte, to my taste, was not nearly as strong as its name implies. I found it more in the mild to medium range. It is also not an overly complex cigar. Though I picked up a little spice, a little cocoa, and some woody notes along the way, the predominant taste was warm, pleasant tobacco.

This cigar seems like a natural to accompany an afternoon cup of coffee or following a light meal. For that it earns a rating of three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–George E

Raise your hand if you’re sick of reading about Congress’ proposed legislation that would increase federal taxes on cigars 20,000 percent. Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Ever since news broke last week of anti-tobacco extremists’ most egregious and vile scheme since the adaptation of the smoking ban, the cigar world has turned upside down. It’s impossible to read anything stogie-related these days without some mention of the possible tax hike from five cents to up to $10 per stick.

But maybe that’s a good thing. Cigar manufacturers, retailers, and enthusiasts are more united now than ever before. This newfound camaraderie is largely a result of the media – television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet – and their willingness and ability to get the word out. After all, if we don’t band together and take some action, the smoking police will trample our collective rights faster than you can say “Connecticut Broadleaf.”

With that spirit in mind, I’ve thrown together a few interesting articles with oft-overlooked points that will add fuel to your fire and give you more ammunition when you call your senators.

For the Children?

This Human Events article points out that “the proposed tax will supposedly go to funding health care programs, but recent history should cause us to beware of such claims. Remember the big tobacco settlement that came about in the late 1990s? The funds from the settlement were supposed to go to healthcare, but as this article notes, much of it went instead to highway repairs and school construction. Who really thinks that the allocation of funds from a $10 cigar tax will be any different?”

A New Black Market

Aside from highlighting several retailers who predict they will be out of business if the bill passes, this Arkansas News Bureau article quotes a tobacco store owner who suggests “the black market, which supplies many Americans with illegal Cuban-made cigars, would be expanded to include the non-Cuban varieties” once the price of legal cigars is driven up by the tax.

Tobacco as the Enemy

Like many concerned aficionados, Sarah Soza, owner of a small, family-operated B&M in California, wonders why cigars are targeted over other, more dangerous goods. The Fresno Bee reports that “she doesn’t understand why the cigar industry is included in the health insurance funding bill, while other industries such as soft drink and candy makers are not…‘I believe in providing health insurance for children, but why are we the only ones paying for it?’”

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

After two huge hits with his Vintage 1990 and 1992 lines, Rocky Patel was on top of the cigar world. So how do you follow up such successes? Combine them, of course!

The Rocky Patel Fusion is a combination of his 1990 and 1992 lines featuring the same Honduran Connecticut broadleaf wrapper as the 1990, while using the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper from the 1992 as a binder. Inside the seven inch by 48 ring gauge Churchill is a mix of Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Cameroon tobaccos blended at Patel’s Honduran factory.

This particular vitola retails for around $8 per stick, but it can be found online for closer to $5 (I purchased a five pack online for $19). After clipping and lighting this classically-shaped Churchill with its dual purple band, I was greeted with a firm but not too difficult draw, as well as a complex flavor profile.

The cigar has exceptional balance, with a hint of spice and subtle chocolate notes. As it progressed, the Fusion produced an earthy flavor that started a little bitter but had a subtle sweet finish.

Construction on the Churchills is good but not great. The burn was even on every stick I tried, but I found the ash was unstable and often fell off well before it grew to a full inch.

Given that it is a combination of two of my favorite cigars, it should be no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I think that ultimately the Vintage 1990 and 1992 lines are both better than the Fusion. Despite being both earthy and balanced, the Fusion lacked the full, rich earthy flavor of the 1992 and the perfect balance and floral elements of the 1990.

Still, while not as fantastic as the cigars that make up its parts, the Fusion is still a very good cigar that earns an impressive four out of five stogies .

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

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Since news broke last week that Congress is proposing a bill to skyrocket taxes on cigars by 20,000 percent, the industry has been abuzz. Manufacturers, retailers, and aficionados alike are clamoring for an appeal to reason.

The bill would force law-abiding citizens like you and me to pay up to $10 in federal taxes to support what some call a noble cause: providing government-funded health care for poor children. But the anti-tobacco extremists behind the legislation fail to realize how the millions of people who are employed by the industry would be devastated. What about their children?

In a rare display of journalistic integrity, CBS 4 Miami reporter Gary Nelson has been covering how large and small tobacco dealers would be closing their doors if the bill passes. You can read some of his work and watch an excellent video exposé here.

In addition, Drew Newman of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company – makers of Arturo Fuente and Cuesta Rey – had a poignant letter in Saturday’s Washington Post. He notes that “unlike the cigarette industry, which is controlled by huge conglomerates, the cigar industry is dominated by small, family-owned companies that have been in the business for generations.”

Newman comes to the following conclusion: “Such an enormous, disproportionate tax increase would be grossly unfair and would cripple the premium cigar industry and all of the family-owned small businesses that are part of it.”

And it’s not like cigar makers like the Newmans are opposed to helping children in need. The company’s Cigar Family Charitable Foundation has been building schools, medical facilities, and job training centers in the Dominican Republic for years.

–Patrick A

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.

Two things stand out with the Padilla Hybrid. The fine construction is highlighted by a smooth, beautiful light brown wrapper, and it’s unclear whether they’re to be discontinued. An e-mail and phone calls to the Padilla headquarters in Hialeah, Florida haven’t brought an answer. But for however long they’re here, the Hybrid – named for its Ecuadorian grown wrapper that’s a mix of Cuban and Connecticut seed – offers a decent smoke at a moderate price. I paid $4 for a six and 1/2 inch torpedo with a 52 ring gauge. I found it to be a nice, mild cigar, though it did not produce enough smoke. For a morning cigar or a change of pace, give it a try.

Verdict =Buy.

–George E

Tags: cigars