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 Gurkha Vintage Torpedo is a pleasant looking cigar with an almost flawless Connecticut wrapper. Unfortunately, it didn’t taste as good as it looked. While the construction was impressive, the cigar had a strong chemical flavor. That flavor, combined with warm tobacco and hints of sweet hay, made for an unenjoyable smoke.

Verdict = Sell.

–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. Aside from the ridiculous 20,000 percent cigar tax increase being proposed in Congress, this week’s big news concerns the acquisition of cigar giant Altadis. The maker of such famed brands as Cohiba, H. Upmann, and Romeo y Julieta will reportedly be sold to Imperial Tobacco for a cool $22.4 billion. The deal is expected to close by the first fiscal quarter in 2008.

2. Speaking of Romeo y Julietas, the highly anticipated Edición Limitada cigars – first introduced at the 2006 RTDA trade show – are finally shipping out to local B&Ms. The new blend features a San Andreas Corojo wrapper covering Nicaraguan and Dominican long fillers and a Broadleaf binder.

3. Around the Blogs: Stogie Fresh smokes a Don Pepin Cuban Classic. Stogie Review reviews a Camacho SLR Maduro. Leafy Times tries cigars from Hawaii. Cigar Beat reviews a Cusano 18 Double Connecticut. Keepers of the Flame lights up a La Tradicion Cubana. Cigar Jack is giving away free gear.

4. Deal of the Week: From time to time we come across promotions for free cigars. In the July Robb Report, we found this one for a Free Montecristo. When ours arrived earlier this week, it was a Montecristo Classic Toro. Enjoy!

–The Stogie Guys

After recently smoking a few different cigars and finding most of them to be so-so, I began to seriously wonder just what it is that makes a smoke enjoyable to me.

Of course, the list of possibilities to consider is almost endless. Taste, flavor, strength, size, smoke, burn. And on and on.

I generally think of myself as leaning toward medium- to full-flavored sticks. But I also find myself frequently enjoying mild cigars. So it isn’t strength that determines my smoking pleasure. For starters, I examined a few of those I’d recently smoked.

A Punch Gran Puro Sierra (six and 1/2 inches by 48 ring gauge), for example, wasn’t bad. It produced tons of smoke, had an evolving taste, and burned just fine. My primary complaint was a bitterness throughout much of the stick.

Then there was a Henry Clay Rothchilde, a five inch by 50 ring gauge rough looking cigar with a couple of large veins. While the smoke volume wasn’t up to the Gran Puro level, it was certainly adequate. The aroma was light and the head had an almost sweetness before the light. While it was burning,I notieced tastes of nuts and leather. Overall, the Henry Clay had a harshness from beginning to end.

I wouldn’t call either of these cigars bad. But I also wouldn’t smoke them very often. Why not, compared to, say, some of my favorites such as the Excalibur, Partagas Black, Toraño 1959 Silver, or Hemingway? Those are all very different cigars. What is the common thread?

As I smoked an Excalibur maduro, I began to understand. It really came down to just one word: smoothness. When a cigar is rough or harsh, I have a hard time enjoying whatever other positive attributes it possesses.

Understanding why we like certain cigars, as well as find ourselves indifferent or negative toward others, can increase the likelihood of success in picking new sticks. I know that from now on, when I’m reading others’ reviews and impressions of cigars I haven’t tried, I’ll pay particular attention to the whether the smoker found them smooth or not.

–George E

Tags: cigars

We were planning on posting a review or commentary today, but then we arrived home and found ourselves bombarded with emails from various cigar retailers.

As it turns out, those idiots up on Capitol Hill are preparing to engage in the worst kind of bullying: They are proposing to raise taxes on cigars from 5 cents to $9.95 per stick.

To fill you in on the details, here is a statement by JR Cigars head Lew Rothman, which is similar to many of the other emails we received:

Everyone, and I mean everyone, that even smokes a cigar now and then has to be on alert for messages from all smoke shops and Internet vendors and manufacturers in the next few days regarding the proposed new tax on tobacco products:

“The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a markup on Tuesday, July 17 on legislation dealing with the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The measure is expected to be reported out of committee. Funding would be almost totally via higher taxes on tobacco products. The cigarette tax will increase by $.61 to $1 per pack effective after December 31, 2007. Other tobacco products would be taxed as follows: large cigars – 53.13% of mfr’s or importer’s sales price, but not more than $10.00 per cigar.”

In addition, there will be a floor stocks tax on tobacco products manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. which are removed before January 1, 2008 and held on that date for sale. The person holding the product on January 1, 2008 is liable for the tax to be paid on or before April 1, 2008.

YES! You read that right! $10.00 PER CIGAR, plus whatever your local state tax is. The people in Washington have absolutely no clue about the cigar business. Their sole focus is on cigarettes and we are about to get dragged along with it.

Not only will this put virtually every manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer out of business, it will also devastate the economy of Nicaragua, Honduras, The Dominican Republic, and also have a significant impact on Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, and Peru. (Whereupon, I’m sure the USA will be called upon to provide additional relief funding!).

You and everyone else who has any thoughts about continuing to smoke cigars or grow, sort, manufacture, distribute, or retail cigars need to make a concerted phone, mail, and e-mail bombardment of Congress very shortly. Hopefully, someone more adept at interpreting this new tax law will supply the proper language for this protest.

Be ready and be vocal, and be outraged because this tax is definitely outrageous. It is my firm belief that if passed as it stands right now the entire industry will collapse prior to April 1, 2008 (appropriately named April Fools Day for the Fools we have running the government right now) because no one will have the finances to pay the tax on their inventory.

We’ve long argued against punitive tobacco taxes – which we’ve noted simply pick on a minority that already pays more than its fair share. But this proposal blows all other proposed tax increases out of the water. And even if you think the SCHIP is something worth funding, you should still oppose a regressive tax on tobacco that singles out a small and already heavily discriminated group.

That’s why we’re asking every reader to contact both their Senators today and tell them you oppose raising taxes on cigars to fund SCHIP legislation. Their numbers can be found here.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Last November we reported live results – and ultimately wrap-up analysis – of the various anti-tobacco initiatives up for grabs on Election Day. While voters were reluctant to pass tobacco tax hikes, they had no qualms against voting for senseless smoking bans.

One such law was the statewide smoking ban in Ohio. Calling for a prohibition on smoking in public places and most private businesses, the ban passed easily with about 58 percent of the vote. We also mentioned that a similar Buckeye State proposition with some reasonable exemptions failed miserably.

Ah, but there may be a glimmer of hope for Ohio yet. Our friends over at Cigar Jack brought this Cincinnati Enquirer article to my attention, which explains a bill has been introduced by State Sen. Gary Cates (pictured) that would make cigar bars exempt from the ban.

When you think about it, this is a no-brainer. Smoking bans shouldn’t exist in the first place, and enforcing them in private places that completely depend on a smoking clientele is both sick and cruel. People like Greg Varacalli, owner of Anthony’s Cigar Bar & Grill, are reporting revenue decreases in excess of 60 percent. That’s enough to force bankruptcy.

So let’s do what we can to help out these hardworking entrepreneurs. In December you made a difference by blitzing the toll-free “Complaint Hotline” the state initiated to allow nosey Ohioans to report smoking ban violations. Once again I’m asking you to lend a hand (especially if you live in the state) by contacting a state senator and asking him or her to support S.B. 195.

This is one of those rare situations where instead of merely bitching about bad policy we can actually do something about it. Every call or letter will help.

On behalf of everyone here at StogieGuys.com, all reasonable people in Ohio, and the cause of freedom, thank you in advance.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

The Fuente Opus X may be considered the most elusive cigar in the world, but did you know Fuente makes a stogie that’s even rarer than the Opus X? That cigar is the Casa Fuente, and it’s only available at the Casa Fuente store in Las Vegas.

On a recent trip to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” (also known as sin city) I had the opportunity to visit Casa Fuente and talk cigars with Michael Fayerverger, the general manager. As we talked in the humidor, he told me the vitola that best demonstrates Casa Fuente’s flavor profile is the five and ¾ inch by 52 ring gauge Double Robusto.

Michael also generously agreed to take a few minutes to answer some questions for the third edition of our “Ask a Cigar Insider” series.

SG: Who’s the most interesting person to visit Casa Fuente? Can you tell us a bit about your customers?

MF: I think the most interesting person to meet was Andy Garcia, who attended our grand opening. You see all his movies and they’re great, and then to see him in person, makes it that much better. Plus he is a very close friend of the Fuentes. We get customers from all over the world; from entertainers to the average tourist to our local and repeat customers, and everyone has a cigar story. So it’s great to have such a diverse group of customers.

SG: Your store is the only place people can buy the Casa Fuente cigar. What makes that blend so special?

MF: From what we’re told, it’s a blend of Opus X, with a Cameroon wrapper. This makes it a phenomenal tasting cigar.

SG: If you could only smoke one specific cigar for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you had to pick a cigar not made by Fuente/Newman, what would it be?

MF: The cigar I’d pick would be the Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Spellbound. If I had to pick a cigar not made by Fuente/Newman, it would be a La Flor Dominicana LG.

SG: Casa Fuente has a very extensive list of drinks. What is your favorite beverage to enjoy while having a smoke?

MF: My favorite drink is a refreshing Mojito, made with 12-year-old Montecristo Rum.

SG: In your personal humidors, do you keep the cellophane on or off? Why?

MF: Both. The ones that come with cellophane I leave on. The ones that don’t have cellophane, that’s the way I keep them. Everyone seems to have different answers on the way they keep their cigars. I like to look at the cellophane after the cigars have been sitting three or more years, because the cellophane turns all yellow, and then I know I’m in for one hell of a cigar.

SG: When the Las Vegas smoking ban went into effect, your store had to go to court to continue to allow people to smoke on the patio. What’s the status of that litigation?

MF: First we filed a restraining order. Then we had our court date, which I’m happy to say we won. So smoking on the patio at Casa Fuente is a big go.

Thanks to Michael Fayerverger for taking the time to answer our questions. During your next trip to Las Vegas, be sure to visit Casa Fuente in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

–Patrick S

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.

This stogie has some impressive accolades under its belt, including a rating of 91 from Cigar Aficionado, a ranking in the Top 25 Cigars in the World by Cigar Insider, and the honor of being named Nicaragua’s Cigar of the Year by the European Cigar Cult Journal. Well constructed and full of earthy flavor, it’s easy to see why. I had a great time with this six and ½ inch by 52 ring gauge smoke, and I’m confident you’ll enjoy the double-fermented Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper as much as I did.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars