The Stogie Guys

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) Someone has been kind enough to nominate StogieGuys.com for a Bloggers Choice Award in three categories. We’d be honored if you would vote for us for Best Hobby Blog, Best Blog Design, and/or Best Blog About Stuff.

2) According to Forbes, Mexico’s Carlos Slim has pushed Warren Buffett – the “Oracle of Omaha” – out of second place on the list of the world’s richest people. Slim, whose money comes from the telecom industry, is said to have only one indulgence: expensive cigars. So, it appears that he’s not only wealthy – he’s smart!

3) Rich Perelman tells us of some idiotic legislation from Illinois. Apparently not content with the state-wide smoking ban already in place, the State Legislature is actually considering a bill to crack down on smoking in cigar shops. The bill – SB0500 – is currently in front of the Illinois House of Representative Rules Committee, consisting of Barbara Flynn Currie, William B. Black, Gary Hannig, Brent Hassert, and Arthur L. Turner. We suggest Illinois Stogie Guys let them know what they think of this terrible bill.

4) Deal of the Week: Since our original deal already sold out, here’s a replacement, also from Tinderbox.com. This “Herf Pack” includes five-packs from two of the great families of cigars: Perdomo and Oliva. It also includes three more five-packs of Tinderbox housebrand cigars, like the recently “Buy”-rated La Reserva No. 2. But the best part is you get a humidor, lighter, cutter, and a pretty sweet Camacho hat, all for less than $40. Get yours here before this one also sells out.

–The Stogie Guys

As much as I love cigars, it may surprise you to learn that I’ve never had the pleasure to actually attend a huge event like Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke. It seems like many of these events – which include free-flowing spirits, cigars, and food – pass up Washington for other, more suitable locales like Vegas, New York, and Chicago.

But I did come close once. As you may recall, back in September StogieGuys.com received complementary tickets to Cigar Artisans 2006 in Tampa. But other commitments prevented us from attending in person. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however, because the winner of our ticket giveaway soon became our Tampa Bureau Chief.

On Tuesday, my DC obligations once again prevented me from attending another major cigar event – the famed Big Smoke in Chicago. Fortunately, StogieGuys.com was able to infiltrate the event by sending my dad, and veteran Big Smoke participant, Steve Ashby (pictured at right with Carlito Fuente).

OK, we didn’t actually send my dad. He was already scheduled to attend the event on “business.” We simply equipped him with a camera and a few good questions. What follows is his brief, yet insightful, report.

The Chicago Big Smoke was another great success. I find it so interesting watching grown men act like children on Christmas day when they have just found the perfect present under the tree.

Plenty of cigars for everyone and great camaraderie. Tommy Bahama rum, Pilsner Urquell, Johnny Walker, and several other libations were served and sampled.

To the cigar side, I discussed smoking beyond the band with numerous cigar company representatives and most indicated that if the smoke is good, remove the wrapper and have at it. Few said otherwise.

CAO surprisingly divulged that their best production cigar was the Brazilia (perhaps a shock for you Italia fans out there), and they were handing these out freely. In fact, unlike other cigar manufacturers who simply passed out bags of their products, CAO representatives kindly lit a Brazilia for me and told me to come back when I was finished.

Speaking of the Italia, Joe Gannascoli from The Sopranos was in attendance. You may remember his character, Vito Spatafore, who was killed off last season.

In all, a great time was had by all, and I can’t wait to attend my next Big Smoke.

After reading this report, I’ve reaffirmed my commitment to make it to my first major cigar event in 2007. In case you’re wondering, my dad and I currently have plans in the works to crash the Big Smoke in Las Vegas on November 10 at the Venetian. We hope to see you there.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Every time I turn around there’s another cigar gadget I’m told will improve my smoking experience. Cigar entrepreneurs now offer a gadget for everything.

Most of these gadgets are just plain useless…a few might make good conversation starters, and fewer yet are actually useful:

Golf is a high technology sport that happens to go really well with cigars. So perhaps it isn’t surprising that we see so many golf/cigar gadgets. There are dozens of special golf cigar clips, holders, and tees. One “golf tee” I received would crush any cigar wider than a corona and, while others might work better, they are universally unnecessary as the golf course has plenty of natural cigar holders. Tee-box markers, the handle of your golf bag, two golf tees on their sides, or the grass all get the job done just fine.

Still other golf cigar gadgets are even more absurd: I’ve seen combination cigar cutters/divot tools, mini humidors shaped like a golf bag, and even a combination titanium driver/humidor/lighter (OK, I made that last one up).

But cigar gadgets aren’t limited to the links. A dependable cutter is a cigar smoker’s best friend, but some cutters are clearly more about the conversations they might start than the draw they’ll help produce. Boston Cigar Cutters are beautiful examples of detailed craftsmanship, but it looks more like the shift stick from your grandfather’s old car than a cigar cutter (and at over $500 a pop I’d expect it to play DVDs). Or take this cutter from Saladini Cutlery that looks like it could behead a 16^th century tyrant.

Then there are the high technology cigar gadgets. This lighter doubles as a memory stick for your computer. I’ve seen a device that measures the humidity of a particular cigar like some sort of mutant meat thermometer. And then there’s the cigar Swiss Army Knife (right), because your not really living until you have one device that can cut your cigar, open your mail, scale a fish, uncork a bottle of wine, open a bottle of beer, screw in a nail, and file your fingernails.

Another gadget I was given was a “draw poker,” which skewers your cigar like a shish kebab to improve the draw. My experience is if you repeatedly have draw issues with your cigars, you need either a better humidor, better cigars, or both. And unfortunately the extremely tightly-packed cigars that could use some loosening up often crack when you try to use the draw poker.

And finally, what is the deal with this hundred dollar cigar shirt?

Now that I’ve vented about a few of the gadgets I’ve seen over the years, it brings me to the main reason I’m so sour on cigar gadgets: The best thing about cigars is that it’s a simple pleasure.

All that’s really necessary to smoke a cigar is a stogie, your fingernail (to cut the cigar), a few matches, and plenty of time. My fear is that the more gadgets enter into our smoking routines, the less we’ll concentrate on the cigar itself, which is (along with peace of mind) what cigar smoking is really all about.

–Patrick S

The good news about the Havana Blend Maduro is that it didn’t make me sick. In that category, it wasn’t even in the same league as the Dutch Masters I reviewed in the first installment of this series on truly low-cost sticks. On the other hand, if I had to smoke many of these cigars, I’d probably take up a pastime that offered a better chance for enjoyment – like dodging buses.

Perhaps the most prominent feature of this five inch by 43 ring gauge Coronado is the cap. It appears to have been applied by a torcedor wearing oven mitts. It was so sloppy and misshapen that it made the rough, lumpy wrapper seem not so bad by comparison. On the plus side, though, the cigar clipped just fine, the draw wasn’t bad, and the volume of smoke was surprisingly full.

For the first half, that smoke was harsh and bitter, though that diminished as the cigar burned down. Then, I was left with little but an acrid coating on my mouth and tongue.

The Havana Blend from Finck Cigar Co. in Texas is said to contain “authentic Cuban tobacco, planted, grown, harvested, and cured in Cuba.” The catalog even provides supporting evidence by way of a black and white 1959 photo of Ed Finck buying tobacco in Cuba.

I have no reason to think Finck isn’t telling the truth about the tobacco. Splitting the cigar revealed what seemed to be short filler (the catalog copy doesn’t mention long filler or hand-made), and a piece or two could easily have been mixed in with what the company described as “Central American fillers carefully combined with Cuban filler…”

Via the box or five-pack, none of the eight sizes of Maduro or four sizes of the Connecticut shade cost as much as $2 a stick, which is what I paid for mine.

The cigar burned erratically and got hot rather quickly. And the taste was difficult to isolate and evaluate. I think the best way to get an idea of it would be to imagine tobacco soaked in stump water and air dried before rolling.

Coming next in my series on Super Cheapies: Alcazar No. 4 Maduro ($2.75).

[To read Part I of George’s series on cheap cigars, please click here.]

–George E

Tags: cigars

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve smoked a La Gloria Cubana, and that probably has something to do with the bad taste a few Corona Gordas left in my mouth. But since I’ve heard so many good things about the Serie R line, I recently took a mid-afternoon break with a No. 4 – and was not disappointed.

This stick weighs in at a stubby four and 7/8 inches by 52 ring gauge, and the taupe-colored Ecuadorian maduro wrapper is a bit bumpy and veiny. I wouldn’t say the cigar is unattractive, however.

Living up to its reputation as a full-bodied smoke, I took in heavy notes of wood, earth, and chocolate before striking the first match. After toasting the foot and taking a few puffs, the flavor had more of a kick than I had originally anticipated, producing black pepper and rich leather flavors. The slightest bit of harshness, but not what I’d call unpleasant.

After the first third of the cigar was complete, the taste began to mellow out, and this was a welcome change for me. While the flavor of the maduro wrapper was prevalent throughout, this is a surprisingly well-balanced smoke with a good equilibrium of salty and acidic tastes. I have to say, however, that a hint of sweetness would have been nice.

Physically, Serie R boasts tightly rolled Dominican and Nicaraguan binders and fillers – especially given the line’s large ring gauges. Expect the draw to require some effort, but also expect the ash to hold superbly strong (I only had to ash twice on several of these cigars).

Although the burn remains steady and even over the course of this one hour and 15 minute smoke, a few of these cigars have a tendency to extinguish themselves at random – even with frequent puffs. The band is also prone to tearing the wrapper, so take special care while removing it.

Don’t be dismayed, however, by this stogie’s shortcomings. At about $6.50, it packs a whole lot of flavor for the money. For rich, well-balanced tastes, I give the La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 4 Maduro a reputable four 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.

There’s a lot of house brands out there that are as low on quality as they are on price. The Private Stock La Reserva line by Tinder Box isn’t one of them. The six and ¼ inch by 46 ring gauge long corona is an expertly-constructed cigar with a smooth maduro wrapper and a firm body. For under $2 apiece, this stogie offers well-balanced cocoa and subtle fruit flavors, an excellent burn, and a stable ash. Its only weakness is a backdrop bitterness that becomes more apparent towards the end. Overall, the Tinder Box La Reserva No. 2 Maduro is a great value we can easily recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A and 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. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us here.

Today at lunch I lit up an Excalibur 1066, the fuller-bodied take on the classic Excalibur from Hoyo De Monterrey. The Dark Knight (five and ¾ inches by 54 ring gauge) I selected looked almost perfect, despite the cellophane wrapper which was covered in dust. As soon as I lit the thing there was a blast of foul smoke tasting of burnt hardwood. That, thank God, soon gave way to a better tasting, but still full-bodied, stream of dark coffee and cocoa flavors. The bitter flavor from the start still reared its head every once in awhile, making this one a little tough to keep going. Certainly not an everyday cigar.

Verdict = Hold.

–Submitted by Matt Kesler from Richmond, VA