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.

These Dominican rolled smokes – 4.25 inch by 44 ring gauge – come in a nifty little wooden box of four from JR at $12. As you would expect from Montecristo, the stogies sport excellent construction and a razor-sharp burn. Unlike other Montes, though, I’ve found these inconsistent. While they all tend to share a dry finish and an unusual biting spice taste (a sentiment that was echoed in our full review of the Kilimanjaro), some are warm and creamy while others are flat and acrid. I’ve enjoyed the good ones as quick smokes with coffee, but the others weren’t worth lighting up.

Verdict = Hold.

–George E

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) I guess it was only a matter of time. Earlier this week, the Baltimore City Council expectedly voted to prohibit smoking in all public places – including bars, restaurants, and taxicabs. The law, which goes into effect next year, was rightly criticized by the Baltimore Examiner: “Never mind the fact that restaurant owners now are free to choose whether to ban smoking on their premises and patrons are free to choose where to eat and drink.”

2) Starting on Wednesday, the first boxes of Ashton Estate Sun Grown Robustos began to hit tobacconists in major cities. The release – dubbed the 21 Year Salute – is the second in the ESG line and follows the Churchills that came out last summer. Getting your hands on one of these will cost a whopping $17.50.

3) The 9th Annual Habanos Festival was held in Havana this week sans Fidel Castro, who may not have been well enough to autograph humidors for charity auction (as previously planned). According to the LA Times, the five-day event was uncharacteristically “devoid of star power this year.” The highlight of the festival, however, was the launching of a new line of Cohiba cigars called Maduro 5.

4) Why did Padrón recently up the number of cigars per box from 25 to 26? Is it a clever marketing ploy? A celebration of the success of their 1926 Anniversary line? Nope. The increase is simply a result of changing the type of wood used to manufacture the boxes.

–The Stogie Guys

Do cigars always taste better after steak? As last night’s dinner proved, definitely. But I’ve had enough from the CAO Brazilia line to know these sticks are excellent after any meal.

And that excellence almost certainly has something to do with their unique composition. Who else, other than former CAO head honcho Cano Ozgener, would be creative enough to pair a dark Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos?

Continue Reading…

It’s no secret that 5 Vegas cigars (pronounced “cinco vegas”) was a thriving brand during the cigar boom, but lost momentum as sales fizzled and ultimately looked like another boom casualty. Fortunately, internet retailer Cigar International scooped in and turned it into one of its best sellers.

Now 5 Vegas makes some of my favorite value cigars. With a bit of age, the 5 Vegas Gold is a good mild cigar, the 5 Vegas ‘Red’ line is a solid medium- to full-bodied cigar, and the 5 Vegas ‘A’ line is comparable to the Partagas Black at a fraction of the cost. All of those are available for under or around two dollars a stick.

Compared to those three lines, the 5 Vegas Limitada 2006 is pricey, but still only $4-5 a cigar. Unlike the other 5 Vegas lines, the Limitadas (which are released annually) are available only in one shape – a 6.2 inch by 52 ring gauge torpedo.

This cigar, with its white band (looking suspiciously similar to the Montecristo White) featured an oily wrapper with a few prominent veins. Pre-light, the cigar gave off a very sweet aroma. Additionally, the belicoso was noticeably dense.

After a swift snip from my double guillotine, the cigar lit easily with my three dollar Wal-Mart lighter. The most prominent flavor was a muted mellow tobacco taste, but there was also a nice sweet spice to this medium-bodied stogie. As it developed, a slight marshmallow flavor became noticeable that reminded me of the Montecristo Classic.

I happened to pair this cigar with a hearty Bordeaux, and the combination went well. The construction was solid and the ash would hold for a full inch before falling off with a gentle tap.

While the 5 Vegas Limitada 2006 wouldn’t be out of place after dinner with a glass of port or brandy, it isn’t such a good cigar that it needs a special occasion. For a quality performance, though, the 5 Vegas Limitada 2006 earns a rating of three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

An interesting article out of Brunei, of all places, reported yesterday that American stogie sales jumped a whopping 28 percent from 2000 to 2004. This news is even more stunning considering cigarette sales declined ten percent over that same time period.

The article quotes Action on Smoking and Health Executive Director John Banzhaf – an anti-smoking zealot, not an impartial expert – claiming marketing campaigns, low taxes (excuse me?!), and cigar wielding politicians are to blame for the surge in stogie sales.

“Many of the factors that began leading to the [cigar] increase are still present,” Banzhaf said. They include the perception that cigars look fashionable and the fact that high-profile politicians and others are seen smoking them regularly. “We have Arnold (Schwarzenegger, California’s governor), smoking cigars and occasionally, Bill Clinton,” he said. “More and more women are smoking cigars.”

While busybody do-gooders like Banzhaf chalk increasing cigar consumption up as bad news, it’s worth noting there are a few positive health consequences. For one, cigar retailers and various studies suggest the average cigar enthusiast smokes much less than the average cigarette smoker. One to three times per week, to be exact. (My friends who smoke only one to three cigarettes per week consider themselves nonsmokers.)

Also, stogie smokers do not inhale. So while their risks for oral cancers are marginally higher than nonsmokers, heart disease and lung cancer rarely enters into the equation.

The alarmist article provides additional insight when it cites a recent study out of Cleveland that found, out of the 4,000 plus teens polled, 23 percent prefer cigars, compared to only 16 percent who prefer cigarettes.

This research – albeit limited in scope – contradicts two public misconceptions: (1) that teen tobacco consumption is almost entirely composed of cigarettes; and (2) that the average cigar smoker is a senile, porch occupying grandpa.

For those of you who question the validity of half-baked “reporting” out of Brunei – as you should, especially given the local media’s strong ties to Sultan Hassanal Bolkia – the research does square with an October AP article that ran in hundreds of American publications. That article prompted us to write a commentary about avoiding the pitfalls of the mid-90s cigar boom.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Considering the many tips we’ve given, it isn’t like us to outsource our tips to others. Still, this article from Smartmoney.com does a pretty good job giving cigar novices a primer on selecting and purchasing cigars.

For the more experienced Stogie Guys, these tips may seem obvious (and some not even applicable). But for those with just one foot in the pool, these four tips on purchasing cigars are worthy of a reprint here:

Get hands on. A quality cigar will have a lustrous sheen and slightly oily texture, says McKee. It’ll feel firm between your fingers, and give off a strong aroma of tobacco. A cigar that’s been stored improperly, on the other hand, will be dull, with a dry, cracked wrapper. “It’ll crumble in your hand, just like a cracker,” she says. A bad cigar won’t have much of a scent.

Stick to specialists. You’ll find an excellent selection of individually priced cigars at tobacconists and cigar shops, says Bettridge. Look for a store with a walk-in humidor, which replicates the temperature and humidity of the cigars’ native country. Bonus: Because these stores sell only smokes, you’re more likely to find knowledgeable staff to make recommendations.

Avoid buying online. There’s no way to know in advance if cigars have been stored properly, says Bettridge, or if you’re getting the real deal (counterfeit cigars — cheap, poor-quality tobacco dressed up with a ring band similar to a legit brand — abound). And even the most reputable online retailers sell cigars primarily in boxes — a costly proposition if you’re trying new brands.

Go late. Unless you have a humidor, any cigar you buy as a gift (or to smoke yourself) should be smoked within a day or two of purchase. The exception: Cigars packaged in tubes. “They put them in the tubes when they’re freshly rolled,” Seise says, “so the moisture is locked in.” So long as you don’t open the tube, these cigars can be kept for a week or so.

Beginners would also benefit from reading the article’s tips on origin, brand, size, shape, vintage, age, and color.

However, please skip the final tip from the article on “Flavor,” where the article incorrectly claims that “there are no chocolate or red fruit notes here — cigars are usually described in basic tastes like sweet, smooth, heavy and rich.”

While it is true that in the beginning noticing more complex flavors is difficult, it’s far from true that the flavors aren’t there. I would challenge the author to try a Carlos Toraño Exodus Gold or an Alonso Menendez and say that there aren’t chocolate flavors in cigars.

For a better look at the often complex flavors in cigars, read this article on our Davidoff tasting.

–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.

Made by Perdomo, this mild cigar featured good construction – an even burn and easy draw. Unfortunately it was seriously lacking in flavor. Which means that despite the bargain price of a buck a stick, overall this particular cigar came up short.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars