The Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Gran Habano’s La Conquista sports a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, an unspecified Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from three countries: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Colombia. The Gran Robusto (6 x 54) features medium- to full-bodied flavors with light cedar, brown bread, and cafe-au-lait. In the final third of the well-constructed cigar, some dried fruit notes (raisins and dates) emerge.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I wasn’t looking for this cigar as I recently perused the humidor at my local tobacconist. Rather, it found me. The band and unique oval-pressed shape caught my eye, reminding me it had been far too long since I fired up a Herrera Estelí Norteño. I picked up an Edicion Limitada Churchill (7 x 48) for about $13, not including ridiculous Chicago taxes. I’m glad I did. This Drew Estate creation—which features a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper around a Honduran binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua—brings about earthy notes with flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, oak, and peanut. Construction is impressive.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 569th in the series.

1) This year marks a half century for Joya de Nicaragua, the oldest premium cigar maker in Nicaragua. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Joya is expected to debut an exclusive cigar later this year. Other celebratory activities include a tour of events that will span the globe, special giveaways, and the release of “the history, secrets, and anecdotes that have shaped the world-renowned brand and its products.” Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca (pictured above), chairman of Joya de Nicaragua, shared the following in a press release: “At the end of the day, Joya de Nicaragua is a brand that sells cigars. But what matters to me is that this brand has been the force through which the people of the factory have helped shape the history of Nicaragua itself… We don’t just want to celebrate our 50th anniversary, rather put all our acquired life experience and cigar knowledge to set the groundwork for the next 50 years to come.”

2) Davidoff is expanding distribution for one of its unique cigars—an un-banded belicoso made for the Switzerland-based company by another manufacturer. The limited production My Father Exclusive Davidoff was originally sold only at its New York store on Madison Avenue, said Alberto Rosario, senior retail marketing manager at Davidoff. Now, it will be available at all Davidoff flagship stores and at Davidoff online. It is a toro-sized (6 x 52) Nicaraguan puro rolled at Don José “Pepín” García’s My Father Cigars factory in Nicaragua. They are packaged in cabinets of 50 for $500. Rosario noted that, while this joint effort began some years ago, other collaborations could be in the offing.

3) J.C. Newman’s Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar at Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, won’t be around this baseball season for the first time since the team’s beginnings in 1998. But Eric Newman, president of J.C. Newman, told the Tampa Bay Times this week that if plans for a new stadium in Tampa’s cigar-storied neighborhood of Ybor City come to fruition, he’ll push for a cigar lounge there. “That would be a natural for us,” Newman told the newspaper. The company bills itself as “America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker” and has been in Ybor City since moving from Cleveland in 1954.

4) Inside the Industry: Ezra Zion announced a partnership with the makers of Oak & Eden Bourbon and Oak & Eden Rye. Oak & Eden whiskeys employ a technique of “in-bottle finishing” with a patented spire technology that allows for charred oak wood spires to continue the wood aging process in the bottle. According to an announcement, Ezra Zion will introduce a line of Oak & Eden whiskey-inspired cigars to be paired with the whiskeys.

5) From the Archives: There hasn’t been much news lately about the FDA regulation of cigars. Looking back, reports last summer suggested good news could be on the way, as the new administration seemed less likely to push for the most egregious aspects of the rules.

6) Deal of the Week: Here are over 80 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Padrón, Drew Estate, RoMa Craft, Mi Querida, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Joya de Nicaragua

Who doesn’t love a lonsdale?

Well, a lot of cigar smokers, I guess, since the long-ish, thin shape has become less and less popular through the years. Its once-prominent place in humidors has declined even more rapidly with the ascendance of large ring gauge smokes.

But the lonsdale remains an elegant and tempting shape.

This recent offering from Cornelius & Anthony keeps the tradition alive and is a welcome addition to the three sizes of the initial line the company introduced a couple of years ago.

The cigars are rolled in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood at the well-known El Titan de Bronze factory. The Cornelius Lonsdale is the traditional 6.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 42.

As with other C&A cigars, it features two bands, with the thinner one identifying it as Cornelius. The MSRP is $13.50. (The lonsdale name, by the way, comes from an English nobleman, the fifth earl of Lonsdale, who reportedly spent as much as £500 a week on cigars.)

The wrapper is an oily light brown Ecuadorian Habano. The binder is also from Ecuador, while the filler is a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos.

Like its sibling, the Cornelius Lonsdale begins with a pleasant mixture of sweetness and spice. The sweetness recedes as the cigar burns down, and charred wood and cedar move forward. In the final third, a peppery note comes through as well.

The draw, which can sometimes be a concern with thinner cigars, was excellent in both of those I tried. The cigars also produced a great deal of thick, rich smoke and held their ashes tightly.

The Cornelius Lonsdale paired perfectly with black coffee, and I imagine it would complement any number of drinks (except those that are very sweet).

All in all, I found this vitola a bit more complex and balanced than the Toro I smoked earlier. Strength in all of them was squarely in the medium range.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Cornelius Lonsdale and recommend it for almost any smoker. I rate it a strong four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Debonaire first got on my radar about two years ago when Drew Estate announced it had entered an agreement to become the exclusive distributor of Debonaire and (sister brand) Indian Motorcycle cigars. Both are produced in the Dominican Republic for longtime industry veteran Phillip S. Zanghi III and Daniel Sinclair, founder of Durfort Holdings, a manufacturer of pipe tobacco, cut rag, and machine cigars.

Of the partnership, Jonathan Drew had this to say: “Phil Zanghi has been a dear personal friend of mine for two decades. When I permanently moved to Nicaragua in 1998, I wasn’t speaking no fancy languages like Spanish, so Phil helped keep me sane, as we scuttled back and forth between Nica and Honduras. He’s been a psychological and spiritual Drew Estate booster from our beginnings.”

Now Zanghi is a booster for his own portfolio of cigars, bolstered by Drew Estate’s extensive distribution network. “Debonaire is the culmination of 20 years of research and development to produce the finest premium cigar on the market today,” reads the Debonaire website. “We incorporated the finest, darkest, air-cured tobacco from the most superior tobacco crops of Central America and the Dominican Republic… We are highly critical of every aspect of production to ensure an exceptional experience.”

Along with the Connecticut Shade-wrapped Daybreak and Nicaraguan-wrapped Habano, Maduro is one of three lines in Debonaire’s Ultra Premium collection. It sports a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, a San Vicente binder from the Dominican Republic, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Six vitolas are available, including the petit lancero-sized Sagita (5.5 x 38).

Sagitta is Latin for “arrow”—a fitting name since the size reminds Zanghi “of an arrow and what the arrow represents in an archer’s quiver.” During production, Zanghi elected to drop a “t” as a celebration of how the word was being spelled by his colleagues in the Dominican Republic.

This oily, moderately spongy, incredibly dark cigar is accented by a pigtail cap and an intricate band of gold, black, white, and brown. At the foot, I find pre-light notes of dark chocolate and green raisin. The cap clips cleanly to reveal an airy cold draw.

After an even light is established—a feat that shouldn’t take more than a single wooden match, given the small ring gauge—I am greeted by an introductory profile of black coffee, warm tobacco, sweet cream, and a bit of cherry. Attentive smokers may also find some white pepper and a gentle cayenne heat in the background. As the Sagita progresses towards the midway point, the body transitions from medium to full and the taste shifts toward espresso, roasted cashew, and black pepper spice. The finale is extremely full-bodied with even more black pepper.

In terms of construction, the petit lancero performs well. The burn line is straight, the gray ash holds solidly off the foot, the draw is clear throughout, and the smoke production is about average. Total smoking time is about 60 minutes if you take your time.

I wish more blends came in a petit lanerco size. This is a fantastic format. The smoke is rich and concentrated, and the length ensures a completion before the flavor wears out its welcome.

Expect to pay about $9 for the Debonaire Maduro Sagita, and expect to be satisfied and impressed. In my book, this cigar earns an admirable rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This 2015 release from La Flor Dominicana features a Brazilian wrapper, Mexican binder, and Dominican fillers. Nox means “night” in Latin, and with a dark wrapper and deep flavors the moniker is fitting. The Toro (6.5 x 50) produces burnt hickory, licorice, and roast nut notes. Some sweetness kicks in towards the final third. La Nox begins full-bodied, though it mellows slightly to a more medium profile. Rich flavors and excellent construction make this easy to recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This Ecuadorian oscuro-wrapped blend from La Palina starts boldly with a strong pepper blast befitting its Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Though it never goes away, the pepper backs down somewhat after an inch or so as flavors like coffee, leather, and cedar move forward. Introduced in 2016 in three sizes, Nicaragua Oscuro is rolled at A.J. Fernandez’s Nicaraguan factory. I paid about $8 for a single Toro (6 x 50), though you can find them online for just a shade over $5 each in a box of 20. It is a satisfying smoke.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: La Palina