The Stogie Guys

It’s probably safe to say that most cigar enthusiasts are weary of, and perhaps turned off by, the so-called “house brands” of many large stogie companies. Whether it’s the ultra-low prices, the cheesy packaging, or their gimmicky sales pitches – let’s face it – these sticks frequently get a bad rap.

And often deservingly so. But wouldn’t it be nice to cut through all the crap to find at least one cheap major house brand that’s very smokable? Well, you may not have to look any further than the Corojo Cubano Robusto by Thompson Cigar.

No, we’re not pulling your leg. And we’re certainly not going to tell you that one of these sticks is comparable in taste or physical attributes to a well-constructed premium cigar. But, honestly, this really isn’t a bad smoke.

The five inches by 50 ring gauge Robustos are composed of Dominican binders and fillers, wrapped in rich and rugged Honduran Corojo leaves. The shiny, metallic-looking gold and red bands are a nice contrast to the wrapper, albeit a tad hokey. Despite a couple large veins, we couldn’t find any serious physical defects on our sticks.

Once lit, the cigar produced an earthy taste with heavy notes of leather, coffee, and a little mocha. The second and finishing phases yielded more spice and graham. This is certainly not what you’d call a complex stogie, but it has a fairly enjoyable flavor.

We noticed even burns throughout the hour-plus smoke with a draw that put up some, but not too much, resistance. The only drawback on construction is that the ash would not hold firmly off the foot, even for an inch or so. (Patrick A found this out the hard way when a pile of gray flakes ended up on his lap.)

If you go into this smoke with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed. But at 98 cents apiece (when you buy 50), that’s probably not going to be a problem. If you’re looking for a very cheap way to beef up your humidor stock with satisfactory golf course grade smokes, however, the Thompson Cubano Corojo Robusto wouldn’t be a bad choice. Taking into account the extraordinary value of this cigar, we give it three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A and Patrick S

Following success in New York, Washington, London, and Jakarta, General Cigar recently opened another Club Macanudo lounge in the cigar city of Miami. The 2,500 square foot space is located in the private Havana Club at Miami City Club.

According to General Cigar, owner of the Macanudo brand, the club’s December 15 opening was a star-studded event that included musical performances by Jon Secada and Arturo Sandoval. Many recording artisits were also in attendance, and famed record producer Scott Storch’s birthday was celebrated in the Macanudo Club lounge.

In a press release, Cooper Gardiner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, said, “The Club Macanudo lounge at the Havana Club represents a golden opportunity. Not only is the lounge a luxurious embodiment of the Macanudo brand, it also affords us an opportunity to share the Club Macanudo experience with cigar connoisseurs in South Florida.” As the closest city in the United States to Cuba, and a city with a large Cuban population, Miami has had a long and rich association with cigars.

The Havana Club at the Miami City Club is a members-only establishment located on the 55th floor of the Wachovia Financial Center, the jewel of the Miami skyline. The 15,000-square-foot Club boasts a 360-degree view of Miami and its surrounding waters.

Membership to the Club is limited to 800 members who have access to the club’s private humidor, 24-hour concierge service, conference room, and business center, along with other perks. Havana Club members will also enjoy membership to the Downtown Athletic Club, as well as reciprocal memberships to more than 150 clubs worldwide, including the other Club Macanudo locations. As a private club, Club Macanudo is not affected by Florida’s draconian anti-smoking laws.

The Havana Club at the Miami City Club will carry an array of General Cigar’s premium offerings including Macanudo Vintage and Macanudo Gold Label, Partagas 160 and Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas, Cohiba XV, and La Gloria Cubana Reserva Figurados.

General Cigar also tells StogieGuys.com that they are discussing the creation of a special La Gloria Cubana line that would be available exclusively at the Club.

For reviews of General Cigar’s offerings, visit the Stogie Reviews Archive.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the new and improved StogieGuys.com. As you can undoubtedly see, we (well, actually, Semmens) were hard at work this weekend renovating your go-to website for daily cigar news, reviews, and commentary on the average guys’ search for the next great smoke.

The most noticeable of the changes is the new look. While we decided to keep many features from the old design, I think you’ll agree that the new style is sharper, more up-to-date, and – hopefully – more user friendly.

You’ll also notice we added a “Categories” section to our sidebar that allows readers to browse past articles by topic. So if you’re in the mood for some cigar tips, Friday Samplers, stogie reviews, news, or our off-the-beaten-path commentary, this feature should make your life a lot easier.

Bear in mind, however, that the process of switching over from Blogger software to WordPress is not yet 100 percent complete. Every single post we’ve published since establishing StogieGuys.com in May 2006 needs to be individually re-formatted for the new website. So some things – like pictures and category tags – will require extra work. Please excuse these technical inevitabilities; we hope to have each and every one corrected by the end of the week.

That said, I think you’ll find many of the old features that you’ve come to know and love in their old places. For instance, you can still access our Archived Reviews Page, browse our “Hot Topics,” and visit our ever-important “Recommended Retailers” (who made this website renovation possible) from the sidebar.

Most importantly, I hope you will keep in mind that we made these improvements for you, our readers. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay at StogieGuys.com more enjoyable, please let us know.

–Patrick A

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and reader-friendly as possible, each Friday we’ll post a sampler of quick cigar news and stogie-related snippets to tide you over for the weekend. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy:

1) Cigar Aficionado recently announced the 2007 dates for its popular Big Smoke events, including stops in Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York. Also, after the success of the inaugural Cigar Artisans event, we have been told that it will also be back for another run in 2007. Stay tuned to StogieGuys.com for dates. (For our coverage of the 2006 Cigar Artisans event, click here.)

2) This tip probably seems obvious to most readers, but for those new to the world of cigars, and possibly others, it may not be. Take a few minutes to sign up for email offers with Internet retailers. Lately, more of them seem to be featuring daily, as well as weekly, specials and you might save quite a bit on your favorite smoke. And don’t stick to just the big sellers. Sometimes small online shops will have big bargains. If you haven’t yet become acquainted with Internet cigar sellers, you can find a massive list at this site.

3) Our article on the Taliban smoking ban prompted a post over at Reason Magazine where one reader quipped: “Joke all you want, but studies have shown that smoking is the second leading cause of death among suicide bombers.” He was (we hope) joking, but just the same, it isn’t hard to imagine the very same words coming out of a anti-smoking zealot’s mouth.

4) We’re always on the lookout for great deals for you, our loyal readers, and we’re pretty excited about what we found this week. For under $30 you can get 12 handmade cigars, including premium brands like Partagas, La Gloria Cubana, Romeo y Julieta, Macanudo, Onyx, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Perla Habana, Punch, Torano, and C.A.O. (say that five times fast). And to top it off an aluminum travel case and a hat are included. Order quickly and you can have it in time for Christmas! (To get this offer click the image above or click here.)

–The Stogie Guys

Loyal readers may recall a September post in which we reported Tabacalera Perdomo released a new blend called La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve Limited Golf Edition (that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?). The line – which is offered in eight sizes ranging from “Putter” to “Double Eagle” to “Hole in One” – is a creative marketing strategy aimed at taking advantage of the perfect, age-old pairing of cigars and golf.

Last night I finally had the opportunity to try the “Iron,” a five inches by 54 ring gauge Robusto with a suggested retail price of $6.55 apiece.

This stick has a creamy, five-year-old Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper that sports few imperfections and an attractive, yet relatively large, green and gold band. I had been admiring it in my humidor over the past few months.

Before lighting, I noticed sweet aromas of honey and tea. After slicing the cap with my double guillotine cutter, which unfortunately produced a less-than-clean cut, I took note of the easy draw through the Nicaraguan filler.

Once lit, the sweet flavors I previously detected had all but disappeared, leaving dry, earthy notes on the palate. The sensation might best be described as tasting a clove-flavored saltlick.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t a bad tasting stogie. A stranger in the pub actually asked me what I was smoking because it smelled “terrific.” I just think it’s a bit too dry for my liking.

Which brings me to an important point: For a line of cigars that’s supposed to be paired with an athletic activity in which drinks aren’t always readily available, it’s way too salty. I’d save it for the clubhouse. (For more StogieGuys.com tips on cigars and golf, please click here.)

With a firm white ash that holds strong, an easy draw, and a fairly even burn (that did require a few touch-ups with my lighter), my “Iron” tested fine on construction.

Overall, I don’t think you’ll be utterly disappointed by the La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve Limited Golf Edition Robusto, but – then again – you won’t be too impressed either. I give it three and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

Cuban cigars are famous all around the world. The best known brands such as Montecristo and Cohiba (which received a rare 5 stogie rating for the Siglo V) are also some of the most expensive cigars sold, and they cost even more in the United States where the embargo on Cuba makes them contraband (and a high percentage of “Cuban” cigars are fake).

So that’s why we were fascinated by a story on Cuban cigars from the opposite end of the market. Long before the embargo, President Woodrow Wilson’s V.P. Thomas R. Marshall once remarked, “What this country needs is a good five cent cigar.”

Now according to this article, Cuba has answered the call with a local cigar that costs just one Cuban Peso (or approximately four cents). But that begs the question, are these deeply discounted Cubans any good?

Writer John O’Doherty enlisted two experienced two cigar merchants (Edward Sahakian of Davidoff and Paul Bielby of JJ Fox & Robert Lewis) to find out:

Reloba was by far the most prevalent of the brands available in the peso shops. They cost one Cuban peso each, about 2p. As with all hand-rolled cigars, one end has been sealed with tobacco leaf. Sahakian snips off this end with a small cigar-cutter, lights it and takes a slow, deliberate puff. “It’s not that bad,” he says, pleasantly surprised after I tell him the price. “But it’s a bit harsh.”

Bielby is more enthusiastic about the Reloba but is concerned with the way the cigar was rolled. A poorly packed cigar creates an uneven burn. Sure enough, as Sahakian and Bielby smoke their Relobas, the embers on one side race up the cigar, leaving the other side almost unburnt.

Both agree that the cigar was recently rolled and with fresh tobacco, and consequently not as mellow as a cigar that has been laid down for a few years. “There are many similarities between champagne and cigars,” says Sahakian. “They both need time to mature. From about seven to 15 years old, after they have mellowed, they will be at their best.”

For more on cheap Cuban cigars, read the rest of this Financial Times article.

–Patrick S

In the past we’ve noted the similarities between the anti-smoking policies of Hitler and the Nazis and today’s anti-smoking zealots.

Now we read reports that another of America’s mortal enemies, the Taliban that supported Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist attacks, is also a distinctly fascist when it comes to smoking.

This report from The Scotsman notes that a ban on smoking is rule 18 of the 30 rules recently handed down by the Taliban’s “highest leader”:

18. Mujahideen should refrain from smoking cigarettes.

And while cigarette smoking is a no-no, killing a teacher isn’t a problem – provided that the proper warnings are given:

25. Anyone who works as a teacher for the current puppet regime must receive a warning. If he nevertheless refuses to give up his job, he must be beaten. If the teacher still continues to instruct contrary to the principles of Islam, the district commander or a group leader must kill him.

Just so we’re clear: Killing a teacher – mandatory (after warning and beating). Smoking cigarettes – absolutely forbidden!

Now obviously we know that the smoke-hating terrorists are maniacal (that’s why they’re terrorists), but their anti-tobacco policy does raise one question: If terrorists want to ban smoking, does that mean that when we ban smoking the terrorists win?

–Patrick S