The Stogie Guys

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) We’re not so sure about spending $195 on a shirt, but if you want to drop that kind of bank on a button-down why not get one made to carry your stogies? Thomas Pink is introducing a shirt with a split front pocket for a cigar: “The smaller section features an immaculate box pleat that can expand to hold cigars in a variety of lengths and girths. However, when empty, the cigar pocket sits perfectly flat to the chest. The secondary pocket can also be used for lighters or cutters.”

2) Habanos S.A., the international marketing and distribution arm for Cuban stogies in Havana, recently announced Cohibas will be available next year in a maduro wrapper. Strangely enough, the company stresses that Cohiba maduro wrappers will be produced through a natural fermentation process – and that most other maduro wrappers are developed artificially (which is false). Someone should tell Habanos they don’t need to lie to get Stogie Guys interested in new Cohiba products.

3) Following a hospitality industry trend set by Westin and Disney, all Marriott hotels in the U.S. and Canada will be smoke-free by September. The new policy covers all Marriott brands, including the Ritz-Carlton, Fairfield Inn, Courtyard, and Residence Inn.

4) Once again we found a special unadvertised deal that we feel obliged to pass on to our readers. This time for a mere $15 (that’s $180 less than the cigar shirt) you get eight premium cigars AND a 20-cigar humidor. Here’s the link.

-The Stogie Guys

The other day a friend dropped by with two Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Maduros to see if I wanted to sit outside and partake. I wasn’t planning on having a stogie that night, but how could I resist such a generous offer?

After removing the cedar sleeve, the Chateau Fuente’s deep brown maduro wrapper made a good first impression. The wrapper was free of large veins and a bit bumpy, but that’s to be expected because this stogie was firmer than most. Quite frankly, given that it measured only four and 1/2 inches (and a 50 ring), I’m glad it was firm because otherwise it might have been too quick of a smoke. (It ended up taking well over 45 minutes.)

Once lit, the stogie burned slowly and evenly and, while not easy, the draw was not at all difficult. The cigar produced an average amount of smoke and the gray ash held nicely for an inch until a soft tap knocked it off.

This cigar was a combination of toast and spicy flavors, with subtle hints of pepper and even less clove. These flavors held throughout with little variation, and the stogie left a slightly sweet flavor on the lips.

Overall this is a fine medium flavored cigar. Maduro-only smokers might find it lacks complexity, but for primarily natural stogie smokers who are looking to mix it up a bit, this little guy will come up big.

The Chateau Fuente Maduro receives a solid 3 and 1/2 out of 5 stogies.

-Patrick S

Just like any other fantastic hobby (it’s not a habit), cigar smoking should be more relaxing than cumbersome. But there are a few rules you should follow in order to respect your fellow man and, more importantly, get the most out of your experience. Since I’ve already shared with you my tips on cutting and lighting stogies, I think now is a great time to discuss proper cigar etiquette.

1) Where to smoke. It goes without saying that if you’re on your own property, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. But – if you’re like me – most of your stogies are smoked outside your personal realm and in the presence of other Americans. If you’re at a friend’s place, it never hurts to ask. That’s the considerate thing to do, whether your outdoors enjoying a barbeque or indoors enjoying a game of Parcheesi. Nine times out of ten when you’re outside, cigar smoking will be OK (just make sure there’s an ash tray around so you’re not sullying your friend’s deck, patio, plants, etc.). Conversely, nine times out of ten when you’re inside, smoking will be off limits. Just make sure to abide by your gracious host’s wishes, whatever they may be.

Now if you happen to be out at an establishment – not covered by a Draconian smoking ban – and you witness patrons smoking cigarettes, but you’re not sure if cigars are allowed (say, at Grumpy’s in Baltimore with a bunch of your buddies on Saturday night after you violently and seriously stubbed your toe in a drunken stupor on the way to the bar) it’s best to ask one of the establishment’s employees. In my case, Grumpy’s had no policy against cigars – so I lit up a La Rosa Cubana. Some patrons may bitch and moan (even people smoking cigarettes, which I can’t understand), but too bad for them. You’re well within your rights to completely ignore their objections. Just like private residences, when you’re at a private establishment it’s necessary to abide by the owner’s policies.

2) When to ash. First off, let me once again reiterate that you must ash in an ashtray. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen cigar smokers ash on floors, in potted plants – even in toilets. Tisk, tisk.

That being said, when to ash is a much more convoluted topic. Any Stogie Guy will tell you that letting the ash build up at the foot of your cigar is a good thing – it cools the smoke thereby increasing the flavor of the stogie. But if you let the ash grow too long, it can fall at an unexpected and inconvenient time. My advice is this: If you’re somewhere falling ash won’t be a big problem (say, on a golf course), go ahead and let it accumulate for an inch or so. But if you’re at a fancy cocktail party standing on a $15,000 Persian rug, ash early and ash often.

3) When to take off the band. While some say it’s showy and impolite to leave the band on your cigar, I couldn’t disagree more. In my experience, leaving the band on is a great conversation starter that helps cigar aficionados meet one another.

If you do decide to remove the cigar band, make sure you let the cigar heat up before taking it off. The heat from the foot will help loosen the glue that holds the band on. It’s also important to note that taking the band off some brands of Cuban cigars (even after heating), like the Montecristo, is very difficult and can result in damage to the cigar wrapper. So in my personal opinion, keep the band on as long as you like – just don’t smoke it.

Follow these simple steps and your next stogie experience will be even more pleasant. If you have any additional tips of your own, please feel free to leave a comment. Happy smoking!

-Patrick A

As our readers are no doubt aware, we are baseball fans as well as Stogie Guys. (I root for the surging Mets, while Patrick A is a fan of the pitiable Cubs.)

And while you may be tired of our rantings about baseball, cigars, and the Washington Nationals’ apparent indifference to having half their stadiums’ seats remain empty (even though a plan to put paying customers in some of those seats already exists), I am going to harp on this issue some more with the promise that – barring something extraordinary – it will be the last time for a while.

Last week in the Weekly Wrapper column the godfather of cigar publications, Cigar Aficionado, weighed in on the whole baseball and cigars issue. Author and Mets fan Mike Marsh writes:

What’s also exciting, at least from a cigar smoker’s standpoint, is the recent influx of cigar bars into Major League ballparks. OK, so it’s only been two, but isn’t that a start?

In April, PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and host of this year’s All-Star Game, opened the Montecristo Club. Then in June, Christian Eiroa and Camacho Cigars struck a deal with the Detroit Tigers to open the Camacho Cigar Bar at Comerica Park. They join the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar at Tropicana Field, which has been accommodating cigar-smoking Devil Rays fans since 1998, as the only full-blown cigar bars in the majors.

But the key quote was from one Tigers executive who properly described the beauty of cigar smoking at the ballpark:

Baseball is a relaxing sport… Enjoying a cigar and a drink goes along with that. We want fans to have a well-rounded experience when they come to the ballpark, and cigars reach out to another segment of our fan base.

Our thoughts exactly! Now if only other teams would reach out to the cigar smoking segment of their fan bases…

-Patrick S

Note to our readers: In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and reader-friendly as possible, we’ve decided every Friday to post a sampler of quick cigar news and/or any other stogie-related snippets we find interesting. These briefs should tide you over during those long weekends. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Cigar Envy recently posted a video of Pierre Salinger, JFK’s late press secretary, recalling how the president asked Salinger to find him 1,000 Cuban cigars the day before he signed the embargo banning Cuban goods.

2) A private collector in England this week paid £365 ($673) for a cigar butt that had been smoked by Sir Winston Churchill in 1950.

3) So you’ve become a Stogie Guy but now you want to make the jump to connoisseur? This tasting wheel (from the now inactive Cigar Jack site) will help you identify the many complex flavors that can be found in premium handmade stogies.

4) We’ve been meaning to review a cigar with a candela wrapper (a green wrapper, also called AMS or American Market Selection) but our friends at Stogie Review beat us to the punch. For more on candela wrappers, check out this January 3 article from Cigar Aficionado.

5) Finally, we’ve introduced a new item to our fantastic Stogie Guys store designed specially for the ladies. It’s definetly sweet.

-The Stogie Guys

I usually don’t get this excited about public transportation, but I just can’t wait for the Macanudo Bus to pull into Washington on its American Passion Tour.

A so-called “cigar lovers’ paradise on wheels”, the traveling cigar lounge allows lucky patrons to partake in premium smokes while relaxing in the luxurious bus, or outside on it’s “green carpet” decked out with high-end patio furniture.

Most recently, the bus – a mobile replica of Club Macanudo in Chicago – pulled into the PGA Tour’s Western Open in Lemont, Illinois. These fortunate golf fans (including my folks) had the opportunity to unwind in Macanudo lavishness, including a big screen television, a putting green, and a blackjack table with a dealer. Complimentary cigars abound, of course.

While it doesn’t appear as though the American Passion Tour will be rolling into the nation’s capital anytime soon, a quick glance at Macanudo’s events webpage reveals the magical mystery tour may be coming to your neck of the woods sometime in the near future (especially if you live in Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, or Louisiana).

If you’re lucky enough to catch the bus, take some pictures and send them along with a short description of your experience. We’ll share your photos and anecdotes with Stogie Guys the world over.

One final note: How sweet would it be to earn a living driving a huge cigar bus – smoking, relaxing, and sharing stories with fine stogie enthusiasts across America? What a long, strange trip that would be…

-Patrick A

As we note in our ratings system, cigars that receive the impressive score of four out of five stogies should be enjoyed “after a delicious meal or with your favorite cocktail.” And no dish better prepares you for a fine cigar and a cocktail than a good steak dinner.

If you are looking for a great steak dinner for a special occasion, Charlie Palmer Steakhouse located at 101 Constitution Avenue NW (opposite the the National Mall and the Capitol building) may be your best choice in Washington. From decor and location, to presentation and service, Charlie Palmer gets high marks across the board.

As for price, Charlie Palmer is in line with DC’s other fine steakhouses such as Smith & Wollensky’s and Morton’s, so a group of four should expect to spend $100 per person for for a full meal including a moderately-priced bottle of wine from their extensive wine list (of course a more exotic selection from the expansive list could easily run several hundred dollars). But then I did say that a dinner at Charlie Palmer should be reserved for special occasions – or for those with bottomless expense accounts.

Appropriately, the steak was the highlight of the evening, though the oysters and tuna tartar appetizers were also favorites. At my table, two of us shared the Porterhouse for two, while the others tried the Filet Mignon: all were delicious. My only small complaint was that the time between when the Porterhouse was presented to us at the table and when it returned artfully sliced on our plates was too long, meaning that the steak was not as warm as it should have been.

After eating, we decided the only proper way to end the meal was to partake in an after-dinner stogie in Charlie Palmer’s cigar-friendly bar area (though sadly, only until DC’s smoking ban goes into effect January 2007). At the bar the friendly bartender poured me a generously portioned Knob Creek Bourbon on the rocks. And while I brought my own smoke, a flavorful Rock Patel Sun Grown Torpedo, which will be reviewed at a later time, I was pleased to see that they offered their own cigar menu with 20 or so stogies ranging from $9 for a CAO gold to a $25 Padron 1926.

So, in conclusion, if you have something to celebrate, and are looking for a great meal to enjoy as a prelude to a fine stogie, I highly recommend the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse.

-Patrick S