The Stogie Guys

After two underperforming smokes in my most recent reviews, I selected this robusto-sized Romeo y Julieto Vintage III from my humidor in hopes that I could buck the trend. I would not be disappointed.

The cigar had a silky light brown wrapper and was flawlessly constructed. With the classic looking dark red Romeo y Julieta band, it is truly a cigar to show off. But the stogie’s impressive performance did not end with appearance.

After I lit up and had my first taste, I immediately knew this cigar would be a “finger-burner” (meaning I wouldn’t want to put it down, even when it became too short to handle). This cigar had the far too rare quality of being both mild and full-flavored.

The cigar had a creamy, almost cappuccino flavor, with hints of cocoa that are just delicious. I’ve found that in the past it seems as though mild cigars tend to burn a little hot, but this stogie also bucked that trend with it’s cool, easy pull. Combined with its flawless even burn and steady ash, this cigar was a true joy to smoke.

At $130 for a box of 25, this cigar isn’t a bargain. But if you are looking to really indulge yourself or celebrate, the Romeo y Julieta Vintage III is worth every penny. That’s why I give this robusto a robust four and ½ out of five stogies.

-Patrick S

Given that a large number of our readers are from the Washington, DC area, we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you that the Macanudo Factory Ambassador is in town.

Our friends at JR Cigars in Washington hosted the ambassador yesterday. John Sullivan,the manager there, told us he had a great turnout. He also said that “Signe, the Macanudo Ambassador, was well informed about cigars and was giving away Macanudo Hyde Parks. It also didn’t hurt that she was a knockout!”

Besides the Macanudos, they also had specials on many other fantastic General Cigar brands. John was also kind enough to send along a picture of Signe, the Macanudo Ambassador, telling one customer about Macanudo’s offerings. (See, what did we tell you about women with cigars!)

Also, be sure to mark you calendars for July 7th when John and JR host Partagas Roulette. Truth be told, we’re not really sure what that is, but since it probably means winning free Partagas cigars, we’re all for it!

Tonight the Macanudo Ambassador will be at Georgetown Tobacco from 4-8pm. (Yours truly may be making an appearance, though it would have to be on the late side because after all, some of us have to work for a living.)

To keep up with events all over the country, we recommend that you check the Cigar World events page regularly. Also JR Washington has an events page that you should keep an eye on.

-Patrick S

In our inaugural post on May 15, an anonymous comment was left that asked, “When will the website include info for the girls?” Good question.

Since I believe all of our posts apply equally to both sexes, the answer is simply that StogieGuys.com does – and always will – have information for both Stogie Guys and Stogie Gals.

But today’s post – or, rather, advice – is especially for you ladies out there. Specifically, gals, if you want to look sexy, nothing does the trick quite like smoking a fine cigar.

Just ask any guy. We don’t quite know what it is (in fact, we can’t pinpoint exactly why we’re naturally attracted to the things about you that we are in the first place), but something about an attractive woman indulging in a sumptuous smoke is particularly enticing. Even nonsmoking men have to agree.

Don’t believe me? Check out these sexy photos from Cigar Aficionado. You know you want to.

Is it the smoke billowing from her lips that’s so alluring? Is it the way she gently embraces the cigar with her delicate fingers that keeps us up at night? Or is it simply the very notion of an elegant woman treating herself to one of life’s greatest pleasures that drives us crazy?

Whatever it is, it works.
Note to all you Stogie Gals: Send cigar smoking self-portraits here, and we’ll put the best ones up on the site.

-Patrick A

I can’t ever recall having a handmade cigar that was just unsmokable… until this one. And I really wanted to enjoy this smoke. After all, it was a New York stogie!

I bought this good looking smoke with its oily brown wrapper on the same trip during which I visited the La Rosa Cubana factory/store. And I sought out these local cigar makers after reading a Cigar Aficianado article that described Taino Cigars in this way:

A bit west and north of P.B., at 506 Ninth Avenue between 38th and 29th streets, is Taino Cigars, one of the local chinchale success stories. Owner Julio Suris opened Taino in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen in 2000. He had learned how to roll cigars in Cuba, so in the true American spirit he set up a small table in his storefront, rolled a bunch of cigars and called them Tainos.

Business has been good. “We opened, five months ago, a store downtown,” Suris says, talking about his new shop at 93-99 Nassau Street, at the corner of Fulton Street. The Hell’s Kitchen store no longer has a rolling table—he’s moved that downtown—and he couldn’t keep up with demand, so most of his cigars are now made by his brother in Miami, who has 10 rollers. “We didn’t have the space for 10 rollers here,” says Suris. He uses a variety of tobaccos for his Tainos, working with Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers and Sumatra-seed wrappers grown in Ecuador.

Yet after properly toasting the wrapper and lighting up this Robusto, I simply could not get an even burn. No matter what I did (trying to moisten up the half that burned too quickly, clipping the unburnt half so it could more easily catch up) the top half of this cigar simply was burning twice as quickly as the bottom half, forming the dreaded “canoe” shape.

It was as if there was a fuse in this cigar that forced half of it to burn much too quickly, and less than five minutes into this smoke it seemed as if the top half was completely hollow.

I still maintain that this cigar had potential. When I wasn’t distracted by the terribly uneven burn, it had wonderful licorice flavor. But such poor construction is impossible to overcome. Currently I have a two other Tainos in my humidor (a Maduro Robusto and a good looking Torpedo), and I expect much better from them.

So while I might one day give this Robusto another chance (as maybe this is just a fluke), this particular smoke scores a very disappointing one and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[Note: Since I bought this cigar straight out of the Taino humidor without any band, I’m not certain which of the three Taino lines this Robusto came from. However, judging from the descriptions, I would guess that this from the Red Line.]

-Patrick S

On January 4, the DC City Council gave its final approval to a citywide ban on smoking in bars, restaurants, nightclubs, taverns, and other “public” places (never mind these establishments are privately owned and operated).

Although the ban will not be enforced until January 2007 – effectively stomping out individual free choice in the city where freedom is supposedly enshrined – it has already taken its toll on a once-magnificent Washingtonian symbol of power and prestige.

As of Thursday, June 1, the Town and Country Lounge in the Mayflower Hotel succumbed to the meddling, paternalistic city government and banned smoking. A bar once known for its hospitality towards lawyers, consultants, and lobbyists – as well as its tolerance for cigar smoke – is now a teetering has-been, a fossil in what was once a great cigar town.

As the Washington Post reports, attendance has been down significantly at the bar since the fascism set in. That article also printed this not-so-surprising paragraph:

“Oh my gawd. No one can know I smoke,” said a twenty-something woman, holding champagne with a strawberry perched on the rim of the flute in one hand, a cigarette in the other. “I work on ballot measures that ban smoking.”

Thank you, twenty-something woman, for so virulently demonstrating the hypocrisy associated with government-imposed bans on consensual adult behavior.

As a relatively new resident of the Washington metropolitan area, I must admit I have never been to the Town and Country Lounge. You can bet I won’t be going anytime soon.

One final note to our readers: Patrick and I are working to compile a list of cigar-friendly establishments in the Washington area (sadly, thanks to Draconian smoking laws, our list will probably be limited to establishments in the great Commonwealth of Virginia). If you have any favorite stogie hangouts, please feel free to contact us.

-Patrick A

Montecristo has long been one of my favorite brands. I’ve tried both Cuban and non-Cuban Montecristos (even though they really only share a name) and liked them all. I’ve even tried and enjoyed the JR alternatives to both the Cuban and non-Cuban Montecristo No. 2.

Given that history, I had high hopes when I decided to try the Montecristo Robusto Minor. Unfortunately, unlike my previous Montecristo experiences, I found this stogie lacking.

There is no doubt that the Montecristo Robusto Minor (4.5 x 50) is a beautiful cigar. The perfect light brown wrapper provided a nice, even burn for 40 minutes.

Yet the taste left something to be desired. Instead of the earthy, rich flavor I’m used to Montecristos providing, this smoke seemed docile and underwhelming.

Shocked? So was I. But let’s put it this way: Forget the scotch or bourbon with this stogie; maybe a beer or some red wine would make a nice pairing.

Unfortunately, despite the weak performance, you will still pay a premium for that classic brown band.

My advice: If you don’t already have this cigar, take a pass on it.

Already own it? Then leave this stogie in the humidor, where its classic look will dazzle the eye. Because I think you’ll find the taste is quite disappointing.

This cigar earns only two and 1/2 out of five stogies.

-Patrick S

Leave it to politicians and bureaucrats to exploit every loophole in a shameless effort squeeze as many hard-earned tax dollars out of Americans’ pockets as possible.

My home state – the Land of Lincoln – is only the latest addition to a group of 38 other states who are petitioning the federal government to reclassify little cigars as cigarettes. Why? Because, under current law, cigars can’t be taxed and regulated as heavily as cigarettes can.

As a consequence of the 1998 tobacco lawsuit, cigarette producers agreed to pay health care costs associated with cigarettes to state governments. But, with sales doubling in the last decade, state lawmakers see little cigars as thin bars of gold – a potential landmine in additional tax revenue.

As we all know, a little cigar is certainly not a cigarette. Not only is the tobacco completely different, but cigarettes are rolled with paper, not tobacco leaves.

Plus, the tobacco business as a whole is already one of the most taxed industries in the country. And regressive tax structures such as these hurt low-income individuals the most.

If taxation is slavery, then smokers are probably the most enslaved citizens in the United States.

I should mention that I can’t recommend these machine-made mini stogies, but individuals who enjoy them certainly shouldn’t be punished for their preference. With trumped up excise taxes on cigarettes nationwide, it’s no wonder many people are crossing over to little cigars as an alternative. It’s my hope, however, that these disenfranchised, overtaxed smokers make the jump to the full-blown, handmade stogies so many of us have grown to love.

While it’s anything but clear what Big Brother will do about little cigars at this point, the obvious option is to not force little cigar producers – and, in turn, little cigar smokers – to bear the burden of additional taxes on already outrageously-taxed goods.

If you ask me, the government has enough fingers in smokers’ pies as it is.

-Patrick A