The 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 560th in the series.

1) Surrounded by family in Miami, the patriarch of Oliva Cigar, Gilberto Oliva Sr., passed away on Saturday. He was 86. Oliva was born into a tobacco-growing family in Cuba and married there before fleeing the island in his early thirties to escape the Cuban Revolution. He lived in Spain, Nicaragua, and New Jersey before settling in Florida. His first cigar—called Gilberto Oliva—debuted in 1995 and was made by the Plasencias. Shortly thereafter, he launched his own factory in Nicaragua and shortened the brand name to Oliva. Gilberto is succeeded by his wife, five children (including future Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva), and fourteen grandchildren. In 2016, the Oliva family sold Oliva Cigar to a Belgian cigar maker, J. Cortès, for an undisclosed price.

2) U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) has signed on as a co-sponsor to S. 294, a bill that would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt premium cigars from harmful FDA regulations. He is the 19th senator to do so. “CRA and the entire premium cigar industry would like to thank Senator Graham for standing with the consumers and small businesses of the premium cigar industry,” reads an email update from Cigar Rights of America. A companion bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 564, currently has 139 co-sponsors, according to Congress.gov.

3) Lists like this one are frequently full of over-hyped offerings, but this gift guide actually has some pretty good suggestions: 15 bottles that make perfect gifts for whiskey lovers.

4) Inside the Industry: This week CigarAficionado released its top ten cigars of 2017. Number one is the extremely hard-to-find Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark. Retailers (who usually report a boost in sales for the top selection) are already grumbling about such a limited production cigar being chosen.

5) From the Archives: Next week we’ll release our top cigars of 2017. While you wait, check out our 2016 list: part one and part two.

6) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, hot sauce kits, wine, workout gear, exclusive cigars, and more) delivered for just $45. Once you are signed up there is no obligation; you can skip or purchase every month. Sign up here to be eligible for the January box; including the “Churchill” box that features four cigars, an ashtray made of reclaimed wood, an odor-eating candle, cedar spills, and a cutter.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Oliva Cigar

The holidays can be hectic and stressful. But StogieGuys.com is here to help. Over the past decade plus, we’ve written plenty of articles that can help you survive (and thrive) during this time of year.

We’ve scanned our archives to bring you our best holiday-related tips and suggestions:

Been procrastinating and need a last-minute gift? We’ve got suggestions. Cigars (obviously) can be a great gift, and here’s how to avoid the pitfalls of cigar gift-giving. (We also covered some dad-specific gifts here.)

Booze also makes a great gift. Our extensive archive of spirits reviews (all of which also include cigar pairing suggestions) is full of excellent suggestions. Also, check out our bourbon gift-giving guide and our A-Z Bourbon Guide.

Depending on where you are, it can be very cold this time of year, which provides many challenges. Here are some tips for surviving the cold (and here are some additional suggestions).

Looking for new cigar suggestions? The end of of the year is a good time to see if there is a cigar you missed from the past year that you should have tried.

When you’re celebrating New Year Eve, here’s how to pair champagne with a cigar. And if you’re thinking about which cigar to smoke, consider it might finally be time to light up that special cigar.

Finally, looking for resolution for 2018? Take cigar inventory. Maybe watch your cigar budget. Run a marathon, if you want. But whatever you do, don’t quit smoking cigars.

Here’s to a safe, cigar-filled holiday season.

–Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

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.”

About a year ago, both of my colleagues praised the Robusto (5.5 x 50) from the new (at the time) Partagas Ramon y Ramon line. This cigar sports a Cameroon wrapper around a Dominican binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua (Jalapa) and the Dominican Republic (Piloto Cubano). The profile starts mild and ramps up to medium-bodied with flavors of sweet cream, cedar, oak, toast, and melon. Construction is solid. This is an easy recommendation at about $8.

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 559th in the series.

1) La Libertad from Villiger Cigars is getting a new look. “The Villiger La Libertad has a loyal following and has always been highly rated by consumers and media alike,” said Villiger North America President Rene Castañeda. “We felt that this brand needed a fresh new look, that was worthy of the cigar, as well as meeting the expectations of the consumer.” La Libertad comes in four sizes—Robusto, Torpedo, Churchill, and Masivo—and retails in the affordable $5.10 to $6.60 range. Handmade in the Dominican Republic, the cigar features a Brazilian wrapper around Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos.

2) Nicholas Melillo’s Foundation Cigar Co.—best known for its El Güegüense brand—has opened a cigar lounge outside Atlanta. This is the first Foundation-branded lounge. It is located within the Ligero Tobacco House in Buford, Georgia. Adam Tirado, owner of the shop, is a longtime friend of Melillo’s. The entire Foundation Cigar Co. portfolio, including its four branded coffees, is available at the shop.

3) Davidoff has named Dylan Austin vice president of sales and marketing in the U.S., effective January 1. Austin, 36, steps into this role from his current position as vice president of marketing. He will now lead the strategic and day-to-day oversight of the company’s sales organization and key account team.

4) Inside the Industry: Rich Cigars Inc., the DJ Khaled-promoted cigar company you likely never heard of, announced yesterday plans to end its cigar business to transform into a patent marketing and cryptocurrency mining company.

5) From the Archives: Here are five “best buy” bourbons you can actually find. (In a sign of the times, Weller 107 is now very hard to find and thus wouldn’t qualify.)

6) Deal of the Week: Here are 100 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, CAO, My Father, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Padrón, Drew Estate, 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: Villiger Cigars

With its name so closely linked to burning wood, you might expect Fogata to resemble the smoky presentation of fire-cured tobaccos in cigars from Drew Estate or Sam Leccia.

It doesn’t. In fact, in a statement when the cigar was released last year, Avo Uvezian said an outdoor fire (fogata is a Spanish word that can be translated as bonfire, campfire, or wood fire) was among his “favorite settings to share unforgettable and intimate moments with my closest of friends.” So it’s the surroundings, not the burning, that served as inspiration.

Another assumption for which a smoker could be forgiven is also tied to the name: Like its older sibling, the Avo Syncro Nicaragua, Fogata is far from a Nicaraguan puro. It sports an Ecuadorian Habano 2000 clara wrapper, a Mexican binder, and a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos.

The Nicaraguan filler does not include any leaves from the volcanic island of Ometepe, and Fogata is round, not pressed. Both characteristics are different than the Avo Syncro Nicaragua.

Lastly, on the expectations front, Fogata also pleasantly surprised me with an absence of the disagreeable dirt taste I so often find in Mexican tobacco.

Fogata comes in four sizes, with an elegant Short Torpedo, Robusto, Toro, and the Special Toro. The 6-inch, 60-ring gauge Special Toro continues the trend of including a larger stick in releases. The MSRP is $11.90.

I had no complaints about construction or performance, though the burn tended to be a little fast and a bit uneven at times, even if it didn’t require any significant touch-ups.

The flavors of Fogata are an interesting and well-balanced mix. There’s not an abundance of pepper or spice, but when those ramp up a bit they blend nicely with the overall experience. Significant flavors along the way included a fruity sweetness, coffee, and leather.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar, perhaps not quite as much as the original Avo Nicaragua line, but certainly enough to recommend it highly. And to give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Avo Cigars / Stogie Guys

“A muestra is the vision of the ligador and torcedor realized, it is the promise of a new experience and possibly the key to financial success for the fabrica,” says Steve Saka, founder and Master Ligador of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. “Muestras are hoarded and coveted by not only their makers, but by the cigar smokers who seek to catch a glimpse into the cigar maker’s soul within their smoke.”

In its young history, Dunbarton has amassed acclaim from seasoned cigar devotees that is as well-deserved as it is widespread. Sought-after brands like Sobremesa and Mi Querida are virtually universally praised by cigar veterans who trek to meet Saka at retailer events and hang on his every Facebook post. So when Saka introduces a “muestra,” you have to take notice.

Nacatamale is the second muestra from Dunbarton. It was announced in July and is intended to be “considerably more robust” than its predecessor, Exclusivo. It is made in the “old farm” style, meaning all the filler tobaccos are from a single operation (in this case, an undisclosed farm in Jalapa, Nicaragua).

Nacatamale (6 x 48) comes flawlessly presented in an individual wooden coffin. I paid over $20 for mine (including insane tobacco taxes here in Chicago; the MSRP is $15.95). Inside is a gorgeous, beautifully constructed cigar with a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. It has tight seams, a firm feel, thin veins, and a smooth cold draw. The pre-light notes remind me of green raisin with milk chocolate and cinnamon.

After setting an even light with a wooden match, a spicy, bold, well-balanced introductory flavor emerges that reminds me of cayenne heat, dark chocolate, black coffee, and sweet nougat. The medium- to full-bodied profile steps off the accelerator as the midway point approaches. Here, hints of cinnamon, cedar, cream, and leather play a more active role, and the spice is more subdued. The finale witnesses a reprise of spice with notes of black pepper, dry oak, espresso, cedar, and a frothy, marshmallowy sweetness at the fore.

As you would expect from Saka (and any cigar at this price point), the combustion properties are sublime. The burn line stays straight and true from light to nub with torch touch-ups completely unnecessary. In addition, the draw is smooth, the ash holds firm, and the smoke production is outstanding.

What makes Nacatamale so outstanding—and, yes, it is absolutely outstanding—is not any individual flavor. This cigar is a great example of how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. The overall balance, complexity, and harmony is simply on point. That Saka handicapped himself by relegating the entire filler recipe to one farm and still composed a symphony of deliciousness… well, that’s head-scratching. Pony up and grab one of these while you still can. Any rating besides five stogies out of five would be inappropriate.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five stogie-rated cigars can be found here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys