The Stogie Guys

In this latest segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I ponder cigar names, electronic smoking devices, and cigar sponsorships.

Name That Stogie

I’ve been critical of the names some cigar makers choose for their sticks, so it seems only right that I offer some praise for what seems to me to be a good trend: fewer and fewer with Cuban roots. It’s easy to see why, after Cuba nationalized the cigar industry in the ’60s, former owners who fled wanted to keep their brand names for new operations elsewhere. But others seem to have simply adopted Cuban brand names simply to cash in on the association with Cuban cigars. In recent years, though, the trend seems to have slowed considerably. Perhaps it’s partly the influence of numerous successful cigar makers without a Cuban background, such as Rocky Patel.  Perhaps it’s part of the industry’s natural growing process. Or maybe they’re finally just running out of good Cuban names. Whatever the reason, I think it’s a good trend, one I’m happy to see continue.

Electrifying

Occasionally, I hear from an electronic cigarette manufacturer introducing a new product, asking if I want a sample to review, or simply extolling the virtues of vaping. Frankly, I can’t think of anything much more misguided than e-cig makers trying to appeal to smokers of premium cigars. E-cigs, like conventional cigarettes, are simply nicotine delivery systems. Premium cigars aren’t. It’s as simple as that. I have nothing against e-cigs. I hope the industry grows and prospers. But I also hope they learn a little bit more about cigars, and what makes cigar enthusiasts tick.

Patron-izing

I’m pleased to see the Orange Bowl debacle didn’t discourage cigar companies from sports sponsorships, both charitable and commercial. Among the latest is General Cigar, which is sponsoring the Golf Channel program Big Break Mexico. And Arturo Fuente and J.C. Newman were among those involved in a benefit for a local Tampa little league.

–George E

photo credit: Flickr (CC)

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration is aiming to increase the minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 in New York City. “That will literally save lives,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told the New York Daily News. “The more difficult it is for [young people] to gain access to tobacco products, the less likely they are to start smoking.” Bloomberg has a long track record of anti-tobacco zealotry. He spearheaded the successful efforts to ban smoking in huge swaths of government-controlled outdoor spaces, and even proposed plans to prevent stores from displaying tobacco products. Shortly after his latest announcement, officials in Chicago began talks to also increase the smoking age to 21.

2) Today marks the national release of the Room 101 Big Delicious, the latest cigar in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. This four-stogie rated large torpedo (6.25 x 54) comes complete with a Habano 2000 wrapper. It was crafted by Abe “Big Delicious” Dababneh of Smoke Inn and Matt Booth of Room 101. The cigar sells for $8.95 (or $134.25 for a box of 15) and will be exclusive to Smoke Inn.

3) Inside the Industry: Macanudo announced it will be sponsoring this year’s season of the Golf Channel’s Big Break Mexico, where players compete for a chance to play on the PGA or LPGA tour. In May La Palina is rolling out the second edition of it’s Goldie line, the Goldie Laguito No. 5 (5.6 x 54), of which only 25,000 will be made at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami. La Flor Dominicana announced the release of its 2013 Exclusive TAA Cigar, a double-press maduro available only to those TAA members that attended this year’s conference in Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up an El Rey de Los Habanos. Cigar Brief smokes the Liga Privada UF-13 Dark. Stogie Fresh rates the Davidoff Puro d’Oro Gorditos. Stogie Review reviews a Los Regalos Quetzal. Cigar Inspector inspects the Zino Platinum Z Class.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Best Cigars of the World Sampler” includes five quality smokes: Flor De Las Antillas Robusto, Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill, La Reloba Sumatra Torpedo, My Father No. 1, and Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Robusto. Depending on the quantity you decide to pick up, you can get this collection from $4-5 per cigar.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

My consumption of La Aurora cigars seemed to drop off right around José Blanco’s departure from the oldest cigar maker in the Dominican Republic. But the relationship between these two events is merely correlation, not cause-and-effect.

Several years ago, my humidors were always full of La Aurora sticks of various blends—Barrel Aged, 107, Guillermo León, Escogidos, 1495, Preferidos, 100 Años, etc. Nowadays I don’t keep much La Aurora inventory. I’m not really sure why since, as a whole, I always enjoyed the creations from this storied cigar maker.

Perusing the shelves of my tobacconist the other day, I came across the Belicoso (6.25 x 52) from La Aurora’s original Cameroon-wrapped line. The price point of $3.95 was attractive, as was the prospect of reengaging with an affordable blend I hadn’t smoked in a long while.

Perhaps you, too, have been away from this value-priced smoke for some time. In that case, let me refresh your memory. It comes complete with a Dominican binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, and a clean, golden wrapper with few veins and considerable tooth. The foot smells of hay and honey and the cold draw is easy with some spice on the lips.

After establishing an even light, that spice carries over to the flavor, which is characterized by dry cedar, pepper, and warm tobacco. A half-inch in, the texture becomes less salty and the spice more muted as a candied pecan taste comes to the fore. Cedar remains the dominant note, now complemented nicely by creamy nut and sweetness. Smoking slowly is advised to help avoid the onset of mustiness.

Construction is top-notch. The white ash holds firm for an inch or more. The burn line is set-it-and-forget-it straight. The draw is effortless. And each puff produces ample plumes of aromatic smoke.

No, this isn’t a terribly complex or memorable cigar. But the quality, consistency, flavor, and value make it a solid choice for everyday smoking or the golf course. Keep the La Aurora Belicoso in mind if you’re looking for a decent Cameroon-wrapped smoke that won’t break the bank. It’s worthy of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

There are seven different H. Upmann blends listed on the Altadis website, including Reserve Maduro, Vintage Cameroon, Cabinet Selección, Sun Grown, and 1844 Reserve. The newest is a three-vitola line called “Legacy” that’s just hitting the market.

Legacy is handmade in Honduras with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around “a savory binder from the cloud-cooled rain forests of Nicaragua and an intense mix of prized Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos.” It features “vintage 2008 tobaccos grown from heirloom seeds treasured for generations.”

This recipe is notable because it marks the first H. Upmann with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. In addition, Altadis is not accustomed to tobacco vintage dates, so Legacy is somewhat of a departure in that regard. And the packaging is unlike any other H. Upmann.

The Legacy Toro (6 x 52) retails for $6.85. It has a rustic, rough-around-the-edges exterior, including a hastily applied cap and several thick veins that run the length of the mottled, moderately oily wrapper. The foot yields an earthy pre-light fragrance, and the head clips cleanly to reveal a smooth draw with some sourness on the lips.

Altadis is calling this an “exquisite blend” with a “vibrant, fuller-bodied smoke complemented by a myriad of subtle and complex flavors unlike any H. Upmann before it.” The three Toros I sampled—each provided to me by Altadis—started with a dry, woodsy profile of salted cashew, cedar, and dried apricot. The sensation is medium-bodied.

As the Toro progresses, it mellows into a smoother smoke with less spice and more earth and mustiness. I find the aroma to be more intriguing than the actual taste, which is pleasant though straightforward. The final third is slightly more intense but otherwise very similar to the flavor at the midway point.

Construction is top-notch. The gray ash holds firm off the foot, the burn is straight enough to not require touch-ups, the draw is clear, and each puff produces ample smoke.

This is a solid smoke at a fair price, though probably not one I’d pair with an after-dinner cocktail. Rather, for me, the Legacy Toro is better suited for the golf course. Or it would be a great choice to share with friends who aren’t regular cigar enthusiasts, as its smooth demeanor makes it very approachable. These conclusions result in a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Most of us are all too familiar with the many cigar-related gadgets on the market. From cigar holders for the golf course to unique and expensive lighters, cutters, and humidor accessories, the manufacturers and retailers of these products would have us believe that no cigar enthusiast is complete without gadgets. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But I’m willing to consider utilitarian products that I can envision being helpful on a routine basis—especially if they’re inexpensive. The new Screwpop Cigar Punch falls into this category. I’ve been using one for the past couple of weeks (provided to me by Screwpop, in the interest of full disclosure), and I’ve found it to be a decent addition to my keychain.

The Screwpop Cigar Punch is a bottle opener/punch cutter that securely clamps around a keychain (or pretty much anything else—like a clip on a golf bag, a belt loop, or the eyelet of a zipper). It has a rust-resistant body comprised of aluminum so, while it will add bulk to your keychain, it certainly won’t weigh you down.

As a bottle opener, it works perfectly. To reveal the cigar punch, simply unscrew the aluminum cap. The punch itself is sharp and functions just as you’d expect. I’ve tried it on a number of cigars of varying size and wrapper type and found no problems. Just like any other punch, though, you wouldn’t want to use it on torpedos.

My only concern with the product is the possibility of losing the screw cap that protects the punch. Once separated, there’s nowhere to affix the cap as you’re punching the cigar. Obviously, if you were to lose the cap, you may not want to keep Screwpop on your keychain or elsewhere since the sharp cutter will be exposed. Accidents happen.

That said, I can recommend this product to cigar enthusiasts who prefer punch cuts and also have an affinity for beer. And at only $7.95 from Cigars International, you won’t have to break the bank to give it a try.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) Michael Jordan is set to move into his new 28,000-square-foot, $12.4 million home, which sits on 3 acres along Jack Nicklaus’ Bear Club, an exclusive golf course in Florida. A longtime cigar fan, the former NBA superstar and current majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats took his passion for the leaf into account when building his palace. According to TMZ, Jordan will have “a giant state-of-the-art home theater…outfitted with special equipment made to handle mass amounts of cigar smoke.” His property will also boast a pool house, a guest house, and a two-story guard house. Jordan previously had a $29 million home outside Chicago.

2) If you’ve ever been in the market for a humidor, you’ve surely noticed humidor retailers including estimated cigar capacities (60-count, 150-count, etc.) along with their product specs. And you’ve probably also come to learn that such estimates are typically inflated. To address this issue, the folks at HumidorDiscount.com have created a nifty humidor calculator that tells you how many cigars (you pick the brand/size) will fit in a humidor, given its dimensions. The calculator will even tell you if the cigars should be arranged vertically or horizontally.

3) Washington has had a smoking ban in place for years. But in light of the state’s recent legalization of marijuana, one bar owner in Olympia is telling patrons they can smoke—as long as they’re not smoking tobacco. He “appears to be the first restaurant or bar owner in the state to test the recently expanded limits on recreational marijuana use,” according to CNBC. “Federal, state, and local officials appear unsure” if he is breaking the law.

4) Inside the Industry: CAO is reportedly releasing a “Left Coast” regional cigar (although the “left coast” region apparently includes pretty much everything west of the Mississippi river). The unusual cigar (6.75 x 72) will be trapezoidal-shaped and come in boxes of 14.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Crowned Heads Four Kicks Mule Kick. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Dona Flor CC Bahia Blend. Casa Fumando smokes the Crémo Classic Maduro. A Cigar Smoker lights up the Rocky Patel 50th Anniversary.

6) Deal of the Week: A few people noticed that when Corona Cigar launched their new website, the link to the Corona Stogie Guys Sampler was broken. Now it’s fixed. And it’s still a great deal, with 7 cigars for just $29.95, including limited Davidoff and Avo cigars.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

This bargain basement bundle cigar from Holt’s Cigar Co. is sometimes the subject of speculation on cigar forums. Its origins offer a lot for those drawn to intrigue.

First, they’re produced by Jose “Pepin” Garcia (the J.P.G. in the title), the master blender behind quite a few of Holt’s/Ashton big name cigars, such as La Aroma de Cuba and San Cristobal. Second, the Overruns are said to be rolled “in the heart of Little Havana” where Pepin established his reputation—this despite the fact that Don Pepin’s operation moved from Miami to Doral, Florida, sometime back.) And finally, the Overruns name lends itself to the belief that the cigars are somehow related to one of Garcia’s high-priced, more famous cigars.

Sorry, but I’m not buying it.

I picked up a bundle of the 5.5-inch, 44-ring gauge Coronas for $44.95 out of curiosity. And they turned out to be about what I’d expect for such an inexpensive cigar from a quality shop. That is a well-made, relatively OK stick that tastes to me like it is composed of lower quality, less finely prepared tobaccos.

I found a little of Don Pepin’s signature pepper, but the degree of harshness is far more than you’ll experience in any of his high-quality productions. It’s the kind of cigar I would smoke but would never miss if I didn’t ever light it up again.

If you’re looking for a cigar to hand out to semi-smoking friends at poker games or on the golf course, use as a yard ‘gar, or light up as a fishing companion, this is not a bad choice. If you think you’ve discovered some Tatuajes or Blue Labels going for under $3 apiece, I think you’ll be disappointed.

This cigar rates three stogies out of five.

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

–George

photo credit: Holt’s Cigar Co.