The Stogie Guys

Want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this Friday but not into slamming tequila shots and drowning yourself in light Mexican beer? We’re here to help.

Armed with three bottles of Corralejo Tequila (Silver, Reposado, and Añejo), we’ve selected three drink and cigar pairings with cigars featuring the increasingly popular Mexican San Andrés wrapper.

Corralejo, made in the Guanajuato state of Mexico, is one of just a handful of companies granted the right to produce tequila outside the spirit’s best known home in Jalisco. Made with 100% blue weber agave, the company uses unique production techniques—employing the Charentais method (commonly associated with cognac distillation) for second distillation—which takes place in an Alembic copper pot still imported from Tomelloso, Spain. Even if you’re not familiar with Corralejo brand by name, you may recognize the colorful red, white, and blue bottles.

Corralejo Silver Maragarita & Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate

First off, I’m a big believer that sour mix in margaritas is only useful to cover up harsh, bad tequila. So please skip it. Instead, go with this simple recipe that uses only fresh squeezed lime juice, quality tequila (in this case, Corralejo Silver), Cointreau or Grand Marnier, and ice. If that’s too tart for you, a splash of simple syrup can be added, but nothing more. Serve it on the rocks or up strained into a cocktail glass. Personally, I skip the salt.

If such stories are to be believed, the Undercrown blend was created by the rollers responsible for making Drew Estate’s popular Liga Privada No. 9. Made with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper along with a Connecticut-grown stalk-cut Habano binder and Nicaraguan and Brazilian filler tobaccos, the cigar produces roasted coffee, sweet cream, and nutty flavors along with copious amounts of highly aromatic smoke that stands up well to a well-made margarita.

Corralejo Reposado El Diablo & Casa Turrent Serie 1901 Robusto

If you’re not the margarita type, El Diablo is a simple yet tasty tequila cocktail. Just shake 1.5 oz. Corralejo Reposado tequila, .5 oz. crème de cassis (I used a small batch Cassis made by the Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery in Virginia), and .5 oz. fresh lime juice, then strain into an ice-filled highball or Collins glass. Add 2–3 oz. of ginger beer (I had some Goslings on hand) and garnish with a lime wedge.

The Turrent family is the most prominent when it comes to Mexican cigar tobaccos. (Over the years, there have been a number of Turrent-branded cigars, and they also make the well-known Te-Amo line.) Their 1901 blend uses three types of Mexican tobacco, including a San Andrés maduro wrapper, along with Nicaraguan tobaccos. The cigar’s dry richness, woody spice, and meatiness contrast nicely with the sweetness of the El Diablo cocktail.

Corralejo Anejo Tequila Neat & La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor

Though better known for margaritas or shots, fine tequila is best enjoyed neat or maybe with a single ice cube. Corralejo Añejo is no exception. Pale straw in color, the tequila features aromas of fresh agave, lemon, and vanilla. The body has light oak, buttered corn, pear, and a little pepper spice. The finish is clean. All in a bright, crisp, very smooth tequila that, at about $40, stacks up favorably to many higher-priced tequilas.

La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor is one of my favorite San Andrés cigars. It has a dark, oily wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The most prominent flavors are coffee and roasted earth, and there is also a nice bit of complexity with dry bittersweet chocolate and a hint of nuttiness. Medium-bodied and well-balanced, it neither overpowers nor is overpowered by the subtle, smooth flavors of straight Corralejo Añejo.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Nicaragua line was a stark departure for Davidoff when it was launched in 2013. It was Davidoff’s first Nicaraguan line—a Nicaraguan puro, to be exact. “This is a major step for Davidoff to expand to a new territory,” said CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard at the time. “Davidoff’s mission is to bring aficionados delightful experiences regardless of territory.”

A new direction? Yes. But a predictable one. In recent years, Nicaragua has grown to become (arguably) the epicenter of the cigar world. And that means even classic brands with strong identities to other countries of origin—like Davidoff and the Dominican Republic—have to consider cashing in on Nicaragua’s rise in popularity.

Davidoff Nicaragua launched in four formats: Diadema (6.5 x 50), Short Corona (3.75 x 46), Toro (5.5 x 54), and Robusto (5 x 50). A limited production Belicoso (5.25 x 52) was also made.

Then, in early 2016, Davidoff decided to capitalize on the apparent success of the Nicaragua line to launch an offshoot called Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed. While the name might suggest this new line simply applies a box press to the existing Davidoff Nicaragua vitolas, that isn’t the case. Nicaragua Box Pressed, while still a Nicaraguan puro, sports a new recipe. The wrapper is now Habana Oscura, as opposed to Habana Rosado. And an extra ligero leaf was added for more strength.

There are two Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed sizes: Toro (6 x 52) and Robusto (5 x 48). The latter retails for $14.50 and features a silky, clean wrapper that—to my eyes, at least—is barely darker than the wrapper on the original Davidoff Nicaragua line (fortunately, Davidoff denotes “Box Pressed” on the secondary band, so nobody should have any trouble telling the two apart). The box press is noticeable, albeit not terribly sharp. At the foot, I find delicate pre-light notes of honey, hay, and sugar. The cap clips to reveal a smooth cold draw.

The initial profile is well-balanced, spicy, full-bodied, and delicious. Flavors include dry cedar, white pepper, espresso, sweet cream, and roasted nuts. There is a bit of cayenne heat on the aftertaste, and the texture is rich and chalky. After an inch, the strength dials down a bit and some of the spice recedes. Still, even at its lowest strength level, the Robusto clocks in at medium- to full-bodied. Then, towards the finale, the boldness ramps up again. The flavors tend to remain consistent throughout.

In typical Davidoff fashion, the combustion characteristics are superb. The burn line remains straight and true from light to nub, the ash holds firm off the foot, the draw is clear and consistent, and the smoke production is above average with a mouth-watering aroma.

The Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Robusto is considerably more than just a bolder box-pressed version of the original Davidoff Nicaragua line (a blend I really enjoy, by the way). It delivers ample strength along with a complex cast of flavors to create excellent harmony. Without question, Davidoff’s first box-pressed line is a winner. I rate the Robusto four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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.”

This 2016 release by Warped Cigars features Nicaraguan Aganorsa tobaccos. The lonsdale (6.4 x 42) is well-constructed with an understated yet classic band. The cigar produces immaculately balanced, medium-bodied flavors, with cream, light cedar, roasted cashews, and an almost prefume-like sweetness. Construction was superb, with the elegant cigar producing an easy draw, even burn, and sturdy ash. I’ve recommended many Warped cigars over the years and Maestro del Tiempo is no exception.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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 528th in the series.

1) General Cigar is expanding its Cohiba brand with a new line called Blue. “The Cohiba blending team created a velvety, medium-bodied cigar with a rich, complex taste and enticing aroma,” reads a press release. “To achieve the desired flavor, they began with a silky, rosado-hued Honduran Olancho San Agustin (OSA) wrapper and took a unique approach by selecting Honduran OSA for the binder as well. The layered wrapper-binder deepens the smoking experience and imparts subtle, earthy notes. The blend consists of Honduran Jamastran, Nicaraguan Ometepe, and Dominican Piloto Cubano to provide hints of cocoa and caramel, with a light touch of sweetness.” Four vitolas will retail in the $8.99 to $10.99 price range, each packaged in bright blue boxes of 20: Churchill (7.5 x 50), Robusto (5.5 x 50), Rothschild (4.5 x 50), and Toro (6 x 54).

2) Drew Estate announced on Wednesday it will begin shipping Kentucky Fire Cured Swamp Thang and Swamp Rat, two cigars that debuted at the IPCPR Trade Show last summer. Both represent the company’s first foray into Candela-wrapped cigars. Three formats will be offered—Swamp Thang Toro (6 x 52), Swamp Thang Robusto (5 x 54), and Swamp Rat (6 x 46)—each of which will be packaged in 10-count bundles (similar to the current Kentucky Fire Cured lines). “Pairing the smokiness of fire-cured tobacco with the sweetness of Candela wrapper… [creates] a uniquely balanced, complex, and savory cigar,” reads a Drew Estate press release. “We continue to demonstrate our leadership in the fire-cured tobacco segment, making history as the first company to blend Candela and Kentucky fire-cured tobaccos in the premium segment,” said Jonathan Drew.

3) You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for good bourbon or rye. Here’s a list of solid American whiskeys you can actually find on the shelf of most decent liquor stores.

4) From the Archives: Warm days were made for rum, whether you prefer light, dark, golden, or spiced. Here are five delicious concoctions you’ll want to try.

5) Deal of the Week: For today only, here are 100 deals including cigars from Fuente, L’Atelier, E.P. Carrillo, Davidoff, Drew Estate, Tatuaje, 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: Stogie Guys

Although no one knew it at the time, one of most important dates for cigars sold within the United States would be February 15, 2007. Under the Tobacco Control Act and subsequent rulemaking, cigars marketed before that date are grandfathered in as exempt from FDA regulations, while those introduced afterwards will eventually need FDA approval to be legally sold and marketed within the U.S.

Although a determination of grandfather status isn’t yet needed for a cigar to be sold without going through one of the FDA approval tracks, the FDA has begun accepting submissions requesting a grandfathered status review of a tobacco product regulated under the deeming regulations that went into effect last year. Earlier this month, the FDA issued the first such determinations for 13 handmade cigars.

Two companies had cigar products established as grandfathered and thus exempt from FDA approval rules: Altadis USA, one of the largest sellers of handmade cigars in the United States, and Ortega Premium Cigars, a boutique company.

Altadis submitted five cigars from five different brands, each in a corona format: Montecristo Classic Collection Especial No. 1, Romeo y Julieta 1875 Exhibicion No. 1, H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon Corona, Saint Luis Rey Corona, and Don Mateo Natural No. 5 (a bundle cigar). The approach of establishing one size first may be a legal strategy, with the company likely to next seek to expand grandfather determinations to other formats.

Ortega Premium Cigars received grandfather determinations for four sizes in each of two brands: VIBE and REO. In 2007, VIBE and REO were under EO Brands, then co-owned by current VIBE and REO owner Eddie Ortega with his former business partner Erik Espinoza. Both cigars were collaborations between EO and Rocky Patel.

The Ortega determinations were shepherded through by attorney Frank Herrera, whose boutique law firm specializes in cigar trademark and FDA compliance issues. Ninety-eight other cigars have also received grandfather determinations, but those cigars would not be considered handmade or premium cigars.

FDA-Funded Study Confirms Minors Not Smoking Premium Cigars

One of the main arguments against the deeming rules that regulate premium cigars in a similar manner as cigarettes is that youth smoking of premium cigars is not an issue. This is also a reason frequently cited for the need for legislation exempting handmade cigars from FDA regulations.

Even the studies cited by the FDA when they rejected a proposed exemption for premium cigars over a certain price did not point to handmade cigar usage by minors, but relied on a more nebulous “youth and young adults.” As we noted at the time, that included usage rates for adults as old as 29.

A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine buoys the arguments made by opponents of FDA regulation of traditional cigars. The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Food and Drug Administration and conducted by the Department of Health Behavior of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.

As reported elsewhere, the study shows extremely low usage rates (2.3%) among those aged between 12 and 18, even with  extremely broad definitions of usage (even just “one or two puffs” ever). Fewer than one percent of the 13,651 youth surveyed said they used a cigar once (even “just one or two puffs”) in the 30 days prior to being surveyed.

A deeper look at the study’s numbers shows even less cause for concern for youth smoking of cigars. Of the tiny percentage of those who claim to use traditional cigars virtually all used other tobacco products too, while the number who exclusively used traditional cigars was so small that “estimates were suppressed” because the number was not statistically significant.

Though the conclusion that youth smoking of traditional cigars is virtually zero came as no surprise to those in the handmade cigar community, having FDA-funded research to back up these claims may prove useful in lobbying for the FDA to ease regulations on handmade cigars and for pushing Congress to pass an exemption.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

General Cigar’s new Partagas Heritage began with a nod to the past.

Blender Jhonys Diaz called it a “retrospective blend that celebrated the very best of Partagas.” According to General, Diaz and his team developed the blend more than ten years ago, “patiently saving it for a special release.”

It is a complex concoction. The wrapper is a proprietary leaf, Olancho San Agustin Valley; the binder is Connecticut Broadleaf; and the filler is Honduran Jamastran Dominican Piloto Cubano and Mexican San Andrés. This recipe makes for a tasty smoke.

Most noticable at the start are delicate spices that remain throughout, though they shift in prominence. Other flavors include some sweetness, occasional cinnamon, and leather. I ran across a bit of that Mexican dirt, but not strong enough or long enough to spoil the medium-strength cigar.

I smoked five of the Rothschild size, a 4.5-inch cigar with a ring gauge of 50. All burned superbly, with a tight ash and lots of smoke. I thoroughly enjoyed the size, and it’s interesting to note that when Rothschild commissioned the vitola in the 19th century he was seeking a short, large ring cigar.

This new line has that for today’s smoker. Packaged in boxes of 20, there are three other sizes: Robusto (5.5 x 52), Churchill (7 x 49), and Gigante (6 x 60). Suggested retail prices run from $8.49 for the Rothschild to $9.99 for the Churchill.

However, like many General cigars, list price and real price aren’t always the same. I’ve seen the Rothschild for sale online as low as $22.98 for a five-pack.

General has been producing Partagas cigars of one kind or another for decades. The Cuban brand, dating to 1845, also continues to sell widely around the world. The famed Partagas sign outside the old Havana factory should be familiar to anyone who’s been in more than a couple of cigar shops.

The bands of the two cigars can sometimes be remarkably close. The Heritage bands, for instance, obviously have different wording but otherwise closely echo those on the Cuban Partagas Serie lines.

We have reviewed quite a few Partagas cigars over the years, awarding several high ratings. This little smoke is worthy of joining that group, and I give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: General Cigar Co.

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.”

In 2015, Ashton introduced a super-premium limited edition extension to its San Cristobal line called Ovation. Presented in a single format (6.5 x 52), only 3,000 boxes of 22 were made for a total run of 66,000 cigars. My colleague took an Ovation for a test drive about a year ago and found it underwhelming, especially for the $15 price tag. I tried my first one a few days ago. Whether it’s a difference in taste preferences, the additional age on the tobacco, or some other variable, I found the cigar highly satisfying with a complex, full-bodied taste. The San Andrés wrapper marries well with the Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos to deliver rich flavors of coffee, cayenne heat, cocoa, white pepper, and cream. With good combustion characteristics, I would absolutely recommend buying an Ovation if you come across one.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys