The Stogie Guys

Stogie Guys Friday Sampler XXIII

The Stogie Guys — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 13:00:00 +0000

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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) Cigar Aficionado recently announced the 2007 dates for its popular Big Smoke events, including stops in Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York. Also, after the success of the inaugural Cigar Artisans event, we have been told that it will also be back for another run in 2007. Stay tuned to StogieGuys.com for dates. (For our coverage of the 2006 Cigar Artisans event, click here.)

2) This tip probably seems obvious to most readers, but for those new to the world of cigars, and possibly others, it may not be. Take a few minutes to sign up for email offers with Internet retailers. Lately, more of them seem to be featuring daily, as well as weekly, specials and you might save quite a bit on your favorite smoke. And don’t stick to just the big sellers. Sometimes small online shops will have big bargains. If you haven’t yet become acquainted with Internet cigar sellers, you can find a massive list at this site.

3) Our article on the Taliban smoking ban prompted a post over at Reason Magazine where one reader quipped: “Joke all you want, but studies have shown that smoking is the second leading cause of death among suicide bombers.” He was (we hope) joking, but just the same, it isn’t hard to imagine the very same words coming out of a anti-smoking zealot’s mouth.

4) We’re always on the lookout for great deals for you, our loyal readers, and we’re pretty excited about what we found this week. For under $30 you can get 12 handmade cigars, including premium brands like Partagas, La Gloria Cubana, Romeo y Julieta, Macanudo, Onyx, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Perla Habana, Punch, Torano, and C.A.O. (say that five times fast). And to top it off an aluminum travel case and a hat are included. Order quickly and you can have it in time for Christmas! (To get this offer click the image above or click here.)

-The Stogie Guys

Tags: cigars

Stogie Reviews

The Stogie Guys — Thu, 04 May 2006 04:04:00 +0000

The following is an alphabetical archive of every cigar review we’ve published since founding StogieGuys.com in May 2006. Simply click on any cigar name to read the entire review. As you can see, cigars can receive up to five stogies in our ratings system, which you can read more about here.

Alonso Menendez Robusto

Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Maduro

Arturo Fuente Curly Head Deluxe Maduro

Arturo Fuente Privada No. 1

Ashton Aged Cabinet Pyramid

Butera Royal Vintage Mira Bella

CAO Criollo Pato

Camacho Coyolar Puro Torpedo

Cohiba Siglo V

Cusano 18 Double Connecticut Robusto

Davidoff Grand Cru No. 3

Don Diego Grandee

El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga

Gurkha Connecticut Reserve Robusto No. 4

H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon Corona

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Epicure

Hoyo de Monterrey Governor EMS

Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Toro Maduro

JR Alternative of the Cohiba Sublime

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Consul

La Flor Dominicana Reserva Especial Belicoso

La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda

La Rosa Cubana Robusto

Macanudo Maduro Hyde Park

Macanudo Natural Rothschild

Macanudo Robust Rothschild

Maria Mancini Magic Mountain

Montecristo Afrique Kilimanjaro

Montecristo Vintage 93 Club Cabinet No. 30

Montecristo Robusto Minor

Montecristo White Epicure No. 3

Onyx Vintage ’97 Epicure

Padrón Delicias Maduro

Padrón Serie 1926 No. 6

Partagas Black Clasico

Perdomo La Tradicion Perdomo Cameroon "F"

Perdomo Reserve Golf Limited Edition Robusto

Punch After Dinner EMS

Punch Café Royale

Punch Grand Cru Robusto

Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Corojo

Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedo

Romeo y Julieta Exhibition No. 3

Romeo y Julieta Vintage III

Sancho Panza Glorioso

Taino Robusto

Toraño Exodus Silver Corona Grande

Stogie Reviews: Perdomo Reserve Golf Limited Edition Robusto

The Stogie Guys — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:48:00 +0000

Loyal readers may recall a September post in which we reported Tabacalera Perdomo released a new blend called La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve Limited Golf Edition (that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?). The line – which is offered in eight sizes ranging from “Putter” to “Double Eagle” to “Hole in One” – is a creative marketing strategy aimed at taking advantage of the perfect, age-old pairing of cigars and golf.

Last night I finally had the opportunity to try the “Iron,” a five inches by 54 ring gauge Robusto with a suggested retail price of $6.55 apiece.

This stick has a creamy, five-year-old Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper that sports few imperfections and an attractive, yet relatively large, green and gold band. I had been admiring it in my humidor over the past few months.

Before lighting, I noticed sweet aromas of honey and tea. After slicing the cap with my double guillotine cutter, which unfortunately produced a less-than-clean cut, I took note of the easy draw through the Nicaraguan filler.

Once lit, the sweet flavors I previously detected had all but disappeared, leaving dry, earthy notes on the palate. The sensation might best be described as tasting a clove-flavored saltlick.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t a bad tasting stogie. A stranger in the pub actually asked me what I was smoking because it smelled “terrific.” I just think it’s a bit too dry for my liking.

Which brings me to an important point: For a line of cigars that’s supposed to be paired with an athletic activity in which drinks aren’t always readily available, it’s way too salty. I’d save it for the clubhouse. (For more StogieGuys.com tips on cigars and golf, please click here.)

With a firm white ash that holds strong, an easy draw, and a fairly even burn (that did require a few touch-ups with my lighter), my “Iron” tested fine on construction.

Overall, I don’t think you’ll be utterly disappointed by the La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve Limited Golf Edition Robusto, but – then again – you won’t be too impressed either. I give it three and ½ out of five stogies.

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

-Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Stogie News: A Good Five Cent Cuban?

The Stogie Guys — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0000

Cuban cigars are famous all around the world. The best known brands such as Montecristo and Cohiba (which received a rare 5 stogie rating for the Siglo V) are also some of the most expensive cigars sold, and they cost even more in the United States where the embargo on Cuba makes them contraband (and a high percentage of “Cuban” cigars are fake).

So that’s why we were fascinated by a story on Cuban cigars from the opposite end of the market. Long before the embargo, President Woodrow Wilson's V.P. Thomas R. Marshall once remarked, “What this country needs is a good five cent cigar.”

Now according to this article, Cuba has answered the call with a local cigar that costs just one Cuban Peso (or approximately four cents). But that begs the question, are these deeply discounted Cubans any good?

Writer John O’Doherty enlisted two experienced two cigar merchants (Edward Sahakian of Davidoff and Paul Bielby of JJ Fox & Robert Lewis) to find out:

Reloba was by far the most prevalent of the brands available in the peso shops. They cost one Cuban peso each, about 2p. As with all hand-rolled cigars, one end has been sealed with tobacco leaf. Sahakian snips off this end with a small cigar-cutter, lights it and takes a slow, deliberate puff. "It's not that bad," he says, pleasantly surprised after I tell him the price. "But it's a bit harsh."

Bielby is more enthusiastic about the Reloba but is concerned with the way the cigar was rolled. A poorly packed cigar creates an uneven burn. Sure enough, as Sahakian and Bielby smoke their Relobas, the embers on one side race up the cigar, leaving the other side almost unburnt.

Both agree that the cigar was recently rolled and with fresh tobacco, and consequently not as mellow as a cigar that has been laid down for a few years. "There are many similarities between champagne and cigars," says Sahakian. "They both need time to mature. From about seven to 15 years old, after they have mellowed, they will be at their best."

For more on cheap Cuban cigars, read the rest of this Financial Times article.

-Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Stogie News: Taliban vs. Smoking

The Stogie Guys — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:00:00 +0000

In the past we’ve noted the similarities between the anti-smoking policies of Hitler and the Nazis and today’s anti-smoking zealots.

Now we read reports that another of America’s mortal enemies, the Taliban that supported Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist attacks, is also a distinctly fascist when it comes to smoking.

This report from The Scotsman notes that a ban on smoking is rule 18 of the 30 rules recently handed down by the Taliban’s “highest leader”:

18. Mujahideen should refrain from smoking cigarettes.

And while cigarette smoking is a no-no, killing a teacher isn’t a problem – provided that the proper warnings are given:

25. Anyone who works as a teacher for the current puppet regime must receive a warning. If he nevertheless refuses to give up his job, he must be beaten. If the teacher still continues to instruct contrary to the principles of Islam, the district commander or a group leader must kill him.

Just so we’re clear: Killing a teacher – mandatory (after warning and beating). Smoking cigarettes – absolutely forbidden!

Now obviously we know that the smoke-hating terrorists are maniacal (that’s why they’re terrorists), but their anti-tobacco policy does raise one question: If terrorists want to ban smoking, does that mean that when we ban smoking the terrorists win?

-Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Stogie Reviews: Padrón Serie 1926 No. 6

The Stogie Guys — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:03:00 +0000

I found myself at Shelly’s Back Room again this Friday and – with great company and cause for celebration – I decided to finally break out a special treat from my humidor that I somehow managed to keep my hands off of since June.

The Padrón Serie 1926 No. 6 is a beautiful Nicaraguan puro with an individually-numbered double band. The dark maduro wrapper on this four and ¾ inches by 50 ring gauge cigar had a few prominent veins, but no real defects. Most remarkably, the box-pressed stogie is packed extremely tight and rock hard to the touch, yet the pre-light draw was easy and true.

After snipping the cap with my double guillotine cutter, I noticed an earthy aroma of rich roasted coffee. Once lit, those flavors were balanced by another taste that reminded me of moist chocolate cake and, towards the end of the smoke, the flavor profile intensified with some spicy notes that were neither too subtle nor too harsh. This is truly a complex cigar.

And why shouldn’t it be? The 1926 line – which hit retailers in 2002 – is a celebration of Jose O. Padrón’s birth year, a praiseworthy cigar that lives up to its founder’s reputation.

Aside from taste, this stogie also earns high marks for its physical characteristics. Despite a firmness that would rival a lead pipe, the draw was extremely easy and each puff produced a ton of smoke. The burn was fairly even, but admittedly required a few minor touch-ups with my torch. And the gray ash held strong off the foot.

At about $12 apiece retail, this is not an everyday cigar. But special occasions call for special stogies, and this terrific smoke certainly qualifies for any celebration. For a complex taste that renders it worth every penny, I give the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 6 a rare five out of five stogies.

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

-Patrick A

Tags: cigars

The Stogie Guys

The Stogie Guys — Thu, 04 May 2006 04:02:00 +0000

Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
PatrickA.StogieGuys -at- gmail.com

Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder, Publisher & Web Editor
PatrickS.StogieGuys -at- gmail.com

George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
GeorgeE.StogieGuys -at- hotmail.com

Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief

At a young age, Patrick Ashby’s father instilled in him a deep appreciation for cigars. “Son,” Steve would say, often on the golf course or the back deck of their Chicago home, “a cigar is not a habit – it’s a celebration."

Patrick has since moved away from Chicago to pursue a career with a non-profit legal defense foundation in Washington, DC, but the esteem and regard for fine stogies his father so graciously handed down carries on with him to this day.

Patrick believes asking him to name his favorite cigar is like asking Ted Kennedy to name his favorite drink. From the mild-tasting Macanudo to the full-bodied Punch, from the miniature ascot to the colossal Churchill, Patrick counts himself lucky that cigars come in a plethora of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors.

Patrick has a BA in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and lives in Alexandria, Virginia. When he is not puffing away on a decadent Dominican, Patrick enjoys golf, writing, loathing the government, rooting for Da Bears, the piano, politics, and American history. He can usually be found at any Washington metropolitan area establishment that serves libations and is not averse to cigar smoke.

Patrick travels back to Chicago when he has time to visit friends and family and – of course – have a smoke with his dad.

Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder, Publisher & Web Editor

Spending the late summers of his youth on Long Island golfing and teaching sailing, cigar smoking came naturally to Patrick Semmens. And to this day, afloat under the power of the wind or while enjoying a round of golf remain two of Patrick's favorite times to partake in a fine stogie.

Despite no longer living in New York, he feels strongly that his cigar preferences reflect his Brooklyn upbringing. Like New York City itself, "big and bold" is an apt description of Patrick's cigar inclinations. While Padrons and CAOs represent his dependable favorites, he isn't opposed to variety in his cigar choices, at times all together dispensing with his "big and bold" mantra.

In between living in Brooklyn and his recent move to the Washington area, Patrick spent four years at Colby College in Waterville, Maine where he earned a BA in government and a minor in philosophy, and he also spent one year traveling and working around the world. During that year he bartended aboard a charter yacht in New Zealand, worked on seismic survey ships searching for oil in the North Sea and South Atlantic, and taught English and coached soccer in a small village in Ghana, Africa.

Patrick now works at a non-profit legal defense foundation, and avidly follows politics. In his free time he enjoys tennis, golf, sailing, watching the New York Mets or Rangers, and just kicking back with friends. With the exception of tennis, he feels that all those activities represent prime opportunities to enjoy a stogie.

To read Patrick's musings on politics, visit his website: http://www.patricksemmens.com/blog.html

George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief

Retirement in Florida seems to suit George Edmonson about as well as the large Hawaiian shirts that have replaced the white ones he wore for years. And what better to complement an air of relaxation than the enjoyment of a nice cigar?

After smoking for a few years, George, 56, remains a firm believer in Robert Louis Stevenson's (slightly paraphrased) sentiments: "The world is so full of a number of cigars, I'm sure we should all be as happy as czars." The list of cigars George enjoys is so long and changes so frequently, he'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

As a journalist for nearly 35 years, George's work ranged from participating in the creation of USA Today to covering the September 11, 2001 attack at the Pentagon. Perhaps his most outstanding accomplishment was that he managed to end up with no unfinished novel yellowing in the bottom desk drawer.

He grew up in Richmond, Virginia at a time when the warm aroma of tobacco wafted freely from warehouses, and the price of a pack of cigarettes and a gallon of gas were roughly the same – around a quarter. Interests nowadays beyond cigars include listening to music (one major recent project was converting his LPs to CDs), reading, relaxing, and trying to learn more about the computer.

Living in Tarpon Springs, Florida, George is in the heart of U.S. cigar country. The Tampa-St. Petersburg area has an abundance of great shops, great selections, and great smokers. In all honesty, that wasn't what led him to move to the area. But sometimes you just get lucky.

Stogie Guys Friday Sampler XXII

The Stogie Guys — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 08:00:00 +0000

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) If there’s one universal feeling among cigar smokers, it’s anger at butane torch lighters that are too often expensive, unreliable, or quickly broken. Well, here’s the solution: the Ronson JetLite for under $3 at Wal-Mat. George E has had his for several months and it’s working just fine. Most Wal-Mart stores stock them at the register that displays goodies like cigars, cigarettes, and - you guessed it - lighters.

2) Yesterday’s item on the possibility of a smoking ban in Baltimore sparked some nasty words about the city once called "a nest of pirates." But it also prompted Jerry from the Stogie Review to alert us to this fantastic commentary from the Baltimore Sun: "Smoking bans are dangerous to a free society's health." We couldn't agree more!

3) We thought long and hard about keeping this to ourselves, but we just couldn’t leave our readers in the dark. Thompson Cigar has teamed up with International Wine Cellars to bring you a contest where you can win $2,500 worth of cigars and $2,500 worth of wine! Click here to enter, and, if you win, just remember who told you. Our finders fee is a modest 10 percent.

4) Finally, if our tips on giving the gift of cigars didn’t help you complete your holiday shopping, here’s a few more ideas (and shameless plugs): We’ve got some great items in our Stogie Guys Store, and Stogie Guys Gear never goes out of style. Also, please consider selecting an item from one of our affiliates. They’ve got wine, coffee, and - naturally - cigars. Best of all, a portion of each sale allows us to improve StogieGuys.com.

[Editors Note: Apologies for the tardiness of this Friday Sampler. We've been having problems with our web publishing software, but they have now been resolved.]

-The Stogie Guys

Tags: cigars

Stogie News: Baltimore on the Chopping Block

The Stogie Guys — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 15:03:00 +0000

They’re dropping like flies. The question is not if another major city will fall to a fascist smoking ban, but which will fall first. For what it’s worth, my money is on Baltimore.

If you have a great memory, you may recall a July 19 post on cigar etiquette in which I briefly recounted a drunken evening smoking stogies at various Baltimore bars. Well, according to the Baltimore Examiner, I may have to get back up to the Charm City very soon if I ever want to do that again.

While the highly anticipated vote on the citywide smoking ban was delayed at Monday night’s council meeting, both sides continue to maneuver to tally votes and win support. And though advocates and opponents argue they have the upper hand, many believe the fate of the smoking bill could come down to the support of a yet-to-be-selected council member. “If Stephanie Rawlings Blake becomes City Council president, as it appears, then the person who replaces her on the Council could be the deciding vote,” City Council Member Robert Curran said.

Now I know I just asked Stogie Guys Nation to make some phone calls to Ohio’s Department of Health to give those bureaucrats hell for their upcoming statewide smoking ban, but I can’t resist asking you to pick up the phone again – especially if you reside in Baltimore. Since this ban is currently teetering on the fence, a flood of phone calls to the Baltimore City Council may actually tip policy in our favor.

Anyways, I just think it’s worth a shot. Many Baltimore business owners, like Ron Furman, worry that if the ban passes they “will be looking at losing 30 to 40 percent of business” because “a lot of our customers are cigar smokers and cigarette smokers.”

He’s probably right. Would-be customers like me will be less willing to make the trip up to Baltimore from Washington (and other locales) if the city government votes to outlaw free choice.

-Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Stogie Review: Montecristo Vintage 93 Club Cabinet No. 30

The Stogie Guys — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0000

The Montecristo Vintage 93 Club Cabinet line is hard to find. I haven’t come across any in recent trips to cigar shops, and in a quick spot check of major online retailers, JR Cigars seems to be the only game in town. There, the robusto-sized (5 inches by 50 ring gauge) No. 30 sells for $130 for a box of 25 – over five dollars per stick when purchased in bulk.

At first glance the 1996 Connecticut Valley wrapper was a bit veinier than one might expect from Montecristo, but overall this was a fine looking cigar. Held next to a traditional brown band Montecristo, the Vintage 93 wrapper was slightly darker with more of an oily shine.

Like many Montecristo smokes, this cigar felt very solid and dense in my hand. After clipping the cigar with a double guillotine, I used two wooden matches to give it a proper light (the first match toasted the edges and the second turned the foot glowing orange).

I immediately noticed that the stogie produced dense smoke. And while a deliberate puff was necessary, the draw was firm, but not at all a hindrance to enjoying the cigar.

Straight away, smooth nutty and creamy flavors came through in this medium bodied smoke. Initially there were also subtle hints of spice and black pepper.

Overall the cigar had good balance, and after the initial third of the cigar, the pepper flavors faded away as mocha notes became apparent.

This smooth complexity and balance, coupled with flawless construction throughout, earns the Montecristo Vintage 93 Club Cabinet No. 30 an impressive rating of four out of five stogies.

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

-Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Stogie News: Blitzkrieg the Buckeye Ban

The Stogie Guys — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:48:00 +0000

Sure, the Buckeye State might be home to the best team in college football (at least for now), but do Ohioans have the right to light up indoors? According to the power-hungry state legislators in Columbus, not after 12:01 AM on Thursday.

That’s when the fascist statewide smoking ban on bars, restaurants, and almost every other business goes into effect, criminalizing business owners who choose to offer smoke-friendly environments to their customers and the adult smokers who consciously frequent such locales.

But before you stop reading this out of frustration or sheer helplessness, you should know that this time there’s something you can do. The following simple action may not stop the law from hitting Ohioans like a hurricane of oppression, but it will infuriate the Columbus bureaucrats who thrust their “values” on the populace – and that’s a start.

Take a few minutes to call 866-559-OHIO. That’s the toll-free “Complaint Hotline” the state initiated to allow nosey Ohioans to report smoking ban violations. Even though the ban is not yet in effect, the hotline is up and running and will immediately connect you to a lovely Ohio Department of Health bureaucrat. They even take out of state calls! Trust me.

Instead of reporting a ban violation, I suggest you let the state government have a piece of your mind for squelching free choice and imposing their anti-smoking “ideals” on the citizenry. Now that’s a complaint.

If you don’t know how to put your feelings into words, feel free to take a few lines from this post.

It’s worth pointing out that Ohio officials established the hotline because they’re not quite sure how to enforce the ban. That’s government efficiency for you.

So let’s make the Columbus bureaucrats pay for their fascist powergrab by flooding the Ohio Department of Health with some serious “complaints” over the next few days. We may not make any real difference in public policy, but we can piss off the government workers who live off our tax dollars.

-Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Stogie News: Got Wood? You’re Busted!

The Stogie Guys — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:01:00 +0000

First the anti-smoking zealots stripped business owners of their right to offer smoke-friendly accommodations, and now they’re attacking our harmless wooden decorations. Tobacconists and Stogie Guys beware because cigar store Indians are now officially under fire.

Sure, the following frightening tale comes from our socialist neighbors to the north (Windsor, to be more precise), but given the ferocious speed with which anti-smoking fascists were able to strip us of our basic freedoms in the U.S., how long is it before cigar store Indians are criminalized in America?

Soubhi Assi said he’s put up with a lot over the last few months, but when the health unit started messing with his Indian, he drew the line.

Assi, who owns the Downtown Smoke Shop, said health unit inspectors were in his store last week and told him the life-sized carved wooden Indian near the front door is illegal because it promotes tobacco use.

Assi said he’s obeyed the provincial smoking ban, which outlaws signs promoting tobacco or accessories, by taking down advertisements, removing prices from cigarettes, and replacing a neon “Cigar” sign with a “Coffee” sign, even though he doesn’t sell coffee.

He also covered the overhead sign with his store’s name on it, although it was replaced with another sign that sarcastically declared, “Don’t look at this sign. It may cause cancer.”

As I give well-deserved props to Assi for having a good sense of humor while the paternalistic government breathes down his neck and threatens his way of life, I hope you find this ridiculous scenario as sad as I do. If I ever find myself in Windsor, I’m stopping by the Downtown Smoke Shop to shake Assi’s hand and make a very large purchase.

For now, though, let’s hope this absurdity stays where it belongs – up north.

-Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Stogie Guys Friday Sampler XXI

The Stogie Guys — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:51:00 +0000

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) From time to time we'll look back at a review we did with a Stogie Guys Second Look. Not quite a full review, these will include little tidbits about a cigar we already reviewed. Item 2 in today's sampler takes a Second Look at the Gurkha Connecticut Reserve Robusto #4.

2) Stogie Guys Second Look: Gurkha Connecticut Reserve Robusto #4
After having awful construction problems in its review, this toro-sized Gurkha came back strong with a relatively even burn, very long sturdy ash (see picture), and none of the wrapper issues initially encountered. Combined with the same mild nutty flavors as before, this was a big improvement.

3) We look everywhere for deals for our readers. We found this special from Cigar International in a pile of coupons that usually just goes straight from our mailbox to our trash can. Ten bucks for eight cigars including sticks from Gurkha, Perdomo, Indian Tabac, and Fonseca Just click this link.

4) Looking for a good deal? Well, you need look no further than the Torano Website, where the generous cigar makers say they'll give you a free one for signing up here.

5.) Last week we let you know about this $30 cigar case and sampler deal. That's pretty good, and for a few bucks more you can have have the above ten cigars and case. Click the above picture for the special deal.

-The Stogie Guys

Tags: cigars

Stogie Commentary: On Location in Ybor

The Stogie Guys — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 13:00:00 +0000

Yesterday your three hardworking Stogie Guys took some time to relax and have some cigars in Ybor City. By chance Patrick A and myself were in the area for business, and once we realized we’d have some free time, we immediately contacted Tampa Bureau Chief George Edmonson to meet for a few hours in the cigar capital of America.

With just over three hours to spend in the historic district of Tampa, we wasted no time. We started our trip by meeting in front of the Columbia restaurant, where they roll their own cigars in the Gonzalez & Martinez Cigar Factory. The factory itself was closed when we were there and, unfortunately due to Florida’s Draconian restaurant smoking ban (how a state with well over half a million Cubans bans the traditional after dinner cigar is beyond me), we couldn’t light up at the restaurant.

So we walked down E. 7th Avenue (the main drag in Ybor) until we came across an open cigar shop (at 11 on Sunday morning your options are a bit limited). Outside of The Tampa Cigar Company Inc., the owner was puffing away at a cigar. As we walked in, to our left was a cigar rolling station surrounded by dozens of cigar presses, and to our right was a walk-in humidor with hundreds of stacked, un-banded cigars which we were told were all rolled right there in the shop.

At the owner’s recommendation we selected three robustos ($5 per stick), which we enjoyed with strong cuban coffee. After a leisurely smoke we thanked our host and left to have some lunch.

Later we found ourselves at King Corona Cigar, a large combination cigar shop, bar, and barbershop. They carry a respectable selection of name-brand cigars in a massive humidor. Tucked in between the CAO’s, Fuentes, and Diamond Crowns was an unbanded cigar simply called “Ybor City Handmades” that came in three sizes – Lonsdale, Torpedo, and Churchill.

Since we could find the national brands anywhere, we decided on the very reasonably-priced Ybor City Handmades and enjoyed three Churchills with some more coffee. With excellent construction, a mild buttery-almond flavor, and the occasional hint of spice, these Ybor-rolled Dominican cigars with their nearly vein-free Connecticut Shade wrappers were a steal at just over two dollars apiece

Unfortunately, like every cigar, this stogie adventure had to come to an end, but not before everyone walked away with a few more cigars for our humidors and a few pleasant memories.

-Patrick S

Tags: cigars

Stogie Tips: Giving the Gift of Cigars

The Stogie Guys — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:17:00 +0000

With Thanksgiving officially in the rear-view mirror, you probably know what season it is...shopping season.

And Stogie Guys know this season means giving the gift of cigars to our fellow BOTL’s (Brothers of the Leaf). But that task isn’t always as easy as it sounds.

Smokers’ tastes in cigars vary widely. Some are averse to specific brands based on bad past experiences, some only like very mild or very strong cigars, some are maduro smokers and Cuban snobs, and some are people (like us) that will try any handmade cigar once.

You see, unlike buying cigars for yourself, buying cigars for friends, relatives, acquaintances, and co-workers is an entirely different animal. So to help you out, here are three tips for good cigar gift-giving.

1. Avoid buying the box

Some people are easy to buy for because they have a specific favorite cigar and you know that buying them a box of those means they will be thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, most people aren’t that easy. That’s why we don’t suggest buying a whole box.

We always recommend trying few sticks before jumping in for an entire box, and that’s even more true for gifts. Tastes are quirky and even if you really think that the recipient will enjoy it, there’s a chance for reasons completely beyond your control that they won’t.

2. Samplers are the way to go

Samplers make great gifts and here’s why: Variety is the spice of life. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Sure they are tired old clichés, but they are also true. When you give a sampler of ten different cigars, it is like giving ten different gifts. They might not love all ten, but chances are they will really enjoy at least a few, and you might even be responsible for turning someone on to their new favorite smoke.

3. Get something special

Finally, we suggest getting someone something they wouldn’t buy themselves. Gifts are meant to be special, so buy some super premiums for that person who refuses to spend more than three bucks per stick for himself.

If gifts are meant to be special, then what is more special than giving that guy who smokes only value cigars a premium cigar that he would never purchase for himself?

[Note: This list of holiday shopping tips is far from exhaustive. Please add your own gift buying suggestions in the comments section of this post.]

-Patrick S

Tags: cigars