The Stogie Guys

There are very few new cigars that I would feel comfortable about buying a box of without trying. A high price doesn’t guarantee quality, and good inexpensive cigars are hard to find. That makes a box of cigars that I’ve never tried before a real gamble, no matter the cost.

One of the few boxes I will buy blind is the annual Singulare release from Illusione. I’ve bought at least one box of the Singulare release every year since it was first introduced 2010, which also happens to be my favorite. (Though if you read the reviews of the 2011, 2012, and 2013, you’ll see I’ve been impressed with them all).

The latest Singulare is called Anunnaki after the Sumerian God. (Who said you’d never use that semester of Ancient World History?) Every year the size and blend changes. The 2014 format is a “double robusto”(5.5 x 54).

Anunnaki started shipping last November, but apparently all 2,000 boxes of the production weren’t ready to ship just then; mine has a box date from mid-January. Each box has 15 cigars and the price is $13 per cigar. Like many recent Illusione offerings, it’s made at the Nicaraguan TABSA factory, as opposed to the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras where earlier lines were rolled.

The Nicaraguan puro has a Corojo ’99 wrapper (the same wrapper as the Illusione Epernay) over dual binders of Jalapa Criollo ’98 and Estelí Corojo ’99. The cigar, which was blended to feature low priming tobaccos from the Chilamate farm in the Jalapa region, contains only a small percentage of Ligero.

Once lit, I found a tasty combination of sourdough bread, cream, and light cedar that’s very similar to the Epernay, but with more sweetness and a velvety texture. It starts out mild, though it does build to a more medium-bodied profile. Past the halfway point, it adds coffee notes and more wood spice, though it maintains excellent balance throughout.

With solid construction and complex, balanced, and interesting flavors, I have no second thoughts about buying this box blind. Fans of Illusione’s Epernay, of which I’m one, will particularly enjoy this classic, mild- to medium-bodied cigar. The Illusione Singulare LE 2014 Anunnaki earns a rare rating of five stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Nicaragua line was a stark departure for Davidoff when it was launched in 2013, and not just because the black band is different from the white ones that adorn other Davidoffs.

This is 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 in a press release. “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 is offered 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. I sampled three Robustos for this review; each had been resting in my humidor for about a year and a half before being smoked.

For starters, this is a handsome specimen with solid curb appeal. The oily wrapper is smooth and clean with a reddish hue, finished with a neatly executed cap. The pre-light notes remind me of honey, cinnamon, and sawdust. The feel is a tad spongy.

Once lit, the ten-year-old Habano Rosado wrapper, Jalapa binder, and filler tobaccos from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe combine to yield a medium-bodied profile of oak, cream, and baking spices. There’s some spice on the finish, but it’s more like white pepper than the bold black pepper for which Nicaraguan tobacco is often known. I also find a decent dose of sugary sweetness, particularly on the aftertaste and in the aroma of the resting smoke.

The texture is bready with notes of peanut and mushroom drifting in and out along the way. Throughout, the draw is easy, the smoke production average, and the gray ash holds firmly off the foot. As with the Toro, though, the Robusto does require a few torch touch-ups to keep things burning evenly.

Davidoff is likely never going to be a destination for full-bodied cigars. Nicotine and strength are just not in the brand DNA. But if you’re willing to pay Davidoff prices (the Nicaragua Robusto retails about $13) this creation will bring you a complex, interesting take on Nicaraguan tobacco that won’t leave you disappointed. It earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Read through the articles in the StogieGuys.com A-Z Guide to Rye and you’ll notice lots of references to Indiana rye (LDI/MPGI/Seagram’s are just a few of the  operation’s names). As complete a list as I know of companies that sell their ryes is available here, but some of the best-known include Bulleit, Templeton, George Dickel, Angel’s Envy, Willett, and High West (though the latter two also have other sources for their rye).

While some of the companies that sell MPGI products obscure the source, MPG Ingredients, as the former Seagram’s distillery is now known, is very upfront about what it offers. Aside from its 95% rye mashbill, it has recently added two additional rye recipes with lesser rye contents.

The biggest reason MPGI’s rye is so ubiquitous is, at a time when rye is hot, MPGI actually has a significant amount of aged stock to sell. In my opinion, a second and nearly as important reason is that the 95% rye is quite drinkable at a relatively young age, with much of it presumably bottled at between two and five years of age.

This makes the Smooth Ambler’s Old Scout offering a little different. The 99-proof rye features a 7-year age statement, which sets it apart from other widely available Indiana ryes.

The result is a copper-tinted whiskey with citrus, candied fruit, and light oak. The palate has good wood spice, but also deep bourbon-esque sweetness and floral notes. The finish has some pickle brine and orange peel.

Pair it with a medium-bodied cigar like an Arturo Fuente King T Rosado Sun Grown, Bolivar Royal Corona (Cuban), Tatuaje Black, or RoMa Craft Intemperance.

At $40 a bottle, Old Scout Rye is a nice value with enough complexity to be enjoyed neat, but it also makes a nice Manhattan. It’s not as brash as Bulleit (one of my favorite value ryes) but the age gives it more woodiness and depth of flavor.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This cigar isn’t so much a smoke as a commitment.

With a whopping 66-ring gauge and measuring 6.5 inches long, you’d be forgiven for worrying that El Diablo might become El Aburrido. Not a problem; it’s not a boring cigar, though it is certainly a long-lasting one.

The multi-nation tobacco blend leads to a complex, enjoyable smoke. The wrapper is Ecuadorian Sumatra, the binder a Connecticut broadleaf, and Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican leaves comprise the filler.

Each year General Cigar tweaks the lineup for this annual release, and for 2014 it added two sizes: El Diablo for the regular cast and the Rare Lapiz figurado as a limited edition.

The price for El Diablo is $8.25, tops for the line. Online discounters advertise 20-count boxes for about $120. General provided two samples for this review.

Both performed excellently, though getting an even, thorough light takes considerable time and attention, as it often does with big-ring cigars. El Diablo, packed with tobacco and heavy in the hand, had a fine draw, even burn, and great smoke production.

The oily, reddish wrapper is smooth, displaying few veins and giving off a sweet pre-light aroma. The first flavors I got were the leather and earth I often associate with Honduran tobacco. They were joined by a light coffee taste and a bit of spice. Along the way, there are also hints of cocoa, nuts, and burned sugar.

I’d rate the strength as medium. Aging potential would seem to be good in the short term, though I wouldn’t be inclined to let them go more than a couple of years for fear too much might dissipate.

While I can’t claim to have smoked the Rare Corojo annually since its 2001 reincarnation, I have sampled them off and on through the years. The 2015 El Diablo strikes me as perhaps the best I can recall, smoother and more complex than in previous years.

Combined with its relatively low price, El Diablo’s easy to recommend. I know I plan to try other sizes as well. I rate El Diablo three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

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.”

When it was first released a few years ago, the Undercrown Flying Pig was only sold in Europe. Now Liga Privada retailers in the U.S. are able to carry the zeppelin-shaped perfecto. The $12 cigar features the Undercrown’s characteristicly oily Mexican wrapper around a slightly tweaked blend. The result is a very rich combination of coffee, dry chocolate, and woody spice. It starts out medium-full bodied but ramps up as the cigar progresses. While I slightly prefer the Corona Viva size of the Undercrown line (especially taking price into account), this is still an excellent, flavorful cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

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.”

Six months ago I bought a five-pack of J.D. Howard Reserve HR52s (6 x 52), finding them, at the time, to be neither enamoring nor enchanting. Half a year may not be ample time to change a cigar, but I nonetheless decided to fire up the last stick from the pack to see how it had developed. This time around, the Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and Nicaraguan filler combined to yield a profile that’s slightly more subdued. The creamy nutiness is more apparent, and the sour, meaty notes are a little less pronounced. The J.D. Howard Reserve HR52 is definitely better with some modest age, but I still think the $10 price tag is high for what this toro brings to the table.

Verdict = Hold.

–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) Tom Wolf, the governor of Pennsylvania, has included in his 2015 budget proposal a state cigar tax of 40% of the wholesale value. Along with Florida, the Keystone State is currently the only state without a cigar tax, which is why a disproportionate number of online cigar wholesalers call Pennsylvania home, including Famous Smoke Shop, Holt’s, and Cigar’s International. “A lot of these retailers have threatened to move to Florida, which is the capital of the premium cigar industry,” said Greg Zimmerman, president of the Pennsylvania Retail Association for Premium Cigars, to The Patriot-News. “If there was to be this onerous tax of 40 percent on the wholesale it would put us above all neighboring states and drive businesses out of Pennsylvania.” In 2010, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed a 30% tax on cigars that was ultimately voted down.

2) Here are some more details on an item from last week’s sampler. Later this year, the largest Davidoff store in the world—5,000 square feet—will open in Tampa. Called “Davidoff of Geneva–Since 1911,” the location will feature “a completely humidified store filled with premium cigar retail space, multiple lounges both indoor and out, private lockers, as well as an elegant full-service bar serving premium alcoholic beverages,” according to a press release. “This will be the company’s first licensed flagship store outside of Las Vegas.” Jeff and Tanya Borysiewicz of Corona Cigar Co. are partnering with Davidoff in the venture.

3) Inside the Industry: Altadis U.S.A. is releasing “Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room,” a limited release slated for April that is being made for Altadis by Boutique Blends, an up-and-coming boutique-oriented Dominican cigar company. The cigar, which also will carry the name “Small Batch F25,” is a Dominican puro currently being rolled at Tabacalera La Palma, the Dominican Republic factory where Boutique Blends makes all of its offerings.

4) Deal of the Week: This $26, 5-cigar sampler will save you over 30% off retail price, plus you get free shipping on your entire order. Included is one each of the Avo Heritage Short Robusto, La Aurora 107 Robusto, Gran Vida Habano Corona Extra, E.P. Carrillo Cardinal 56, and the Kristoff Ceniza de Plata Gordo.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr