The Stogie Guys

Back in 2006 when I was starting to get into cigars, Mike Copperman of Bethesda Tobacco generously donated his time (and cigars) to give me a private session on cigar tasting. Copperman, now the legislative director for Cigar Rights of America, is about as well-versed in the field as anyone. His invaluable—albeit brief—tutelage made a huge impact on me.

I remember tasting cigars with Copperman at his Maryland shop, which today is another DC-area location of W. Curtis Draper. We were on the second floor of Bethesda Tobacco, in a small room with scant ventilation that assured the cigar smoke would hang heavy enough in the air to sting the eyes. On a muggy summer day we sampled sticks that were comprised entirely of Piloto Cubano tobacco, then Viso, then Ligero. Tasting these tobaccos independently instilled a great appreciation for the final cigar, which was a harmonious combination of all three: the Davidoff Grand Cru No. 3.

I didn’t know much about cigars at the time. But, thanks to Copperman, I really adored the Davidoff Grand Cru No. 3. It was a cigar I later reviewed, and it became the first cigar to earn a five-stogie rating on this website, which was only a few months old in the summer of 2006.

Hundreds of cigar reviews and almost eight years later, I still fondly revere the Davidoff Grand Cru line. For reasons including price and the need to constantly smoke different cigars for this website, I don’t smoke the blend often. But when I do, I love it. Flying in the face of today’s obsession with thick smokes, the five Grand Cru vitolas all have ring gauges less than 50. According to Davidoff, “only the Corona shape gives the Grand Cru the ideal ring gauge with which to enjoy this medium-bodied flavor.”

For this review, I bought a five-pack of No. 4s (4.75 x 41) for just under $50. Like the other sizes, the No. 4 is a gorgeous smoke with a clean wrapper, a well-executed cap, and faint pre-light notes of molasses and hay off the foot. After setting the burn with a wooden match, a bright, crisp, mild- to medium-bodied profile emerges with flavors of oak, peanut, cream, and earth. The finish leaves a surprisingly long-lasting sensation of spice on the tip of the tongue. The texture is dry and silky and the combustion properties are perfect.

I’m not sure it’s possible for me to write a completely unbiased review of a Davidoff Grand Cru cigar. Even when I do my best to set aside the memories and nostalgia, I can’t help but arrive at the same conclusion: This is a tremendous blend with exquisite balance and subtlety. Now keep in mind I’ve always had a soft spot for cigars at the milder end of the spectrum. Some cigar enthusiasts live for those full-bodied flavor-bombs and could never imagine paying $10 for a milder smoke—particularly one this small. Not me. I adore the Davidoff Grand Cru No. 4, and I can’t think of a more suitable rating than 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 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 very unique limited edition cigar ($15) from RoMa Craft is rolled entirely by hand with a blend that seems to take a bit from each of their regular production lines: Ecuadorian Connecticut and Brazilian Ariparaca wrapper, U.S.-grown Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and Cameroon and Nicaraguan filler. Each box of 10 pyramide-shaped cigars features nine cigars with a closed foot and one without (I smoked the latter). The cigar has lots of dark earth and wood flavors, and a good bit of syrupy sweetness, though not much spice. Even though it’s made without any molds, construction is free of problems. The sweetness and wood go well with a wheated bourbon like the W.L. Weller 12 Year.

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.”

With its Nub-like dimensions, snowflake foil wrapper, and unembellished Christmas tree secondary band, the limited edition Viaje Holiday Blend 2013 will stand out in almost any humidor. It’s also a standout in the taste department. A small, fat torpedo (4 x 60) with all-Nicaraguan tobacco, this year’s Viaje holiday release is a complex, slow-burning delight. Flavors range from pepper and sweetness to leather and cedar. My only complaint: a less-than-stellar burn. It’s also a bit pricy at about $10. But it’s well worth picking up to give yourself a post-Christmas present.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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) Yesterday, Cigar Rights of America (CRA) sent around an alarming email newsletter detailing some of the state-based threats they’re up against in 2014. Impacted states include Kentucky, where Governor Steve Beshear (pictured) has announced his approval of efforts to ban smoking statewide in bars, restaurants, and other “public” places; Nebraska, where a bill has been introduced to increase cigar taxes from 20% to 31%; Missouri, where a statewide ban is being considered; and Wisconsin, where a cigar tax hike proposal has received bicameral support. Over a dozen other states were also listed. “Of course, these issues are in addition to the vast array of ordinances and proposals at the local level, and the pressing matter of the day, being on the cusp of FDA regulation for this great industry…,” said the CRA email.

2) To celebrate what the Sindicato Cigar Company is calling “National Hex Day,” Saturday, January 18 is your chance to get a free Hex cigar. “All consumers who visit participating retailers and repeat the phrase ‘Hex me!’ will receive a free Hex cigar, while supplies last,” according to Sindicato. “Participating retailers will have stick and box promotions for the day, along with limited edition Hex T-shirts for giveaways.” A list of Hex retailers can be found here, and our review of the Hex Perfecto can be read here.

3) Inside the Industry: Nomad Cigars is adding two new sizes to its S-307 line: a Gordo (6 x 58) and a Corona (5.5 x 44). Leesburg Cigars in Virginia is getting an exclusive Cabaiguan.

4) Deal of the Week: The Stogie Guys Sampler at Corona Cigar Co. has been updated. Just $30 gets you 7 cigars, including an Undercrown and the limited Avo Lounge cigar.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

New Year’s resolutions are a annual tradition. And even though they are a few days late (nine, to be exact), here are my cigar-related resolutions for 2014:

Smoke More Socially – I smoke plenty of cigars, but not enough in the company of fellow smokers. Part of the reason is I smoke a lot of cigars for reviews, and plenty others while writing other content for this site. But even when I just smoke a cigar to relax, too often it’s just me and a couple fingers of bourbon. (Don’t feel bad for me, I have plenty of friends; just not many who enjoy cigars.) So this year I’m hoping to sit around the table more with my cigar-smoking buddies.

Don’t Neglect the Big Cigar Makers – While I reviewed plenty of cigars this year, a very small proportion of them were from the larger cigar makers like Altadis, General Cigar, Fuente, and Davidoff. Those companies make a disproportionately large percentage of handmade cigars. Yet I reviewed very few of their cigars last year. They make some excellent cigars, so while I won’t be ignoring the smaller, boutique makers, I plan on making a point to review more of the largest cigar companies new releases.

Update Old Reviews – StogieGuys.com has been around for nearly eight years now. And while cigar makers may refuse to admit it, the truth is a cigar can change over such a long period of time, and I don’t mean because of aging. A cigar we reviewed five years ago may be a very different cigar today, even if it shares the same name, size, etc. So while there’s no shortage of new cigars to review, this year I’d like to revisit some of the cigars I reviewed in the first few years of the site.

Share My Favorite Affordable Spirits  – I wrote about twenty-some bourbons over the past year and a handful of other fine spirits. That includes a lot of my favorites, but perhaps it skews towards the limited edition, hard-to-find variety. One of things I find so amazing about bourbon is the high quality of easily found, non-expensive bourbons. So this year I want to focus on the $20-40 bourbon range, and share my favorites with you.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It has been said that Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars blended his refined Epernay line to pair with champagne. If that’s true, I should have gotten around to this review before New Year’s Eve—not a week after what’s certainly the biggest night for champagne consumption.

Epernay, named for the region of France known around the world for the champagne it produces, debuted in 2008 as the ECCJ 15th limited release (in honor of the 15th anniversary of the European Cigar Cult Journal). It was eventually rolled out in 2009 as a regular production series with four sizes. My colleagues have already reviewed Le Elegance and Le Matin in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

The Epernay recipe calls for Nicaraguan tobaccos of Corojo and Criollo (notably, there is no Ligero in the blend). The wrapper is Café Rosado, and the intended flavor profile is marketed as complex, subdued, and European. With a small, understated band of white and gold, a triple-cap, and that familiar Illusione font, Epernay has a classic appeal.

For this review I sampled 5 cigars in the L’Excellence format, which measures 6.75 inches long with a ring gauge of 48. L’Excellence is the tenth Epernay vitola, a Churchill that was added in 2012. I’ve heard that it’s Giolito’s favorite size in the series. It’s a solid, uniformly packed cigar with moderate oils, few veins, and a stiff pre-light draw. The foot has a gentle aroma of hay and molasses.

After setting an even light, L’Excellence yields a rounded, balanced profile with notes as varied as coffee, white pepper, honey, cream, and apple. A delicate floral taste lingers in the background. The fragrance of the resting smoke is bright and crisp, and the smoke is thick yet light on the palate. I find virtually no nicotine kick in the mild- to medium-bodied cigar, and there are few changes in flavor from light to nub.

Construction is excellent and consistent. The burn line is straight, the ash holds firm, and the smoke production is high. Even the firm pre-light draw opens considerably once L’Excellence gets underway.

Illusione makes some very fine cigars, but the Epernay line is the pinnacle—Giolito’s highest achievement. It’s hard to ask any more from a cigar that retails for about $9. With reliable physical properties and a nuanced profile that’s complex and memorable, L’Excellence is worthy of a great rating. In my book, it earns four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I had multiple people send me this article from the National Review. In it, conservative write Jonah Goldberg describes his fondness for cigars and the democratic nature of cigars and cigar smokers:

I can often be found on the twelfth-floor balcony of the American Enterprise Institute, also with stogie in hand. A friend and former colleague and I gave this balcony a nickname, “The Remnant,” in homage to Albert Jay Nock’s notion of an irreducible sliver of right-thinking humanity separate and apart from the “Neolithic” masses.

Nock’s was a thoroughly elitist conception, which is ironic, since smoking cigars may be the most democratic thing I do. At the cigar shop, the clientele is mixed in nearly every way, though you wouldn’t say it “looks like America.” A large proportion of the African-American regulars are D.C. cops. In terms of professions, the crowd leans a bit too heavily toward lawyers (as does the nation’s capital). But there’s no shortage of contractors, manual laborers, college students, and retirees.

Politically, there are all types. As far as I can tell, the most ideologically conservative regular (me included) is a federal employee. The gender mix is thoroughly lopsided, of course. Women do occasionally come into the shop, but when they do, all eyes go up as if a unicorn had sauntered into a library. Dennis Prager, another gentleman of the leaf, has written that cigar shops may be the last place in America where men can congregate and talk as men.

It’s worth a full read, even though I’m sure there are aspects – especially the political parts – that some readers will disagree with. (Personally, I’m not sure I’d agree his opinion on who is “the capital’s best tobacconist” but that’s really besides the point.)

The quoted passage above characterizes one of the best parts of cigar smoking. It’s not simply the enjoyment of the cigar, there’s much more to being a cigar smoker than that.

Quite simply, cigar smokers are a community. Even if you smoke alone, you’re flying a flag that says other cigar smokers are welcome to stop by for a chat.

Cigar smokers regularly approach other cigar smokers they’ve never met before to strike up a conversation. That doesn’t happen anywhere else these days. I may be a NY Giants fan, but I wouldn’t walk up to someone wearing a Giants jersey and strike up a conversation, unless he was also smoking E.P. Carrillo.

And that brotherhood of cigar smokers is one of the reasons we enjoy cigars so much.

–Patrick S

photo credit: National Review