The 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.”

 

The latest annual limited release from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is an attractive toro (6.1 x 54) featuring a blend with a Mexican San Andres wrapper, dual Brazil and Ecuadorian binders, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. It’s medium-bodied, very balanced, and rounded. It has the taste of a well-aged cigar with a unique combination of hickory, bread, and oak. The finish is smooth. It also has excellent construction. Despite a wrapper that isn’t my personal favorite, it’s a very tasty, well-made 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.”

One of the interesting things about cigar smoking is the ability to return to a smoke and see if your opinion has changed over time. I did a Quick Smoke on La Gloria Cubana Serie N JSB about three years ago, not long after my colleague’s full review. Recently, I smoked a couple I’d had in my humidor for who knows how long. Interestingly, my view of this Ecuadoran Sumatra-wrapped smoke hasn’t changed. It’s a dark, meaty smoke with a bitter finish. This La Gloria Cubana is still not for me.

Verdict = Sell.

–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) Earlier this month, Mitch Zeller, director of the Center for Tobacco Products, hosted a webinar on the topic of reducing the burden of regulation on tobacco. A recent newsletter from Cigar Rights of America reports the “webinar focused almost entirely on the prevention of youth usage initiation, ways to encourage cessation of tobacco usage, the reduction of product harms and addictiveness, and new developments of science based regulatory regimes for tobacco.” However, Zeller did acknowledge “the position of the premium cigar industry” and has “received the message that premium cigars are different.” The Center for Tobacco Products is a subset of the Food & Drug Administration that oversees forthcoming tobacco regulations—regulations many consider the greatest threat to the premium cigar industry.

2) The 2014 Midwest Smoke Out will be held on April 24 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. Six yet-to-be-announced cigar industry legends will be making an appearance at the event, meeting with attendees who purchased VIP tickets (which go on sale January 1). Proceeds will benefit Cigar Rights of America. Only 20 VIP tickets will be sold at a price of $200; regular admission tickets will be $150.

3) Inside the Industry: Pete Johnson (sort of) announced the makings of a Tatuaje Lancero sampler for 2014. As mentioned earlier, new cigar trademarks are increasing.

4) Deal of the Week: Cigar Place has a variety of cigars on sale with brand-specific coupon codes. Most notable is 30% off Cusano, 20% off Drew Estate Undercrown, and 20% off Oliva.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: FDA

In this special segment of Random Thoughts from the Humidor, I look back at 2013, its new cigars, and the lists we’ll use to judge them by.

Best of 2013 Lists

Now is the time for “Top Cigars of the Year” lists. Lots of them. In fact, a “List of the Best Lists” list is probably not far off. (We don’t have plans for one this year, but we reserve the right to change our minds.) They’re fun, but I don’t pay too much attention to them. Probably because I’m fortunate enough to try most new cigar blends that appear on various lists so I can draw my own conclusions. In fact, I’d estimate I’ve tried in excess of 50 new cigars this year (not including multiple vitolas of the same blend). If you feel strongly about whether we should compose a 2013 list or not, please let us know.

New Cigars… Lots of Them

In case you were wondering just how many new cigars there are, our friend Frank Herrera took a look at the number of trademarks that have been filed that include the word “cigar”. Filings have exploded. From early last century through the 1980s, trademark filings never averaged more than 100 a year, even though many more cigars were smoked at the beginning of the 1900s. This decade, they’re on pace for nearly 1,000 a year, a roughly 50% increase over the decade of 2001-2010. Besides being good for trademark lawyers, like Frank, I think it’s largely good for cigar smokers, too. More competition keeps everyone on their toes, and it lets newcomers try and create their own niches in the market with unique cigars that appeal to small subsets of cigar smokers.

About That Top 25 List

It’s hard to miss Cigar Aficionado‘s Top 25 list. It even generated CNBC segments, though curiously I don’t recall CNBC coverage in a year where the winner wasn’t a Cuban cigar. I looked through previous year’s CA lists, and I find that this one resonates with me far more than previous editions. With the exception of the top pick (the Cuban Montecristo No. 2), I’ve smoked all the blends in the top ten this year (and I’ve smoked plenty of Monte #2s in the past). Kudos especially to Aging Room (#2) and Buenaventura (#7), two under-the-radar gems that made the list.

–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.”

Released as part of an exclusive sampler for Bespoke Post, the blend is billed as a “custom-made edition that the family enjoys for their personal use. It’s never been released to the public due to the limited availability of the tobaccos used in the blend.” That blend contains an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan filler, and comes in a single size (5.75 x 54). The well-made cigar features a medium-bodied blend with woody notes and a slightly astringent quality. It’s a pleasant enough cigar, but it’s far from my favorite E.P. Carrillo.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.”

Part of Gary Griffith’s House of Emilio portfolio, the Epicurean Gonzo Vintage 2007 blend, owned by Steven Ysidron, consists of a dark broadleaf wrapper, filler tobaccos from Jalapa and Condega, and two binders (one Mexican San Andres, one Jalapa). The Lancero (6.5 x 38) is a downright wonderful smoke with notes of black licorice, dry wood, espresso, and sweet raisin. Quite complex and well-balanced. The texture is heavy and leathery, and the combustion qualities are excellent. This box-pressed beauty is an easy recommendation at its going rate of about $9.

Verdict = Buy.

–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) Rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z has made his first foray into the premium cigar industry, partnering with General Cigar to launch a new Cohiba line called Comador. Available in one size, a Toro (6 x 52), Comador is a project two years in the making that includes a Connecticut Havana wrapper and will be sold in a humidor of 21 cigars ($999), a travel humidor of 7 cigars ($350), or a box of 7 cigars ($210). “I worked with Cohiba because I knew they’d take my vision of a luxury cigar and bring it to life in the right way,” said Jay-Z. “We took our time working on this, to get the blend to exactly where I wanted it to be. Comador looks and tastes the way I think a cigar should.”

2) You still have time to bid in Xikar’s charity auction for the 1,000th Xi3 Fossil Mammoth Ivory cigar cutter with free inscription and induction into the Xikar for Life Hall of Fame. It’s to support the company’s relationship with Cigars for Warriors, which collects and disperses premium cigars to U.S. military personnel serving in a designated combat zones. All auction proceeds will go to the project, and you can bid here.

3) Inside the Industry: Illusione announced its Singulare 2013 is now shipping to retailers. In a tweet, Illusione owner Dion Giolito describes the cigar as “sweet hickory, black cherry, mild spice, and leather through the nose. Complex as hell.” We’ve reviewed past Illusione Singulare cigars from 2010, 2011, and 2012.

4) Deal of the Week: Looking for a last-minute cigar Christmas gift, or just something to treat yourself? Please consider purchasing it from one of our retail sponsors, each of which has a number of holiday specials: Smoke Inn, Signal Cigar, Corona Cigar, Emerson’s Cigars, or Cigar Place. Thank you for your support.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Comador