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.”

This isn’t a cigar. It’s a time machine. From the first puff this Nicaraguan stick transported me back to the first Tatuajes I smoked. My taste buds were engulfed in a wonderfully smooth combination of spice, pepper, and warm tobacco flavors. This lovely $10 cigar (5.4 x 52) is simply terrific: strong without being overpowering, complex yet steady, and expertly constructed. I’d call this a must-try if you enjoy cigars from Tatuaje or Don Pepin Garcia.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A

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 is one of the better-looking cigars I’ve smoked in a while, with a flawless Nicaraguan Jalapa Colorado Habano wrapper. The Toro (6 x 52) also has dual Honduran and Nicaraguan (Jalapa) binders and Nicaraguan filler from Jalapa and Condega (2007 crop). The first few draws worried me with a hint of grassiness, but that soon dissipated revealing dry cedar and cinnamon along with flavors of earth, pepper, and savory notes. It’s a well-balanced, medium- to full-bodied cigar that’s both flavorful and rounded. For $9 it’s well work a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Could this be the best value in bourbon? At $25 per bottle for a 12-year-old bourbon it certainly has potential, especially considering that similarly aged bourbons seem to be regularly selling for double the price.

W.L. Weller is made by Buffalo Trace, which makes a bevy of my favorite bourbons, including but not limited to Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, George T Stagg, Eagle Rare, Pappy Van Winkle, and, of course, Buffalo Trace.

Weller uses a wheated bourbon mash bill. All bourbon uses at least a majority of corn, but a wheated bourbon uses wheat instead of rye as the secondary grain. Along with the 12-year variety, Buffalo Trace produces the Special Reserve, the 107-proof Antique, and the high-end William Larue Weller, all of which are part of the Antique Collection and bottled at barrel-strength.

The nose features lots of sweetness, with vanilla, caramel, and a bit of leather. The 90-proof (45% ABV) spirit is a reddish bronze color. On the palate it has sweetness and wood, but there are also hints of orange marmalade, allspice, and vanilla. The finish is medium and smooth with damp wood and honey.

It’s a bit thin compared to fellow 12-year-old bourbons Elijah Craig (which is similarly priced) and Van Winkle Special Reserve (which is a bit more pricey), but the it has a great combination of balance, wood, and sweetness, especially considering the price.

That combination of sweetness and balance means it will pair with a wide variety of cigars. I can just as easily recommend a mild, woody Dominican as a full-bodied, earthy Nicaraguan. Classic Cuban smokes like Cohiba and Montecristo also go great with the Weller 12.

Whether the plastic-capped W.L. Weller 12 Year is the best value in bourbon is up for debate, though it’s clearly in the conversation. But there’s no doubt it’s an excellent value that should be on any bourbon aficionado’s list, and can be enjoyed with nearly any fine cigar.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last month I reviewed Abaddon, a forthcoming single-size blend from Blue Havana, a tobacconist in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Crafted at Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño in Estelí by Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac, I found the cigar to be unique and flavorful, and I mentioned that I looked forward to its release in September.

September is here, and so is Abaddon. On Friday, to be exact, Blue Havana hosted a Nica Sueño event to welcome Abaddon to the shop’s selection of smokes. The cigar, which takes its name from the dwelling place of the dead in the Hebrew Bible, sells for $8.15 and sports a dark, oily, slightly mottled Nicaraguan hybrid (Criollo/Corojo) wrapper from Nicaragua, a Mata Fina binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. I liked the cigar enough to award it a rare rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

So I was understandably eager to try Ouroboros, the other RoMa Craft-produced Blue Havana exclusive that also made its debut on Friday. Named after an ancient symbol depicting a dragon eating its own tail, Ouroboros is also available in one size (6.25 x 52). It retails for $8.50 and has a Mata Fina wrapper from Brazil, an Indonesian binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Only 40 boxes of 12 will be produced in the first run.

Ouroboros is dark, firm to the touch, and heavy in the hand. Its wrapper is clean with few veins and plenty of tooth. I don’t find much pre-light aroma besides faint syrupy notes. Interestingly, despite the closed foot, the cold draw is smooth after clipping the cap.

Once an even light is established, a dense, leathery flavor emerges with pepper spice, coffee bean, earth, and traces of bitterness. Hints of black licorice come and go, and the aftertaste is characterized by a lingering paprika spice. The final portion of the cigar, rather than predictably building to intense bitterness or heat, is characterized by cream and cedar.

With outstanding construction—something I’ve come to expect from Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño—I’m happy to report that Ouroboros, like Abaddon, is a very pleasing cigar. The balance, complexity, and fragrance make it well worth its price tag and worthy of another solid rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This annual release from Quesada continues to impress, beginning with an extraordinarily oily wrapper and ending, for me, with a nubbed cigar. I recommended the line last year and I do the same in 2013.

The Bavarian, whose named honors the home of Oktoberfest, is a 5.5-inch beauty with a mix of Dominican filler leaf that creates a sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy stick. Exhaling occasionally through the nose adds another dimension to the tastes.

A leader in expanding the expectations of Dominican tobaccos, Quesada has certainly imbued this puro with more power, punch, and complexity than the stereotypical mild cigar from the Dominican.

In those I’ve smoked, construction has generally been fine. I have had to touch up the burn a time or two, but the problems were relatively minor. The draw was right on target, and the smoke production excellent. The ring gauge of 52 is comfortable.

The limited edition has grown this year to 6 sizes, including a Corona (5 x 43 ). With the small number of cigars produced, though, I’d be surprised if many shops carry all sizes.

My one small complaint is that I’d prefer Quesada to include the production year somewhere on the band, which, frankly, I’d like to see on all limited editions.

Quesada set out to create a cigar that would match the Märzen style of Bavarian beer associated with Oktoberfest. I have no doubt it will. But I think you’ll enjoy the cigar no matter what drink you pick up.

For me, this year’s Oktoberfest, like its predecessor in 2012, is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: SAG Imports

For the first time, Tesa cigars can now be purchased at a location other than Tesa’s shop in Chicago. Starting on Friday, Riverside Cigar Shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana, began carrying Tesa’s “ultra-boutique” cigars, and the tobacconist kicked off its new relationship with an event featuring Chris Kelly, owner of Tesa Cigars.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Jeff Mouttet [owner of Riverside Cigar Shop] for several years now, and since he has heard about my cigars and factory, Jeff has been vocal and proactive about spreading the word, “ said Kelly in a press release. “Jeff has created a great environment for cigar smokers with a top-shelf selection of cigars, and I am proud to be able to have Riverside as our first authorized dealer.”

I recently exchanged text messages with Kelly about this development, inquiring if an even larger distribution of Tesa is in the works. He did not rule out the possibility of more tobacconists carrying Tesa in the future.

Since I discovered them several years ago, Tesa’s various blends have been among my favorite cigars on the market, and also some of the highest-rated cigars at StogieGuys.com. Riverside will be carrying several of (what I consider to be) Tesa’s best smokes, including Vintage Especial, 312, and Picadura King. All are made at Tesa’s small factory in Estelí. Until now, these smokes could only be procured via a personal visit to Tesa’s shop, or by placing an online order at Tesa’s website.

Self-described as “an Irish kid from the South Side of Chicago,” Chris Kelly is a young, atypical cigar maker who may be one of the most talented blenders in the industry. For a while now I’ve been saying Tesa is a company to watch given its tremendous quality of complex blends, consistency, and growth potential. Riverside Cigar Shop carrying Tesa is one small step towards realizing that potential.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Tesa