The 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) Following last summer’s Habano-wrapped debut, Espinosa Premium Cigars has announced the release of the Espinosa Maduro, a four-vitola line with a dark Mexican wrapper. “Within this triple-capped cigar lies a premium blend of tobaccos that have been combined to form a rich cocoa, cedar, pepper, and spice base,” reads a press release. “This medium-full bodied cigar is the perfect combination of Erik Espinosa’s signature strength notes and the La Zona factory’s reputation for flavor.” The Havana-born Espinosa is best known for helping create the 601, Murcielago, Cubao, and Mi Barrio brands along with his partner, Eddie Ortega. La Zona is located in Estelí, Nicaragua.

2) Branching out from its base in the Dominican Republic, Davidoff is launching a new “Davidoff Nicaragua” line with a ten-year-old Havana-seed wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, and filler tobaccos from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe. “This is a major step for us to expand to a new territory,” said Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard. “I wanted to develop products that were not necessarily origin-specific or rigidly tied down to one specific place. Davidoff is a brand, not a territory.” The Nicaraguan puro will come in three sizes: Toro, Robusto, and a Short Corona. The official introduction will take place at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show.

3) Inside the Industry: Nat Sherman has launched a “retail humidor program” targeted to the hospitality industry, which includes special humidors to be stocked with a variety of Nat Sherman cigars. Studio Tobac, the branch of Oliva that includes Nub and Cain, is launching its World Tour 2013, with events featuring a special six-cigar sampler that includes two prototypes and four limited releases.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a 1502 Ruby. Stogie Review reviews La Aurora Cien Años Edición Especial. The Tiki Bar kicks back with a Gurkha Ghost. Half Wheel checks out the Viaje Exclusivo Tower Cigars 45th. Cigar Inspector inspects an Illusione Epernay.

5) Deal of the Week: The “Stogie Guys Cigar Sampler”—offered by longtime supporter Corona Cigar—contains seven cigars for $29.95 (plus free shipping on your entire order). It includes limited edition cigars from Avo and Davidoff, plus cigars by Rocky Patel, J.C. Newman, Casa Fernandez, and two Corona “house” blends. Pick yours up here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Espinosa Premium Cigars

President Obama’s budget may be two months late, but cigar smokers may be wishing it was even later. The president’s budget, announced Wednesday, proposes nearly doubling taxes on all types of tobacco products.

The budget includes a 94-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and would index the tax rate to inflation so it automatically increases over time. A pack of cigarettes is already taxed $1.01. Rates for “other tobacco products”—a federal designation that includes cigars—would increase by the same proportion.

In 2009, as one of his first moves in office, Obama signed into law the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) tobacco tax increase, which raised cigarette taxes from 39 cents to $1.04 and raised the cap on cigars from 5 cents to 40 cents. SCHIP was the largest single tobacco tax increase in history, but the new Obama budget would top it.

The result would be that most cigars would increase 37 cents in cost. For a box of 25 cigars, that’s an increase of over $9.  Some less expensive cigars would increase less, but the percentage tax increase could actually be larger.

Fortunately for cigar smokers, most political observers consider the proposed budget dead on arrival in Congress. Still, the budget is a starting point for negotiations, and more importantly stands as a value statement for the president, who says the tobacco tax revenues would go towards early education spending.

Critics noted that the taxes would hurt small businesses and eliminate jobs. “For specialty tobacco stores that sell primarily tobacco and tobacco-related products, a sales decline greater than what occurred in 2009 to 2010 would be destructive to their businesses and result in store closures and employees losing their jobs,” observed Tom Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets.

In addition, analysts note that not only will the tax increase be passed on to smokers, but over time retailers and manufacturers may end up marking up the increase along with the rest of the wholesale price, resulting in even higher price increases for consumers. Under that scenario, the price of a box of premium cigars could increase by almost $20.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Curivari began making cigars for the European market, introducing its Selección Privada in 2003. Going head-to-head with Cuban cigars on their turf obviously was a gutsy move for a Nicaraguan cigar maker. But in only a few years, the company’s reputation was expanding about as quickly as its lines.

Now available in the U.S., Curivari cigars are among the most fervently sought boutique smokes by those on the lookout for something new. I heard good things about the brand long before I saw one. I tried a couple of times to get to their booth at last summer’s IPCPR Trade Show, but couldn’t get through the crowds.

My introduction to them came in an order from Atlantic Cigar Co., one of a few retailers with a selection—often with limited supplies or on backorder—of Curivari’s small batch lines. If there’s a shop in my area that carries them, I haven’t found it.

I’ve had just three: the El Gran Rey Belicoso (5.4 x 52), a Nicaraguan puro with a $9 price tag. I’m eager to try the other two El Gran Rey vitolas, as well as different Curivari lines (like the Buenaventura).

Although Curivari describes it as a “full-bodied cigar,” I’d call it more of a medium, with what I think of as traditional flavors, such as leather and oak. I didn’t find El Gran Rey to be particularly complex, but rather an expertly balanced and exceptionally consistent cigar.

Construction was excellent, the burn was nearly perfect, and the draw about as even as possible. They produce good smoke volume and the finish is long and deep.

Even after smoking only three cigars, I can see why this small manufacturer has gained such a large reputation. I’d urge you to seek these out, in addition to Curivari’s other lines. I give this “great king” four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Though it probably wasn’t clear at the time, Liga Privada No. 9 was Drew Estate putting the cigar community on notice. Before that, the company was primarily identified with infused cigars, and while it continues to sell lots of infused sticks, ever since LP No. 9 new releases from Drew Estate have been highly anticipated and well-received.

Outside the core Liga Privada blends, No. 9 and T-52, Drew Estate has also created the Único Serie, featuring unique blends in one particular size. According to the company these cigars were created as test blends (of which Drew Estate makes hundreds), but were deemed exceptional enough to warrant a wider release. Last month, the fifth Único Serie cigar was released, the UF-13 Dark. It joins the Dirty Rat, L40, Feral Flying Pig, and Papas Fritas.

The cigar features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a “Dark Medium” designation for the color and priming. The binder is “Plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina” and the filler consists of “select Honduran and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed” tobacco. (Drew Estate “Jefe” Steve Saka got into UF-13’s origins, and it’s relationship to other Liga smokes, here.)

The cigar comes in cabinets of 12 and sells for $13.95. It’s a parejo (5.5 x 52) with a unique pigtail cap that has a fan of wrapper leaf sticking out (though pre-release versions used a standard cap). It’s a deep mahogany wrapper, but not as oily as either of the core No. 9 wrappers.

The cigar boasts dark flavors with charred oak and lots of powdery earth. The initial draws were smooth and medium-bodied, but it pretty quickly ramps up with peppery spice that comes and goes throughout. The finish lingers with more earth and unsweetened chocolate.

“UF” stands for Único Fuerte (“13” for the factory muestra number), and it’s certainly a little stronger than the standard Liga Privadas, more in line with the Dirty Rat in terms of being full-bodied. (Though it lacks the raisin/dried fruit notes I sometimes pick up in other LP blends.)

Drew Estate has set a high bar with its Único Serie cigars, and the UF-13 Dark meets them, including Drew Estate’s standard flawless construction in each of the two samples I smoked. Even though I prefer the Dirty Rat for it’s combination of power and finesse, and the Velvet Rat for its sweetness and balance, the Liga Privada Único Serie UF-13 Dark still earns a formidable rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I did a double-take at my local tobacconist the other day when, perusing the Tatuaje selection, I saw a box of “The Mummy” cigars. This smoke is part of Pete Johnson’s Monster Series, a Halloween-inspired limited run that comes out each October—and usually sells out shortly thereafter. Was this my lucky day?

For whatever reason, I didn’t jump on a box purchase of The Mummy last fall. I assumed I had missed the boat. But maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised to still see The Mummy for sale in April. Tatuaje produced about 40,000 of them, making it (while still rare) the most widely distributed cigar in the Monster Series to date. The second most prolific Monster Series blends—The Wolfman (2011) and The Face (2010)—were only offered in about half that quantity. They followed The Drac (2009) and the inaugural Monster Series cigar, The Frank (2008).

Some consider Boris to also be part of the Monster Series. Whatever the classification, I consider Boris to be among the finer cigars I’ve ever had the pleasure to smoke (I’ll admit lamenting that I didn’t give that stick a perfect five-stogie rating after recently revisiting it).

Needless to say, given the pedigree of its ancestors, its $13 price tag, and its relative rarity, The Mummy has a lot to live up to. This long, thin cigar (7.75 x 47) boasts a Nicaraguan sun-grown criollo wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Its surface is toothy, moderately oily, and splotched with random areas of dark discoloration. The foot, which emanates notes of cocoa and coffee bean, is unfinished. And while The Mummy is consistently firm to the touch, a punch cut is all that’s needed to yield a smooth cold draw.

Several wooden matches are required to thoroughly establish an even light. Once underway, I’m greeted by woody spice with bitterness on the back of the tongue. This quickly settles into a creamier profile of peanut, white pepper, clove, and dry cinnamon. The smoke production and burn are excellent while the white ash is sandy and overly delicate.

Once these flavors are set, I don’t notice a ton of changes throughout the long smoke, which takes me over two hours to complete. Yet The Mummy sufficiently holds my attention with its medium-bodied complexity and subtlety. What’s striking is how much balance can be achieved with a Nicaraguan puro—a testament to the solid partnership between Pete Johnson and the My Father Cigars factory.

The Mummy may not be the finest, rarest, or most collectible edition in this storied franchise, but it’s certainly worthy of the Monster Series name. Keep an eye out for wooden coffins of 13 cigars (the painted “dress boxes” are much rarer) both online and at your tobacconist. I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed, and I award Pete Johnson’s newest Halloween creation four and a half stogies out of five.

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

Abe Flores of Pinar del Rio makes a lot of cigars, but maybe its telling that he chose to put his name on the Serie Privada. The line comes with an Ecuador Habano wrapper (natural or maduro) around a Nicaraguan Habano binder and Nicaraguan Habano and Dominican Corojo filler. I smoked the Toro (6 x 54, though the box press makes it seem smaller) which retails for $11.25. It’s a medium- to full-bodied smoke with tons of flavor, ranging from cinnamon and toast to black coffee and leather. Flavorful and complex with excellent construction, this one is easy to recommend.

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.”

These Pete Johnson cigars come not from Tatuaje but from L’Atelier Imports, an outfit he formed with his brother and friends to make “consumer price conscious cigars.” The three-cigar namesake line, rolled at Don Pepin Garcia’s My Father Cigars factory, features a hybrid wrapper from Ecuador called Sancti Spiritus over Nicaraguan filler and binder tobaccos. The blend runs between about $8-10 per stick, with each one named for the ring gauge. It’s a medium-strength smoke with a lot of flavors that change throughout. A most enjoyable cigar. Highly recommended.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: N/A