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 Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

I’ve been smoking some fine cigars this holiday season, but perhaps none as complex or expertly balanced as the Belicoso Extra (6.75 x 52) from Paul Garmirian’s 15th Anniversary line. True, the smoke normally costs upwards of $14. And the one I smoked for this write-up had been resting in my humidor for over 18 months. You’d expect a lot from such an investment of money and time. What I found thankfully met my expectations: excellent construction and a wonderful, full-bodied profile of cedar, melon, cinnamon, and pepper. If you haven’t tried the 15th Anniversary yet, you’re missing out.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday (and on special occasions midweek) 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 Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

Released by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo (along with the Oliva I recently tried), this Toro is part of a series of cigars celebrating Atlantic Cigar’s 15th year of business. It features a maduro Brazilian Habano wrapper around Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The result is an extremely balanced cigar with medium-bodied flavors, particularly milk chocolate, coffee, and cedar. It’s another impressive creation by Carrillo with notable amounts of sweet, earthy flavors. Combine that with flawless construction and it’s 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.” This Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

The No. 13 Lancero is the fifth size in Joya de Nicaragua’s Cabinetta, a line that boasts Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos along with dual wrappers (Ecuadorian shade and Nicaraguan criollo). It measures 7.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 38 and retails for just under $8. As un-traditional as it may look, the cigar has a classic profile of toast, cream, coffee, nut, and spice. Construction is top-notch, and the mild- to medium-bodied flavor pairs well with a morning cup of joe.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday (and on special occasions midweek) 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 Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

Relatively new from Miami Cigar & Co., Añoranza is made with 100% Nicaraguan tobacco, including an oscuro Habano wrapper. My robusto burned flawlessly and produced loads of full-bodied flavors and thick, powdery smoke. Earth and unsweetened cocoa were the primary flavors, but notes of black pepper spice, cinnamon, and cedar were also apparent. Not a cigar to be trifled with, Añoranza is a flavor bomb, making it a good candidate for the conclusion of a multi-cigar evening. It’s especially nice with bourbon.

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.” This Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

Though you wouldn’t know it from the band, which doesn’t mention Oliva, this cigar is made for Atlantic Cigar Company in celebration of their 15th Anniversary by the Oliva Cigar Company. It’s the fourth and final release in a series of exclusive blends for Atlantic’s 15th year. The $8.50 cigar features an attractive Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, and it comes in a Diadema (6 .75 x 48) size that looks sleek and refined. I found cocoa, earth, and leather flavors, as well as a slightly damp flavor. Medium-full in flavor, the cigar struck me as just alright and hardly as good as either of the other Atlantic 15th Anniversary releases, or other cigars made by Oliva.

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.” This Quick Smoke is part of our “Win a Big Box of Cigar Swag” contest. Leave a comment and be subscribed to our free email newsletter to enter. Full details here.

I wouldn’t say I moved back to Chicago just to be closer to Tesa, a boutique shop west of the Loop with a portfolio of fantastic house blends. But being within a short trek of the remodeled tobacconist sure is a nice perk. Every time I swing by I pick up a Vintage Especial or two, a mild blend comprised of Nicaraguan tobaccos around a Connecticut wrapper. For my money, you can’t go wrong with the Rothchild (5 x 50), a robusto-sized smoke with excellent construction and a harmonious profile of oak, sweet hay, cream, and roasted nuts. It’s one of my favorite high-end mild cigars.

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) Since this is our last Friday Sampler of 2012, we think it’s an opportune time to thank all of you for your readership, feedback, and support over the past year. This was quite a year, and we couldn’t have done it without you. In 2012 we celebrated our sixth anniversary of daily coverage with a pilgrimage to Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. We surpassed over 2,300 articles published since our inception. We wrote full reviews of nearly 100 cigars and well over 100 Quick Smokes. We reported from the IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando and attended dozens of other cigar events. And we had such a great time reading your comments, emails, and even meeting some of you in person. Here’s to an even better 2013!

2) Longtime friend of StogieGuys.com Jacob Grier has an excellent article at The Atlantic entitled “The Case Against a Smoke-Free America.” In it, the Oregon-based writer implores his audience to “stop treating smoking as pure vice. Lost in discussions of the very real problem of how to reduce deaths from smoking is an acknowledgement that tobacco has redeeming qualities, that it can be enjoyed in moderation, and that not all forms of tobacco use are equally dangerous.” Grier outlines the most pressing threats to tobacco freedom, including smoking bans, taxes, and FDA regulation. You can read the full article here.

3) Inside the Industry: Dunhill is introducing a new cigar called the Dunhill Aged Reserva Especial 2003. The cigar is made by General Cigar and features aged Dominican filler tobaccos from the 2003 crop surrounded by a Connecticut broadleaf binder and a Connecticut-shade wrapper. It comes in ten-count boxes and will cost $15.

4) Giveaway: Be sure to check out our Quick Smokes over the next ten days for a chance to win a big box of cigar swag. To enter you need to be subscribed to our free email newsletter. Once you do that, you can earn one entry for every Quick Smoke between now and NYE that you leave a comment on.

5) Deal of the Week: Looking for a last-minute gift (or maybe just something for yourself)? Check out the holiday samplers at Emerson’s Cigars. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can grab a nice sampler of premium sticks (many include a lighter or a flask) for $30-70.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys