The Stogie Guys

Yesterday was Columbus Day, which means summer is firmly in the rear-view mirror and the temperatures are dropping. If you’re smoking cigars outdoors, you may be looking for a drink pairing that will help keep you warm in the cold. Here are five drinks that will do the trick.

Hot Toddy — A classic that can be made with scotch (save the single malt, use a blend), bourbon, or even brandy. It’s simple to make. Just add sugar, lemon, and cloves to boiling water and your spirit. Hot toddies pair well with Connecticut-wrapped, milder cigars.

Stonewall Jackson — An American classic consisting of hot cider and bourbon (but rye, Tennessee whiskey, or even spiced rum fill in nicely). As I’ve written before, it’s a late fall drink that pairs nicely with stonger cigars, like the 601 Green or Fausto.

Hot Buttered Rum — Perhaps my favorite of the bunch, hot buttered rum is a little more complicated to make than the above drinks, but after you make it a few times you’ll find that it’s really not to difficult. Drink yours with a medium-bodied Honduran or Nicaraguan cigar.

Mexican Hot Chocolate — While there are lots of recipes out there, “normal” Mexican hot chocolate is spicy and intense with unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, and chiles. Adding some tequila kicks it up a notch. While I use something similar to this recipe, I might also add a splash of triple sec. Sip on one with a cigar wrapped with a San Andreas maduro wrapper.

Coffee — There are lots of ways to make coffee (have you seen a Starbucks menu lately?). It still remains my regular pairing with a cigar. And although you can add almost any spirit to it, I almost always take mine black or with just a splash of milk. It will keep you warm while you enjoy your cigar, and coffee pairs well wih almost any cigar out there.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Nothing beats strolling into your local tobacconist to patiently select a personalized sampler of cigars. If you’re like me, you love perusing the shelves for old favorites, new adventures, and hidden gems. It’s one of the few times I actually enjoy shopping.

Buying an assortment of singles from a brick and mortar store, however, isn’t usually the best way to get bang for your buck. To stretch your dollar, sometimes it makes sense to instead order a sampler from an online retailer. But how do you decide from among the insanely high number of samplers that are offered by the many online retailers on any given day? Here are a few tips to help you make a good choice.

Buy from a trusted source. Online retailers should have excellent customer service, quick order processing, and safe delivery methods. Feel free to poke around online to see what others are saying about the various websites you can order from. Obviously you want your cigars to arrive safe and well-humidified, not late and damaged.

Read reviews. The online cigar community is thriving like never before, and this means nearly every cigar you can imagine has been reviewed. Having that information at your fingertips before hitting the “place order” button is critical. So if you’re unsure about a few of the cigars in the deal you’re considering, simply do a little reading first.

Notice the filler smokes. The typical sampler has a few expensive smokes in the lineup—these are the attention-grabbers—and a few filler cigars. Filler cigars can be house blends, value smokes, or unwanted inventory. Ideally, you’ll find a sampler with limited filler cigars, or one comprised of filler smokes that you’re actually interested in.

Consider the per-cigar cost. I like to take the total sampler cost (including shipping) and divide it by the number of cigars in the sampler to derive the per-smoke cost. You can take this a step further by taking the total sampler cost and dividing it by the number of what you think are non-filler cigars. If you think about it, it makes sense to buy a sampler with unwanted filler smokes if the per-cigar cost of the remaining smokes is low enough.

Have a tip or two of your own you’d like to share with StogieGuys.com readers? Feel free to leave it in the comments below.

–Patrick A

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.”

George E beat me to the punch with his review of the new CAO Concert, which I also tried for the first time at the IPCPR Trade Show. He thought highly of the cigar and I agree, though I like the Amp (5.5 x 46) even better than the Roadie (5.5 x 54) he reviewed. Excellent construction, the norm on cigars made by General Cigar, is combined with the spice and bread flavors that I often identify with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The Concert blend isn’t all that different from the many cigars that rely on Ecuadorian Habano (rosado in this case) wrapper and Nicaraguan filler (though Concert also uses Honduran filler). It’s just a particularly well-done rendition of the genre with medium body, good balance, and a reasonable price ($5.75 for a single).

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.”

After a hiatus that kept Dona Flor away from the U.S. market for years, the Brazilian company is back on American soil with a variety of lines, including Seleção and Puro Mata Fina. Included in Dona Flor’s portfolio is the CC Bahia, which is comprised of a golden Connecticut shade wrapper around mata fina and mata norte leaves. The Robusto (5 x 52) retails for $7.75 and has a nutty, creamy, slightly spicy taste that’s devoid of the chocolate or depth I was expecting from a cigar packed with Brazilian tobacco. It isn’t a bad cigar, but it’s hard to be overly enthusiastic about it given the number of fine Connecticuts on the market that sell for less. I guess you could say I’m on the fence.

Verdict = Hold.

–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) In early June, Californians headed to the polls to vote on Prop. 29, a measure that would have increased already-high cigar taxes in the Golden State by a whopping 73%, crushed cigar shops statewide, and paved the way for similar tax hikes in other states. Weeks later, the vote was too close to call, with a razor-thin margin of less than a half of a percentage point. This week, what had long been suspected was made official as Prop. 29 supporters failed to close the gap via a recount. Thanks to all the California cigar enthusiasts who voted against this tyrannical attempt to tax cigars even further.

2) Contest: In case you missed it yesterday, we’re giving away a fantastic prize worth almost $200 to one lucky reader. The only catch is you have to be a dues-paying member of Cigar Rights of America. If you already are, just leave a comment saying so on yesterday’s post. If you aren’t yet, sign up today. In a week we’ll select one person at random to receive a Prometheus 20th Anniversary Edition God of Fire Serie B 5-Cigar Assortment Box and a Prometheus Retro 20th Anniversary Lighter, all courtesy of our friends at Prometheus.

3) Inside the Industry: In addition to launching the new Ortsac Habana, Victor Vitale’s The Cigar Agency is now the U.S. distributor of Don Duarte. Registration is now open for the 013 ProCigar Festival, which will take place February 17-22 in the Dominican Republic. Dona Flor is bringing the Alonso Menendez brand back to the U.S.

4) Around the Blogs: Nice Tight Ash checks out an Antonio Benitez Maduro. Cigar Brief smokes a Tres Reynas. Casas Fumando fires up a Foundry. Cigar Inspector inspects a My Father. Stogie Review reviews a La Dueña.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a nice sampler of ten cigars for just $30 (or 20 for $50). “Perdomo vs. Toraño” features five cigars by each of the well-regarded cigar makers.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Defeat Prop. 29

We’ve praised the efforts of Cigar Rights of America many times. The organization does tireless work defending the rights of cigar smokers against harmful government-imposed regulations, taxes, and smoking bans.

That alone should be reason enough for cigar smokers to pay the modest sum of $35 to formally join and support this important endeavor. But with the assistance of Prometheus, a purveyor of fine cigars and accessories that has supported CRA since its founding, we thought we’d give you yet another reason to join Cigar Rights of America.

Prize: Prometheus, which is run by Keith Park, who was instrumental in founding CRA, has graciously donated a fantastic prize consisting of a Prometheus 20th Anniversary Edition God of Fire Serie B 5-Cigar Assortment Box and a Prometheus Retro 20th Anniversary Lighter (combined MSRP $198). Both items will go to one lucky winner.

How to Enter: Entry is simple. If you’re already a dues-paying member of CRA, just leave a comment on this post stating so. If you’re not a member yet, head over to CRA and join (you’ll get two free cigars for joining), then leave a comment saying you’ve just joined to enter. (By entering, you give us permission to verify with CRA that you are a dues-paying member in good standing.) We’ll randomly select a winner (fine print here) in a week.

If you’re on the fence about joining CRA, consider this: Two years ago it seemed a forgone conclusion that by this time the FDA would be regulating cigars, most likely imposing restrictions that would limit new cigars that could be developed, alter traditional packaging, eliminate cigar shop events that include free samples, and outlaw walk-in humidors. Today, in large part because of CRA and its promotion of the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act (which has majority support in the House and significant support in the Senate), those devastating restrictions have not come to fruition. And passing the bill seems a real possibility, something that seemed impossible when the bill was first introduced.

So if you haven’t already joined Cigar Rights of America, do so right away (and be eligible to win this top-notch prize). And if you are currently a member, proudly enter the contest, because you have already taken an important step in the defense of your cigar rights.

Once again, thanks to Prometheus (who also makes Sencillo and Angelenos) for providing this excellent prize in support of a great cause.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Prometheus

Lately I’ve found myself smoking cigars with friends who are very occasional cigar smokers. (By “occasional” I mean barely one cigar per year.) Almost without fail, these fine folks tend to make the same mistakes each time they light up that all-too-rare cigar. In these circumstances I find myself playing the role of teacher.

Without pointing any fingers, and hopefully without coming across as a snobby know-it-all, today I’d like to point out some of the most common cigar mistakes made by newbies for those of us who are seasoned veterans. Why? Because as good cigar smokers, it’s our duty to politely and patiently introduce interested parties to our fine hobby, and that introduction has to include some cigar basics to help our friends get the most out of the experience. So without further ado, here are my top five errors made by infrequent cigar smokers:

Cutting too much cap. The temptation to cut away too much of the cigar is too great for a rookie, especially if you’ve supplied him with a guillotine cutter. Either let him use a V-cutter or, better yet, take the time to show him where the cap should be snipped with a guillotine. Remember to instruct him to position the blade so it will enter the stogie just above the shoulder (where parejo cigars stop being round). If he’s smoking a torpedo or a pyramid, a good rule of thumb is to slice off about a quarter of an inch.

Failing to establish an even light. For starters, make sure he’s using a butane torch or a wooden match. It is inadvisable to light cigars with paper matches, stoves, candles, or lighters that use lighter fluid. Once the proper ignition tool is selected, I find that newbies are really good at lighting the middle of a cigar’s filler, but really bad at toasting its edges thoroughly. This can result in tunneling or uneven burns. So take care to explain that lighting a cigar is a process, almost a ritual, and checking the foot to make sure the cigar is fully lit is a good idea.

Smoking way too quickly. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Smoking is not a race, and there’s no prize for finishing first. You may have to say this twice to guys who are accustomed to sucking down cigarettes in a manner of minutes. You can also say that each cigar puff is intended to be savored, not to mention the fact that smoking too quickly can ruin the taste of premium tobacco.

Ashing like a cigarette. Whether your infrequent cigar smoker is a cigarette smoker or not, all rookies tend to ash their cigars like cigarettes. Too often and too carelessly. This over-ashing will only serve to increase a cigar’s heat and harshness, and flicking the cigar to remove the ash may damage the wrapper. On the other hand, leaving the ash on for a while promotes cool smoke because it allows less oxygen to reach the burning tobacco. This is key if you actually want to taste the cigar rather than simply be subjected to its spice and heat.

Assuming cigars are too expensive to smoke more regularly. Time and again my friends are surprised to learn that the cigar I handed them—a cigar they’re really enjoying, no less—costs somewhere in the $6-8 range. This falsehood that cigars are only for the rich is so pervasive that some people think all decent smokes cost upwards of $15 or $20 apiece. These folks are usually pleased to learn that you can buy many, many excellent smokes for less than $10.

Understanding these mistakes and having the proper, patient response ready for those who are seeking knowledge is vital to being an effective representative for the cigar community. Thank you in advance for your service to this noble cause, and feel free to list your own observations in the comments below.

–Patrick A

photo credit: N/A