The Stogie Guys

If there’s an award for most unique new cigar from this year’s trade show, I think the runaway winner is Foundry. The one-of-a-kind packaging, inspired by Steampunk style (if you’ve seen League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or Wild Wild West—it’s irrelevant that they’re both bad movies—you’ll know the style) with a metal gear around the band, really catches your eye. The cigar itself is just as unique.

Foundry was created by Michael Giannini, the public face of La Gloria Cubana since Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s departure (and Perez-Carrillo’s former collaborator). While Giannini is tight-lipped about the blend, we know it contains no Dominican, Honduran, or Nicaraguan tobacco. The only component revealed is the wrapper, which is called H-47 Pleno Sol and is grown in Connecticut.

The wrapper is golden brown, but not in the way that most Connecticut shade is. It features plenty of tooth, lots of tiny veins, and just a bit of oily shine. It almost looks as if the wrapper is inside out, with the bottom visible.

The cigar comes in four sizes, all named after Steampunk era icons: Wells (6 x 50, $7.95); Lovelace (6.25 x 54, $8.45); Talbot (5 x 60, $8.95); and Cayley (6.5 x 60 x 56 x 43, $9.45). I smoked four of the Talbot vitola, all of which I received as samples at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. It’s a mild cigar with unique flavors. Most notably there is banana bread: yeasty, bready, and slightly sweet. It has a very clean profile that is superbly balanced, very mild, and unlike any cigar I’ve tried before.

Rating such a cigar is difficult. Foundry isn’t trying to be a better version of a cigar already on the market. Instead, it’s trying to be completely different. While it’s not a cigar I’d regularly smoke, I can see myself smoking one every once in a while as a change of pace.

Foundry is not for everyone. It’s different from anything else on the market, which is exactly what Giannini wanted to create. As a cigar that breaks the mold, I really appreciate the unique (there’s a reason I use that word a lot during this review) qualities of the Foundry Talbot, which helps it earn four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Sometimes you light up a cigar and feel in sync with the blender, as if he knew exactly what you’d enjoy. Aging Room’s releases do that for me. I’ve written before about how much I like the M356.

So I was excited to try the new Quattro, a tightly pressed line with each vitola bearing a musical moniker. It didn’t let me down.

I was struck from the first puff how unlike the M356 it is. There’s more earth, more chocolate, and more coffee than spice. I’ve been smoking the Concerto, something of a Churchill size at 7 inches in length with a 50 ring gauge. There’s no problem maintaining my interest and attention from start to finish. The twists and turns in tastes are terrific.

Construction, burn, and draw have been excellent in all that I’ve smoked, probably a half dozen or so. They run a bit under $8 down here in Florida with no additional cigar tax.

The bold flavors and punch may surprise some smokers who don’t associate tobacco from the Dominican Republic, where the filler was grown, with that kind of power.

The idea behind Aging Room is to produce limited editions of cigars for which there is special tobacco available, but not in the quantity necessary for a regular line. In this case, the wrapper is particularly special. “We got that wrapper from a German manufacturer of machine-made cigars that was having money issues due to the economic situation in Europe. They were looking to liquidate some of their inventory, sent us samples of that Sumatra leaf, and we jumped on it,” company vice president Hank Bischoff wrote me in an email. “It is indeed a genuine Sumatra wrapper, aged since 2003.”

Right now, he said, they have enough for about 400,000 sticks. That could change, Bischoff added, if they’re successful in negotiations to acquire more of the leaf. If so, that would prolong the production run and the Quattro’s shelf life.

I highly recommend the F55 Quattro. It won’t soften rocks, but its charms will certainly soothe the savage pallet. As such, it harmoniously earns five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found here.]

–George E

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.”

Consistently my favorite La Flor Dominicana blend, the Cameroon Cabinet features a Cameroon wrapper, Dominican binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. This corona (6.5 x 44) is perfectly balanced and medium-bodied with Cameroon sweetness, cocoa cedar, and honey. With an even burn and solid ash it’s a must try.

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 Pete Johnson creation, blended for Janny Garcia and produced at My Father Cigars, was among the most anticipated of the new cigars hitting retailers’ shelves after this summer’s industry trade show. Like Johnson’s earlier La Casita Criollo, this blend is built around Connecticut broadleaf, though it also includes Nicaraguan tobacco. But for me the broadleaf stands out. And, unfortunately, I find little appeal in it. In my mouth, there’s a dry, dusty earthiness that overwhelms everything else. But if you, like many others, enjoy La Casita, you’ll likely feel the same about La Dueña.

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) This week U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) became the 14th cosponsor of S. 1461, a bill that seeks to protect cigars from harmful FDA regulations. The companion bill of S. 1461 in the House of Representatives, H.R. 1639, currently has 219 cosponsors. Senator Heller is a welcome addition to the growing list of legislators who understand how disastrous FDA regulation would be to premium cigars. The consequences of such regulation could include banning walk-in humidors at cigar shops, restrictions on advertising, and blending requirements that would render limited edition productions essentially impossible—and make it more difficult for small-batch producers to compete with larger manufacturers. If your representative or senators have not yet taken a stand for cigar rights, please contact them today.

2) More than 100 years ago, baseball players knew how to celebrate. In a recent Wall Street Journal story about teams commemorating major victories, baseball historian John Thorn said that when the Philadelphia Athletics won the 1910 World Series, they celebrated with champagne and 1,000 cigars on their train ride home.

3) Inside the Industry: Crowned Heads is releasing a limited edition of Four Kicks called the “Mule Kick” that will feature a darker wrapper and more ligero.

4) Around the Blogs: Nice Tight Ash checks out a Nicaraguan Cigar Co. Condega Serie F. Stogie Review reviews a Pinolero by A.J. Fernandez. Cigar Inspector inspects an El Rey del Mundo RE No. 1. Tiki Bar kicks back with a J. Fuego Origen Maduro. Casa Fumando smokes an Illusione 888 Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Silver Tray Special” features ten top cigars (with free shipping) for $50. Included are five each of the Oliva Master Blend 3 and Rocky Patel Renaissance.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As I’ve said before, crisp fall evenings tend to make me want to pour a few fingers of scotch whisky. And so on a recent such evening I decided upon a bit of Highland Park 12 Year, a single malt from Highland Park, the northern-most distillery in Scotland.

Highland Park is one of seven Island Single Malts, which are technically part of the Highland Region. Island Single Malts vary greatly from distillery to distillery, and Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt its own barley, using locally cut peat.

The 12 Year expression was first produced in 1979 and has been received ever since to high acclaim. Available for around $50 a bottle, it is affordable, at least as far as scotch goes. Highland Park uses both used bourbon casks and sherry casks, which results in a rounded, balanced whisky, especially considering its young age for a single malt.

The color is golden amber and the nose is distinctly sweet with heather, honey, and fudge notes. On the palate, the Highland Park 12 reveals peat and smoke, along with the sweetness of honey, malt, and subtle tropical fruit. The finish is short and clean, with a good amount of smokiness.

All in all, this is an excellent whisky for the price. And the combination of balanced sweetness and smokiness makes it an excellent spirit to be paired with cigars. I fired up a Cuban Bolivar Belicosos Finos and found it to be an excellent choice. Although completely different, the Corona Cigar Company exclusive Little Boris was another great choice, leaving me to think that almost any good medium- to full-bodied smoke will go well with this versatile single malt.

Tasty, balanced, complex, and affordable, the Highland Park 12 Year is a strong contender for best single malt for your buck (the other, in my opinion, is the Macallan 12). Any scotch whisky fan should make a point of trying it. Personally, it’s a regular in my liquor cabinet.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Cigars, like friends, have different personalities. Some are boisterous back-slappers. Others are quiet and contemplative. Occasionally, a newcomer will fit right in at first meeting, while a long-time buddy is always welcome.

Here’s a look at five cigars I think of as friends and what makes each one special to me.

Fausto Avion 11 Perfecto Grande. This tasty, peppery Tatuaje cigar with Nicaraguan filler and a Habano Ecuadorian wrapper is a delight. But what makes it stand out for me is the thick, white smoke the Avion produces in extraordinary volume. Few sticks can go head-to-head with it in this category.

Illusione Epernay Le Matin. A rich treasure trove. When I want to just sit back and luxuriate in the cigar smoking experience and all it has to offer, this is the one for me. It’s a cornucopia of flavors woven together as smoothly as a boatswain’s whistle knot.

Double Chateau Fuente Sun Grown. This Arturo Fuente cigar is like the long-time friend who can accompany you anywhere, from an afternoon ballgame to an evening ball. The cedar sleeve and black band at the foot accent a fine presentation, while the cigar itself is second to none in price, quality, and enjoyment.

Paul Garmirian Symphony 20th Connoisseur. Think about who you want with you when celebrating life’s great moments. That’s how I think of this exquisite, high-dollar smoke. If memorable is the goal, Symphony 20th is the path to get you there.

Punch Champion. Like some old friends, I recently realized I haven’t seen this one for some time. Perhaps all the new Punch line extensions have pushed it from retailers’ shelves. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame. This little pig-in-a-python cigar—I prefer the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over the maduro—is fun, pleasing, and a good companion.

There you have it. Let’s hear about some of your friends in the comments below.

–George E

photo credit: N/A