The Stogie Guys

I read, or at least flip through, a lot of magazines. Good ones. Bad ones. Those devoted to topics about which I have much interest, and those exploring areas I care little about.

Invariably, I find something of note. It may be a stunning photograph in Birds & Blooms, a fascinating tale of accomplishment in This Old House, or a thought-provoking review in Stereophile.

One thing I’m struck by is how often what I’m reading seems to relate to cigars. (You were wondering when we were going to get to that, weren’t you?) Like the other day when I was perusing the September issue of Men’s Health.

There are few people farther from the magazine’s target demographic than I: old, balding, overweight, arthritic, exercise-averse. But there’s usually something to catch my eye. In this case, it was an article about the power of money in our lives and ways in which we can exert control over it.

The article cited a fascinating study that revealed much about how little we understand our sense of enjoyment. Asked whether they preferred a massage with or without interruptions, 73% said without. “Yet those who then received an interrupted massage valued it twice as much,” according to the article.

Why, you ask. Well, the researcher, NYU professor Tom Meyvis, explained that the key is savoring. Experience too much and you adapt to the experience, failing to appreciate it. Break it up, though, and “you reduce adaptation and increase sensitivity,” Meyvis said, adding in the article, “I’d also suggest that instead of buying one big thing make little purchases over time to repeat that initial enjoyment effect.”

So, back to cigars. The implication seems pretty obvious to me: when you find a cigar you absolutely love, don’t buy a box. That would lead you to smoke them more regularly, become accustomed to them, and reduce your enjoyment of them. Instead, buy singles and you’ll have the pleasure of anticipating the purchase, smoking the cigar, and thinking about when you’ll smoke it again.

And with that I offer a doff of the chapeau to the good professor. I have no idea whether he’s a cigar smoker, but I plan to email him a copy of this commentary and see if he has any thoughts to offer. If he does, I’ll be sure to pass them along.

In the meantime, savor your cigars. Think, and grow, happy.

–George E

photo credit: Men’s Health

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.”

With a soft box-press and an old school band, this Nicaraguan puro (introduced at the recent IPCPR Trade Show) has an invitingly dark, oily wrapper. The BV 560 (one of three sizes) is 5.5 inches with a 56 ring gauge, but the box-press makes it seem smaller. It’s smooth, well-balanced, and complex, even though it has very little of the spice characteristic of many Nicaraguan puros. Chocolate, cocoa, chalk, and wood. Medium-bodied. Excellent construction in all aspects. At $5-6 each, it’s a definite buy.

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.”

My picture doesn’t quite do it justice, but believe me when I say you’d be hard-pressed to find a prettier, more noble-looking cigar than the 100 Años Preferidos by La Aurora. This Dominican puro has a beautifully executed perfecto format (6 x 58) and a silky, caramel-colored corojo wrapper. It starts with a ton of dry cedar and then transitions to a creamier profile with plenty of corojo spice. Only 300,000 of these cigars were made, and not many are left. If you find one, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick it up, even though the price tag is north of $15.

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) We’ve written extensively about the dangerous threat of the FDA regulating premium cigars, but never from the perspective of how the issue might impact the upcoming presidential election. Scott Gottlieb—a physician who has served in a variety of capacities at the FDA and is currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute—wrote on Wednesday that cigars could play a big role in the election. “Stogie-gate is capturing lots of headlines in Florida—a state that’s home to a vibrant cigar industry,” and one that promises to play a pivotal role in the election, writes Gottlieb. “The administration may decide it’s politically wise to table its regulation until after the November election, rather than risk a backlash. But the president’s regulators have already shown their cards…”

2) It was announced that four retailers were bestowed with Golden Band Awards by Davidoff in recognition of merchants who have “done the most to sustain the premium cigar industry and to advance the industry’s agenda in legislation, regulation, and the community.” The winners were John Anderson, owner of Draper’s in Washington; Craig Cass, owner of The Tinderbox in Charlotte; Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Co. in Orlando; and Christian Hutson, owner of Just For Him Cigars in Springfield, Missouri. StogieGuys.com joins Davidoff and the IPCPR in congratulating these outstanding champions of cigar rights.

3) Inside the Industry: Drew Estate announced that Michael Cellucci has been promoted to the position of president. Steve Saka, who previously held that title, has been named chief executive officer of Drew Estate. The company also reported that they are expanding their facilities. In addition existing plans to build a new large leaf processing facility across the street from their existing factory in Estelí, they are now in the design stages for a new factory to meet growing demand.

4) Contest: There are still a few more days to enter for a chance to win a 3-pack box of My Father Special S cigars signed by master cigarmaker Don Pepin Garcia.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a good way to try some new smokes from the recent IPCPR Trade Show without having to go in for a full box. At just $30, this sampler includes two each of the new Merlion by La Sirena, Fernando León Family Reserve, Liga Undercrown Toro by Drew Estate, Romeo y Julieta Havoc, and Rocky Patel Hercules.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

You may come across the word “texture” in cigar reviews or friendly conversations at tobacconists. But what exactly do we mean by texture when we’re talking about cigars?

I’m certainly guilty of using the word in an admittedly vague way, particularly when it comes to the reviews I write. I often mention texture when I’m describing the smoking characteristics of the particular cigar I’m examining. Usually right after the flavor, which I personally consider to be a completely different characteristic.

To me, flavor is the sum of the identifiable notes I find while smoking a cigar—coffee, leather, nuts, cream, cocoa, etc. Texture, on the other hand, is the way the overall taste hits my palate, or the way the profile coats and lingers in my mouth. Texture can be chalky, syrupy, dry, etc. Others use the term “mouth-feel” to mean the same thing.

The difference between flavor and texture in cigars is like the difference between taste and consistency in food. Any food worth eating has taste—sour, sweet, salty, etc.—but it will also have a consistency—chewy, crispy, slimy, crunchy. Any chef will consider both taste and consistency while producing a dish, just like any blender will consider flavor and texture.

Speaking of cigar blenders, I’ve come to learn that producers of cigars have a completely different way of thinking about texture that everyday cigar enthusiasts often overlook. While on Cigar Safari earlier this year in Nicaragua with the fine folks at Drew Estate (see our coverage here, here, here, and here), I learned that the word “texture” is also used to describe the consistency of tobacco leaves after harvest but before hitting the rolling tables. Understanding the texture of tobacco is key to knowing when the fermentation process is complete and the leaves are ready to become cigars.

Jonathan Drew spoke about how the Cubans and then Nestor Plasencia became the first cigar producers to really understand texture and incorporate it into their operations. Many variables contribute to the consistency of a particular leaf—including seed origin, where the seed was grown, irrigation, and fertilizers, just to name a few. Then, in the case of Drew Estate, leaves are selected and sorted by texture, and the texture is closely monitored to help guide the fermentation and aging process.

I remember Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka showing us literally tons of leaves in the preparation phase of driving tobacco to peak condition before allowing it to be used for rolling. I especially remember getting to examine stalk-cut Habano capa as it was being readied for the T52 blend. Drew and Saka talked at length about the oils that oozed from the leaves after applying the slightest pressure with a finger, the shine of the tobacco, and the tooth. This is what they mean by “texture,” and this is how they let the tobacco communicate to them when it is ready.

As consumers of cigars, you and I mostly talk about texture in the way a cigar hits our palate. Some of the best cigar producers, on the other hand, are referring to the physical attributes of individual leaves before they become cigars. I think the distinction is important to understand in our education of the world of cigars.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show had some definite trends. Here are the most notable ones from the 80th annual convention:

Ecuadorian Wrappers Everywhere

When we visited Drew Estate in May, Jonathan Drew called Ecuador the “Land of Milk and Money.” Given the number of Ecuadorian wrappers at this year’s Trade Show, it would be hard to argue. It seemed like every other new release featured an Ecuador-grown wrapper.

Mostly it was Ecuadorian Habano, but there was plenty of Ecuadorian Connecticut too (and to a lesser extent Ecuadorian Sumatra). I think this can be attributed to two factors. First, quality Ecuadorian wrapper is widely available at reasonable prices, or else it wouldn’t be so widely used (while other popular wrappers like Connecticut broadleaf cost more if you want top quality). Second, the consumer market for Ecuadorian wrappers (particularly Habano) is expanding. Personally, I’m pleased with the development since Ecuadorian Habano has been a favorite of mine for many years—long before the current hype.

Big Guys Stepping Up their Game

Altadis USA and General Cigar always sell more cigars than the smaller brands and boutiques that get disproportionately more attention at websites like this one. (After all, while numbers are hard to come by, we’re told Macanudo is still the best-selling cigar brand with Romeo y Julieta running second.) But this year it seemed that both large companies were not content to rest on their laurels.

The Altadis booth was notably busier than the two previous years (when, at times, it seemed like a ghost town). In the past, Altadis USA seemed like nothing more than a holding company for Cuban cigar trademarks, waiting for the embargo to end. General Cigar (Swedish Tobacco Group) has been more proactive, but it often played into the stereotype as a big company oblivious to the hard-core cigar smoker, focusing instead on the larger middle of the market. This year both companies seem to be doing a better job of meeting the expectations of the most frequent and discerning smokers while still appealing to the more occasional cigar smokers. At least on our site, both the new Montecristo Epic and the CAO Concert have already earned high marks from my colleagues as interesting, complex cigars, and there may be more high ratings to come.

The 6 x 60 Size is Here to Stay

One of the most interesting conversations I found myself having repeatedly was about the introduction of 6 inch by 60 ring gauge cigars. Practically no cigar maker really seems to prefer the format, but it’s hard to find any new blends that don’t include the “Gordo” (6 x 60) size.

Nearly universally, cigar makers and brand representatives I spoke with said they personally liked smaller sizes, usually coronas, lonsdales, and lanceros (or sometimes robustos and toros). But the Gordo size was far more common than any of those smaller ring gauge sizes. There was no getting away from the large ring gauge format for a simple reason: they sell. Nearly everyone says that behind the toro and robusto, the Gordo is the next best-selling cigar size. So, like them or not, Gordos will be an industry staple going forward.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys

It was only a few years ago that the hot cigar company, the one with the buzz, the edgy promotions, and presentations, the intense interest in every new release, was CAO. Vision. The Sopranos. The America with its barber pole. Mx2. Lx2. And of course La Traviata.

Think Drew Estate nowadays: Liga Pravada. Undercrown. T52.

For CAO, though, it seems that what was once a leading edge cigar company has been dulled by ownership and management changes, a headquarters relocation, and being tucked inside one of the world’s largest tobacco conglomerates.

But the folks at General are applying the whetstone. Their first CAO release, the OSA Sol, was accompanied by lots of hype. Concert is the latest to get the treatment. And the full treatment it is.

The Concert’s box looks like an amp, its band is built around images of a guitar pick and Stratocaster-like guitars, and cigar promotions will be tied to musical events. Introduced at this month’s IPCPR Trade Show, the cigar is scheduled to ship in September.

Concert comes in four sizes. I smoked several of the Roadie, which I received at the convention. Its MSRP is $6.75, and it measures 5.5 inches long with a 54-ring gauge. Interestingly, all of the CAO Concert sizes are 5.5 inches long, with four varying ring guages: 46, 50, 54, and 60.

The first impression comes from a beautiful wrapper. The thin Ecuadorian Habano rosado leaf has few veins and almost glistens with an oily sheen. A Connecticut broadleaf binder encases “a special combination of four different Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers not previously used in any other General Cigar offering,” according to the press release.

I didn’t find much pre-light aroma and lit it using cedar, which added to a healthy kickoff. The draw was just the way I like it, a tad deliberate while easily delivering a mouthful of thick, creamy smoke.

The Concert is a complex, smooth cigar. The first third or so is peppery and fairly strong before it transitions into a more mellow and varied middle marked by a citrus flavor. The strength actually seems to go down a bit in the final third, as there’s some sweetness along the way.

Construction was fine, except in one of those I smoked. It developed a small tunnel about halfway down and the tobacco didn’t fully combust for a bit. That cut down on the smoke volume and created a dusty taste for a number of puffs.

This cigar has a lot going for it, from flavor to value. I’d recommend giving Concert a try. Whatever your musical taste, I think it will likely fit your cigar palate. And for that, I give it four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys