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.”

Made exclusively by Don Pepin Garcia as part of Cigar International’s Legends Series, this toro (5.7 x 54) features a golden wrapper and firm construction. The cigar demonstrated consistent flavors from start to finish: mostly graham and cedar. Towards the end of the medium-bodied smoke, grassy, slightly-bitter notes emerge. While not a terrible stick, I did find it to be somewhat uninspired and definitely lacking the depth of flavor I’ve come to expect from Pepin smokes.

Verdict = Sell.

–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.”

I love it when cigar shops produce and sell small-batch house blends that you can’t find anywhere else. Such is the case with the Torres Figurado Doble Capa, a barber pole cigar made by Alex Torres of The Cigar Room in Austin, TX. The Dominican puro sports excellent physical properties and an uncomplicated flavor of damp earth, leather, and cedar spice. Give the shop a call if you’d like to try one.

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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Indiana politicians have again rejected legislation that would have criminalized smoking in Hoosier State bars, restaurants, and other “public” places. “Our Indiana association members and their customers had a lot to do with defeating this proposed legislation,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR. “They contacted their state representatives and senators in opposition to the bill because it was discriminatory, unnecessary, and it would have cost jobs and tax revenues. The General Assembly did the right thing at the right time for the state of Indiana and for that we are grateful. If the issue is raised again in the future, however, we will be ready once again to defend our rights and the rights of all the state’s citizens and help defeat any such bills.”

2) A network of “smoke-easies”—nightclubs that allow patrons to smoke illegally—have sprung up in New York City. The New York Times reports that Manhattan’s popular M2 UltraLounge is at risk of being the first establishment closed by the city government for smoking violations.

3) Inside the Industry: Tobacco giant Swedish Match, owner of General Cigar, entered into an agreement with the Plasencia Group yesterday to form Caribbean Cigar Holdings.  To promote the new Habana Serie R No. 3 size, La Gloria Cubana is giving away five trips to Las Vegas and a 2010 Lotus Elise sports car.

4) Around the Blogs: The Stogie Guys, via the Daily Caller, feature the La Flor Dominicana Mysterio Oscuro. Stogie Review lights up a Camacho Select. Nice Tight Ash fires up a Padilla Cazadores. Cigar Inspector inspects a Rocky Patel Winter Series 2009. Keepers of the Flame smokes the Brick House.

5) Deal of the Week: March Madness is nothing if not another opportunity for an unpublicized Cuban Crafters sale. There are a number of discounts, but the best deal is a box of 20 Don Kiki White Label Churchills (2001 harvest) for just $50. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

graphic credit: Stogie Guys

My cell phone alarm sounds. Annoying tune. I hit the snooze button once, sometimes twice. I begrudgingly get up, brush my teeth, shower, and ponder the necessity of shaving. I get dressed. (Have I worn this to work lately?) I plop in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal to catch the weather forecast and a few SportsCenter highlights. I lock the front door behind me. As I walk to my car, I mentally prepare myself for a commute in Washington traffic that promises to test my patience and my driving skills.

We all have our morning routines. For some, like me, they regularly dictate the actions of most weekdays—up until I sift through a few articles in The Economist before bedtime.

I find my moderately regimented existence extends to cigars. When it comes to choosing when to smoke on weekdays, for instance, I do so almost exclusively after dinner. I wish that weren’t the case. I wish I could find more time to relax and enjoy some premium tobacco. But with work, grad school, exercise, and other commitments, the evening is often the only time available during the workweek.

I’d love to be able to squeeze in more lunchtime cigars now that the weather is more agreeable. Every blue moon, when the stars align just right, I can make it happen. While the midday break cigar is a rewarding escape from an otherwise fast-paced workday, my lunches are frequently cigar-free because of meetings or deadlines.

Weekends are a different story. Sometimes I have a smoke with a cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes I’ll fire up a stogie in the afternoon or in the evening. Sometimes all three. It just depends on the situation and my mood.

Routines also play an important role in other aspects of cigar smoking. From snipping the cap and toasting the foot with wooden matches to storing the band and emptying the ashtray, I have predictable pre- and post-cigar rituals from which I rarely deviate.

But there is at least one un-regimented characteristic of my affair with cigars: choosing which cigars to smoke. Unlike many enthusiasts, I don’t really have a regular rotation. Rather, my selections depend upon what reviews are needed for StogieGuys.com (i.e., new cigars, cigars we haven’t yet examined, etc.). It’s a tough job but—routine or not— somebody’s got to do it.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

I confess. I did with this brand exactly what your mother and Bo Diddley warned you never to do: judge by appearances. OK, if a Cuban brand owner had his business nationalized after the revolution, can you really fault him for using the same name and artwork on his new production in another country? He’s got a legitimate claim, right?

With Siglo, though, we’re talking about a Cuban brand that wasn’t on the market until the 1990s. So it’s hard to see anything at work here other than crass commercialism and hope for buyer confusion. (Then again, Sigl0-maker Altadis owns a share of the Cuban cigar company Habanos, which introduced the Cohiba Siglo line in 1992—not to be confused with the Dominican Cohibas made by Altadis competitor General Cigar.)

I had been ignoring this cigar, a practice that was reinforced by a number of poor reviews I’ve seen online. But a recent positive review on Doc Stogie’s podcast convinced me to give it a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. First, I have to say I’ve smoked only a couple of Cuban Siglos. From my memory, the Altadis version, said to have been blended under the direction of Frank Llaneza, tastes nothing like them.

That, however, doesn’t mean it is an unworthy smoke. In fact, it offers a winter-time size for those chilly days when you want a cigar but don’t want frostbite: the No. I (4.25 x 44). The even-smaller No. XXI is available in tins.

There are eight other vitolas in addition to a maduro line. According to Altadis’ website, the regular line features an Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper around and a Nicaraguan binder and a mix of Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. Other sources have different information.

To be honest, though, what really makes this cigar stand out is the price. If you smoke several cigars a day or are looking for a cigar to enjoy when you’re doing something else, the Siglo is one to consider. It’s far better than a cheap yard-gar but only a bit more expensive. The No. I can be found for under $4, while the No. III, a 6.5-inch stick with a 44 ring gauge, runs around $5 or less.

While this is not a great cigar by any means, it isn’t one to totally ignore, either. I rate this stick three stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: JR Cigar

New cigar smokers usually have a lot of questions as they delve deeper into the pursuit. Sometimes answers are easy to find. But then there are those questions that you really don’t want to ask, though you wish someone would address them.

Fortunately StogieGuys.com is here to help. Here are a few issues that rarely get explored at the lounge of the local B&M but nonetheless deserve attention:

I like Macanudos. What’s wrong? Absolutely nothing. Macanudo is one of the top selling premium brands in the country, so you’ve got plenty of company. Part of the disdain for the brand is just that—it’s a best-seller. Another big reason is that Macanudos are mild, which doesn’t appeal to some smokers. On the other hand, Macanudos have a consistency that other manufacturers would do well to emulate, and I’m sure all would love to match the sales. Remember, smoking is for enjoyment. If you like Macanudos, smoke ’em.

Why do reviews frequently highlight a triple cap? What difference does it make, since I’m going to cut it anyway? Well, aside from the unholy reverence for all things Cuban (the triple cap is a traditional Cuban technique), the process can make it easier to open the head of the cigar without damaging the wrapper. Just snip the little cap on top and you should be ready to go.

What’s the deal with waiting before removing the band? The strategy is that the heat from smoking will loosen the adhesive securing the band. Personally, I can’t recall that ever making much difference. And if it is true, why don’t the wrappers, which are secured with the same vegetable glue, routinely come loose as you smoke?

How on earth does anyone keep up with all these cigars? The truth is, they don’t. In fact, I can imagine that some brand owners aren’t really familiar with all of their own output. Just to get an idea of what’s out there, the 2010 edition of Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars covers more than 1,300 handmade cigars. Unless you have a memory like Harry Lorayne, it’s a pretty tall order.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Fonseca, established in 1974 when the Quesada family opened a Dominican factory, has built a reputation for mild-tasting cigars anchored by its original Connecticut shade blend. These days their portfolio is a bit more diversified.

The move to attract stronger tastes began in 2003 when Manuel Quesada introduced the Serie F, a spicier blend with aged ligero filler. It is said that the Serie F is only slightly stronger than the original Fonseca—still a far cry from the Nicaraguans that have grown in popularity in recent years.

So Quesada upped the ante again when he created Habana Selección. This blend, the boldest of the Fonsecas, includes a Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binder and Cuban-seed seco and ligero filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic. It is finished with a Nicaraguan-grown habana criollo ’98 wrapper and a handsome triple cap.

The five inch by 48 ring gauge Cosacos is a fine-looking specimen, especially for a cigar that often sells for around $5. Once removed from its tissue wrapping, it reveals a smooth, somewhat oily exterior leaf and sweet pre-light aromas of honey and hay. Both of its red and gold bands peel away easily and without incident.

The initial flavor is of paper with a sharp, spicy aftertaste. While strength is immediately apparent, the singular profile leaves much to be desired. Thankfully, the taste mellows into a core of dry cedar and leather with a meaty texture.

Fonseca’s trademark construction is the finest feature of the Cosacos. The burn line is virtually perfect, the gray ash holds consistently for over an inch, and the smooth draw yields abundant tufts of cool smoke.

But construction simply isn’t enough to save this cigar from its uncomplicated, rather dull flavor. I find none of the cinnamon that other reviewers have appreciated. Even towards the end, when the taste intensifies to include a damp earthiness, the Cosacos has a hard time holding my attention.

Perhaps you’ll have better luck. Or perhaps you’ll find this cigar meets your needs as an accompaniment to some other activity like a round of golf or a backyard barbecue. In my book, though, the Fonseca Habana Selección Cosacos earns only two and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by Cigars Direct.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys