The Stogie Guys

So-called “health care reform” isn’t usually a topic for a cigar publication to tackle. But the more research one does on the proposal now being debated in the U.S. Senate, the more it becomes clear that it’s grossly unfair to smokers.

The leading proposal from Congress contains many changes to current law, but three aspects of the bill in combination create a system that will increase costs for smokers while subsidizing others that are guaranteed to cost more. This despite the fact that through the punitive SCHIP tax, smokers already pay more than their fair share of health care costs.

The bill would require every individual to buy insurance and simultaneously prohibit insurance companies from refusing to cover individuals. It also mandates that insurance companies can only use three characteristics (and only those characteristics) for charging higher premiums: tobacco use, age, and family composition.

For tobacco users, Congress empowers insurance companies to charge 50% more for insurance. Because smoking is one of a few areas where insurance companies are allowed to charge more, and since every individual must buy insurance, insurance companies will be encouraged to charge even lower-risk tobacco users like cigar smokers the full 50% increase.

Meanwhile, Congress would prohibit insurers from charging more for pre-existing conditions, who are unsurprisingly the most expensive people to insure. This means that those with illnesses like cancer, lung disease, throat cancer, or anything else—including those that may have been caused by smoking—cannot be charged more while smokers can be.

The irony (and absurdity) should be obvious: If you’re already sick from something caused by smoking, you pay less than smokers who likely only have a slight chance of getting the very same disease.

There are, of course, many other reasons for opposing a federal health care overhaul that smokers may or may not agree with. However, all smokers, particularly cigar smokers who will be forced to buy pricier insurance unwarranted by their relative risk ratios, should oppose (once again) being unfairly singled out by the government and forced to subsidize the health care of costs of non-smokers.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The seasons bring on many changes. For me, those changes admittedly alter my otherwise consistent cigar smoking routines.

This time of year, for example, I generally find myself smoking fewer cigars. There just seems to be less time. The days are shorter. The holidays keep me busy with travel. And there are always an awful lot of gatherings and other functions to attend, many of which aren’t cigar-friendly.

When I do find the time to smoke, the cold weather makes it less enjoyable. It’s a big production to put on a pot of coffee, set up the space-heater, and bundle up with hats, gloves, and heavy coats. Well, maybe it’s not a big production. But you have to agree that summer smoking is a lot easier, which requires little more than a cutter, shorts, an adult beverage, and matches.

Speaking of matches, that’s another change that comes along with winter: I find myself less patient outside, forgoing my regular old wooden matches for a butane torch. I guess I’d rather just get things going quickly and spend less time enjoying the sights, sounds, and aromas of slowly toasting the foot.

As my colleague wrote almost three years ago, “to brave inclement weather shows true dedication to the wonderful hobby that is cigars.” Agreed. But these days I’d rather not be out there too long. So the weather also determines the size of cigars I smoke, making it less likely I’ll fire up a Churchill and more likely I’ll select a short stick from my humidor.

In addition to these changes, winter also makes me even more pissed off about the prevalence of government-imposed smoking bans in private places. While I hate such regulations year-round, I do most of my smoking on my patio and—until the temperatures start to drop—don’t mind being outside.

Now, though, I’d rather be indoors. And this year will be worse than last because Virginia, where I reside, recently criminalized smoking in restaurants and bars. So I’m cut off from many of my previous cold-weather sanctuaries (and those sanctuaries are cut off from my business).

But the show must go on. It will go on. I have the honor and privilege of reviewing cigars for this website. And, like many of you, I have the resolve to laugh in the face of Jack Frost…at least as long as I have a steady supply of warm coffee.

In a few months, football season will be ending and spring training—along with warmer temperatures and a return to cigar normalcy—will be here. For me, those changes can’t come soon enough.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr

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 relatively new addition to the Montecristo line features a matte, vein-free Mexican wrapper and notes of cinnamon, dry cocoa, and grass.  It’s tasty, medium-bodied, and balanced with a hint of woody spice. Construction on this square-pressed Robusto is excellent, too, with and even burn and sturdy ash.

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.”

I originally reviewed this Cuban Cohiba back in early 2008. While it was tasty and well-balanced, the Pirámides Edición Limitada 2006 was unworthy of its excessive cost. Today, after 20 months of aging in my humidor, this cigar still suffers from some construction problems. And the flavors of pepper, marshmallow, and dark chocolate aren’t as exciting as they should be to command a price of over $30.

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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Yesterday, politicians in Lansing, Michigan, passed a smoking ban over the Wolverine State, which is widely expected to be signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The new restriction would criminalize lighting up in restaurants and bars, but exempts casinos and cigar bars. It will take effect on May 1 and make Michigan the 38th state with some sort of statewide ban.

2) Dating back to the 1860s, the tradition of “lectores”—cigar factory workers who read aloud to rollers—is still alive and well in Cuba. You may recall that this unique practice is why two of the world’s most famous cigar brands are named for a Shakespeare play (Romeo y Julieta) and an Alexandre Dumas novel (Montecristo). Published yesterday, this BBC article illustrates the role of lectores and their importance to cigar culture.

3) Inside the Industry: Habanos SA, the Cuban national cigar company, is introducing a new size in its  San Cristóbal de La Habana line: the “O’Reilly,” which measures six and a quarter inches by 56 ring gauge. The new EP Carrillo Edición 2009 inaugural cigar is finally shipping to stores. While the Illusione Nostros—a collaboration between Illusione and Drew Estate—debuted at the 2009 IPCPR Trade Show, its release is now being delayed until March 2010.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Punch Upper Cut. Stogie Fresh lights up a San Martin. Keepers of the Flame torches the Tatuaje Verocu No. 9. The Weekly Cigar tries the El Primer del Mundo. Cigar Jack checks out the La Traviata. Nice Tight Ash smokes the Patel Bros.

5) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is having an unpublicized sale on some of our favorite smokes. Included are the Cupido Tuxedo, La Carolina, Cupido Criollo, and Medina Miami 1959, all for well below normal prices. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Even though Tatuaje recently eclipsed the Fuente Opus X as the most in-demand cigar in America, for most smokers the Opus X needs no introduction. Made by Fuente in the Dominican Republic, this Dominican puro regularly sells for well over its suggested retail price.

Fortunately, I was able to find two of these cigars for $11 each at Holt’s in Philadelphia, but a quick spot check of internet sites shows this six and a quarter inch by 39 ring gauge smoke selling for $20-30 each. The short lancero is well-packed and features a torpedo head.

Like all Opus X cigars, the Petit Lancero has a Dominican rosado wrapper, grown specially on Fuente’s tobacco farm then cured in rum barrels prior to being rolled. Today there are many Dominican puros on the market (in part due to the success of Opus X), but when the Opus X was introduced in the mid-1990s the idea of using Dominican wrappers was pretty revolutionary.

Of the two cigars I sampled, one had a large soft spot that foreshadowed some serious burn issues. While very uncharacteristic of the various Opus X cigars I’ve smoked, this flaw created a horribly uneven burn that required numerous touch-ups just to remain smokable. Fortunately, the other sample had good construction with a deliberate draw and a sturdy ash.

The flavors of these cigars are classic Opus X: loads of leather, spicy pepper, and cedar. It’s not very balanced, or nuanced for that matter, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable. The long finish is particularly nice, with sweet wood and a hint of pepper.

All in all, the petit lancero is much of what I’ve come to expect from Opus X. While it’s a bombshell of flavor, it doesn’t have the complexity of my favorite Opus X, the torpedo-shaped Perfecxion No. 2. So while the Arturo Fuente Opus X Petit Lancero loses a point for a lack of nuance and some uncharacteristic construction issues, it still earns an impressive four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Two entirely different cigars were introduced at this summer’s IPCPR Trade Show bearing the year 1961. One was the Frank Llaneza 1961 by Altadis, which commemorates the year the master blender began crafting cigars. And the other was the Rocky Patel 1961, which honors the year the cigar superstar was born.

Nothing but an odd coincidence. Names aside, the latter was one of three new blends launched by Rocky Patel in New Orleans this August (the other two being Patel Bros. and Corojo Especial). It is the first to be made at the Tabacalera Villa Cuba, Rocky’s newest factory in Nicaragua.

The Rocky Patel 1961 is built with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, a Honduran binder, and reddish, oily habano-seed wrapper from Ecuador. It comes in four traditional sizes. Included are a Corona, Toro, Torpedo, and a five inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto that sells for approximately $6-8 apiece.

The first thing you notice about this cigar is its unique double band. The top half, displaying a tobacco plant with an intricate root system, spills over onto a maroon background band, making for a distinctive presentation.

Also distinctive is the 1961’s vigorous pre-light aroma. You don’t have to get your nose too close to the textured wrapper or the coarsely packed foot to get a heavy dose of cocoa, earth, and a bit of spice.

That spice is likewise evident on the lips for the cold taste, which pulls through smoothly despite the Robusto’s firm feel. Then, after establishing an even burn, the initial flavor takes on characteristics of black pepper, dry wood, and nutmeg. Powerful and full-bodied, to say the least.

I am thankful that, after a half inch or so, the profile starts to settle down, enabling more nuance and complexity to shine through. The new tastes include sweet candied nuts and cream—excellent compliments to the bolder base flavors. Everything stays on an even keel as long as you maintain a relaxed smoking pace.

Meanwhile, expect this Robusto’s combustion qualities to be superior to most other Rocky Patel blends. While I’ve consistently encountered the need to fix the burns on several of his lines, this one is better behaved. That adds a lot to the enjoyment of the 75-minute smoke.

So the 1961 Robusto is worthy of my recommendation, especially if you prefer big flavors. It may seem like Rocky comes out with something new every week, but don’t let this fall off your radar. It earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys