The Stogie Guys

Ever wondered what peat tastes like? Scotch is often described as having “peatiness,” but an exact description of the flavor is hard to come by. It seems some things are easier to taste than to describe, and that’s where the Tasliker 10 Year Single Malt Scotch helps out.

The Talisker 10 Year is dominated by peatiness, which makes it a Scotch that not everyone will like, but some will love. The peaty flavor comes from the distinctive terrain that surrounds the Talisker, the only Scotch Whisky distillery on the Isle of Skye in West Scotland.

Talisker, located in Carbost, has been making Scotch since 1830. The distillery, which is owned by the spirits conglomerate Diageo, makes Single Malt Scotch with ages varying from 10 to 30 years.

The Talksker 10 Year is the youngest Talisker single malt available and is available for $35-40 for a fifth. It has a golden amber hue and a vibrant nose filled with peat, pepper, and vanilla.

On the palate you get more of the distinctive peatiness, with plenty of salty ocean flavor and an underlying sweetness. The finish is deep, peppery, and tapers off to a meaty charred flavor.

It is a great scotch to pair with a cigar, but not any cigar can stand up to the intense flavors of the Talisker. I’d suggest going with a  strong, full-bodied stick with plenty of pepper, earth, or cedar.

I enjoyed the Talisker with the Padilla 1932 and the Cubao.  I’d also recommend the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial, the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992, or the EO 601 Serie Oscuro.

No matter what cigar you choose, you’ll find the Talisker 10 Year Single Malt to be a distinctive pairing. While that distinctive peatiness isn’t particularly approachable for the novice scotch drinker, those who love powerful,peaty single malts will find the Talisker 10 to be a little slice of heaven.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Desflorado tobacco, from what I understand, is difficult and laborious to grow, which is why sticks that use this finicky leaf are relatively expensive and hard to come by. Our friends at Cuban Crafters, however, have come out with an affordable lineup of cigars that make use of this rich tobacco.

The process of cultivating desflorado tobacco requires a watchful eye and arduous attention to detail. By definition, the buds on these plants are cut off before they flower to give the tobacco “an extra rich and smooth taste.” Then the best leaves are hand selected from the tops of each plant to create the Connecticut desflorado wrapper for this line, a project that was four years in the making.

You can tell this cigar is different right out of the box. With a dark complexion and a reddish-yellow hue, it certainly doesn’t look like it comes from the Connecticut lineage. But, thanks to its neat cap and a clean appearance, it does look like it was rolled with care.

I sampled four or five Toros for this review, and I think this is a smart vitola for the blend. Its slender, six inch by 48 ring gauge physique allows more of the wrapper—the highlight of the blend—and a little less of the Cuban-seed long-filler from the Cupido tobacco fields to shine through in each puff.

Not surprisingly, the Cuban Crafters Cubano Claro doesn’t taste like your average Connecticut, either. It starts with a peppery flavor of olive, clove, onion, and bread, and the wrapper adds a bit of spicy tingle on the lips. Well-balanced, if not slightly dry.

A creamier backdrop of nuts and milk chocolate shifts to the forefront after the first few inches, making the overall taste slightly milder. Seasoned cigar veterans who normally steer clear of Connecticut stogies should take note that there’s still a lot of flavor going on, even when this cigar is at its mildest.

Like many other Cuban Crafters cigars, this blend features excellent construction, including a very even burn, a solid white ash that holds well, and an effortless draw that produces thick smoke.

The Toro sells for $6.30 apiece when bought by the box of 20. I think that’s more than a fair price, especially considering the quality of this cigar and the fact that it’s packaged in vintage cedar humidor boxes.

So, if you’re looking for something a little different, the new Cuban Crafters Cubano Claro Toro should be high on your wish list. It earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With summer fast approaching, the temperature isn’t the only thing going up. Cigar smokers level of fear for the nasty cigar beetle increases right along with it.

While most cigar makers have taken dramatic steps in recent years to control and eliminate the voracious pests, there’s no question that they remain a potential danger. For example, one of my Stogie Guy colleagues had beetle problems with some Cubans recently, and last year our friend Chris Verhoeven wrote about his sticks coming alive.

There’s so much information, and so much misinformation, about beetles that  it’s nearly impossible to sort it all out. Suffice it to say that their eggs, laid in tobacco, may begin to hatch when the environment is very warm and moist. Once free, the little pests just start burrowing, eating, and reproducing.

So, here are some tips for keeping your cigars out of harm’s way during the hot summer:

1) Make sure you have a good digital thermometer and hygrometer. Put in a fresh battery and check the readings frequently.

2) Depending on the nature of your home, simply moving the humidor to a cellar, basement, or cool spot can do the trick. Avoid putting the box too close to an air-conditioning duct to protect the wood and the cigars.

3) A simple remedy is a coolidor (if this isn‘t familiar, just Google it and you’ll find all you ever wanted to know). You can lower the temperature cheaply with freezer packs. Some experimentation will likely be necessary to figure out how many packs you need and how long they last. Also, even though they don’t melt, they may sweat, so keep them in a container or suspended tray to remove any possibility of cigars getting damp.

4) For a more permanent solution, you can try a thermoelectric wine cooler. It’s what I use year-round here in the Sunshine State.

–George E

photo credit: StogieFresh

On the heels of its successful Perdomo Reserve line, which later evolved into the 10th Anniversary Reserve line, Perdomo released the highly-anticipated Perdomo ESV 1991 Vintage line in 2005. ESV stands for “Estate Selección Vintage,” and the line was an extension of the regular Perdomo Estate Selección line, which is no longer in regular production.

This Perdomo ESV Vintage  is comprised of vintage 1991 Nicaraguan fillers purchased by the late Nick Perdomo, Sr. in 1995. According to the Perdomo website, the tobacco was “stored in a bodega on the outskirts of Estelí” and “the existence of these rare tobaccos was discovered after Nick, Sr. passed away on July 2, 2004.” It’s far more believable than most of the stories of suddenly found caches of wonderful aged tobacco.

Around the vintage Nicaraguan filler is a Nicaraguan binder and a U.S.-grown Connecticut shade wrapper. The thick 5 inch by 54 ring gauge Regente has a flawless, slightly pale, cinnamon-colored wrapper that is remarkably vein-free and velvety to the touch.

I find the cigar naturally gives off subtle coffee flavors. After clipping, I notice a perfectly easy draw that will continue throughout the smoke, which lights up easily with just a few matches. I’d also encounter similary impressive construction with an attentively even burn and a solid ash.

The Regente has a complex profile that combines dry wood, leather, and roasted  coffee beans. Underneath there is a bit of cinnamon that provides subtle spicy sweetness. The dryness of the finish dominates the back end of the cigar’s flavors.

Overall, the Perdomo ESV has great balance and complexity until the finish kicks in, which is so singly woody and dry that it distracts from the great flavors this cigar has to offer.

Still, it’s a nice medium-bodied cigar with the excellent construction you’d expect from a stick that sells for $9-10 apiece. That combination earns the Perdomo ESV 1991 Vintage Regente a rating of three 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. You can purchase Perdomo cigars from Cigars Direct here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

Rustic wrapper surrounds a solidly constructed Toro. The band is sloppily applied. Simple earth and cedar flavors. While at first I thought it was a real dud, after about an inch it turned into a pleasant mild-bodied smoke with excellent combustion qualities.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

With a clean Cuban-seed corojo wrapper, two beautifully ornate bands, and an approachable price point of $4-6 apiece, this Nick Perdomo, Jr. creation has the look of a real winner. It produces thick tufts of rich smoke that, as my colleague wrote in his review 19 months ago, include flavors of warm tobacco and spice. The combustion qualities of the five inch by 52 ring gauge Robusto are almost ideal, save for an overly flaky white ash. Try this slow-burning gem with a Sam Adams Summer Ale on a hot afternoon.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and informative as possible, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) New Hampshire is one step closer to opening the door for cigar bars after a bill that would make tobacco shops eligible for liquor licenses cleared the Senate. But the proposed law comes with a catch: provisions that would limit cigar bars’ ability to compete with other bars and restaurants that have to deal with the Granite State’s smoking ban. That means no food, no cigarettes, and at least 50% of revenue must come from cigar sales.

2) On the smoking ban front, North Carolina—the biggest tobacco grower in the U.S.—became the latest state to criminalize smoking in bars and restaurants. And Michigan may not be far off, especially with some Lansing politicians aiming for “a total ban with no exemptions.” Previous efforts to impose a statewide ban faltered over disagreements on policies for casinos.

3) Inside the Industry: Don Pepin Garcia is adding sizes to the three lines he makes for Ashton Cigars: San Cristobal, La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial, and Benchmade. Xikar, known best for its cigar cutters, has replaced its Defiance cigar line with the Xikar HC series, which will be made by Jesus Fuego.  Punch has launched a “Tax Relief” promotion where cigar smokers can download a coupon from PunchTaxRelief.com for one free cigar with two purchased.

4) Around the Blogs:  Her Humidor lights up a Carlos Toraño Virtuoso. Cigar Command fires up a La Aurora Preferidos Lancero. Cigar Inspector inspects a Romeo y Julieta Churchill. Keepers of the Flame smokes a Château Real. Stogie Review reviews an El Titan de Bronze Grand Reserve Cameroon.

5) Deal of the Week: Have you subscribed to our free email newsletter yet?  By signing up you’ll receive our regular newsletter, occasional updates, and be entered to win some great prizes. We’ve already given away a custom signed humidor full of El Tiante cigars, and today we’re selecting a winner to receive a box of Cubao Lanceros as part of our weekly drawing in celebration of our third anniversary. To be eligible to win all the great prizes we’re giving away, all you have to do is sign up.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr