The Stogie Guys

Por Larrañaga is a famous Cuban brand that holds the title of oldest continuously produced cigar in the world, having first been created in 1834. And as detailed in this review, there are no shortage of non-Cuban imitations to this famous frontmark, with at least three different lines being produced.

The Cuban Grade is a recent addition to the Por Larrañaga universe. In early 2007, Cuban Imports began distributing the line, which is made in the Flor de Copán factory in Honduras.

The 5.5 inch by 44 ring gauge corona gorda is made with a deep brown maduro wrapper from the San Andres Valley of Mexico. Inside is a Mexican binder and a mixture of Dominican and Honduran long-fillers. The cigars I sampled tended to be a bit spongy, and a few had one particularly soft side that would go on to create burn problems.

With a dark toothy appearance, this maduro tasted a lot like it looked: rich and earthy but with a bit of dry bitterness. The flavor reminds me of dark bitersweet chocolate. It’s not a particularly complex smoke, but it has a nice medium-bodied profile that goes well with a cup of espresso.

The construction, however, wasn’t very impressive. The ash is flaky and tends to fall off unexpectedly, often after only a half inch. And while most of the samples I tried burned evenly, one in four sticks required a touch-up. Fortunately, the firm draw was not problematic.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Por Larrañaga Cuban Grade line is the price. The suggested retail price for abox of 20 is $120. On some websites, though, they can be found for the most reasonable price of $40 a box. At that price I suspect a smoker would be willing to deal with some of the construction issues that I found.

All in all, this relatively new Por Larrañaga won’t blow anyone away and the persistent construction issues were disappointing. But that doesn’t mean it won’t make a pleasant accompaniment to a cup of coffee or a round of golf—at least for 45 minutes of it. For that, the Por Larrañaga Cuban Grade Corona Gorda Maduro earns a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With limited production, high prices, and few retailers, Graycliff is among the most elusive of the super premium cigar brands. And I suspect, for many of us, Enrico Garzaroli’s creations will become even more obscure as today’s economic turmoil continues to take its toll.

Nevertheless, there are deals to be had. You can avoid this 6 inch by 52 ring gauge cigar’s regular price tag by picking it up in online samplers—a good strategy if you haven’t yet tried a 1666, since the Pirate vitola retails for $12-16 apiece by the box or 5-pack.

Various Graycliff lines, from Château Grand Cru and Espresso to Profesionale and Emerald, have earned high marks in mainstream publications like Cigar Aficionado and Smoke Magazine. To date, I’ve enjoyed every Graycliff I’ve encountered. I remain skeptical, however, that they’re worth the extremely high cost.

I set out to see if the 1666 blend would be an exception with the help of two Pirates from my humidor. Created to commemorate the year a church was built on the land that now holds the Graycliff Hotel, this line includes a Jaltepec maduro wrapper, an Ecuador Sumatra binder, and long filler tobaccos from Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico.

I found tons of hearty flavors off the dark, textured, and splotchy wrapper, including raisin, espresso, and cocoa. Dare I say it almost captures the prelight aroma of an Opus X?

While this stick is undoubtedly firmer than other Graycliffs (which isn’t saying much), it clips cleanly to reveal a light, airy draw. The foot lights effortlessly and starts with a surprisingly gentle flavor of plum, cream, and coffee. Each puff yields plentiful tufts of smoke.

As the straight burn progresses past the first inch, I am reminded of a moist chocolate cake flavor that is found in cigars with mata fina wrappers like the Alonso Menendez. Delicious. Maintaining a flavorful, medium-bodied profile throughout, the final third sees a slightly lamentable departure to more typical cigar tastes of tobacco and pepper.

The well-behaved burn stays even to the nub with only rare instances of required maintenance. The ash builds nicely off the foot for up to two inches, but it’s less sturdy than it looks; ash early and often if you’re smoking indoors or if you want to avoid a lapful.

All things considered, and even though this creation isn’t worthy of such an obnoxious price tag, the Graycliff 1666 Pirate earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last month, Patrick S wrote a most interesting article on junk science. If you haven’t read it, you should take a few minutes and do so; it’ll  get you thinking.

That commentary prompted me to wonder about the related issue of risk. I find it fascinating how we perceive risk, how we deal with it, interpret it, and how we so often disregard it. So many factors play a part it’s impossible to generalize. But I think a large part is our general mathematical ignorance and our faith in what we think we know despite the evidence.

One recent example is a study that found exposure to secondhand smoke could double the likelihood of suffering from depression. Could be. Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not. It’s impossible to tell without a reference point, such as the general rate for depression.

No stories I saw provided that, which isn’t surprising since my cursory checks indicate authorities tend to disagree on the U.S. rate. For adults, many reports put it somewhere between 5-6% during a year. That’s roughly 1 in 18. Double it you’ve got 1 in 9. Sure, it’s greater, but I’ll guarantee you that isn’t how most people react when they hear “double.” If the change was reported as going from about 1 in 20 to about 1 in 10, would that sound as alarming?

Similarly, we don’t tend to associate high risk with things we’re comfortable with. Otherwise, why would we be willing to risk consuming so much rodent hair, excretion, insect parts, mold, maggots, and other disgusting things in what we eat and drink every day? Just take a spin through the FDA’s “Food Defect Action Levels: Levels of Natural or Unavoidable Defects in Foods that Present No Health Hazards for Humans.” Commenting in the New York Times, an op-ed writer noted “you’re probably ingesting one to two pounds of flies, maggots, and mites each year without knowing it.”

The cause of the risk is also important to the way we see it. And this is where we get closer to tobacco. First, though, detour to a substance nearly everyone would agree is more dangerous: crack cocaine. It’s been viewed as so dangerous, in fact, women have been imprisoned for using it while pregnant in the belief they were subjecting their babies to extreme risk. Now scientists who’ve actually studied the children as they grew report the impact “on children’s brain development and behavior appear relatively small,” according to the Times. The director of a major study said that while there are differences, “Are they big? No.”

Some things, I guess, can’t just be risky; they’ve got to be life-threatening.

We deal with risk and chance all the time. Some exploit it, some exaggerate it, some minimize it, and many don’t really understand it. That’s why we’re often so amazed with such statements as, “The odds are nearly 200 times greater you will die from flesh-eating bacteria (1 in 1 million) than you will win the Powerball lottery (1 in 200 million).”

Me, I’m getting ready to light up a 601 Red Robusto, and I know the risk of not enjoying it is very, very small.

–George E

photo credit: Blogspot.com

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

I don’t know what it is about these Don Pepin Cuban Classics, but they’ve been difficult to figure out—at times excellent, other times just fair. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of the better cigars I’ve smoked from what is, in my experience, Don Pepin’s most inconsistent blend. The smoke was woody and full-bodied but lacking the complexity and balance that accompanies some of the Pepin Blacks I’ve most enjoyed. Along with the woodiness was a hint of bitterness that wandered in and out. Despite that, the construction was excellent, and this cigar is certainly worth a look as one of Pepin’s most affordable creations.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.

When I reviewed the shorter Piramide No. 3 two years ago to the day, I found its harsh flavors and numerous combustion flaws to be less than enticing. Thankfully, the six and a half inch by 54 ring gauge Piramide No. 2 doesn’t fall into the same traps. But with a dry, unbalanced flavor that remains consistent to a fault, it is very forgettable. I’d save this modestly priced blend of Ecuadorian, Dominican, Brazilian, and Nicaraguan tobaccos for the golf course or the poker table.

Verdict = Hold.

–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) The $410 billion spending bill Obama signed on Wednesday includes provisions that could ease U.S.-Cuban relations. While the new law won’t change the 47-year-old embargo, it may make it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba and it may improve diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana—a move that some say is a small step in the direction of decriminalizing Cuban cigars.

2) As New Jersey politicians ponder expanding the Garden State’s smoking ban to cover casinos, Iowa business owners are pushing lawmakers to ease the regulations that violate their rights. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that Minnesota officials plan to ban smoking in cars where children are present, and concerned citizens in Viriginia are sounding off against the commonwealth’s looming ban.

3) Inside the Industry: Rocky Patel added a thick (6 x 60) cigar to his highly-rated Decade line. Production of the non-limited edition Davidoff puro has been delayed until Spring 2010 while the Davidoff “Puro d’Oro” is re-blended.  Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was on hand to cut the ribbon at the opening of the new Club La Gloria Cubana in Albuquerque. Altadis is releasing a new “Siglo Limited Reserve” line with packaging similar to that of the famous Cuban Cohiba.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Fresh smokes the Fonseca Sungrown Cedar No. 2. Stogie Review lights up a Tatuaje Noellas Reserva. Matt puffs on the Edge Corojo Toro. Keepers of the Flame reviews the Fuente Don Carlos line.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a ten-pack of high-priced sticks at a serious discount. Fifty bucks (including free shipping on your entire order) gets you two cigars each from Montecristo Media Noche, Gurkha, Cocinero, Princesa de Cuba, and Graycliff 1666. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: San Francisco Sentinel

When I think of Kentucky I think of the Derby, bourbon, and the once formidable Wildcat basketball program. The image of wild buffalo charging through untamed wilderness simply doesn’t resonate. But this aptly named spirit was born of a frontier settlement that grew from trails (or “traces”) carved by buffalo herds.

Built on the banks of the Kentucky River near Frankfort, the distillery, according to its website, “embraces the heritage created by brave pioneers, hopeful settlers, and Kentucky’s native sons who left their marks as legends, heroes, and leaders.” The fertile land, uniquely situated amid abundant limestone and spring water, has been home to a working distillery since 1787, and today the sprawling operation includes 119 acres and 114 buildings.

Whether or not you buy into the magic of the location, you can’t dispute Buffalo Trace’s results. The distillery—which also produces Blanton’s, W.L. Weller, Old Charter, and Eagle Rare—has won more international awards since 1990 than any other North American operation, not to mention Whiskey Magazine’s “Distiller of the Year” award in 2005.

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is their flagship line, launched in August 1999 shortly after the distillery was renamed from George T. Stagg. It is made from Kentucky and Indiana corn, rye, and superior malted barley. Double distilled and aged in select barrels (Buffalo Trace sports the highest rejection rate of barrels in the industry), a 750 ml. bottle sells for a reasonable $18-25.

Turning copper red to a golden brown when poured from the bottle to a glass, this bourbon boasts notes of mint, oak, molasses, and pepper on the nose. A slight burning tinge is apparent but mostly in the background of the aroma’s character.

While all of these scents are noticeable in the taste, the predominant flavors are vanilla and honey. And where many bourbons overstay their welcome, Buffalo Trace fades away quietly like the end of a catchy tune on an old album.

Still, this is a hearty bourbon that need not be treated as a fragile delicacy. Drink it on the rocks or in your favorite bourbon-based cocktail (it makes a great mint julep) and feel free to pair it with fuller-bodied cigars. Of those that I’ve smoked lately, the Cupido Tuxedo, Serie JJ Maduro, and Double Ligero Chisel pair nicely.

Even though Buffalo Trace may not be the best, most complex bourbon on the market, it’s a damn good value for the money—and, for both sipping and mixing, it has carved a trail to my liquor cabinet.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys