The Stogie Guys

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS — I am happy to tell you from firsthand experience that the capital and largest city in the U.S. Virgin Islands makes for an absolutely wonderful vacation. That is, of course, if you’re into gorgeous beaches, terrific seafood, unyielding sunshine, and a laid back atmosphere that almost gives Jamaica a run for its money.

I happen to enjoy all of those things, and I’m having an unforgettable time catching up with my family in this Caribbean paradise. But I thought I’d take a quick break in the shade and share a few cigar-related travel tips about St. Thomas in case you’re planning a trip. And if you’re not, this photo I snapped a few days ago might entice you to consider the journey.

First thing’s first: St. Thomas is a wonderful place to smoke cigars. Finding a nice spot under a palm tree midday is as easy as finding sand in a desert—and the view is likely to be spectacular. If you didn’t bring your own cooler, beachside bars are happy to pour your favorite libation or any of their frozen specialties.

When you need a break from the sun and decide to head indoors, cigar smoking is likely to be welcome there too, especially since most bars and restaurants are of the open air variety. Unlike the British Virgin Islands, which enacted a smoking ban in 2006, St. Thomas continues to embrace freedom of choice and property rights. As a result, “No Smoking” signs are awfully hard to come by.

This, I think, is all part of the island’s easy-going lifestyle, which includes a widespread tolerance of open bottles in automobiles, drinking in public, and marijuana. Service will be slow at restaurants but, for reasons beyond my understanding, taxi drivers are excessively speedy on the island’s narrow, winding roads.

While St. Thomas is an exceptional place to smoke cigars, it is not a great place to buy them. Cubans are hard to come by (remember: it’s still the U.S.), Cuban counterfeits are readily available, and premiums will cost quite a bit more than at your local B&M. Since nonsmokers are more willing to try cigars at such a beautiful locale, prices are high.

So what’s a stogie enthusiast to do on such a smoker friendly, buyer beware island? Bring your own from home. I packed a hefty bundle for my father and I and that proved to be the right strategy. And since you only go through customs on the way back to the mainland, feel free to bring some Cubans in your checked luggage—just be sure to smoke ’em before your return flight.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

StogieGuys.com will be featured on the Livin’ Large with Geoff Pinkus radio show on WIND 560 AM in Chicago today. The show runs from 5-7 pm Central (6-8 Eastern) and Patrick A is scheduled to be on around 5:35 pm Central (6:35 Eastern).

If you have a question, you can even call in at 877-560-WIND to ask a question on the air. And if you’re not in the Chicago area, you can listen live here (if you miss it, a podcast will be available here).

–The 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.

What else can I say about this seminal 6 inch by 52 ring gauge tour de force that wasn’t already written by anyone else in Cigardom or by my colleague in his February review? Neatly presented in an ornate gold and black aluminum tube, this Cuban is complex and powerful with a smooth taste that resembles cognac. Despite its prohibitive price, I’m convinced every enthusiast needs to try at least one Siglo VI; save the first experience for a special evening after a big steak or seafood dinner.

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 snippets of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) We are still accepting entries to win a $30 gift certificate to FumeeWorld.com. Just fill out this survey and include a valid email address. Your answers will help us improve StogieGuys.com. Plus everyone who participates will receive an email with a coupon code for 20 percent off any purchases from FumeeWorld.com.

2) Those anti-smoking censors are at it again and this time the target is the new Incredible Hulk movie. the AMA is whining that William Hurt’s character, Gen. Thaddeus”Thunderbolt” Ross, is seen with a cigar throughout the film. They say that by showing cigar smoking the movie encourages kids to smoke, but you’d think they would be more worried about the fact that the movie has a man gain superpowers by being in the blast radius of a bomb, which would seem a far worse message for children.

3) Here’s an odd one: apparently Mel Gibson and Britney Spears held a meeting at the exclusive Havana Club cigar room this week. No word on what, if any, cigars were smoked at the superstars’ pow-wow.

4) Inside the Industry: CAO’s much-hyped new cigar will be called the Lx2 meaning ligero times two – much like CAO’s other lines the Mx2 (Maduro) and Cx2 (Cameroon). Punch Cigar’s pot-bellied, trash-talking mascot, Mr. Punch is celebrating a birthday with a series of promotions in July, including exclusive Punch humidor giveaways. Bucanero Cigars owner Robert Spoden (who we interviewed here) told European Cigar Cult Magazine that he wants to sell the highly-rated boutique cigar brand.

5) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up the Padrón Palmas. Stogie Review smokes the J. Fuego Delirium. Velvet Cigar reviews an Oliva Master Blends. Cigar Command puffs on a Padron 3000.

6) Deal of the Week: Here’s a nice deal for the Macanudo lover in you. For just $49, you get a box of 10 (5.5 x 49) Macanudo Cafe Hyde Parks, plus a spiffy Macanudo ashtray. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar

Back in April I had a rare opportunity to meet up with Tampa Bureau Chief George E in Florida for lunch, drinks, and a few cigars. Naturally, conversation quickly turned to how to improve StogieGuys.com.

We came up with some suggestions and bounced a few ideas around, but it occurred to me the best way to make improvements is to ask our loyal readers. This website, after all, is for you, and we want it to be the best daily resource possible for entertaining and informative material from the world of cigars.

So that you can weigh in, we’ve created this 10 question survey to get your opinion. We’ll be using the results to shape the content and direction of StogieGuys.com in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

As a bonus, we’ll be randomly selecting one reader to receive a free $30 gift certificate from our friends at FumeeWorld.com and every reader who fills out a survey will receive an email with a coupon code for 20 percent off everything at FumeeWorld.com. (Back in January, George E interviewed Fumée President Heather Waebil Haddad.)

Click Here to Take Our Survey and Be Entered to Win a $30 Gift Certificate for FuméeWorld.com.

Thanks in advance for your participation.

If you would like to elaborate on your answers or suggest improvements outside the realm of the questions in the survey, please feel free to leave a comment. For instance, I would be thrilled if you would share what one improvement you would make if you were the StogieGuys.com editor.

Thank you for your constructive criticism and feedback. We value your continuing readership, and we promise to continue working hard to make StogieGuys.com a great resource for all cigar smokers.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Padilla Miami 8 & 11 Lancero combines two of the hottest trends in cigars: the blending expertise of Don “Pepin” Garcia and the lancero shape.

The long and thin Lancero vitola (in the case of the Padilla Miami it is 7.5 inches long with a 42 ring gauge) has been making a comeback of late. The lancero was said to be one of Fidel Castro’s favorite sizes, but lately non-Cuban cigar makers have made the lancero a staple of their new lines, perhaps sensing a backlash by some cigar connoisseurs against the ever widening ring gauges that the cigar industry has been experiencing.

Meanwhile, Don Pepin—formerly a master roller and blender in Cuba—is similarly becoming a staple of the cigar industry. Currently he produces some of the hottest cigars made today including Tatuaje, Ashton’s San Cristobal, EO Brand’s 601 line, and of course his own Don Pepin cigars. Unfortunately as of February he no longer is making cigars for Padilla.

Reportedly, Padilla is to begin producing the Miami (along with the formerly Pepin-made Padilla 1932 and 1948) in a new Miami factory. But for this review I tried a few Pepin-made Padilla Miami lanceros. (Just a note: The “8 & 11” refers to the location of the factory where these cigars are produced: 8th Street and 11th Avenue. Since the cigar will no longer be made there, Padilla is dropping the “8 & 11” from the name and will simply being calling the continued line the “Padilla Miami.”)

As with most of Pepin’s cigars, the Miami lancero has the classic Cuban triple cap but with a twist—literally. The cigar has a pig tail. The wrapper of this Nicaraguan puro is medium brown with a slightly greenish tint and, while the wrapper isn’t particularly oily, it is almost entirely vein-free.

After clipping the fragile cap and lighting up, I was greeted with smooth cedar and earth, with some spice and plenty of honey flavors. The Miami has been hailed by Cigar Aficionado as a “full-bodied masterpiece,” but I didn’t quite find it to be full-bodied. Perhaps because the Lancero, more than the Robusto to which CA was describing, relies on the wrapper so much for its flavor due to its thin ring gauge. I would slot the Miami Lancero in as more of a medium or medium- to full-bodied cigar.

Construction was good but not exceptional. One of the four cigars I smoked developed a nasty crack in the wrapper and the ash was particularly susceptible to falling off after only a quarter inch (once again, I think this can likely be attributed to the lancero format). On the positive side, I found an impressively even burn on every stick I smoked.

The cigar continued to provide its smooth complex notes until about an inch past the midway point when ithad a tendency to turn a little bitter. Given that the lancero is seven inches long, it was as disappointing as it became predicable (after multiple sticks) that it turned bitter and earthy.

Overall, I find the Padilla 8 & 11 Miami to be a mixed bag. On one hand, it started with a very enjoyable, complex, bold yet smooth mix of sweetness and spice. However, for a cigar that retails for around $10 per stick, I found the construction to bit a bit suspect and the tendency to have the smooth flavors sputter out early to be disappointing (especially given the wonderful start). This combination of pros and cons earns the Padilla 8 & 11 Miami a respectable rating of three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Yesterday, United Tobacco’s EO (Espinosa y Ortega) Brands announced the introduction of the new Cubao cigar. EO Brands is best known for its 601 line of cigars, which comes in four blends featuring the same Nicaraguan filler and binder overlayed with a wrapper leaf of Connecticut (Black Label), Habano (Red Label), Maduro (Blue Label), or Oscuro (Green Label).

Like the 601 line, which has been introduced over the past two years, Cubao will be made by Don “Pepin” Garcia. Pepin’s other cigars include Tatuaje, Don Pepin Garcia, San Cristobal by Ashton and (formerly) the Padilla Miami, 1932 and 1948 lines.

According to EO Brands, “Cu-bao” is the Taino word for “where fertile land is abundant” or “a great place.” The cigar features an Ecuadorian grown Sumatra Oscuro wrapper with filler and binder from the Esteli and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. It will be made at Garcia’s Tabacalera Cubana S.A. factory.

According to press materials, Cubao will be a full-bodied smoke. The new cigar will be made in six sizes: No. 1 (7-1/8 inch x 49), No. 2 (6-1/8 inch x 52 torpedo), No. 3 (7-1/2 inch x 38), No. 4 (4-7/8 inch x 50), No. 5 (6-1/8 inch x 50), and the No. 6 (5-1/2 inch x 52).

The cigar will come in boxes of 20 cigars, except for the Lancero which comes in a box of 30. Suggested retail price for a box is $130-158 ($204 for the Lancero), or $6.50-$7.50 individually.

The Cubao will be introduced at the IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas starting July 13th.

Responding to the possibility that Cubao would compete with EO’s already popular 601 lines, Erik Espinosa says “a true cigar smoker needs variety, and will embrace the new stick, knowing that Pepinand EO can be counted on for the consistency of their product.”

StogieGuys.com will be in Las Vegas to give a firsthand report of the Cubao and other cigars introduced at the cigar trade show.

–Patrick S

photo credit: EO Brands