The Stogie Guys

Not long ago, Gene Arganese was a real estate developer in search of a cigarmaker for a private label. When he couldn’t find one that suited him, he ended up buying a Dominican factory and making his own. The result: Arganese Cigars , which now makes a wide range of different blends, wrappers, and sizes.

The Arganese Maduro Presidenté is the company’s strongest blend, wrapped in a Brazilian maduro wrapper. This 54 ring gauge by 6 and 1/2 inch figurado is made with an Indonesian binder and Dominican filler from the Villa Gonzalez area. It retails for around $7.

The deep brown wrapper is dark and oily with a few prominent veins. Pre-light, this solidly built perfecto features oak and hay notes, and the draw had raisin and burnt coffee flavors.

After lighting the cigar, I was greeted with roast coffee and a subtle black pepper spice. The draw was deliberate, but not too difficult. It gives off a plentiful amount of airy smoke with a coffee aroma.

As the cigar progresses, leather and cream develop and the roasted finish caps off a pleasant medium- to full-bodied smoke. Of the multiple cigars I sampled for this review, none had a perfectly even burn, but that never really developed into a detriment to the cigar.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable stogie. The flavors are well-balanced and strong, the construction good (though not great), and it has an appealing look with double bands around a well-proportioned perfecto shape.

For that combination, the Arganese Maduro Presidenté Figurado earns a very reputable rating of four out of five stogies .

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

– Patrick S

Tags: cigars

If you’re reading this it probably means that, like me, you’re an adult who has made the conscious decision to, at least occasionally, smoke cigars. You understand that, like most things, there are certain risks associated with the hobby. But you’ve considered your options and have decided the benefits outweigh those risks.

Today, making that decision is terribly difficult. Thanks to a plethora of anti-smoking activist groups and self-interested health organizations, it seems nowadays, when it comes to cigars and risk, there’s more misinformation than information out there.

Thomas Lambert’s “The Case Against Smoking Bans,” for example, gives a good assessment of how the Environmental Protection Agency completely fabricated the risks associated with secondhand smoke in an effort to fuel the imposition of smoking bans.

So it may not surprise you that I’ve wanted to do a brief examination on the health effects of cigars for quite some time. The only problem is I’m not a doctor.

But Marc J. Schneiderman is. In order to better educate myself on the subject, I’ve been reading Dr. Schneiderman’s musings on how the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) seminal 1998 study on cigars “clearly demonstrates that those risks are acceptable to those who use the product responsibly.”

“The great majority of cigar smokers smoke fewer than one cigar per day and don’t inhale. The ‘habitual’ cigar smoker is rarely even a daily smoker. Disease risk ratios comparing cigar smokers to the general non-smoking population are reported by NCI:

This chart demonstrates that the 1-2 cigar/day user who doesn’t inhale is not at serious risk for developing cancer or heart disease. The ‘all cause’ of death risk for smokers of 1-2 cigars per day (and sometimes more) is not significantly different when compared to those who never smoked.”

Dr. Schneiderman convincingly makes many other relevant points in his rebuttal of the study – including that cigars are not addictive. If you’re interested in the subject, as I’m guessing many of you are, I would highly recommend reading his complete response.

I write this not to make light of the various hazards associated with cigar smoking. Risks exist and we should all be aware of them.

But much of the “science” government agencies and anti-smoking zealots use to advance their own agendas is terribly flawed. As Thomas Lambert and Dr. Schneiderman have done, these unsubstantiated claims should be identified and challenged. In that spirit, I look forward to gathering more data on the health effects of cigars as it becomes available.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

The temperature had dipped a little, and the humidity was down as well. It seemed like a good evening to enjoy a Short Story. I lifted one from the humidor. As I pulled the cellophane off, it dawned on me that I had never written about these wonderful little cigars. So, I hereby rectify the omission.

I’m always intrigued by the Short Story’s perfecto shape. From the nipple-end foot to the head is four and 1/2 inches, and along the way the ring gauge runs from 46 to 49. Introduced a few years after the 1983 debut of Hemingway, the Short Story has become the top seller in the line. All feature the same blend of West African Cameroon wrapper and Dominican filler and binder, but the various sizes and shapes do, of course, influence the taste of each.

Few cigar firms are as easy to get information from as Fuente, and for that I credit Darlene “The Cigar Girl” at the company’s Tampa Sweethearts retail operation in Ybor City. Her quick and thorough replies are unparalleled.

One question I had was whether it was the difficulty of rolling the cigars or the availability of suitable leaf that leads to the cigars being in short supply. (Even Tampa Sweethearts limits customers to two boxes of Short Stories.)

“It is a unique cigar and only so many are produced yearly because of the workmanship involved,” Darlene emailed. “The answer to this would be a combo of both that you stated above. Plus, we don’t rush making these cigars so they are aged properly for six months or more.”

While lighting a Short Story is simple, it does require caution to avoid scorching. I used a match to first ignite a little piece of cedar rather than a lighter. The foot caught easily from the cedar’s flame, and the burn was nearly perfect throughout, as were all aspects of construction.

I paid $4.30 for this particular stick, which seems somewhat low to me, even in Florida. But the price tag was still on the cellophane.

The Short Story’s taste is refined and balanced. There’s a little cedar, some spice, a touch of leather, and nice tobacco. But if you don’t like Cameroon tobacco and what I’d call the combination of spice and sweetness that it imparts, you aren’t apt to enjoy this or any of the Hemingway cigars.

For me, though, this is an excellent cigar. I give the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story a rating of four and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by CigarsDirect.com which has an impressive selection of Arturo Fuente cigars.  To purchase this cigar, click here.]

–George E

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

After enjoying a Ybor City Handmade recently, I’ve been drawn to those lovely brown Connecticut wrappers in the humidor. A Gran Habano Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped Robusto caught my eye the other day. It is a nice, slow burning cigar that induces relaxation and introspection with subtle flavors and thick, deep smoke. At six inches long and a ring gauge of 54, it fits the current trend toward large sticks. I paid $4.45. If you enjoy mild cigars, give this one a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

Tags: cigars

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and reader-friendly as possible, each Friday we’ll post a selection of quick cigar news and stogie-related snippets. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) You don’t need to check the calendar to know that fall is finally here. Temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing colors, and – most importantly – the MLB playoffs are underway. While Patrick S. fumes about the Mets’ historical collapse and Patrick A. prays his beloved Cubs can hang on, we thought you might enjoy this Cigar Aficionado article about the best places to smoke in baseball’s playoff cities.

2) In case you were wondering, our Quick Smoke Cigar Giveaway Contest is still on. Dustin from New Hampshire and Kevin from Florida are the two big winners to date, each of whom will receive a prized Argonese sampler for their submissions. If you’d like a shot at one of the remaining three, get your submission in as soon as possible.

3) Around the Blogs:Keepers of the Flame lights up a Gran Habano 3 Siglos. Cigar Jack smokes the Olor de Cibao. Stogie Review reviews the Bolivar. Cigar Inspector tries a Gurkha Beast. Cigar Command has a Joya de Nicaragua Serie C. Cigar Monkey smokes a Victor Sinclair Bamboo. Velvet Cigar checks out the new CAO America.

4) Deal of the Week: With not one sampler but four, this deal gets you 19 quality cigars for just under $60. Included is a seven-cigar CAO sampler (with a Seed to Soul DVD), a four-cigar Hoyo sampler, a five-cigar Cuesta-Rey sampler, and a three-cigar Punch sampler. Grab it here.

–The Stogie Guys

Back in August, following the 75th Annual RTDA Trade Show, we introduced you to some of Altadis’ latest creations. Among them was a new ultra-premium, limited edition line called Cabinet Selección.

Rare and exclusive tobacco blends from the company’s most revered brands, Cabinet Selección hit select retailers only recently. Altadis Vice President Janelle Rosenfeld tells Stogie Guys that “they are selling like hot cakes.”

Featuring Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, and Por Larrañaga, a company press release exclaims the line is “impeccably constructed from specially selected, perfectly aged tobaccos of exceptional pedigree” which results in “a series of intricate, singular blends of compelling character and nature.”

Sounds pretty good, eh? As it turns out, press releases from cigar manufacturers usually do. But, after smoking half a dozen Montecristo Cabinet Selección Belicosos over the past few weeks, I can honestly say this stogie lives up to that mouthwatering praise.

The Belicoso is six and 1/8 inches with a 52 ring gauge. The white and gold Montecristo band serves as a nice contrast to the dark, near seamless Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Tightly packed with Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian filler, the cigar is firm to the touch.

Right from the beginning, the smoke’s full-bodied billing meets expectations as a distinctive black pepper and nutmeg spice dominates the flavor profile. The taste gets even more interesting from there as a soft marshmallow sweetness comes into play, a complimentary flavor that reminds me a bit of the Montecristo Classic.

But this cigar is much different. Predominantly dark, rich, and nutty, it sports characteristics most stogie enthusiasts will enjoy and seasoned stogie veterans will love.

I’d be more willing to bestow a heralded five out of five stogies rating, however, if it weren’t for a few physical imperfections. Specifically, occasional touch-ups are required to keep it lit and burning evenly, and the grey ash could be more stable.

Still, what this cigar lacks in construction it makes up in flavor – many times over. I am looking forward to sampling the Romeo, Upmann, and Larrañaga versions of this promising series, and I give the Montecristo Cabinet Selección Belicoso four and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

This morning President Bush carried through on his promise to veto the SCHIP bill which contained large tax increases on tobacco. The veto ceremony took place quietly before he left Washington to travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The veto, which is only the forth of Bush’s presidency, stops a 256% increase of the excise tax on cigars to 53%. The proposed tax also raised the cap on from 5 cents to $3 per cigar. The combined effect would have raised the price of many premium and ultra-premium cigars by $100 or more per box.

While many in the cigar industry will applaud the veto, Bush has spoken little about the tobacco taxes. His opposition to the bill has instead been focused on a desire to halt expansion of SCHIP to children of families whose income levels are far above the threshold for government assistance. While not cited specifically by Bush, other critics of SCHIP expansion cite as an example this New Jersey family who, with assistance from SCHIP, can to afford to send their daughter to a nearly $10,000  per year private school.

As we reported earlier, SCHIP supporters in the Senate appear to have the votes to override the veto. However, the House remains short of the two-thirds threshold, meaning that at least for now cigar taxes will remain the same.

Stogie Guys Analysis

Unfortunately, cigar smokers and others who oppose these excessive and punitive cigar taxes should take little solace in this outcome.

Yes, Bush vetoed the bill, and yes they seem able to muster enough opposition in the House to sustain the veto, but this will still be very damaging long term. Anti-tobacco forces now have majorities in both houses on the record supporting large tax increases on tobacco.

So, the next time the government wants to raise taxes on tobacco, all these politicians will be on the record in support of it. Any one who changes their vote in future can be accused of “flip-flopping.”

This can (and likely will be) damaging in the future when Bush isn’t there to veto such tax increases. Right now it looks fairly likely that the next White House occupant will support raising tobacco taxes. (All the Democrats supported this increase and even Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee has indicated he is in favor of taxing/banning tobacco.)

That’s why, even though the current tax hikes might not get through, this is a very bad loss for adults who want to be able to enjoy cigars with out paying outrageous taxes on these legal products. Also, as George expressed in his commentary on Monday, the cigar industry should have done a better job on this issue.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars