The Stogie Guys

You may remember a September 2006 post where we introduced Brazil Cigars, a stogie manufacturer that produces the Dona Flor, Alonzo Menendez, and Aquarius brands from Brazilian Mata Fina tobacco.

Well, last week I was lucky enough (thanks to our friend Paul Arneson) to try a rare Dona Flor Reserva Especial Robusto. This five inches by 52 ring gauge Brazilian puro comes draped in an exclusively sun-grown, highly cultivated Mata Fina wrapper. True to its South American heritage, the stick is loosely packed and a bit coarse to the touch.

After clipping the head with my double guillotine cutter, I took note of some deep black tea and cedar notes. Once lit, these earthy and woody flavors became balanced by sweet toffee and molasses. And towards the end of the smoke, the tastes intensified and shifted from spicy clove to pepper.

Now Mr. Arneson warned me that the cigar would be full-bodied. In fact, he told me to smoke it on a full stomach and expect a good night’s sleep afterwards. He wasn’t lying.

But I’m pleased to report the Reserva Especial is not merely a powerhouse stick that’s sure to knock you on your ass. It’s a complex cigar with a flavor profile that’s as balanced and complete as the finest Davidoff – a seasoned smoker’s delight.

On construction, the loose packing ensured a true and easy draw throughout the duration of the one hour and 15 minute smoke. While the burn started a bit uneven (which may have been my fault), I was able to quickly and permanently correct that.

My only complaint about this Robusto is that the ash is quite flaky and it does not hold firm.

Other than that, this one’s a keeper (if you can find it). I strongly recommend looking up your local Dona Flor retailer via Brazil Cigars’ website. You can expect to pay around $12 apiece for one of these sticks.

For outstanding, full-bodied flavor, I give the Dona Flor Reserva Especial Robusto four and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

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

The box pressed (6″ x 50) Maria Mancini Robusto Larga EMS has long been one of my favorites since I made it the first box I ever purchased many years ago. After six months of aging in my humidor, I found the same earth and leather flavors I’d much enjoyed in the past, but sadly the construction on this stick was not as pleasant. The burn was dreadfully uneven (a comon problem on cigars with the Habana 2000 wrapper) and the wrapper split along the edge of the box press.

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.

Some of my favorite smokes are made by Fuente – the Hemingway line, the Double Chateau Sun Grown. This 5 inches by 50 ring gauge Montesino Robusto Maduro, though, was a disappointment. The Fuente site describes it as “full flavored, yet smooth.” I didn’t find that. To me, the flavor was harsh and the smoke, while abundant, was bitter.

Verdict = Sell.

–George E

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

1) StogieGuys.com is now publishing seven days a week! This weekend we are introducing “Quick Smokes,” the newest feature to StogieGuys.com. Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a few sentences about a cigar we recently smoked with a simple Buy, Sell, or Hold recommendation. It isn’t a full review, just our quick impressions from a single cigar. Be sure to check in tomorrow for our first Quick Smoke, the Montesino Robusto Maduro.

2) The Bangor, Maine City Council announced that it will become the first municipality in the country to ban smoking in cars when anyone under the age of 18 is present. Tobacco Analysis, a fantastic website by Boston-based public health researcher and expert Micheal Siegel, has an in-depth breakdown of the law where he exposes the hypocrisy of the “feel-good,” but largely do-nothing, law.

3) Earlier this week we reported that Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House, was planning to ban smoking in the Capitol Building, and already it’s done. But an interesting twist is that while she banned smoking in the Speaker’s Lobby, where members of Congress congregate during votes, all the offices of the members are still exempted from the ban.

4) Not to be outdone by Bangor, or Congress, Atlantic City is preparing to ban smoking on the floors of the city’s 12 casinos (a place where only adults are allowed). We always thought cigars and gambling went together like bacon and eggs, but apparently not in the Reno of the East Coast.

5) Finally, we wanted to call your attention to the affiliate page we’ve put together, where you can find retailers to purchase everything from wine, cigars, golf clubs, and iTunes. This way you can make purchases you’d probably already make and know that a percentage of your buy helps StogieGuys.com improve our content for you and fellow Stogie Guys.

–The Stogie Guys

Tags: cigars

 

SAN PEDRO, BELIZE – Coming to you from beautiful tropical Belize (known formerly as British Honduras), there is seemingly no shortage of cigar topics for me to write about.

I could tell you about my first encounter with the famously fake glass-top box of Cuban Cohiba Esplendidos (prominently featured in an advertisement for the local cigar shop), the fantastic Honduran Punch I had (a Honduran cigar just seemed appropriate here in British Honduras), or the Cohiba Robusto of questionable authenticity I was given upon my arrival (more investigation is needed there).

Yet instead I’ll take this opportunity to praise that often unheralded creature: the cold weather stogie smoker.

The absurdity of writing about cold weather cigar smoking from an 80 degree beach immediately made me think of one of my favorite (and similarly absurd) movie quotes:

It’s easy to grin when your ship comes in, and you’ve got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile is the man who can smile, when his shorts are too tight in the seat.

A few days in the tropics made me realize just how easy it is to be a cigar smoker in the tropics. Nothing calls for a cigar like turquoise water and a warm breeze, except maybe a warm night at a beach bar with some Bob Marley playing. And naturally the lack of a Cuban embargo means that all the world’s cigars are available to you.

The point is, if you can’t enjoy a cigar here, you probably never can. (Leave me down here too long and I’d probably be up to four a day!)

Which brings me to the cold weather smoker, outside on the porch, in the backyard, or walking the dog (because you can’t for one reason or another smoke inside). Perhaps an oppressive smoking ban forced you out of your favorite watering hole and into the inhospitable winter frost.

To brave incliment weather shows true dedication to the wonderful hobby that is cigars. Like the man who’s shorts are too tight in his seat, the cold weather smoker need not smile while he bundles up for a sub-freezing stogie session, but he does. When many might close up the humidor until late spring, the cold weather smoker bravely smokes on.

So let me propose the following: The next time you’re smoking a cigar in a perfect setting, pause a moment and think of the cold weather smoker preparing to risk frostbite just for the hobby he loves. (Personally, as I make my most difficult decision of the night – Cuban Cohiba, Montecristo, or something else – I know I will think of my friends to the north deciding between gloves, hats, or space heaters!)

Such reflection is important because many of us will end up cold weather stogie smokers ourselves far too soon.

–Patrick S recently vacationed in Belize.

The first thing I noticed, after just a few puffs, was that my lips were going numb. In a good way.

The heat and pepper that introduce Don Pepin Garcia’s Serie 601 “Red,” a Nicaraguan puro from EO Brands, are a testament to its power. The way they quickly melt into an almost sweet taste on the tongue display the stogie’s complexity.

After about an inch, I found a warm, toasty tobacco flavor that waxed and waned through the rest of the stick. The pepper came back about halfway through, though not enough to induce numbness again.

I can only add to the nearly universal chorus of praise for this stogie – I enjoyed it immensely. Whether judging appearance, construction, performance, or taste, I found it to be a first-rate cigar.

The dark Nicaraguan Habano wrapper looks great. The draw is fine, and the ash is tight and white. The only problem I experienced came in the last third when there was some tunneling, which I was able to easily correct.

I didn’t notice how long the 601 lasted, but it seemed to burn fairly quickly. I tend to smoke slowly, and I don’t think this lasted as long as others its size. Maybe some of that, though, was how sorry I was to have to put it down.

The Robusto I smoked was a five and ½ inches by 50 ring gauge cigar with a retail price of $6.50, which is what I paid. You can save a few dollars with a box purchase of 20. There are also three longer vitolas: Churchill (7x 52), Esplendido (7 x 49), and Torpedo (6 x 52).

I wonder whether the 601 “Red” might get even better with aging, though I’m far from expert enough to know. Maybe aging comes to mind because of the cigar’s strength.

On the other hand, it seems a logical assumption that time might allow the blend’s characteristics to interchange interestingly. I plan to get more and hope I can resist them long enough to see if it makes a difference. (I’m also eager to smoke the 601 “Black,” which is said to be a bit milder.)

I heartily recommend this full-flavored cigar. I smoked it with coffee after a meal and that worked fine for me – I doubt I could handle it early in the day or on an empty stomach.

I give the EO 601 Serie “Red” Robusto by Don Pepin Garcia four out of five stogies.

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

–George E

I’m a big fan of Washington, DC. After all, it’s my adopted home. Despite all the pockets of crime, the corruption, and a never-ending supply of power-hungry douchebags, the nation’s capital really is a wonderful city. The dynamic people, the history, the nightlife, the opportunity – it’s all here for the taking.

But, often due to the moronic government it houses (both national and local), Washington more frequently stands as a monument to politicians’ fallibility and mismanagement than it does to American ingenuity and freedom. Take these two recent, tobacco-related stories, for example:

A city-wide smoking ban (except for politicians)

As we reported in our latest Friday Sampler, DC’s fascist smoking ban went into effect on January 2.

The ban – which squelches freedom of choice in all restaurants, offices, bars, and nightclubs – includes an exemption for a few questionable locales: the ornate Speaker’s Lobby in the Capitol Building and all offices of senators and representatives.

So, basically, it’s OK to smoke indoors – as long as you’re a power-wielding politician.

Interestingly, new Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated she plans to extend the ban to cover those locations. This is ironically one of the few issues on which I agree with Madame Speaker (and the only instance you’ll find me supporting a smoking ban).

If the good people of the nation’s capital can’t light up, the fat cats on The Hill shouldn’t be able to either.

What’s 14 percent between friends?

The DC ban also includes an exemption for businesses that suffer a five percent decrease in revenue due to the law – a scenario that’s quite likely, especially given Virginia’s tolerance of smokers.

But newly sworn-in Mayor Adrian Fenty is hinting that he wants to raise that threshold to 15 percent. Apparently the young politician considers a crippling 14 percent drop in revenue insufficient to warrant restoring property rights to the business owner.

The move is winning Fenty accolades from anti-smoking zealots and self-interested “health advocates,” but we’ll see how well his popularity holds up when Washington businesses start closing their doors.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars