The Stogie Guys

I have a friend who often goes to bars and orders their “most economical single-malt scotch.” For some reason that keeps coming to mind as I review the Curly Head Deluxe Maduro – perhaps because I envisioned asking a friendly cigar shop employee for their “most economical Fuente.”

In the budget spirit, I paired this cigar with a Chilean Merlot I purchased from Trader Joes for an affordable $5.99. [Impromptu Stogie Tip: Trader Joes is a great place for decent, reasonably-priced wine.] This particular wine was not as dry as many Merlots and featured strong black currant flavors.

Combined with the $1.85 I paid for the cigar, this is certainly an economical wine and cigar pairing. And with the Fuente name that we’ve rated so highly in the past, I had high hopes for the cigar. Unfortunately, sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

This was not an attractive cigar. The Maduro wrapper was dry and veiny. It featured the largest vein I’ve ever seen in a cigar wrapper that ran two thirds of the way down from the head of this 6 and 1/2 inches by 44 ring gauge stick. The vein caused the head to be quite asymmetrical and a bit awkward in the mouth. Also, rather than have a clean cut foot, the wrapper extended beyond the filler tobacco and was bent inward so it covered much of the foot – sort of like a poor man’s perfecto.

Pre-light this cigar gave off licorice flavors. Lighting it with a single wooden match was easy, facilitated by the unfinished foot. Once lit the burn was mostly even as long as I kept the slow burning edge facing down. Because this cigar uses medium filler – as opposed to long filler which runs the length of a cigar – I had the unfortunate experience of finding bits of the tobacco in my mouth after each draw.

At first this cigar had black pepper notes and overwhelming “dirt” flavors. Near the middle of the cigar, the pepper faded out and the earthy dirt weakened, leaving bitter notes. Additionally, the draw became tight and difficult. Had I not been reviewing this cigar, I would have put it down, as the experience was not at all enjoyable. (The things we do for our readers!)

Finally, near the end the cigar began to improve a little, as the bitterness dulled allowing some licorice to come through the strong earthy flavors. Also, the draw improved near the end. Throughout the smoke, the cigar produced cracked gray and black ash.

Overall, this was a disappointing cigar. Visual imperfections are to be expected from a budget cigar – even one with a Fuente band – but coupled with a taste that was harsh and unpleasant at worst and barely tolerable at best, this cigar proved unsmokable.

Maybe in a few years I’ll bravely pick up another Curley Head Deluxe, but until then stick with Fuente’s mid and premium smokes that offer the quality we’ve come to expect from Fuente stogies. The Arturo Fuente Curley Head Deluxe Maduro receives a poor rating of one and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

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) Habanos announced the 2006 Limitada line is hitting stores across the globe (except in the US). This year the annual limited release includes Cohiba Piramides (6 1/8 inches by 52 ring), Montecristo Robustos (4 7/8 inches by 50 ring) and Partagas No.3’s (5 5/8 inches by 46 ring).

2) We’ve mentioned California’s odious Prop 86 before – and we’ll have more as election day gets closer – but for now you should check in with California Association of Liberty and Choice (Wow, we really like that name!), a group of associated cigar companies who are cooperating to stop the proposed 135 percent tax increase on cigars.

3) Meanwhile, across the pond, Great Britain is considering allowing localities to ban smoking in all public places, including on the street! Proponents of this new ban feel it is necessary because – get this – smokers forced outside by the indoor smoking bans are “potentially noisy, abusive, or anti-social.” Wait, we thought these bans were about protecting the health of non smokers? In a telling quote, one councilman in favor of the new ban accidentally spilled the beans when he said, “This is the only sensible solution to the problem besides removing the draconian ban.” Just so we’re clear, in that one sentence he admits that the indoor ban is “draconian” and acknowledges that removing it is a “sensible solution.” Well, get to work!

4) Finally, on a sad note, the cigar community lost another family member this week when Alfons Mayer passed away at 79 following a battle with brain cancer. Mayer was a longtime tobacco buyer for General Cigar who worked his way from the fields of Cuba to having his own line of cigars.

–The Stogie Guys

Our many loyal readers will notice some minor changes to StogieGuys.com today. For instance, there are a few (well, to be exact, four) small advertisements on our front page, and another ad scattered elsewhere throughout the site.

This is not a hallucination. Do not be alarmed, and do not adjust your monitors.

It’s just that the two guys who bring you the daily news, reviews, and commentary from the world of cigars you’ve come to love have decided it’s about time to start breaking even.

You see, October marks the six month anniversary of StogieGuys.com. And, looking back, we have much to be proud of: We sent a proposal to the Washington Nationals to create a cigar-friendly seating section; published tips ranging from lighting a cigar to proper etiquette; harped on the evils of senseless smoking bans; sent a lucky reader to Cigar Artisans 2006 in Tampa; and have reviewed dozens of cigars – just to name a few accomplishments.

Above all, I am most proud of the fact that we have published something new every single weekday for the past six months, and our content has never suffered. For our countless hours of work, our loyal readers have rewarded us with exponential growth in traffic, and I can’t express how grateful I am to you for that.

But I believe we’ve reached a point where it’s appropriate to start reaping some tangible rewards from the hard work, time, and money that goes into a great daily website – especially since there are planned improvements that will cost money.

That’s why I’m encouraging you to please click on our ads for all of your online cigar, coffee, and (coming soon) wine needs.

If, for some reason, you’re not currently in the market, there are other ways you can support the site, such as: purchasing gear from the Official Stogie Guys Store (we now have a cigar journal for sale); buying items from our Amazon store; or, if you prefer, direct donations (please click the button below).

Uh oh…Did I come off too needy? No worries – the best way to support the site is still to read it.

Please leave comments if you have any questions, concerns, or complaints. StogieGuys.com always values your input, and we look forward to bringing you more great daily content for years to come.

–Patrick A

Last Friday, we noted the Associated Press article on the resurgence of the cigar industry. Since that article has now run in hundreds of publications, we thought it was time to recap the lessons learned from the nineties so that history doesn’t repeat itself.

At the height of the boom in 1997, Americans were smoking 417.8 million premium cigars – a fivefold increase from 1993. That dramatic shock meant that cigar manufacturers rushed cigars to market causing a decline in quality at the same time prices soared.

It doesn’t take an economist to figure out that consumers are going to be turned off by a combination of declining product quality coupled with increased prices. So by 1999 cigar consumption dropped almost by half. Thankfully, this meant that many of the fly-by-night operations responsible for the worst cigars of the cigar boom closed their doors.

These shoddy operations catered to the trendy smokers of the mid-nineties, who saw smoking more as an act of conspicuous consumption than an appreciation of the time and talent that go into producing a handmade cigar. Theses are the smokers that, as the story goes, would ask what you were smoking, but before giving you the opportunity to answer, they would say “Hecho a Mano, I’ve had that brand.” (Hecho a mano is Spanish for “made by hand.”)

After the boom, the cigar smokers who remained were the people who – whether they smoked only a few times a year or every day – smoked for the right reason… because they enjoyed it. And for these remaining smokers the real boom is happening long after the peak production years of the nineties, as producers now focus on quality.

Currently, producers are so concerned with quality that Cigar producer Charlie Torano told Stogie Guys Special Correspondent George Edmonson that there is big competition between producers to stock pile the best tobacco. When asked about the mid-nineties, Torano said “I think we’ve learned our lesson.”

And it seems that cigar retailers are learning same thing. Upon discovering that a local cigar shop didn’t carry a well-known national brand, I asked the owner why and his response was distinctly post-cigar boom. He said he thought the quality had fallen and that for the same price there were other similar tasting cigars that were better.

With both producers and retailers showing such concern for the quality of cigars, we agree that the industry probably has learned its lesson. But, if as the AP article suggests there is a new boom – or at least a renaissance – for cigars, here’s another suggestion to make sure that this new boom doesn’t become a bust. (In 2005, almost 320 million premium handmade cigars were imported.)

Cigar producers should focus on educating their customers about what a quality cigar really is. While the 90’s cigar boom may have been fueled by glitzy Cigar Aficionado ads, smoking celebrities, and conspicuous consumption, the new boom should be driven by an increasingly educated cigar smoking public that appreciates quality.

If the cigar industry is truly serious about its commitment to quality, then creating a discerning public that appreciates quality handmade cigars and shuns poor quality is the best way to ensure sustained growth.

–Patrick S

It’s no secret that most major metropolitan areas in the U.S. have fallen victim to smoking bans over the past few years. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago – just to name a few – all succumbed to the tyranny of the majority by prohibiting private business owners from offering smoke-friendly facilities to consenting adults.

Regular StogieGuys.com readers certainly know how we feel about these oppressive statutes.

Needless to say, watching anti-smoking zealots’ totalitarianism sweep the nation like the plague is enough to make a smoker/freedom-fighter enraged. But what really makes me sick is that same tyranny may soon surmount my hometown – beautiful Westmont, Illinois.

Although “The Progressive Village” has yet to take an official stance, last month city bureaucrats held a smoking ban hearing for local business owners and concerned citizens. Fellow western Chicago suburbs Hinsdale and Burr Ridge have already passed smoking bans, and Downers Grove and Woodridge are currently considering similar laws.

An article in Friday’s Westmont Progress highlighted one man’s personal vendetta against possible anti-smoking legislation. Bob Airdo, owner of Vincitori, recently installed a high tech air purification system in the Italian restaurant to “make the dining experience enjoyable for everyone.”

What a novel approach. Unlike unconstitutional blanket laws prohibiting adult behavior, Airdo’s strategy ensures smokers and nonsmokers alike will be able to enjoy the fine cuisine while taking in live jazz.

Air purification systems installed in the restaurant’s ceiling are designed to kill or capture unhealthy smoke. Unlike smoke-eater machines, which just capture visible smoke, Michael Holmes, technical director of Quality Filter Services Inc., said air purification systems trap tobacco smoke, and chemically alter cancer-causing gasses associated with it into harmless vapor.

I should make it clear that I’m not calling on the village to force private businesses to install air purification systems. That would be as damaging to Westmont’s resurgent economy as a smoking ban.

All I’m saying is that the free market works perfectly: Let business owners decide what amenities to offer, and customers can reward or punish them with their money. That way, we can leave senseless smoking bans for dumps like Hinsdale.

–Patrick A

A month back we received an email from a reader asking our opinion of a JR special on the Montecristo Afrique Kilimanjaro (10 cigars and a travel humidor for about $60 or, for $25 more, a sharp-looking glass top humidor with the cigars). Since we hadn’t had one yet, we couldn’t offer an opinion. But when we came across a Kilimanjaro at our local JR store, we scooped it up for ten bucks.

The first thing you notice about this 7 inches by 46 ring guage lonsdale is that is quite handsome. I’ve always been a fan of the classic brown Montecristo band, but this cigar is dressed up even more with a nice cedar sleeve with KILIMANJARO burnt down the center. Completing the ensemble is a black band at the bottom that reminds you the cigar is from the Afrique line.

But the stogie’s appearance isn’t all bells and whistles. The dark brown Cameroon wrapper makes the cigar standout long after the cedar sleeve is crumpled up in the trash. Pre-light, the cigar had subtle woody notes. The top grade wrapper was also free of veins.

Once lit, the cigar lived up to its billing as a very unique smoke. It had a dark coffee flavor, which was augmented by the Iced Café Americano I paired with this stogie. But the coffee flavors were swirled up with chocolate and subtle hints of what I can best describe as English breakfast tea. Elsewhere I’ve seen people claim to notice chai flavors in this cigar, and while I didn’t occur to me while reviewing the cigar, in hindsight it is plausible that chai flavors were present.

Overall it was a very complex, yet balanced flavor profile. Additionally the construction was flawless – with an even burn, easy draw, and sturdy white ash.

While I have had better cigars from the “ultra-premium” price range, I highly recommend that everyone try at least one cigar from the Afrique line. Not everyone will love the unique flavors, but they’re worth checking out.

For one-of-a-kind flavor with excellent construction, this cigar earns an impressive four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

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) The Associated Press is running a story about the resurgence of handmade cigars and asking if another cigar boom is upon us. Just last week StogieGuys.com special correspondent George Edmonson discussed that possibility with a famed cigar maker, Charlie Torano, who told George, “I think we’ve learned our lesson” from the last boom. Torano says instead of rushing cigars to market like in the mid-90s, the remaining producers are competing for the best tobacco to make sure that quality doesn’t suffer this time around.

2) Our article on the two latest, and most unlikely, victims of smoking bans – 007 and the French – prompted a post over at Reason Magazine’s Hit & Run blog wondering if the vodka martini would soon be replaced with a Shirley Temple. The post also unearthed other examples of censorship of smoking such as a US Postage Stamp of Jackson Pollock and a photo of the author of the children’s book Good Night Moon – both of which had cigarettes airbrushed out by anti-smoking zealots.

3) Meanwhile, a smoking ban in Suffolk County, Long Island is so restrictive it even bans smoking in cigar bars! This prompts the question: Who exactly is being protected by banning smoking in a cigar bar? The workers who chose to work in a cigar bar? The patrons who chose to go there? Oh, right! Smoking bans aren’t about protecting people…They’re about imposing the will of anti-smokers on others and eliminating individuals’ choices.

4) The Pittsburgh Pirates just announced they are promoting to vice president the man responsible for creating and marketing the Montecristo Club at PNC Ballpark. Cigars and baseball…Why didn’t we think of that?

5) Finally, the award for obvious headline of the week goes to KDKA in Pittsburgh, who came up this gem: “Not Everyone Agrees With Smoking Ban.” No shit.

–The Stogie Guys