The Stogie Guys

The fourth installment in our four part series, Stogie Guys Week in Review, is as delicate in taste as it is in appearance. But the Butera Royal Vintage Mira Bella is no lightweight pushover – it’s an attentive smoker’s delight.

This elegant six and ¾ inches by 38 ring gauge cigar is a slender combination of six inimitable Dominican Republic tobaccos draped in a smooth Connecticut Shade leaf. The cappuccino-colored wrapper sports few noticeable veins, and the caramel-tinted band is a worthy – though untraditional – companion.

After lighting, the first thing I noticed was an extremely mild and airy taste. In fact, the flavor was almost indiscernible without smoking through the nose. But once I did that, creamy almond, milk, and vanilla tones shone through.

While the flavor was light in the first phase, it surprisingly (and fortunately) pleased my entire palate. From bitter to sweet, from acidic to salty, this stogie satisfied all taste buds – a testament to the harmonious blend of tobaccos.

Midway into the smoke, the stogie became a bit spicier, and the flavors – now more nutty than creamy – became pronounced. Notwithstanding this increase in taste, I would still recommend pairing this cigar with wine, not hard alcohol (I chose a savory Robert Mondavi zinfandel).

The construction qualities are the only serious drawback. The stogie requires constant surveillance to maintain an even burn, and it regrettably has a knack for going out at random.

Even so, the Butera Royal Vintage Mira Bella is a pleasurable stick – especially if you’re in the mood for something light. I’d love to give it a higher rating, but considering the poor physical properties for a $7 cigar, I’m forced to give it a respectable – yet disappointing – three and ½ out of five stogies.

–Patrick A

I smoked the third installment in our four part series, Stogie Guys Week in Review, under almost perfect conditions. Sitting on my front porch on a warm September night, I was fortunate enough to have live Latin guitar music from a neighbor’s dinner party as a full moon glowed over the tree tops. With such a great cigar atmosphere, I reached into my humidor and selected an El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga that had been hiding there for two months in white tissue paper.

After I removed the paper and the classic yellow and gold band, I inspected the dark Oscuro Ecuadorian wrapper, finding crystals that revealed some aging. This large 6 inch by 54 ring gauge cigar was a bit bumpy. I also found a few spongy areas that worried me a bit, but overall this is a distinguished looking smoke.

Once I lit the cigar, I immediately found it to be flavorful. It produced an abundance of warm white smoke, and chocolate earthy flavors quickly revealed themselves. These flavors were consistent throughout, and never dull.

On a few of occasions, a slight uneven burn began to form, but nothing that would be a problem for an attentive smoker. The stogie produced a long white ash that only dropped off after a full inch and a half.

Overall, this was an excellent cigar. The El Rey del Mundo (King of the World) brand is often overshadowed by its Punch and Hoyo cousins, but I think it stands up with the best of Honduran cigars. I enjoyed this cigar so much I nearly singed my eyebrows off relighting the stub.

So for such an impressive showing, this classic Honduran cigar earns four out of five stogies.

–Patrick S

Welcome back to the Stogie Guys Week in Review. For the second installment in our four part series, I’ve chosen to evaluate a Sancho Panza. No, not Don Quixote’s pot-bellied squire…the Glorioso cigar.

This 6.12 inches by 50 ring gauge box-pressed stick is made from a mixture of Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan fillers, and comes adorned with a smooth, light brown Connecticut Shade wrapper. Impressively, despite keeping this particular stogie in my humidor for well over one year, the cigar had a firmer-than-average feel.

Upon initial lighting, the medium-bodied stogie gave off excellent woody notes – enough to prompt an acquaintance to remark that it smelled better to her than most I have smoked.

As the cigar progressed, I noticed a strong interplay between bitter oak flavors and sweet honey tones. That flavor relationship was very pleasing (albeit enough to keep me interested in the smoke), but this cigar lacks the complexity and balance I’ve come to expect from premium smokes, and I felt as though several key areas of my palate were ignored.

What’s more, in the second and finishing phases, the stogie became aggressively spicy. I love strong flavors just as much as the next cigar enthusiast, but this quick transition from sweet woody flavors to spice was more harsh than pleasing.

Much to my surprise, however, the construction of this cigar was near perfect. The draw was easy (producing a lot of smoke) and the burn was even throughout the hour-long ordeal.

Overall, this was a pleasing smoke – I just wish the flavor was a little more balanced and the transition from light to heavy was a little smoother. For mediocre taste and outstanding physical characteristics, I give the Sancho Panza Glorioso three and ½ out of five stogies.

–Patrick A

On Friday we announced that in order to beef up our newly-created Stogie Reviews Archive, we would launch an entire week of reviews. So, without further ado, here is the first installment of our Stogie Guys Week in Review:

The Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Toro is a nice looking 6 inch by 52 ring gauge stogie with a gritty Costa Rican maduro wrapper. Indian Tabac is Rocky Patel’s company, so I had high expectations for this box-pressed stogie.

I chose to pair it with a white russian (the dude’s favorite cocktail). The coupling is somewhat of an aggressive choice with a dark maduro cigar, but it’s a pairing I have enjoyed in the past.

After lighting up this I cigar, I didn’t notice the super strong flavors (as advertised). And when the “super fuerte” flavor did kick in, it was more harsh than rich.

Instead, I found this cigar very earthy with nutty walnut tones that faded in and out. And I was disappointed by the very bitter notes this cigar had. Some sweet flavors would have balanced out the flavor more.

Fortunately, the cigar had a very easy draw, which was a good thing since the one previous time I tried this cigar it had an impossible plug that forced me to put it out halfway through – something I almost never do. Additionally, this cigar developed a nasty split in the wrapper along one of the edges of the box press, but thankfully that didn’t seem to effect the burn.

Overall, I expected better from the company that makes one of my favorite stogies, the Rocky Patel Sun Grown. This one looked and smelled good before I lit it (and provides good value at only about $2 apiece), but the bitter flavors prevented the cigar from living up to its potential.

I give the Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Toro only two and a 1/2 out of five stogies.

[Also, don’t forget to submit your entries for a chance to represent the Stogie Guys and score free tickets to Cigar Artisans 2006 in Tampa. To learn more about Cigar Artisans 2006, read our September 6 article.]

–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) Only eight weeks after Colorado’s statewide smoking ban was thrust upon citizens by the state government, Denver’s ABC 7 reports many small bars have been devastated – losing up to 80 percent of their income. This crushing financial nightmare has triggered massive layoffs and sparked numerous brawls among patrons who are forced to go outside to smoke. Thankfully, a group of local bar owners – calling themselves the Coalition for Equal Rights – filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the ban. Good for them. There’s nothing constitutional about forcing your “high horse” agenda on private businesses and individuals.

2) As you know, we’re certainly not averse to passing along great deals to Stogie Guys Nation. With that in mind, I must inform you about this deal for a sampler of nine premium sticks – including Cohiba, Macanudo, and Partagas – for only $20. I’m pretty sure this is a good buy, but you do the math.

3) After gaining significant notoriety as of late, Rocky Patel recently decided to expand beyond the Honduran border into Nicaragua. No word yet on any lineup change. Rocky Patel Premium Cigars is headquartered in Naples, Florida and manufactures The Edge, Rocky Patel Vintage, and numerous other lines.

4) It is my distinct privilege to announce a brand new feature here at StogieGuys.com: our archived review page. This alphabetical listing of all of our published reviews will be a great resource for our loyal readers for years to come. You’ll be able to access this work-in-progress regularly by clicking on the “Archive of All Reviews” link on the sidebar (below the links to our most recent reviews). As an added bonus, in order to beef up the index, starting on Monday we’re launching a “Stogie Guys Week in Review” – a glorious week of uninterrupted cigar evaluations. See you then!

–The Stogie Guys

Regular readers know most of the cigar events we publicize at StogieGuys.com take place in the Washington area, primarily because that’s our home beat. But we recently caught wind of Cigar Artisans 2006, an upcoming event in Tampa that sounds too good to not mention.

And, as an added bonus for our loyal readers, we’ve got two FREE TICKETS to give away! So be sure to drop by tomorrow when we announce the contest that will decide who scores this sweet prize.

Normally the tickets run $110 apiece, but given the $300 in free giveaways included with each ticket – including $150 dollars worth of cigars – the lucky winner will receive a prize worth $820. Here are the details:

Cigar Artisans 2006, sponsored by Thompson Cigar of Tampa, brings together the most prestigious names in the cigar industry, such as Arturo Fuente, Padron, CAO, Torano, General Cigar, Altadis USA, La Gloria, Rocky Patel, JC Newman, Camacho, Gurkha, La Perla, Acid, Cusano, Oliva and more.

“It’s a rare opportunity to meet the people behind the major cigar brands and to meet them all at once is exceptional,” said Joe Silvestro, Senior Buyer, Thompson Cigar. “We really loaded the ticket holders with enough freebies and prizes to fill their humidors and enjoy the experience long after the event is over.”

The event consists of two sessions with identical prizes and giveaways including custom painted Harley Davidson Motorcycles, poker tables, golf bags and sets of Razor golf clubs. Ticket holders will receive 25 premium handmade cigars with a value of $150, plus other prizes worth more than $125: including an embroidered travel bag, polar fleece jacket, backpack, ball cap, cigar cutter, lighter, drawpoker and another 8 Cigar sampler. There will be food and an open bar during the event.

Tickets are $110 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or by visiting this website: www.cigarartisans.com.

Cigar Artisans 2006 is taking place on Saturday, September 30. But we’ll announce how you can score two FREE TICKETS tomorrow…Right here at StogieGuys.com. See you then.

–The Stogie Guys

Welcome back, Stogie Guys! I hope you all capitalized on the Labor Day holiday by smoking a great cigar (or five). Since the weekend was extra long, today I’m reviewing an extra long cigar – the Punch After Dinner EMS.

This elegant full-bodied cigar is a commanding 7 and ¼ inches by 46 ring gauge with a dark and sandy Ecuador Sumatran wrapper. It’s worth noting that, since the surface was more coarse and veiny than most premium stogies, smokers who pay close attention to the aesthetics of wrappers may not find this cigar to their liking (I would recommend an oily Punch Grand Cru instead).

After snipping the head with a double guillotine cutter and toasting the foot with my torch, the stogie produced irresistible earthy leather flavors with the strongest emphasis on the salty and acidic regions of my palate. About midway into the smoke, the tastes mellowed out and transformed into citrus and sweet notes – a wonderful contrast to the proceeding phase.

This cigar earns high marks for construction: The burn was fairly even, the draw was nice and easy (each puff produced ample smoke), and white ash accumulated nicely on the foot throughout the two-hour smoke. I also noticed the stogie’s mascara (the thin black ring between the ash and the wrapper) produced an outstanding sheen, signaling the tobacco leaves were fully matured when harvested.

Overall, like most Punch cigars, this one’s a keeper. The thin body is a refreshing contrast to the 52 ring gauged behemoths that dominate the American market, the change in flavors is interesting and unique, and – at about $4.50 apiece retail – it’s a steal. I give the Punch After Dinner EMS a solid four out of five stogies.

–Patrick A