The Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) At over 13%, Michigan has the second highest unemployment rate in the country. But that didn’t stop Wolverine State politicians from enacting a smoking ban, which took effect in May. Now the economy is starting to show signs of the new regulation. According to the Detroit Free Press, a recent survey finds that “more than 42% of responding restaurants said their sales have declined since the ban went into effect.” One bar general manager says, “Employees have been laid off, hours have been cut for others, and the tips have shrunk for the waitstaff and bartenders who are left.” Another laments: “I can’t believe that the State of Michigan did this at a time when the economy is so bad.”

2) Jeff Borysiewicz, president and founder of the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Co., has long been a passionate advocate for cigar rights. This week he added a 19-foot, 1,600-pound exclamation point to his dedication to cigar freedom. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Borysiewicz brought the world’s largest cigar to one of his stores to protest smoking restrictions in Orange County, Florida.

3) Inside the Industry: Every year at the IPCPR Trade Show, manufacturers are recognized with “Best in Show” awards for innovative displays. This year Drew Estate won the large exhibitor category for its  booth featuring dozens of pairs of custom sneakers made in the art studio attached to its Nicaraguan factory. Meanwhile, Hammer + Sickle won the medium  exhibitor category for including a massive piece of the actual Berlin Wall in its display.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a Mi Dominicana. Smoking Stogie lights up the Illusione HL Candela. Cigar Inspector inspects a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender. The Tiki Bar smokes the 2009 and 2010 CAO Rock and Rolled tour cigars. A Cigar Smoker reviews the Guillermo León by La Aurora.

5) Deal of the Week: This unpublicized email special features some of our favorite Cuban Crafters cigars. Included are the highly-rated Miami Medina 1959, Cubano Claro, and Cupido Tuxedo Maduro. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Last week we reported live for three days from the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show. If you missed it, you can review our coverage here. (Also, be sure to read our IPCPR previews here and here.) But even after our 23 live updates, we still had plenty of information that we didn’t have time to publish directly from New Orleans. So today we wrap up our comprehensive coverage of the event:

Drew Estate: One of the most interesting conversations we had was with Drew Estate President Steve Saka. Saka says he and everyone at the company have been free to innovate because there are no past generations to roll over in their graves. He was excited about the Unico Serie, of which the first release is the Dirty Rat. Unico will give him a venue to introduce limited releases and special projects that don’t fit neatly into other lines. For example, Saka says he made 250 different blends as part of the Liga Privada project. One cigar he’s considering for Unico is a version of the Dirty Rat he calls the Ratzilla (6 x 46). The Dirty Rat blend, Saka told us, is good up until about a 46 or 48 ring gauge. Another project he’s working on treats cigars like craft beer. One blend tastes like beef jerky, although Saka hasn’t yet decided if that’s a good thing or not.

Oliva: The Connecticut Reserve gets a new size, a Double Toro (6 x 60), that will come in boxes of ten. Cain, both the Maduro and Habano versions, is now available in Nub sizes. There are also rumors, as there have been for a couple of years now, that Oliva still has some Master Blends I and II aging and may bring them to market at some point. Also rumored is that a limited but regular production cigar named “Melanio” (after Gilberto Oliva’s grandfather) is in the works with an estimated MSRP of $12-15 per cigar.

Ashton: Ashton will continue to release about 1,000 boxes per year of the La Aroma de Cuba and San Cristobal Lancero samplers. Introduced this year is the “Perfection Selection” sample, which features 10 salomon-sized cigars, two each of the three La Aroma de Cuba lines. Also new is a size extension in the VSG, a tubo called “Eclipse” (6.25 x 52) that is already available.

E.P. Carrillo: Ernesto-Perez Carrillo’s family company will be releasing their “Core” line in mid-September. It features a Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos. It will be available in boxes of 20 in 6 sizes with MSRPs ranging from $6.45-8.70. Carrillo said that they currently have enough tobacco to produce the line for 2-3 years and described it as being a cross between the Inaugural 2009 and the Short Run blends that he has already released. Also new from E.P. Carrillo is the 2010 LE, which features a Brazilian habano wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan filler with an MSRP of $15 per cigar. Only 1,000 boxes of ten will be produced and it is already sold out to retailers. Carrillo said he’s just finishing up the construction of his new 40,000-square-foot factory in the Dominican. With it fully up and running, he’ll be able to introduce more new cigars, including a couple of “Short Run” products each year, with the next coming in early 2011.

La Palina: Bill Paley told us about the La Palina Family Blend, which was debuting only a few months after the Limited Edition 1896 Robusto. The four shapes are each named after a family member. “Pasha” was the nickname for Bill’s father, William Paley Sr., the founder and Chairman of CBS. “Babe” is named for Bill’s mother, while “Alison” is named for his wife. Finally, “Little Bill” was Bill’s nickname growing up. More information on the sizes can be found in our preview post.

New Humidification Devices: With so many fine new cigars on the market, cigar makers are getting serious about humidification. Perhaps they realize that as cigar smokers grow more confident in their humidor, they are more likely to buy more cigars to age. Ashton will now be distributing Boveda, a maker of various humidification products. The Drew Estate booth featured a product called Cigar Mechanic, which uses non-propylene glycol two-way humidification products. Cigar Mechanic was also featuring some large protective travel cigar cases, including one designed to be pulled on two wheels. Alec Bradley had a new humidification system called Dr. RH. Alec Bradley President Alan Rubin explained to us that “humidity is second only to quality of tobacco” when it comes to how good a cigar is. To that end, Dr. RH uses three sizes of humidification beads and, through their website, you can even set up customized email reminders to check your humidor.

–Patrick S and Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) The 78th annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association  (IPCPR) Trade Show wraps up today. This year’s event saw the introduction of hundreds of new cigars, jazz smoking lounges, a seminar on cigar rights, and a speech delivered by Rocky Patel in which he encouraged retailers to educate their legislators about the adverse consequences of government intervention. “Obviously we have to do a better job of getting our fellow retailers…to put aside their differences and have a unified fight,” he said. For more information about the Trade Show, click here for our on-location reports from New Orleans. And be sure to check back throughout the year as we review the newest cigars on the market.

2) On the international front, China’s government is pushing for a nationwide ban on indoor smoking starting in January. But, as the Associated Press reported on Wednesday, the development of the ambitious law faces an ironic conflict of interest: “The organization that sets tobacco policy and enforces the rules is the same [government] agency that controls the China National Tobacco Corporation, the world’s largest cigarette maker.”

3) Inside the Industry: Foot traffic at the IPCPR Trade Show declined quickly after the initial burst on Tuesday. About 600 retailers attended, down from 700 last year. Nearly every manufacturer we spoke with expects next year’s show in Las Vegas to be busier.

4) Around the Blogs:  Stogie Review reviews the El Primer Mundo Liga Miami. Cigar Inspector inspects the Prometheus Sencillo. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Pinar del Rio 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura. Las VegAsh TV smokes a Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary.

5) Deal of the Week: There’s an email-only special going on at Cuban Crafters this weekend. The best deal is a box of 25 Cuban Crafters Cameroon Pyramides for just $75 (just $3 per cigar). Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When it comes to pairing my cigars with a spirit, I’ve always been more of a whiskey drinker with a tendency towards bourbons and scotch. But I find that rum is my preferred pairing in the summer heat, lately one rum in particular.

The Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 is made in Guatemala, where it is blended from rum made from concentrated first pressing sugar cane juice rather than molasses. The color is a dark mahogany, imparted from oak barrels previously used for bourbon, sherries, and Pedro Ximenez wines.

Zacapa is aged and blended based on the solera method, a system used regularly for fortified wine such as port and sherry. Under the solera system, barrels of the oldest rum are regularly mixed with newer rum but never bottled completely. The result is a spirit with a mix of 6- to 23-year-old rum.

With a quick swirl the Zacapa 23 shows off it’s long legs and releases a smooth and rich nose of toasted wood, molasses, fruit, and just a hint of spice. You’ll find that the words smooth and rich pop up a lot when describing this rum. It’s unavoidable.

The flavors are also (yes, you guessed it) rich and smooth. It has some serious sweetness up front but what really sets it apart is the complex mix of secondary flavors: vanilla, peaches, citrus, chocolate, bananas, figs, and cinnamon spice. The cornucopia of flavors maintains spectacular balance all the way through the finish, which lingers for 10 seconds before elegantly fading off.

This rum is plenty smooth enough to drink neat, although in the summer I prefer an ice cube or two. Don’t even think about wasting it with anything more than that.

Needless to say this is an excellent rum to enjoy with a good cigar. It could stand up to a spicy smoke like an Opus X, or just as easily pair up with a subtle smoke like a well-aged Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series.

Either way, this is a fantastic rum available at the incredibly reasonable price of around $40 a bottle. The only other rum in its class is the equally impressive Zaya Gran Reserva 12 Year, though you couldn’t go wrong with either one.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Distributed by Miami-based Pure Aroma Cigars, D‘Crossier is, according to President Isaias Santana Diaz, handmade in Costa Rica “with rigorous quality standards” and “guided by the principle of superior quality.” The Golden Blend Torpedo (6.1 x 52) is a fine example of such standards. Aside from being a gem in appearance, what with its red Ecuadorian wrapper and its firm packing of Dominican and Costa Rican tobaccos, this cigar sports a wonderful medium-bodied profile of sweet cedar, spicy pepper, and hazelnut. Balanced and expertly constructed. I highly recommend finding the D‘Crossier dealer near you.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Since I reviewed it in May, the Cubano Claro Toro has been a staple in my humidor for its affordable price, unique flavor, and solid construction. Now it seems appropriate to examine another size in this blend: the seven inch by 48 ring gauge Churchill.

It, too, is made by Cuban Crafters from desflorado tobacco, a difficult and finicky leaf that’s often reserved for rare and expensive cigars. The desflorado process requires the buds on tobacco plants to be cut off before they flower to give the leaves a rich, smooth taste. Then, in the case of Cubano Claro, the best leaves are hand selected from the tops of each plant to create the Connecticut desflorado wrapper for this line, a project that was four years in the making.

But don’t let the phrase “Connecticut wrapper” fool you. With a relatively dark complexion and a reddish-yellow hue, this cigar doesn’t look, smell, or feel like a traditional Connecticut leaf. It is highlighted by a clean cap, few noticeable veins or seams, and a pre-light aroma of salty hay.

Like the Toro, which also has a slender physique, the Churchill’s dimensions allow for more of the wrapper—the highlight of the blend—and a little less of the Cuban-seed long-filler from the Cupido tobacco fields to shine through in each puff. This must have been a conscious strategy when the nine Cubano Claro sizes were chosen; the widest vitola is the 50 ring gauge Torpedo.

I sampled five Churchills for this review. This size, which retails for $6.50 apiece when bought by the cedar humidor box of 20, starts with a flourish of onion, olive, and bread after an easy light. Each medium-bodied puff produces ample tufts of cool smoke.

Then, as was the case with the Toro, the midway point is characterized by a creamier taste of nuts and milk chocolate. While the overall profile is slightly subdued here, the Churchill is still flavorful with a well-balanced, somewhat dry profile. Truly a pleasure to smoke.

The cigar’s combustion, all the while, remains outstanding. My samples all included a razor-sharp burn with a shiny mascara, a firm white ash, and an easy draw. These set-it-and-forget-it physical properties enable you to focus on the development of the taste without interruption.

Overall, like many other Cuban Crafters creations, the Cubano Claro Churchill is an excellent value that won’t disappoint. It demonstrates superb aging potential and, for now, earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Friend of StogieGuys.com (and occasional guest contributor) Chris Verhoeven was fortunate enough to visit Rocky Patel’s factory in Danlí, Honduras, where he worked with the expert cigarmakers to create his own blend. For an amateur blender, I must say I’m quite impressed with the result. This toro has roasted nut flavors and mouth-watering dry chocolate notes. It’s remarkably well-balanced, medium-bodied, and lacking in any construction issues. Even though you’ll unfortunately never be able to purchase one, it gets my highest recommendation.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys