The Stogie Guys

In a Stogie Sprits article back in May, I took a look at pairing cigars with three styles of Sam Adams. As I said back then, contrary to a common misconception, a good flavorful beer can be an excellent accompaniment to a fine handmade cigar.

And if you’re looking for such a beer I would certainly recommend Ommegang Abbey Ale. The beer can be found in many grocery stores for around $6 for a 750 ml bottle.

This Belgian-style “dubbel” abbey ale is made by the Ommegang Brewery. The brewery is located in Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is how the beer is described on the brewery’s website:

“Ommegang, our first brew, was inspired by the centuries-old brewing practices of the Belgian Trappist monks. This burgundian brew gives off a variety of aromas, including plum and cinnamon, and packs in flavors such as caramel, toffee, and licorice. At 8.5% abv, it is known to cause spontaneous meditation.”

While I haven’t seen anything to indicate this beer is actually from the Burgundy region of France (after all, it’s brewed in Upstate New York in a Belgian style), I don’t think the description is necessarily inaccurate. There are many qualities to this beer that are very wine-like.

The beer has a deep ruby color and, when poured, it foams up and creates a tan, cappuccino-like head. The brew is highly aromatic, with deep fruit flavors similar to a fine red burgundy.

The taste is malty with fig, sweet cherry, and toffee flavors. You’ll want to pour it into a goblet as opposed to a pint glass to maximize the flavor and aroma.

Ultimately, this is a fine beer that would pair well with a medium- to full-flavored cigar. While I would suggest avoiding a maduro, anything from the Fuente Hemingway line works well. I would also suggest enjoying this brew with a Don Kiki Brown Label, a Rocky Patel Sun Grown, or a Partagas Serie D No. 4.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As far as cigar brands go, Graycliff can be pretty hard to come by. Sure, you’ll be able to find them at the occasional B&M or online retailer, but not nearly as frequently as you’d expect, especially from a brand that has received some glowing praise.

Various Graycliff lines – from Crystal and Profesionale to Espresso and Emerald – have earned high marks at publications like Cigar Aficionado and Smoke Magazine. With a limited production, though, the brand still seems to waver in obscurity.

Perhaps that’s a testament to Graycliff’s humble beginnings in the entranceway of a Bahaman restaurant. The company was founded by Enrico Garzaroli, a restaurateur who wanted to produce a high-end cigar to compliment the cuisine of his dining establishments in Nassau. Judging by the few Château Grand Cru PGs I’ve smoked recently, I think he hit the nail on the head.

Advertised as full-bodied with dominant flavors of leather and spice, this particular line was introduced to rave reviews at the 2005 RTDA trade show. It is composed of tobacco from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica and retails in the pricey $12 to $19 range.

The PG is a robusto-sized stick with dimensions of 5 and ¼ inches and a ring gauge of 50. The wrapper is a bit granulated and veiny, but not unattractive, and the band is a shiny purple and gold (which, as you can see by the picture, is very difficult to photograph). Innocent-looking enough.

As unthreatening as the appearance is, though, the taste is quite full with well-balanced notes of raisin, vanilla, and roasted nuts. The aroma produced with each easy puff is bountiful and reminiscent of the Davidoff Grand Cru series.

But this stogie is stronger, especially into the halfway point as a spicy pepper flavor comes into play. With all these tastes and an even burn, the cigar is a real pleasure from light to nub – a memorable journey that takes a little over 75 minutes.

My only complaint is that the ash is a little frail and unpredictable. I was surprised by this, particularly since the filler is packed very tightly.

When it’s all said and done, however, this is a fine, well-balanced, expertly crafted, complex smoke. Too bad the cost gives me sticker shock. If the price were closer to the $8 to $10 range, I’d be willing to give the Graycliff Château Grand Cru PG an even higher rating than four out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by CigarsDirect.com, and can be purchased here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

You may recall an April Special Report, courtesy of my dad, that gave a first-hand account of Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke in Chicago. At the end of that post I said “I’ve reaffirmed my commitment to make it to my first major cigar event in 2007. In case you’re wondering, my dad and I currently have plans in the works to crash the Big Smoke in Las Vegas on November 10 at the Venetian.”

This weekend I made good on that promise. And let me tell you that with all the free-flowing booze samples, incredible cigar handouts, and hoards of superstars from the industry, the Big Smoke is a must attend for every stogie enthusiast.

Now I had originally intended on bringing along a notepad and trying to have detailed (but brief) conversations with tobacco’s heavy hitters. For several reasons, not the least of which was a crowd of over 6,000, that just wasn’t possible.

So instead of trying to convey the tremendous atmosphere to you via text, I thought I would share some of my favorite photos. Special thanks to my dad and his colleague, Mark Carlson, for helping me handle the camera in the hectic excitement.

Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the longest lines of the night were at the Rocky Patel booth. But it was well worth the wait. Mr. Patel spent a good portion of the evening posing for photos, like this one with yours truly.

Tim Ozgener was really in the thick of things, helping many guests establish good lights on samples from his Criollo line. Where else but at the Big Smoke can you have your cigar lit by the president of a major tobacco organization like CAO? Mr. Ozgener seemed pleased to hear my favorite CAO is the Brazilia Gol.

My dad and I are all smiles posing with a few “representatives” from Arganese.

Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley was a real pleasure as he handed out samples from his Maxx line. He told me he was especially proud of the limited edition blend he created called “Dodge Challenger.” Reviews of both are forthcoming.

I didn’t mind telling Charlie Toraño how much I enjoy his Signature Collection.

Carlos Fuente Sr. spent most of his evening frantically signing Big Smoke programs and Arturo Fuente baseball caps.

My dad, Mark Carlson, and I pose for one last photo before heading out for dinner, drinks, and blackjack.

It was a real honor to meet everyone at the event – from La Flor Dominicana’s Litto Gomez to La Aurora’s José Blanco to all those pictured above. Something tells me this won’t be my last Big Smoke.

–Patrick A

photo credits: Stogie Guys

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

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

You won’t find much information online about the five inch by 50 ring gauge offering from Kentucky Gentlemen Cigars called Blanton’s. All I could unearth is that it’s “hand-rolled in Kentucky using Blanton Bourbon barrel-aged, premium tobaccos from around the world.” With heavy notes of spice and bourbon, this is a stick all whiskey lovers should try at least once – even though singles go for $14.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

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) The House passed their version of the SCHIP tax increase on Wednesday, upping the excise tax on cigars by 1,900 percent. They don’t really expect us to praise them for not proposing a 20,000 percent increase like the Senate, do they?

2) We’ve given you our thoughts on this whole crazy tax increase thing. Now watch one of our favorite cigar makers, Rocky Patel, discuss why you need to take action to oppose this legislation.

3) It’s not exactly in the same league as the victory cigars of Red Auerbach or Jack McKeon, but Tampa Bay Bucs defensive line coach Larry Coyer is rarely without his pipe, according to an item in the Tampa Tribune. Coyer, 67, told the paper he was smoking cigars back in 1970 when he was given a corncob pie and, “I haven’t put it down since.” He said he thinks he might be the only pipe smoker left in the NFL.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Perdomo Champagne. Cigar Beat lights up the Sancho Panza EF. Brian has an Oliva Serie V. Cigar Jack smokes a Perdomo Reserve Maduro. Keepers of the Flame torches up the Troya Clasico. Velvet Cigar lights up a Gurkha Black Dragon.

5: Deal of the Week: With the Camacho Triple Maduro, Padron 5000, Toraño Signature, Joya de Nicuragua, La Gloria Cubana, 601 Blue, and four other top quality smokes, it’s no surprise that this “money sampler” is often sold out. Fortunately, at least for the moment, it isn’t, and you can pick it up for a very reasonable $19.99. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

The Fuente Opus X may be considered the most elusive cigar in the world, but did you know Fuente makes a stogie that’s even rarer than the Opus X? That cigar is the Casa Fuente, and it’s only available at the Casa Fuente store in Las Vegas.

On a recent trip to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” (also known as sin city) I had the opportunity to visit Casa Fuente and talk cigars with Michael Fayerverger, the general manager. As we talked in the humidor, he told me the vitola that best demonstrates Casa Fuente’s flavor profile is the five and ¾ inch by 52 ring gauge Double Robusto.

Michael also generously agreed to take a few minutes to answer some questions for the third edition of our “Ask a Cigar Insider” series.

SG: Who’s the most interesting person to visit Casa Fuente? Can you tell us a bit about your customers?

MF: I think the most interesting person to meet was Andy Garcia, who attended our grand opening. You see all his movies and they’re great, and then to see him in person, makes it that much better. Plus he is a very close friend of the Fuentes. We get customers from all over the world; from entertainers to the average tourist to our local and repeat customers, and everyone has a cigar story. So it’s great to have such a diverse group of customers.

SG: Your store is the only place people can buy the Casa Fuente cigar. What makes that blend so special?

MF: From what we’re told, it’s a blend of Opus X, with a Cameroon wrapper. This makes it a phenomenal tasting cigar.

SG: If you could only smoke one specific cigar for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you had to pick a cigar not made by Fuente/Newman, what would it be?

MF: The cigar I’d pick would be the Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Spellbound. If I had to pick a cigar not made by Fuente/Newman, it would be a La Flor Dominicana LG.

SG: Casa Fuente has a very extensive list of drinks. What is your favorite beverage to enjoy while having a smoke?

MF: My favorite drink is a refreshing Mojito, made with 12-year-old Montecristo Rum.

SG: In your personal humidors, do you keep the cellophane on or off? Why?

MF: Both. The ones that come with cellophane I leave on. The ones that don’t have cellophane, that’s the way I keep them. Everyone seems to have different answers on the way they keep their cigars. I like to look at the cellophane after the cigars have been sitting three or more years, because the cellophane turns all yellow, and then I know I’m in for one hell of a cigar.

SG: When the Las Vegas smoking ban went into effect, your store had to go to court to continue to allow people to smoke on the patio. What’s the status of that litigation?

MF: First we filed a restraining order. Then we had our court date, which I’m happy to say we won. So smoking on the patio at Casa Fuente is a big go.

Thanks to Michael Fayerverger for taking the time to answer our questions. During your next trip to Las Vegas, be sure to visit Casa Fuente in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars