The Stogie Guys

I imagine most of you are familiar with a number of boutique cigar makers, such as Bucanero and Pepin Garcia’s El Rey de los Habanos. But if you’re like me, there are many small operations whose names and cigars come as a complete surprise.

This is an effort to change that. I’ll start by listing three manufacturers whose names and/or cigars I’ve been introduced to. I hope you’ll contribute as well. I think it’s a great way to discover new sticks and to play at least a small, direct role in supporting the art of cigar making.

• Vegas de Santiago. This Costa Rican operation uses locally grown tobacco and imported leaf, producing four lines. They sell directly and offer a six stick sampler of three of their lines for a modest $14.95, including postage. I’ve enjoyed several of their cigars, particularly the Chaman.

• Tabacos de la Cordillera. Another Costa Rican operation, this one uses only tobacco grown on its own farm. It also sells direct and offers several samplers. I have yet to try these, but they’re on my list.

• El Original. A U.S.-made cigar, these beauties are produced by the Island Smoke Shop in Key West. They utilize tobacco from six countries and offer four cigar samplers in natural or maduro for $24.95, shipping included. This is another fine cigar I can recommend. Island also makes two other lines I haven’t yet tried: the Santiago Cabana and the budget Coral Reef line.

Now it’s your turn. What gems can you surprise us with?

–George E

In February I published a Quick Smoke on an excellent cigar from Cuban Crafters, a purveyor of boutique tobacco that’s made in small batches from Cuban seed. Since then, I’ve made no secret of my affinity for their Cameroon Robusto and Don Kiki stogies, and their national sales director even graciously agreed to participate in one of our Ask a Cigar Insider articles not too long ago.

With all this in mind, I thought it was about time to try one of Cuban Crafters’ finest creations: the Cabinet Selection Toro.

Up front, this cigar makes a good first impression. Its Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is dark and enticing, though not without its fair share of veins and splotches. A white metallic band serves as a bold contrast to the leaf. Box-pressed, the six inch by 52 ring gauge stick is topped off with a curly head cap – a salute to its Cuban heritage.

Right out of the cellophane, you can just tell this is going to be a powerhouse. As the foot is toasted, the sun-grown Habano seed filler and the Habano 2000 binder combine to produce a rich, aromatic smoke that sets the tone.

Not surprisingly, from the first puff these cigars exude full flavors of chocolate and leather. A fairly substantial spice kicks in shortly thereafter, and – in my opinion – thankfully never fades.

Like other noteworthy cigars, many of which cost up to three times as much, the Cabinet Selection balances these knockout flavors with a subtle sweetness. The taste is even on the palate and by no means harsh.

While the draw and ash are up to par, however, the only downside comes in the physical properties department. The burn requires some surveillance to stay even, and the stogie has a tendency to extinguish itself when left unattended for five minutes or more.

Overall, though, I am very impressed – a judgment that’s based on not one, but five, of these Toros. At under $4 a pop, they pack an outstanding flavor profile into a memorable, slow-burning smoke.

Not to be overlooked, I’m giving the Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection Toro four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

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) In a bi-partisan show of stogie pride, former Congressman Tom Delay (who’s been known to enjoy a Cuban) was spotted smoking a cigar at a Capitol Hill bar, while Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson declared his appreciation of a fine cigar. When asked what they would bring to a desert island, other White House wannabes chose their wife, a good book, or even a boat, but Richardson said he’d bring his “blackberry and a Davidoff cigar.”

2) Be on the lookout for these two new cigars. Altadis is releasing another line of Montecristos. The Serie C features a Cameroon wrapper grown not in Cameroon, but in the Central African Republic. Meanwhile, Habanos S.A. is releasing the H. Upmann Tacos Imperialés in limited edition humidors.

3) Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore recently found himself in some hot water with the US Treasury Department for a trip to Cuba for his latest movie. Perhaps if he had read our tip on visiting Cuba, such much trouble could have been avoided. Of course we’re pretty certain he was there for the communism, not for the cigars.

4) Deal of the Week: We thought this deal was sold out, but fortunately it isn’t. For just $10 you get eight cigars including a CAO Criollo, a Padron, a La Gloria Cubana, a Gurkha, a Cusano, and a Toraño Silver (plus 2 Thompson house brands). Grab yours today (limit two per person) by clicking here.

–The Stogie Guys

Way back in June, I wrote a commentary about “smokin’ ladies.” The piece was basically an excuse to link to sexy Cigar Aficionado photos, and it argued that if gals want to look especially alluring, they should try smoking a fine cigar.

No readers objected to my advice.

Is it the smoke billowing from her lips that’s so alluring? Is it the way she gently embraces the cigar with her delicate fingers that keeps us up at night? Or is it simply the very notion of an elegant woman treating herself to one of life’s greatest pleasures that drives us crazy?

With all this in mind – coupled with the sad fact that far too few women smoke cigars – this article from M Magazine, a lifestyle publication out of Milwaukee, caught my attention.

The gist? A group of self-proclaimed “Cigar Babes” from Lake County, Wisconsin recently trekked to Honduras to experience the ultimate stogie vacation with Rocky Patel.

As Cigar Babes member Amy Siewart wrote of the first day of the trip, “It was hot and after a long day of traveling we headed to the pool with a cigar. This would become our daily ritual and we felt like royalty as we sat around the water sipping soda or Florde Kane rum and smoking.”

The sixteen ladies spent the next four days at Mr. Patel’s home in Danli touring his tobacco fields, visiting his manufacturing facilities, and taking lessons on the art of cigar production.

“It was amazing to see the attention to detail and the fact that nearly every part of the process is done by hand,” Siewart wrote. “Patel is a self-claimed perfectionist and it showed. The quality was apparent not only in his product, but in his work environment and the treatment of his employees.”

Since Mr. Patel personally led each leg of the Cigar Babes’ tour, this vacation was an experience most male cigar enthusiasts can only dream of. Frankly, I’m extremely jealous.

The next stop on the Cigar Babes tour is Nicaragua, where the ladies will visit the Perdomo factory.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

It’s a good thing this Gurkha Class Regent Torpedo sports one of the manufacturer’s typically distinctive bands. Otherwise it might be mistaken for a block of chocolate candy. The dark Habana 2000 wrapper looks nearly good enough to eat.

But this box-pressed beauty is better for smoking.

This particular stick was a gift from Stogie Guy Patrick S, who said he got it from CBid. He generously passed it along when we met last month in Ybor City.

My experiences with Gurkha have been fairly limited, so I had no real preconceptions when I clipped and lit this one. Before even beginning to concentrate on the taste, I was bowled over by the smoke: incredibly thick, rich, and creamy. Few cigars can match the level of smoke produced by the Regent. It really did hang in the air as if you could slice it with a knife.

After blowing a few smoke rings, I began to concentrate on the taste. There was an initial sharpness that smoothed out about a third of the way down, replaced for a short period by a sweetness and then a nuttiness. As the gray ash grew, the tobacco taste began to meld with a warm, earthy tone. In the final third, hints of caramel came and went.

According to Gurkha, the cigar has a Habana 2000 Indonesian binder and Dominican filler. They call it medium to heavy; to me, it was closer to medium on the scale.

The draw was fine, and the heavy smoke continued throughout. A roomful of politicians puffing these Gurkhas could set a new standard for smoke-filled rooms.

The only problem I encountered involved the burn, including a little canoeing about halfway down. But I was able to correct that fairly easily with a touch up light.

All in all, this is a very satisfying cigar and one I plan to smoke again. It also got me interested in exploring more of the Gurkha line. I give this stick four out of five stogies.

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

–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) Tampa celebrates its past with the eighth annual Cigar Heritage Festival November 18 in Ybor City, the community once known as the “Cigar Capital of the World.” The day-long street party attracts thousands of visitors and features entertainment, a beer garden, food vendors, displays, and lots of cigars for sale. You can get complete information and check out pictures from last year’s party at the Ybor City Museum website. Admission to the festival is free, with a donation suggested to support the museum. And the night before you can attend the Cigars & Stars II party presented by Cigar City Magazine – a local publication devoted to the area’s history that’s celebrating its second anniversary – and Fuente’s Tampa Sweethearts Cigar Co. While this one isn’t free, the $100 admission tab includes food, drink, entertainment, an auction, and Fuente cigars.

2) Meanwhile, the cigar world is concerned that Daniel Ortega’s return to power could once again lead to the destruction of Nicuragua’s cigar industry which in 2005 was responsible for importing over 5 million cigars into the U.S. Ortega is probably the man most responsible for the demise of Nicaraguan cigars in the 1980s. But before you run out and stock up on a decades worth of your Nicaraguan favorites like Padron and Joya De Nicaragua, you should know that there is hope this time Ortega’s rule will be different. One promising sign is that Ortega’s running mate is a former Contra. (In the 80s, U.S.-backed Contras fought a bitter civil war against Ortega’s Sandinistas.) In response to Ortega’s return, Charles Toraño, president of Toraño Cigars, expressed cautious optimism: “The truth is they’re saying all the right things, but at this point it’s a wait-and-see approach.”

3) Speaking of Marxist dictators, Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela may be the next up-and-coming cigar country. Currently the South American nation accounts for only a tiny fraction of cigars imported into the U.S., and even many of America’s most serious cigar enthusiasts probably have not tried a Venezuelan cigar. This may soon change. Despite heated words between Chavez and the U.S., there is no tobacco embargo and, according importer Michael DeLisa – who is also the author of the book “Cinderella Man,” which was turned into a movie starring Russell Crowe – Venezuelan output should crank up to one million cigars a day in the coming months.

4) In last week’s Friday Sampler, we passed along a fantastic eight premium cigars for ten bucks deal. But due to some technical problems beyond our control, some of you might have had trouble finding it. So now that we’ve got everything worked out – we even tested it out by ordering some ourselves – we’re reminding you again. To take advantage of this steal of a deal, click here: 8 Cigar Sampler # 1, Pack Of 8, (Limited Qty).

5) Finally, because one deal just isn’t enough, we want to pass on another bargain. On the back of the current issue of the political magazine National Review, we found an offer for four Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real cigars (the No. 2, Toro, Robusto, and Churchill) for just $7.95 including shipping. To take advantage of this, offer click here.

–The Stogie Guys

In the newest issue of Smoke Magazine, the editors discuss the new tactics of the anti-smoker choice crowd (hint: they no longer actually use the term “ban”) and also give us a timely reminder that while it is easy to get caught up in negative news (sometimes it seems like every day another restrictive smoking ban is passed), there is also some good news for cigar smokers looking to celebrate with a stogie:

According to the anti-smoking organization American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, more than 700 cities across the country have enacted ordinances to date that limit outdoor smoking. Many officials in these communities have gone to great length to justify that these controls are not bans, but rather “secondhand-smoke-control ordinances” and “public-health laws.”

The difference, they say, is that people aren’t being told they can’t smoke, but are merely being required to do so in designated areas. Well, thank goodness for that clarification.

And yet, despite all of the rhetoric, trends aren’t necessarily always moving in one direction. Consider PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, which unveiled a brand new cigar lounge on opening day this spring: The Montecristo Club, a joint effort of Montecristo maker Altadis U.S.A. and Southern Wine & Spirits. The lounge comes on the heals of last season’s cigar events which drew raves from cigar smokers and, of course, criticism from others. In the end, some semblance of reason prevailed, and a permanent option has returned for cigar lovers where none existed at all only two seasons back.

Finally, they suggest you check out two trade organiztions fighting these bans: the retailer Tobacco Dealers of America and the National Association of Tobacco Outlets.

I would also add that you should consider joining or starting a local group to fight anti-smoker choice groups. Here in Washington, a group called Ban the Ban led a courageous, yet ultimately unsucessful, effort to stop the DC smoking ban.

If groups like Ban the Ban spring up in opposition to every attempt to ban smoking, then politicians will be forced to recognize that these “secondhand-smoke-control ordinances” and “public-health laws” have real victims: mainly, the American principles of individual free choice and personal responsibility.

-Patrick S