The Stogie Guys

With Avo getting an update—new packaging, lower prices, eliminations—current retailer inventory is a prime candidate for the discount table. At my local shop, the remaining on-hand stock is marked 40 percent off.

As an Avo fan, I couldn’t resist the bargain. I picked up a 20-count box of the Short Robustos size with a price tag coming in under $4 per cigar. I don’t think I’d ever smoked this little vitola—weighing in at only 4 inches long with a ring gauge of 56—but I’ve enjoyed other Heritage sizes over the years.

The Heritage extension was introduced in 2010 to give Avo a competitor in what was then an emerging market for stronger cigars. It features an oily, brown, sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper over a Dominican binder and Dominican and Peruvian filler.

For a while, Heritage was hot, helped by its somewhat lower price tag among Avo offerings. Our review of the Robusto not long after it hit the shelves earned a four and a half-stogie rating.

I don’t know how old this box is, but the cellophane on the individual cigars is yellowed considerably, and I’d guess it has been on the shelf for a year or more.

A noticeable pre-light trait is a fairly loose draw, always a concern with a small smoke for fear of overheating the tobacco. But after lighting, there wasn’t a problem; the draw was fine. Other technical aspects like smoke production, burn, and the ash were excellent.

The Heritage is a complex cigar, even in this small package. Beginning with cedar and a hint of the hay and grass common to many Davidoff productions, there’s quickly quite a bit of spice. Along the way, I also picked up cocoa, coffee, and leather, all engaging and harmonious.

The Heritage Short Robusto could be enjoyed any time of the day. It pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee for a morning smoke, even if it’s a bit stronger than many might normally consider at that time of day. If you’re looking for a break in the afternoon, it is an ideal size. Similarly, it’s a cigar to appreciate as a nightcap.

With its good flavors, versatility, and strong performance, I highly recommend the Heritage Short Robusto and concur with the earlier rating given to its sister stick: four and half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

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.”

This dark Robusto (5 x 52) is priced very reasonably—right around the $5 mark—yet it has the presentation of a cigar twice the price. The pigtail cap is gorgeous, as is the clean, oily Habano Oscuro wrapper. More importantly, its taste makes this one hell of a bargain. Once lit, flavors of espresso, roasted nut, cinnamon, and dark chocolate fill out the medium-bodied profile. With excellent combustion, the Pinar del Rio 1878 Capa Oscura Robusto is a joy to smoke and a great choice for a solid everyday cigar that won’t break the bank.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

So far this year I’ve reviewed three smokes from United Cigar: Atabey Ritos, an expensive cigar that’s complex and nuanced; Garofalo Robusto, a mild-mannered stick that’s affordable, flavorful, and satisfying; and Byron Serie Siglo XX Londinenses, a $30 specimen that’s memorable (it should be at that price) and harmonious.

Today my sights are set on Fleur de la Reine, a line that’s intended to be “rich and bold in flavor and strength.” The recipe includes a Dominican binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. Two wrapper varieties are available: Natural (Ecuadorian Sumatra) and Maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf). Both iterations are crafted in four sizes: Quatre (4.875 x 52), Cinq (5.5 x 54), Six (5.875 x 60), and Sept (7 x 58).

The Fleur de la Reine Maduro Cinq retails for about $6.50. At first glance, the band colors and design make it hard to not think of La Gloria Cubana (I can’t say for sure if this was done intentionally). Beneath the band, it’s a rough-looking cigar with abundant imperfections on the wrapper, plenty of lumps, and some garish seams. The feel is incredibly firm, and the foot shows a pretty tight cross-section of tobaccos. The pre-light notes are reminiscent of dark chocolate and coffee.

The initial flavor is sweet with loads of cocoa, caramel, and cream, all offset by a gentle black pepper spice and some earthiness. I can also taste black cherry and roasted cashew. Leather comes and goes, and is most prevalent on the finish.

Surprisingly, after about an inch, the flavor really mellows out, leaving behind a soft, sweet profile that reminds me of marshmallow. The cigar is still enjoyable, though not as much as the kickoff. Then, at the midway point, the flavor fortunately ramps up again, and the finish is characterized by a slight increase in spice, though the overall effect is still sweet.

Construction is good throughout. The burn line requires a few touch-ups here and there, but is otherwise well-behaved. The draw is clear, the ash solid, and the smoke production average.

Fleur de la Reine Maduro Cinq is a good choice if you’re looking for an experience that’s high on sweetness and low on strength, and the asking price is fair. In my book it earns three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Who among us hasn’t, at least at some point, worried about humidity and their cigars?

Some become obsessive about maintaining conditions, some opt to simply gauge it by feel and instinct, and many fall somewhere in the middle.

I confess I probably am closer to the first category, though more by necessity than temperament.

Florida’s extreme heat makes a cooled humidor almost a necessity. And extraordinarily high humidity levels also can play havoc with humidor conditions. I’m sure many of you in other parts of the country have dramatic weather conditions to contend with as well.

For me, this has meant lots of futzing through the years with ways and means to keep my cigars in shape. The latest: the Xikar PuroTemp Wireless Hygrometer System.

Here are the basics:

There’s a base unit, with stand, that displays the time and, from up to three remote sensors, temperature and relative humidity readings from inside the humidor. The base can also be programmed to beep a warning when temperatures or humidity levels rise or fall to selected points. A button allows you to select displays from each remote unit. The package comes with one sensor, and sensors also are sold individually.

Unlike most better thermometer/hygrometer units, there’s no way to adjust the readings on these. According to Xikar, the company opted instead to invest the time and attention necessary in the factory to get the temperature and humidity settings correct from the start.

It is important to recognize that the wireless technology isn’t WiFi. You can’t interface with a smartphone or computer, so there’s no way to automatically chart the readings over time.

I’ve been using and evaluating my PuroTemp system for about three months and, overall, I’ve found it to perform as advertised. The one caveat occurred about a week or so after I got it home. That was when the connections between the base and the remotes began to drop frequently and then fail to reconnect for a long time, if ever.

I contacted Xikar, and they had no qualms about honoring the lifetime warranty and had me ship the components to Kansas City, Mo. About a week later, I heard from Xikar’s Ken Dolinger, who’d supplied me with information earlier as I prepared this review.

“It was tested by our head engineer, he found that your sensors are working great but something was wrong with your base unit,” Dolinger emailed. “So I will be sending your sensors back and a new base unit.”

Since getting the new base, I’ve experienced no problems.

I tested the unit in numerous ways, including remotes side-by-side in my filled Avallo Cooled 1200 cabinet humidor; remotes individually and together in a sealed container with a 69% Boveda pack; and remotes together and individually in a desktop humidor without cigars and several 69% Boveda packs.

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In November 2012, Don José “Pepín” Garcia, his son Jaime, his daughter Janny, and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje descended upon Illinois for an event at Casa de Montecristo.

This wasn’t just any event, as you can probably imagine from the attendees. The quartet was helping introduce the My Father Limited Edition 2012, the single-vitola, ultra-premium follow-up to the 2011 and 2010 Limited Edition cigars. (Each of the 24,000 Limited Edition 2010 cigars were actually personally rolled and bunched by Don Pepín and Jaime; but that’s not the case for the 2011 or 2012 iterations.)

Only 30,000 Limited Edition 2012 cigars were made, all of them packaged in boxes of 12 that sold for $240 (or $20 per cigar). Crafted at My Father Cigars S.A. in Nicaragua, the blend features an Ecuadorian Habano Criollo wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. There’s some Pelo de Oro tobacco present, which has a reputation for being incredibly hard to grow given its vulnerability to disease.

The Limited Edition 2012 is a stately-looking cigar with two ornate bands, each adorned with plenty of shiny gold coloring and intricate fonts. Measuring 6.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 52, the toro has a considerably oily exterior with a few thin veins and a clean, well-executed cap. The foot exudes pre-light notes of milk chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit.

After taking note of the smooth cold draw and establishing an even light, I find a balanced, medium-bodied profile of espresso, cream, bread, green raisin, and vanilla. The smoke is dry and woody with a slightly chalky texture. As it progresses, I anticipate more intensity and fuller flavors, but the only major change is the introduction of an earthy note that reminds me of mushroom.

Construction is absolutely flawless (and, frankly, it should be; a $20 cigar with anything less than perfect combustion qualities would be a crime). Both of the toros I smoked for this review exhibited clear draws, good smoke production, straight burns, and solid gray ashes. Also, fortunately, both of the large bands can be removed easily without damaging the wrapper.

The My Father Limited Edition 2012 is a complex, enjoyable—albeit restrained—specimen that I’d fire up again if given the chance. Whether or not it’s worth $20 is a completely different (and personal) question. I can’t help but think of all the outstanding smokes that cost half as much, many of which have more of a wow factor in the flavor department. With this particular cigar I feel like you’re really paying for the My Father name and the decorative packaging. If you’re a Pepín fan, though, and if you’re looking for something with subtlety and an aura of elegance, this is the cigar for you. I award it three and a half 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.”

 

I’ve had this small format (4.375 x 40) Cuban cigar in my humidor for at least five years. Cubans often require extended aging before they show their best, so my hope was this was ready to shine. Once lit, I found a subtle, mild cigar. Hay, honey, and light cedar are the primary flavors, but there’s also a slight creaminess and some spice. Cubans are also known for construction issues, but there were none to be found here with an easy draw and a sturdy stack-of-dimes ash. While I find myself often underwhelmed by non-super premium Cuban lines, this well-aged Trinidad Reyes hit the spot.

Verdict = Buy.

–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.”

As the name suggests, the Short Run line from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is an annual release of a one-time, limited production run (see here for our reviews of the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Short Run editions). The 2015 release is just hitting retailer shelves now, sold in three sizes—Imperios (6 x 60), Napoleon (5 x 50), and Vencedores (6 x 52)—of which only 1,500 cigars each will be made. The blend includes a Criollo Jalapa ’98 wrapper around Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. I picked up a Vencedores single for $9 and found it to have a dark, rich profile of black coffee, pepper, dried fruit, and cinnamon spice. In my honest opinion, this is an OK cigar now, but it has some great aging potential.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys