The Stogie Guys

If you’re looking for a cigar that will help you expand your palate, pick up the Trunk Show MG-08. This massive cigar produces a greater variety of spices than you’ll find on the McCormick shelf at the local Safeway. Sit back and let them roll over your tongue.

General Cigar’s Michael Giannini’s four-country blend is satisfying, smooth, and balanced with a light finish. It’s not a powerful cigar, but a subtle treat in a limited edition (500 26-count boxes).

As is not uncommon when Giannini is involved, the tobacco used is designated only as proprietary, with the exception of the wrapper, a “Havano Ecuadoran Ligero.”

I’ve smoked at least a half-dozen or so of these behemoths (7 x 60), which have a most reasonable $9.25 price tag. One side effect has been that, while I haven’t enlisted in the army of large ring gauge smokers, I have given up my conscientious objector status.

I no longer reject a cigar simply because it could pass for a Yule log.

In this case, my view is also influenced by the excellent performance, not always found in big ring gauges. Each MG-08 I’ve smoked had fine draw, burned straight, and held a tight ash.

On the negative side, I would like a bit more smoke production, and I can’t say I’m a big fan of the smokable band. You can get it off, though usually in bits and pieces. Making the necessary time commitment for a cigar this size can also be difficult.

With production so low, you aren’t likely to find this Truck Show—or its sibling, the Liga YG-23 blend by Yuri Guillen—in every shop. (A third, the Liga JD-05, is sold only by catalog and online retailers.) But it is well worth seeking out. I rate this stick four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Spectre by AJ Fernandez is easily one of the most unique, interesting cigars I have smoked in years. Now, we’ll discuss whether or not that’s a compliment in a little, but just go into this review knowing that this cigar is very distinctive and you likely have not smoked something like this before.

What makes this such a unique experience is the “secret blend” of tobacco used in making the Spectre, which reportedly includes latakia. For those who are not big pipe enthusiasts, latakia is a type of tobacco normally included in what are called “English” blends. It has a smoky smell, like a campfire, and normally has smoky and spicy flavors associated with it. At this point, some of you may be thinking of cigars like the MUWAT KFC or the Leccia Black, which feature Kentucky Fire-Cured tobacco. While the process these two tobaccos go through to achieve their flavor is similar, there is a distinct difference: KFC is American tobacco, and latakia is an Oriental process.

While some details about the cigar were not disclosed to the public, we do know this has a Maduro wrapper with Nicaraguan origin. Three sizes are initially offered: Toro, Robusto, and Gordo. I smoked three Robustos (5 x 50) for this review. The wrapper is very dark and oily, and the band shows a tobacco leaf in shadows, with a bright light coming up behind it. While it’s a small complaint, I don’t really like bands like this which take up more than 50% of the cigar. When clipped the cigar emanates very smoky aromas, with some spice and leather underneath.

Lighting up this cigar straight off the shelves is an insane experience. The flavor is so strong and interesting in the first half that it was honestly a little overwhelming. Your palate is blasted with smokiness, charred meat, leather, cocoa, and earth, with a sharp spiciness dominating the finish. The second half of the cigar burnt a little hot, but also allowed most of the flavors to mellow out and complement each other a bit more.

I feel the need to add in that I smoked the third cigar for this review after it sat in my humidor outside the cello for about two weeks. The experience was really different. That smoky-spicy latakia dominant first half was replaced by rich cocoa and earth, that were overpowered in the previous two I had smoked. Sadly, that experience also felt muted and one-dimensional in comparison to my first two.

This is a cigar that I cannot really recommend to just any smoker, due to the strength of flavor (the nicotine is a solid medium, by the way). However, if you’re looking for a unique experience, these sticks can be picked up at a pretty good price, and it’s worth trying them just to say you have. I personally like them, and they are well rolled, but considering the fact that this cigar would never enter my regular rotation, I will only give it three stogies out of five.

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

–Joey J

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 thought I was out of this limited and hard-to-find Lancero edition of the Liga Privada Único Serie until I found this cigar in a box in the bottom of my humidor. The L40 (7 x 40) features a Connecticut stalk-cut Habano wrapper, Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and Nicaraguan filler. It’s a classic combination of cocoa, espresso, wood, and earth. It’s medium- to full-bodied, very smooth, and balanced. While not as powerful as other Liga Privada smokes, this is a must try for Lancero fans.

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.”

Back in 2003, La Aurora celebrated its 100th anniversary by launching a new line called 100 Años. The oldest cigar maker in the Dominican Republic chose only Dominican tobaccos for the blend, including an oily Corojo wrapper. The resulting profile—characterized by flavors of bread, dry cedar, cream, and pepper—is bolder than most would expect from a Dominican puro. True to La Aurora form, the Robusto (5 x 50) smokes very well. Even with a price tag north of $10, this is an easy recommendation.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With this limited-run cigar, General Cigar shows what it looks like when an elephant dances, producing an elegant, powerful smoke that holds its own among top-flight boutiques.

Created as a tribute to General’s recently retired tobacco master Benji Menendez, the Homage is a delight to smoke. It comes in two vitolas: Toro (6.5 x 54) and Robusto Gordo (5.5 x 52). They’re packaged in 10-count boxes with total production of only 1,500 boxes in each size.

The cigars feature more wrapping than a Christmas present. White tissue paper envelops the cigar, and it is surrounded by double bands that are duplicated around the cigar itself. (A tip: The easiest way to remove the tissue paper is to tear it off around the head, then grab the pigtail at the foot and slide it down.)

Though you’ll often see “62”—the notation on the band refers to Menendez’s years in the industry—included in the name, it isn’t, according to General’s Victoria McKee. She also reported that Menendez had no role in the complex blend of a Honduran wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf binder with Dominican, Honduran, and Mexican filler.

It’s smooth, with a light finish. I’ve smoked four and found them consistent, though one did exhibit a bit of an uneven burn at several points. Draw was excellent on each. Strength varies along the way, ramping up considerably by the final third.

Flavors change throughout as well. Homage begins with some spice and a thick, rich tobacco taste, followed by the introduction of floral notes and wood. Strong pepper makes an appearance in the second half, as does some cedar and tobacco sweetness.

It’s the kind of smoke that rewards attention, and you’ll likely find yourself detecting lots of flavors and nuances. One I didn’t pick up was that telltale dirt taste I associate with Mexican tobacco. Frankly, I’d never have guessed it was in there.

If you’re a fan of bold boutique smokes, check out the Homage. With its reasonable prices—$9 and $9.50 for the Toro and Robusto Gordo, respectively—you might want to pick up a box, if you can find one. I give the Partagas Benji Homage Toro a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When my colleague reviewed the CroMagnon Cranium back in May 2011, I’d wager most readers had not heard of RoMa Craft Tobac or its owners, Michael Rosales and Skip Martin. Almost three years later, if you still haven’t gotten around to trying RoMa Craft smokes, you need to get on board. You’re missing out.

RoMa Craft was born after the Hava Cigar Shop and Lounge in Galveston, Texas, was decimated by Hurricane Ike in 2008. At first it was an online version of the old brick-and-mortar store, but distribution and cigar production grew. The company now counts the CroMagnon, Aquitaine, Intemperance, Adrian’s Costa Rica, and Hava Cigar brands as part of its portfolio. It maintains production facilities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Those who’ve met Skip Martin know he’s no fan of nanny state paternalism (particularly as it pertains to tobacco). His Intemperance series pays homage to the American movement that overthrew Prohibition, and it calls on us to do our part to protect cigar freedoms. It’s also an excellent line of smokes.

Intemperance BA XXI features a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper around an Indonesian binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. (There’s also an Intemperance EC XVIII line that’s wrapped in an Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf.) Four regular-production vitolas range in price from $5 to $7: Petito, Short Robusto, Short Perfecto, and Belicoso. Three additional vitolas are reserved for RoMa Craft events, though rumor has it they will eventually be available for online purchase: Brotherly Kindness, The Breach of the Peace, and A.W.S. IV. My favorite is the A.W.S. IV, a Lonsdale (6.5 x 44) that costs $6.50. It’s a dark, oily smoke with pre-light notes of chocolate, and binder and filler tobaccos that protrude slightly beyond the wrapper at the foot.

Once underway, black pepper spice immediately coats the palate, while a red pepper spice tingles the lips. The smoke has a hearty, gritty texture, and the flavors remind me of rich chocolate, cream, dry wood, and roasted nut. The balance is tremendous, and the spice can easily be controlled by either smoking quicker for more heat, or smoking slower for a cooler experience. Towards the end, the spice takes a backseat to sweetness, cream, and apricot.

As I’ve come to expect from RoMa Craft, the combustion qualities are downright impeccable. The burn is straight and true, the draw is smooth, the ash holds firm, and the smoke production is impressive. A tip of the hat to the professionals at the Nica Sueño factory in Estelí.

While I think the secret has been out for some time—heck, I arrived late to the party myself—it’s my pleasure to add my praise to the many accolades that have been bestowed upon the Intemperance BA XXI blend. The A.W.S. IV vitola is a great value and a joy to smoke, earning it a very rare rating of five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

In terms of new lines of American whiskey in recent years, E.H. Taylor has to be one of the more interesting. Produced by Buffalo Trace (makers of Blanton’s, George T. Stagg, Elmer T. Lee, W.L. Weller, Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, and a little bourbon called Pappy Van Winkle) the six-whiskey line honors Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr.

Taylor is one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry and one-time owner of what is now called Buffalo Trace Distillery. He’s largely known as a proponent of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which ensured quality standards for “bottled-in-bond” bourbon (back then many bourbons were mixed with things like tobacco, turpentine, or other horrible additives to appear more aged than they were). But rest assured the Feds weren’t just worried about the quality of our bourbon. The law also ensured that the federal government could more easily collect taxes.

The E.H. Taylor line consists of four bourbons (Small Batch, Single Barrel, Barrel Proof, and Warehouse C Tornado Surviving), an Old Fashioned Sour Mash (which technically might be bourbon), and this E.H. Taylor Rye. With the exception of the Barrel Proof, all are bottled at 100-proof, the minimum for a bottled-in-bond American whiskey.

What sets this rye apart is a different mashbill than previous Buffalo Trace ryes (both the Sazerac/Handy recipe, and anything made at the Buffalo Trace-owned Barton Distillery). Neither uses nearly as much rye as the the E.H. Taylor mashbill, which uses no corn (only rye and malted barley), probably in a 95/5 ratio. The age of the rye isn’t disclosed, though the straight rye designation (without any age statement) means it’s at least four years old.

The result is a lively spirit with an intense nose of honey, nutmeg, and varnish. On the palate it really shows its range. Traditional flavors include vanilla, pepper, and oils with subtle, though more dramatic, hints of mint, dried fruit, tamarind, and cinnamon. The finish is long with fruit and woody spice.

I paid $68 for this rye. And while it’s a good rye, it can’t compete with Sazerac ($30) or Rittenhouse 100 ($25) for value, nor is it as good as Sazerac 18, which has a suggested retail of around $80 (though good luck finding it, let alone at that price). And yet, E.H. Taylor is still an impressive rye, one that I not only bought one bottle of, but another right after.

Spicy, full-flavored rye calls for a full-bodied spicy cigar. The Opus X, La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial, and the Boutique Brands Swag all fit the bill. Ultimately, it’s what I call a stage-two whiskey: not one of the first five ryes I’d recommend to someone just feeling their way through the world of American whiskey, but not something I’d deter a more seasoned rye drinker from trying.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys