The Stogie Guys

President Obama’s budget may be two months late, but cigar smokers may be wishing it was even later. The president’s budget, announced Wednesday, proposes nearly doubling taxes on all types of tobacco products.

The budget includes a 94-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and would index the tax rate to inflation so it automatically increases over time. A pack of cigarettes is already taxed $1.01. Rates for “other tobacco products”—a federal designation that includes cigars—would increase by the same proportion.

In 2009, as one of his first moves in office, Obama signed into law the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) tobacco tax increase, which raised cigarette taxes from 39 cents to $1.04 and raised the cap on cigars from 5 cents to 40 cents. SCHIP was the largest single tobacco tax increase in history, but the new Obama budget would top it.

The result would be that most cigars would increase 37 cents in cost. For a box of 25 cigars, that’s an increase of over $9.  Some less expensive cigars would increase less, but the percentage tax increase could actually be larger.

Fortunately for cigar smokers, most political observers consider the proposed budget dead on arrival in Congress. Still, the budget is a starting point for negotiations, and more importantly stands as a value statement for the president, who says the tobacco tax revenues would go towards early education spending.

Critics noted that the taxes would hurt small businesses and eliminate jobs. “For specialty tobacco stores that sell primarily tobacco and tobacco-related products, a sales decline greater than what occurred in 2009 to 2010 would be destructive to their businesses and result in store closures and employees losing their jobs,” observed Tom Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets.

In addition, analysts note that not only will the tax increase be passed on to smokers, but over time retailers and manufacturers may end up marking up the increase along with the rest of the wholesale price, resulting in even higher price increases for consumers. Under that scenario, the price of a box of premium cigars could increase by almost $20.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Curivari began making cigars for the European market, introducing its Selección Privada in 2003. Going head-to-head with Cuban cigars on their turf obviously was a gutsy move for a Nicaraguan cigar maker. But in only a few years, the company’s reputation was expanding about as quickly as its lines.

Now available in the U.S., Curivari cigars are among the most fervently sought boutique smokes by those on the lookout for something new. I heard good things about the brand long before I saw one. I tried a couple of times to get to their booth at last summer’s IPCPR Trade Show, but couldn’t get through the crowds.

My introduction to them came in an order from Atlantic Cigar Co., one of a few retailers with a selection—often with limited supplies or on backorder—of Curivari’s small batch lines. If there’s a shop in my area that carries them, I haven’t found it.

I’ve had just three: the El Gran Rey Belicoso (5.4 x 52), a Nicaraguan puro with a $9 price tag. I’m eager to try the other two El Gran Rey vitolas, as well as different Curivari lines (like the Buenaventura).

Although Curivari describes it as a “full-bodied cigar,” I’d call it more of a medium, with what I think of as traditional flavors, such as leather and oak. I didn’t find El Gran Rey to be particularly complex, but rather an expertly balanced and exceptionally consistent cigar.

Construction was excellent, the burn was nearly perfect, and the draw about as even as possible. They produce good smoke volume and the finish is long and deep.

Even after smoking only three cigars, I can see why this small manufacturer has gained such a large reputation. I’d urge you to seek these out, in addition to Curivari’s other lines. I give this “great king” four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Though it probably wasn’t clear at the time, Liga Privada No. 9 was Drew Estate putting the cigar community on notice. Before that, the company was primarily identified with infused cigars, and while it continues to sell lots of infused sticks, ever since LP No. 9 new releases from Drew Estate have been highly anticipated and well-received.

Outside the core Liga Privada blends, No. 9 and T-52, Drew Estate has also created the Único Serie, featuring unique blends in one particular size. According to the company these cigars were created as test blends (of which Drew Estate makes hundreds), but were deemed exceptional enough to warrant a wider release. Last month, the fifth Único Serie cigar was released, the UF-13 Dark. It joins the Dirty Rat, L40, Feral Flying Pig, and Papas Fritas.

The cigar features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a “Dark Medium” designation for the color and priming. The binder is “Plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina” and the filler consists of “select Honduran and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed” tobacco. (Drew Estate “Jefe” Steve Saka got into UF-13’s origins, and it’s relationship to other Liga smokes, here.)

The cigar comes in cabinets of 12 and sells for $13.95. It’s a parejo (5.5 x 52) with a unique pigtail cap that has a fan of wrapper leaf sticking out (though pre-release versions used a standard cap). It’s a deep mahogany wrapper, but not as oily as either of the core No. 9 wrappers.

The cigar boasts dark flavors with charred oak and lots of powdery earth. The initial draws were smooth and medium-bodied, but it pretty quickly ramps up with peppery spice that comes and goes throughout. The finish lingers with more earth and unsweetened chocolate.

“UF” stands for Único Fuerte (“13” for the factory muestra number), and it’s certainly a little stronger than the standard Liga Privadas, more in line with the Dirty Rat in terms of being full-bodied. (Though it lacks the raisin/dried fruit notes I sometimes pick up in other LP blends.)

Drew Estate has set a high bar with its Único Serie cigars, and the UF-13 Dark meets them, including Drew Estate’s standard flawless construction in each of the two samples I smoked. Even though I prefer the Dirty Rat for it’s combination of power and finesse, and the Velvet Rat for its sweetness and balance, the Liga Privada Único Serie UF-13 Dark still earns a formidable rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I did a double-take at my local tobacconist the other day when, perusing the Tatuaje selection, I saw a box of “The Mummy” cigars. This smoke is part of Pete Johnson’s Monster Series, a Halloween-inspired limited run that comes out each October—and usually sells out shortly thereafter. Was this my lucky day?

For whatever reason, I didn’t jump on a box purchase of The Mummy last fall. I assumed I had missed the boat. But maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised to still see The Mummy for sale in April. Tatuaje produced about 40,000 of them, making it (while still rare) the most widely distributed cigar in the Monster Series to date. The second most prolific Monster Series blends—The Wolfman (2011) and The Face (2010)—were only offered in about half that quantity. They followed The Drac (2009) and the inaugural Monster Series cigar, The Frank (2008).

Some consider Boris to also be part of the Monster Series. Whatever the classification, I consider Boris to be among the finer cigars I’ve ever had the pleasure to smoke (I’ll admit lamenting that I didn’t give that stick a perfect five-stogie rating after recently revisiting it).

Needless to say, given the pedigree of its ancestors, its $13 price tag, and its relative rarity, The Mummy has a lot to live up to. This long, thin cigar (7.75 x 47) boasts a Nicaraguan sun-grown criollo wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Its surface is toothy, moderately oily, and splotched with random areas of dark discoloration. The foot, which emanates notes of cocoa and coffee bean, is unfinished. And while The Mummy is consistently firm to the touch, a punch cut is all that’s needed to yield a smooth cold draw.

Several wooden matches are required to thoroughly establish an even light. Once underway, I’m greeted by woody spice with bitterness on the back of the tongue. This quickly settles into a creamier profile of peanut, white pepper, clove, and dry cinnamon. The smoke production and burn are excellent while the white ash is sandy and overly delicate.

Once these flavors are set, I don’t notice a ton of changes throughout the long smoke, which takes me over two hours to complete. Yet The Mummy sufficiently holds my attention with its medium-bodied complexity and subtlety. What’s striking is how much balance can be achieved with a Nicaraguan puro—a testament to the solid partnership between Pete Johnson and the My Father Cigars factory.

The Mummy may not be the finest, rarest, or most collectible edition in this storied franchise, but it’s certainly worthy of the Monster Series name. Keep an eye out for wooden coffins of 13 cigars (the painted “dress boxes” are much rarer) both online and at your tobacconist. I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed, and I award Pete Johnson’s newest Halloween creation four 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.”

Abe Flores of Pinar del Rio makes a lot of cigars, but maybe its telling that he chose to put his name on the Serie Privada. The line comes with an Ecuador Habano wrapper (natural or maduro) around a Nicaraguan Habano binder and Nicaraguan Habano and Dominican Corojo filler. I smoked the Toro (6 x 54, though the box press makes it seem smaller) which retails for $11.25. It’s a medium- to full-bodied smoke with tons of flavor, ranging from cinnamon and toast to black coffee and leather. Flavorful and complex with excellent construction, this one is easy to recommend.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

My last Cigar Spirits article covered one of the priciest bourbons I keep around. This time, I’m looking at one of the least expensive: Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch Bourbon.

Just $15 will land you this bourbon from Heaven Hill Distillery which, in addition to Evan Williams and the eponymous Heaven Hill, also makes Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, Larceny, and Parker’s Heritage, among others. Parker’s Heritage refers to Parker Beam (of the famous Beam bourbon family), master distiller at Heaven Hill along with his son, Craig. Since it’s founding in 1935, Heaven Hill has had a member of the Beam family as its master distiller.

The bourbon’s namesake, Evan Williams, was a Welshman who came to Kentucky via Virginia (although technically what is now Kentucky was part of Virginia then). According to legend, he became “Kentucky’s first distiller” in 1783. He was also a politician and a businessman.

Like the flagship “Black Label” bourbon, about a decade ago the small batch Evan Williams 1783 dropped its age statement. Prior to that, it was a 10-year-old bourbon (the Black Label was a 7-year-old back then). Now we only know that its designation as a straight Kentucky bourbon without an age statement means the youngest bourbon it can contain is at least four years old, but presumably it averages a bit older than the Black Label, which also has the same restriction.

The bourbon pours a light copper color and the nose reveals honey, sawdust, and a hint of citrus. On the palate the 86-proof bourbon shows more honey along with vanilla, oak, and burnt corn. The finish is medium-length with a buttered popcorn flavor.

The result is an easy-drinking bourbon that’s enjoyable neat or with a ice cube or two, even if it isn’t as complex as many higher-priced whiskeys. Its price makes it a guilt-free ingredient in a cocktail or even a bourbon and ginger.

And obviously it goes great with a cigar. I lit up a pre-release sample of the upcoming Recluse Draconian and enjoyed the pairing. Though I actually think a more mild- or medium-bodied cigar would go even better.

Some bourbon snobs may turn their nose up at this affordable, value-packed bourbon, but don’t let that influence you. Whether you’re a seasoned bourbon drinker or a novice, this is a very respectable, enjoyable spirit that’s worth drinking with a fine cigar.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Arturo Fuente’s Solaris. Tatuaje’s Anarchy and Apocalypse. My Father’s El Hijo. Padrón’s 1964 Anniversary SI-15. What do these cigars have in common?

They’re all part of the Microblend Series that’s sold exclusively by Smoke Inn, a Florida-based cigar retailer. Microblend Series is inspired by the growing popularity of U.S. microbreweries, harnessing how “limited production quantities allow for a greater emphasis to be placed on quality and consistency,” according to the Smoke Inn website.

To bring the Microblend Series to fruition, Smoke Inn has partnered with some of the most respected names in the industry to produce one-time limited batches offered in one size each. These cigars have garnered high reviews from my colleagues.

The newest addition to the Microblend Series will be Big Delicious, a large torpedo (6.25 x 54) with a shaggy foot that was crafted by Abe “Big Delicious” Dababneh of Smoke Inn and Matt Booth of Room 101 (see our previous reviews of Room 101 cigars here). The cigar’s 1970s-style marketing scheme is, to say the least, unique. This promotional website includes “The Adventures of Swanky White & Big Delicious,” a comic that chronicles the fictional making of the cigar.

Big Delicious is handmade at Tabacos Rancho Jamastran in Danlí, Honduras. It has a reddish Habano 2000 wrapper around tobaccos from Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Pre-light notes are faint and the cold draw is smooth.

I don’t know if the torpedo shape contributes to this association but, as soon as I lit up the Big Delicious, I was reminded of a cigar I used to smoke quite frequently back in 2007: the Magic Mountain by Maria Mancini. That smoke also boasts a Habano 2000 wrapper, which is a cross between Cuban-seed corojo and Connecticut shade that imparts—in my opinion—an earthy flavor with a warm, lingering spice.

With a thick, damp texture, the slow-burning Big Delicious lumbers to the midway point. There, flavors of cayenne spice, leather, and coffee creamer build to complement the musty core. The draw opens significantly as the final third approaches. Throughout, the burn line is perfectly straight and the finely layered ash holds extremely well.

In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of Big Delicious’ immense proportions or pseudo-gimmicky marketing campaign. But I can’t deny how well it smokes, or its endearing flavor of warm, approachable spice. Keep this in mind since pre-orders start on Friday and the national release party is April 26. The cigar will sell for $8.95 (or $134.25 for a box of 15), and it’s worthy of a very solid rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys