The 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 little $4 Cuban (5 x 37) for a few years. Age hasn’t changed this cigar much, for better or worse. It’s balanced, mild, and smooth featuring nutty flavors and slight notes of wood and cream. The burn, ash, and draw present no problems. For a few dollars, it’s simplistic yet enjoyable, especially early in the day.

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.”

This new line from Joya de Nicaragua, originally named Cuenca y Blanco, marks the debut blend from José Blanco after he left La Aurora. He’s the B; Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca is the C. They’ve put together a cigar that boasts a wide range of tobaccos: filler from Nicaragua and Peru, a Dominican binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a marvelous pre-light aroma. It’s a tasty, balanced cigar that isn’t as high-powered as the typical Joya de Nicaragua production. Weighing in at 6.25 inches long with a ring gauge of 52, the Torpedo Especial has a sharp head and excellent construction. At about $10, it’s a bit expensive, but well worth a try.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you peruse Padrón’s website, you’ll undoubtedly notice the image of a hammer in several not-so-subtle places. The symbol commemorates Cuban émigré José Orlando Padrón and his drive to work as a carpenter until he could establish a cigar company.

His patience and dedication paid off in spades. With over 600 employees, a tremendously loyal following, and more accolades than space permits mentioning, Padrón Cigars is considered by many to be the pinnacle of cigardom. The company’s place in cigar history is cemented by such super-premium offerings as the Anniversary Series (both 1926 and 1964) and Family Reserve.

Not to be overlooked is the original Padrón line, which includes over a dozen vitolas that are available in either Natural or Maduro formats. (By the way, with similar wrapper shades and no distinguishing markings, it’s really hard to tell a Natural from a Maduro without holding two next to each other.) Each is comprised of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobacco that’s sun-grown and aged for two and a half years.

The 2000 Maduro is a robusto that measures five inches long with a ring gauge of 50. I picked it up for under $6 at a tobacconist in downtown Chicago. Like the other vitolas in the blend, it isn’t the prettiest specimen, sporting thick veins, coarse seams, a hastily applied cap, and a lumpy surface. Yet its strong pre-light fragrance of dark chocolate and earth begs you to smoke it.

Right off the bat, what this cigar lacks in appearance it makes up in flavor. The taste is peppery, full-bodied, and characterized by espresso, cocoa, dark chocolate, and a little raisin. The resting smoke is exceptionally fragrant and the white ash is a stark contrast to the wrapper. The burn line and draw are excellent.

Like the Executive Maduro, which is a considerably longer vitola (7.5 x 50) that takes two hours to smoke, the 2000 Maduro doesn’t change much in flavor from light to nub. And that’s one reason why I prefer the 2000 Maduro: It draws to a close just as I start to lose interest.

At this point, it would be cliché to say the so-called “Thousand Series” is a great way to get Padrón quality and consistency without paying top dollar. Well I’m going to say that anyways. Again. And if you’re interested in one of the 15 cigars in Padrón’s original line, you can’t go wrong with the 2000 Maduro, which never overstays its welcome and is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

While I’m hardly an expert on the thousands of varieties of scotch, I’ve gotten to know my way around most of the better-known brands and a few lesser-known malts. So when I noticed a bottle I hadn’t seen before at my local Virginia ABC liquor store (I’m still getting used to the fact that in Virginia liquor stores are a state-run monopoly), it piqued my interest.

Edradour is billed as “Scotland’s smallest distillery” and the numbers support the claim, although recently even smaller distilleries have opened. Edradour is a three-man operation (though I read they recently are down to two) and it produces only 95,000 liters per year, or 12 casks a week. (By comparison, Glenlivet, the best-selling scotch in the U.S., produces just under 6 million liters a year.) Interesting fact: With 100,000 visitors a year, Edradour is almost certainly the only whisky distillery in Scotland with more visitors than liters produced per year.

While the distillery traces its roots to 1825, it upped its quality in the past decade when new owners took over. Before that it was known for variation from batch to batch. With those problems behind them, it now makes a variety of single malts, including a number of special finishes using Bordeaux, Sauternes, and port barrels.

The only variety available at my store was the 10 Year, which I picked up for about $50. It’s bottled at 86-proof and is copper amber in color. The nose shows sherry, dates, and candied almonds. On the palate, it’s thick with rum notes, toffee, dried fruit, and toasted barley. The relatively short finish features more dried fruit, cream, and hints of vanilla.

It’s hardly the most refined single malt I’ve tried, but its rich mouthfeel and thick sweetness make it an excellent pairing with a fine cigar. It stands up to full-bodied Nicaraguan smokes. I tasted it with both the Tatuaje TAA Edition 2012 and the Cuenca y Blanco (now known as CyB), and found both to be excellent with a straight pour of Edradour 10.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Crafted by Jochi Blanco of Tabacalera La Palma and owned by Rafael Nodal of Oliveros, Aging Room is still a new brand on the cigar scene.

Yet Aging Room seems to be gaining in popularity as its blends continue to score well with the online cigar community and the mainstream cigar media. Among these blends is M356 (rated 4.5 stogies by us and named the 16th best smoke of 2011 by Cigar Aficionado) and F55 Quattro, which earned a rare 5-stogie rating back in September.

In 2012 Aging Room released Haváo to round out its portfolio. Offered in seven formats—Brio (5.25 x 42), Canon (6 x 46), Impromptu (5 x 48), Largo (7 x 50), Sharp (6.25 x 52), and Treble—the blend features a golden Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper around Dominican tobaccos. It is marketed as mild- to medium-bodied.

The Canon sells for less that $6 and comes dressed in double bands of maroon, cream, and gold with a delicate exterior leaf that has the faintest tooth. Firm from head to foot, it also sports a nice cap and pre-light notes of sweet hay. A simple punch cut reveals a moderate draw.

With Connecticut smokes, I’m usually anticipating creaminess, bread, and a bit of sweetness, while hoping to avoid the major pitfalls of the genre: chemical tastes, or a complete lack of flavor that leaves me feeling like I’m smoking paper. All the Canons I sampled for this review exceeded those expectations. This slender cigar has a toasty profile with background notes of citrus and peanut. The finish is sharp and a little spicy.

Not much changes flavor-wise over the course of the smoke, and the profile always stays towards the mild side of the medium-bodied spectrum with very little nicotine kick. Yet it’s remarkably satisfying for such a light cigar (although it must be noted that I’ve always been very appreciative of milder smokes). With excellent construction, my only complaint would be that the Canon burns a tad too quickly. It nubs in less than an hour.

Without question, this is another winner from Aging Room. And at such an affordable price, it’s a must-try for fans of Connecticut-wrapped cigars. My verdict: It’s worthy of four 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.”

This monster-sized cigar is 6.1 inches long with a 64 ring gauge (that’s one full inch in width). It sports a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos. The profile is of earth, oak, cocoa, and coffee. It’s full-bodied with little variation from stat to finish, which takes a full 90 minutes. At $10 each, less by the box, it’s not cheap, but then it’s a well-made, full-bodied smoke that will last most of a football game. Still, I prefer the Natural variation to the Maduro, which has more complexity to go with it’s large size and full-bodied flavors.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.”

This just might be the definition of a good-looking cigar that makes a great first impression. The Series H Maduro Robusto (5.5 x 50) from Emilio Cigars sports a beautifully dark ligero wrapper from Jamastran, an extraordinarily firm feel, and a rich pre-light aroma of dark chocolate and earth. Once lit, the wrapper combines with Nicaraguan and Costa Rican tobaccos to yield a full-bodied, complex taste of dark coffee, creamy nut, cocoa, and a touch of leather. It’s downright outstanding and well worth the going rate of $7 for a single.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys