The Stogie Guys

If I might borrow a phrase from June Cleaver, I’m worried about the bill. H.R. 1639, that is.

I’m concerned because I think many cigar smokers believe there’s nothing left to do on this legislation to bar the Food & Drug Administration from regulating premium cigars. I’ve heard more than once that it’s achieved a majority in Congress, the implication being that we’ve won the fight.

Sorry, that’s not true. The bill hasn’t achieved a majority of support in either the House or the Senate, according to Thomas.gov, the Library of Congress site that tracks bills.

In the House, there are 217 voting members who’ve signed on, including the original sponsor, Florida’s Bill Posey. I know you keep seeing and hearing that it’s achieved the threshold of half of the 435 members but, as I’ve pointed out before, the key is voting members. The cosponsor list includes among supporters the representative from Guam, who has no vote, and former Oregon Rep. David Wu, who resigned in 2011. No one’s signed on since Aug. 2.

In the Senate, where the legislation is known as S. 1461, there are but 12 cosponsors to the bill, introduced by Bill Nelson of Florida. That’s a long, long way from 51.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that Congress has only a few weeks of work left in this session. This doesn’t bode well for the chances of such specific legislation as the cigar bill winning approval, even with adequate support. Couple that with the fact that many of the names you see on the lists of supporters in both chambers won’t be back in 2013, and the fight doesn’t appear so certain.

And that last point leads to another consideration. I know some feel that the legislation doesn’t have to pass, that simply the recognition of ample Congressional support will be adequate to force the FDA to back down. I’m not one of them. There might be a tactical retreat, but they’re smart enough to bide their time and strike later.

So, once again, I’m urging all of you to see whether your senator or representative has signed on. And, if not, let them know you want their support. This is a golden opportunity and we can’t afford to settle for silver.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you ever wanted to smoke a cigar that projects the “I’m a total badass” image, you could do worse than to choose the Surrogates Skull Breaker.

This intimidating stick, which is made for Ohio-based online retailer New Havana Cigars (NHC), has a menacing name, the look of a rustic rifle shell, and a dark, frightening band that could be flown from the mast of a pirate ship. But the price—$7.50 for the Belicoso (5.25 x 52)—is intended to be more approachable.

Like the Bone Crusher, the Skull Breaker is called “Surrogates” because it’s supposed to be a premium cigar that’s “consumer price conscious,” one that could be a replacement for an expensive, limited release. “Created to bring the excitement of a limited edition stick at a consumer-conscious price point and be readily available,” reads the NHC website, “these vitolas answer the question of whether to save it or smoke it with a blaring ‘Smoke it! Every day!’”

That’s a tall order. The folks behind Surrogates, though, are some of the best in the business. The line is blended by Pete Johnson of Tatuaje and crafted by the Garcias at their My Father Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Other than that, not much is revealed in terms of details, except that the cigar’s wrapper and filler are Nicaraguan.

Aside from its double bands and dark, mottled leaf, the first thing I notice about the Skull Breaker its rough, somewhat sticky cap. I also find a nice pre-light aroma of cocoa powder. Once clipped, the cigar displays a good draw with only the slightest resistance.

While toasting the foot, the sweetness of the pre-light aroma turns into a powerful earthy smell that reminds me of campfire. Fortunately, though, the actual taste of the cigar is more complicated, and it captures some of the anticipated sweetness. Chocolate is apparent when smoked slowly. But if you puff too quickly, the full-bodied base flavors of leather, espresso, and black pepper will drown out any cream or sugar, rendering this smoke too bold and too monotonous.

As Skull Breaker winds down, I can’t help but notice some occasional profile similarities to Drew Estate’s outstanding Liga Privada No. 9 blend—particularly in the Flying Pig format. I’ve smoked a fair number of Flying Pigs this year, and each has a unique flavor, distinctive resting smoke, and chalky texture that I love. While it’s no replacement, the Skull Breaker does remind me of the Flying Pig at times, albeit with less complexity.

You don’t have to take my word for it, though. Go ahead and pick up a single or a five-pack from NHC and try out the Skull Breaker for yourself (or wait a bit until Pete Johnson’s new L’Atelier Imports brings Surrogates national, which is expected shortly, and you my find this cigar in a shop near you). With excellent construction, an interesting taste, and a bold yet controllable body, this cigar 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

Wandering around a local shop the other day, I spotted an old friend in new dress. The Don Pepin Garcia, known universally as the Blue Label from the band’s predominant color, was sporting a foot wrap and a secondary band reading “Original.” (The old style band is pictured right.)

Enticed, I realized it had been years since I smoked one of these and recalled reading about the company instituting cosmetic changes to make the presentations more cohesive. I picked up the Delicias, a 50-ring gauge Churchill.

This Nicaraguan puro was the first Don Pepin made under his own name. Bursting with flavor and strength, they rolled out of his little factory in Miami’s Calle Ocho and helped propel him to cigar stardom.

Had it changed? I spoke with José Ortega, vice president of sales at My Father Cigars at the company’s headquarters in Doral, Florida, where the cigars are now made, to find out. Ortega confirmed that changes were made to the look of the Blue Label, the Cuban Classic, and the Series JJ lines to create a more unified look.

“The appearance just makes a world of difference,” Ortega said, adding that the blends weren’t altered. Several Blue Label sizes were discontinued, he said, bringing the total now to nine. The Delicias retails for about $7.50 a stick, less by the box of 24.

And how was the smoke? Well, I can answer with a question you’ll likely ask yourself: Why haven’t I been smoking more of these? The cigar has great construction, draw, and burn, working slowly down the 7-inch frame as it produces a wildfire volume of smoke.

That time allows the Blue Label to develop and change several times. Beginning with pepper, it shifts to deep wood and rich leather and even hints of cinnamon and cocoa as it moves along.

Years ago, Patrick S gave another vitola in this line four and a half stogies out of five, and I wouldn’t dream of arguing.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Last night I lit up my first cigar in seven days, and I would wager it was at least twice as enjoyable as it would have been had it been my fourth or fifth cigar of the week.

To get back in the swing of things, I fired up a nice 1495 B.M.E. Dominicana on a stormy night here in Chicago. It was everything I was hoping for and more. Cedar, spice, graham cracker, cream…all with a smooth delivery and near perfect construction. I savored every puff of that La Aurora and enjoyed the heck out of it—probably in no small part due to the fact that I had been on a cigar hiatus.

The hiatus was not self-imposed. Last Monday I woke up with a head cold and battled it all week. In typical fashion, it started with a scratchy throat that turned into a sore throat, then my nose got all stuffed up, and then I just started to feel achy and tired. I’ve read that the average adult experiences two to four colds per year, so I guess I was due.

As I’ve written before, I try not to smoke cigars while I have a cold. Not, mind you, because I think cigars may prolong the cold (although doctors say smokers tend to have longer colds—but then again, doctors say a lot of things). No, I choose to abstain from cigars while sick because, quite simply, I can’t really taste cigars when I’ve got clogged sinuses. My nose is the best instrument I have for tasting cigars, which is why I smoke through the nose when I’m trying to get a complete sense of its profile.

Of course, the timing of the cold wasn’t very good (is it ever?). The same day I started to feel sick was the day my smoke kit from the 2012 Saints & Sinners club arrived in the mail. Last year was the debut of the Tatuaje club, which entitles members to exclusive smokes and members-only forums. This year, the kit included 15 handsome cigars from Pete Johnson, including nice extras like a hat, poker chips, and a lighter. Anyways, the point is it didn’t feel good to have beginnings of a cold right as a nice package of Tatuajes arrives—even if it probably makes sense to let the cigars rest after shipment.

Now that I’m back in the game, though, I’m kind of glad I refrained from cigar smoking for a little while. The brief vacation from cigars reminded me just how lucky I am to have cigars in my life. And that first one I lit up was an absolute treat. So if you’re ailing from a head cold—or if you’re a three-cigar-a-day smoker who’s in a rut—you might try giving cigars a rest for a bit. When you come back, it will be all the sweeter.

–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.”

Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, the man behind E.P. Carrillo Cigars, and before that La Gloria Cubana and El Rico Habano, handed me this cigar when I chatted with him at the IPCPR Trade Show a few weeks back. He said although he wasn’t selling it at the convention, this cigar would be out in September or October. It wasn’t clear the name had been finalized, but he referred to it as the “Red Box” blend (to distinguish it from the black “Core” and white “New Wave Connecticut” blends). I didn’t measure it before I lit this cigar up, but it’s roughly a big robusto size. The taste is notably salty and savory. It is full-bodied with earth, leather, black pepper, and lots going on. While not the most balanced smoke, it offers a full combination of unique flavors and, if the price is similar to its colleagues that come in the black and white boxes, it’ll be well worth picking up.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I first ran across this line a few months back, I was impressed by a single Presto. Now, I’ve been able to smoke quite a few of the Mezzo (6 x 54). If anything, I like it even more.

My shorthand description is that smoking this cigar is akin to lighting up a spice rack. Not the hot, peppery spices that burn, but the exotic tastes that light briefly on your tongue. By no means, though, is that all this limited-run cigar offers. Devote care and attention to it and you will find yourself rewarded with all sorts of flavors, from light, sugary caramel to thick wood and many others.

It’s a fairly fat stick, not a ring gauge I’d usually select. But the additional size adds to the complexity and variety of the cigar, making for an even more satisfying experience. I paid around $8 for an individual purchase.

For me, it’s hard to believe this is an all-Dominican cigar, though many blenders such as Litto Gomez and the Fuentes have shown it’s a mistake to pigeonhole Dominican tobacco. Still, the Aging Room’s punch and pop do make me stop and think. Strength is in the middle range, with virtually no nicotine bite in the well-aged tobacco.  There’s lots of thick, rich smoke, and the draw is excellent.

I have experienced burn problems with a couple I’ve smoked. They weren’t major, mostly just an occasional wrapper going a tad off kilter.

I would recommend this cigar to almost any smoker, from newcomer to veteran. There are some, though, who I think should definitely give it a try. If you’re attempting to expand your palate and see if you can find more flavors, a trip to the Aging Room should be just the sort of graduate school assignment you’re looking for. Or if you’re someone who has gone over the deep end for strong cigars, take a break and try an Aging Room M356. See if you aren’t pleased at what you find.

Speaking of finding, that isn’t always easy with this line. Designated “small batch,” Oliveros (which has recently be renamed Boutique Blends Cigars) says production is limited by the tobacco available, and when it’s all used, it’s over. At the IPCPR Trade Show they told me that while they are introducing two new sizes of this blend, the tobacco stock to make these is dwindling. There are two new Aging Room blends coming and we can only hope they are as tasty.

An excellent cigar, the Aging Room M356 Mezzo is close to the storied five-stogie mark, though burn problems knocked it down just a shade to four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show may have ended earlier this month, but there’s a lot of info I collected there that didn’t make it into our three days of live coverage (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3). Because there is so much more than I had time to report on from Orlando, today is part two (see part one here) in series of updates from the convention:

A.J. Fernandez Cigars

Last year A.J. Fernandez, known as a protégé of the late and highly revered Alejandro Robaina, released Oval. He expanded the line with a Maduro offering this spring. But the newest cigar, introduced at the Trade Show, is Pinolero. It features a light sun-grown wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. It should be shipping any day now. Also of note from A.J. Fernandez was the news that his new factory in Estelí should be opening in November. The new facility will double capacity to 18 million cigars a year.

Boutique Blends Cigars

Boutique Blends Cigars is the new name for the company known as Oliveros Cigars. Following up on some high ratings in 2011, this seems to be a company on the rise. While they don’t do much to advertise it, the SWAG Puro Dominicana cigar is made entirely with tobacco from La Canela, which is better known as the source of some of the best tobacco used by Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana. A new SWAG SoBe (South Beach) cigar was also introduced using 100% Dominican tobacco. Two new sizes were introduced in the original Aging Room line, a parejo (6 x 46) and a perfecto. Also new is the Aging Room Havao line, made with a Connecticut wrapper, and the Aging Room Quattro, a box-pressed cigar featuring a rarely used Indonesian wrapper. Particularly interesting is the Boutique Blends/Oliveros’ shift from a company that a decade ago primarily made flavored cigars to a company that now makes overwhelmingly traditional, non-flavored smokes.

Lou Rodriguez Cigars

Lou Rodriguez, the only doctor I know who makes cigars, says he’s focused on growing his brand but not adding new lines at every Trade Show. That means no new releases this year. The brand is growing, however, and was in roughly 100 stores across the country before the convention started. Still, the Lou Rodriguez Edición Premiere is a must-try for those who like earthy, full-bodied Nicaraguans.

Miami Cigar & Co.

Always busy with plenty of new releases, 2012 was no exception for Miami Cigars, which also distributes for its partner La Aurora, the oldest Dominican cigar company. Fernando León is a new cigar by La Aurora that was the personal cigar of family patriarch Fernando León. The 100% Dominican Cien Años returns 10 years after it originally debuted. Merlion, made by La Aurora for Miami’s La Sirena line (Ecuadorian corojo wrapper over a Brazilian binder with filler from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil) also debuted. On the Miami Cigar side, the Nestor Miranda Collection now features a third wrapper style, with a milder Connecticut blend being added to the Rosado and Oscuro. Another new cigar is the Añoranzas (pictured above) which has a Nicaraguan Habano oscuro wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. (To keep track of all their new releases, including some we didn’t mention, you should check out the Miami Cigars blog here and here.)

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys