The Stogie Guys

My approach to aging cigars has gone from haphazard to chaotic. I frequently forget to use stick-on labels to date my purchases or give much thought to what might benefit from serious time in the humidor.

It’s not that I don’t believe some cigars benefit from aging. I’m just not organized enough to do it well. How I envy those of you who meticulously record your stash in a database.

But, as they say, even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while. And when I pulled this 6.25-inch, lightly pressed maduro out the other day, I noted on the sticker attached to the yellowing cellophane that it had spent a bit over two years in the humidor. While I’ve long been a fan of all the 601 colors, the Serie Blue isn’t my top choice, and I suppose that’s why it had gone unsmoked.

But now I wish I had more. The aroma of the Habano wrapper and the Nicaraguan filler was deep, rich tobacco with a hint of chocolate. It clearly lived up to Cigar Aficionado’s description as “both gorgeous and delicious” when CA ranked it sixth among the top cigars of 2009.

The flavors were a rich blend of coffee, cocoa, and that appealing maduro sweetness. It burned perfectly, produced lots of smoke, and had a buttery smooth finish. It wasn’t dramatically different than one from the shelf, but aging had created a subtlety and depth that pushed it to another level.

This was Don Pepin Garcia’s first maduro and he clearly knew how to make it shine. It is brilliant with two years of age..

At around $7 a stick, I’m awfully tempted to buy more and see if I can duplicate this experience in 2014. That is, if I can remember to mark them when I buy them and then refrain from smoking them along the way.

With a full two years of age on it, I rate this EO 601 Serie “Blue” Toro a full 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.]

–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.”

Quorum is a bundle smoke made by J.C. Newman in Nicaragua that sells for under $2 and for as little as $1 when bought by the bundle. According the J.C. Newman’s website, Quorum is “the world’s most popular handmade cigar sold in bundles.” It features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and mixed Nicaraguan filler. The Habano wrapper imparts a clean, woody flavor that I’ve come to recognize and enjoy from that Ecuadorian wrapper. Overall, it’s not particularly complex but it does feature unoffensive wood and earth flavors, with an occasional burst of sourness. Construction was good on the one Quorum I smoked, just don’t expect the ash to hold very long. While I’m not really a bundle cigar smoker and it’s far from my favorite cigar, I can see what makes this cigar so popular. It’s solidly-made, medium-bodied, and, best of all, very cheap.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Ever since we got back ,we’ve been sharing videos and photos from our recent trip to Estelí, Nicaragua, with Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari. Today we wrap up our coverage of that awesome adventure with what we think is the most interesting video yet.

In the following footage, Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate talks about the challenges of building his brand and maintaining consistency. A big part of those challenges was a sabotage of his factory in 2002 at the hands of one of his former employees—an employee who was paid off by another cigar maker who didn’t want Drew Estate to succeed.

We’ll resume our normal coverage of the world of cigars tomorrow. Meanwhile, if you haven’t already seen them, you can check out photos from our trip here. And for videos, please see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Finally, we’d like to once again thank everyone at Drew Estate for an unforgettable time.

–The Stogie Guys

video credit: Stogie Guys

Today we are sharing the sixth and seventh installments in our series of videos from our recent trip to Estelí, Nicaragua, with Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari.

In today’s first video, Steve Saka, president of Drew Estate, discusses how tobacco is prepped before it is actually made into a cigar. First, from one of Drew Estate’s tobacco storage and processing facilities, he discusses Drew Estate’s philosophy on fermenting wrapper, with the goals being taste and flavor. Then, at the Drew Estate factory, he shows how tobacco is prepared immediately before it is rolled into cigars.

In today’s second video, Steve Saka takes us onto the factory floor. There, he talks about how Drew Estate chooses to have buncheros make cigars before finally bringing us into the special humidified room where Liga Privada cigars are rolled.

We’ll resume the video coverage of our Nicaraguan adventure tomorrow. Meanwhile, you can check out our previously published coverage of the trip at your convenience. Photos are here. And for videos, please see Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

–The Stogie Guys

video credit: Stogie Guys

Today we are sharing the fourth and fifth installments in our series of videos from our recent trip to Estelí, Nicaragua, with Drew Estate’s Cigar Safari.

In today’s first video, Steve Saka, president of Drew Estate, talks about some of the things that make his company and factory different from other cigar operations in Nicaragua and around the world. “Do you know how to become a millionaire in the cigar business?” he asks. “Start with $10 million.” The moral of the story: Producing cigars successfully is incredibly difficult.

In today’s second video, Steve Saka discusses Drew Estate’s business practices and how the company is socially conscious about its workforce. What other cigar factory provides life insurance to all of its employees?

We’ll resume the video coverage of our Nicaraguan adventure tomorrow. Meanwhile, you can check out our previously published coverage of the trip at your convenience. Photos are here. And for videos, please see Part 1 and Part 2.

–The Stogie Guys

video 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.”

When my colleague awarded this cigar a rare five-stogie rating in March, I knew I couldn’t wait too long to try it for myself. My first experience was a pleasant one, as the Rogue Rothschild (5.6 x 54) yielded excellent construction, bountiful tufts of smoke with each easy puff, and a solid profile of dark chocolate, nougat, black pepper, dry wood, and spice. I can’t quite affirm my cohort’s high rating, but this Berger & Argenti Entubar V32 is an easy recommendation, even though it costs $11 to $14 each.

Verdict = Buy.

–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 written before about Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s knack for making cigars that hit just the right notes for me, but looking back I realized that there’s just one of his cigars that we never got around to writing up, the 2011 Short Run. From what I can tell, the cigar is very similar to the 2010 Short Run, with the exception of the wrapper: the 2011 uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper instead of the Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf that was featured in the first Short Run. The result is similar to the 2010 Short Run, only with a few twists. While it’s still cedary and toasty, it lacks some of the creaminess or balance that I enjoyed in the 2010, and there’s a very faint sourness that doesn’t quite hit my palate right. Still, with excellent construction and a reasonable price tag of around $6 each, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this cigar, even though I prefer the 2010 and 2012 Short Runs.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys