The Stogie Guys

Don Tomás is one of many brands produced by General Cigar, which is either the largest or second largest cigar company in the world, depending on who you ask.

Being a label in the General Cigar portfolio carries both advantages and disadvantages. As far as disadvantages go, Don Tomás is often overshadowed by the more visible General brands, including Macanudo, Cohiba, Punch, Partagas, and La Gloria. And I think it’s safe to say that many cigar veterans tend to snub their noses at mass-produced cigars like those made by General, no matter how good they may be.

As for the advantages, Don Tomás can thank General for both its wide distribution and its affordable price. For example, the subject of today’s review, the Don Tomás Maduro Robusto, can be found at many online and brick and mortar retailers, and it can be purchased for as little as $2 to $3 when bought by the box of 25.

This cigar measures 5.5 inches long with a ring gauge of 50. It has a smooth Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper around Honduran and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Made at the Centro American Cigars factory in Danlí, Honduras, the Robusto makes a better impression than its price might suggest, with its firm feel and pre-light aroma of light cocoa and coffee.

Once lit, the initial profile is mild and sugary with hardly any spice. The syrupy texture tastes of raisin, dark chocolate, marshmallow creaminess, and some typical maduro sweetness. The draw is a tad tight, resulting in less smoke production per puff than I’m accustomed to. Aside from the draw, the construction qualities are outstanding—particularly for such an inexpensive smoke. The burn line is very straight and the white ash layers nicely off the foot, where it holds strong for over an inch.

I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the Don Tomás Maduro Robusto, and I wasn’t. The flavors are just OK with little complexity and hardly any variance from start to finish (the only major change is the introduction of some woodsy spice at the end). That said, if you’re looking for an everyday maduro that won’t break the bank, you could do a lot worse. That’s why this smoke earns three out of five stogies.

[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 Torpedo (6.1 x 52) is more my size than the large Gordo-sized version I reviewed last summer. The Nicaraguan and Honduran cigar has plenty of talent behind it, as La Palina worked with Alec Bradley to develop the cigar, which is made in the Raices Cubana factory in Honduras. The result is an earthy, full-bodied smoke with a bit of spice, black coffee, and bittersweet chocolate. Even at around $11 each, it’s an cigar that’s not hard to appreciate.

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.”

Like the Riserva di Famiglia that I reviewed in December, this blend is made for Tennessee’s Bellaterra Ranch by the Toraño family. It features Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos wrapped in a golden Ecuadorian wrapper. Italian for “the sweet life,” the blend has a light, sugary profile of honey, oak, and toffee, and the physical properties—despite a somewhat stiff draw—are excellent. This is a good selection if you’re looking for a mild lancero that’s off the beaten path.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

StogieGuys.com has confirmed that General Cigar, Altadis, Oliva, and Davidoff have told retailers that prices will be going up on many (though not necessarily all) of their cigars.

Altadis price increases ranged from 2.5% to 5%. Altadis USA  makes Montecristo, H. Upmann, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad, Siglo, Te-Amo, and many other well-known brands. Retailers also have been notified that Davidoff—maker of Davidoff, Winston Churchill, Camacho, Avo, and other lines—is also increasing prices.

General Cigar/STG, the largest producer of premium handmade cigars for import into the United States, raised prices around 3% earlier this week. However, the company’s CAO lines—only recently integrated into the company (details here)—were not included in the price hike. The CAO Cameroon and CAO Maduro cigar prices are decreasing, while the prices of other large cigars sold under the CAO name remain unchanged. According to the company, the increases were implemented “to offset the rising cost of tobacco, manufacturing, and logistics.”

Tobacconists we spoke with didn’t think the price hikes were unexpected. One shop owner felt that many companies had paused normal price increases immediately after the SCHIP tax went into effect to ease the burden on retailers, making the new hike understandable.

Another cigar shop owner was supportive of the increased prices “as long as these companies start committing the necessary financial resources to protect the premium cigar industry from being regulated and taxed out of business by the government.”  General Cigar, Davidoff, Altadis, and Oliva are all listed as “friends of CRA” on the Cigar Rights of America website. [Disclosure: StogieGuys.com is listed as a “CRA Partner” on the same page.]

The practical impact of a 5% increase is that a cigar previously sold to the shop wholesale for $3 would now be $3.15, generally resulting in an increase of the retail price from $6 to $6.30. Time will tell whether consumers are willing to absorb the increase without changing their purchasing habits, or if they respond by purchasing less expensive cigars and/or decreasing the frequency of their cigar purchases.

[UPDATE: Originally this article noted a report on another site that Alec Bradley VP of Sales George Sosa said the company was planning a future price increase of an undetermined amount.  That story has since been pulled on the basis that Alec Bradley withdrew confirmation.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’m often on the lookout for a bourbon to try, bourbon being my go-to spirit in the winter.

Johnny Drum Private Stock caught my eye the last time I was at my liquor store. I decided to pick up a 750 ml. bottle since the price was right. At about $30, the cost places this 101-proof spirit comfortably between the lower-end bourbons and the most expensive bourbons. For me, this middle ground is the most fruitful to explore.

Most of the information I wanted to learn about Johnny Drum Private Stock could be gleaned from the label or the tiny pamphlet that comes affixed to the bottle’s neck. Without even browsing the web, true or not, I discovered that the spirit is named for a young lad who served in the Civil War as a drummer boy. “At the end of the war, legend has it that Johnny returned home to settle amongst the rolling bluegrass knobs of his native Kentucky, where he staked his claim among a beautiful spring,” reads the pamphlet. “Johnny soon learned the importance of finding a way to convert his excess corn crop into a profitable item…and it wasn’t long before Johnny’s determination produced an exceptional bourbon whiskey.”

Today, Johnny Drum Private Stock is produced by the Johnny Drum Distilling Company of Bardstown, Kentucky. It is charcoal-filtered and aged for 15 years before it is packaged in wax-topped bottles. (That wax, by the way, is pretty darn hard to get off, and underneath is a disappointing plastic screw top.) The spirit is a dark reddish color in the bottle and amber when poured in a glass. It has a very faint honey aroma with a buttery creaminess. I found very little spice on the nose and virtually no alcohol bite—all of which makes this bourbon seem very approachable based on first impressions.

Sipping the Private Stock neat, the first thing you notice is the tingly spice on your lips and the front of your tongue. As this spice lingers, a smooth sweetness moves in that’s reminiscent of toffee and nougat. There are also some charry burnt notes present that add balance. But the overall affect is fairly light and vanilla-like for a bourbon.

This lightness makes Johnny Drum Private Stock quite versatile as a cigar companion. In my experience, it works well with both fuller-bodied maduros and milder Connecticut-wrapped smokes. I think the Illusione cg4, for instance, pairs really well. But I encourage you to pick up a bottle and do some experimenting of your own.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

These days, Don Pepin Garcia and his son Jaime make many smokes at their My Father Cigars factory in Estelí that are sold under many different labels. Their Nicaraguan outfit may span seven acres, but the influence of the Garcias is felt across the entire industry.

In addition to the smokes they produce for other brands, the Garcias also make several lines that are sold under their own labels, including La Reloba, Jaime Garcia, Le Bijou, and Cedros Deluxe. The most recognizable, and perhaps the finest, though, is the original My Father line, which was introduced in 2008.

My Father was developed by Jaime as a tribute to his father. The elder Garcia reportedly didn’t know Jaime was working on the project until it was near completion. But when Don Pepin sampled the blend—made with Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos and a habano/criollo hybrid wrapper from Ecuador—he loved it and was touched when Jaime told him he wanted to call it “My Father.”

The robusto-sized No. 1 (5.5 x 52) sells for around $10. It is a very attractive smoke with a gorgeous band and a smooth, oily wrapper. The pre-light aroma is characterized by notes of caramel and cocoa. Clipping the triple cap yields an easy draw.

After an even light is established, a profile of black pepper, cedar spice, coffee, and chocolate emerges. It tastes dry and tannic on the palate. The aroma from the thick, dense resting smoke is sweet and creamy. The strength and body are powerful, making this one of the rare full-bodied creations that combines boldness and complexity.

That boldness—particularly the nicotine kick—is on full display after the midway point and into the final third, where it pays to smoke slowly to keep the temperature of the foot relatively cool. Still, the My Father No. 1 is no simple sledgehammer. It has the subtlety and nuance that seasoned cigar smokers look for in cigars in this price range. And it also has outstanding physical properties, including a solid gray ash that holds firm and a straight burn line.

I’ve been a fan of this particular smoke for years now, always keeping at least a few on hand. I know I’m not alone in my adoration of this cigar, and I have no reservations about awarding the My Father No. 1 a rare rating of 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.”

My colleague thought well enough of the re-launched, Pepin-made El Tiante Habano Rosado that I thought I better check it out.  This well-made 5 inch by 50 RG robusto, features an oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. Like my colleague, I found a medium-bodied cigar, with classic Pepin spice and woodiness. It features clove, toast and oak with a cinnamon finish, and it’s well constructed. I really enjoyed the pre-Pepin Tiante blend, but this current blend also has a lot to offer. Fans of Pepin’s many cigars (of which I include myself) should definitely seek out this balanced, well-made cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys