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.”

Set to be officially released at the IPCPR show this week, this Corona (5.5 x 43) is a new addition to La Aurora’s recently-introduced 107 line. It features a relatively vein-free Ecuadorian wrapper around Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Smooth medium-bodied flavors make for an interesting smoke, with leather, spice, graham, and warm woody flavors. Construction is superb, and this format is a perfect vehicle for this complex, balanced smoke.

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.”

PG Cigars is a great all-around brand, but my favorite blend from this old-school boutique manufacturer has to be the 15th Anniversary. It was first released in 2005 in only one size and is now available in ten vitolas, including the Short Robusto (4 x 50). A stout smoke, it boasts smooth yet full flavors as varied as cedar and melon to cinnamon and pine—all in harmonious cooperation. I can’t say enough about this complex, well-constructed cigar. Suffice to say it is well worth its price tag of about $12 apiece.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you’ve met Jesus Fuego, I’m sure you’ll agree that he is a likable, animated cigar personality with a sincere passion for high-quality tobacco. My first encounter with him was at the IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans last summer.

More recently, we chatted at the Cigar Expo in June. That’s where he told me about the forthcoming full release of his Origen line, which is set to launch next week at the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. Over the last two years, three limited edition Origen vitolas have been leaked to the market, starting with 500 boxes of the inaugural size, the Toro. Fuego said he chose this strategy to thank those retailers who have supported his brand from the beginning.

The Origen recipe is composed of 100% Cuban-seed corojo tobaccos with a Costa Rican binder and a two-country filler blend from Honduras and Nicaragua. The wrapper, a Brazilian corojo leaf, is “the darker sister of the wrapper of the 777 Corojo,” Fuego told me. It is intended to produce a “much richer blend.”

Now he is ready to share this blend on a larger scale with a complete lineup of sizes, including a Lancero (7.5 x 38). This slender smoke retails for approximately $6-7 apiece. It has a toothy, almost leathery exterior with modest veins and ample oils. Reddish in color and firm in the hand, it carries a sweet, earthy fragrance.

Establishing an even light is as easy as striking a match. From the outset, the medium-bodied flavor is of coffee beans, nuts, and dry wood with some sweet caramel on the finish. Balanced and savory. The draw is a tad tight but on par with what you’d expect from a typical lancero.

Moving into the midway point, the profile becomes creamier and sweeter while losing some bite. The overall taste remains decidedly medium-bodied, however, especially since the dry wood and coffee flavors maintain their prominence. As the draw opens nicely to reveal more of a smooth, chalky texture, I am surprised at the level of spice—seems to me like there would be more zing from an all-corojo creation.

But I won’t count that against the Origen Lancero; it has a unique flavor that stands all on its own. Complementing the taste are superior physical characteristics, not the least of which are a perfectly straight burn and a well-built white ash.

So this new line from Jesus Fuego earns high marks in my book. While I don’t think it’s going to blow cigar veterans away, it is consistently enjoyable from light to nub. Based on the three samples I smoked for this review, the Origen Lancero is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Twenty-three years ago, Avo Uvezian founded a cigar company at the age of 61. A Lebanese-born jazz pianist and a former jewelry designer, he was an unlikely addition to the world of cigars. But this Juilliard-trained talent would quickly make a big impact on the industry.

His two-year search for the best Dominican tobacco ended with Hendrik Kelner of Davidoff. No surprise there. Uvezian paid Kelner top dollar to secure the highest quality leaves and the most attractive packaging for his eponymous brand. The gamble paid off. In only its third year of existence, Avo sold over 750,000 cigars, prompting Uvezian to ink a distribution deal with Davidoff to expand his market.

Uvezian ultimately sold his brand to Davidoff in 1995. Avo has since grown well past its Classic line to include the XO Trio, Quartetto, Signature, Maduro, Puritos, 787, various limited editions, and the Domaine.

The latter was introduced in 1998 as a stronger counterpart to the traditional Classic series. It boasts a double-fermented Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper with tobaccos from the “Domaine Avo” fields in the Dominican Republic.

There are six vitolas currently in production. The robusto-sized Domaine 10 (5.1 x 50) is a smooth, dark-looking smoke with scant veins, a beautifully crafted triple cap, and a gorgeous purple and silver band. The external leaf gives off only the slightest pre-light aroma, but the foot emits a bouquet of sweet chocolate. In all, a great first impression.

As for taste, the Domaine 10 starts with a flourish of powdery cocoa and black pepper. It is neither mild nor strong with a medium-bodied flavor that’s enhanced by a nutty creaminess. Each effortless draw yields tufts of thick, billowy smoke, lending to the dry profile a light texture.

This cigar’s clear draw also makes it prone to overheating. Smoking slowly will help you avoid the harsh bitter notes that crop up if the tobacco is cooked at too high a temperature. The other combustion qualities are superb, however, including a nice burn and a fine white ash.

The Avo Domaine 10 is enjoyable from beginning to end, but it’s at its best between the black pepper intro and the spicy cedar finale. That’s when all the silky creaminess is allowed to shine through. A smart buy for $6 apiece with subtlety that overshadows a few hiccups, this cigar is worthy of three 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.”

Davidoff’s first all-Dominican blend, the Puro Dominicano Robsuto, was rumored to be an early version of the new Puro D’Oro—Davidoff’s first new regular line since the 2008 Maduro blend. The robusto starts with a slightly unbalanced burst of black pepper, but soon settles into a mouthwatering blend of butter and almond with subtle spices. Construction is flawless, and while it doesn’t seem to have much in common with the Puro d’Oro, it is a interesting smoke that’s well worth a try.

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.”

A new cigar company celebrating its first anniversary, Mederos hits all the right notes if you’re looking for a sub-$7 smoke with excellent construction and a mild, complex flavor profile. The Fifty 3 – Torpedo (6.1 x 52) boasts tremendous physical properties with a savory taste of sweet cedar and cinnamon. Like the Fifty 1 – Robusto, this Nicaraguan puro is an easy recommendation.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Fonseca, established in 1974 when the Quesada family opened a Dominican factory, has built a reputation for mild-tasting cigars anchored by its original Connecticut shade blend. These days their portfolio is a bit more diversified.

Their collection includes Habana Selección, a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos wrapped in a habana criollo ’98 leaf. I reviewed the robusto-sized Cosacos in March and found it to be uncomplicated and, frankly, rather dull.

Hoping for a better outcome, I’ve set my sights on the Serie F, a three-vitola line launched in 2003 by Manuel Quesada to attract fans of fuller-bodied cigars. It features a Connecticut wrapper with a Mexican binder and Cuban-seed ligero filler—a blend that is said to be only slightly stronger than the original Fonseca. Quesada, after all, is no fan of brute power.

Handmade at the Manufactura de Tabacos S.A. factory in Santiago, the Serie F Toro measures six inches with a 50 ring gauge. It is a sturdy stick with a well-packed cross-section of tobacco, a firm feel, and several prominent veins and protruding seams. The golden, triple-capped exterior yields only the slightest pre-light aroma of sweet hay and sawdust.

The “F” in “Serie F” stands for fuerte, which is Spanish for “strong.” And while the blend is certainly stronger than the original Fonseca, it is a far cry from the bold cigars that have grown in popularity in recent years. I would even venture to say that the Toro leans to the milder side of the medium-bodied spectrum.

But it certainly isn’t without flavor. The profile is characterized by a dry, biting saltiness with warm tobacco and plenty of cedar and spice. A vegetal flavor—one that I can best describe as green pepper—dominates the lingering aftertaste and the aromatic resting smoke. The whole effect is interesting yet lacking in nuance.

As far as the physical properties are concerned, the Toro earns high marks for its solid white ash, straight burn, and clear draw. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cigar in this price range with better construction.

Still, I can’t see myself reaching for another Serie F Toro in the near future. Despite its wallet friendly price tag of $4-6 apiece, it is too salty, occasionally hot and bitter, and, although unique with hints of sweetness here and there, not balanced enough to hold my attention. I therefore award this Fonseca two and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys