The Stogie Guys

According to Corner Creek’s website, its distribution spans 30 states, not including the one in which I reside. That’s why I was surprised to find this limited production Reserve Bourbon in stock at my local liquor store in Virginia. It goes without saying that I couldn’t resist picking up a bottle for a test drive.

Corner Creek is distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky, and smoothed with pure limestone water. The blend of wheat, corn, and rye—“a selection of the distillery’s finest barrels”—is then aged for eight years in American oak barrels and packaged in shouldered punt bottles.

Notwithstanding its muted copper hue, Corner Creek’s shape and artwork makes it look more like a wine than bourbon. It’s easy to overlook in a store but looks handsome on the shelf. Each bottle (750 ml., 88 proof) sells in the affordable $25-30 range.

What makes Corner Creek stand out, according to company marketing materials, is that its Reserve Bourbon is “only lightly filtered so that it retains all its complex flavor in as pure and natural a state as possible.” This strategy will win over bourbon enthusiasts who value a hearty, rustic taste and disappoint others who want more smoothness.

The Corner Creek experience starts innocently enough with a crisp nose of charcoal, sawdust, and banana skin. The first sip, though, carries a distinct smoky flavor with notes of dry steak, syrup, and loads of spice. A bit rough around the edges for my taste.

Since this bourbon isn’t necessarily what I’d call refined or elegant, I found myself mixing it up with a splash of Diet Coke instead of drinking it straight or on the rocks. Doing so helps mediate its heavy-hitting character and long, zesty finish.

As you might imagine, Corner Creek pairs best with medum- to full-flavored smokes. I enjoyed it with a CAO Brazilia, J.L. Salazar, Punch Champion, and Sam Leccia’s Cain. All of these produced delightful combinations.

Still, your degree of satisfaction will vary greatly based on your approach to bourbon. I was neither wowed nor utterly disappointed. That said, it may be awhile before I pick up another bottle of Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Litto Gomez’s Coronado by La Flor made quite a splash when it was introduced. The full-flavored smoke earned many accolades, including a five-stogie rating and the number two spot on Cigar Aficionado‘s 2006 list of Top 25 Cigars.

Litto, known for innovations like the chisel shape, is constantly experimenting with limited edition smokes. This maduro-wrapped edition of the Coronado is the result of one such experiment. According to the shops that carry it, only 83 boxes of 24 will ever be made—making the two cigars I sampled for this review more than 1/1,000th of the total run.

The cigars come in only one size: a 5 and 7/8 inch by 47 ring gauge Corona Especial. They retail for $10 each and are only available at a handful of shops. In fact, I’ve only seen them at two B&Ms: Jack Schwarz and Arnold’s.

The Dominican-made smokes feature an Ecuadorian maduro wrapper. The wrapper is dark, slightly reddish, and rustic with a many visible veins. Underneath is the same Dominican filler and Dominican corojo binder from the normal Coronado line. Pre-light, the cigar gives off a fantastic cherry aroma.

The Corona Especial starts with a burst strength. There are chocolate, nut,  and warm tobacco flavors, resulting in an intense full-bodied smoke. By the midway point it mellowed slightly with some nutty notes emerging. Later, it picks up again when a strong peppery spice comes to the forefront.

Even though they’re both flavorful cigars, the maduro version is not as balanced or nuanced as its natural counterpart. This blend does, however, give off a pleasant aroma of licorice and cherries.

Then there were the construction issues (notably uncharacteristic of Litto Gomez smokes) that just shouldn’t happen  in a $10 cigar. One sample had a straight burn but required multiple re-lights. The other sample needed multiple touch-ups to fix persistent canoeing.

All in all, the Coronado Maduro is quite a mixed bag. It has a unique and interesting combination of deep, intense flavors, yet serious construction issues and an occasional lack of  balance. That’s why the Coronado by La Flor Corona Especial Maduro earns three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Named for statesman and diplomat John Hay—perhaps best known as Abraham Lincoln’s secretary—John Hay Cigars was founded in 1882 by W.W. Stewart.

Their website, while not the most sophisticated, provides plenty of information about the history of the Pennsylvania-based company and its products.

The John Hay Anniversary, a six and a half inch by 52 ring gauge Pyramid, celebrates 125 years of John Hay Cigars. It features a light brown Habana 2000 wrapper and a “special blend” of filler.

Hand rolled in the Dominican Republic, only 1,882 of these cigars were made to commemorate the company’s founding year. Now the company says they are “down to the last couple hundred.”

The Pyramid has a rugged appearance with some prominent veins. It is so firm to the touch that it causes me to be concerned about a tight draw.

Pre-light, the John Hay Anniversary smells like hay and honey. The cap clips easily and, despite my previous concerns, reveals a very good draw. The foot lights up easily and the first few puffs yield hay, honey, and cinnamon spiciness.

Both of the samples I smoked for this review featured a burn that went ragged from the beginning but never required a touch-up.

As they progress, the hay flavor remains and the cinnamon spiciness increases, while the honey flavor diminishes.

Nearing the end, a harsher taste starts to develop and I set it down for good with a little more than an inch remaining.

On sale on the company website for $6 per stick, the John Hay Anniversary Pyramid is not a complex cigar but is nonetheless enjoyable on the mild side of medium.

With adequate construction and burn properties, its flavors earn it three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

At the IPCPR Trade Show in August, Nub creator Sam Leccia introduced the fourth blend of his popular Nub line featuring a Brazilian maduro wrapper. The cigar demonstrates classic maduro coffee and cocoa flavors with more subtle notes of creamy peanut butter and leather. The medium- to full-bodied smoke also includes impressive balance and classic Nub construction, with a perfect burn, easy draw, and an ash that only needs to be tapped off twice during the entire smoke. This is a must-try for Nub fans.

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 take on a single cigar.

I’ve had many good experiences with Arganese cigars over the years. In this particular case, however, and with this particular Robusto (5 x 50), I was left disappointed. Its blend of a Nicaraguan wrapper, Dominican binder, and Dominican filler tobaccos produced a dry, unbalanced papery taste with a salty harshness. Construction was admirable—especially for a $4-5 stick—but I didn’t enjoy much else.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all consider Cain to be first son of Adam and Eve. But this biblical figure, regarded by many as “from the wicked one,” is better remembered as the murderer of his brother, Abel, and more generally as the embodiment of evil.

So given its high-powered makeup, “Cain” seemed a fitting name for Nub creator Sam Leccia’s new brand. It is, after all, a “straight ligero” blend. And ligero is recognized as the most full-flavored of leaves due to their concentration of nutrients and direct exposure to sunlight at the top of the tobacco plant.

As Leccia told us at last month’s IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans, Cain is 82 percent—not 100 percent—ligero because any cigar comprised entirely of ligero leaves would inherently suffer from serious combustion deficiencies. Both the Maduro- and Habano-wrapped versions of this blend incorporate three different ligero tobaccos grown in the Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua.

The six inch by 50 ring gauge Habano Toro could be easily mistaken for a cigar with a more traditional proportion of ligero, seco, and viso tobaccos. It has an oily, clean-looking wrapper, a fairly solid feel, and pre-light fragrances of sweet cocoa and spice.

While Cain certainly doesn’t look like the progenitor of annihilation, appearances can be deceiving. The first few puffs are remarkably bold and densely packed with notes of peppercorn and dry wood. A background of leather and light sugar, though, adds depth.

To its credit, Cain turns out to be much more than just a heavy-handed bomb of strength and intensity. The Habano Toro is surprisingly smooth and complex, especially as it progresses past the midway point. This is likely the result of the triple fermentation process that Leccia employs to reduce the natural harshness of ligero tobacco.

So what we have here is a bit of a paradox. Leccia presumably created this straight ligero blend to satisfy the palates of enthusiasts of full-bodied cigars, yet he actively took steps to somewhat dilute the edge of ligero tobacco. The result is a blend that’s big on taste but not as explosive as some other sticks on the market (say, the 601 Green).

But I like this cigar for what it is—a rich $6-8 stick with more nuance and smoothness than meets the eye. I also like the fact that Leccia and Oliva include a 12-page pamphlet on Cain’s makeup, fermentation, and flavor in each 24-count box. Making such information readily available is sadly an industry rarity. So despite its occasional construction flaws and some bitter notes, the Cain Habano Toro earns four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Partagas  Serie D No. 4 is one of the best regarded cigars in the world, and with good reason. That robusto (4.8 x 50) features a powerful combination of cedar and spice. It’s a classic representation of the fuller-bodied “new school” Cubans.

With that pedigree, it should come as no surprise that Habanos S.A. sought to capitalize on the Serie D No. 4 fame with a limited edition smoke. For the 2008 Edición Limitada, it introduced the slightly shorter Partagas Serie D No. 5, attempting to provide the flavor of the No. 4 in the trendy short robusto (4.3 x 50) format.

This double-banded Cuban features tobacco aged at least two years. The wrapper is oily, but it also has a number of large, unsightly veins. The cigar is relatively firm to the touch, and features a notably squared-off cap that requires a precise cut so as not to expose too much filler.

After a few puffs I was concerned that this was simply an overpriced dud. Fortunately, the vegetal flavors quickly faded, making way for a full-bodied, earthy smoke with black pepper. Later notes of cinnamon, clove, and leather emerged to provide new depth, although the leather sometimes fades into an unpleasant bitterness.

Construction is superb. Unlike many Cubans I’ve smoked lately, the burn is straight and requires no touch-ups.

Those combustion qualities make the complex, balanced flavors of the Partagas Serie D No. 5 easy to enjoy. A little tougher to enjoy is the price, which runs $15-20 per cigar.

Despite the price and occasional bitterness, this fireplug provides a lively 45-60 minutes of bold, intermingled flavors. That’s why the Partagas Serie D No. 5 LE 2008 earns a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys