The 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.

This little cigar (4 x44) features a rustic Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper around Nicaraguan and “proprietary” filler. It starts mild-bodied with cocoa and grass flavors and had a noticeably dry finish throughout. As the smoke progressed it settled into a mild-medium profile with a nutty flavor overtaking the grassiness. While the draw was a touch firm, the rest of the construction was flawless. All around, this is a solid smoke worth picking up.

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.

This five inch by 52 ring gauge Robusto, which had been aging in my humidor since I reviewed it last May, was every bit as good as I had remembered. In that time the rich espresso flavor maintained its black pepper spice, cashew cream, and maduro sweetness, and the combustion qualities were likewise impressive. This Connecticut broadleaf-wrapped beauty, which sells for about $146 per box of 25, reaffirmed my belief that Darryl Lieser’s Isla de Cuba is one of the best boutiques.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Por Larrañaga is a famous Cuban brand that holds the title of oldest continuously produced cigar in the world, having first been created in 1834. And as detailed in this review, there are no shortage of non-Cuban imitations to this famous frontmark, with at least three different lines being produced.

The Cuban Grade is a recent addition to the Por Larrañaga universe. In early 2007, Cuban Imports began distributing the line, which is made in the Flor de Copán factory in Honduras.

The 5.5 inch by 44 ring gauge corona gorda is made with a deep brown maduro wrapper from the San Andres Valley of Mexico. Inside is a Mexican binder and a mixture of Dominican and Honduran long-fillers. The cigars I sampled tended to be a bit spongy, and a few had one particularly soft side that would go on to create burn problems.

With a dark toothy appearance, this maduro tasted a lot like it looked: rich and earthy but with a bit of dry bitterness. The flavor reminds me of dark bitersweet chocolate. It’s not a particularly complex smoke, but it has a nice medium-bodied profile that goes well with a cup of espresso.

The construction, however, wasn’t very impressive. The ash is flaky and tends to fall off unexpectedly, often after only a half inch. And while most of the samples I tried burned evenly, one in four sticks required a touch-up. Fortunately, the firm draw was not problematic.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Por Larrañaga Cuban Grade line is the price. The suggested retail price for abox of 20 is $120. On some websites, though, they can be found for the most reasonable price of $40 a box. At that price I suspect a smoker would be willing to deal with some of the construction issues that I found.

All in all, this relatively new Por Larrañaga won’t blow anyone away and the persistent construction issues were disappointing. But that doesn’t mean it won’t make a pleasant accompaniment to a cup of coffee or a round of golf—at least for 45 minutes of it. For that, the Por Larrañaga Cuban Grade Corona Gorda Maduro earns a rating of three stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With limited production, high prices, and few retailers, Graycliff is among the most elusive of the super premium cigar brands. And I suspect, for many of us, Enrico Garzaroli’s creations will become even more obscure as today’s economic turmoil continues to take its toll.

Nevertheless, there are deals to be had. You can avoid this 6 inch by 52 ring gauge cigar’s regular price tag by picking it up in online samplers—a good strategy if you haven’t yet tried a 1666, since the Pirate vitola retails for $12-16 apiece by the box or 5-pack.

Various Graycliff lines, from Château Grand Cru and Espresso to Profesionale and Emerald, have earned high marks in mainstream publications like Cigar Aficionado and Smoke Magazine. To date, I’ve enjoyed every Graycliff I’ve encountered. I remain skeptical, however, that they’re worth the extremely high cost.

I set out to see if the 1666 blend would be an exception with the help of two Pirates from my humidor. Created to commemorate the year a church was built on the land that now holds the Graycliff Hotel, this line includes a Jaltepec maduro wrapper, an Ecuador Sumatra binder, and long filler tobaccos from Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico.

I found tons of hearty flavors off the dark, textured, and splotchy wrapper, including raisin, espresso, and cocoa. Dare I say it almost captures the prelight aroma of an Opus X?

While this stick is undoubtedly firmer than other Graycliffs (which isn’t saying much), it clips cleanly to reveal a light, airy draw. The foot lights effortlessly and starts with a surprisingly gentle flavor of plum, cream, and coffee. Each puff yields plentiful tufts of smoke.

As the straight burn progresses past the first inch, I am reminded of a moist chocolate cake flavor that is found in cigars with mata fina wrappers like the Alonso Menendez. Delicious. Maintaining a flavorful, medium-bodied profile throughout, the final third sees a slightly lamentable departure to more typical cigar tastes of tobacco and pepper.

The well-behaved burn stays even to the nub with only rare instances of required maintenance. The ash builds nicely off the foot for up to two inches, but it’s less sturdy than it looks; ash early and often if you’re smoking indoors or if you want to avoid a lapful.

All things considered, and even though this creation isn’t worthy of such an obnoxious price tag, the Graycliff 1666 Pirate earns four 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 take on a single cigar.

I don’t know what it is about these Don Pepin Cuban Classics, but they’ve been difficult to figure out—at times excellent, other times just fair. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of the better cigars I’ve smoked from what is, in my experience, Don Pepin’s most inconsistent blend. The smoke was woody and full-bodied but lacking the complexity and balance that accompanies some of the Pepin Blacks I’ve most enjoyed. Along with the woodiness was a hint of bitterness that wandered in and out. Despite that, the construction was excellent, and this cigar is certainly worth a look as one of Pepin’s most affordable creations.

Verdict = Hold.

–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.

When I reviewed the shorter Piramide No. 3 two years ago to the day, I found its harsh flavors and numerous combustion flaws to be less than enticing. Thankfully, the six and a half inch by 54 ring gauge Piramide No. 2 doesn’t fall into the same traps. But with a dry, unbalanced flavor that remains consistent to a fault, it is very forgettable. I’d save this modestly priced blend of Ecuadorian, Dominican, Brazilian, and Nicaraguan tobaccos for the golf course or the poker table.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When I think of Kentucky I think of the Derby, bourbon, and the once formidable Wildcat basketball program. The image of wild buffalo charging through untamed wilderness simply doesn’t resonate. But this aptly named spirit was born of a frontier settlement that grew from trails (or “traces”) carved by buffalo herds.

Built on the banks of the Kentucky River near Frankfort, the distillery, according to its website, “embraces the heritage created by brave pioneers, hopeful settlers, and Kentucky’s native sons who left their marks as legends, heroes, and leaders.” The fertile land, uniquely situated amid abundant limestone and spring water, has been home to a working distillery since 1787, and today the sprawling operation includes 119 acres and 114 buildings.

Whether or not you buy into the magic of the location, you can’t dispute Buffalo Trace’s results. The distillery—which also produces Blanton’s, W.L. Weller, Old Charter, and Eagle Rare—has won more international awards since 1990 than any other North American operation, not to mention Whiskey Magazine’s “Distiller of the Year” award in 2005.

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is their flagship line, launched in August 1999 shortly after the distillery was renamed from George T. Stagg. It is made from Kentucky and Indiana corn, rye, and superior malted barley. Double distilled and aged in select barrels (Buffalo Trace sports the highest rejection rate of barrels in the industry), a 750 ml. bottle sells for a reasonable $18-25.

Turning copper red to a golden brown when poured from the bottle to a glass, this bourbon boasts notes of mint, oak, molasses, and pepper on the nose. A slight burning tinge is apparent but mostly in the background of the aroma’s character.

While all of these scents are noticeable in the taste, the predominant flavors are vanilla and honey. And where many bourbons overstay their welcome, Buffalo Trace fades away quietly like the end of a catchy tune on an old album.

Still, this is a hearty bourbon that need not be treated as a fragile delicacy. Drink it on the rocks or in your favorite bourbon-based cocktail (it makes a great mint julep) and feel free to pair it with fuller-bodied cigars. Of those that I’ve smoked lately, the Cupido Tuxedo, Serie JJ Maduro, and Double Ligero Chisel pair nicely.

Even though Buffalo Trace may not be the best, most complex bourbon on the market, it’s a damn good value for the money—and, for both sipping and mixing, it has carved a trail to my liquor cabinet.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys