The Stogie Guys

You won’t find a ton of information on the web about this blend that debuted at the IPCPR Trade Show in July, but here’s the bottom line: The Arganese ML3 makes for a tasty, slow-burning alternative to other fuller-bodied blends that command a much higher price.

Now don’t expect to find the complexity and balance that you would in a super-premium like the Opus X; with a price around $5 per 5 inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto, such a feat would be astounding. But if you’re into sticks with a kick, this needs to be on your short list of cigars to try.

That kick is the result of an all-ligero tobacco blend. Ligero leaves are situated atop tobacco plants, and their unrestrained exposure to sunlight gives them a strong taste and an unhurried burn. ML3, after all, stands for “maduro ligero times three”—an homage to its Brazilian maduro ligero wrapper and Dominican ligero binder and filler tobaccos. Arganese also came out with a CL3 blend in July (corojo ligero), and company head Gene Arganese calls both “cigars to the third power.”

The ML3 Robusto boasts few veins, smooth seams, and a firm stature. The flashy band is a departure from more traditional, family-crested Arganese smokes, and the rich aroma and dark appearance sets the stage for the experience that’s to come.

I smoked two ML3 Robustos for this review and was impressed with both from the start. The initial taste is thick with notes of dark chocolate and black coffee. The flavor mellows to nut, birch, and cream after the first inch, only to hit its zenith of bitter espresso and peppercorn in the last half of the 90-minute smoke.

While 90 minutes is a long time to smoke a classically sized robusto, that’s what you get with ligero tobacco. And, since ML3 is made by Arganese—a manufacturer I’ve come to appreciate for its consistency in construction—you also get an even burn, a clear draw, and a pretty solid ash.

All told, if you’re a fan of bold cigars, I’d recommend picking up a stash of these to have on hand (about $98 per box of 20). The price is right, the flavor full and interesting, and the physical properties solid. That’s why I give the new Arganese ML3 Robusto 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.

With a Brazilian wrapper that’s grown in the shade instead of the sun, this blend doesn’t capture the chocolaty flavors I’ve come to expect from mata fina tobacco. The Green Label’s toasty sweetness, however, makes the 5.5 inch, 44 ring gauge Corona tantalizing in its own right. The strength charts somewhere between the mild White Label and the mighty Brown Label, and the construction is nothing short of superb. I think you’ll find this cigar well worth the $33 per bundle of 25 price tag.

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 take on a single cigar.

I picked up this rustic looking torpedo at the Morton’s/PG dinner I attended in July. Like most PG cigars I’ve sampled, I found impressive depth and complexity. Along with a warm tobacco flavor, there’s subtle fruit undertones (like a smooth Red Burgundy wine) and plenty of earth. Combined this flawless construction, and I can heartily recommend this cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

One of the great things about being a cigar smoker these days is the incredible wealth of information available on the Internet. I couldn’t begin to name all the sticks I’ve enjoyed, and the many more I plan to try, because of something I read on a cigar site.

This 5.5 inch, 42-ring gauge corona is a perfect example. It’s a cigar I almost certainly would never have tried if I hadn’t read a review on Keepers of the Flame earlier this year. Now, their reviews are always interesting, nicely written with top-flight research—with this stick, for instance, they point out a couple of fascinating links to Pepin Garcia—and great insight. After reading what they wrote and discovering that Famous offers a box of 20 for $49.99, free shipping, and a nine-stick house brand sampler thrown in for good measure, I was hooked.

These coronas have been in the humidor about three months, and I’ve probably smoked a half dozen. I’ve found them surprisingly consistent in both taste and performance. Keepers recommends aging and, though I’ve seen no impact from the short period I’ve had them, it seems the blend might benefit from time.

What you get for $2.50 is a spicy, peppery smoke with some leather and even an occasional taste of nuts. It’s neither terribly complex nor a competitor for Cigar of the Year. But it goes well with coffee and can stand up to a heavy meal. I find it ideal for those occasions when I’m looking for a cigar I can enjoy but know I won’t be able to devote the time and attention a top-flight smoke deserves.

With today’s economy, lots of us are looking for an inexpensive cigar, and I can recommend these. Famous offers five-packs, but by the time you pay shipping, it’s probably a far better bargain to buy a box.

And if you’ve had good luck with other low-priced house brands—from Famous or elsewhere—let us know. It’s another way to help keep the golden age golden. For me, the Famous Nicaraguan Corojo Corona gets three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

No self-respecting rum devotee would admit he’s never tried—or worse, never heard of—Rhum Barbancourt, one of the world’s most decorated brands. As the back of each bottle reads, this is “a true sipping rum of unsurpassed quality.”

Barbancourt has amassed an impressive array of 22 medals since the family business was established in Haiti in the 1860s, most recently a Santé Gold Star Award in 2006. Here’s a bit of history from the label’s website:

“In 1862, Dupre Barbancourt, a native of Charente in France, put the finishing touches to a recipe for rum that still bears his name today. Using his homeland’s double distillation method usually reserved for cognacs, he distils a unique product which will regularly be recognized and receive the highest international distinctions.”

That last line is a recurring theme you’ll find again and again when researching the company. Barbancourt repeatedly and proudly boasts that it is not made from molasses like industrial rums, but rather “pot-stilled from fresh sugar cane juice and aged in oak casks in a method similar to the finest cognacs.”

You can appreciate the cognac-like qualities when you pour the Réserve Spéciale Five Star selection into your glass, either neat or on the rocks of course. Aged eight years, the clean, bright golden rum bursts with orange peel, vanilla, and honey. I am told more refined palates can also find notes of green apple, ginger, and caramel.

I find the taste to have a sharp, biting spice followed by a smooth, warm flavor of syrup and hazelnut. The consensus among connoisseurs seems to be this rum is soft and silky with a complexity that ranges from apricot, barley, nougat, and nut.

So, as far as rums go, Barbancourt is pretty delicate. I tried a myriad of cigars with Réserve Spéciale—including a new Arganese ML3 Robusto (review forthcoming)—and predictably found that it pairs best with milder sticks. My recommendations include Ybor City Handmades, an Oliva Serie G Cameroon, a Montecristo Classic, an Isla de Cuba Classic, and a Cuban Crafters Cameroon.

Prices range from $22-35 per 750 ml. bottle (43% alcohol). No matter what you pay for Rhum Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale Five Star in that range, I think you’ll be pleased.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This brand could lay claim to the title of bargain cigar royalty, combining, as it does, the Don Pepin Garcia/Ashton duo with a price tag under $3 per stick. And the Nicaraguan puro isn’t even a bundle cigar. It’s packaged in cedar boxes of 25.

Sure, it’s mixed filler. Sure, the pigtail cap isn’t particularly attractive. Sure, physical characteristics and construction vary some from cigar to cigar. And did I mention it’s less than $3 a stick?

I’ve smoked a few and sampled all four sizes. The Benchmade begins with a little spice and soon settles down to being a tasty, straightforward, medium-strength cigar. You won’t confuse it with one of Pepin’s top-flight creations, but you also won’t mistake it for some bargain-bin castoff either.

I enjoyed the Cazadore most, but that’s primarily because I feel the 46 ring gauge and the 6.5 inch length make for a comfortable smoke. I paid $2.60 for it.

I have been impressed and, frankly, a little surprised at the relative consistency between smokes. One key to making low-priced cigars is looser quality standards for the tobacco. That inevitably leads to greater inconsistency. My guess would be that quite a few sticks were rolled at the same time for Benchmade’s recent introduction. Consequently, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that consistency varies more in the future.

I’ve been told the filler is from cuttings from the San Cristobal made at Pepin’s Nicaraguan factory. I don’t know if that’s true; my guess would be it’s made from leftovers of numerous cigars made at the Tabacalera Cubana S.A.

The cigar is made with a mixture of long- and cut-filler at the foot to limit tobacco falling out and at the head to keep bits of tobacco out of the smoker’s mouth, according to a June Cigar Insider web posting. Again, that’s the kind of effort that makes it difficult to keep prices this low, so I won’t be shocked if I find tobacco on my tongue in the future.

Still, it would be hard to complain too much at these prices. If you’re looking for a value smoke, give the Benchmade a try. Taking everything into consideration, I give it three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click 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 take on a single cigar.

This pricey ($14 per cigar…but is there any other kind of Davidoff?) stick features a somewhat rustic Connecticut shade wrapper, at least by Davidoff’s rigorous standards. Once lit I was welcomed by a cool, smooth, well-balanced smoke. The classically-sized robusto (5 x 50) is medium- to full-flavored with toasty notes and a long buttery finish. Except for requiring one unexpected relighting, the construction was superb. It paired fantastically with Johnnie Walker Gold Label.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys