The Stogie Guys

This has all the makings of a great golf course cigar: generous dimensions, a pleasant but simple flavor, above average physical properties, and a sub-$4 price.

So why haven’t you heard of Gran Habano before? Its manufacturer, GR Tabacleras Unidas, has kept a relatively low profile since its inception in 1995. The “love child” of third generation leaf growers with outfits in Columbia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, the company introduced three blends in 2003—Connecticut #1, Habano #3, and Corojo #5. I guess they don’t like even numbers.

Habano #3 is their “classic cigar,” sporting a “medium body with a smooth and balanced taste.” The wrapper and binder are Nicaraguan habano, and the filler is a three-nation blend from Nicaragua, Mexico, and Costa Rica. The Torpedo vitola earned a rating of 4.3 in the Summer 2004 issue of Smoke Magazine.

The 7 inch by 48 ring gauge Churchill is a slender, tightly packed stick with a few veins and almost no seams. It certainly doesn’t look like a cigar you could buy 20 for under $70 or five for under $20.

The taste is a festive one of cedar spice and pine nuts—satisfying, albeit a little dry and a tad mild. Despite the long, narrow format and the solid feel, each easy puff produces a lot of thick smoke from the get-go. The flavor moderately intensifies midway with hearty, meaty undertones, but I’d say the profile is mostly consistent from light to nub with few subtleties.

One characteristic you’re sure to notice regarding the even burn is a bulging black mascara between the coarsely layered ash and the wrapper. That ash, by the way, holds very well for up to two inches. My only construction complaint is that tiny flakes of the delicate wrapper had a tendency to tear away at the end of one of the two Churchills I smoked for this review.

All things considered, I recommend you pick up a few of these for the next time you hit the links or participate in any other activity where the primary focus is not on the cigar. The Gran Habano #3 Churchill may not have what it takes to be an after dinner centerpiece, but it no doubt makes for a worthy, inexpensive companion. I give it three and ½ out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I received this cigar as a gift from someone who didn’t realize it wasn’t a “regular” cigar. Over the years, I I’ve had one or two adulterated cigars, and I smoked quite a few flavored pipe tobaccos long ago. So an “infused” cigar isn’t exactly my smoke of choice. But I thought I should give it a try. After all, lots of people smoke and enjoy flavored cigars from Drew, Heavenly, CAO, and others.

The second thing I noticed when I removed the cigar from the colorful aluminum tube was its appearance. Construction, the cap, the Sumatra wrapper—all appeared first-rate. It clipped easily and the burn was true, though the ash was loose.

But that couldn’t overcome the first, and most dominating, impression: an overwhelming floral perfume scent. Then, when I put the cigar to my lips, there was a syrupy sweetness that completely overpowered any tobacco taste. I felt as if I were bringing an old bottle of Log Cabin to my lips every time I puffed on the Kuba.

And when I puffed I thought I might have been smoking a potpourri sachet from your grandmother’s cedar chest. The combination of the flowers, herbs, and oils infused into the 6 inch by 50 ring gauge cigar nearly made me ill. Any flavors from the Nicaraguan binder and filler were totally lost. I put the Kuba down about half way through.

I was impressed that Drew put its website address and telephone number on the inside of the band, though I wondered why they didn’t include some information on the stick itself.

If you like this kind of cigar, I would recommend the Kuba Deluxe, though it does seem to be a little expensive (the price looks to be over $7 a stick). As you can tell, it isn’t for me. For that reason, I’m a little reluctant to give it a rating, but keeping that in mind, I feel I’ve got to give it one out of five stogies.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS — I am happy to tell you from firsthand experience that the capital and largest city in the U.S. Virgin Islands makes for an absolutely wonderful vacation. That is, of course, if you’re into gorgeous beaches, terrific seafood, unyielding sunshine, and a laid back atmosphere that almost gives Jamaica a run for its money.

I happen to enjoy all of those things, and I’m having an unforgettable time catching up with my family in this Caribbean paradise. But I thought I’d take a quick break in the shade and share a few cigar-related travel tips about St. Thomas in case you’re planning a trip. And if you’re not, this photo I snapped a few days ago might entice you to consider the journey.

First thing’s first: St. Thomas is a wonderful place to smoke cigars. Finding a nice spot under a palm tree midday is as easy as finding sand in a desert—and the view is likely to be spectacular. If you didn’t bring your own cooler, beachside bars are happy to pour your favorite libation or any of their frozen specialties.

When you need a break from the sun and decide to head indoors, cigar smoking is likely to be welcome there too, especially since most bars and restaurants are of the open air variety. Unlike the British Virgin Islands, which enacted a smoking ban in 2006, St. Thomas continues to embrace freedom of choice and property rights. As a result, “No Smoking” signs are awfully hard to come by.

This, I think, is all part of the island’s easy-going lifestyle, which includes a widespread tolerance of open bottles in automobiles, drinking in public, and marijuana. Service will be slow at restaurants but, for reasons beyond my understanding, taxi drivers are excessively speedy on the island’s narrow, winding roads.

While St. Thomas is an exceptional place to smoke cigars, it is not a great place to buy them. Cubans are hard to come by (remember: it’s still the U.S.), Cuban counterfeits are readily available, and premiums will cost quite a bit more than at your local B&M. Since nonsmokers are more willing to try cigars at such a beautiful locale, prices are high.

So what’s a stogie enthusiast to do on such a smoker friendly, buyer beware island? Bring your own from home. I packed a hefty bundle for my father and I and that proved to be the right strategy. And since you only go through customs on the way back to the mainland, feel free to bring some Cubans in your checked luggage—just be sure to smoke ’em before your return flight.

–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.

What else can I say about this seminal 6 inch by 52 ring gauge tour de force that wasn’t already written by anyone else in Cigardom or by my colleague in his February review? Neatly presented in an ornate gold and black aluminum tube, this Cuban is complex and powerful with a smooth taste that resembles cognac. Despite its prohibitive price, I’m convinced every enthusiast needs to try at least one Siglo VI; save the first experience for a special evening after a big steak or seafood dinner.

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. The following is a Guest Quick Smoke, submitted by a StogieGuys.com reader. If you’d like to submit your own for publication, please contact us.

Can you say special occasion cigar? At roughly $17 a pop, the price for this small cigar may seem hard to swallow. But, with the flavor combination of chocolate, leather, cedar, coffee, and a nice spicy aftertaste, this cigar has become my go-to special occasion cigar. Add in the effortless draw and razor-sharp burn, you can’t find a better cigar. Plus, this little number has a surprising kick.

Verdict = Buy.

-Submitted by Jason T

photo credit: Jason T

Back in April I had a rare opportunity to meet up with Tampa Bureau Chief George E in Florida for lunch, drinks, and a few cigars. Naturally, conversation quickly turned to how to improve StogieGuys.com.

We came up with some suggestions and bounced a few ideas around, but it occurred to me the best way to make improvements is to ask our loyal readers. This website, after all, is for you, and we want it to be the best daily resource possible for entertaining and informative material from the world of cigars.

So that you can weigh in, we’ve created this 10 question survey to get your opinion. We’ll be using the results to shape the content and direction of StogieGuys.com in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

As a bonus, we’ll be randomly selecting one reader to receive a free $30 gift certificate from our friends at FumeeWorld.com and every reader who fills out a survey will receive an email with a coupon code for 20 percent off everything at FumeeWorld.com. (Back in January, George E interviewed Fumée President Heather Waebil Haddad.)

Click Here to Take Our Survey and Be Entered to Win a $30 Gift Certificate for FuméeWorld.com.

Thanks in advance for your participation.

If you would like to elaborate on your answers or suggest improvements outside the realm of the questions in the survey, please feel free to leave a comment. For instance, I would be thrilled if you would share what one improvement you would make if you were the StogieGuys.com editor.

Thank you for your constructive criticism and feedback. We value your continuing readership, and we promise to continue working hard to make StogieGuys.com a great resource for all cigar smokers.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Padilla Miami 8 & 11 Lancero combines two of the hottest trends in cigars: the blending expertise of Don “Pepin” Garcia and the lancero shape.

The long and thin Lancero vitola (in the case of the Padilla Miami it is 7.5 inches long with a 42 ring gauge) has been making a comeback of late. The lancero was said to be one of Fidel Castro’s favorite sizes, but lately non-Cuban cigar makers have made the lancero a staple of their new lines, perhaps sensing a backlash by some cigar connoisseurs against the ever widening ring gauges that the cigar industry has been experiencing.

Meanwhile, Don Pepin—formerly a master roller and blender in Cuba—is similarly becoming a staple of the cigar industry. Currently he produces some of the hottest cigars made today including Tatuaje, Ashton’s San Cristobal, EO Brand’s 601 line, and of course his own Don Pepin cigars. Unfortunately as of February he no longer is making cigars for Padilla.

Reportedly, Padilla is to begin producing the Miami (along with the formerly Pepin-made Padilla 1932 and 1948) in a new Miami factory. But for this review I tried a few Pepin-made Padilla Miami lanceros. (Just a note: The “8 & 11” refers to the location of the factory where these cigars are produced: 8th Street and 11th Avenue. Since the cigar will no longer be made there, Padilla is dropping the “8 & 11” from the name and will simply being calling the continued line the “Padilla Miami.”)

As with most of Pepin’s cigars, the Miami lancero has the classic Cuban triple cap but with a twist—literally. The cigar has a pig tail. The wrapper of this Nicaraguan puro is medium brown with a slightly greenish tint and, while the wrapper isn’t particularly oily, it is almost entirely vein-free.

After clipping the fragile cap and lighting up, I was greeted with smooth cedar and earth, with some spice and plenty of honey flavors. The Miami has been hailed by Cigar Aficionado as a “full-bodied masterpiece,” but I didn’t quite find it to be full-bodied. Perhaps because the Lancero, more than the Robusto to which CA was describing, relies on the wrapper so much for its flavor due to its thin ring gauge. I would slot the Miami Lancero in as more of a medium or medium- to full-bodied cigar.

Construction was good but not exceptional. One of the four cigars I smoked developed a nasty crack in the wrapper and the ash was particularly susceptible to falling off after only a quarter inch (once again, I think this can likely be attributed to the lancero format). On the positive side, I found an impressively even burn on every stick I smoked.

The cigar continued to provide its smooth complex notes until about an inch past the midway point when ithad a tendency to turn a little bitter. Given that the lancero is seven inches long, it was as disappointing as it became predicable (after multiple sticks) that it turned bitter and earthy.

Overall, I find the Padilla 8 & 11 Miami to be a mixed bag. On one hand, it started with a very enjoyable, complex, bold yet smooth mix of sweetness and spice. However, for a cigar that retails for around $10 per stick, I found the construction to bit a bit suspect and the tendency to have the smooth flavors sputter out early to be disappointing (especially given the wonderful start). This combination of pros and cons earns the Padilla 8 & 11 Miami a respectable rating of three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys