The Stogie Guys

The Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 77, better known as “the shark,” is one of the most sought after cigars currently in production. It is easily identified by its unique shape: a tapered pyramid that morphs from a round head to a sharply box-pressed foot.

Following on the success of their super-premium Opus X line, the Fuentes created this blend featuring a Connecticut maduro wrapper with a Dominican binder and filler. Like the Opus X, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for the Anejos – over $20 for a single stick and upwards of $30 for the “shark.”

Not content to employ a simple maduro wrapper, Fuente ages the Connecticut maduro wrapper five years, including a special aging process utilizing cognac barrels. The oily maduro is nearly veinless and the color is darker than most maduros – almost a pure jet black.

Before lighting, I notice earth, chocolate flavors, a hint of fruit, and, not surprisingly, cognac. Perhaps due to the unusual shape, the cigar felt light and not very solid in my hand. Once lit, the Anejo 77 starts off with an uncommon burst of sweetness. It then proceeded to settle into a medium-bodied smoke with chocolate and hints of black pepper spice.

The draw is easy on this five and 7/8 inch pyramid (the ring gauge is 50 by the head before widening out to 64 at the foot). As the cigar progressed it unveiled a solid white ash that held for a full inch at a time.

Around the midway point, “the shark” seemed to accelerate from medium to very full-flavored. Earth and burnt cedar notes were overflowing, along with more maduro sweetness and even hints of cinnamon. The cigar’s phsical properties continued to be impressive, with only a slightly uneven burn being a small blemish on otherwise flawless construction.

Ultimately, I found this to be a most impressive cigar. With excellent construction and rich intense flavors, particularly an abundance of sweet burnt sugar and fruit, the Anejo 77 is the ultimate maduro.

While I’d never consider a cigar with a $30 price tag to be a bargain, the cigar’s decadent flavors match the high price. For that decadence, packed into such a unique shape, the Arturo Fuente Anejo 77 earns a rating of four and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by CigarsDirect.com, and can be purchased here.]

–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 lighter-bodied Dominican has what I call the typical Fuente taste: woody with enough spice and vanilla to keep things interesting. Salt is also dominant, so be sure to have a trusty beverage handy for this six and ¾ inch by 50 ring gauge journey. You may have to touch up the burn every now and again, but construction is fairly solid.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I was reading the other day about a new movement in travel: “slow travel .” Like the earlier “slow food” approach, the aim is to savor and enjoy your experience, not just get to the end. Rather than rush through a trip with a lengthy list of places to see and things to do, slow travel advocates tend to focus on less rapid movement, no checklists, and getting off the beaten path.

I wonder how many people who are exploring a slower lifestyle enjoy cigars? It may be the ultimate slow experience. So much so that it doesn’t need another name. “Slow cigar smoking” would be redundant.

Of course, it’s possible to do all sorts of things while you’re smoking a cigar. But it’s difficult to multi-task and truly enjoy a cigar. Activities that complement the pleasure of the smoking experience include reading, good company, music, nice drinks, daydreaming, etc. Most wouldn’t enojy running, especially a marathon.

You might rush to your local shop to pick up a new release, but it’s a cinch you won’t rush through the stick just so you can move to another one. I can’t imagine a great cigar experience while fiddling with a Blackberry.

Without waxing too poetic, cigars offer an amazing opportunity to enjoy something that results from a rare combination of hard labor, artistic flair, ancient craft, modern commerce, and international cooperation.

Why, you could even spend a half-hour or so mulling all that over as you carefully consider the wafting smoke you’re creating with that lovely cigar.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As a bargain-hunter and an adventure-seeker, I’m somewhat addicted to CigarBid. Buying a pack of random stogies on CBid is, as Forrest Gump might put it, like buying a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

This allure of the unknown drove me to buy a 25-count box of La Invicta Coronas a few weeks ago. And I’ll be completely honest: I had no idea what to expect. I’d never heard of the brand, and for the scant $13 I paid for 25 sticks, I was certainly skeptical. All I knew of the cigars I’d just acquired was that they were Honduran, supposedly hand-rolled, and supposedly long-filler. I say “supposedly” because there is a real scarcity of information about La Invicta on the web, and I can’t locate a definitive source. The cigars seem to sell mainly in the UK, and at unusually high prices, given what I’d paid. A box of 25 goes for upwards of £100 online. With today’s exchange rate, that’s roughly $200, plus what I’m sure are exorbitant shipping charges.

Luckily, I seemed to have gotten quite the bargain online. And so, the second my box arrived in the mail, I eagerly tore off the cellophane and gave it a thorough inspection. The cedar box, with a simple logo on the top and an official Honduran stamp on one side, was clean and unassuming. Inside were 25 very slim, neatly rolled, Colorado-wrapped stogies. Nothing terribly unusual, and no signs of beetles or mold, so I decided to light some up right then and there.

First things first: These are most likely hand-rolled cigars, but I question the long-filler claims. While I didn’t get the usual bits and pieces of tobacco in my mouth that would ordinarily tip me off to short filler, I did notice several prominent stems packed in the freshly cut head. In all likelihood, these are “medium filler” cigars: stogies that combine mostly long-filler leaf with some short-filler material. Not the end of the world, but certainly a minor disappointment.

The cigars were palpably firm with just the right amount of give, and unlit they exuded a damp, earthy, slightly mossy aroma. When lit, the smell was of cedar and soil, and the flavor reminded me a great deal of wheatgrass. Not in an unpleasant, health-food sort of way, but in an interesting and slightly spicy way. The finish was medium in length and strength, highlighting the grassy and woody characteristics of the smoke. The burn was even, the ash was light gray and relatively firm, and the experience itself lasted a little over an hour per stick.

Ultimately, the La Invicta Corona is a pleasant, uncomplicated smoke that I’d certainly buy again if offered a similarly fantastic deal on CBid. I wouldn’t pay full fare for one of these boxes, though. For $200 a pop, there are much better cigars to be bought in the UK, if you catch my meaning. For its straightforward flavor profile, serviceable construction, and mellowing effects, I give the La Invicta Corona three out of five stogies .

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

–Jon N

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With a seemingly endless variety of cigars – at least for now – former real estate developer Gene Arganese has something for just about every stogie enthusiast. And so far we’ve been impressed. Last fall Patrick S sang the praises of the raisin-flavored Maduro Presidenté Figurado and I gave a thumbs-up to the Connecticut Presidenté Robusto.

 Like the latter, the Ambassador blend of the Connecticut line also sports an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. This time, though, it’s paired with an Indonesian binder and Dominican filler tobaccos. The result is a mild and creamy taste which is advertised as Arganese’s lightest blend.

The six and 7/8 inch by 52 ring gauge Torpedo sells for $7 per single or $142-160 for a box of 25. Soft and delicate, the cigar sports very few veins and virtually unnoticeable seams. The prelight draw is clear and the wrapper tastes of salt.

The flavor is about what I expected: smooth and creamy with notes of almond, butter, and cinnamon. A sweet hay taste drifts in and out to keep things interesting and, to the cigar’s credit, the salty wrapper is more complimentary than distracting. The smoke stays light and airy, even when spicy, syrupy notes kick in towards the end. Although the experience is quite mild, I had no problem picking up some wonderful flavors.

Construction on this 90-120 minute smoke is in line with what I’ve come to expect from Arganese. The burn only requires one touch-up to stay even, the draw is exceptionally clear, and the ash holds firm for almost two inches. Just take care removing the double bands because the fragile wrapper has a tendency to tear.

In all, this is a nice, noble smoke with a crisp, mild taste that works well on the golf course or on the deck. I would be happier if the wrapper was a bit oilier and the price a bit lower, but the Arganese Connecticut Ambassador Torpedo is still a fine cigar, worthy of three and ½ out of five stogies .

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Darryl Lieser found the inspiration for his own cigars years ago at a well-known watering hole in the desert. Celebrating an investment deal at the Phoenician’s Thirsty Camel Lounge in Scottsdale, Arizona, a client bought them a couple of 1956 Montecristo No. 3s.

“I’m a post-embargo baby, and I always thought that Cubans were taboo, were going to be harsh and unbalanced and tough to smoke,” Lieser, 43, recalled. “It was quite the contrary. Total opposite. Smooth, balanced, wonderful cigar.”

He decided then that if he ever pursued his dream of creating a cigar, that legendary Cuban vitola would be his model.

About three years ago, Lieser began working on a blend and last year he got booth space at RTDA with Altadis, which produces Isla de Cuba in Honduras for Lieser. He shipped his first cigars in February. Isla de Cuba Cigar, Inc. is headquartered in Tampa and Lieser, the president, splits his time between the Cigar City and Chicago.

Right now, the cigars are available in two versions. The natural, the one Lieser feels is most reminiscent of that ’56 Monte, has an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and a mix of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and proprietary farm fillers. The maduro has the same filler and binder with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper.

They come in five sizes ranging from a 7×52 Churchill to a 5.5×44 Corona. Prices are $6-8. Lieser calls them mild to medium, an everyday cigar. You can find a little information at the company’s website, though it remains under construction.

To get the word out, Lieser is hitting the road. When I talked to him, he had just pulled over while driving in Michigan and was heading to another cigar event in Ohio. His calendar is dotted with future stops at cigar shops around the country.

“I think that the only way to build credibility and to build brand awareness is to do events in conjunction with the retailer so we can educate the public on our product — a great cigar,” he said. It is also necessary, he added, to have the patience to develop personal — and in-person — relationships with retailers so they’ll know it’s a brand they can count on.

With the economy weak, tobacco under constant attack, and many new lines hitting the market, is Lieser concerned that it might not be the ideal time to launch a new cigar? “Honestly, I like competition,” Lieser said. And he believes his approach is the right one: Keep the quality up, the prices reasonable, and work with retailers. “I think it’s a great opportunity for the right boutique type brand.”

Odds are you’ll be able to decide for yourself. Check with shops in your area. You’ll likely find Lieser and Isla de Cuba cigars headed your way.

–George E

photo credit: IslaCigar.com

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

I hadn’t smoked any El Tiante cigars since around the time of my review of the Maduro Torpedo last fall. If my memory serves me well, this attractive Torpedo has benefited from six months of aging. Like the Maduro, this cigar has a flavor profile that is unlike most of the new cigars being created by the industry these days. The medium-bodied flavors include cedar, grass, earth, and floral notes. The construction is flawless.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys