The Stogie Guys

I recently spent some time in Mexico to conduct research on cigars and margaritas. After some exhaustive experiments and dozens of tests, I came to the following conclusions:

Ingredients Matter

Like any cocktail, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. Use a instant margarita mix with cheap tequila and you’ll end up with a sub-par drink. Quality tequila is usually made with 100 percent blue agave, and it is distilled for maximum smoothness. Also important is a good triple sec like Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Finally, good lime juice is key, and the best is freshly squeezed from ripe limes. With that in mind, here is my go-to margarita recipe:

1. 1. Juice of two freshly squeezed limes
2. 2. Three onces of Sauza Tres Gerenations Plata (or Cazadores Reposado)
3. 3. One and 1/2 onces of Cointreau
4. 4. Stir with ice
5. 5. Serve on the rocks in a tumbler

Skip the Blender

As you may have noticed, the final step does not include a blender. As far as I’m concerned, frozen margaritas are for one thing only: hiding bad tequila or bad margarita mix. Too much blended ice leaves your drink watery and without flavor. Additionally, the ice will dull your palate making it nearly impossible to enjoy your cigar.

Skip the Salt

I think margaritas are can be great with salt but, if you’re pairing up the drink with a cigar, I suggest you skip it. The rock salt that is traditionally used to rim a margarita is far too powerful a flavor to allow you to enjoy a cigar. Your tongue will be overwhelmed with the saltiness, preventing your cigar’s flavors from shining through.

Go Full-Bodied

Tequila is a strong and flavorful spirit; a strong and flavorful cigar is needed to complement the combination of tequila and tangy lime. So go with a cigar that can hold up to those robust flavors. Te-Amo, with its Mexican roots, is a good possibility, as is the Domincan puro Opus X. Some other suggestions include the CAO Brazilia, the Don Pepin Cuban Classic (Black), the EO 601 Green, the Joya de Nicuragua, the Montecristo Cabinet Selección, the Padrón 7000, or the Tatuaje Havana VI.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I thought long and hard before I lit two of these sticks up for this review. For one, I’ve read that the Edición Limitada 2006 may need two to three years of aging before maturity (we’re currently at the low end of that range). Second, the $33 price tag is quite daunting.

But I took the plunge into this update of the Edición Limitada 2001 nonetheless. What I found was slightly disappointing for the price: a well-balanced cigar with some complex flavors and a few construction issues.

It is said that this Cuban puro line is inspired by the cocoa plants of the island’s Baracoa region. I suppose I’d buy that. These 6.1 inch by 52 ring gauge Pirámides are darker (and a bit more rugged-looking) than most Cuban Cohibas, and they exude a savory aroma of chocolate, spice, and vanilla.

After taking great care to establish an even light, the first pull through the firm draw reveals balance and complexity with notes of pepper, burnt marshmallow, and dark chocolate. This s’more-like flavor opens up after the first inch with the addition of toffee and nuts. Earthy toast, pepper, and spice pick up halfway, and the end is powerful with more pepper and black coffee. I give this high marks for taste.

Sadly, the physical properties are less than spectacular – especially for the price. The burn requires several touch-ups to stay even, the ash is surprisingly flaky and unreliable, and the draw varies greatly throughout. The latter might have something to do with the fact that these cigars feel firm in some areas and doughy in others.

When it’s all said and done, I can’t say I’m terribly excited about this smoke. I really enjoyed the flavor, but I expect so much more construction-wise from a cigar that runs $314 per box (of 10, not 20, mind you). I think the high price is driven more by the limited production and the Cohiba name than the quality of the tobacco.

Maybe more aging will do this cigar good. I’ll wait another year or so before trying the other three Pirámides I have in my humi. Until then, I give the Cohiba Pirámides Edición Limitada 2006 four out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Maybe I’m wrong about generational cigar preferences, but I think old school smokers who prefer the raw taste of natural tobacco will enjoy Punch’s Gran Puro line more than those of us who grew up in the Rocky Patel era.

As the name suggests, this blend is Honduran through and through. It boasts sungrown binder and filler tobaccos and a dark, granulated Havana-seed wrapper from the San Agustin Valley. You’ll notice some sizable seams and a few large veins but, all in all, this stick is pretty easy on the eyes.

The four and ½ inch by 52 ring gauge Santa Rita is a short and stubby vitola that was introduced in 2003. It retails for as low as $2.30 when bought by the box of 25 and as high as $4.60 for a single. I should mention here that the two Santa Ritas I smoked for this review had been aging in my humidor for over two years.

You’ll find a number of reviews on the web that say this smoke starts with a full, spicy flavor and mellows into a lighter creaminess. Interesting, especially since this is said to be Punch’s “punchiest” line.

But that’s pretty much what I found. The first inch is dominated by a warm, peppery spice with notes of clove – consistent with what I consider a typical Honduran tobacco taste. The second third is earthier with a light, smooth flavor that’s akin to sour cream. This strikes me as a very particular taste that some will love and others will hate (personally, I prefer the preceding fuller-bodied spice). I was happy to discover the cigar ends as it began with more spicy notes.

With an appearance similar to the profile of a mountain range, the burn is uneven but also not disruptive. The gray and flaky ash holds surprisingly well in breezy conditions, and the draw is just right.

All things considered, I won’t say I’m too young to enjoy this 45-60 minute smoke. There’s nothing spectacular here, but it makes a nice midday break or golf course companion. I give the Punch Gran Puro Santa Rita three out of five stogies.

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

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Editors note: Like Sidd Finch, the left-handed Whopper, the Taco Liberty Bell, and Nixon’s 1992 run for president, this review is the result of the hijinks that ensue every year on April Fool’s Day. Read at your own risk.]

This review has been a long time coming; I’ve smoked dozens of these classic corona-sized (five and 1/2 inches by 42 ring gauge) cigars in preparation. I’ll confess that I wasn’t initially looking forward to smoking so many of these but, as you’ll read below, I found myself quite surprised at how good these “drug store cigars” are.

According to Altadis’ website, Dutch Masters is “America’s #1 natural wrapped cigar.” In production since 1911, the cigar comes in boxes featuring a Rembrandt painting.

Before lighting, I pause to notice the veinless caramel wrapper that feels like satin. Pre-light, the cigar gives off a wonderful aroma of enticing cedar and warm caramelized apples. After carefully cutting the head of this rare American puro, I was greeted with more of the cedar and sweetness. Dutch Masters lights easily with three wooden matches.

What I find can only be described as bliss in the form of warm tobacco smoke. The flavor reminded me of burnt seven-year old Madagascar vanilla with subtle freshly ground pepper and ripe Mediterranean apricots.

As the cigar progresses, I discover another level of remarkable, complex, and flawlessly balanced flavor as the vanilla transitions into a blend of brittle English toffee and Iranian prunus dulcis (better known as almonds). The whole time, I am able to focus on these wonderful tastes because of perfect construction: a razer-sharp burn, a solid ash that held for a full two inches, and a draw that was easy.

Ultimately, the Dutch Masters Corona De Luxe is as masterful as Rembrandt himself. But unlike a Rembrandt, you can buy a Dutch Masters Corona De Luxe for the absolute bargain price of just $1 (and fortunately these cigars can be found in most drugstores and even at many gas stations).

Given the economical price, flawless construction, and superbly balanced and rich flavors, the Dutch Masters Corona De Luxe earns a surprising, but well-earned, rating of five out of five stogies. Go smoke one today!

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Graycliff is a brand I’d never tried until recently, for unfortunate but obvious reasons. From Profesionale to Château Grand Cru, these cigars are notoriously hard to find, and they’re offered at prices only the richest sheikhs in Qatar would find reasonable. I received my five-pack of Graycliff Crystal PGXs as a gift so, thankfully, I was spared the $22-per-unit sticker shock that would have accompanied an actual purchase.

Now, when I take possession of five exorbitantly pricey cigars, I leave nothing to chance. I go to great lengths to maintain them, and eventually to enjoy them at what I anticipate to be their peak condition. Such was the case for this review. When I finally pulled my Graycliffs out of the humidor, they’d been resting for about six months and were coated with a layer of fine, white plume.

Each six inch by 50 ring gauge stick is quite the sight to see: tightly wrapped, yet almost bulging at the seams. The light brown, sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper is smooth and moderately oily. A few light veins run vertically down the length of the cigar, but in an unobtrusive and visually pleasing way. The gold and white label lends a very elegant and refined touch. A delicate nose of coffee, cloves, and aged tobacco drifts up from the foot. All in all, this thing practically oozes luxury.

“Looks are all well and good,” you’re probably thinking, “but how does this pretty little bastard smoke?”

Quite impressively, I’d say, albeit with minor kinks here and there. The initial flavor is quite mellow – sort of a thin, tantalizing wisp of graham, honey, vanilla, and spice. This delicate profile, borne on a very mild body, lasts for about the first third of the cigar. By the second third, the smoke picks up a medium strength, and a nutty flavor dominates the palate. Stronger spice and a longer finish make up the final third and, by that point, a very noticeable nicotine buzz kicks in. If you’re not the slightest bit lightheaded after nubbing one of these babies, you should donate your body to science.

Now, about those “minor kinks” I mentioned earlier. The burn has a real tendency to canoe. I had to make five or six significant corrections throughout the 90 minutes that I savored each stick. When you’re trying to enjoy a serene, meditative experience with a smoke of this caliber, the last thing you want to be doing is babysitting an unruly burn.

If I were judging this cigar on flavor and aesthetics alone, I might be tempted to give it a perfect score. But because of its burn problems, inexcusable as they are for a $22 stick, the Graycliff Crystal PGX receives four out of five stogies.

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

–Jon N

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 classic looks and a classic size, this cigar earned an impressive four and 1/2 stogie rating when we reviewed it back in October. When I recently revisited it, I found the same full-bodied richness with plenty of pepper and earth. The construction was also top-notch, with a particularly noteworthy firm white ash.

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.

It seems like ages since I reviewed this Dominican back in August 2006, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been enjoying more. The classic blend of Olor, San Vicente, and Piloto Cubano tobaccos yields a finely balanced, smooth toasted flavor in a compact five inch by 43 ring gauge format. The lofty price tag puts this cigar out of the everyday smoke category (don’t expect to pay less than $10), but sometimes you just have to treat yourself.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys