The Stogie Guys

If your idea of a Connecticut cigar is an Altadis Montecristo or an Ashton Classic, this new offering from Cornelius & Anthony should be on your give-it-a-try list.

While there is a bit of the typical grassy Connecticut (though this wrapper is from Ecuador rather than New England) aroma on the pre-light, the first few puffs are bursting with spice and a strong finish. By the start of the second third, the spice has backed off and tobacco sweetness moves to the fore. In the final third, the spice amps up again, mingling with leather and a light earthiness.

Strength is firmly in the mid-level area. I smoked two for this review and each performed flawlessly, producing lots of thick smoke.

The Robusto (5 x 52) has a suggested price of $9.25 and is one of four sizes in the new line. The others are Gordo (6 x 60, $10.75), Toro (6 x 50, $9.75), and Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46, $8.75). All are made at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The filler is Nicaraguan, while the only identification for the binder is that it is grown in the U.S.

Aerial is presented similarly to other Cornelius & Anthony cigars: a relatively large, ornate band identifying the company with a plain secondary band specifying the line. Also familiar in the packaging is the woodcut-style illustration—this one a hot air balloon that looks like it escaped from a Jules Verne tale.

I was curious about the name, and reached out to Cornelius & Anthony director of brand development, Courtney Smith. She said it began with “some beautiful aerial photos” she discovered in the company archive.

“The family has been growing tobacco on the same land in Keysville, Virginia, since the 1860s… and the photos were so interesting and informative, because they were a visual of the expanse of their property,” she wrote in an email. “As we talked about the land and the land’s history, the name and concept organically grew from there.”

Aerial was introduced at the summertime IPCPR Trade Show and began shipping recently. So far, it’s my favorite new release of 2017 and becomes my first five-stogie cigar this year.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five-stogie rated cigars can be found 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

While I’ve smoked only a few of Pete Johnson’s Broadleaf Collection, this vitola is so far the best of the batch. It seemed to be amped up a bit in strength yet remains a smooth smoke. Pepper weaves in and out along the way, mixing with flavors like cinnamon, dark fruit, and espresso. Smoke production is superb. As I put it down at the end, I would have liked to light up another. Highly recommended.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Despite D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all having nearly comprehensive smoking bans, the DMV—as it’s sometimes called—is really a pretty good place for cigar smokers. There are a handful of good cigar bars, a dozen good cigar shops, and, if you know where to look, a good number of restaurants with non-indoor spaces where you can light up.

One of the frequently overlooked cigar shops in the area is McLean PG Boutique, which doubles as the headquarters for Paul Garmirian Cigars. If you are looking for a non-PG Cigar, the offerings are limited and a somewhat eclectic. Two-thirds of the shop’s humidor is dedicated to PG, which I happen to be a fan of.

Of those cigars, the boutique not only carries a full variety of sizes of all the PG blends, but also many vintage offerings, especially of the original Gourmet blend. Gourmet features a Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper around Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Frankly, I doubt you’ll find a better selection of 20-year-old cigars in the country, especially considering most are priced under $20. (If you want to buy some, try calling their store because they very rarely pop up elsewhere.)

On a recent visit, they had just put out a box of the No. 2 size which had been rolled in 1995. The non-vintage version of the vitola (4.75 x 48) sells for $11 each; for only a few dollars more, though, you can smoke one with 22 years of age. It’s an easy decision.

Pre-light, after sliding the cigar out of its slightly yellowed cellophane, the Gourmet No. 2 exhibits notes of old tobacco, leather, and hay. Once lit, it starts out with a burst of spice and some wet cedar, paper, and white pepper.

As it progresses, it settles into a more traditional combination of hay, bread, honey, and a hint of fresh cut grass. The finish of the medium-bodied smoke has more cedar and black coffee.

The wrapper is slightly wrinkled, a sign of its age, but the construction is flawless. Particularly notable is the solid dark gray ash, which only needs to be ashed twice for the entire cigar.

For a cigar with over two decades of age, it has more intense flavors than I might have expected. Fortunately, that intensity does not negatively impact the balanced flavors. I’ve been fortunate to smoke a 1992 version of this cigar and, although I enjoyed that cigar (and a 1991 PG) slightly more, the PG Gourmet Series No 2 Vintage 1995 is a highly enjoyable experience. That earns it a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

L’Atelier Imports was established about five years ago by Pete Johnson (of Tatuaje fame, of course) and several other partners to make “consumer price-conscious cigars.” The L’Atelier portfolio includes Surrogates, El Suelo, Trocadéro, L’Atelier Maduro, the original L’Atelier core line, and La Mission.

La Mission debuted in 2015 as a tribute to Château La Mission Haut-Brion, a French winery of which Johnson is apparently a huge fan. While the winery is not connected to L’Atelier Imports in any way business-wise—and while Johnson even makes his own wines elsewhere (you can read a bit about that in this New York Times article)—this cigar line is named for Château La Mission Haut-Brion, and its vitolas commemorate specific vintages.

There are seven La Mission formats listed on the L’Atelier website, each packaged in 18-count boxes and (with the exception of the torpedo) adorned with a pigtail cap: 1955 (6.75 x 44), 1959 (4.75 x 52), 1982 (6.1 x 52, torpedo), 1989 (5.6 x 54), 1999 (5.6 x 46), 2003 (6.25 x 48), and 2009 (6.5 x 56). The blend recipe includes a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Included is some Sancti Spíritus tobacco, which is a cross between Criollo and Pelo d’Oro that’s grown in Ecuador and featured in many L’Atelier cigars.

La Mission 1999 retails in the $8-9 range and is characterized by a soft (almost oval) press. Its intricate band of cream, red, gold, and black gives the cigar a regal appearance despite the thick, toothy, rustic wrapper. The foot exhibits pungent pre-light notes of cocoa powder and barnyard. While firm in the hand, the cigar has an effortless cold draw once the cap is clipped.

The initial profile is bold and full-bodied with a hearty dose of espresso, black pepper spice, dry oak, and cayenne heat. As it progresses, a smooth, earthy core emerges that has significantly less grit than I’ve come to expect from many other San Andrés-wrapped cigars. Into the midway point, the body mellows slightly to the medium- to full-bodied range with secondary flavors of dark chocolate, sweet cream, and black cherry. The texture is chalky. The final third, while cool, is characterized by a reprise of intensity with a focus on black pepper and espresso.

Put simply, La Mission 1999 smokes majestically. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a cigar with superior construction. Expect an easy draw, ample smoke production, a straight burn line, and a finely layered white ash that holds very well off the foot.

L’Atelier boasts a portfolio of fine cigars of which virtually any outfit in the industry would be proud to call its own. Yet La Mission 1999 may be the best L’Atelier to date. I would even encourage those who are typically put off by San Andrés (I know you’re out there) to give this standout specimen a try. It is a shining example of the depth, balance, and richness that can be achieved when the Mexican wrapper is blended properly. For that, it earns an outstanding rating of four and a half 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

It’s not widely known, but when PG was creating a cigar to celebrate its 15th Anniversary, the decision came down to two final blends. The runner-up became the PG Soiree. Although I think they made the correct decision, the Soiree is also a very fine cigar. It starts out with intense black pepper and wood spice and soon develops an almost maple sweetness to go along with dry oak, hay, and some mushroom-y funk. Not as balanced as the the PG 15th Anniversary cigar, but a blast of enjoyable medium- to full-bodied flavors with flawless combustion.

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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Earlier this year, we learned Dunhill—a storied, historic brand owned by British American Tobacco and distributed in the U.S. by General Cigar—is planning to exit the cigar and pipe business. A quick online search suggests there are still plenty of Dunhill Heritage cigars to be had, however. The Honduras-made Heritage debuted in 2015 with a recipe including an Ecuadorian wrapper around a Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras. The Robusto (5 x 50) is box-pressed and solidly constructed with mouth-watering pre-light notes of dark chocolate and peanuts. The full-bodied profile is oily in texture with coffee, roasted nuts, cinnamon, and leather. While the list price is a little over $10 (a good value, given this cigar’s quality), it can now be found in the $6-7 range, which makes it an easy recommendation. Pick these up while you can; I may grab myself a whole box.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

You have to hand it to the Cuban government. For a communist regime ostensibly dedicated to the tradition of Marxism-Leninism, they sure let their state-run cigar company embrace capitalism and profit maximization.

The Añejados line, introduced in 2015, is a profit-seeking solution to the common complaint that Cuban cigars are frequently under-aged. Rather than address the issue across the board by better aging tobacco before cigars are rolled, Habanos created the limited Añejados line to feature cigars aged at least five years after they are rolled, then priced accordingly.

This Montecristo Churchill was the second variety introduced in the line (after a Romeo y Julieta Pirámide) in 2015. I bought two while in France last month where they cost around $22 U.S. apiece.

Both of my Montecristo Churchill Añejados exhibited good construction. Wrapped in a medium brown wrapper with a little shine, the Churchill (7 x 47) is firm to the touch. As it progresses, the draw gets a bit on the tight side, although it’s not overly problematic. The ash is notably sturdy, with one cigar holding for a full two inches before I decided not to tempt fate any further.

Pre-light, flavors are graham cracker and sawdust. Once lit, the profile starts with musty bread with cinnamon notes, soon followed by a cacophony of flavors both good and bad.

Most prevalent is a traditional combination of cedar and oak with leather and coffee notes. There are also Davidoff-esque mushroom notes and a metallic finish that hits the tip of the tongue. It’s a complex and sometimes discordant flavor profile.

Needles to say, there’s a lot going on throughout the two-hour smoke. Perhaps some of this is the result of over-humidification (Paris cigar shops tend to keep their humidity levels too high), but two months in my humidor didn’t result in much change.

Instead of aging tobacco more in bales prior to rolling, the Añejado series is aged for at least five years in cedar bins after rolling. I suspect that strategy benefits the cigar’s construction, though I wish more of the aging would take place prior to rolling where it could be better targeted to the specific type of tobacco.

Price is a serious drawback to this cigar, which doesn’t taste under-aged but does feature an unusual mixture of flavors. That combination earns the Montecristo Churchill Añejado a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

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

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys