The 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.”

In 2016, Nicholas Melillo’s Foundation Cigar Co. expanded beyond its debut offering. Of the new releases, most of the attention (predictably, given Melillo’s history with Drew Estate) was paid to the Broadleaf-wrapped offerings, particularly the premium-priced Tabernacle. More under-the-radar was the Connecticut shade-wrapped version of the value-oriented Charter Oak brand. The Rothchild (4.5 x 50) features classic medium-bodied flavors with cream and roasted notes. Maybe not the most complex cigar, but it’s well-constructed, balanced, and priced right ($4.50).

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.”

Revamped a couple years ago, the Winston Churchill brand from Davidoff proudly announces itself with the company name and an iconic image of the British statesman on its white band. At 5.25 inches long with a ring gauge of 52, the Robusto is a bit larger than the typical robusto. And it is packed with flavor. It begins with cedar, pepper, and an earthy undertone. Some of the typical Davidoff “grass” floats in and out along the way, as does a dark coffee flavor. The blend combines a brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Mexican binder, and filler leaves from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. At $16.50, it’s not likely to be an everyday smoke for many, but if you’re looking for a medium-strength treat, pick one up.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With this addition to his popular La Bomba line, Erik Espinosa went small in size and big in impact. While all La Bomba cigars hit hard, this petit corona connects with a wallop.

Like its siblings, the Sake Bomb is a Nicaraguan puro, including a Habano wrapper. The Sake Bomb blend is said to have been tweaked to increase the strength. It sports the line’s trademark long fuse and a bright yellow foot band.

For those who like a high-powered smoke and find yourself suffering these days through the cold to enjoy a cigar, the Sake Bomb is certainly a cigar to consider. The length is only 4.5 inches and the ring gauge is 42. The MSRP is $6.75, though they’re often priced considerably lower online by the box of 10.

While it is the strength that stands out in this small cigar, the Sake Bomb offers more complexity than you might anticipate

Pepper and spice make an aggressive appearance—make that an extremely aggressive appearance—at the start. And they tend to linger on the finish as well. After an inch or so, the pepper becomes a little less persistent, and I found flavors of nutmeg and dark, strong coffee mixed in.

In the final third, the strength seems to ramp up as a tobacco sweetness comes to the fore.

Both the draw and combustion on those I’ve smoked have been excellent. It also burns slowly and produces a lot of smoke.

I’ve had quite a few, though by no means all, of the ever-expanding La Bomba line. And I enjoyed each of them. However, this little explosive device may be my favorite. It definitely knocks you around but not for so long that you’re exhausted by the experience.

I raise my glass to the Sake Bomb and give it a rating of four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Dunhill may not be the sexiest brand on the market. Owned by British American Tobacco and made and distributed by General Cigar Co., you could argue Dunhill is somewhat neglected by the online cigar community, gets lost in General’s portfolio of more visible brands, and hasn’t lived up to its rich legacy.

That legacy pre-dates the communist takeover of Cuba, when the Dunhill shop in London had exclusive marketing and distribution agreements with various Cuban cigar makers, including Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, and Partagas. Since then, Dunhill has bounced around with cigars by Toraño and Altadis, finally settling under the General Cigar umbrella.

In 2015, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its Selección Suprema series (which kicked off in 1935 with a cigar called Don Candido), Dunhill released a special limited edition cigar called Signed Range Selección Suprema. Only 20,000 total cigars were made in a single vitola, a toro (6 x 50); they are packaged in display-friendly boxes of 8 and retail for $20 apiece.

Signed Range Selección Suprema is made at the General Cigar Dominicana factory with a Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua (Estelí and Jalapa) and Brazil (Mata Fina). It sports three bands of black and metallic bronze, including one at the foot. Underneath is a mottled, oily leaf that’s traversed by a network of thin veins. The pre-light notes at the foot are subtle and characterized by hints of honey and sawdust. The cap clips easily to reveal and smooth cold draw.

Once an even light is set, the preliminary flavor is a medium-bodied combination of leather, damp earth, salted caramel, and oak. The texture is buttery and the resting smoke gives off a creamy sweetness that is, frankly, much more enticing than the actual flavor, which I find a little flat.

Things pick up nicely after a half-inch or so, however. That’s where the smoke production kicks into gear and the taste becomes mouth-wateringly velvety and balanced. The damp earth takes a back seat to more intense flavors of gentle spice, citrus, and sugar. This profile remains mostly consistent throughout, save for the additions of coffee and dark chocolate in the finale.

As I’ve come to expect from General Cigar—and as everyone should expect from any cigar with a super-premium price tag—the cigar has exquisite construction. The burn line is excellent, the draw easy, the smoke production good, and the ash is well-behaved and finely layered.

While I’ll admit I don’t smoke many Dunhills, I can easily say this is the best I’ve had. Sure, it’s also the most expensive. Price aside, though, you can’t deny this toro’s complexity and balance. If you decide to pony up the cash, you won’t be disappointed. The Dunhill Signed Range Selección Suprema earns 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 verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

This is a cigar I’ve wanted to try long before it was for sale or even announced. The combination of Herrera Estelí with a Broadleaf wrapper from the Liga No. 9 that made Drew Estate’s name among premium cigar smokers seems like an obvious win. Finally, last year such a blend was released as a limited edition available only to members of the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA). The well-constructed toro features a tasty medium- to full-bodied combination of dry, bittersweet chocolate, toasted wood, coffee, and light spice.

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.”

This Nicaraguan puro, made by Nestor Plasencia for Quesada Cigars, was named the top cigar in the world by Cigar Aficionado in 2008. Back then, the MSRP on the Robusto (5.5 x 52) was $5.25; today, you can find it for about $6 when bought by the box of 27. In addition to good combustion properties—including an effortless draw and a burn that’s well-behaved—it offers an airy, medium-bodied profile of cayenne spice, dry wood, cinnamon, apricot, and caramel. The texture is a tad papery. I seem to recall this cigar being more concentrated with a richer, silkier mouthfeel. It’s definitely not bad, and the cost is not an issue, but I can’t say I would smoke this Robusto on a regular basis.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This week saw the introduction of the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2017 in Congress. Sponsored by Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL), the bill would repeal FDA jurisdiction over premium handmade cigars.

The bill defines a premium cigar as meeting four characteristics: It must (1) be wrapped in 100 percent leaf tobacco and bunched in 100 percent tobacco filler; (2) not contain a filter, tip, or non-tobacco mouthpiece; (3) weigh at least 6 pounds per 1,000 count; and (4) have 100 percent tobacco binder and be hand-rolled, or at least made with human hands to lay the wrapper or binder onto one machine that bunches, wraps, and caps the individual cigars, or have a homogenized tobacco leaf binder and be made in the United States using human hands to lay a 100 percent leaf tobacco wrapper onto one machine that bunches, wraps, and caps each individual cigar.

Cigars meeting this definition would no longer be subject to FDA regulations under the bill and would therefore be exempt from the 499-page rule finalized last year by the FDA. That rule mandates any cigar introduced after 2007 to be approved by the FDA for sale by 2018, and for any new cigar after August 2016 to receive FDA approval before being sold in the United States.

This is the fourth consecutive Congress in which the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act has been introduced. When first introduced in 2011, the bill obtained 220 co-sponsors in the House, while a companion measure sponsored in the Senate by Senator Nelson of Florida gained 13 co-sponsors. More recently, the 2015-16 version garnered 170 sponsors in the House and 22 sponsors in the Senate.

Cigar Rights of America Executive Director Glynn Loope said the following about the introduction of the bill in the 2017 Congress: “Since 2011, this legislation has served as a platform to convey the threat such regulations could pose to the premium cigar industry. Now that threat is reality, and Congress, in concert with the new administration, needs to advance measures that not only mitigate the damage of the rules in front of us, but ensure protection from rules yet to come.”

Analysis

With a new occupant moving into the While House later this week, this is a big year for this legislation. In previous years, even if the bill could have passed both houses of Congress, it faced a likely veto from President Obama who signed the legislation into law authorizing the FDA to regulate cigars back in 2009.

Although incoming President Trump isn’t a cigar smoker (and even cut an anti-smoking PSA), his criticisms of over-regulation have some hopeful that he would sign a bill to protect handmade premium cigars from overbearing FDA rules. Additionally, incoming Vice President Mike Pence is largely viewed as friendly towards tobacco.

But long before this bill gets to the president’s desk, if it ever gets there, it faces significant hurdles. Probably the largest obstacle is opposition in the Senate, where the same anti-tobacco senators that pushed the FDA to accelerate its cigar rules could use the chamber’s filibuster to attempt to block passage, even if there are enough votes in favor.

Still, building support for the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act in the House and Senate sends an important message, even absent the bill becoming law. First, broad support makes it more likely that industry-backed reforms could make it into an appropriations bill. Further, significant support in Congress sends a message to the FDA as the cigar industry continues to lobby the agency to change the rule, or at least implement the regulation in a less-burdensome way.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys