The Stogie Guys

We have been giving Thanksgiving cigar picks for over a decade. After a large serving of Turkey and a gravy-filled meal, a cigar (or a few) is the ideal way to sit back and digest, whether you are visiting with  family or escaping them.

You may pick a cigar because it is small (it’s cold outside, you don’t have much time, etc.), because it’s American-made (Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday), or because it’s special (don’t let that special cigar sit in your humidor too long). We all have our own reasons. Here are the cigars we’re planning on lighting up after the big meal this year:

Patrick A: I usually turn to an old, tried-and-true favorite on Thanksgiving, but this year I’ve decided to light up a cigar I only found very recently: the Blue in Green Corona from Gran Habano. Its excellent construction and flavor of creamy cashew, dry oak, cereals, and floral notes will go well with a post-dinner cup of black coffee in a cold Chicago garage.

Patrick S: This year I’m planning on lighting up the RoMa Craft Tobac Aquitaine Pestra Muierilor. The small (4 x 46) smoke will work well in the yard after enjoying Thanksgiving with a family full of non-cigar smokers. This “sparkplug of a little smoke” will cut through the heaviness of a heavy meal, and pair perfectly with a peaty whiskey and some football.

Need more suggestions? Here’s every cigar we’ve ever recommended for Thanksgiving, dating back to 2007:

2018: Mi Querida Fino Largo, Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Short Robusto, My Father Limited Edition 2011

2017: Futuro Selección Suprema, Hoyo de Monterey Petit Robusto, Davidoff 2017 Year of the Rooster Diadema

2016: Señorial Corona Gorda No. 5, Paul Garmirian Soirée Short Robusto, Casa Fuente Corona Gorda

2015: Neanderthal SPG, Illusione Epernay Le Petit, El Güegüense Robusto

2014: Joya Red Robusto, Tatuaje Saints & Sinners Verocu Robusto, Davidoff Colorado Claro Short Perfecto, Tatuaje Black Corona Gorda

2013: Leccia Tobacco White 650, Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco, Eiroa Toro

2012: Emilio Cigars Series H Maduro Robusto, Tatuaje Mummy (Halloween 2012), Aging Room F55

2011: E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Divinos, Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva, PG Symphony 20th, Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Sun Grown, Sancho Panza Double Maduro

2010: J. Fuego 777 Corojo Robusto, Padrón Serie 1926 No. 35 Maduro, Romeo y Julieta Churchill Tubo, Padrón Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro

2009: Tesa Havanitas Connecticut No. 1, Tatuaje Reserve J21, Padrón Serie 1964 Exclusivo Natural, Illusione 888

2008: CAO America Monument, PG Gourmet 15th Anniversary Blend Belicoso Extra, SEO 601 “Red” Robusto

2007: Don Kiki Brown Label Toro, Tatuaje Reserva SW, Camacho Corojo Churchill

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

[We’ve updated an article from a few years ago that was titled: “Sixteen Things Every Cigar Smoker Should Do In Their Lifetime.”]

Cigar smokers can live a long time. Just ask Richard Overton, a WWII veteran who lived to be 112 and smoked dozens of cigars a day. That gives you plenty of time to do lots of amazing things.

To help out, we brainstormed a list of eighteen cigar-related activities every cigar smoker should accomplish in their lifetime:

1. Smoke a cigar in a rental car. (There may be a cleaning fee involved.)

2. Make your own cigar blend, then smoke it. (Be prepared for it not to be very good, but that isn’t the point.)

3. Smoke a pre-embargo Cuban. (No, cigars made with a portion of pre-embargo Cuban tobacco don’t count.)

4. Visit a cigar factory abroad. (And a tobacco field while you are there.)

5. Smoke two cigars at once. (It’s actually a good way to develop your palate.)

6. Visit Cuba. (It’s easier than you think.)

7. Give someone their first cigar. (Maybe on their 18th birthday?)

8. Enjoy a cigar and drink at Casa Fuente in Las Vegas. (Try the Don Carlos Caipirinha.)

9. Buy the cigar you’ve always wanted to smoke, no matter the price. (Spend $30, $50, $100, or more.)

10. Light up a cigar someplace you shouldn’t. (Act shocked when you are told you can’t enjoy your cigar there.)

11. Pair Pappy Van Winkle bourbon with your favorite cigar. (Bourbon that costs $100 an ounce must be amazing, right?)

12. Smoke a cigar on the beach. Either early morning after an AM surf or camping out on the beach late at night, it’s the perfect place.

13. Buy a friend “It’s a boy/girl” cigars to celebrate a birth. (Remind the new dad, he should give them out, not smoke them all.)

14. Visit Calle Ocho in Little Havana. (It’s kinda like Cuba, but still in America.)

15. Wake up early to read the newspaper with a cigar and coffee. (Your local paper, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Enquirer… it doesn’t matter.)

16. Smoke cigars with friends around a bonfire you made. (Bonus points if you chopped the wood for the bonfire yourself.)

17. Light up a celebratory cigar when your favorite team wins the championship. (Hopefully you aren’t a Browns fan.)

18. Smoke with your dad or son. There’s nothing quite like generational bonding over a premium cigar.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Seinfeld

It has been over five years (!) since the StogieGuys.com team published a new list of Gold Star Smokes. As you might recall, this special designation celebrates cigars we feel are worthy of extra-strong recommendations. They don’t necessarily have to be five stogie-rated—just commendable smokes we find ourselves turning to time and again.

Co-Founder & Editor in Chief Patrick A

My newest addition to the Gold Star Smokes designation is also new to the market. Since reviewing it in April, I’ve been enamored with Diesel Hair of the Dog. It’s a lightly pressed, toro-sized (6 x 54) smoke with a smooth, golden brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Sweet hay dominates the pre-light notes. It begins with a Pepin-esque blast of pepper and then settles into a complex profile complete with creamy cashew, white pepper, toast, a bit of cinnamon and, in the final third, a little licorice. It’s an absolute gem from famed cigar maker A.J. Fernandez and well worth the $10 asking price.

Cigar Review: Diesel Hair of the Dog

Co-Founder & Publisher Patrick S

In the past few years the single vitola I’ve purchased, given away, and smoked most frequently is Illusione’s Rothchildes CT. There’s no question that the price (under $200 for a box of 50, if you shop around) is part of the reason. But it takes more than value to be a Gold Star Smoke. Irrespective of price, it is a thoroughly enjoyable, medium-bodied smoke, with creamy, toasty notes, coffee, oak, and hints of pepper. It’s well-balanced and well-constructed. Add in a price tag under a Lincoln, and it’s easy to see why this is a cigar worth seeking out.

Cigar Review: Illusione Rothchildes CT

Tampa Bureau Chief George E

I’d be hard-pressed to guess how many Gurkha Class Regent Torpedoes I’ve smoked since reviewing one over 12 years ago. It is not a complex cigar, but one that is pleasant and consistent. Perhaps the most notable characteristic is the thick, abundant smoke. Like many Gurkhas, the list price, which for this one is, I believe, $11, isn’t what you pay. In fact, it’s the bargain-basement cost that helps make the Class Regent Torpedo so attractive. I’ve paid under $3 each, including shipping, and you can routinely find them for about $3.50. If you’re looking for a companion to a round of golf, a fishing outing, or simply relaxing when you don’t want to concentrate on your cigar, this is one to try.

Stogie Reviews: Gurkha Class Regent Torpedo

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A couple times each week we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I purchased this cigar, labeled “Event Only 2018,” for $9 at a local shop. Details about this highly limited offering are not known, though I expect there’s lots of Dominican filler from LFD’s La Canela farm. The thick toro, with a nipple-shaped head, is a full-bodied, balanced cigar. It opens up with dried fruit notes followed by spice, leather, and brown bread, and finishes with oak and red pepper spice. Well-constructed, flavorful, balanced… it checks all the boxes for a favorable recommendation.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

From all of us at StogieGuys.com, we want to wish you and yours a joyous, safe, and cigar-filled Christmas. We’re taking today and tomorrow off to spend time with our families, but we’ll be right back here on Wednesday with more reviews, news, interviews, commentaries, and tips from the world of cigars.

Until then, you can follow us on our official Twitter feed, on Instagram, and on Facebook, or you can sign up for our free email newsletter.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

With football on the TV, turkey in your stomach, and family gathered, Thanksgiving is a great day to enjoy a cigar (or several). So as we have every year for each of the past eleven years, today the StogieGuys.com team tells you what cigars we’ll be firing up after our big meals.

Patrick A: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (with its fireworks, barbecues, baseball, and beer, the Fourth of July is a close second). That’s why, despite being smoked in a way-too-cold Chicago garage, my post-dinner smoke on Thanksgiving is probably my favorite cigar experience of the year. So there’s a lot riding on picking a consistent smoke that’s well-suited to the situation. This year I’m going with the Mi Querida Fino Largo (6 x 48, about $9). Crafted at the NACSA factory for Steve Saka’s Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, Mi Querida sports a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos surrounded by a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Full-bodied flavors of espresso, cinnamon, nougat sweetness, damp wood, and leather will provide the combination of power and harmony I’ll be craving after a huge dinner—and (hopefully) a Bears victory.

Patrick S: I’m visiting family in New York, where the high on Thanksgiving is expected to be below freezing and where any cigar will have to be enjoyed outdoors. So while I’m still looking forward to a post-turkey cigar, brevity is very much appreciated. This year I’m going to be lighting up a Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Short Robusto. The small (4.5 x 52) cigar packs all the complexity and flavor of the larger Connoisseur size. Think full-bodied flavors of rich oak, toast, black coffee, spice, salt, and pepper. I’ll probably pair it up with a peaty single malt (Lagavulin or Arbeg), which should be ideal for the harsh conditions.

George E: The weather down here in Florida nearly always makes for a terrific Thanksgiving, unquestionably one of the best holidays. This year is no exception, with the forecast calling for a couple degrees below the average high (77°) and little chance of rain until late in the night. So, I’m almost certain to end the day outside with a large cup of coffee (Starbucks Italian Roast) and a cigar. Looking back through some of my previous Thanksgiving selections, it seems I’ve often opted for high-powered cigars. For 2018, that’s not really changing. I’ve decided to light up one of the few My Father Limited Edition 2011 sticks (6.5 x 52, $20) remaining from the box I bought at an event when they were released. It’s been more than a year since I last had one, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Previous cigars the StogieGuys.com team designated as Thanksgiving smokes include:

Not a bad list, eh? If you’re so inclined, feel free to let us know what you’ll be smoking tomorrow in the comments below. And be sure to have a safe and joyous Thanksgiving.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

Looking to pull together a last-minute Halloween costume? We’re here to help. In an effort to make trick-or-treating a lot more tolerable, here are a dozen costume ideas, each that will let you smoke a cigar as part of the costume:

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Whether you’re going as The Governator or one of his gun-toting movie characters, a big cigar won’t look out of place.

2. Groucho Marx. Sure, it’s a little dated, but this American icon loved his stogies.

3. Mark Twain. America’s cigar-smoking author.

4. Scarface. Say hello to my little friend.

5 Bill Clinton. The president who got into trouble with cigars.

6. Mike Ditka. See photo of Patrick A from (more than) a few years ago.

7. Ernest Hemingway. The famous author loved his cigars.

8. Winston Churchill. Leading (and smoking and drinking) England through World War II, this prime minister is by far the manliest British dude ever. By far.

9. A cigar-chomping communist dictator. Any Pinko Commie like Fidel Castro, Kim Jong Il, or Che Guevara will do.

10. The Babe. Maybe the greatest slugger in baseball history, Babe Ruth was known for his love of food, drink, and cigars.

11. Al Capone. If we’re talking mafia bosses, why not be the original? Capone was known for his enjoyment of cigars, booze, and women. Just don’t get syphilis.

Got a few costume ideas that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys