Cigars

On average, do you tend to smoke cigars alone, or with a friend or two? For regular readers of cigar web-magazines like StogieGuys.com—and for people like me who write for such publications—I hypothesize we smoke alone a relatively larger percent of the time. Not because we’re introverts. But because, unlike more casual cigar smokers, we don’t need a special occasion or a gathering of friends to light up. We’ll smoke alone and not think twice about it. We’ll smoke alone often if we have to. That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy smoking with friends. I really do. And I suspect that camaraderie is a big reason why I got into cigars in the first place. Next month, at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show, I’ll have the opportunity to smoke with two friends I (unfortunately) rarely get to see in person these days: Patrick S and George E. While at least one person from StogieGuys.com has personally covered the Trade Show every year for the past six years, all three of us have never attended the show simultaneously. I’m really looking forward to this. Even if you peruse StogieGuys.com regularly, it may not be abundantly clear that Patrick S, George E, and I all write from different cities (Washington, Tampa, and Chicago, respectively). Getting all three of us in the same location is about as rare as a Cubs pennant. It’s almost as if we have a policy similar to those in line to be President: never get the President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, etc. in the same room—just in case. I plan to make the most of our time together by sharing good smokes and covering the heck out of the Trade Show. Check back at StogieGuys.com when the convention begins for our extensive coverage. And check back in the ensuing weeks and months as we review many of the new cigars that are set to debut. In addition to my colleagues, there are plenty of other friends I’m looking forward to seeing. These include various cigar makers, peers from other online cigar media, folks at Cigar Rights of America, etc. I think the Trade Show’s host city, Las Vegas, will provide a solid setting for fun, food, drink, and smokes. As I’m doing all this catching up and reporting, keep in mind I’ll be asking industry leaders as many questions, and gathering as much info as possible during the trip. So if you have some burning inquiries you’d like me to ask, say, your favorite cigar maker, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll get as many answered as possible. Until then, I’ll raise my glass—and my cigar—to a long overdue meeting of old friends. -Patrick A photo credit: Flickr

La Finca Joyas Cigar Review This cheap $1.50 or so 6×50 smoke features a spongy brown wrapper with a dry slightly toothy feel, some imperfections and uneven seams here and there, sloppy double cap and manure aroma. First light reveals a good draw with decent smoke volume with a light airy mouthfeel showing medium bodied flavors of a creamy slightly bitter tobacco and a short clean finish of the same. The first third burns quickly with a slightly uneven burn line but overall not too bad. Flavor wise the bitterness quickly dropped replaced by a small sweetness and pepper zing. the 2nd third burns well, catching up the wonky side by itself. Flavors are unchanged. Ending 1:10 in the whole stick proved to be very consistent. Thank you very much to viewer Joshua Kelley for sending this one in!

Hello all! Relatively new to the smoking scene (two months or so) and really enjoying it overall. Got a membership to the local lounge and have become a regular. Lately, ... Read Full Post

I've searched all the threads and I couldn't find anyone who had done a successful solar powered fan. Has anyone done this and what did you use? Solar Powered Fan ... Read Full Post

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This year I’ll probably be at the 2013 IPCPR show longer than just about any blogger, having such a cool boss that gave me all the time off I wanted, I’m there pre-setup to the day after! I’ll be doing the photo-walk through to give you the what-it’s-like feeling again this year, but will also be doing video. What I don’t want to do is be a me-too guy, I’m all about being original and creative. Besides, all the booth people give the same spiel to interviewers and it’ll be covered 6 ways from Sunday like that already. I have some ideas of what to try this year for you guys, but also want you to chime in with any good thoughts on what you might like to see, asked, done, etc. while I’m there.

Today I am bringing you the Room 101 Namakubi EC Ranfla. This cigar has a Ecuador Habano wrapper with a filler being Honduran and Dominican. The binder is Hondoran Corojo. This cigar is a combination of the original Namakubi and the OSOK ( One shot one kill). I paid $14.00 per stick but have seen them for as low as $10.00 online. It’s a 5.5×50 cigar. Let’s see what I think of this smoke. Mobile device user’s click here:http://blip.tv/mikesstogies/room-101-namakubi-ec-ranfla-6604853 Filed under: Video Reviews

As frequent visitors to Stogie Review know, when J. Fuego releases a new cigar, it’s only a matter of time before I smoke it. But sometimes it takes a while. Case in point, this week’s cigar review, the Edicion de Familia 2012. Sure, I did try an IPCPR pre-release last year (as noted in an edition of Brian’s The Week In Smoke), but experience left me thinking that I really needed to smoke it again a few times after its release to really grasp what the cigar is all about. (And IPCPR samples on occasion turn out to be considerably different than the finished product.) My reminder to try it again came in the form of a contest announced recently on the J. Fuego Cigar account on twitter. One lucky box owner would get a fishing trip with Jesus Fuego. Judging by the pictures I’ve seen of his catches in the past, it looked like it’d be a great time. So I sprung for a box. Sadly I didn’t win, but it left me with plenty of cigars for a proper written review. So I wouldn’t call it a loss either. As Jesus told Walt in an interview last year, the Edicion de Familia is an annual release planned to hit the market every year in November. By the time the 2012 edition appeared, it had already spent a year aging, six months in an aging room, and six additional months resting in the box. It’s also pretty limited with just 750 boxes of each size, distributed to 150 retailers around the country. (At the time of this writing, Google tells me it’s not terribly difficult to find.) There are three vitolas, and they come in signed and numbered boxes of ten: A box-pressed Belicoso Fino (5 1/2 x 52), a box-pressed Toro (6 1/4 x 54) and a glass-tubed parejo Robusto (4 7/8 x 49). But enough talk, let’s check out the cigar. Cigar Stats: Size: 4 7/8 x 49 Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumatra Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua “Mostly Corojo” Smoking Time: 1 1/2 hours Beverage: Water Source: Purchased by reviewer Price: MSRP $10.00 The Pre-Smoke The nice thing about a cigar in a glass tube is you can see what condition it’s in and you don’t have to worry about transport damage, humidity and other environmental factors. Once out of the tube, the Edicion de Familia is a pretty rustic looking cigar, with a darkly mottled, reddish wrapper leaf. The veins ranged from medium sized to fine and I found small holes in the wrapper in several cigars. The wrapper had a sweet vinegar and compost aroma and the cold draw tasted of molasses and chocolate. The Burn The cigars burned pretty well, though the burn line tended to be a little jagged or irregular. The all important draw ranged from perfect to a little on the firm side, but entirely smokeable. In terms of ash formation, it was also a mixed bag, but typically the ash was solid, light and looked pretty nice. The Flavor The initial third of the Edicion de Familia started off syrupy, with a touch of spice and solid almond flavor. Along the way it transitioned briefly to a more dense wood and cream before returning once again to a sweet, roasted almond. The profile remained sweet as the second third began, with notes of coffee and leather making appearances. Nutty and woody flavors continued to be dominant, and the syrupy sweetness transitioned into more of a caramel before fading considerably at the end. The earthy, spicy elements that I associate with most J. Fuego cigars began to appear around the beginning of the final third. Roasted nuts, wood and earth with a touch of pepper brought the cigar to its conclusion. The Price Given the small production and extensive aging of the cigars, the price doesn’t seem too extravagant. It’s interesting that all three vitolas carry the same $10 MSRP, which, for some, will make the larger sizes more appealing. The Verdict Minor issues aside, the J. Fuego Edicion de Familia 2102 is a pretty tasty cigar that’s definitely worth picking up. I bought a box, and I don’t

Check out these new additions to the family!!! Only six in this picture, but so far 7 have been born (one just after this pic) 3 girls and 4 ... Read Full Post

hey everyone, im ben and im new to the forum. been smoking cigars casually for about 5 years now and have recently had a LITTLE bit more time and money ... Read Full Post