Quality Cigar Experts

In the cigar world, José Girbés cigars are the equivalents of single-malt Scotches or small-batch bourbons. He's one of the cigar-makers who isn't looking to saturate the market with cigars, but rather to take on a more limited production run but exercise supreme control over the quality of every batch.

There are costs to that, of course. It means his cigars are harder to find, and (I would argue) don't get the attention they deserve. He would be a much bigger brand in the world of quality cigars if he would relax his standards and his control just a little, because that would allow him to expand his offerings and find itself a wider audience.

That's not the José Girbés way, and while it may keep him from saturating the market, it's good fortune for those who love quality cigars and who have a reliable Internet connection. Because here at Thompson Cigar, you can get these cigars at very reasonable prices delivered right to your door.

Here's what you get when you do so: A premium cigar made from only the finest aged tobacco, monitored carefully throughout its three-year aging process and hand-rolled by torcedores personally trained by Jose Girbés himself. These are all made with the personal care and attention that is almost impossible to find anywhere these days, in any industry, and is a reminder of how great a cigar made with that kind of old-school personal care can be. Just don't be too evangelical to your friends once you try one, or they will become even harder to find.

When most folks hear the name "Nero," the initial thought is of the emperor who fiddled while Rome burned. That story may be apocryphal, but if it isn't, it would be understandable if the fire was set accidentally from a misplaced medieval cigar lighter used to activate a Nero Extra Churchill Maduro cigar.

OK, that's a stretch, considering these quality cigars are brought to you by Nestor Plasencia, who wasn't exactly born in the Roman era. But these sticks, made exclusively for Thompson Cigar, are good enough that it would be easy to miss buildings burning around you as the result of being too focused on the cigar.

Plasencia is one of the leaders of the Central American cigar industry, and his facilities produce cigars for the likes of Alec Bradley, Rocky Patel and Gurkha. That care and quality is evident here, as the blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco is accentuated by a Costa Rican Maduro wrapper.

Two things in particular stand out for me here. The first is that it's one of the darkest smokes available, a big plus for someone like me who loves the Maduro. And the second is that the construction and tobacco blend produce a cool-looking silvery ash that seems to hang on the end of the cigar like something out of the movies. It's hard not to feel cool smoking one of these, and the taste makes it one of the most enjoyable options around. Even if you're not actually the Emperor of Rome.

The last time I was at our local cigar lounge, one of the topics of conversation was the question: "What's the one biggest reason why you smoke cigars?" Deep, perhaps, but much safer than talking politics.

I was torn between two answers. On a practical level, I smoke cigars because my grandfather smoked cigars. Nobody else in the family was quite as dedicated to cigars as he was -- I'm sure that the sales of Garcia Vega cigars went down considerably the year after he passed away -- and without him as the exemplar I doubt I would have gotten into it as early as I did.

But in my life now, I smoke cigars because in a world that is often stressed and chaotic, it's he one habit I have that forces me to relax. And to some extent, I have the anti-smoking regulations to thank for that.

Because I can't smoke at my desk at work, I usually have a cigar and a drink when I get home, after dinner once the kids are in bed. That has become my time, my ritual that allows me to decompress. It forces me to step away from my computer and step outside, and gives my mind freedom to wander. Perhaps as a result, I do some of my best thinking out there, whether it's a new way of looking at a work challenge or figuring out what Maryland should do on defense this basketball season. That 45 or 60 minutes is a sanity-saver, and I get it because I smoke cigars.

Others in the group talked about how they associated cigars with friendships or fun times, or that it was a guilty pleasure that helped brighten the day. How would you answer that question?

If you're looking for gift ideas -- and this time of year, you probably are -- you should click on the "Luxury Cigar Gifts" link even if you're on a budget.

At Thompson Cigar, "luxury" isn't a fancy way of saying "really expensive." In fact, plenty of the items highlighted there are less than $50. Instead, these are "luxury" items in the classic sense of the word, which carries the definition: "a pleasure out of the ordinary allowed to oneself."

Take the Padrón No. 88 Sampler, for example. It comes with five great Padrón cigars -- a Padrón 2000, Padrón 3000, Padrón 4000, Padrón 5000, and Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Exclusivo. Each of these is an outstanding smoke that will brighten anyone's day ... and the whole package costs just $37.

There's also the Classic Cherry Combo, one of the most popular gift items that Thompson Cigar sells. The package includes a great humidor, an individual cigar tube, and 25 imported handmade cigars. That little package of luxury will cost you a little more ... $45.

One of the great things about cigars is that they are affordable luxury. A premium cigar experience doesn't have to break the budget, and the Luxury Cigar Gifts for sale here are great illustrations of that fact.

Kahlua is one of my guilty drinking pleasures. I'm rarely the one to break out the bottle, but when we have people over and someone makes a request, I'm more than happy to partake.

If you want to combine some quality cigars with something like a Black Russian, you're in luck. One thing I like about Kahlua is that it goes with pretty much everything. I like a full-flavor cigar, but those who prefer milder sticks will have an equally fine experience. The sweetness and the power of the drink makes finding an appropriate pairing something other than rocket science.

The Kahlua-cigar pairings are also a lot of fun because there's never any pretentiousness surrounding it. I find that something like a Port can sometimes be less comfortable for someone who doesn't often drink that or smoke cigars and finds themselves intimidated by either or both. Kahlua is decidedly not a sipping beverage, especially when it's mixed, and it makes for a great party atmosphere when people are looking to loosen up.

I went with the Perdomo Reserve 10 Year Anniversary Churchill Maduro cigars last time I had this choice. I really enjoy those cigars and the contrast of the medium-full Maduro flavor with the taste of the Kahlua, but I could find 10 other cigars that would also work very well in my humidor without breaking a sweat.

One small word of caution. If your Kahlua and cigar gatherings go anything like ours do, they'll tend to get very loud. You might want to warn the neighbors, or better yet invite them over. With both Kahlua and premium cigars, the more the merrier.

As a gadget guy and an amateur camper, I have a bunch of Swiss Army knives and Leathermans in my arsenal. You never can have too many of those, I always say.

But if you know someone with similar tastes who uses those tools to cut their cigars, do them a favor and point them towards the cigar multitools available at Thompson Cigar.

These cigar multitools, from the geniuses at Xikar, start with the principle that everyone deserves the right to have every cigar accessory they need in the same compact and convenient package. They not only are a cigar scissors, but also have a cigar box opener and cigar poker, as well as a screwdriver and bottle opener. And it weighs just an ounce and fits on a key chain.

I'm not saying that the Xikar cigar multitools should replace your deluxe Swiss Army Knife in your camping gear. It's not going to be quite as useful as that if you're roughing it in the nature and could find yourself attacked by a bear. But if you're planning on attacking premium cigars instead of wildlife, you need something that will do those Perdomo Cigars justice, and this does the trick. It's a lot better than trying to saw through your cigar by the campfire, and believe me, I speak from sad experience on that count.

I'm guessing that everyone here knows that there are people out there who don't approve of cigar smoking for various reasons. We see the results in anti-smoking laws and advertisements, and in the dirty looks some of us get when we smoke in public.

But altering famous photos to send a less positive message about cigars?

That's what happened in London recently, at the The Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience museum. Somebody noticed that in a famous photo of the legendary statesman giving his victory salute that the cigar had been airbrushed out of the photo.

Who did it? Nobody seems to know. The museum insists that it wasn't them, and that they would never ask that a photograph be altered to avoid showing a cigar or a cigarette. Nobody has yet come forward to take credit for it. And somehow nobody noticed until one of the patrons pointed it out.

But apparently, there's someone out there who thinks that we shouldn't send a message that the man whom the Churchill cigar was named for was a cigar smoker. Good luck with that. You'd have to airbrush a whole lot more photographs to have any chance of making that happen.

The allure of boutique cigars is the same appeal that has rocketed craft beers and single-batch bourbons into prominence recently. While the bigger companies make excellent products, there's also something to be said for someone who produces smaller quantities, but with the uniqueness and care that often comes from those that do just a few things but do them very well.

It isn't like premium cigars that are handmade with the best quality filler tobacco are falling out of the sky in any case. But Boutique cigars tend to be harder to find. because there are often fewer made. If a company doesn't have the massive facilities to construct cigars in huge quantities, it's not going to be able to easily produce enough to keep up with demand.

The flip side to this equation is that boutique cigars can often be the best smokes out there. A larger firm can survive a bad batch of cigars, or a new blend that doesn't work out as well as expected and has to be scrapped. Boutique cigars don't have that luxury, and extra care has to be taken to make sure that every cigar is worthy of being a treasured part of the smoker's humidor.

If you want a great illustration of that principle in action, check out the Boutique Seven Sampler. It has, as one might expect given the name, seven cigars from some of the best smaller companies out there, at a bargain price of $24.95. There's a limit of two per customer, because since these are boutique firms it's not like there are millions of cigars hanging around the humidors waiting to be shipped out. If you want one of these, it's a good idea to act quickly before Thompson Cigar runs out.

As someone who fondly remembers the 1980s, I was excited to see "The A-Team" revived for the big screen in 2010. Obviously nobody could exactly replace the original Hannibal, Face, B.A. and Murdock, but the new actors were fine and it kept me out of trouble for close to two hours, so it was worth the trip to the theater.

Liam Neeson had perhaps the toughest job replacing George Peppard in the Hannibal Smith role, but one thing I noticed is that they gave him a key prop -- cigars. Peppard's Smith was always chomping on a stogie when he said "I love it when a plan comes together," and Neeson got the same treatment.

That involved a little sacrifice on Neeson's part, as he started the movie as an ex-smoker who soon found he had to quit all over again. Since the movie was filmed in Canada, he smoked Cubans (though some Padron cigars, like the Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro Toros, would have fit the bill nicely had they filmed it in the States).

Now, Neeson says he wants any sequel to show the stars with nicotine patches instead of cigars. Good luck with that. Guess he won't be joining the Thompson cigar club anytime soon.

First thing's first: I have no idea why Thompson Cigar is calling its combination of 50 imported handmade cigars and a humidor to hold them in with the $59 price tag the "Old Timers Special."

Well, I guess I sort of know the answer. Twenty five of the cigars included are Thompson Old Timers cigars, which gives this package its name (the other 25 are Thompson Classics Robusto Natural cigars). But again, it's not like those cigars are designed for older folks. I mean, it's possible that older smokers would be better able to appreciate the quality cigars included here, but that would be true of most of the sticks in the Thompson Cigar arsenal.

Maybe old timers would be better able to appreciate a good deal. I know my grandfather used to be able to tell my parents exactly how much cheaper staples like cream cheese and ramen noodles were in Philadelphia than they did where we lived, and he would therefore bring grocery bags full every time he came to visit. Then he would bring back items that were cheaper here, like wine. It was a good early lesson in economics.

My grandfather was also a big fan of quality cigars, and I know he would have loved to get a deal like this one. But don't be fooled by the name. This is not a deal restricted to those eligible for AARP. Even young(er) whippersnappers like myself can appreciate the value offered in this special package.

When buying cigar accessories, do you focus more on looks or functionality?

Personally, I like a particular style of cigar humidor: Wood, natural-looking, with creative designs if possible but nothing too crazy.  To me, they are as much art or furniture (depending on the size) as functional objects. Obviously I expect them to be able to do their job of keeping my premium cigars fresh, but I'm willing to pay more to do so for a humidor that gives me pleasure to look at even when I'm not reaching into it for cigars.

The Art Deco 60-Count Humidor, for example, is my kind of storage device. It's obvious even at a glance that this is a humidor, thanks to the exterior hygrometer, but I love the tone of the wood and the way the colors merge. There are cheaper humidors available, but I have no regrets that I spent the money for this one.

For cigar cutters, on the other hand, I'm more concerned with functionality. They stay in my pocket or on the table until I cut some quality cigars, and then go back in my pocket. I usually pay more attention to price when I buy these, in part because I tend to lose them -- cigar cutters and sunglasses are the two things I lose often enough that I don't allow myself to buy nice ones because I can't be trusted to take care of them.

Now, if I had something like the Xikar Xi3 Havana Collection Cutter, that would be a dream come true. I love the idea of owning something that functional and beautiful. But unless any of you fine people are buying that for me for the holidays, none of the cutters I own will be treated with as much reverence as my humidors are.

How about you? Do you value appearance over functionality in your cigar accessories?

Though Thompson Cigar has made its reputation as a seller of ... wait for it .. cigars, it has a number of products suited to the pipe-smoker in your life, whether it's you, somebody you care about, or simply someone you're obligated to buy presents for.

One thing every pipe smoker tends to need is tobacco. Among the finest available is Villiger Early Days pipe tobacco.

These guys have been making the finest pipe tobacco since 1888, as you probably have already guessed if you took a look at the picture of the tin over there. This blend is a classic English mix of light tobaccos that will make anyone want to break out their smoking jacket and brush up on their Shakespeare.

Other options in this line include the Villiger Mid Day pipe tobacco, which adds refreshing notes of vanilla and fruit to an excellent blend, and the Villiger Late Night pipe tobacco that has some Irish whiskey flavoring added (and if you have some real Irish whiskey to drink along with it, so much the better). 

All of these are great tobaccos, and go well in any pipe. Plus when you buy four tins at Thompson Cigar, the fifth one is free. Not a bad way to get your holiday shopping done for the pipe smoker in your life at the same time you are buying your cigars.

One of the tenets of capitalism is that it thrives on competition. The more participants in the marketplace, the better it is for the consumer, because that competition forces everyone to make the best products they can at the best prices they can. But in a mature marketplace, when there are a few companies dominating the scene, it takes a gutty firm to challenge the established leader.

Stonewood cigars have those kind of guts. To take on Backwoods cigars, the leader in its area of expertise with a loyal following and dominant position in the market, you have to be extremely confident in your product and your price, and these guys are on both counts.

In fact, they are confident enough not to enter the game quietly. Stonewood cigars have come in with their elbows out, citing their premium tobacco and their burst of flavor that makes cigars more palatable for those who like something to augment the natural taste of the leaf. And because they know that brand loyalty is a barrier to entry, they're knocking down prices in order to get people to try it, figuring that once they do they'll be less than eager to switch.

That's probably why you can now get 48 Stonewood cigars for around $25. Whether you want the Stonewood Honey Berry or Stonewood Honey cigars, or perhaps something a little more subtle, these guys are doing everything they can to get you to try it. If this doesn't work, the next step is probably to come to your house, hand you a pack, and not leave until they see you smoke one and notice how much you enjoy the experience.

Question for the day: If you're giving a cigar to a novice smoker, someone who enjoys quality cigars but doesn't know much about what's available and doesn't smoke all  that often, what are the factors that influence your choice of which cigar to give them?

For me, the answer is easy. My first priority is to find cigars with an easy draw.

Of course, I say that based on personal bias and on memories of when I was first starting to discover the joy of smoking cigars. In those days, the most frustrating thing for me to try to overcome were cigars that had a tough draw, because I would inevitably blame myself and not the cigar. Until I learned what to look for in a cigar, those tough draws would be discouraging -- a lot more discouraging than any flavor issues.

My second factor is the strength. I offer novice smokers something in mild to medium range, because I'm trying to make sure they're comfortable. I've given out full-strength to novices before, and while those early "holy cow, what is this!" expressions are funny to look at, eventually their eyes glaze over and they don't enjoy the experience as much as I want them to.

Oh, and I make sure to double-check the wrapper to make sure it isn't cracked or peeling. If I mess that up, that's embarrassing for everyone.

What do you give to less experienced smokers when they want to light up? Do you have favorite brands to give them, or do you just take out whatever is on top of the humidor?

You can't help but love a cigar that tells you exactly what you need to know about it just by saying its name.

The Escudo Cubano 20 Minutos cigars are ... wait for it ... designed to be smoked in about 20 minutes. They're part of the relatively new trend of short cigars for people who want all of the taste and quality they demand in a full-sized cigar, but in something that can be finished during a lunch break. We want what we want when we want it these days, and we don't want to have to settle for something mediocre just because we're in a hurry.

There's no settling necessary with the Escudo Cubano 20 Minutos cigars. These are all handmade cigars with premium Dominican mixed fillers, pretty much what you get with the full-sized Escudo Cubano cigars. The big difference is the size -- the Escudo Cubano 20 Minutos Maduro Rothschild, for example, is four inches long, but still packs a punch thanks to its 54 gauge, the tasty wrapper, and the excellent tobacco that's inside.

The other thing about the Escudo Cubano 20 Minutos cigars is that the price is right. Part of me hates paying high prices for short cigars -- I always figure that if I'm just paying for two-thirds of a cigar I should get a 66% discount, but that rarely seems to be the case. At under $30 for a pack of 20 sticks, that's a deal that has made the short cigars a long-term hit.

When Don Elias cigars first hit the market, they came with a lot of hype and the price tag to match. It was during the height of the cigar boom when a lot of companies were sparing no effort or expense to put out premium cigars, counting on demand to continue to increase and the high prices to only increase over time.

Unfortunately for them, Don Elias cigars did not time the market right. There's nothing wrong with the cigars themselves, as they're hand-rolled from premium Dominican filler and the Maduro wrapper is first rate. The problem is, as you probably know if you've read the rest of my cigar reviews, is that's the case with a lot of cigars, particularly a few years ago at the height of the boom. Not enough people were willing to give these guys a try at the premium price point, and as a result it just sort of faded away.

Except ... that Thompson Cigar found some Don Elias cigars in the humidor, and in the post-hype era you don't have to pay triple digits for a box. In fact, 25 of the Don Elias Churchill Maduros will run you just around $50, a great price for a cigar that's main fault seems to be coming into existence at the height of the cigar boom and not catching the right eyes at the right time.

On occasion, I get to smoke cigars as part of a work-related event. Usually those are dinners where I'm on display, both personally and as a representative of the company I work for. It's something we've all been through to one extent or another, and it's important on those occasions to portray my best qualities at all times.

When that happens I tend to take my cues from the other guests on what to order, particularly the hosts. But when push comes to shove, I'll generally order a single-malt scotch to go with the premium cigars, even though if I was dining with friends or with just co-workers I'd probably pick a bourbon instead.

That's because the situation above is a time where image is everything. Sometimes when you're looking to hire a company, or assess whether a potential working relationship is going to be a good fit, you're looking for cues as to what your comfort level with them will be. Part of that involves taste and actions in social settings, which is why these types of dinners are held at fancy restaurants.

Single-malt Scotch is my go-to drink in those situations because it sends a message that I'm a refined sort of person who can appreciate the finer things in life, is accustomed to success, and can handle whatever the job throws at me. I have no idea whether I come across that way -- you'd have to ask my dinner guests -- but I certainly feel that way when I'm doing that. And as one of my early mentors told me a long time ago, "there's nothing like a single-malt scotch and some cigars to get the deal done at the end of the night."

Do you agree? Or do you feel the same way about a fine Cognac or aged Port. What do you turn to on a night you have to impress?

If you watched ESPN at all last summer, or listened to the radio, or overheard any conversation, or pretty much left your home and interacted with other people, you undoubtedly heard about NBA superstar LeBron James' time as a free agent over the summer. The former Cleveland Cavalier left the Midwest to play with his friends, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, hoping that working together, the three friends could create something truly great in Miami.

Time will tell whether that will work on the NBA hardwood. But we already know that a trio of greats can achieve excellence in the world of tobacco products, because we can reach into our humidors and pick up some Diamond Crown Maximus cigars.

Each Diamond Crown Maximus cigar has the imprint of the Fuente, Newman and Oliva families. Stanford Newman came up with the idea to collaborate, as he often did. The Olivas contributed their Ecuadoran Sungrown wrapper, grown in the El Bajo region by the River Macul.  And it's all put together at the Fuente factory of the Dominican Republic, where that Oliva wrapper is combined with the prime Dominican long filler blend that has led to the cigar getting a 90 rating and accolades from around the cigar-smoking world.

The finished Diamond Crown Maximus cigar is sweet and full-bodied, almost like wine in the amount of subtle flavors that aficionados can detect within the confines of its wrapper. In other words, it's exactly the result you would expect when three All-Stars team up to take their talents to a single brand of cigar.

As to which one of the three is playing the Chris Bosh role ... well, that's probably a topic best left untouched.

I have a confession to make. Even though I work for Thompson Cigar and I ordinarily like to know the story behind how cigars get their names, I have no idea who Dona Ines cigars are named after.

The subject of the cigars certainly looks happy enough, based on her portrait on the box and the label. Perhaps she's a famous noblewoman and cigar patron honored with her face on some quality cigars. She could be the wife of a prominent cigar maker, showing his love by giving the cigars her name. Or perhaps she's not his wife, but someone the maker of these cigars is courting. Why just give cigars as a present if you can give the object of your affections her own line of sticks?

Or perhaps it's something more ordinary.

I hope that's not the case, however, because the Dona Ines cigars deserve a good story behind the name. These are rich cigars with a mild-medium body, hand-made from Dominican long filler. If you're looking for a new everyday cigar, these are worth taking a look at, especially at the price you would expect from something from the Thompson Cigar family.

Speaking of the Thompson Cigar family, I suppose I could just call up someone in marketing and find out the inspiration behind the name. But I'm thinking maybe I should just let the mystery stay alive.

There are plenty of cigar jokes, and several cigar songs. But Brad Paisley's "The Cigar Song" deserves credit for turning one into the other.

The impetus for the lyrics is a joke/urban legend that I've heard about 100 times, but the protagonist is someone who owns a box of premium cigars and has them insured for a tidy sum of money. He then smokes the cigars and files a claim saying the cigars were consumed "in a series of small fires." The insurance company has to pay up ... but then files charges against the litigant for arson.

It's a pretty funny story, and a tactic I wish I had thought of. And in Brad Paisley's hands it becomes a cool song, ending with the singer in jail smoking 10-cent (presumably uninsured) cigars to pass the time.

I'm waiting for the next urban legend cigar story to make it onto the radio. Perhaps the one about the famous politician invited to give a graduation speech who presents his friend the university president with a cigar. He calls later and asks how the friend enjoyed it, and gets the answer that he's keeping it as a memento. Decades later, someone sees it, swipes it, lights it up ... and gets a facefull of ash thanks to the exploding cigar, completing a joke set in motion lo those many years ago.

Hey, someone call Brad on the phone ... I've got a great idea for him.