Ever since becoming a father I find myself gravitating to small cigars. I like the smaller sticks for those random bits of time between naps where I can step outside with the baby monitor. More often then not, I avoid cigars in these glimpses of free time because I never know how much time I have and in most cases I don’t have small enough cigars on hand to fit the bill.
One of my favorite quickie smokes is the Origen Originals by J. Fuego (aka Origen in the Soft Pack). Unfortunately, with Kensington Tobacconist closing, I haven’t seen these sticks in months. These little cigars packed lots of flavor into a crude little package that was easy on the wallet.
In addition to the Origen Originals, I’m a big fan of the La Flor Dominicana Cheroot (aka Ice Pick, aka Crack Stick) but the price tag is a major deterrent ($7.00 for such a crude cigar is a little crazy). Being a fan of this format, I was pleased to see a press release from General Cigar hit my inbox announcing the El Perrito.
What makes these cigars “crude” is that they are crafted without the use of a mold. While this produces a rough looking cigar, it allows factory workers to put less hands on time into the rolling process, ultimately resulting in a less expensive smoke. In the case of the El Perrito, they carry an MSRP of $2.50 per single or $125.00 per box of 50 (which roughly matches the cost of the J. Fuego Origen Originals).
To add a little back story to this new cigar, General Cigar tells us via Press Release that the credit for this cigar goes to two Team La Gloria factory supervisors. Robert Batista and Juan Almonte created a little powerhouse cigar and brought the idea forth to Michael Giannini (Director of Marketing) and Yuri Guillen (Director of Manufacturing) describing it as a battle of flavors in the mouth. It is made up of two filler leaves (Nicaraguan and Dominican), bound with Connecticut Broadleaf, and wrapped with Ecuadorian Habano. The cigar finishes out at 5.50 inches long with a 38 ring gauge.
While General Cigar doesn’t often release product that grabs my attention, the El Perrito looks like it could fit nicely into my cigar rotation.
Ask The Readers:
How do these crude little cheroots fit into your cigar rotation, and will you be seeking out the El Perrito when they land in a cigar shop near you?
I’m very much looking forward to trying these. I’m a big fan of the Origen Originals and the Tat Verocu #5. I hope these are little flavor bombs!
Danny,
I haven’t tried the Tatuaje Cerocu #5 but I hear great things about them. I’m a big fan of the Origen Originals and want to try the Gran Corojo No 1 that was released in a soft pack as well.
I don’t have that many occasions that call for short smokes like these any more, but I still like the idea. I’m definitely going to try them when I find them.
Brian,
I would have liked to see them offered in smaller count packages but I can’t really complain when an inexpensive cigar hits the market in a format that I enjoy.
I can see these being awesome during the winter. I am sure you guys know it isn’t the best sitting outside for an hour or more. Can’t really enjoy the smoke with the cold weather and or snow.
Bx22,
I feel so spoiled right now. I can’t remember the last time I shivered in the snow, smoking a cigar. For those that aren’t fortunate enough to have a comfortable place to smoke (AC in the Summer or Heat in the Winter), this format should work out great.
I’m always looking for a short smoke that doesn’t taste like crap and is easy to find. There are always those in-between times or late at night, when I can’t devote 1-1/2 to 2 hours to a cigar. And I don’t really care how they look as long as they burn well and the flavor is there.
jjo,
I’m in the same position, I don’t care much about how they look as long as the flavor is good.
I received the same press release from General and have been awaiting the review sticks they are sending… in the meantime my local tobacconist, Old Oaks Cigar Co. in Thousand Oaks, CA, got a couple of boxes of the “El Perrito” and I’ve had a chance to try a few of them…
The sticks are indeed rather crude and rough looking, they are long and thin and look like the kind of cigar you see in the mouth of Clint Eastwood in some of his spaghetti westerns… the smokes themselves are an upper medium-body with sweet tobacco, leather & raw nut notes – because of the way they are rolled they have sort of a funky burn but it’s not too bad… don’t expect a razor sharp or compact ash…
The “El Perrito” is not bad for a quicky cigar for those situations when you don’t have the time for a full-size stick…
Tony,
Your description of construction sounds just like the Fuego Origen Originals. They are ugly little cigars but the flavor is great (also a big fan of the paper packaging)
I too am looking forward to smoking these. Like many have said, there are circumstances that a small cigar fits perfectly, but we don’t want to sacrifice flavor. In the past I’ve smoked bunches of Old Fashioned #34 (second of the Partagas No.4) and recently the Partagas Petit Coronas Especialles and Chateau Real Small Clubs have been my “quickie” smokes of choice. I’m still hoping General reprises something akin the the El Rico Habanos of old, using the El Credito name on the El Perrito gives me hope! Go Team La Gloria!
Craig,
I’ve heard people talk so fondly of the old El Rico Habano. Can;t say that I can remember smoking any. My local shop had a couple of newer boxes but I never picked one up.
Walt,
The newer ERH’s are nice, but the ones from the ’90s were powerhouses before powerhouse cigars were fashionable. I remember a friend sending me a couple with the admonishment to eat a meal before smoking one. I loved them for thier flavor, and didin’t think they were THAT strong. Ernesto even made them in a No.1 (lancero) for a while, which was a dynamite cigar. They ran into trouble getting the right tobaccos and, after releasing a much milder, but nice in it’s own right, blend they stopped making them altogether. The newer ones in maduro are a nice cigar, bt nothing like the ERH of the 90s!
I love the smaller sizes. I also have children (3) and find it hard to have 2 hrs to smoke through a bigger cigar. I love the Origens but I noticed that they are not a good morning cigar or an empty stomach cigar. I would be interested in the El Perrito. My go to small stick right now is the Little Q’s from J. C. Newman. They are not as rugged but they are also not as strong. I can smoke them in the morning and on the empty stomach. I wish more cigars were available in these sizes.
I am a fan of the this cigar, the LFD Cheroot, and Pepin’s El Picador. I’ve had a chance to smoke all three over the past month several times (we posted reviews on them as well). I do think that El Perrito was the best of the three. The term “War of Flavors” could not be more true.
While i tend to steer clear of anything General makes, I’ll give these a shot for rough traffic commutes home from work. I like the LFD Cheroots, but like you said 7 bucks is a little much for something i just want to puff on while i’m stuck in traffic.
I really like the tiny little pepin black labels for these moments (they’re like 4×40 or something like that, “perla” maybe?) but even those are like 4 bucks a piece. If these are decent, the price is right, i’ll give them a shot.
Well, I decided to pick up a couple of these today at Everett Cigar & Tobacco in Everett, WA, and smoked one when I got home, and I have to echo much of Tony Blake’s observations, with some woodiness being added, along with a pepperiness that lingered in the back of the throat for the first half. Expect a lot of bumps and dents and variance in wrapper shades and diameters on these. The one I smoked also had a sweet smelling wrapper that didn’t show in both the smoke aroma and flavor. The second half showed a decline in the spice, and a more rounded melding of the flavors, and even an emergence of a trace of sweetness, that was pretty enjoyable. Taking my time, it lasted me a good 50 minutes. I haven’t had the Origens, although they had them there, and idiot that I am, decided to do without, but the next time I’m by there, I’ll have to pick some up to compare. All in all, if I could find them at the MSRP of $2.50, I could go with these, but for the $3.49 I paid, I’m not so sure. After all, this is after just a single stick, and it could grow on me, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
And DavefromPhilly, I don’t know that I’d want to smoke this one during a commute, unless you like wearing ash, due to the inconsistency. At times, it may hold on for over 1/2″, or flake and fall after 1/4″.
Thanks for the heads up. Guess I’ll stick to my pepin blacks for now
I’d say if you can get them at a decent price, give them a shot – away from the car. 🙂
Walt,
Just got an email from CigarPlace that the Origens are back in stock.
I’d like to give these a go i’ve been gravitating towards short smokes due to lack of time. I really dig the Jfuego origen soft-packs as well, I’ve been buying mine from Bonita Smoke Shop. I’ve heard the original corojo’s are good but haven’t found them yet.
Tried ’em.
Liked ’em a lot.
If you buy in a shop, go against your baser impulses and pick out the skinnier ones–they taste a little better to me than the fatter ones. I agree with the earlier post regarding smoke time–it’s not a true quicky smoke. Call me crazy, but I found that the first few puffs tasted like the Padron Londres.
I’d love to try these, but honestly, I doubt I’ll see them in any shops around here. People are still into the big rings, they won’t even try a smaller stick. My new fave is the Manowar Puro Authentico. The Tauaje 7th reserva is another good one. Did you see the FB post from CI about the latest order they just placed? 6×70, I kid you not. And what is it about people thinking smaller rings are gay? I always get a weird look or stupid comment when I light up a lancero at the shop.
Would love to try these! Love a good short smoke, although 51/2 38 is hardly that short. Try the fuente petit corona, I think it has best flavor in the fuente line, also when time is really short grab a Exacallibur cigarillo or mini, they have excellent flavor!