La Aurora Cameroon Robusto posted on February 8th, 2012
Five Questions
Between traveling and getting over whatever I got in Las Vegas, I really haven’t had the time to do the needed work for a review. Instead I go old school and do YQMA solo.
I tackle such hard hitting questions like why do we bash that “lifestyle” publication and why don’t we explain how we do our reviews anywhere on the site. I also take time to answer questions about other new releases from CAO as well as why Stogie Review doesn’t have an iphone application.
Enjoy…
Nice old school YQMA!
I bash CA for their uppity snooty vibe, and the fact that they barely smoke a third of their cigars when reviewing (at least that’s what I’ve heard). I trust sites like SR, acigarsmoker.com, etc, more then CA. I can’t remember the last time I needed CA for any cigar info.
As for the bugs… I have never seen those, but I imagine they are similar to beetles or any other bugs that invest food matter. If it were me, I’d freeze treat and clean/re-season the humidor just to be safe. I have an article on my method of freezing. Just yell if you want me to send a link.
a) You missed the opportunity to say that all six of these CAO and Torano cigars are going to be in the TBOTLCH press kit. Fucking rookie move. You have much, much more work to do before you can grab the pebble from my hand. LOL
b) You have a process? I’m floored. =)
c) Not sure, but my guess is ‘wood/tobacco mites’. They like the glue in the labels and the water in the humidifier. They are harmless to tobacco and can be easily eliminated by a physical cleaning of the humidor. Do not use water, this is what they are after. By the way, use Boveda Humidipaks.
d) Fuck Cigar Aficionado.
e) Thanks for the shout out for my recent blog in your ‘new media diatribe’….oh wait, nevermind. Dick.
f) Let’s be honest. You don’t have an iPhone App because Mike would seriously lose his shit if he had to actually buy an Apple prodcut to use it.
g) Ok. You redeemed yourself with the TBOTLCH promo.
With love,
The Chief
f) Let’s be honest. You don’t have an iPhone App because Mike would seriously lose his shit if he had to actually buy an Apple prodcut to use it.
Damn straight – who the hell would want it on that antenna defective phone
I vote for an Android app 
Who uses an Android? Not Stogie Review visitors; they and blackberry users each account for around 1% for the year. iPhone, iPod and iPad usage is a little over 5%.
Either way, I can’t think of any reason to justify the cost to develop or any kind of “premium” content that we could charge for.
Thanks Jerry, great job. Agree on CA; it’s not a cigar mag it’s a lifestyle mag, pushing a lifestyle that most of us “regular joes” will never experience. The only reason I have a subscription is a buddy gave me one for a B-D gift.
The one cigar mag I enjoy is Cigar Snob. For my money, I much prefer our various BOTL’s websites, blogs, videos, etc. Much more in tune with me and I suspect the vast majority of cigar smokers out there.
Nice video as always but whenever you “get something” in Vegas your not really suppose to tell anyone…………ESPECIALLY on a Video where BILLIONS (Mike said your viewers are in the billions now) watch it! haha
Cigar aficionado is not all that bad. They are a consumer mag, not a trade publication so they can’t survive on just covering cigars. This is the main reason publications branch out to other areas, to get the advertisers from different verticals. so please don’t be insulted, I doubt it is personal. Look at the The Cigar Report. they tried to cover just spirits and cigars and they went down after 5 issues.
A cigar blog is much easier to maintain, has way less overhead, and frankly reaches very few people in comparison (for obvious reasons). I look at SR and other blogs because i like to hear a number of opinions on any cigar (every palette is different as we know). One of the problems with new media (and Jerry doesn’t really do this) is they are too critical of old media (and old media is waaaaay to critical of new media). just promote yourself and put out a good product. anything negative will just look badly against you.
/end rant
I agree with JT 100%………..I think each media outlet is different than the other. As a company, in any business, you need to diversify your advertising, etc.
I don’t bash old media too much…they are still the top dogs. And they will continue to be so until new media shows that they have staying power.
I don’t mind CA too much in fact I’m getting a free subscription. But, I much prefer Cigar Press, which I get free at my local shops. I much prefer reading about cigars than celebs and lifestyles.
I have often said that I am a reluctant subscriber to Cigar Aficionado magazine. Although I respect their cigar reviews – and let’s face it, if you are a cigar smoker there’s a real drought of decent publications to read – there is little else in the magazine that appeals to me. After their particularly lackluster spring issue, I fired off a not-very-flattering e-mail to this effect. Much to my surprise, in the latest issue (August 2010) there was my letter in the “Letters to the Editor/Out of the Humidor” section. To their credit they printed my critical missive intact and unedited. They even used one of my sentences on the page’s pull-quote.
Cigar Press is shiny and glossy, but they have a long way to go too. I think it a real cop-out that they don’t have any type of ratings scale, or list the MSRP, for the cigars they review. Most every one of their cigar reviews tend to be middle-of-the-road and interchangeable with the next. Their so-called reviewers rate the cigars blind; so I think to a man they are afraid to say anything negative, lest they might not get any more free cigars.
Keep up the good work at Stogie Review.
~Christopher S.
Bring YQMA back please!!!! I miss them severely