Stogie Guys Friday Sampler XIV

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and reader-friendly as possible, each Friday we’ll post a sampler of quick cigar news and stogie-related snippets to tide you over for the weekend. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Habanos announced the 2006 Limitada line is hitting stores across the globe (except in the US). This year the annual limited release includes Cohiba Piramides (6 1/8 inches by 52 ring), Montecristo Robustos (4 7/8 inches by 50 ring) and Partagas No.3’s (5 5/8 inches by 46 ring).

2) We’ve mentioned California’s odious Prop 86 before – and we’ll have more as election day gets closer – but for now you should check in with California Association of Liberty and Choice (Wow, we really like that name!), a group of associated cigar companies who are cooperating to stop the proposed 135 percent tax increase on cigars.

3) Meanwhile, across the pond, Great Britain is considering allowing localities to ban smoking in all public places, including on the street! Proponents of this new ban feel it is necessary because – get this – smokers forced outside by the indoor smoking bans are “potentially noisy, abusive, or anti-social.” Wait, we thought these bans were about protecting the health of non smokers? In a telling quote, one councilman in favor of the new ban accidentally spilled the beans when he said, “This is the only sensible solution to the problem besides removing the draconian ban.” Just so we’re clear, in that one sentence he admits that the indoor ban is “draconian” and acknowledges that removing it is a “sensible solution.” Well, get to work!

4) Finally, on a sad note, the cigar community lost another family member this week when Alfons Mayer passed away at 79 following a battle with brain cancer. Mayer was a longtime tobacco buyer for General Cigar who worked his way from the fields of Cuba to having his own line of cigars.

–The Stogie Guys