Stogie Guys Friday Sampler CI

In our ongoing effort to make StogieGuys.com as entertaining and informative as possible, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other snippets of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) New Hampshire lawmakers are at it again, working to expand the legal definition of “cigarettes” to include tiny cigars. Why, you ask? To collect more taxes, of course. This move, which comes just a week after the same politicians inexplicably smothered an exemption for cigar bars from the state’s smoking ban, shouldn’t surprise longtime StogieGuys.com readers.

2) It’s always a good idea to check out Keepers of the Flame, but the coming months should be particularly interesting. The website is gearing up for a Padrón Series Roundup, and it has enlisted reviewers from all over the online cigar community – including Patrick A, George E, and Jon N of StogieGuys.com.

3) Inside the Industry: Alec Bradley’s new Tempus scored an impressive 94 rating from Cigar Insider . Lignum-2, the tobacco company best known to cigar smokers for its Troya brand, was acquired by British tobacco giant Imperial Tobacco, owner of Altadis. Fuente released a new 2006 vintage of its God of Fire line.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Jack checks out the Dunhill Nicaraguan Signed Range. Cigar Monkey smokes an Excalibur 1066. Stogie Review fires up the Gurkha Special Edition Beast. Velvet Cigar reviews the Gurkha Grand Envoy. Matt’s Cigar Journal tries the Ashton San Cristobal.

5) Deal of the Week: If you like Rocky Patel’s vintage lines as much as we do, you’ll want to pick up this Rocky Patel Sampler. It includes four sticks each of Rocky’s 1990, 1992, and 1999 lines. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Padrón.com