Stogie Guys Friday Sampler CXXXVII

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 items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) In what the press calls “the most significant change in Cuban-American relations since the Kennedy administration,” Obama this week made it easier for exiled Cubans to visit their families on the forbidden island nation. This policy shift, which we have been following since February, won’t directly change the 47-year-old embargo, but it may prove to be a step towards decriminalizing Cuban cigars.

2) On Tuesday, cigar makers and retailers in Tampa took to the streets to protest Florida’s proposed tobacco tax increase. Industry leaders say the tax would be doubly harmful given the massive federal tax hike that went into effect on April 1. The bill’s passage is not certain, though, especially since Gov. Charlie Crist has been “reluctant to impose new taxes.”

3) Inside the Industry: CAO’s “Rock N Rolled” tour is returning with more events this summer, including a kickoff event on April 23 at Cigar Factory Outlet in Troy, Michigan. If you’re attending tomorrow’s Big Smoke at the MGM Grand in Connecticut, you can also attend Cigar Rights of America’s exclusive members-only party afterwords. Reeling from the lost revenue of two lost tobacco conventions (IPCPR Trade Show and Tobacco Plus Expo), Nevada politicians have introduced a bill undoing provisions of the state’s smoking ban. For iPhone users who want information on over 1,700 cigars at their fingertips, there’s an app for that too: Mobile Stogie.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up a Fuente Hemingway Short Story. Stogie Review reviews the CAO Mx3 Escaparate. Cigar Inspector inspects the Ramon Allones Eminencia RE. Cigar Command lights up a Padrón 5000.

5) Deal of the Week: Whether starting up your cigar collection or just expanding, who couldn’t use more humidor space and lots of top-notch cigars? For only$120, you get a 50-count humidor, 25 cigars (including sticks by Gurkha, Graycliff, Don Pepin Garcia, and Rocky Patel), and everything you need for proper maintenance. Pick up this “Cigar Lover’s Gift Set” here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr