Stogie Guys Friday Sampler CXLVI
19 Jun 2009
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) The late philosopher George Santayana famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.†If that’s true, cigar smokers who value their fleeting freedom should pick up a copy of Christopher Snowdon’s new book, Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: A History of Anti-Smoking. As The Economist points out in a recent review, it is a “solidly researched, interesting, and only occasionally strident book†that shows the persecution of smokers through time—from despots cutting smokers’ lips to American prohibitionists decrying “moral decay†to Nazis labeling smoking as “a decadent Jewish habit.†Perhaps this book will shed some light on how we got from a leading anti-smoking zealot proclaiming in 1998 that “no one is seriously talking about a complete ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants†to the deplorable restrictions and taxes of today.
2) Legendary coach Arnold “Red†Auerbach, who famously lit a victory cigar after Celtics wins, was eclipsed on Sunday by another cigar enthusiast when Phil Jackson won his record tenth NBA championship as a coach. “I’ll smoke a cigar tonight, in memory of Red,†said Jackson after the Lakers defeated the Magic.
3) Inside the Industry: A new annually-released Padrón is set to launch for the first time later this year called the “Reserva de Familia.” On the heals of the “Danno,” Nestor Miranda is releasing another Special Selection 20 Aniversario, an oscuro-wrapped perfecto called the “Ruky” (Miranda’s nickname). The new Cuban Montecristo, the “Montecristo Open,” is now hitting stores. Perdomo is releasing a new full-bodied smoke called the “Grand Cru.” Alec Bradley is launching a new “Family Blend” line that was formerly an unbanded mystery cigar given out only at the company’s promotional events.
4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up an Ambos Mundos. Stogie Review sparks a Cuban Crafters Cupido Criollo. Cigar Inspector checks out an Ashton VSG. Cigar Spy interrogates a Benchmade. Matt fires up a La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial.
5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a great (and cheap) way to catch up with all the lines made by your favorite cigar makers. For $20-25 per sampler, you’ll get five sticks each of such respected cigar makers as Don Pepin Garcia, Gran Habano, A.J. Fernandez, Perdomo, CAO, and Oliva. Grab yours here.
photo credit: VelvetGloveIronFist.com
Very interested in getting my hands on the new Monte Open. Pre-release hype has been mixed though.
Interesting note about Phil Jackson. His Bulls teams of the 90s were all cigar smokers. I remember reading an article about him and the entire team making their way through a well-stocked humidor watching game films all day and evening. MJ himself is a pretty public cigar smoker. So it’s not just golf that gets the athletes. Maybe we should start a thread someplace about cigar-smoking athletes – I can think of a couple of baseball guys too.