Stogie Guys Friday Sampler CCXVI

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) This week Raúl Castro released a 32-page booklet that outlines Cuba’s new “guidelines for socio-economic policy.” Over the coming years he plans to decriminalize certain forms of self-employment and transition 40% of the workforce off the government payroll. “Raúl Castro takes the view that Cuba can no longer afford the bloated and paternalistic state he inherited from Fidel,” reports The Economist. “There is a small but real place for private enterprise. And stopping small businesses from growing may prove harder than preventing them from being set up at all.”

2) Lawmakers in Australia—a country that already bans tobacco advertising on television, radio, and print—plan to outlaw tobacco advertising on the Internet. “Driven away from newspapers and television by regulation, online tobacco advertising has mushroomed, with more than 1,000 tobacco-themed Facebook groups available to people of all ages, plus YouTube clips and Flickr galleries produced by tobacco company employees,” reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

3) Inside the Industry: Tatuaje Anarchy, which we revealed in July is being made for Smoke Inn in West Palm Beach, will be available for pre-sale on Black Friday. The cigar is a unique size: a large perfecto featuring a spiral pigtail head wrapped in a black band. 1,500 boxes of 15 cigars are set to ship on December 13. Each box will sell for $150. Photos of the highly anticipated smoke can be found here.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews The Face. Smoking Stogie smokes a 1985 Dunhill. Cigar Inspector inspects the Tatuaje RC 223. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Rocky Patel NRA Valedor. B&B Cigar Club smokes the Guillermo León. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Gurkha Ninja.

5) Deal of the Week: Starting today, Citizen Cigar is holding a site-wide sale that’s well worth checking out. All prices are being reduced by 10% and shipping is free. Hurry and check it out before the the sale ends Monday.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr