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Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 283

30 Mar 2012

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) Since February, we’ve been covering Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s misguided attempt to boost state coffers by raising his state’s excise tax on cigars from 15% to 70%. There are currently bills before the state Senate and House that would bolster premium cigar taxes, and a joint committee is set to meet to reconcile the two different proposals. “Surrounding jurisdictions such as Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., already tax premium cigars less than Maryland’s current 15 percent levy,” according to the Gaithersburg Gazette. In the same article, Stephen Castro, owner of seven cigar shops in the state, said “the current legislative push…could drive shops such as his out of business.”

2) Officials in Elk Grove were considering a ban on smoking inside private apartments in the Northern California town. They have decided not to pursue the restrictive proposal, for now. “After hearing the comments, the council agreed that the apartment smoking issue seemed to be confined to [one apartment complex] and were reluctant to ban smoking outright at all complexes within the city,” reports the Sacramento Bee.

3) Inside the Industry: General Cigar is launching a new Partagas line called 1845 with an Ecuadorian Habano-seed wrapper, Connecticut binder, and rum barrel-aged filler tobaccos. Manny Ferrero, senior vice president of sales for Ashton Distributors, passed away on Tuesday. Wicked Indie is the first cigar release under the East India Trading Company, a subsidiary of the newly renamed Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a Padilla Artemis. Cigar Explorer explores a Patoro Vuelta Abajo Limited. The Tiki Bar kicks back with a 262 Paradigm Lancero. Cigar Inspector inspects a Tatuaje TAA. Half Wheel smokes a Second Growth. Stogie Review reviews an Ashton ESG.

5) Deal of the Week: This weekly special features two top-notch blends for just $30. Included are five Boris 11 Connecticut Perfectos (created in partnership with Avo) and five Nestor Miranda Dominicana Piramides (made by the Garcia family).

The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

One Response to “Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 283”

  1. Swede214 Friday, March 30, 2012 at 12:48 pm #

    Good job as always, thanks for the review.