Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 285
13 Apr 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) Ever since June 2009 when President Obama signed the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,†my colleagues and I have written ad nauseam about the severe dangers of granting the Food & Drug Administration jurisdiction over handmade cigars. We’ve also vociferously supported the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011,†a bill that would protect premium cigars from FDA oversight. Now Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association are also looking to the Executive Branch for protection, filing a petition with the White House to designate premium cigars outside the jurisdiction of the FDA. Please click here to sign this petition.
2) New York City already has a ban on smoking in city-run parks, but now the state is also moving to criminalize smoking in some outdoor areas. A bureaucracy called the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation—which operates 178 parks and 35 historic sites across the Empire State—is now calling many outdoor spaces smoke-free, supposedly to protect people from secondhand smoke.
3) Inside the Industry: Oliva is launching its 2012 Studio Tobac tour (details here). Altadis is introducing a new modern-looking “boutique” Romeo y Julieta cigar called “Romeo,” which features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that will be available in four thick sizes. The Pepin Family is shipping its new box-pressed Flor de los Antillas Nicaraguan puro, which is available in four sizes, selling for $6.60 to $8.70. Now is your last chance to buy tickets to the Midwest Smoke Out, held on April 19 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.
4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Morro Castle. Cigar Inspector inspects a Padilla Studio Tobaco. Cigar Fan fires up an Alec Bradley American Classic. Velvet Cigar smokes a CAO La Traviata Maduro. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Sosa Classic.
5) Deal of the Week: Smoke Inn has the new Ortega Serie D in stock (we reviewed the No. 12 here). Both 5-packs and boxes of 10 are available for $5.85 to $7.10 per stick.
photo credit: Flickr
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
New York makes no sense. Seems like everyone smokes cigarettes in that city. Hell, by the end of my last trip I wanted a cigarette too. Seems like the local government is completely out of touch with the population.
Sometimes I think New York and California are competing to earn the crown of the least cigar-friendly state in the U.S. My home state of Illinois isn't far behind, especially here in Chicago with the new cigar tax hike.
I learned last night at an event with Pepin that the new Flor de los Antillas isn't yet being shipped. Delays with production of the intricate bands and labels have pushed the release back. They now expect to get the issues resolved late this month and have the new cigars in shops by the first of May.
Have you guys got your hands on the “Romeo" yet? I'm interested to see how it smokes. Rome y Julieta just doesn't seem like they'll fit into the boutique world to me. But I could be wrong.
I haven't gotten my hands on a Romeo yet. My sense is Altadis is trying to give Romeo a more boutique-y feel within the overall Altadis portfolio, much like General has done with the La Gloria Cubana line. I'm certainly willing to give Romeo a shot and look forward to publishing my thoughts and seeing reader comments.
Yeah that would make sense. I've seen a picture of the cigar and I have tos ay I'm not a fan of the band. To me I'm somewhat of a web designer and it's and eyesore to me, but everyone has differing opinions 🙂