Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 348

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) September is a great month for cigar events. The fifth annual Crush & Roll West starts today at the Paso Robles Fairgrounds in California. The gathering is expected to attract hundreds with cigars, wine, craft beer, poker, and entertainment. Twenty cigar makers will be on hand representing Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the KC Cigar Festival kicks off tomorrow. And W. Curtis Draper’s Little Puff is slated for September 27 in Washington, with proceeds benefiting DC-area academic scholarships.

2) The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, created by the J.C. Newman and Fuente cigar companies, is again hosting an event in the Dominican Republic where the Fuente factory and farms are located. The event will be held February 5-8 and costs $295 a person. Attendees will get the chance to help the foundation, tour Chateau de la Fuente, and enjoy a cigar dinner celebration. Details can be found here.

3) Inside the Industry: Palm Beach-area retailer Smoke Inn is introducing the latest addition to its MicroBlend Series. The Quesada Octoberfest Dunkel uses the same binders and fillers as Quesada’s regular Oktoberfest release. However, the wrapper is a broadleaf maduro with an underlying Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper only at the foot. Production is limited to 750 boxes with 15 cigars (6 x 54) that retail for $8.95 per stick or $134.25 for the box.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Camacho Havana. Stogie Review reviews the Joya de Nicaragua Rosalones. Nice Tight Ash checks out the King of Kings Cuadrado. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Kilo. Stogie Fresh smokes the Joya de Nicaragua CyB.

5) Deal of the Week: Maduro fans should take a good look at this five-cigar sampler. Just $27 lands you one each of the Ortega Serie D No. 6, Perdomo Noir Epicure, Pinar del Rio Small Batch Maduro Robusto, Kristoff Ligero Maduro Matador, and the AVO Maduro No. 9.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Crush & Roll West