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Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 354

18 Oct 2013

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.

Duke Riley1) In a bizarre article appearing in the New York Times on Wednesday, it was reported that Brooklyn-based artist Duke Riley recently trained homing pigeons to fly him Cuban cigars. “Mr. Riley trained a flock of homing pigeons to fly one way from Havana to Key West,” reads the article. “Half the birds were flat-out smugglers, running Cuban cigars to the United States. The others were documentarians, outfitted with special cameras to record their 100-mile journey across the Straits of Florida.” Carefully not divulging too much information about his methods, Riley says, “If a bird ends up in my pigeon lofts, that happens to have a cigar from Cuba, and there also happens to be a pigeon that has a video camera on it, that shows footage of birds flying from Havana to Key West with cigars—yeah, I can’t really say how that happened.”

2) Billing itself as “The World’s Largest Cigar Celebration,” the Tampa Cigar Festival is scheduled for downtown Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with two evening parties—one a $100 dinner at the J.C. Newman factory—beforehand. Admission to the festival, which features cigar manufacturers, a beer and wine garden, and Cigar Dave broadcasting, is $10.

3) The New York State Supreme Court has struck down an outdoor smoking ban for state parks. According to the Wall Street Journal: “The February rules establishing no-smoking areas at various parks, including popular beaches and all nine state parks within New York City, aren’t supported by any policy set by the Legislature, state Supreme Court Justice George Ceresia said. The city has a separate outdoor smoking ban for its parks and beaches that wasn’t challenged in this lawsuit.”

4) Inside the Industry: Joya de Nicaragua has announced a new cigar called “Cuatro Cinco” to celebrate 45 years since the company was founded in 1968. Cuatro Cinco will be available in a single semi-box-pressed vitola (6 x 54) in 10-count boxes. As a Limited Edition, only 4,500 boxes of Cuatro Cinco are being produced, each individually numbered to guarantee exclusivity. The initial batch will start shipping the first week of November.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Sencillo Black. The Tiki Bar kicks back with an Oktberfest Dunkel by Quesada. Stogie Fresh smokes the Partagas 1495. Cigar Inspector inspects La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Natural. Half Wheel fires up a Cain F 543.

6) Deal of the Week: Famous Smoke Shop has this 5-cigar 601 sampler on sale. The deal is notable because, for $25, in addition to a 601 Blue (maduro) and two 601 Red (Habano) cigars, it includes two of the now discontinued 601 Black Connecticut cigars.

The Stogie Guys

photo credit: New York Times

4 Responses to “Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 354”

  1. Ed M. Friday, October 18, 2013 at 8:13 am #

    Of all of the Partagas lines, the 1495 is my favorite, second only to the 1845. The 1495 harkens me back to the days of Columbus, sailing the seas, looking for rich West Indies tobacco. When Steve Cifuentes (Ramon's great great great great grandfather) procured that bale of tobacco from the Haitians, he really created a masterpiece.

    Just busting balls – thanks for the roundup, boys.

    I wonder if this is what Mike Tyson has been doing all this time with those pigeons in Brooklyn?

  2. George E. Friday, October 18, 2013 at 4:49 pm #

    A news update from today's Wall Street Journal of interest to bourbon lovers: 200 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle's 20-Year Family Reserve have disappeared from the distillery. The apparent theft of the bourbon, valued at about $25,000, means it will be even harder – if not nearly impossible – to find at retailers this year.

  3. Ed M. Friday, October 18, 2013 at 4:54 pm #

    George – I think we can just go to Patrick S.' house. Just don't bring the authorities.

    • Patrick S Friday, October 18, 2013 at 10:07 pm #

      I wish… can barely get my hands on one bottle of Pappy at a time. Also the Pappy is worth way more than reported. according to their numbers the rye is $25 a bottle, which isnt even wholesale. Youre lucky to pay $75 for that and way more is not unusual.