Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 428

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) Yesterday Camacho announced American Barrel-Aged, a “complex and intense” cigar with “bourbon barrel-aged Corojo at its heart.” The first release under Camacho’s Master Built Series, the blend is “constructed almost entirely of American-grown tobacco including a Broadleaf wrapper, binder, and filler, along with maduro filler tobacco from Pennsylvania,” reads a press release. “One leaf of the six-year-old, bourbon barrel-aged Corojo tobacco was added to the recipe and is the main component that amplifies the complexity of the blend.” The cigars retail for $10 to $12 apiece and are being supported by a nationwide tour beginning on June 8 in Orlando and ending December 19 in Tampa. Dylan Austin, director of marketing for Davidoff, had this to say about American Barrel-Aged: “This project marks the first time a Camacho core line has been made outside of Honduras and we are extremely proud of what our master builders in the Dominican Republic have brought to life. Barrel aging is a very tedious and hands-on process. We are aging around 2,000 pounds of Corojo filler tobacco and rotating the barrels one leaf at a time every few weeks. Each batch takes a full five months to complete and requires constant attention to ensure the proper journey for this special tobacco.”

2) La Flor Dominicana has announced its 2015 Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) Exclusive Series. The TAA 47 (5.5 x 52) will begin shipping to TAA retailers in late May in 25-count boxes with an MSRP of $9. The Dominican-made blend includes an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. You can find the list of TAA retailers here.

3) Legislation introduced by four Democrat senators would raise federal taxes on all tobacco products. The so-called “Tobacco Tax and Enforcement Reform Act” purports to, among other things, fight tobacco smuggling by raising the federal tax on cigarettes from $1.01 per pack to $1.95 per pack. For other tobacco products, including cigars, the bill would “set tax rates… at an equivalent amount,” presumably increasing federal taxes by 94%.

4) Inside the Industry: Rocky Patel’s The Edge brand was first introduced in 2004, and the new Edge A-10 celebrates the line’s tenth anniversary (the delayed release was supposed to debut in 2014). The dual barberpole-style Honduran and Costa Rican wrappers are the same wrappers used on the original Edge Corojo and Edge Maduro. The cigar also has a Honduran binder and Nicaraguan and Panamanian filler.

5) Deal of the Week: This “five great cigars” sampler features, you guessed it, five excellent cigars for just $26. Included are the Kristoff Galerones DR4 Toro, Curivari Gran Rey Belicoso, PDR 1878 Habano Robusto, Avo Classic Robusto, and the Asylum 13 Robusto.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Camacho