Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 429

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) Relations between Washington and Havana have warmed of late, but the days of legal Cuban cigar sales in the U.S. probably aren’t approaching soon. That said, there’s a lot of legal jockeying and market positioning taking place now over brand names and trademarks, as reported in this recent article from Reuters. “‘Thousands of U.S. companies have registered… intellectual property in Cuba in anticipation of the day when they will be able to sell their products there. Cuban companies are doing exactly the same thing,’ said Michael Krinsky, a partner with Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman. Cuba has already begun to penetrate the U.S. market using its European partner [Altadis] to churn out Cuban brand cigars made with non-Cuban tobacco, legally using the same names as its top domestic brands such as Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. As a result, when the trade embargo ends, U.S. consumers could find themselves being offered multiple products: a pricier original Romeo y Julieta from Cuba alongside a more affordable non-Cuban variety.”

2) Espinosa Premium Cigars is reviving the old Murcielago brand that debuted six years ago and was made by Don José “Pepin” Garcia. Erik Espinosa had to reverse-engineer the blend since the Garcias never disclosed the recipe to him. The new Murcielago is said to have the same blend as the old one, but this time it is being crafted at Espinosa’s La Zona factory with updated packaging. The three box-pressed vitolas are expected to debut this summer.

3) Earlier this week, Major League Baseball’s website ran a story on the 146th anniversary of the first professional game, which was held in Cincinnati. For cigar fans, there’s a great photo, showing an ancient cutter adorned with a player and the legend Red Stocking Cigars.

4) Inside the Industry: Numbers released by the Cigar Association of America have cigar imports leveling off in 2014 (technically down 3.6 million cigars) after multiple years of steady significant growth. Both the Dominican Republic (126.5 million) and  Nicaragua (117.9 million) were down very slightly, while the third largest producer, Honduras (63.8 million), was up less than one percent. [Related: Cigar Renaissance or Unhealthy Bubble?]

5) Deal of the Week: Limited to 2,000 boxes of 10, the J.D. Howard Single Action 2015 LE by Crowned Heads will not likely last long. The petit lancero (6 x 38) uses a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. StogieGuys.com sponsors Smoke Inn and Emerson’s both have them in stock in 5- and 10-packs for $46 and $84, respectively.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr