Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 473

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) The BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida—home to the Florida Panthers of the NHL—is now host to the first Drew Estate Lounge in a professional sports arena. The invitation-only grand opening is being held today (an off-day for the Panthers). Smoking will be restricted to a well-appointed outdoor area equipped with TVs and drink service. “This new lounge brings the Rebirth of Cigars to a broad new audience of hockey fans at the BB&T Center,” said Michael Cellucci, president of Drew Estate. “On a personal level, I am a huge fan of the Florida Panthers. I became a season ticket holder this year and have been so impressed with the ownership, their management of the team, and the family environment that is reminiscent of Drew Estate’s culture, so this is especially exciting for me.” Year of the Rat (5.5 x 46, $14), a new cigar commemorating the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s Stanley Cup victory in 1996, will be exclusive to the lounge. It will include a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper around a Brazilian binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras.

2) In our last “Question of the Month,” we asked readers to cite how many Cuban cigars they smoke, as a percentage of their cigar consumption. Just over 47% said less than 10% of their cigar consumption is Cuban, 30% said less than 50%, and 3% said they only smoke Cubans. Be sure to weigh in on this month’s question by casting your vote. And feel free to contact us if you’ve got a suggestion for a future poll.

3) Inside the Industry: Cuban Stock Cigar Co. just opened its new factory in the tax-free zone in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. President and company founder Yaniv Levy states, “After twenty years in our two previous factories, and with the pressures to increase output as our reputation grows, it was time for this new facility. Before this move, our total production space was less than 10,000 square feet… We now have 20,000 square feet, enough to carry us well into the future.” Cuban Stock Cigar Co. has already hired forty new workers, with plans to expand to 100 soon. With its new factory, the company can increase its annual production capacity from 1.8 million cigars to potentially 10 million cigars.

4) From the Archives: Aging cigars is always a topic of interest among serious smokers. StogieGuys.com has written extensively about the whys and hows of putting sticks away. Here, we passed along advice from some experts, and another post features an interview with Doc Stogie, whose Stogie Fresh site reviews cigars over time to assess the impact of aging.

5) Deal of the Week: A good cigar sampler can be a great way to revisit some old favorites, or discover new ones. This ten-count sampler from Smoke Inn has a solid mix of high-end classics (Davidoff Nicaragua, My Father Le Bijou, Padrón 1964 Maduro), new hits (El Güegüense, New World Connecticut, Camacho American Barrel Aged), under-appreciated standbys (San Lotano Oval, Alec Bradley Prensado, La Aroma de Cuba), and even a store-exclusive limited edition (Drew Estate Pope of Greenwich Village).

–The Stogie Guys