Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 474

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) La Aurora, the Dominican Republic’s oldest cigar manufacturer, this week announced the 1962 Corojo and 1987 Connecticut are now in stores. “The La Aurora 1962 features a Corojo wrapper, from the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic, wrapped over an Ecuadorian binder, and fillers from the Cibao Valley and Nicaragua,” reads a press release. “The La Aurora 1987 sports a Connecticut shade-grown wrapper, over a Dominican binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. La Aurora offers both cigars in four sizes in 20-count boxes: Robusto (5 x 50), Churchill (7 x 50), Toro (5.5 x 54), and Gran Toro (6 x 58). The low MSRP of $5.50 to $6.00 is to pay tribute to the consumers who have supported La Aurora for 113 years.”

2) Black Label Trading Co. (BLTC) has announced the third release of its Morphine brand, which debuted in 2014 and got a sequel in 2015. The cigars are made at BLTC’s Estelí factory, Fabrica Oveja Negra, using a Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Three sizes will be available: Corona Gorda (5.5 x 48, $10.50), Lancero (7.25 x 42, $11), and a box-pressed Torpedo (5 x 54, $10.50). “Morphine has quickly become a favorite of our customers. I think we can now say it’s our signature blend,” said BLTC founder James Brown. “The 2016 Morphine will not disappoint with its big, bold flavors and unique character. The blend is the same but we have changed the vitolas to highlight different characteristics of the cigar. This production also includes our first torpedo cigar in any of the BLTC lines.”

3) To celebrate his 50th birthday, Fred Rewey of the Nomad Cigar Co. is giving away 50 cigars from his personal humidor. “These will (of course) be Nomads but a few others as well,” he said in an email blast. “Test blends [and] limited cigars (yes, even the Lot 1386) [are] going to one winner. I’m also throwing in a Nomad cutter and a few other surprises.” (The Nomad Lot 1386 was a very limited release in 2013 that received some critical acclaim; only 307 12-count boxes were produced.) You can enter the giveaway here.

4) From the Archives: There are many options when it comes to keeping your cigars properly humidified, but the gold-standard is a temperature-controlled humidor, which you can either build or buy. In this tip from 2010, you can read the step-by-step process for converting a wine refrigerator into a temperature-controlled humidor.

5) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items delivered to your door for just $45. Past boxes include barbecue accessories, shaving kits, coffee, and exclusive cigars from E.P. Carrillo. You can skip or purchase every month. This month’s options include a serious upgrade to your cocktail accessories, a kit for making barrel-aged cocktails, kits that include everything you need (but the booze) for an authentic Moscow mule or mint julep, and others. Click here to sign up today.

–The Stogie Guys