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Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 475

15 Apr 2016

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.

BL Conn

1) Yesterday, the oldest cigar maker in the Dominican Republic announced the launch of a new four-blend line called Black Lion. La Aurora Black Lion will be featured in Connecticut, Corojo, Maduro, and Cameroon varieties. Connecticut will pair a Connecticut wrapper with an Ecuadorian binder and filler tobaccos from the Cibao Valley, Nicaragua, and Peru. Black Lion Cameroon will have a Cameroon wrapper with an Ecuadorian binder and fillers from the Cibao Valley and Nicaragua. Black Lion Maduro sports a dark Cubra wrapper with a Brazilian binder and fillers from the Cibao Valley, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Peru. And Black Lion Corojo will pair a Corojo wrapper with an Ecuadorian binder and fillers from the Cibao Valley and Nicaragua. Four sizes will be available: Robusto, Toro, Gran Toro, and Churchill. Each cigar will come in 25-count boxes with modern packaging that’s a clear departure from La Aurora’s typically classic approach, which leans heavily towards traditional.

2) The Tampa Bay Tribune highlights the stakes of the pending FDA regulation of cigars and the potential for warming regulations with Cuba to forestall the devastating impact of such regulations. According to the article, “The regulations would apply to foreign-made cigars, too—perhaps, one day, to now-banned Cuba imports. And that is where hope lies, say some in the industry. They think progress made under the initiative by President Barack Obama to normalize relations with Cuba will lead Congress to end the embargo and the FDA to adopt less restrictive regulations on premium cigars. Cigars from Cuba and those made by Newman are classified as premium.”

3) Inside the Industry: “Gran Habano announces the pre-release of La Colección de Elegancia, a collection of Gran Habano’s best-selling Corojo No. 5 blend in smaller ring gauge sizes,” reads a press release. “The Corojo No. 5 Elegance sizes have the strongest blend in the Gran Habano profile with rich, full-bodied flavors further enhanced by the smaller ring gauge. Gran Habano is now taking pre-orders from retailers for La Colección de Elegancia Sampler containing 10 cigars of each ring gauge size. Gran Habano will also be releasing three new sizes of Corojo No. 5 cigar boxes as part of the Elegance Collection series: Petite Corona (5.5 x 42), Corona (6 x 44), and the Figurado No. 200 (5 x 48).”

4) From the Archives: With summer just around the corner, it is a good time to make sure you are protecting your cigars from the potentially damaging effects that heat can have on proper storage. This tip will walk you through the basics, including providing four suggestions for making sure your cigars are properly shielded from excessive temperature.

5) Deal of the Week: Crowned Heads fans will want to jump on this special from Smoke Inn. For a limited time, buy any box of twelve Crowned Heads blends and get a free five-cigar travel case. Plus, use the coupon code “Stogie10” to knock ten percent off your order.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: La Aurora

2 Responses to “Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 475”

  1. Mike Friday, April 15, 2016 at 3:03 pm #

    Does anyone know if the Black Lions are a house brand for
    JR Cigars? Seems to be the only place showing them for sale…

    • Patrick A Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 6:10 pm #

      I am not aware of these being exclusive to any retailer. Usually retailer exclusive cigars make the exclusivity very apparent in the press releases.