Weekly Cigar News Sampler: Traverse City Premium Cocktail Cherries, Camacho Reintroduces Coyolar, General Cigar Appoints New VP of Marketing, and More

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 576th in the series.

1) Want to upgrade your cocktail game? One of the easiest ways is to upgrade from those unnaturally neon cherries you are putting in your cocktails. Traverse City Whisky Company’s Premium Cocktail Cherries is easy to recommend for your Manhattan, old fashioned, or sour. (Not coincidentally, Traverse City is the home of the tart cherry festival.) It’s great that it doesn’t use any artificial colors, but really you’ll know the difference when you taste it. Traverse City Whisky Company’s Premium Cherries can now be found at all Meijer grocery locations and numerous other retailers including Amazon.

2) Camacho has announced the national reintroduction of Coyolar. The blend and formats remain the same as the original Coyolar, but the packaging reflects Camacho’s modern, bold look. “Born from the volcanic soils of a small 15-acre farm found at the base of the mountains joining Nicaragua and Honduras, this spicy and flavorful smoke is built from ‘single farm vintage’ Criollo tobaccos,” reads a press release. “The land’s distinctive and mineral-rich soil provides the tobacco its unique color, texture, and intense flavor. Not for the faint of heart, this Honduran Puro is one of Camacho’s most respected blends, a true powerhouse cigar that provides blasts of leather, pepper, rich coffee, and oak.” Coyolar is made at Oettinger Davidoff’s new Camacho facility, Diadema Cigars, located near Danlí, Honduras. The line will begin shipping this week in five formats that range in price from $8.50 to $10.

3) Chris Tarr, a regional sales manager at General Cigar, has been named vice president of marketing. “Chris is the right person to lead the marketing organization and I am very pleased he accepted the position,” said Regis Broersma, president of General Cigar. “He brings a strong background in on-premise marketing, having worked for seven years at Coors Brewing Company before joining General Cigar in 2008. Together with his expertise in managing our 16-state West sales region and his firsthand knowledge of retailer and consumer preferences, Chris has the skills to support me and the executive team in driving the business forward. Chris is also not shy about pushing for his ideas and I am confident that he will be a strong leader for our marketing organization.” Tarr’s responsibilities include brand marketing, innovation, public relations, social media, and events. He will lead the marketing team remotely from Dallas.

4) Inside the Industry: The J.C. Newman Cigar Company has renamed its Nicaraguan cigar factory from PENSA to J.C. Newman PENSA. “This change, while symbolic, reflects the shift that we are making as a company to elevate the J.C. Newman name and use it to tell our story as a 123-year-old, four-generation family business, and America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker,” said Eric Newman, president. Eric and Bobby Newman built Puros de Estelí Nicaragua, S.A. (PENSA) in 2011, and the factory has since tripled in size. Today, it employs 840 workers who hand roll 100,000 cigars each day (making it the secord largest Nicaraguan factory next to La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate). J.C. Newman rolls its Brick House, Perla del Mar, El Baton, Quorum, and other cigar brands at J.C. Newman PENSA.

5) From the Archives: Though it should be obvious, a true StogieGuys.com fan respects all cigar smokers and certainly wouldn’t be disrespectful to our fellow cigar smoker’s who are women. That’s the topic covered in this 2014 commentary, which calls out some (hopefully very rare) bad behavior.

6) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, shaving kits, workout gear, and more) delivered for just $45. Of note is the Churchill box, which features four exclusive cigars, an ashtray made of reclaimed wood, an odor-eating candle, cedar spills, and a cutter. Once you are signed up, there is no obligation; you can skip or purchase each month. Sign up by Monday to be eligible for the May box.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys / Camacho