The Stogie Guys

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 577th in the series.

1) In celebration of Avo’s 30th anniversary, Davidoff this week announced the release of the sixth iteration of Avo Improvisation, “a limited series inspired by unexpected combinations of music and cigars.” Only 2,400 boxes of 25 cigars have been made in a single ultra-premium vitola (7.5 x 50). The recipe, which is inspired by the Avo Classic No. 3, includes an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder, and Dominican filler tobaccos. The per-cigar price is $16. Improvisation pays homage to Avo founder and Juilliard-trained jazz pianist Avo Uvezian, who passed away in March 2017 at the age of 91.

2) Drew Estate has announced the pre-release of the Liga Privada No. 9 Corona Viva, which is exclusive to the Cigars International Super-Store in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. The cigar “features a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Oscuro wrapper, a plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers,” according to a press release. “Similar in concept to the Undercrown Corona Viva, released in 2012, the No. 9 Corona Viva features the core blend with increased Ligero for a fuller and stronger taste profile.” The Corona Viva was launched as a pre-release yesterday in limited quantities. Boxes of 24 ($290) will be available at Cigars International’s CIGARfest in limited quantities.

3) As the official bourbon sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, Woodford Reserve has again released a special edition bottle for the 2018 Kentucky Derby (which takes place tomorrow). The commemorative bottling is filled with the standard-issue Woodford Reserve bourbon and sells for $44. It is also used in the $1,000 mint juleps sold at the derby in a special edition silver cup (and a $2,500 julep that comes in a gold-plated cup) with proceeds going to charity.

4) Inside the Industry: Gurkha Cigars announced its first Tobacconsits’ Association of America (TAA) exclusive cigar, which is an extension of the company’s Heritage line. It is made with an Ecuador Habano wrapper and blinder around Peruvian and Nicaraguan filler. Only 1,000 of the Toro box-pressed cigars will be made, and they will retail for $100 per box. Look for them this summer.

5) From the Archives: Ever wonder how The Stogie Guys got started smoking  cigars? You can read the full story here.

6) Deal of the Week: Fancy humidors can be great, but when it comes to functionality and value you’d be hard-pressed to beat an acrylic jar like this one, which is currently on sale for $17 (with free Amazon Prime shipping).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Davidoff

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

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 575th in the series.

1) Joya de Nicaragua and Drew Estate are collaborating to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) by launching a TAA-exclusive cigar. Called Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente (6.75 x 50), the box-pressed Nicaraguan puro is made with five-year-old tobaccos and is Joya de Nicaragua CEO Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca’s favorite vitola. “When I requested the Gran Reserva blend in the Presidente size, it immediately became my private smoke,” he said. “I decided to share it only for special occasions. I can’t think of a better opportunity than this shared celebration of five decades of perseverance and companionship between TAA, its members, and Joya de Nicaragua.” Presidente is expected to ship next month and will retail for $12.50.

2) Black Label Trading Company (BLTC) this week announced the shipment of the 2018 vintage of Bishops Blend, and two-vitola line made with an Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper, Ecuadorian Habano binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua, Connecticut (Broadleaf), and Pennsylvania (Broadleaf). “I’m very excited about the third release of Bishops Blend,” said BLTC creator James Brown. “This is one of our most anticipated releases of the year and the 2018 vintage will not disappoint. The 2018 boasts big, bold flavors of anise, pepper, raisins and a sweet earthiness on the finish. It is very complex and extremely refined. As with the past vintages, the Broadleaf fillers shine at the forefront and are perfectly balanced by the Nicaraguan filler tobaccos.” The cigars—a Corona Larga (6.25 x 46, $11.50) and a Robusto (5 x 48, $11)—are made at BLTC’s Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua.

3) The largest tobacco producer in Central America, Plasencia Cigars, is moving to create a natural forest at one of its farms in Estelí. “When Plasencia Cigars’ CEO Nestor Andres Plasencia stumbled upon a 2014 TED Talk by the founder of Afforestt, he was immediately inspired,” reads a press release. “In it, the founder and president, Shubhendu Sharma, speaks about a methodology used to create a mini-forest ecosystem anywhere, in a tenth of the time it would take a natural forest to grow.” Plasencia owns and operates over 3,000 acres of land in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. The new project calls for planting 40 trees in the shape of the Plasencia logo at the company’s Estelí plantation.

4) Inside the Industry: Michael Giannini has been promoted to the position of general manager at Ventura Cigar Company, and will also retain his current role of creative director. “I am so proud and honored to accept my new responsibilities…,” he said. “As we continue to receive top ratings for our Archetype, Psyko, and Case Study brands, we’re also forging bold, straight paths toward new products and steady growth. This move is really a natural progression of my career and will be a seamless transition as the brands evolve.” Giannini joined Ventura in November after 17 years at General Cigar Co., where he landed after Swedish Match bought Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s successful boutique brand that made La Gloria Cubana. Giannini is perhaps best known for his work at the helm of Foundry Cigar Co., a subsidiary of General that launched in 2012 and operated as a boutique with exotic packaging, obscure brand names, baroque themes, limited editions, and elaborate stories about the tobaccos.

5) From the Archives: Cigars may be our forte, but we can also help in the kitchen. Back in 2012, we offered up some suggestions for picking and cooking a an excellent steak.

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 now to be eligible for the May box.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Joya de Nicaragua

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 573rd in the series.

1) On the heels of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announcing its intent to seek comments about reconsidering existing regulations of premium cigars, the cigar industry is now seeking to eliminate FDA warning label requirements, which are scheduled to go in effect on August 10. The Cigar Association of America, Cigar Rights of America, and International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association have asked U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta (pictured at right) to delay the new warning label rules while the FDA reconsiders its position. The trade groups are hopeful Judge Mehta will be consistent with his statement from December hearings in this case when he said, “I guess I just have a real problem, it seems to me, with a government agency telling an entire industry [to] spend millions of dollars to satisfy a regulation that we’re not sure is going to be on the books a year from now or two years from now.” At issue are larger warning labels on cigar boxes, and rules about where these labels would need to be placed. As we wrote last week, simply considering a premium cigar exemption, of course, doesn’t guarantee that the FDA will ultimately adopt one. The FDA notably considered and rejected such an exemption in its original regulation of cigars. However, the willingness of the new FDA leadership to spend time and resources considering rolling back its regulations is a good sign for those who make, sell, and enjoy cigars.

2) Cigar consumers and retailers in New York can breathe a sigh of relief. The final version of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2019 budget does not include a proposed cigar tax hike. “While the original version of the budget did not raise the tax percentage of cigars, which is currently 75 percent of the wholesale price, it removed an ‘industry standard adjustment ratio’ clause that allows retailers to charge a much lower rate of 28.5 percent,” reports Cigar Aficionado. “The section of the original 2018–2019 Executive Budget proposal that pertained to wholesale tobacco prices was intentionally omitted from a subsequent version published on March 13 and did not reappear in what would become the final version…”

3) Kentucky recently passed HB400, a law which, for the first time, and in certain circumstances, allows the state’s famous bourbon distilleries, along with state wineries, to ship bourbon directly to consumers outside the state.  The law allows those who visit the state’s distilleries in person to ship whiskey to their home state, depending on their local laws.

4) Inside the Industry: RoMa Craft is restarting production of Neanderthal following a shortage of adequately aged Mexican San Andrés Ligero Capa. According to RoMa Craft’s Skip Martin, current back-orders of the line will begin being filled in late 2018.

5) From the Archives: Rarely are there new types of cigar tobacco, but Fuma Em Corda is one. As Ernest Gocaj of General Cigar explained in an interview last year: “Once the tobacco turns brown, the natives make it into a rope and twist it regularly to expel the juices of the tobacco. At this time, ammonia is released and the flavor is softened. In other words, the harshness is removed from the leaf. Everything is done in sunlight. The tobacco becomes very pure and refined through this method.”

6) Deal of the Week: Here are over 80 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Padrón, Drew Estate, Davidoff, Cohiba, Crowned Heads, RoMa Craft, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

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 572nd in the series.

1) On the heels of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announcing its intent to seek comments about reconsidering existing regulations of premium cigars, several health groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the agency for delaying certain rules for cigars and electronic cigarettes. “The lawsuit is challenging an agency decision last summer to grant lengthy deadline extensions to manufacturers seeking FDA approval for their products,” reports the Washington Post. “Originally, the companies were required to submit such product-review applications by this August for any item that went on the market after February 2007. The revised timeline changed that to August 2021 for cigars and August 2022 for e-cigarettes.” The organizations suing the FDA include the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “The lawsuit contends that the FDA, in delaying product reviews of e-cigarettes and cigars, is exceeding its authority under the [Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009] and violating the Administrative Procedures Act because it did not give the public an opportunity to comment.”

2) Libertarian magazine Reason has a profile (subscription required) of FDA chief Scott Gottlieb entitled “Scott Gottlieb is Not a Free Market Firebrand.” The piece, which was written prior to the agency’s recent tobacco actions and focuses more on his work related to the drug approval process, concludes that Gottlieb has a “mixed, moderate record [that] has surprised both his champions and his critics.”

3) Tampa’s Ybor City is still impacted by its cigar heritage, even as its days as a center of cigar production have waned. Case in point is the soon-to-open, 38-unit Angel Oliva Sr. Apartments, being renovated from a historic wooden cigar factory. The structure, originally built in the late 1800s, was used more or less continuously for cigar production until 1999, including most recently by leading cigar tobacco supplier Oliva Tobacco Company.

4) Inside the Industry: Cigar retailer Famous Smoke Shop has unveiled a ring gauge and wrapper color guide to help consumers understand cigar length, smoking duration, girth, and wrapper color. The free tool is available here. Last year, the Pennsylvania-based retailer released a flavor wheel. Both resources are a product of Famous-owned Cigar Advisor.

5) From the Archives: Want to learn more about Ybor City? Read a book. For example: The Immigrant World of Ybor City, which was reviewed here.

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 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 now to be eligible for the April box.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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 571st in the series.

1) In a rare instance of the issue of premium cigar regulations taking center stage on television, cigar icon and Cigar Rights of America (CRA) board member Rocky Patel appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News Channel to advocate against onerous U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. “Consumers, manufacturers, and retail tobacconists rallied around their televisions to hear the message of government overreach, economic harm, and the threat to jobs in the United States and abroad,” said CRA in an email. You can watch Patel’s entire appearance here.

2) Despite Rocky Patel’s call for rationality, the $1.3 trillion spending package that seems to have found a consensus in Congress reportedly does not include a bill to exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation. The bill was originally folded in as a rider, but it did not survive negotiations. The White House has already announced its support of the package. At the time of this writing, the House had passed the bill, which funds the government until October; it is currently being considered in the Senate, “which has little time to pass it before the government’s current funding expires at 12:01 a.m. Saturday,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Of the disappointing news, CRA Executive Director J. Glynn Loope had this to say via email: “Despite not being in this most recent budget package, it is important to remember that this is a long-term fight to protect this skilled artisan pursuit of making, selling, and enjoying premium handmade cigars. Since April 2011, over 280 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 26 members of the U.S. Senate have said ‘yes’ to such a proposition, and over 70 of those voted for the original Tobacco Control Act. This has worked to make the case that the premium cigar industry is an unintended consequence of the original act, and that these regulations go well beyond congressional intent.”

3) Following last week’s nicotine reduction proposed rulemaking, this week the FDA announced another comment period regarding flavored tobacco products. Citing tobacco usage by youth and young adults, the rule could be the first step towards banning or regulating flavored or infused cigars.

4) Inside the Industry: Cigar Aficionado reports that 2017 cigar imports were the highest in almost 20 years. According to the annual Cigar Association of America (CAA) report, over 330 million cigars were imported, a 2.4 percent increase from 2016. For the second straight year, Nicaragua topped the Dominican Republic as the top importer of cigars, but both countries increased their imports.

5) From the Archives: As the FDA considers more regulations on cigars and other tobacco products, it is important to remember the FDA has a history of misrepresenting the facts surrounding tobacco usage and minors.

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 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 here in the next five days to be eligible for the April box.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Fox News