Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 351
27 Sep 2013
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) This week Senate Bill 772, the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2013,” added New Jersey Democrat Senator Robert Menendez as a co-sponsor. Menendez, reportedly an avid cigar smoker, is the twelfth senator to sign onto the bill this year. The bill, which would protect handmade cigars from FDA regulation, now has equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans signed on as sponsors.
2) Drew Estate is hosting a “mobile herf” Saturday on the Mall in Washington, DC. Participants will receive an “I’m CRA and I Vote” T-shirt and a Nica Rustica cigar from Drew Estate. The herf will start on the eastern steps of the Capitol building at 11 am and culminate at the Lincoln Memorial two hours later.
3) Over the past year Gary Griffith of Emilio Cigars has focused on distributing boutique cigar offerings and now distributes eight boutique brands under the House of Emilio moniker. To promote the brands and encourage retailers to carry all the lines, House of Emilio has introduced the “Master Retailer” program. Participating retailers receive training for their staff on all House of Emilio brands and blends, and have the earliest access to new cigars and extra allocation of limited edition releases.
4) Inside the Industry: Prometheus’ Sencillo line is releasing two the limited edition cigars: Sencillo Platinum Gran Toro 54 (54 x 6) and Sencillo Black Piramide 60. Both are packaged in boxes of ten and have an MSRP of $8.95 per cigar. Sencillo Platinum is made in DanlÃ, Honduras, and Sencillo Black in , EsteÃ, Nicaragua.
5) Deal of the Week: This five-cigar sampler includes some full-bodied smokes worth trying. Just $26 lands you a Vega Fina Fortaleza 2 Toro, a Fausto Robusto Extra, a Wild Bunch Island Jim limited release from Ortega Cigars, a Toraño Vault Robusto, and a Cain F 654T.
photo credit: CRA
1) Officials in Walnut Creek—a California town of 65,000 located just east of Oakland—passed an 
1) Tuesday marks the beginning of the 
1) September is a great month for cigar events. The fifth annual 
1) Joya de Nicaragua announced yesterday that José Blanco, the company’s senior vice president, has stepped down and will be leaving Estelà for “his roots in the Dominican Republic.†While Blanco’s two-year contract with the oldest cigar maker in Nicaragua will not be renewed, he leaves behind his eponymous, critically acclaimed CyB cigar line (formerly Cuenca y Blanco). Some have speculated CyB’s sales never lived up to expectations—notwithstanding virtually unanimous praise from the online cigar community. The terms of Blanco’s departure did not include a non-compete clause, and StogieGuys.com expects (and hopes) he will continue to work in the industry. Blanco formerly worked at La Aurora in the Dominican for 29 years and is well known for his tasting seminars and extensive travel to cigar shops.
1) With Congress in the midst of a five-week vacation, the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) reminds us now is no time to be complacent—especially with the threat of FDA regulation of premium cigars looming large. In fact, with most senators and representatives back in their home districts, the summer recess is a good time to remind them of our rights to enjoy cigars, as well as all the jobs and small businesses endangered by government intrusion in the industry. IPCPR is reminding cigar enthusiasts and retailers that “hosting an event in your store is a memorable and effective way to engage your legislators.†They’ve published a 
1) The number of smoking bans on college campuses has reached nearly 1,200, according to the 
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