Stogie Guys Friday Samper No. 335
17 May 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) For the first time in its history, La Gloria Cubana is launching cigars with Nicaragua as the country of origin. The Dominican-based brand, made famous by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo for General Cigar, recently announced two expansions of its Serie R line. The first is called Serie R Black, which will feature an “audacious” Jalapa ligero wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos. Three thick sizes will be available and the retail price will be in the $7-8 range. Details about the second new La Gloria Cubana blend won’t be released until June. According to Michael Giannini, General Cigar’s director of innovation, these blends are “meant to deliver the smoking experience of a well-aged, refined, and balanced Nicaraguan smoke, and we believe we’re delivering that in spades.”
2) Last week we told you about Kevin de León, a state senator in California who’s aiming to drastically increase the excise tax on premium cigars in order to fund “yet-to-be-specified health programs and causes.” Now Keith K. Park, CEO of Los Angeles-based Prometheus and a passionate advocate for cigar rights, is imploring Californian cigar consumers, tobacconists, distributors, and manufacturers to tell their state representatives to oppose the measure. If you live in the Golden State, make your voice heard via this action center.
3) SPECIAL UPDATE: To mark seven years of daily publishing—that’s right, seven years—StogieGuys.com is celebrating its anniversary by launching an unprecedented cigar giveaway from some of our favorite cigar makers. Details will follow shortly. For now, though, make sure you’re signed up for our free email newsletter so you’re eligible to win these unforgettable prizes. And check back to StogieGuys.com often for the commencement of our giveaways. This is gonna be huge!
4) Inside the Industry: Pinar del Rio announced it is taking over distribution for Sean Williams’ El Primer Mundo lines. Ted’s Cigars is introducing the official Duck Commander cigar, which is licensed by the family at the center of the hit A&E show Duck Dynasty. CAO Hurricane, a cigar we first reported on last October, is finally shipping to selected retailers.
5) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan smokes the CyB Robusto. Stogie Review reviews the Liga Privada Velvet Rat. Cigar Inspector inspects the Rocky Patel R4. Tiki Bar kicks back with an Eddie Ortega Wild Bunch Honest Abe. Stogie Fresh lights up the Juanitos Cigarros 4-19.
6) Deal of the Week: Pinar del Rio makes some great sticks at reasonable prices, and this special sampler is a perfect example. $34 gets you a dozen Pinar del Rio cigars (that’s under $3 per stick) including such highly rated smokes as four Small Batch cigars.
photo credit: General Cigar

1) In the sad contest to become the least tobacco-friendly state in the U.S., California lawmakers are aiming to further burden cigar consumers and retailers with yet another proposed tax hike. The latest maneuver comes courtesy of Kevin de León (pictured), a Democrat from Los Angeles. He is pushing to increase the excise tax on premium cigars by 85-95% to fund “yet-to-be-specified health programs and causes,” according to the
1) Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration is aiming to increase the minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 in New York City. “That will literally save lives,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told the
1) International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Legislative Director Chris McCalla’s role with the group is ending in an apparent restructuring. In a post on Facebook, McCalla (right) wrote the following: “[M]y position here with IPCPR is being dissolved and a new state director position created and operated out of D.C. Please know while no one is more disappointed than me, I am not bitter, and look forward to what may lie ahead. At this point, I do not know my last day, so I should be around for a couple of months (best guess). Lots of moving parts involved in this process. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege serving as IPCPR’s first legislative director.”
1) Following last summer’s Habano-wrapped
1) Few expected Sam Leccia to stay away from the cigar industry any longer than he was legally obligated to. With the conclusion of his non-compete agreement with the
1) The U.S. Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (TTAB) has declined Cubatabaco’s petition to cancel General Cigar’s trademark of the Cohiba brand. This is the latest victory for General Cigar in its 16-year-old legal battle with Cuba’s state-owned tobacco monopoly. At issue is whether the longstanding Cuban embargo enables American companies to sell non-Cuban cigars with Cuban brand names. “This ruling once again affirms what we have believed all along: That Cubatabaco has no merit in challenging General Cigar’s ownership of the Cohiba trademark in the United States,” said Dan Carr, president of General Cigar. We previously summarized some of the trademark battles being waged as a result of the Cuban embargo 






Patrick Ashby
Patrick Semmens
George Edmonson
