As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Indiana’s proposed smoking ban, despite the persistence of anti-tobacco activists, appears dead—at least for this session. While the House passed a “diluted” bill on Tuesday that includes exemptions for bars and tobacco shops, the Senate is unlikely to consider the measure “amid worries that it could hurt some businesses.”

2) Davidoff is moving its U.S. headquarters from Connecticut to Tampa—presumably to be closer to the Switzerland-based company’s operations in the Caribbean. The cigar maker also plans to hire “up to 90 people” at the new location.

3) Inside the Industry: Pete Johnson is launching El Triunfador, formerly a “secret” lancero, as a new six-vitola line in March. Ronson, maker of some of the best butane lighters available for $3-4, has been acquired by Zippo. Bypassing the crippled airport in Port-Au-Prince, the Dominican-based Cigar Family Charitable Foundation is trucking water, food, medical supplies, tents, and blankets to needy Haitians.

4)Around the Blogs:  Stogie Review lights up a Mederos Fifty 3. Keepers of the Flame smokes the Perdomo Habano Corojo. Cigar Inspector inspects a Partagas Serie D No. 3 2006 LE.  A Cigar Smoker reviews the Tatuaje Verocu Tubo.

5) Deal of the Week: This Valentine’s Day Sale has deep discounts on some top smokes. Best buys include the La Carolina (box of 25) for $75 and the J.L. Salazar Robusto (box of 25) for $60. Grab yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) This week, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced plans to drastically increase tobacco taxes across the commonwealth. He aims to boost taxes on cigars from 30% to a whopping 110%. Patrick, a Democrat, is up for reelection this year, and Republican candidate Charles D. Baker criticized him “for relying on one-time revenues to help plug the [state budget] gap.” The tax hike still requires legislative approval, however, and the IPCPR said in a press release that it will deploy lobbyists in the State Capitol and “launch and disseminate a Legislative Action Alert.”

2) The Daily Caller, the new website of Fox News  commentator Tucker Carlson (formerly of MSNBC and CNN), now features weekly cigar reviews and occasional news commentaries written by the editors of StogieGuys.com. Click here for our first contribution: a review of the CAO La Traviata Divino.

3) Inside the Industry: Camacho is expanding its Room 101 line with a stronger four-vitola blend called the “Room 101 LTD.” New Ashton VSG and ESG tubos have begun arriving in cigar shops. The “New York Tobacconists Association” has been established to fight against the many anti-cigar laws of New York State and City.

4)Around the Blogs: Nice Tight Ash lights up an Ashton VSG. Keepers of the Flame reviews a Declaration by Jameson. Cigar Inspector smokes the Diplomaticos No. 2. Stogie Review checks out the My Father Le Bijou 1922. A Cigar Smoker fires up the Joya de Nicaragua Dark Corojo.

5) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is having a Super Bowl Sale on some of our favorite smokes. Included are bargains on Cuban Crafters Cameroon, Cubano Claro, and Medina Miami 1959. But the best buy is box of 25 Cupido Criollos for just $47. Grab yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Washington is eying new legislation that would restrict outdoor smoking in the nation’s capital. The proposal, currently under consideration by the city council, would criminalize sidewalk smoking within 25 feet of participating businesses. “If store owners don’t want smoking in their places of business, they have the right to declare their property smoke-free. And if these property owners don’t want people to smoke outside of their places of business, they have the right to ask people not to smoke there,” said Chris McCalla of IPCPR. “But enacting legislation that gives the government authority over these individual property rights we do not support. Not only is it not justified from a medical standpoint, it is not a justified deprivation of our personal rights from a constitutional standpoint.”

2) Other Smoking Ban Alerts: Los Angeles is banning smoking in outdoor dining areas and around “mobile food trucks.” Indiana lawmakers are hoping to make their state the 39th with some sort of statewide ban. Montana’s new indoor ban contributed to an 18% drop in gambling revenue.

3) Inside the Industry: CAO will soon release two new sizes of their La Traviata blend: a corona (5.6 x 46) called “Favorito” and a belicoso (5.5 x 52) called “Animado.” Joya de Nicaragua is releasing its fifth line, a bundle cigar called the Fuerte Serie B that will be made in fours sizes and sell in the $2-4 range.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review fires up a Zino Platinum Crown Series Emperor Edition 2009. Cigar Jack smokes a Toraño Exodus 50 Years. Nice Tight Ash looks at the E.P. Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009. Velvet Cigar reviews the Room 101 by Camacho. A Cigar Smoker and Lindsay Heller smoke the Opus X “Love Affair.”

5) Deal of the Week: Looking for a few good smokes and a new humidor? This set includes three cigars each from  Gurkha, Cocinero, Liga Especial, Perdomo, and Victor Sinclair, plus a quality humidor, humidor solution, a double guillotine cutter, and a humidification disc—all for $59 including shipping.  Grab yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Shaking was felt throughout the Caribbean on Tuesday after a powerful earthquake struck Haiti. The tremor, measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale, ravaged the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, leaving an estimated 50,000 dead, the capital of Port-au-Price in ruins, and survivors with severely limited access to medical attention. Much less significantly, while the quake could be felt in cigar-producing countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic, no damage was reported and any impact on the cigar industry is expected to be trivial.

2) For those looking to make a charitable contribution to help the people of Haiti, the Montecristo Relief Organization and Altadis will match your contribution dollar for dollar and have pledged up to an additional $125,000. To have your donation matched, send a contribution to: Montecristo Relief Organization, Haiti Earthquake Relief c/o Altadis USA, PO Box 407179, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33340-7166.

3) Our StogieGuys.com Best of 2009 lists will be released soon. They are exclusive to subscribers to our  Free Email Newsletter,  so make sure you sign up—a smart move that will automatically enter you to win spectacular prizes like boxes of top brands and cigar accessories.

4) Inside the Industry: Two new private cigar clubs opened this week to cater to those otherwise ostracized by smoking bans. The Montecristo Lounge in Alexandria, Virginia, is a joint venture of Altadis and The Cigar Palace. Meanwhile, the first Cohiba Lounge opened as a partnership between General Cigar and Nice Ash Cigars near Buffalo, New York.

5) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review checks out the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender. Nice Tight Ash fires up an H. Upmann Magnum 50. Keepers of the Flame reviews a Casa Royale Crown. Stogie Fresh smokes the Padrón 1964 Diplomaticos. Cigar Inspector inspects the Montecristo Open Regatta.

6) Deal of the Week: With full-bodied spice and Cuban-like depth, people are turning to Nicaraguan smokes more and more, and this Nicaraguan Blends Sampler shows why. Included are two each from Padilla Habano, Man O’ War, Rocky Patel Fusion, and Gurkha Park Avenue, all for under $40. Grab yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) In a development that may set the tone for future battles, a judge this week dismissed portions of a new federal law that grants the FDA regulation over tobacco. The ruling, from a federal district court in Kentucky, says the FDA can’t prevent tobacco companies from using color or graphics in ads. Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. “also struck down a provision that bars tobacco companies and others from implying that a tobacco product is safer because it is regulated by the FDA,” reports the Wall Street Journal. He did, however, uphold new warning label requirements and new bans on tobacco sponsorship of “athletic, social, or cultural events.” While many still view the FDA’s newfound authority over tobacco as a cigarette issue, cigar makers, retailers, and consumers have started to recognize the immediate threat the bureaucracy’s oversight poses to premium cigars.

2) If you haven’t already signed up for our Free Email Newsletter, now is a great time. We’ll soon be sending out our list of the Top Ten Cigars We Reviewed in 2009, as well s our Top Five New Cigars of 2009. These rankings are exclusive to our newsletter subscribers. Signing up will also automatically enter you to win spectacular prizes like boxes of top brands and cigar accessories.

3) Inside the Industry: Jameson Cigars is giving away a beautiful handmade humidor from Vanderburgh Humidors along with a box of its new Declaration Iniquity cigars. CAO is looking for a regular smoker to star in its “CAO Real” ad campaign and will bestow a year worth of cigars on the winner. La Flor Dominicana is debuting a new full-flavored smoke called the “Air Bender” with a habano wrapper and Dominican binder and filler tobaccos.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame reviews the Romeo y Julieta Museum Edition. The Cigar Haus examines the Camacho Triple Maduro. At Stogie Review, Lindsay Heller looks at cigar and spirit pairings. Toasted Foot gives away a box of the new Exile Maduros. Nice Tight Ash lights up a Special Selection Coffee Break.

5) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is having an unpublicized sale on some of our favorite smokes. Included are the Cupido Tuxedo, Cubano Claro, Medina Miami 1959, and two sharp humidors, all for well below normal prices. The best buy is a box of 20 Limited Edition Don Kiki  White Labels (Harvest of 2001) for just $55. Grab yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) On Monday, General Cigar was dealt a blow in the company’s protracted legal battle with Cuba. At issue is General’s use of the “Cohiba” brand name, under which they have been marketing Dominican-made cigars for over a decade. A federal judge in Manhattan issued an injunction, pending appeal, to prevent General from using the name. His justification is a doctrine “which holds that if a foreign trademark is well-known in the U.S. it is protected even though it’s not registered…”

2) Smoking Ban Alerts: San Francisco politicians are looking to tighten the city’s ban by making it illegal to smoke near doors, vents, and windows. Colorado’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s live theater ban. As expected, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm will sign a statewide indoor smoking ban today.

3) Inside the Industry: Arturo Fuente is releasing a new line of cigars called Rosado Sungrown Magnum R, which features aged Ecuadorian wrappers provided by the Oliva Tobacco Company. Despite their recent legal setback, General Cigar has opened its first Cohiba-branded cigar lounge at Nice Ash Cigars in Depew, NY.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review lights up an ECCJ 15th Anniversary by Altadis. Nice Tight Ash smokes the Punch Rare Corojo. Keepers of the Flame sparks a La Tradicion Cubana Deluxe 15th Anniversary. Stogie Fresh reviews the Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve. Cigar Inspector inspects the Rocky Patel Nording.

5) Deal of the Week: Want to try many different cigars for a small price? This sampler has 20 top smokes for just $60, including favorites from Rocky Patel, Graycliff, Padilla, Man O’ War, 5 Vegas, Gurkha, and many more.  Get yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Yesterday, politicians in Lansing, Michigan, passed a smoking ban over the Wolverine State, which is widely expected to be signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The new restriction would criminalize lighting up in restaurants and bars, but exempts casinos and cigar bars. It will take effect on May 1 and make Michigan the 38th state with some sort of statewide ban.

2) Dating back to the 1860s, the tradition of “lectores”—cigar factory workers who read aloud to rollers—is still alive and well in Cuba. You may recall that this unique practice is why two of the world’s most famous cigar brands are named for a Shakespeare play (Romeo y Julieta) and an Alexandre Dumas novel (Montecristo). Published yesterday, this BBC article illustrates the role of lectores and their importance to cigar culture.

3) Inside the Industry: Habanos SA, the Cuban national cigar company, is introducing a new size in its  San Cristóbal de La Habana line: the “O’Reilly,” which measures six and a quarter inches by 56 ring gauge. The new EP Carrillo Edición 2009 inaugural cigar is finally shipping to stores. While the Illusione Nostros—a collaboration between Illusione and Drew Estate—debuted at the 2009 IPCPR Trade Show, its release is now being delayed until March 2010.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Punch Upper Cut. Stogie Fresh lights up a San Martin. Keepers of the Flame torches the Tatuaje Verocu No. 9. The Weekly Cigar tries the El Primer del Mundo. Cigar Jack checks out the La Traviata. Nice Tight Ash smokes the Patel Bros.

5) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is having an unpublicized sale on some of our favorite smokes. Included are the Cupido Tuxedo, La Carolina, Cupido Criollo, and Medina Miami 1959, all for well below normal prices. Grab yours here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr