The Stogie Guys

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.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar

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) 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 Sacramento Bee.

2) John Ross, a friend of StogieGuys.com, has a shocking, must-read article at The Daily Caller about how the U.S. government plans to seize a $90,000 sailboat because it was found to be carrying 33 boxes of cigars off the shore of Puerto Rico. The boat’s owner, Jeff Southworth, maintains the cigars were Dominican-made knockoffs, not actual Cubans. Yet now he is in a legal mess that may result him losing the 46-foot boat. “Unlike with criminal forfeiture, where prosecutors target assets after a criminal conviction, civil forfeiture allows prosecutors to seize Southworth’s property without proving he committed a crime,” writes Ross. “The government doesn’t even have to charge him with one.”

3) Inside the Industry: 262 Cigars announced this week that their Revere Lancero is being shipped to retailers but their Seasonal Blend, originally scheduled for launch in the fall, is being delayed until 2014. Explaining their decision to delay the Seasonal Blend, 262 explained, “In this business, you can either force the tobacco to adhere to your schedule and release a mediocre product, or you can wait for the tobacco to be right and deliver a truly premium cigar to the market. We’ve learned to choose the latter, no matter what.”

4) Around the Blogs: Robby Ras smokes the Padrón 1964 Maduro. Stogie Fresh fires up the Ashton ESG 23 Year Salute. Cigar Fan lights up El Rey de Los Habanos. Cigar Chick checks out the Illusione Epernay. Stogie Review reviews the Los Regalos Quetzal by Emilio.

5) Deal of the Week: Ernesto Perez-Carrillo may have created the original boutique cigar, but two decades later he’s still making great sticks. This deal features two each of the EPC Core Line Natural and Maduro Torpedos for just $20 ($13 off MSRP).

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: sd22.senate.ca.gov

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) 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 New York Daily News. “The more difficult it is for [young people] to gain access to tobacco products, the less likely they are to start smoking.” Bloomberg has a long track record of anti-tobacco zealotry. He spearheaded the successful efforts to ban smoking in huge swaths of government-controlled outdoor spaces, and even proposed plans to prevent stores from displaying tobacco products. Shortly after his latest announcement, officials in Chicago began talks to also increase the smoking age to 21.

2) Today marks the national release of the Room 101 Big Delicious, the latest cigar in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series. This four-stogie rated large torpedo (6.25 x 54) comes complete with a Habano 2000 wrapper. It was crafted by Abe “Big Delicious” Dababneh of Smoke Inn and Matt Booth of Room 101. The cigar sells for $8.95 (or $134.25 for a box of 15) and will be exclusive to Smoke Inn.

3) Inside the Industry: Macanudo announced it will be sponsoring this year’s season of the Golf Channel’s Big Break Mexico, where players compete for a chance to play on the PGA or LPGA tour. In May La Palina is rolling out the second edition of it’s Goldie line, the Goldie Laguito No. 5 (5.6 x 54), of which only 25,000 will be made at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami. La Flor Dominicana announced the release of its 2013 Exclusive TAA Cigar, a double-press maduro available only to those TAA members that attended this year’s conference in Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up an El Rey de Los Habanos. Cigar Brief smokes the Liga Privada UF-13 Dark. Stogie Fresh rates the Davidoff Puro d’Oro Gorditos. Stogie Review reviews a Los Regalos Quetzal. Cigar Inspector inspects the Zino Platinum Z Class.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Best Cigars of the World Sampler” includes five quality smokes: Flor De Las Antillas Robusto, Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill, La Reloba Sumatra Torpedo, My Father No. 1, and Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Robusto. Depending on the quantity you decide to pick up, you can get this collection from $4-5 per cigar.

-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. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

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.”

2) The New York Times Magazine recently featured a story about a pipe smoker who found a unique, special tobacco and eventually went to Belgium to meet the man responsible for making it. The story is an ode to the artisanal potential of tobacco, in this case pipe tobacco, and the pleasant experiences that can be associated with it. The comments also make for an interesting read, with equal parts hand-wringing over an article putting tobacco in a good light, and comments praising the article for it’s evocative writing.

3) In yet another example of the cigar community’s charitable generosity, Cigar Aficionado‘s 19th annual Night to Remember Fundraiser was held this week in New York. Rush Limbaugh and Rudy Guiliani spoke to the crowd at the Four Seasons restaurant about the importance of cigars and the threats to our freedom to smoke. The event raised $1.2 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

4) Inside the Industry: Erik Espinosa, owner of La Zona in Esteli, Nicaragua, has announced a new size in his 601 “La Bomba” line, a massive “F Bomb” (7 x 70). La Palina is expanding distribution to Europe where Mythical Cigars Europe will serve as the official distributor.

5) Deal of the Week: Toraño is a brand that’s sometimes overlooked but seems to consistently make solid cigars. If you’re looking to try a few, check out this sampler of four Toraño torpedos for just $16.50 ($10 off MSRP).

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: IPCPR Email Newsletter

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) Following last summer’s Habano-wrapped debut, Espinosa Premium Cigars has announced the release of the Espinosa Maduro, a four-vitola line with a dark Mexican wrapper. “Within this triple-capped cigar lies a premium blend of tobaccos that have been combined to form a rich cocoa, cedar, pepper, and spice base,” reads a press release. “This medium-full bodied cigar is the perfect combination of Erik Espinosa’s signature strength notes and the La Zona factory’s reputation for flavor.” The Havana-born Espinosa is best known for helping create the 601, Murcielago, Cubao, and Mi Barrio brands along with his partner, Eddie Ortega. La Zona is located in Estelí, Nicaragua.

2) Branching out from its base in the Dominican Republic, Davidoff is launching a new “Davidoff Nicaragua” line with a ten-year-old Havana-seed wrapper, a binder from Jalapa, and filler tobaccos from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe. “This is a major step for us to expand to a new territory,” said Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard. “I wanted to develop products that were not necessarily origin-specific or rigidly tied down to one specific place. Davidoff is a brand, not a territory.” The Nicaraguan puro will come in three sizes: Toro, Robusto, and a Short Corona. The official introduction will take place at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show.

3) Inside the Industry: Nat Sherman has launched a “retail humidor program” targeted to the hospitality industry, which includes special humidors to be stocked with a variety of Nat Sherman cigars. Studio Tobac, the branch of Oliva that includes Nub and Cain, is launching its World Tour 2013, with events featuring a special six-cigar sampler that includes two prototypes and four limited releases.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a 1502 Ruby. Stogie Review reviews La Aurora Cien Años Edición Especial. The Tiki Bar kicks back with a Gurkha Ghost. Half Wheel checks out the Viaje Exclusivo Tower Cigars 45th. Cigar Inspector inspects an Illusione Epernay.

5) Deal of the Week: The “Stogie Guys Cigar Sampler”—offered by longtime supporter Corona Cigar—contains seven cigars for $29.95 (plus free shipping on your entire order). It includes limited edition cigars from Avo and Davidoff, plus cigars by Rocky Patel, J.C. Newman, Casa Fernandez, and two Corona “house” blends. Pick yours up here.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Espinosa Premium Cigars

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) 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 Oliva Cigar Co., his former employer, Leccia’s return was formally announced this week. His new venture will be called Leccia Tobacco and it will debut with two blends—Black and White—that will sell in the $7-9 range and be distributed by Toraño. Black is of particular interest as it will be handmade with a rare fire-cured leaf. Leccia fans will recall he originally tried to jump back in the business in 2011 with a completely different Toraño-distributed brand called Debut, which prompted a lawsuit from Oliva and postponed his return until now. Leccia is best known for creating the stout Nub and ligero-laden Cain brands.

2) Drew Estate is expanding its My Uzi Weighs a Ton (MUWAT) brand with the release of Kentucky Fire Cured cigars, a project that was over two years in the making. “We took the wrapper off the T52 and placed a thick Kentucky fire-cured leaf in its place,” said Jonathan Drew in a press release. “The taste and aroma were simply amazing, but there was just one huge problem—the cigar would not burn properly…[which explains] the lengthy process.” KFC, as the line will almost assuredly be called, is made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in three sizes: Just a Friend (6 x 52), Fat Molly (5 x 56), and Chunky (4 x 46).

3) Inside the Industry: What do you get when Rocky Patel, Jonathan Drew, Matt Booth, Nick Perdomo, Christian Eiroa, Ernesto Padilla, Charlie Toraño, and Kurt Van Keppel collaborate on a project? Apparently you get a feature film called Operation Smokescreen. Watch the trailer here. The film is set to debut April 24, 2013.

4) Deal of the Week: H. Upmann is a classic name in cigars with a history going back almost two centuries, but the newest H. Upmann cigars are pretty good too. This sampler includes three sizes of the new H. Upmann Legacy, plus two Upmann Short Figuardos, for $20.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Leccia Tobacco

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) 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 here.

2) Gov. Mike Beebe signed House Bill 1531 into law on Tuesday, effectively capping the Arkansas excise tax on cigars at 50 cents per cigar. “Arkansas becomes the ninth state to cap its ad valorem tax rate on cigars, joining Connecticut, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin,” according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

3) Inside the Industry: Crowned Heads has been working on the “J.D. Howard Reserve” since October (the blend was finalized in early February) but the new cigar won’t make its debut until the industry trade show in Las Vegas this summer. The cigar will be available in 5 vitolas: HR46 (6 x 46), HR48 (5 x 48), HR50 (5.6 x 50 figurado), HR52 (6 x 52), and HR54 (5 x 54).

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews an Inception. Half Wheel fires up an OpusX Football. Cigar Inspector inspects an H. Upmann Legacy. Stogie Fresh smokes the RoMa Craft Tobac Intemperance EC XVIII. Cigar Fan lights up the Trinidad Paradox.

5) Deal of the Week: Normally $65, this La Gloria Cubana deal features six La Gloria cigars and a dual flame torch lighter for $40.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar