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) Imperial Tobacco Group, a United Kingdom-based company that owns Altadis and is considered the world’s largest producer of cigars, announced a 10% jump in net revenue thanks to increased sales in Cuban cigars, as the company owns a 50 percent share in the Cuban national cigar distribution company Habanos. Sales of cigars in emerging markets such as China and Russia were particularly strong—up 14% in the last year. “In the U.S., the market remains highly competitive with first quarter volumes impacted by trade buying patterns around our October price increase,” reads a statement from the company.

2) Should the government be able to fine you for smoking in your own vehicle? Some Ohio lawmakers think so, and they have introduced a bill in the state senate that would criminalize citizens for lighting up in their own cars if children are present. Ohio already has a statewide smoking ban. If the bill is adopted, the Buckeye State would join Louisiana, California, and Maine as the only states where you can be ticketed for smoking inside a private vehicle.

3) Inside the Industry: CAO is adding the Luminoso (4.5 x 50) frontmark to its La Traviata Maduro line, which will sell for $5.10 each or $153 for a 30-count box. General Cigar is adding a Gigante size (6 x 60) to its best-selling Macanudo Cafe and Macanudo Maduro lines, with each selling for $7.99 each or $199.75 for a box of 25.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Padilla Artemis. Cigar Explorer explores the Liga Undercrown Corona (pre-release). Cigar Fan fires up a Vega Fina José Seijas 2011. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Reinado Habanito. Cigar Inspector inspects an Elogio Serie LSV. Casas Fumando smokes the Carlos Toraño Signature Collection.

5) Deal of the Week: Smoke Inn has a selection of 10-packs on sale for just $27, including free shipping. Choices include 10-packs of the Montecristo Classic, Padilla 1968 Golden Bear, Partagas Black, Perdomo, Rocky Patel Edge, Romeo y Julieta Vintage, and Trinidad 100th Anniversary.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Imperial Tobacco

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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) One week before Indianapolis hosts Super Bowl XLVI between the Giants and the Patriots, anti-tobacco politicians in Indiana are still pushing for a statewide smoking ban. Now, to pass the bill, some legislators are lobbying to exempt bars. As it currently stands, the only exemptions are for private clubs, casinos, hookah bars, and retail tobacco shops. “The House last year approved a smoking ban bill that included an exemption for bars, but it failed later after health advocates argued it would be one of the nation’s weakest bans,” reports the Indianapolis Business Journal.

2) Cigar Journal, formerly the European Cigar Cult Journal, has opened a Florida office that will process U.S. subscriptions and be held responsible for growing the publication’s brand in America. Each issue of Cigar Journal includes cigar reviews, reports, and research. Robert McDuffee, co-founder of the DogWatch Cigar Radio podcast, will help the office liaison between the U.S. cigar scene and Cigar Journal’s main office in Vienna, Austria.

3) Inside the Industry: José M. Seijas is resigning as head of Tabacalera de Garcia Ltd., the Altadis USA cigar factory where smokes like Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta are made. Room101 Cigars is launching a new limited series called OSOK—an acronyn for “one shot, one kill”—that we first sampled last fall and which features an Ecuadorian habano wrapper around corojo tobaccos. Adrian’s Costa Rican and CroMagnon brand owners Michael Rosales and Skip Martin, respectively, are merging their operations to jointly form RoMa Craft Tobac (the company will release a new CroMagnon extension, two new lines, and a “new flagship” product for their Adrian’s Costa Rican brand).

4) Around the Blogs: Tiki Bar tries the Maldonado Dynasty Mogul. Cigar Explorer explores the Kristoff Corojo Limitada. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Alec Bradley Black Market. Cigar Inspector inspects a Gurkha Cellar Reserve Prisoner. Cigar Fan fires up the Toraño Vault. Stogie Review reviews the Padilla Black Bear.

5) Deal of the Week: Like Rocky Patel and Gurkha? Then you’ll enjoy this Rocky vs. Gurkha 12-cigar sampler for only $40. Not only do you get five Rocky Patel Olde World Corojo Toros and five Gurkha Raider Habano Toros, included is one Gurkha Signature Aniversaro 1887 Limited Edition and one Indian Tabac Super Fuerte.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: ISBHC

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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) Alabama is a rare refuge of relative smoking freedom, but State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile, pictured) aims to change that. She plans to introduce a bill that would criminalize smoking in “public” places like bars and restaurants. And in addition to her bill, she is also proposing an amendment to the state constitution that would produce the same regulations, since an amendment would require a statewide vote. “If legislators don’t want to throw this on the people, let the people decide,” she told the Tuscaloosa News. While Figures is not targeting private clubs, the Tobacco Free Alabama coalition wants to ban smoking everywhere in the state. “Senator Figures is…more willing to compromise than we are,” said a spokesperson for the group.

2) Good news for travelers. London hotels are opening outdoor cigar rooms, reports the Evening Standard. They’re called “cosas,” which the paper describes as a “cosy outdoor smoking area.” To meet legal requirements, smoking areas must be at least 50% open. The hoteliers also noted increasing interest in cigars among women, with the May Fair’s general manager telling the paper its new cosa would have “a more female approach to the whole environment to appeal to women as well as male aficionados.”

3) Inside the Industry: Washington’s W. Curtis Draper tobacconist is celebrating 125 years in the industry with four exclusive blends, one each by Tatuaje, Fuente, La Aurora, and Padrón. The first 125th Anniversary cigar, a special edition Cabaiguan made by Tatuaje’s Pete Johnson, will be released during special events on February 3rd and 4th.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Humo Jaguar. Nice Tights Ash checks out the Hammer & Sickle Berlin Wall. Cigar Brief smokes a Villiger 1888. Cigar Explorer explores a Liga Privada Ferel Pig. Cigar Fan looks at Lignin, a key component of tobacco.

5) Deal of the Week: Looking for big bang for your buck? Here’s a sampler with some very large cigars. For just $35 (or double up for $25 more) you get five Romeo y Julieta Vintage Maduros (7 x 60) and five Gran Habano #5 Corojos (7.5 x 58).

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

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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) All ten campuses of the University of California system will become entirely smoke-free for at least the next two years, joining nearly 600 other anti-tobacco campuses nationwide. In addition to targeting cigarettes and cigars, the new policy will ban smokeless products in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California, said the move is intended to solidify the institution’s status as a “national leader in healthcare and environmental practices.” The LA Times reports the policy will be “educational…rather than punitive” and enforcement will be up to each campus.

2) Congratulations to Carl “Swede” Lindstrom of Illinois who won our “Win Cigars and Do Good” contest. Out of the many StogieGuys.com readers who contacted their representatives to encourage them to support legislation that would protect cigars from FDA regulation, his comment was randomly selected as the winner. So we’re rewarding him with a two-cigar “Blogger Edition” pack of the new Montecristo New York Connoisseur Edition (review here). Way to go, Carl! And thanks to all who participated for helping us stand up for cigar rights.

3) Inside the Industry: With its founder, Barry Stein, leaving to work for Miami Cigars, ACigarSmoker.com has been sold to Kevin Paige, owner of Butthead’s Tobacco Emporium in Dansbury, Connecticut. Viaje reports that its Oro and Plantino blends are becoming short-run cigars and the WLP (White Label Project) Stuffed Turkey will be returning for 2012. Cigar Aficionado deemed the Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill as the top smoke of 2011, but you can read our take on the Prensado blend here and here.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Arturo Fuente 858 Maduro. Cigar Inspector inspects the Tatuaje Barclay Rex 100th Anniversary. Cigar Brief lights up the Gran Habano STK Zulu Zulu. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Tatuaje L’Espirit de Verite 2009. Cigar Explorer fires up a La Flor Dominicana Factory Press IV. The Tiki Bar kicks back with El Tiante Habano Oscuro.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a sampler with four nice smokes from Room 101. Just $25 gets you two Room 101 Namakubis, a Room 101 Connecticut, and a Room 101 LTD Conjura.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

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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 Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, a nonprofit funded by left-leaning foundations, is calling for a 333% increase in state excise htaxes on premium cigars and other non-cigarette tobacco products. The same group helped push an alcohol tax increase through the General Assembly in the previous legislative session. But the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) is vowing to help defeat the proposal. “Maryland voters are sick of increased taxes disguised to obscure government over-spending and they are tired of being told what to do and how to behave,” said Bill Spann, CEO of IPCPR.

2) In last month’s “Question of the Month,” we asked readers how regularly they light up a premium handmade cigar. “A couple each week” topped the poll with 31% of the vote, followed by “just a few each month” (23%), “almost daily” (20%), “at least every day” (13%), and “two or more cigars every day” (13%). Be sure to weigh in on this month’s question by voting in the sidebar to the right. And feel free to contact us if you’ve got suggestion for a future poll.

3) Around the Blogs: Top cigar lists for 2011 continue at Cigar Fan, Stogie Review, Nice Tight Ash, Cigar Brief, and Cigar Inspector.

4) Deal of the Week: This New Years Resolution sampler features 10 cigars for $35. Included are five Rocky Patel Sun Grown Torpedos and five House Resolution Torpedos, a new cigar made by JC Newman that was named in honor of the bill to protect cigars from FDA control.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

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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) ’Tis the season for giving, and the Toraño Family Cigar Co. has stepped up to the philanthropic plate, hosting its second annual toy drive on December 7. The event benefited Neat Stuff for Kids, a nonprofit that provides new clothing to children from abused and underprivileged homes. Over 300 guests attended the Miami event, each bringing an unwrapped toy in exchange for free Toraño cigars, drinks, and gourmet Spanish cuisine. “We appreciate the support we receive from our community here in South Florida and the best way to show that appreciation is to give back to those who need help the most,” said Charlie Toraño (pictured). “Neat Stuff for Kids is truly an amazing organization that touches the lives of underprivileged children every day.”

2) If you like lists, Cigar Journal (formerly European Cigar Cult Journal) has released its Finest Cigars of 2011. The magazine says the 25-cigar list was compiled from its reviews during the year, with only the best chosen for inclusion. The top three include the Padrón Family Reserve No. 85 Maduro, San Lotano Oval Robusto, and Master by Carlos Toraño.

3) Inside the Industry: The highly anticipated Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 4 from La Flor Dominicana is now hitting retail shops. This year’s blend is a Dominican puro with a pelo de oro wrapper. Only 240 boxes of the cigars were made, and each smoke will sell for $19. In addition, La Flor is releasing a Cameroon-wrapped Chisel and the Factory Press IV.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan examines the Arturo Fuente Sun Grown Magnum R52. Smoking Stogie reveals the top five cigars of 2011. Cigar Explorer reviews the Trinidad Short Robusto T LE 2010. Tiki Bar names the Four Kicks the best cigar of the year.

5) Deal of the Week: To help you ring in the New Year, this special deal gets you 10 cigars for under $30. Inlcuded are smokes from La Aurora, Don Pepin Garcia, La Gloria Cubana, Perdomo, Toraño, Punch, and more. Or you can double-up for a total $50.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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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) Demonstrating the lengths some groups and politicians will go to control tobacco, five U.S. senators are now urging the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to outright ban flavored cigars nationwide. “Cigars with candy-like flavorings such as strawberry, watermelon, vanilla, and chocolate attract kids to smoking and help hook them on this addictive habit,” wrote Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CN) in a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. This move further underscores the need to differentiate premium handmade cigars from cheap machine-made sticks, as well as the need to pass the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011,” which would repeal the FDA’s authority to regulate cigars.

2) Last week we reported that Camacho Cigars signed a three-year deal to become a corporate sponsor of the Orange Bowl. But on Tuesday, ten anti-tobacco groups sent a letter to collegiate athletics officials saying that “the Florida cigar company’s sponsorship of the football games have no place in sports and shouldn’t be allowed under federal tobacco marketing restrictions.” According to an article published yesterday, representatives from Camacho, the NCAA, and the Orange Bowl have not yet responded to the letter.

3) Inside the Industry: Oliva is making a new version of its highly-regarded Series V smoke in its new Miami facility starting early next year. Barry Stein, proprietor of ACigarSmoker.com, is joining Miami Cigar & Co. Cromagnon is finally available in boxes that brand owner Skip Martin calls “cubes” with 35 cigars each. (To celebrate, Cromagnon is giving one lucky winner a free trip to Austin, Texas, full of cigars, beer, and BBQ. Details here.)

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews El Primer Mundo Epiphania. Smoking Stogie smokes a J. Fuego 777 Corojo Paka. Cigar Inspector inspects an E.P. Carrillo Club 52. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Savinelli Dos Campeones 21. Nice Tight Ash checks out a Casa Magnus Domus Optimus.

5) Deal of the Week: This weekly special gets you 10 quality sticks for just $30. Included are top smokes from Excalibur, Gurkha, Camacho, Romeo y Julieta, Rocky Patel, CAO, and Perdomo.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

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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) Drew Estate has become the first cigar manufacturer to launch an iPhone app. The free app, available for download here, allows users to browse the company’s brands, find events based on location, check out photos, and locate nearby shops that carry Drew Estate cigars. “I believe the new trend of mobile phones and devices replacing computers is something that can’t be ignored, and we at Drew Estate wanted to be the first cigar manufacturer to enter the mobile app market,” said company co-founder Jonathan Drew in a press release. “We are very active online through social networking and our website, so the choice to develop a dedicated app was an easy decision.

2) This article from Reuters suggests that up to a fifth of Cuban cigars are sold on the black market. “A box of Cuba’s prized cigars could cost hundreds of dollars in stores, but black market dealers sell it for a fraction of that price, usually to tourists,” it says. “In Havana, clandestine street dealers lead buyers up narrow staircases to small apartments where different brands of cigars in tightly packed boxes are spread out on beds. Some workers smuggle surplus cigars out of distributors and sell them. Others make them in their homes using leftover scraps, dealers said.”

3) Inside the Industry: Camacho Cigars signed a three-year deal to become a corporate sponsor of the Orange Bowl. Habanos SA is selling decorative jars full of 25 Bolivars to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Cuba and China. The 2012 Midwest Smoke Out has been scheduled for April 19 at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, and tickets go on sale on January 2 for $150 apiece.

4) Around the Blogs: Tiki Bar tries the Nadi Classic Habano. Smoking Stogie smokes the Davidoff OVTC 35th Anniversary. Stogie Fresh lights up the San Lotano Maduro. Nice Tight Ash checks out the San Lotano Oval Corona. Stogie Review reviews the Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown.

5) Deal of the Week: This rare Fuente Christmas sampler includes some of the most sought-after Fuente smokes. For $139, you get ten cigars, including two Opus Xs, two Hemingways, and two Añejos.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Drew Estate

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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) Officially formed last week in papers filed with the Federal Election Commission, “Puro PAC” is a new political action committee (PAC) with the goal of protecting premium cigars from government anti-tobacco measures, and specifically pushing the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act.” The committee is formed as a “Super PAC,” which gives it maximum freedom to support candidates directly (subject to legal limits) and to spend as much money as it can raise on independent expenditures. Puro PAC Chairman Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of the Orlando-based Corona Cigar Company, tells StogieGuys.com that although there had been talk of forming a PAC affiliated with Cigar Rights of America, Puro PAC will be a more effective vehicle to push cigar rights since it can raise funds from individuals (not just from CRA members like a traditional affiliated PAC) and from corporations with no contribution limits. Now that the paper work has been filed, his goal is to raise a six-figure war chest that can be deployed to promote pro-cigar politicians and oppose those who advocate more restrictions on adults who choose to enjoy premium cigars.

2) The Economist reports that overall cigar sales in Britain are down about 20% over the past half decade, but small, machine-made smokes are “holding steady,” now comprising about 60% of the market. The publication cites two reasons for the disparity. First, smoking bans have decreased demand for cigars that take 45-minutes or more to smoke. Second, the cost of premium handmade cigars has gone up faster, in part due to the fact that cigars are taxed by weight. “Even firms that hand-roll cigars are responding to these shifts,” says the article. “Sales are rising of short robustos.”

3) Officials in Vancouver unanimously adopted a new law that criminalizes smoking in the city’s parks. Advocates of such outdoor bans typically cite biased secondhand smoke studies as justifications for their regulations, but this law is seemingly devoid of even flawed reasoning because it also bans smokeless tobacco products. The crime is punishable by 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

4) Around the Blogs: Smoking Stogie reviews a God of Fire Serie B. Cigar Brief fires up a Toraño Vault. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve. Cigar Explorer smokes the MUWAT Bait Fish. Cigar Fan lights up a Drew Estate Undercrown.

5) Deal of the Week: Smoke Inn is featuring a variety of 10-packs on sale for $38-50. When you purchase one, you can also pick up a 50-count humidor for just $25 and take advantage of site-wide free shipping through the holidays.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia

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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) Anti-tobacco politicians and groups in Indiana have been trying to pass a comprehensive statewide smoking ban since 2007. Now, months before Indianapolis hosts Super Bowl XLVI, they may be closer than ever. Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long said a statewide ban can pass in this legislative session if advocates concede a few exemptions. But the IPCPR remains strongly opposed. “Our position hasn’t changed: Business owners have the right to decide the smoking policies of their own establishments,” said Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR. “When the government tells them what to do, it is going too far. Legislated smoking bans are a product of the ‘Nanny State’ and put businesses at risk, jobs in jeopardy, hurt local economies, and leave consumers with no choices.”

2) FDA oversight of cigars is on its way, as this article from the Daily Caller makes clear. In it, an FDA spokesman admits that cigars would be subject to “general controls, such as registration, product listing, ingredient listing, good manufacturing practice requirements, user fees for certain products, and the adulteration and misbranding provisions, as well as to the premarket review requirements for ‘new tobacco products’ and ‘modified risk tobacco products.’” Such regulation would be devastating to the handmade cigar industry.

3) Inside the Industry: Litto Gomez has announced a new limited edition cigar for La Flor Dominicana called Colorado Oscuro. The two new blends from El Tiante (Habano Rosado and Habano Oscuro) are making their Boston and Providence debuts at Cigar Masters on December 14 and December 15, respectively. Altadis is launching the Vega Fina Seijas 2011 Limited Edition, which features a San Andreas criollo wrapper. Ashton’s La Aroma de Cuba is adding a Corona and a Double Corona to its lineup.

4) Around the Blogs: Smoking Stogie smokes a Cohiba Siglo VI. Stogie Fresh lights up a Macanudo Cru Royale. Stogie Review reviews a Fuente Untold Story Maduro. Cigar Explorer checks out the Illusione Epernay Le Taureau. Cigar Fan fires up a La Gloria Artesanos Retro.

5) Deal of the Week: Just $40 gets you 12 premium smokes in this weekly special. Included are five Rocky Patel Olde World Reserves, five Gurkha Raider Toro Habanos, plus one Indian Tabac Super Fuerte and one K. Hansotia Limited Edition.

-The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

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