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) Further moves to regulate premium cigars under the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) may be delayed due to the partial U.S. government shutdown. According to the Heartland Institute, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago that seeks to promote free market solutions to policy problems, “almost half of the federal agency’s staff has been furloughed, including those working on tobacco issues.” Meanwhile, the need to distinguish premium cigars from other tobacco products is only becoming clearer as the emergence of e-cigarettes may complicate matters from a regulatory standpoint. Currently, a majority of state attorneys general are asking the FDA to regulate advertising of e-cigarettes, which are combustion-free devices often used for smoking cessation purposes.

2) Altadis announced this week it is releasing the first-ever Romeo y Julieta that’s a Nicaraguan puro. Called “RyJ by Romeo y Julieta,” the blend includes a proprietary Nicaraguan wrapper around double binders from Estelí and Jalapa. Three sizes will retail in the $8-9 range: Toro (6 x 52), Piramide (6.1 x 54), and Bully Grande (5 x 54).

3) Inside the Industry: According to data distributed by the Cigar Association of America, U.S. imports of cigars through May were up 10% compared to 2012. The biggest percentage increase among the three major cigar-producing countries (Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua) came from Nicaragua (up almost 20%) but all three increased imports.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Tarzona Revolution 305. Stogie Fresh fires up a Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros. Cigar Fan lights up the La Gloria Cubana Serie R Estelí. Cigar Inspector inspects the Liga Privada No. 9. Halfwheel checks out the Tatuaje Grand Chasseur TAA 2013.

5) Deal of the Week: Hard to beat 30 cigars for $60, but the catch is you don’t know exactly what cigars you’ll get. While you don’t know the exact cigars, the following brands are represented: Padilla, La Traviata, HC by Xikar, Camacho, Onyx, Gurkha, La Aurora, Guillermo León, El Tiante, Toraño, Perdomo, El Baton, Anoranzas, Martin Family, Quesada, A. Turrent, and Rocky Patel.

–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) Inspired by the Jason Voorhees character from the Friday the 13th franchise, this year’s Monster Series release from Tatuaje is called JV13. It will come in one large format (7.5 x 52), retail for $13, and feature a broadleaf wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Only 666 special coffin boxes of 13 cigars will be shipped to 13 “unlucky” retailers, all of which were announced this week: Buttheads Tobacco Emporium, Danbury, CT; Prime Cigar and Wine Bar, Boca Raton, FL; Town & Country Cigar Bar, Euless, TX; Havana House, Akron, OH; Fine Ash Cigars, Avondale, AZ; Union Cigar Society, Seattle, WA; Liberty Tobacco, San Diego, CA; Atlantic Cigar Co., Folcroft, PA; Don Francisco Cigars, East Brunswick, NJ; Humidor Pipe Shop, Huntsville, AL; Tobacco Shoppe of Midland, Midland, MI; Cigar Masters, Boston, MA; and Leesburg Cigar and Pipe, Leesburg, VA. JV13 is the sixth Monster Series cigar (hence the “6” on the box). It is preceded by The Frank, The Drac, The Face, The Wolfman, and The Mummy.

2) October 1 marked the beginning of Arkansas’ tax cap on cigars. “In March, Arkansas passed a bill that caps the state’s excise tax on premium cigars at 50 cents per stick, down from the previous tax of 68% of the manufacturer’s price,” according to CS Decisions. “[The Cigar Association of America] noted that this cap will be good for retailers and consumers, and should encourage the in-state purchase of tobacco products.”

3) Inside the Industry: My Father Cigars is shipping a limited edition to its popular Flor de las Antillas line. Called the MAM 15, the cigar (6 x 48) is being sent to a a group of stores in the South and Southeast.

4) Deal of the Week: Corona Cigar has tweaked its Stogie Guys Sampler. Now $29.95 (normally $55) gets you an Avo Lounge, a Davidoff, plus five house blends from Corona Cigar. You also get free shipping on your entire order.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Tatuaje 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) September is a great month for cigar events. The fifth annual Crush & Roll West starts today at the Paso Robles Fairgrounds in California. The gathering is expected to attract hundreds with cigars, wine, craft beer, poker, and entertainment. Twenty cigar makers will be on hand representing Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the KC Cigar Festival kicks off tomorrow. And W. Curtis Draper’s Little Puff is slated for September 27 in Washington, with proceeds benefiting DC-area academic scholarships.

2) The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, created by the J.C. Newman and Fuente cigar companies, is again hosting an event in the Dominican Republic where the Fuente factory and farms are located. The event will be held February 5-8 and costs $295 a person. Attendees will get the chance to help the foundation, tour Chateau de la Fuente, and enjoy a cigar dinner celebration. Details can be found here.

3) Inside the Industry: Palm Beach-area retailer Smoke Inn is introducing the latest addition to its MicroBlend Series. The Quesada Octoberfest Dunkel uses the same binders and fillers as Quesada’s regular Oktoberfest release. However, the wrapper is a broadleaf maduro with an underlying Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper only at the foot. Production is limited to 750 boxes with 15 cigars (6 x 54) that retail for $8.95 per stick or $134.25 for the box.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Camacho Havana. Stogie Review reviews the Joya de Nicaragua Rosalones. Nice Tight Ash checks out the King of Kings Cuadrado. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Kilo. Stogie Fresh smokes the Joya de Nicaragua CyB.

5) Deal of the Week: Maduro fans should take a good look at this five-cigar sampler. Just $27 lands you one each of the Ortega Serie D No. 6, Perdomo Noir Epicure, Pinar del Rio Small Batch Maduro Robusto, Kristoff Ligero Maduro Matador, and the AVO Maduro No. 9.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Crush & Roll West

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) Joya de Nicaragua announced yesterday that José Blanco, the company’s senior vice president, has stepped down and will be leaving Estelí 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.

2) For those in the Chicago area, Blue Havana is hosting a RoMa Craft Tabac event this evening from 5-9 pm. The gathering will include deals on RoMa’s Intemperance, CroMagnon, and Aquitaine blends. RoMa produces the forthcoming Ouroboros and Abaddon blends for Blue Havana, both of which are expected to debut in September.

3) Inside the Industry: Hammer + Sickle is introducing the mild Icon Series by Hendrik Kelner, made at Kelner’s Tabacos Dominicanos factory with a Connecticut shade wrapper and Dominican binder and filler. In addition to José Blanco stepping down, Joya de Nicaragua announced a number of promotions by its Board of Directors this week, including the election of Juan Ignacio Martínez, son of longtime Joya head Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca, as executive president.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Inspector inspects the Punch Rare Corojo Champion. Cigar Fan fires up the CLE Corojo. Stogie Review reviews the CAO Flathead. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Miami Cigar Kilo. Stogie Fresh smokes the Avo La Trompeta.

5) Deal of the Week: This Silver Tray Sampler has five full-bodied sticks for just $27. The deal includes the Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro, a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender, a La Sirena, one Asylum 13, and the Punch Gran Puro Sesenta.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys