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) Politicians in Santa Monica—the unofficial ground zero of anti-tobacco lunacy—were considering a bold regulation that would criminalize smoking for new tenants in apartments and condos, and they had even asked city employees to recommend a date by which all existing apartment and condo units would also be deemed smoke-free. These measures have been surprisingly dropped for the time being, but not because the city didn’t want to encroach on the rights of consenting adults in their own homes. Instead, the city is tabling the regulations because it doesn’t want to interfere with those who smoke medicinal marijuana.

2) With this year’s industry trade show just around the corner, many cigar makers are issuing press releases about the new smokes they plan to bring to market. Gurkha, for example, says it is launching a 125th Anniversary blend of four sizes that will retail for $8-11 apiece. Miami Cigar & Co. is producing a Nicaraguan habano oscuro-wrapped blend called Añoranza. Mercer Cigars is releasing a series of blends handmade by “Handsome Jimmy,” a cigar roller from Cuba. The Toraño Family Cigar Company is rolling out Salutem. And Iconic Leaf Cigar is debuting a line called Recluse. These excerpts are but a few of the many press releases we have received over the past week. Stay tuned in the days leading up to the IPCPR Trade Show for more coverage, and be sure to check back on August 2 when the trade show actually begins, as the StogieGuys.com team will again be on hand to cover the year’s biggest cigar event.

3) Inside the Industry: Macanudo is sending eight contest winners to Augusta National to watch the 2013 Masters. Each winner and one guest will be whisked away to the mecca of golf from April 10-15 where they will enjoy a golf-lover’s dream come true: all-access tickets to the first major golf championship of the year, including roundtrip airfare and accommodations. Enter here.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Casa Fernandez Miami. Nice Tight Ash checks out the CAO LX2 Rosado Especial (CRA Edition). Cigar Brief smokes the J. Fuego Origen Maduro Original. Cigar Fan fires up a Partagas 1845.

5) Deal of the Week: Last call to enter the Hoyo de Monterrey box-a-day giveaway.

–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) When Puro PAC launched last December, it set a goal of raising a six-figure war chest to push for passage of the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act” and support politicians who sign on to protect cigars from dangerous FDA regulation. According to recent Federal Election Commission filings, Puro PAC has done just that. The group has raised a quarter of a million dollars so far, mostly from cigar manufacturers and retailers. At the top of the list are Drew Estate, Thompson Cigar Company, Premium Imports (La Flor Dominicana), Ashton, BestCigarPrices.com, Alec Bradley, Fuente, and Miami Cigar—all of whom have contributed at least $10,000 to Puro PAC in defense of cigar rights.

2) Just when you thought smoking bans had gone as far as they could, along comes Santa Monica, California, to push the anti-smoking envelope even further. Last week, a majority of city council members voted to ban smoking in all new units in multi-unit housing. While current tenants could choose to allow smoking, once they leave the units are automatically designated non-smoking going forward, meaning that soon anyone who can’t afford a single family house will be prevented from smoking in their own home.

3) Inside the Industry: The New York Tobacconist Association is holding a Stogathon dinner with the support of most major cigarmakers to raise funds to support the association’s lobbying activities. Cigar Aficionado reports Zino Platinum is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X (5.5 x 60), a smoke with a Nicaraguan wrapper, Dominican binder, and Peruvian and Dominican filler tobacco that will come in a box decorated by New York graffiti-style art.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the J. Fuego Edición de Familia. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines. Cigar Brief smokes the Tatuaje Mini-Mum. Cigar Explorer smokes the new L’Atelier Surrogates. Cigar Fan fires up the My Father Cedros Deluxe Cervantes.

5) Deal of the Week: Freebies can make a normal cigar purchase a great deal, and this current promotion by Corona Cigar is no exception. Make any purchase of $75 or more and you get a free five-pack of Nestor Miranda 1989s (just be sure to add the freebie to your purchase).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Puro Pac

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) Not satisfied with the widespread criminalization of smoking in most places, zealots are now turning their attention to private homes. And they’re starting this trend exactly where you’d expect: California, the hotbed of anti-tobacco lunacy. “The Santa Monica City Council has approved an ordinance that would prohibit smoking for new tenants in apartments and condos,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “The ordinance, passed Tuesday night by a 4-2 vote, would allow existing tenants to continue to smoke in their residences if they seek to have them designated as ‘smoking’…Whether that condition will endure is uncertain. In a related action, the council directed city staff to recommend a date on which all existing apartment and condo units in the city would be deemed smoke-free.”

2) In last month’s “Question of the Month,” we asked readers what matters most when selecting a new cigar. “Word of mouth” topped the poll with 26% of the vote, followed by “written reviews” (24%), “price” (15%), “wrapper type” (14%), “blender” (11%), and brand (10%). Thanks to everyone who voted. Be sure to weigh in on this month’s question by voting in the sidebar to the right. And please contact us if you’ve got suggestion for a future poll.

3) Inside the Industry: 262 Cigars will be launching a new line called Revere in the fall that will be a Nicaraguan puro that sells for $6-9 in three sizes. American Kick Ass Cigars (AKA Cigars) is dropping the prices of its Hybrid and Respect blends by $1 per cigar. Casa Magna is introducing three box-pressed sizes to its Colorado line.

4) Deal of the Week: Here’s a Maduro Sampler with ten top maduro smokes for $35 (or double up for $60). Included are two Drew Estate Undercrowns, two Partagas Black Labels, two La Gloria Serie Rs, and two Boris 11 Maduros.

–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) The rights of consenting adults to enjoy a premium cigar are under constant threat by politicians and anti-tobacco zealots. Mounting smoking bans, ever-increasing tobacco taxes, and the potential of stifling FDA regulations make now a critical time for all cigar smokers. That’s why the staff of StogieGuys.com so vehemently supports (and belongs to) Cigar Rights of America. CRA, as you know, is a consumer-based non-profit that lobbies for cigar rights at the local, state, and federal levels of government. If you aren’t a dues-paying member, please consider joining CRA today. And if you are, please help convince your fellow cigar enthusiasts to sign up as well. The critical work of CRA is made possible only by our support.

2) Dr. Michael Siegel, author of the Tobacco Analysis blog, is a tireless truth-teller and debunker of the bad science often used to support anti-tobacco efforts. Unlike us, Siegel does support some smoking bans (like those in workplaces), but unlike many of his colleagues he isn’t willing to use bad science to promote his goals. Two recent posts on his site are particularly noteworthy. First, he notes that a study of the effect of graphic posters required in New York at places that sell tobacco shows that the posters have no effect on people’s decision to quit smoking. Then, in a follow up, he catches the anti-smoking forces explicitly stating their bias for creating research to support the goal of promoting the ugly, graphic, and apparently ineffective posters.

3) Inside the Industry: The East India Trading Company, a subsidiary of Gurkha, will be releasing an Ecuadorian rosado-wrapped line called “Red Witch” at next month’s industry trade show. Also expected at the show is the highly anticipated La Palina Maduro blend, which will be sold in four sizes. And Reinado has announced the introduction of Grand Empire Reserve, a box-pressed Nicaraguan in the Elegidos size (5 x 55, $9.95).

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Viaje Roman Candle. Cigar Fan fires up an Oliva Serie V Lancero. Cigar Explorer explores an Alec Bradley American Sun Grown. Cigar Brief lights up an Illusione Ultra OP No. 4. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Crowned Heads Headley Grange.

5) Deal of the Week: Need convincing to become a CRA member? Here are two ways to join CRA and score some really excellent smokes at the same time. The newest CRA Sampler includes a one-year membership along with 10 top-notch super-premium sticks for just $100. You should also check out this $40 “Let Freedom Ring Sampler” with six of our favorite cigars from Ashton, Tatuaje, My Father, and Padrón that includes a six-month membership. Why not buy them both and be a full member for 18 months?

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: CRA

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 lawmakers and groups have been trying to pass a comprehensive statewide smoking ban in Indiana since 2007. In March, Governor Mitch Daniels finally signed a ban into law that criminalizes smoking in most workplaces in the Hoosier State, and that law goes into effect on Sunday. But it’s safe to say the anti-smoking zealots are less than satisfied since the law provides exemptions for bars, cigar shops, private clubs, and gaming facilities. They’d prefer smoking to be banned outright. So keep an eye on Indiana, as the new law expressly allows local governments to enact more stringent smoking regulations.

2) On the heels of the defeat of Prop. 29, more good news out of California. A bill that would have criminalized smoking in cigar shops and private clubs that are licensed to sell alcohol has died in committee. “Working with our state lobbyist, key area IPCPR retailers, and the Cigar Association of America, we worked with and educated the committee chair and leadership on this issue,” reads a press release issued by the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. “The chair of the committee will not bring this bill back up for further consideration.”

3) Inside the Industry: La Aurora is producing another 20,000 cigars in the 100 Años blend in three sizes. Cigar Aficionado has announced its 17th Big Smoke Las Vegas will be held November 9-11 at the Mirage. Oliva’s newest line, the Serie V Melanio, will be the most expensive Oliva yet at $8 to $14 per cigar, and it will hit U.S. tobacconists in September.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up an Oliva Serie V Lancero. Stogie Review reviews the Inferno by Oliva. Cigar Inspector inspects a Montecristo No. 4. Cigar Brief smokes the Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne Noir. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Arturo Fuente Solaris Microblend.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a rare Tatuaje blend that Tat fans should grab up before it (inevitably) sells out. The limited edition cigar features a dark San Andreas wrapper and sells for for $108 for a 15-cigar bundle, or $40 for a 5-pack.

–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) Though many believe California’s Prop. 29, the misguided proposal to dramatically raise tobacco taxes in the Golden State, was defeated at the polls June 5, victory is far from certain. In fact, the margin is now a razor-thin 15,852 votes—less than a half of a percentage point—out of almost 5 million counted at the time of this writing. Election officials aren’t likely to finish completely checking provisional and mail-in votes for a week or two. About 280,000 ballots remain uncounted, with three counties comprising nearly 65% of the uncounted ballots: Los Angeles (131,177), Fresno (24,500), and Sonoma (23,350). On election night, LA was split almost evenly, Fresno was about 60-40 against, and Sonoma the reverse. If the yet-to-be-counted ballots in those three counties break that way again it would likely be enough to ensure Prop. 29’s defeat. But it’s almost certain to be tight right to the end, and a recount is nearly assured.

2) This week, a widely circulated Associated Press article appeared in top newspapers across the country entitled “Cigar lovers to FDA: A cigar isn’t just a cigar.” As its title suggests, the piece outlines the industry efforts to protect premium handmade cigars from disastrous FDA regulations. Bill Spann, CEO of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, was quoted heavily. “If you’re going to focus your efforts on regulating tobacco products to meet the spirit and intent of the Tobacco Control Act, where is best to spend those scarce resources—on a tenth of a percent of the market or on a huge chunk of the market?” he asked. “You don’t have a middle-schooler or high-schooler standing on the corner with a $15 Davidoff sticking out of their mouth.”

3) Inside the Industry: In addition to Christian Eiroa’s own brand, CLE Cigars, his Tabacaleras Unidas factory will also be producing Asylum Cigars. Asylum will be launching with three blends, due out in cigar shops soon: Asylum (a medium-bodied Nicaraguan puro), Asylum 13 (a full-bodied smoke), and Schizo (a mixed-filler bundle smoke). Meanwhile, Eiroa’s former brand, Camacho, has launched a new website that the brand is calling “the most dynamic and fully integrated brand website our industry has ever seen.”

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Explorer explores an E.P. Carrillo Short Run No. 4. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Partagas 1845 Corona Extra. Stogie Review reviews a Romeo by Romeo y Julieta. Cigar Inspector inspects an H. Upmann Magnum 48 2009 EL.

5) Deal of the Week: Certain cigars are rarely if ever discounted. But by using some of the coupons on this page you can get 15% off any purchase over $150, including on brands like Illusione, Tatuaje, Viaje, and La Flor Dominicana. (Hurry, the discount expires in 2 days.)

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Defeat Prop. 29

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) S. 1461, the U.S. Senate bill that would protect premium cigars from disastrous FDA regulations, is now up to 12 cosponsors as Kelly Ayotte (R-NH, pictured) signed on this week. Meanwhile, H.R. 1639, the sister bill to S. 1461 in the House of Representatives, now has 203 cosponsors, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR). Fifteen more cosponsors would result in a majority in the House. It bears repeating that FDA regulation of premium cigars would be devastating, particularly to boutique brands and new blends. If your Representative or Senators have not yet cosponsored their respective bills, please contact them and urge them to do so. And thank you for your continued vigilance.

2) The Michigan Senate recently approved a bill that would install a 50-cent tax cap on cigars. Currently, Michigan taxes cigars at 32% of the wholesale price. The IPCPR expects the State House to consider this bill when lawmakers return from their summer recess.

3) Inside the Industry: The IPCPR Trade Show is less than two months away, and the show floor plan is online (pdf). Notable is that Cigar Rights of America’s (CRA) booth is right in the front by the IPCPR’s own booth for its political action committee. This is a big difference from last year when, either intentionally or unintentionally, the CRA booth was way in the back, and it’s a good sign of cooperation between two important groups that work to safeguard the rights of cigar smokers.

4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a La Tradicion Cubana Chulo. Cigar Explorer explores the EloGio Serie Habano. Stogie Review reviews an Ortega Serie D Natural. Cigar Brief smokes the Chateau Real. Cigar Inspector inspects a Hoyo de Monterrey Short Hoyo Pyramides LE 2011.

5) Deal of the Week: Having trouble finding the new Tatuaje Little Monsters sampler? Corona Cigar has them available for pre-order with the cigars due to be shipped out later this month. While you’re there, check out the new CRA Sampler featuring ten exclusive cigars from some of the most sought-after lines (and you also get a one-year membership in CRA).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Wikipedia