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) 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Indianapolis are hoping to pass a smoking ban in time for the Super Bowl, which will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5. “City-County Council President Ryan Vaughn, a Republican, said he will propose a ban that would eliminate smoking completely in bars and restaurants, exempting cigar bars, fraternal clubs, and tobacco shops,” reported ABC this week. The Hoosier State currently has no statewide ban, but that’s not for a lack of trying; anti-tobacco lawmakers and groups have been trying to pass a comprehensive ban since 2007.

2) The price of premium cigars may soon be increasing in Chicago, where the president of the county board has proposed a new $.30 per cigar tax. “This is wrong on so many levels,” said Bill Spann, chief executive officer of the IPCPR. “First of all, Cook County and Chicago residents and consumers are already paying high taxes on all tobacco products. If the County Board or City Council Increase those taxes, consumers will take their business elsewhere. In addition, bootlegging of tobacco products will be encouraged, as will their purchase over the Internet, neither of which generates taxes for any federal, state, or local entity.”

3) Around the Blogs: Tiki Bar examines a La Gloria Cubana Retro Especiale. Cigar Fan smokes a Morro Castle. Smoking Stogie fires up a La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro. Stogie Review reviews the Santos de Miami. Cigar Inspector inspects the Fonseca Delicias.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a deal for fans of the Oliva-made Nub and Cain lines. Thirty bucks gets you each of the regular production blends: four Nub cigars (Habano, Maduro, Cameroon, and Connecticut) and four Cain cigars (Habano, Maduro, F, and Daytona).

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: ISBHC