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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Tim Ozgener, president of CAO, announced this week that he is leaving the premium cigar business and the company he inherited from his father. He plans to “pursue personal business interests in his hometown of Nashville,” according to a press release. The move comes a month after Swedish Match, parent company of General Cigar, and the Scandinavian Tobacco Group—parent company of CAO and, formerly, Toraño—merged their many well-known brands under one entity. “We remain committed to CAO and are grateful to Tim for his contributions, not only to the brand but also for sharing his knowledge with the people who will continue his legacy,” said Dan Carr, president of General Cigar.

2) Not content with California’s statewide smoking restrictions, politicians in Los Angeles are considering stricter tobacco controls for America’s second-largest city. A proposed ordinance would criminalize smoking at outdoor venues like beaches, parks, and apartment commons areas.

3) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan lights up a La Traviata Maduro. Nice Tight Ash fires up an Origen. Smoking Stogie smokes the Oliva Edición Europa 2010. Stogie Review reviews a Warlock. The Perfect Draw draws on a Calibre. Cigar Inspector inspects a Partagas Salomones.

4) Deal of the Week:  CAO fans should jump all over this deal. It features seven of CAO’s finest blends with a special DVD about the development of CAO’s 4igars, all for just $35. Grab your “Conmemorativo Sampler” here.

–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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) It was announced on Wednesday that Miami Cigar & Co. and Don Pepin Garcia have partnered to release a new blend. Called “La Sirena” (Spanish for “mermaid”), the five-vitola line will sport a Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper, a dual binder of habano and corojo tobaccos, and a filler comprised of criollo ’98 corojo ’96 leaves. “We are very happy to finally have that full-bodied cigar in our portfolio,” said Rene Casteñeda, vice president of sales for Miami Cigar. “We have never produced a full-bodied cigar of out the My Father Cigars factory until now.” La Sirena will be introduced at Casa de Montecristo in Chicago on November 19; it is expected to retail in the $8-10 range.

2) The Honduran Association of Tobacco Growers and Cigar Makers is hosting a five-day cigar event in February. Called the “Humo Jaguar Festival” in honor of an ancient Mayan ruler, the event will feature seminars on tobacco blending and guided tours of the country’s cigar factories. Tickets cost $1,250 per person and include hotel accommodations, meals, and excursions.

3) Inside the Industry: Sam Leccia will be leaving the Oliva Cigar Company. With Leccia gone, Nub and Cain will remain owned by Oliva and become part of it’s new Studio Tobac project. Details about Studio Tobac can be found here and at its recently launched Twitter feed.

4) Around the Blogs: Smoking Stogie smokes a Liga Privada JD No. 4. Stogie Review reviews a Tatuaje Verocu 5. Cigar Inspector inspects a Tatuaje Black Tubo. Cigar Fan fires up a Nosotros. Tiki Bar examines the Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf.

5) Deal of the Week: Rocky fans may want to jump at this Rare Rocky Patel Blends Sampler. For just $50, you get four cigars each from the 1961, Patel Brothers, and Signature blends. Grab your here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Miami Cigar & Co.

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Cigar Rights of America announced that General Cigar President Dan Carr and cigar enthusiast Mark Brownlee have joined the organization’s Board of Directors. Brownlee, who lives in Illinois, was among the first to be appointed as a CRA Ambassador. “CRA was created to serve the cigar enthusiasts across the United States…to counter the oppressive legislation confronting those that simply want to enjoy a great cigar,” said Jeff Borysiewicz, a CRA board member. “Naming a cigar consumer to the board was the next logical step in the organization’s evolution.”

2) Smoking Ban Alerts: South Dakota voters will decide on Tuesday whether or not to expand the state’s smoking ban to bars and casinos. All four candidates vying for the Kansas governorship say their state’s smoking ban is too restrictive. Meanwhile, a court ruling found that Kansas City health department workers, while not law enforcement officials, have the legal authority to issue smoking citations.

3) Inside the Industry: Rocky Patel is opening a high-end cigar lounge in Naples, Florida, called “Burn.” Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s six-size Core Blend is now arriving at tobacconists nationwide.

4) Around the Blogs: Smoking Stogie smokes a Fuente Sand Shark. Stogie Review reviews a Nestor Miranda Art Deco. Cigar Inspector inspects a Liga Privada No. 9. Cigar Fan fires up a Puros Huerfanos. Tiki Bar kicks back with a La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet Chisel.

5) Deal of the Week: There are some scary good deals in this unpublicized Halloween sale. Our favorite features bundles of the Cuban Crafters Cameroon blend in the Torpedo and Robusto varieties for $65 and $50 respectively.

–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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) La Aurora’s new Guillermo León blend is finally beginning to hit tobacconist shelves beyond Florida. The four-vitola line first appeared at the industry trade show in August and later at select shops in the Miami area. This week, however, it was launched in New York City with special events featuring Guillermo León and Rene Castañeda, vice president of sales for Miami Cigar & Co. “Obviously, this cigar is personal for me,” said León (pictured) in a press release. “It is part of my family’s legacy for the past 107 years. In this cigar, I wanted something with deep complexity yet also a stronger smoke than most of our offerings.”

2) In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, ABC Action News in Tampa recently featured Arturo Fuente and his contributions to Ybor City, the cigar industry, and community service. “My father is such an intellectual person, but also a generous person at the same time,” says Kristin Fuente. “He has a warm heart and…he tries to make a difference.”

3) Inside the Industry: Gran Habano announced the new limited edition Gran Reserva No. 3, which uses extremely old Nicaraguan and Colombian filler tobaccos. The Cuban Ramón Allones brand is expanding to include a new Corona Gorda that will only be available at official La Casa del Habano stores.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Illusione 888 Slam. Smoking Stogie smokes a well-aged Liga Privada No. 9. Cigar Fan lights up two Saint Luis Rey Maduros.  Nice Tight Ash checks out the Toraño Single Region. Cigar Inspector inspects a Ramón Allones Superiores.

5) Deal of the Week: This Rocky Torpedo Sampler features 14 torpedos for just $50 (that’s about $3.50 a stick). Included are two each of the Decade, Vintage 1992, Vintage 1990, Edge Maduro, Edge Corojo, Connecticut, and Sun Grown blends.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Miami Cigar & Co.

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) A trend among colleges and universities—both public and private—is the imposition of campus-wide smoking bans. The anti-tobacco zealots at the California-based American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation boast that, to date, there are 446 U.S. campuses that have completely criminalized smoking. Another 77 relegate tobacco usage to remote outdoor areas. You can find a complete list of these Draconian institutions here.

2) Officials in Cambridge are proposing to extend Massachusetts’ statewide smoking ban to include outdoor spaces like parks. “Ridiculous,” said Chris McCalla, IPCPR’s legislative director. “This is just another twisted attempt by lazy lawmakers to control people with unnecessary legislation based on unsubstantiated assumptions.” In a press release dated October 13, McCalla went to on cite that no credible studies have found secondhand smoke to be a health risk indoors, let alone outside.

3) Inside the Industry: The company formerly known as Reyes Family Cigars has changed its name to “Puros Indios/Cuba Aliados” and is introducing new packaging lower prices. Habanos. S.A. is reviving the H. Upmann Noellas in a traditional jar presentation. Davidoff released the new “Zino Chateau” featuring an Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper around Dominican tobaccos.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews the Viaje Summerfest. Cigar Inspector inspects the Red Lion Maduro. Smoking Stogie smokes the Tatuaje Face. Nice Tight Ash checks out the Liga Privada Dirty Rat. Tiki Bar kicks back with the Tatuaje 7th Reserva and 7th Natural.

5) Deal of the Week: Monday was Columbus Day, a good reason for a sale from Cuban Crafters. Great deals are available on the Cupido Tuxedo and J.L. Salazar blends. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Google Images

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) It was announced on Monday that Swedish Match and the Scandinavian Tobacco Group had merged to create a new tobacco giant (under the latter’s name). The company now controls an estimated 30% of the premium cigar market in the U.S. with such popular brands as CAO, Macanudo, Cohiba, Dunhill, Punch, and La Gloria Cubana. The global venture is expected to manufacture 2.5 billion cigars per year—second only to the Imperial Tobacco Group, Altadis’ parent company.

2) An anonymous stogie-wielding golf fan has quickly become an internet sensation. The so-called “Cigar Guy” was captured in this photo of Tiger Woods at last week’s Ryder Cup in Wales. The Wall Street Journal reports that the image has been widely distributed and parodied across the web “both for the drama in the image (the ball is heading straight at the camera) and for the mystery of the cigar-chomping spectator.”

3) Inside the Industry: The Montecristo Relief Foundation contributed funds for 110 wheelchairs for victims of storm-ravaged areas of Honduras. Drew Estate launched its new online store. You might have missed it, but in the spring General Cigar released a new size of its Rare Corojo blend: the corona-sized Elite. After many months without a functioning web presence, Tatuaje has relaunched its website including a list of retailers receiving “The Face” limited edition cigars.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review reviews a Toraño Noventa. Tiki Bar kicks back with a Guillermo León by La Aurora. Cigar Fan fires up a Mi Barrio. A Cigar Smoker smokes the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin. Nice Tight Ash checks out the CAO La Traviata Maduro. Cigar Inspector inspects a Prometheus Angelenos.

5) Deal of the Week: Like CAO? With multiple blends achieving high ratings, what’s not to like? If you’re looking for a great way to try CAO’s various highly-rated blends this CAO Sampler is the way to go. For just $70 you get the 10 highest rated vitolas from CAO. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: ST-Group

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Michigan bar owners aren’t taking their state’s smoking ban sitting down. With hopes of changing the law, they formed a 3,000-member group called “Protect Private Property Rights in Michigan – Amend Michigan Smoking Ban” and plan to hire a lobbyist. The group claims bar and restaurant liquor sales are down almost $2 billion since they law was enacted on May 1, a troubling trend given the Wolverine State’s abysmal unemployment rate of 13%.

2) The Ryder Cup, a biennial golf competition between the United States and Europe, kicks off today. It promises to be a cigar-filled event for one of Team Europe’s golfers. Miguel Angel Jimenez, a 46-year-old from Spain who loves working on his red Ferrari and smoking premium tobacco, recently said, “I don’t know if the number [of cigars] is going to increase or not, but I will enjoy, anyway. Today as soon as I finish, I’m going to start another one.”

3) Inside the Industry: Many of the new cigars from the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show will begin to appear on store shelves this month, including the Art Deco, La Aurora Guillermo León, Macanudo Cru Royale, and Room 101 Conjura LTD.

4) Around the Blogs:  Stogie Review reviews a Casa Gomez Maduro. Tiki Bar kicks back with a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Chisel. Smoking Stogie fires up a Viaje Satori. Nice Tight Ash checks out an Avo Heritage. Cigar Fan smokes the Esencia.

5) Deal of the Week:  This special sale from Cuban Crafters features great deals on the Don Kiki White Label. Boxes of 20 are available in four different sizes for only $50-60. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr