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) Anti-tobacco zealots have made their presence known both domestically—about 17,000 American cities have a smoking ban in “public” places—and internationally. Now the war-torn nation of Iraq is no exception. As Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (right) pushes for a nationwide smoking ban, the Washington Post reports the obvious: Iraqis, heavy consumers of cigarettes, are less concerned about secondhand smoke and more concerned about safety, jobs, and a lack of infrastructure.

2) You may want to stray away from Cuban cigars rolled between now and the end of the year. According to reports, the communist nation is running seriously low on toilet paper, and officials at government companies say it may be until 2010 before supply catches up.

3) Inside the Industry: The annual IPCPR Trade Show may have ended Wednesday,  but here are a few tidbits we haven’t shared yet. Newman Cigars has finally released the Diamond Crown Julius Caeser, which we first reported on over a year ago. Newman also launched  Brick House and Diamond Crown Gridiron Greats (of which a portion of sales go to former NFL players who need healthcare). Alec Bradley has released Prensado, a new line featuring a Honduran-grown corojo 2006 wrapper. In addition to La Traviata, CAO re-blended (and slightly re-named) its Gold blend, which is now the Gold Vintage line.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame lights up a Bering Puro Nicaragua. Lots of IPCPR videos at Stogie Review. Cigar Inspector looks at Cain. Cigar Command checks out the Nub Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: It’s good to be king, and it’s good to smoke the 12 cigars in the King Sampler. For just $40, you get two each from 5 Vegas Cask-Strength II, Bahia Blu B500, Gran Habano 3 Siglos, Graycliff 1666 Presidente, La Herencia Cubana, and Man O’ War. Grab yours here.

–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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) Starting tomorrow, StogieGuys.com will be reporting on location from the 77th annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Trade Show in New Orleans. Be sure to check back frequently for live updates from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (pictured at right). You can also follow our twitter feed for more coverage. In the meantime, click here for pre-IPCPR information about many of the new cigars that are set to debut in the coming days. And feel free to leave a comment below if you have a burning question you’d like us to ask any of the cigar makers who will be in attendance.

2) With anti-tobacco laws sweeping the nation, it’s worthwhile to look at the tactics anti-smoking zealots use to push smoking bans.  This  document (pdf), created by a coalition of anti-tobacco groups, details their strategy. It includes fighting against exemptions for private clubs and cigar shops, not agreeing to so-called hardship exemptions (for businesses that suffer from bans), and avoiding ballot initiatives where citizens get a vote (in favor of less transparent legislative strategies).

3) Inside the Industry: According to a Cigar Insider poll, this year Tatuaje eclipsed Padrón and Opus X as the most requested cigar brand in America.

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame tests an aged Cubao. Stogie Review lights up a Graycliff. A Cigar Smoker checks out the Corona Cigar Company 10th Anniversary. Cigar Choice reviews the Benchmade. Perfect Draw smokes the Fuente Opus X.

5) Deal of the Week: The robusto is the most popular cigar size, and this “World Famous Robusto Sampler” has some fine examples of the vitola. Included are  robustos by Cohiba, Rocky Patel, CAO, Gran Habano, Padilla Hybrid, Toraño, and Fonseca. In all, you get ten robustos and free shipping for $45. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Morial Convention Center

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) Today’s excessive taxes and wide-reaching bans, coupled with the ramifications of the economic crisis, have created a perfect storm of problems for many cigar makers. While industry-wide particulars are hard to come by, this recent USA Today article sheds some light on the fallout to date. It also profiles Flor de Gonzalez, a Miami-based manufacturer that recently saw its tax bill shipment increase by 700%. Of the government, company president Yadi Gonzalez had this to say: “They don’t realize that…if we start losing jobs, and imports begin to drop, they’re not going to accomplish their bottom line, which is to collect these taxes.”

2) Inside the Industry: CAO announced it would debut a new brand at the upcoming IPCPR Trade Show called La Traviata, a full-bodied blend complete with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Cameroon binder, and two different ligero filler tobaccos. Other pre-convention announcements include the planned unveiling of the Padilla Dominus—Ernesto’s strongest blend to date—and a new Casa Magna Colorado vitola called the Extraordinario (7 x 58).

3) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame compares both versions of the Padilla Signature 1932. The Velvet Cigar tries a Felipe Gregorio Moroccan Series. Nice Tight Ash reviews the El Triunfador. Cigar Inspector sparks a Quintero Londres Extra. Stogie Review fires up an A. Fernandez Maduro.

4) Deal of the Week: Cuban Crafters is home to one of our favorite Cameroon blends, making this a can’t-miss deal. You get a cedar chest of 25  handsome Cameroon Torpedos for only $85. Grab yours here.

–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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) This week Famous Smoke Shop, a Pennsylvania-based retailer with a thriving online and mail-order operation, was the apparent victim of a so-called “distributed denial of service” attack. Hackers allegedly flooded Famous’ website with traffic in order to prevent legitimate users from getting through, and other online retailers appear to have suffered similar attacks. In an email to customers, Famous’ president had this to say: “Thankfully, right now our company is functioning normally again. We were attacked. Jealous competitor? Anti-smoking terrorist? It’s impossible to know at this point…Federal authorities have taken an active interest in pursuing the attackers and we intend to cooperate fully.”

2) Tobacco giant Altria reported this week that sales in its John Middleton division—maker of the hugely popular Black & Mild brand—dropped 23.8% in the second quarter to 270 million units. Black & Mild is the number two selling machine-made stick in the U.S.

3) Inside the Industry: Camacho has teamed up with LA jeweler Matt Booth to create “Room 101 Cigars,” a Honduran-Dominican blend that will debut at the IPCPR trade show. Padilla is releasing two new cigars in August: Padilla Dominus, made with 2006 corojo tobacco ($8-15); and Padilla Cazadores, made with an Ecuadoran habano wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos ($5-6).

4) Around the Blogs: Keepers of the Flame fires up a La Gloria Cubana Reserva. Nice Tight Ash lights up a Don Pepin Garcia JJ Maduro. Tampa Cigar Examiner smokes a Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959. Daniel (at Asylum) tries the $50 Louixs. Stogie Review reviews a Verdadero Organic.

5) Deal of the Week: Full-bodied smokes are all the rage these days ,and this “Full-Bodied Sampler” has some top smokes. You get two each of such favorites as the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992, Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic, Perdomo Lot 23, EO 601 Habano “Red,” and the La Gloria Cubana Serie R. Grab yours here.

–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. We call ‘em Friday Samplers. Enjoy.

1) After a recent Pentagon/Veterans Affairs study proposed banning tobacco in the U.S. military, the Department of Defense announced this week that it would not act on that recommendation. While the decision was applauded by many, most made no mention of soldiers’ individual rights—arguing instead that “extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.” The military will continue to ban smoking indoors and during basic training.

2) The anti-tobacco movement, of course, isn’t just plaguing states and cities across America. From France and Turkey to Thailand and India, dozens of other countries are forcing smoking regulations upon their own citizens. This article lists many of the international smoking ban developments from January 2008 to the present.

3) Inside the Industry: The Cuban Press Sampler arrived at CAO headquarters on Tuesday. Theo Fulz, CEO and president of cigar giant Altadis, is retiring this fall and will be succeeded by current CFO Gary Ellis.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review lights up a Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2009. Keepers of the Flame fires up a Tatuaje Havana VI Angeles. Cigar Inspector inspects a DPG Blue Label. Nicetightash.com reviews a Camacho SLR Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: Why it’s called the “King Sampler” we’re not sure, but it does get you a dozen top smokes for about $3 per stick. Included are two each of the Gran Habano 3 Siglos Torpedo, the 5 Vegas Cask-Strength II, the Bahia Blu B500, the pricey Graycliff 1666 Presidente, the La Herencia Cubana Torpedo, and the tasty AJ Fernandez-made Man O’ War. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we’ve done 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) St. Louis politicians and anti-tobacco advocates are clamoring for a citywide smoking ban for bars and restaurants. The current incarnation of the proposed law would exempt patios and outdoor areas, but some, including the American Cancer Society, hope to close such “loopholes.” Referring to what she calls the “ever-increasing momentum across the country,” one city alderman says the ban is “just something I think we need to get done.”

2) With mounting taxes, bans, and regulations, tobacconists have it tough enough these days. They shouldn’t have to worry about robbers literally breaking through their walls. But that’s exactly what happened to Gaspar’s Cigar Shoppe in Tampa on Friday night. Thieves apparently broke into an adjacent office, busted through the B&M’s drywall, and stole $15,000 worth of cigars, booze, and a plasma TV. Police have one suspect in custody and are searching for another.

3) Inside the Industry: Illusione is teaming up with Drew Estate to make a new release called “Nosotros,” set to debut at the IPCPR Trade Show in August. It will sell for $8-12 apiece and feature a Nicaraguan corojo ’99 wrapper, a Nicaraguan filler, and a Connecticut habano binder.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review smokes a Nestor Miranda 20 Aniversario Habano Oscuro Danno. Keepers of the Flame lights up a Pinar del Rio Habano Sun Grown. Cohiba Club checks out the “Red Dot” Cohiba Robusto. Cigar Inspector reviews a Por Larrañaga Petit Corona.

5) Deal of the Week: Robustos are the most popular size in all of cigardom, and this “World Class Robusto Sampler” includes of ten them for just $45 (free shipping). Included are the Cohiba Robusto, Rocky Patel Vintage ’90, Don Pepin Cuban Classic 1979, Toraño 1916 Cameroon, CAO Gold, Gran Habano 3 Siglos, Padilla Hybrid, Fonseca, and others. Grab yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we’ve done 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) In what some call—perhaps erroneously—a “military coup,” this week Honduran President Manuel Zelaya (pictured at right) was removed from office and sent into exile. Zelaya had been seeking to change his country’s constitution to end presidential term limits, presumably so he could remain in power. Now he is wrangling for international support at the U.N. and in Washington with hopes to fulfill the remainder of his term. Honduras is a major exporter of premium tobacco to the U.S. and home to operations for many top-selling brands, including Punch, Rocky Patel, Camacho, Toraño, and CAO.

2) A nationwide ban took effect on Wednesday for Greece, criminalizing smoking in “public” places like restaurants and bars. Forty percent of the country’s 11.2 million inhabitants smoke—the highest concentration in all of Europe. While lawmakers previously tried to ban smoking in hospitals and offices, those regulations were ignored.

3) Inside the Industry: If you haven’t already, you should read our report from Famous Smoke Shop’s Cigar Expo event. It includes exclusive info on new releases from half a dozen of the biggest names in the cigar business.

4) Around the Blogs: Stogie Review lights up a Natural by Drew Estate. Stogie Fresh fires up a Miura Diretco de Fabrica. Nice Tight Ash reviews a Padilla 1932. Cigar Inspector inspects a Montecristo No. 4 Reserva. Keepers of the Flame torches up an A. Fernandez Signature Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: This “Gold Coast Sampler” features ten quality sticks for under $30. Included are the Perdomo Reserve Golf Ltd. Edition, Padilla Hybrid, CAO Gold, Oliva Serie G, Fonseca 5-50, and Gran Habano Corojo. Get yours here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr