The Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 541st in the series.

1) This week, two U.S. cities took major steps towards curtailing outdoor smoking. In Buffalo, New York, city officials on Tuesday voted to ban smoking in city parks. “Under the measure, traditional tobacco products and electronic cigarettes will be prohibited. Officials are expected to make designated areas for smoking in some parks,” reports the Associated Press. “The proposed law now heads to Mayor Byron Brown for approval.” Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, officials are considering expanding the city’s smoking ban—originally passed in 2005 and to cover bars, restaurants, shopping malls, and sports arenas—to criminalize smoking in parks. The penalty for lighting up would be $200. If these measures pass, Buffalo and Indianapolis would join a growing list of U.S. cities with an outdoor ban in public parks (the largest include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and San Diego).

2) Gov. Chris Christie has signed a bill raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco in New Jersey to 21. “The Garden State will become the third in the nation to limit tobacco sales to individuals 21 and up when the law takes effect November 1, at which point vendors caught selling cigarettes, tobacco products, and electronic smoking devices to customers will risk facing fines of up to $1,000,” reports The Washington Times. “California and Hawaii are the only two other states to prohibit tobacco product sales to individuals under 21.”

3) In Maine, the state legislature also approved a law raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21, but Governor Paul LePage vetoed the bill. “I’m not going to strap a gun to their shoulder and go fight a war if they can’t go buy cigarettes,” LePage said, explaining his veto. “I’ll tell you, this is just sinful, it is absolutely sinful, and I believe that at 18 they are mature enough to make a decision and I’m tired of living in a society where we social engineer our lives.” The bill passed the legislature in both houses with over two-thirds support, enough to override the veto.

4) From the Archives: In the dead of summer you may be looking for a cool, refreshing beverage. Nothing fits the bill quite like the tropical spirit that is rum. In this 2009 article, we offer up five suggestions for rum-based cocktails. Enjoy.

5) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, shaving kits, wine, workout gear, coffee kits, and more) delivered to your door for just $45. Currently available is “Toast,” a package that includes four cigars by H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta, along with a cigar carrying pouch and a small desktop humidor. You can skip or purchase every month. Sign up in the next four days to receive the August shipment.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 540th in the series.

1) Not to be lost among the many news items circulating in the wake of last week’s IPCPR Trade Show in Last Vegas was the debut appearance of Plasencia Cigars at the industry’s most important event. Plasencia has long been known as a leading producer of premium cigars—and is currently the largest grower of tobacco in Nicaragua and Honduras—but this is the first time the company participated as an exhibitor at the IPCPR Trade Show. This is also the first time they’ve had their own cigars to showcase. The highlight of the Plasencia booth was the new Alma del Campo, the second of five cigars in the “flagship” Alma Series (the first cigar in the Alma Series, Alma Fuerte, was introduced in New York in 2016). Alma del Campo is a Nicaraguan puro using only Plasencia-grown tobacco with five sizes retailing in the super-premium $13-17 range. Plasencia also introduced the Cosecha Series, a mellower, Honduran-wrapped line with fives sizes selling in the $10-13 range. According to a press release: “Plasencia Cigars was founded in 1865 by Don Eduardo Plasencia when he began growing tobacco in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Since then, first in Cuba, and subsequently in Nicaragua and Honduras, five generations of the Plasencia family have been growing some of the world’s best tobacco… Today, Plasencia Cigars manufactures more than 40 million handmade cigars per year for many of the world’s top cigar brands, growing tobacco on more than 3,000 acres in several locations throughout Central America. Launched in 2016, Plasencia’s namesake branded cigars are distributed in the United States by Miami-based Plasencia 1865.”

2) Another IPCPR news item we’d like to highlight is the debut of the first A.J. Fernandez cigar to use a broadleaf wrapper. Enclave Broadleaf, as it is called, is the follow-up to the original Enclave blend, which was introduced in 2015 with an Ecuadorian wrapper. In addition to its dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Enclave Broadleaf sports Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It will be sold in three vitolas: Churchill (7 x 52, $9.50), Robusto (5 x 52, $8.50), and Toro (6.5 x 54, $9). In addition to making his own cigars, A.J. Fernandez is well known for crafting cigars for other companies; while this is the first broadleaf-wrapped cigar under his own brand, he has used broadleaf in cigars for other companies before.

3) Last week, the Washington Post published a story on Omar de Frias, who left a high-paying job at NASA to chase his dream and start his own cigar company, Fratello Cigars. The story is well worth a read, but so are the comments, which demonstrate the nasty anti-tobacco vitriol which has become so acceptable in today’s society. In a Facebook post about the reaction, Omar de Frias observed: “I laughed at many of these comments, specially at the one guy who wants me to die. Then I thought about how ignorance is probably one of the biggest issues we face as a society and our industry.”

4) Florida Senator Marco Rubio took the opportunity to voice his concerns about the FDA’s premium cigar regulations at an Appropriations Committee hearing regarding a bill for FDA funding. In his statement (audio above), he bemoaned the “extremely adverse and what I hope are unintended consequences” of FDA regulations on premium cigars.

5) From the Archives: People spend a lot of time deciding what cigar to smoke, but probably not enough time deciding which cigar shop to frequent. In this article from 2009, we discuss what to look for in a good cigar shop.

6) Deal of the Week: For today only, here are 100 deals, including cigars from Mi Querida, Ashton, Oliva, My Father, Rocky Patel, Davidoff, Drew Estate, CroMagnon, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Plasencia Cigars

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 539th in the series.

1) On Wednesday, as the industry gathered in Las Vegas for the 85th annual IPCPR Trade Show, the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations passed a bill that includes language that would protect premium cigars from harmful FDA regulations. While this vital protection still has a long, uphill journey before it becomes law, Cigar Rights of America (CRA) hailed it as a positive step in the right direction. “The action taken today by the House Committee on Appropriations for a second consecutive year is yet again another clear and definitive statement that Congress never intended for premium cigars to be treated like other tobacco products,” said J. Glynn Loope, executive director of CRA. “Congress continues to recognize the unique differences between premium cigars, and this language is a symbol that any effort by the FDA to regulate them would run contrary to the intent of Congress.” CRA specifically thanked Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) for their leadership on this issue.

2) The IPCPR Trade Show concludes today, heralding an end to the industry’s biggest event of the year. As in years’ past, StogieGuys.com will make considerable efforts to acquire and review the new cigars that debuted on the convention floor in Las Vegas. Be sure to check back often over the coming months for our concise, conflict-free assessments of many of the new entrants to the marketplace. As you do, however, recall there’s no need to get slammed on the new release treadmill. And remember that many retailers will be announcing (or have already announced) clearance sales on older smokes as they try to make room on their shelves for newer products; this can be a great time to stock up on reliable favorites.

3) British writer Brendan O’Neil is definitely not a fan of his country’s smoking ban: “It is ten years since smoking in public places was banned in England. Ten years since officials decreed that we could no longer light up at work, in restaurants, in pubs, and even at bus stops. Ten years since you could follow your Tiramisu with the satisfying throat hit of a drag of nicotine. Ten years since pubs were fuggy and convivial, packed with hoarse ladies telling stories and old blokes propping up the bar rather than shiny-haired new dads wearing a baby in a sling and wondering whether to treat themselves to buffalo wings or mac’n’cheese balls. Seriously. Babies in pubs. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.” Read the whole thing here.

4) Whiskey writer Fred Minnick says bourbon could be the victim of a U.S.-E.U. trade war over steel: “If President Trump follows through on his threat to impose tariffs on steel imports, expect to see an immediate response from the European Union—including retaliatory tariffs on, of all things, bourbon. This may seem an oddly disproportionate choice. Everyone needs steel; bourbon, on the other hand, is just a hipster fad and a good-ole-boy mainstay, right? In fact, a punitive tariff on bourbon and other American whiskeys would be both a symbolic and a substantive body blow—a strike at a unique American product that is enormously popular overseas.”

5) From the Archives: Forget the latest; stick with the greatest. For over a decade, we’ve given a small percentage of the nearly 1,000 cigars we’ve reviewed our highest rating of five stogies out of five. Check them out here.

6) Deal of the Week: We recommend Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, shaving kits, wine, workout gear, coffee kits, and more) delivered to your door for just $45. Currently available is “Toast,” featuring four cigars by H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta, along with a cigar carrying pouch and a small desktop humidor. You can skip or purchase every month. Sign up to get the July shipment.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Flickr

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 538th in the series.

1) Drew Estate this week issued a flurry of pre-IPCPR Trade Show announcements, the foremost being the introduction of the new Undercrown Sun Grown line. The new cigar features an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed wrapper around a Connecticut stalk-cut sun-grown Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, including one leaf of “extensively aged Ligero from the Nueva Segovia region along the border of Honduras… selected to enhance the strength of the blend.” Undercrown Sun Grown comes in six traditional sizes, plus Drew Estate’s Flying Pig vitola, with suggested retail prices ranging from $8.20 to $12.72. Undercrown Sun Grown joins the original Undercrown line (released in 2010) and Undercrown Shade (released in 2015).

2) Late Wednesday, news broke that Matt Booth was returning to the cigar industry, only six months after his “retirement” earlier this year. First, a collaboration called Hit and Run with Robert Caldwell was announced. That cigar uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder, and Dominican filler. Later, a second collaboration with Caldwell and A.J. Fernandez was announced called The Truth. That cigar, made at Fernandez’s Estelí factory, is a Nicaraguan puro.

3) Joya de Nicaragua, which is distributed by Drew Estate, also announced a new cigar and some packaging changes. The Antaño series of cigars is expanding with a new line called Antaño Gran Reserva. “The main alteration [from the Antaño 1970 line] that comes with the Antaño Gran Reserva is that we have added fillers that have been aged for up to five years,” said Juan Ignacio Martínez, executive president of Joya de Nicaragua (Antaño 1970 is a Nicaraguan puro featuring a Habano Criollo wrapper). Antaño Gran Reserva will be introduced in three sizes—Belicoso (6 x 54), Gran Cónsul (4.75 x 60), and a box-pressed Robusto Grande (5.5 x 52)—and will begin shipping in August. It joins Antaño 1970 (introduced over 15 years ago) and Antaño Dark Corojo (introduced in 2007) as a member of the Antaño family. Also announced is a facelift for the Antaño Dark Corojo, “To align the Antaño family and its look, we have updated the packaging of the Antaño Dark Corojo to match the other brands in the Antaño family,” said Ignacio.

4) Inside the Industry: Crowned Heads announced a new Four Kicks Maduro, using a Connecticut Habano Maduro wrapper around the same binder and filler as the original Four Kicks. La Flor Dominicna is set to debut La Volcada, which features a Mexican maduro wrapper, Ecuadorian Corojo binder, and Dominican filler. Crux introduced Crux Epicure, a Nicaraguan puro initially announced last year, and is adding a Corona Gorda size to the three originally planned vitolas.

5) From the Archives: With so many new cigars being announced this time of year, it is worth taking a step back to consider which new cigars are worth your hard-earned dollars. In this commentary from two years ago, we offer some advice about figuring out which new cigars are most likely to appeal to you.

6) Deal of the Week: For today only, here are 100 deals including cigars from Ashton, Punch, Oliva, My Father, Rocky Patel, Crowned Heads, Davidoff, Drew Estate, Tatuaje, Cohiba, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credits: Drew Estate / Joya de Nicaragua

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 537th in the series.

1) Alec Bradley has announced two new premium cigars that will debut at the IPCPR Trade Show next month: Prensado Lost Art and Black Market Estelí. Both “are iterations of two of Alec Bradley’s most popular cigar lines.” According to company owner Alan Rubin: “IPCPR is the perfect opportunity to share our latest product innovation with tobacconists from around the world. Lost Art and Estelí have been previously marketed in limited quantities and are now ready for their global release.” Both blends “were created to be compliments to their original lines.” Both cigars will be offered in five sizes and sport dual binders from Nicaragua and Honduras and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras. Prensado Lost Art has a Honduran wrapper, whereas Black Market Estelí features a Nicaraguan wrapper.

2) In celebration of its fifth anniversary, Nomad is expected to introduce a limited number of “First Run” cigars from 2012 at the IPCPR Trade Show. “The owner of Nomad Cigar Company, Fred Rewey, started Nomad in 2012 with one line,” reads a press release. “The company portfolio has now grown to 14 blends and 51 SKUs.” According to Rewey: “The fact of the matter is that when I started I was not really clear on which sizes would work and which wouldn’t. That led to an overrun of two sizes in particular: a round torpedo and a small perfecto. Recently, I discovered that we had a limited amount from the original run and began smoking them. It seemed only appropriate to share these aged beauties.” Nomad First Run will be available in very limited quantities to existing Nomad retailers.

3) Inside the Industry: Red Sox legend David Ortiz will make an appearance at the IPCPR Trade Show on July 13 for a meet-and-greet with retailers as part of the promotion for his Big Papi cigar. “We are excited to have David come to the show,” states Radhames Rodriguez, President of El Artista Cigars, maker of the cigar. Ortiz is scheduled to be at the El Artista booth for two hours starting at 2 PM on July 13. Afterward, Ortiz will attend a private dinner with select El Artista retailers.

4) From the Archives: If there is any advice we’d like to impart to cigar smokers it is to not rush the process. That’s the point made in this 2007 commentary, and it is still excellent advice ten years later.

5) Deal of the Week: For today only, here are 100 deals including cigars from Fuente, Ashton, Oliva, My Father, Rocky Patel, Cohiba, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Alec Bradley

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 536th in the series.

1) Omar de Frias’ Fratello Cigars is set to debut a new line at next month’s IPCPR Trade Show called Navetta. Navetta means “shuttle” in Italian and is a “dream project” Frias envisioned while he worked at NASA for 12 years. It sports an Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper and will be offered in four sizes with prices ranging from $10.50 to $12.50: Discovery (5 x 50), Endeavor (6.25 x 54), Enterprise (6 x 60), and Atlantis (6.25 x 52). Navetta is expected to ship in September; it is made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory. “Blending Fratello Naveta was special as I wanted to translate the ultimate celebration our men and women of the space program felt after a successful mission,” says Frias. “After being part of over 21 missions, nothing beats the feeling of getting our astronauts home safe to their families. Colleagues of mine would get together and smoke a very special cigar to commemorate the occasion. This very special blend carries the ultimate feeling of innovation, duty, honor and success.”

2) FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb acknowledged the concerns of the premium cigar industry during an exchange with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting on Tuesday. “Whatever we do in this regard is going to need to be science-based,” said Gottlieb. “But we are cognizant of the challenges faced by small businesses.” Gottlieb didn’t go into specifics since there is pending litigation (IPCPR, Cigar Association of America, and Cigar Rights of America filed a joint suit against the FDA last summer; the trial, which has been delayed, is set to begin August 30). But he did indicate the FDA would work to “mitigate unintended consequences” of the regulations should Congress act on proposed legislation to exempt premium cigars.

3) Inside the Industry: As part of a restructuring of Drew Estate’s sales organization, longtime industry veteran Selim Hanono will depart the company. Hanono, vice president of trade shows and events, has been a member of the Drew Estate management team for nearly ten years. “Selim has been a very valuable member of the Drew Estate team and his contributions to our large trade show success have been legendary,” said Drew Estate CEO Glenn Wolfson. “Being the consummate professional he is, Selim will remain on board leading our preparations and execution at IPCPR and we are very appreciative of his undying commitment to quality delivery. His last day at the company will be July 31st.” In a press release, Drew Estate noted the internal restructuring, “along with role redesign and greater decentralized decision-making, is intended to strengthen Drew Estate’s ability to better serve the needs of its customers in each channel of distribution in which it competes.”

4) From the Archives: What is cigar texture? The term often gets thrown around but is rarely defined. In this article, we define the term with the help of some of the foremost experts.

5) Deal of the Week: Here’s a “sleeper sampler” of some good cigars that often fly under the radar. Just $52 lands you the Southern Classic Cucubano, Espinosa Especial No. 5, Particulares Robusto, La Flor Dominicana La Nox, Crowned Heads La Careme Robusto, and CAO Flathead Carb.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Fratello Cigars

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 535th in the series.

1) CAO is set to debut a new cigar line featuring Arapiraca tobacco fermented in ropes. According to a press release from General Cigar, in his travels to the Brazil in 2015, Ernest Gocaj, director of tobacco procurement for General, found natives who were fermenting Arapiraca leaves in ropes, and that the process “produced tobacco with flavor like nothing else.” Gocaj bought the natives’ entire harvest for the year and handed it over to CAO’s blending team. The result is the new CAO Fuma Em Corda, a new limited edition release “made with the world’s most rare Brazilian tobacco.” In addition to the rope-fermented Aripiraca, the cigar sports a Honduran Colorado wrapper, a Cameroon binder, and other filler tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Brazil. Only 3,000 20-count boxes of a single vitola—Robusto (5 x 50)—will be made, each cigar with a suggested retail price of $8.99. There will also be a limited edition Toro (6 x 58, $10.49) for internet and catalog retailers.

2) Today, President Donald Trump’s long-awaited announcement on changes to U.S. policies toward Cuba is set to be delivered in Little Havana in Miami, Florida. Initial reports suggest not all of President Obama’s changes will be reversed. Of the eleven categories of travel to Cuba currently available to American citizens, all but one will remain. The biggest changes will come once Trump’s secretaries of Treasury and Commerce implement regulations that prohibit direct financial transactions with Cuban military intelligence and security services, though some exemptions will exist, including deals involving lodging options. One administration official said the goal of the changes is to “steer money away from the Cuban military and toward the Cuban people.” Flights and cruise ships from the United States will not be restricted, nor will there be changes to Obama’s policy shift that allows Cuban rum and cigars to be imported for personal use when traveling home from abroad.

3) Inside the Industry: Leading up to the 85th annual IPCPR Trade Show—which will be held July 10-14 in Las Vegas—Steve Saka took to Facebook to preview the offerings he will be highlighting at the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust booth. “In addition to [Muestra de Saka] Exclusivo, we have three very solid offerings to be showcased at this year’s IPCPR,” he posted. They include Mi Querida Gordita (4 x 48), “a plumper of air-cured Broadleaf joy;” Muestra de Saka Nacatamale (6 x 48), “one of my all-time favorite liga/vitola combos;” and Todos Las Dias, “our third core brand, which will really expand our portfolio of ‘puros sin compromiso’ with yet another totally different approach and flavor profile in the fuller-bodied world of craft cigars.” Saka went on to say, “I must say thank you to all our customers, [as] both Sobremesa and Mi Querida sales continue to grow. With most new cigars, customers try them and then move on to the next new cigar, so I want you to know we here at Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust are genuinely appreciative of all of you who have added our cigars to your rotation… Please know we always do our utmost to make cigars worthy of your support.”

4) From the Archives: Interested in the science behind humidor humidity? A conversation about it broke out in the comments of Wednesday’s article on prepping your humidor for the summer. Read it here.

5) Deal of the Week: Need a last-minute Father’s Day gift for dad? Consider a subscription to Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items delivered to your door for just $45. Available now are two cigar-oriented boxes. “Toast” features four cigars by H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta, along with a cigar pouch and a small desktop humidor. “Study” includes two Montecristo White cigars, two Glencairn whiskey glasses, a cigar tube, and a smoke-eating candle. You can skip or switch to another box every month. Sign up your dad (or yourself) here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar Co.