As a cigar enthusiast and resident of Northern Virginia, I would be remiss not to write about a luxurious new cigar lounge opening in my backyard this spring. Called CXIII Rex, it will be an expansion of the Landini Brothers restaurant in Alexandria. And, from what I saw on a recent behind-the-scenes tour, it promises to be one of the best cigar venues in the country.

CXIII Rex is the brainchild of Noe and Franco Landini (pictured above), hosts of Landini Brothers and avid cigar fans. Their restaurant—which, I can attest from more than a few visits, offers outstanding Italian cuisine—has had been a haven for Washington-area cigar smokers for 30 years. But when it became clear that Virginia lawmakers would pass a statewide ban, they started to lay plans for a benchmark cigar club with unique benefits and members-only offerings.

Sure, CXIII Rex will have all the amenities of traditional cigar lounges, including a well-stocked walk-in humidor, a selection of top libations and small-batch wines, ample seating, wireless internet, private humidor lockers, and the like. But this club, slated to open in late March, will also feature more luxurious accommodations. Included will be a state-of-the-art air ventilation system, an access-only elevator, an all-female wait staff, and a private cigar blend crafted by none other than Rocky Patel.

While all these amenities are fantastic, the club’s finest asset will be the 19th century building in which it resides. Franco and Noe gave me a first-hand look at the future site of CXIII Rex on Monday. Currently under construction in a building adjacent to Landini Brothers, it is an impressive space with ample character and charm. It was only on this behind-the-scenes tour that I got a sense of the size and scope of the future multi-level club, which is complete with a dramatic staircase and a layout built for privacy, comfort, and flow.

Individual memberships, as you might expect from a club of this caliber, are not inexpensive. The cost is $5,000 to join CXIII Rex and $100 each month thereafter. Franco and Noe tell me that 200 slots are available, 160 of which are already claimed for. If, like me, this is above your price range, or if you reside outside the Washington metro area, you still have to appreciate the high attention to detail and passion that’s going in to creating a premier cigar lounge. I haven’t seen anything like it before.

And for those of you who plan to invest in a CXIII Rex membership, please feel free to invite me as your occasional guest. I’ll even throw in a few cigars.

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A major deal between Stockholm-based Swedish Match, parent company of General Cigar (Macanudo, Punch, La Gloria Cubana, Hoyo de Monterrey, Partagas, Cohiba), and the Denmark-based Scandinavian Tobacco Group (CAO, Toraño, Henri Wintermans) will merge their many well-known brands under one entity.

The two companies have signed a letter of intent to create a joint venture combining their handmade cigar operations with STG’s entire tobacco operations. Swedish Match’s machine-made cigars (which include White Owl and Garcia y Vega) are not part of the deal, but the companys’s online and mail-order retailer Cigars International reportedly is. The joint venture will be controlled by STG, with Swedish Match owning 49 percent. The deal could be finalized as early as this summer.

What the Merger Means for the Industry

As we’ve written before, consolidation is an ongoing theme in the industry and this deal continues the trend. Among other things, consolidation helps cigar companies overcome the increasingly challenging tax and regulatory burdens through economies of scale.

The key part of this mega-merger is that it sets up the newly created joint venture to challenge Altadis. The deal means Altadis finally has a rival in the premium cigar category that can  match it for size, volume, and marketing budget.

The new combined operations may also lead to some cost savings, as the sales representatives and distribution channels will likely be dovetailed. Since the companies were already major tobacco buyers, their access to the best tobacco is unlikely to change significantly.

Fans of cigars made by both groups will be pleased to know that the blends and brands are also unlikely to change anytime soon. General Cigar recently closed its Villazon factory in Honduras (shifting production to Danlí) so it’s doubtful that STG will be shifting any of its production to those facilities. But the fact that CAO and Toraño now will have access to General Cigar’s Dominican factories could be important going forward.

-Patrick S

photo credit: General Cigar

So-called “health care reform” isn’t usually a topic for a cigar publication to tackle. But the more research one does on the proposal now being debated in the U.S. Senate, the more it becomes clear that it’s grossly unfair to smokers.

The leading proposal from Congress contains many changes to current law, but three aspects of the bill in combination create a system that will increase costs for smokers while subsidizing others that are guaranteed to cost more. This despite the fact that through the punitive SCHIP tax, smokers already pay more than their fair share of health care costs.

The bill would require every individual to buy insurance and simultaneously prohibit insurance companies from refusing to cover individuals. It also mandates that insurance companies can only use three characteristics (and only those characteristics) for charging higher premiums: tobacco use, age, and family composition.

For tobacco users, Congress empowers insurance companies to charge 50% more for insurance. Because smoking is one of a few areas where insurance companies are allowed to charge more, and since every individual must buy insurance, insurance companies will be encouraged to charge even lower-risk tobacco users like cigar smokers the full 50% increase.

Meanwhile, Congress would prohibit insurers from charging more for pre-existing conditions, who are unsurprisingly the most expensive people to insure. This means that those with illnesses like cancer, lung disease, throat cancer, or anything else—including those that may have been caused by smoking—cannot be charged more while smokers can be.

The irony (and absurdity) should be obvious: If you’re already sick from something caused by smoking, you pay less than smokers who likely only have a slight chance of getting the very same disease.

There are, of course, many other reasons for opposing a federal health care overhaul that smokers may or may not agree with. However, all smokers, particularly cigar smokers who will be forced to buy pricier insurance unwarranted by their relative risk ratios, should oppose (once again) being unfairly singled out by the government and forced to subsidize the health care of costs of non-smokers.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Tuesday marked the beginning of Virginia’s smoking ban and the end of free choice in the commonwealth’s bars and restaurants. And while we’ve written extensively about the dangers of government-driven regulations on tobacco, this ban hits especially close to home—because we both live in Virginia.

So, as you might expect, Monday night we went out in style. We were lucky enough to attend two of the special “Last Hurrah” cigar dinners, hosted by Morton’s at the steakhouse chain’s three locations in Northern Virginia. These dinners, like last summer’s Paul Garmirian event, featured premium tobacco paired with fine libations and Morton’s signature cuisine.

We thought we’d share our experiences not to gloat, but to inspire you to occasionally treat yourself to a lavish and luxurious cigar dinner. Every brother of the leaf, after all, deserves an expertly paired meal from time to time.

Attended by Patrick A, the Tysons Corner event started with a reception of crab cakes, oysters, and tuna tartare, complemented by a Chateau St. Jean chardonnay and a mild and creamy Davidoff 2000. The second cigar of the evening was the Davidoff Ambassadrice, served with a Duck Pond pinot noir (an exceptional wine for a mild smoke). And finally, after an outstanding filet mignon entrée, a well-balanced and complex Davidoff Special R was paired with a Fonseca Bin 27 port.

Meanwhile, Patrick S, about 15 miles away in Arlington, attended a second Morton’s dinner with Davidoff cigars, which featured a reception with petite lamb chops, poached salmon, and cheeses, paired with a Crossings Sauvignon blanc and a Davidoff Special T. After an palate cleanser of raspberry sorbet, attendees lit the petit corona-sized Davidoff Grand Cru No. 5, followed by a main course of NY Strip with a lively Livernano “Josephine” 2006 Super Tuscan. For a finale, diners were treated to a hot chocolate cake that went well with Taylor Fladgate 10-Year Tawny port and the Davidoff-made Winston Churchill Blenheim—a perfect choice given that the dinner was taking place on Churchill’s birthday.

A third dinner was also held at the Morton’s location in Reston, which included cigars by Paul Garmirian. The highlight of the evening was the world debut of the new PG Symphony 20th Connoisseur. We hope to review this cigar soon.

Before we get to that, though, we’d like to extend our thanks to everyone at Morton’s for recognizing the enormous potential of wine, cuisine, and premium cigar pairings and for executing an outstanding “Last Hurrah” to free choice in the commonwealth. Monday was a memorable night, and we’re sorry we won’t be able to experience anything like it again in Virginia.

-Patrick A & Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Legendary cigar maker Avelino Lara died yesterday due to complications from thyroid cancer. Once Fidel Castro’s personal roller, Lara was famous for his creations at the El Laguito Factory outside of Havana, where he crafted some of of the most famous Cuban cigars, including the Cohiba brand.

Born in Havana on March 20, 1921, Lara worked in the cigar business all his life. He trained and mastered the art of a torcedor at a young age. After decades of working in the Cuban cigar industry, including having a hand in some of the best-known blends ever created, Lara retired in 1996, in part because he was unhappy with government interference in cigar making.

Lara couldn’t keep away from cigars for long. He eventually moved to Nassau to roll cigars at Graycliff Restaurant. His cigars soon became a success, and Lara then teamed up with Enrico Garzaroli to create and distribute Graycliff Cigars.

“With Avelino we had the idea of creating a cigar to sell in the restaurant to fuel my passion of finding the perfect cigar to complement our 5-star dining experience,” said Enrico Garzaroli, chairman and founder of the Graycliff Cigar Company. “With him we created the award winning Graycliff Original blend, beating some of Avelino’s former Cuban cigar creations in blind tastings. He had a passion for his art that no one can replicate.”

Although Lara retired from Graycliff a few years ago and returned to his native Havana, he was still involved with the company product line, sampling new cigar blends and suggesting modifications.

“Avelino will be sorely missed. Even though he was no longer present in the rolling room each day, the torcedores continue to refer to his passion, knowledge, and his constant testing of their skills,” said Paolo Garzaroli, president and co-founder of Graycliff. “I will personally miss his dedication to our company, his drive for perfection, and his many wisdoms which he shared with me.” Lara’s son, Abel, continues to make cigars for Graycliff.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Graycliff

Today, the first provision of the so-called “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act”—a bill that gives the Food and Drug Administration sweeping powers to restrict the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products—goes into effect. The provisions make flavored cigarettes illegal, something anti-tobacco activists say will help stop minors from buying cigarettes.

The ban exempts menthol-flavored cigarettes but includes such “adult” flavors as coffee and whiskey. The menthol exemption is thought to be the result of lobbying by Altria, the world’s largest cigarette maker, which supported the bill as a way to protect its market share.

The new law, however,  has evoked other responses besides cheers from the nanny state crowd. Small tobacconists are bracing for a decrease in sales. As Manhattan smoke shop owner Sami Mohammed told NPR, “It’s destroying us—it’s rocking the smoke shops. It’s killing us, banning all flavored cigarettes,  as well the increase on taxes.”

Cigar Rights of America board member and Orlando cigar shop owner Jeff Borysiewicz told the Orlando Sentinel he’ll lose between $100,000 and $150,000 in sales annually due to the ban. “They say the different flavors appeal to children,” he told the paper. “Applying that logic you might as well ban piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris.”

Ban Leading Regulators to Target Cigars

In response to the law, some flavored cigarette makers, such as clove maker Djarum, have introduced little cigars with the same flavors designed to replace the now prohibited cigarettes. This has already led anti-tobacco lobbyists to call for the ban to be extended to cigars.

The FDA has issued a letter asserting that it may treat flavored cigars as if they were cigarettes. That move should worry makers of flavored or infused cigars including Drew Estate, CAO, General Cigar, and Altadis, all of whom make both flavored and non-flavored cigars.

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

[Editors’ Note: Even though co-founders Patrick A and Patrick S are back from the 77th annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show, they still have plenty more to share. Below are some updates that we didn't  get a chance to include from our first three days of coverage in New Orleans.]

CAO’s La Traviata: One of the most interesting new releases is CAO’s La Traviata. Named after an old Cuban brand with a recently-expired trademark, the brand is CAO’s attempt to create a classic Cuban flavor profile. It utilizes an Ecuadorian habano wrapper combined with a Cameroon binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos. La Traviata comes in three sizes—robusto, toro, and Churchill—and carries an extremely approachable price tag of $4.95-5.75.

Rocky Patel Updates His Classics: Rocky Patel unveiled three new smokes as we detailed in tour IPCPR preview, but also of note was that he updated the packaging of some of the smokes that brought him to fame. Such staples as the Vintage 1992 and Nording look completely different. The 1992, for example, now carries dual black bands to differentiate it from the Vintage 1990 line. In addition, the Rocky Patel Decade, Vintage 1990, and Vintage 1999 are all getting newly designed tubos.

New Davidoff Maduro Coming: While Davidoff had many new and beautiful (and pricey) humidors and accessories on display, we were most excited to hear about the second size for the Davidoff Maduro, which was announced last year. Due to hit stores October, the corona size joins the robusto in Davidoff’s maduro line. Also of note from Davidoff was the new 2009 Limited Edition Toro Especial, featuring a Colorado claro wrapper.

Toraño Unveils Exodus 50: Charlie Toraño told us about his new cigar, the Exodus 50 Years, created in honor of  the 50th Anniversary of his family’s departure from Cuba in 1959. The blend comes in three sizes:  robusto (5 x 50), torpedo (5.5 x 52), and toro (6 x 48).

[View all of our shots from the IPCPR Trade Show at the official StogieGuys.com Flickr album.]

-Patrick A & Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys