Savinelli Packs Two Cigar Blends in One Box with Dos Campeones

(Smokemagazine.com) The Dos Campeones (‘two champions’ in Spanish) line from Savinelli U.S.A. takes premium cigar smokers into uncharted territories—each box contains two unique variations of these complex sticks, which are produced at Tabacalera Esteli in Nicaragua.
The Coraje (‘courage’ in Latin) is a full-bodied, dark and robust smoke, while the complimentary Sixto blend is a medium- to full-bodied blend that’s a bit mellower, although equally complex. Both blends feature vintage Nicaraguan filler, Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Continued

Photo: Workers tie up tobacco - Quincy, Florida, 1965 (floridamemory.com)

La Gloria Cubana Serie N Glorioso Cigar Review

(Intoxico!) Another Saturday morning is upon yours truly, another pot of coffee has been brewed, and I am ready to enjoy another cigar.
This morning I have selected a La Gloria Cubana Serie N Glorioso.
At 6 ½ by 58, this is a hefty cigar wrapped and filled with tobacco form Nicaragua, and rolled in the Dominican Republic. Continued

Erinmore Tobacco (Classic UK ad 1980's)

Erinmore Tobacco commercial.

Altadis Expands VegaFina Cigar Line

(Cigar Aficionado) Continuing its strategy to further boost its VegaFina line, Altadis U.S.A. Inc. has created the VegaFina Sumum. The cigar combines a Cuban-seed wrapper from Honduras with Dominican binder and a blend of fillers from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
The cigar comes in one size, five inches by 54 (making it a fat robusto) and is packed ten to the box. Continued

CAO Rolls Out La Traviata Luminoso Maduro Cigars

(Smokemagazine.com) CAO has extended its popular La Traviata Luminoso shape to the brand’s Maduro blend. The new cigar, a traditional Rothschild format, began appearing on store shelves in early February.
Following in the footsteps of the well-received Ecuadoran-wrapped CAO La Traviata Luminoso, the new Maduro version features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper to lend a touch of sweetness to the well-received blend. Continued

Why are some cigars square instead of round?

(Cigar Advisor) The "square" cigars ... are called " box-pressed." This style of cigar originated in Cuba, and the reason some of your Rocky Patel cigars were box-pressed is because this is Rocky's preferred shape. Allegedly, the shape causes the cigars burn longer and offer more flavor.
Moreover, there are two methods used to make box-pressed cigars - "standard" box-pressing and "trunk" pressing. Continued

Photo: Cigar packer's press (Cigar History Museum).

Zimbabwe tobacco output seen up, but shy of target

HARARE (Reuters) Zimbabwe's tobacco production is set to continue its recovery this year, but output might be short of the projected 150 million kg due to limited funding and erratic rainfall, farmers said as the auction season opened on Wednesday.
Tobacco, which earned Zimbabwe about $400 million in 2011, has fallen behind mining as the country's leading foreign currency earner, after President Robert Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms saw production of most major crops plummeting.
Tobacco output declined to 48 million kg in 2008, from a peak of 236 million kg in 2000. Continued

Levi Garrett chewing tobacco commercial (1986)

(PaulZuppardo) This is a commercial for Levi Garrett chewing tobacco that aired on April 13, 1986 during ESPN's broadcast of the TranSouth 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Darlington Raceway. Smokeless tobacco advertising on television was banned in the US in 1986, but did not go into effect until several months after this aired.

A Four Kicks Cigar with Jon Huber

(David Savona) Jon Huber made a visit to the Cigar Aficionado offices the other day. It had been far too long. Jon had been a principal at C.A.O. International Inc., and he left that company to form Crowned Heads LLC. Jon has been busy working with the rest of the Crowned Heads crew on Four Kicks, their first brand, which debuted late last year.
It’s a fine cigar brand, made by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo in the Dominican Republic. It’s Ernesto’s first brand made under contract for someone else. Continued

Cigar Tobacco fermentation (Video)

(Savinelli) Steven Ysidron dicusses and shows how cigar tobacco is fermented.

e-cigarette explodes in Fla. man's mouth

(USA Today) A faulty battery caused an electronic cigarette to explode in a Florida's man's mouth, taking out some of his front teeth and a chunk of his tongue and severely burning his face, fire officials said Wednesday.
... "The best analogy is like it was trying to hold a bottle rocket in your mouth when it went off," said Joseph Parker, division chief for the North Bay Fire Department. "The battery flew out of the tube and set the closet on fire."
Continued