Tampa en Martí will include tobacco leaves from Robaina tobacco plantation

(Cubaheadlines.com) The book Tampa en Martí which will come to light soon under the Vigía publishing house, from Matanzas, will include in its design tobacco leaves from the Alejandro Robaina tobacco plantation, the best tobacco producer in Cuba, says AIN.
The book Tampa en Martí which will come to light soon under the Vigía publishing house, from Matanzas, will include in its design tobacco leaves from the Alejandro Robaina tobacco plantation, the best tobacco producer in Cuba, says AIN. Continued

Image: Library of Congress

Malawi to Boost Tobacco Export Earnings 20% as Quality Improves

(Bloomberg) Malawi, the world’s biggest producer of burley tobacco, will probably boost export earnings from the leaf by 20 percent this year as lower output and better quality lifts prices, the Tobacco Control Commission said.
Export revenue from tobacco, which contributes about 60 percent of Malawi’s foreign currency earnings, is expected to rise to $600 million from $500 million last year, Bruce Munthali, chief executive officer of the Commission, said in an interview today in the capital, Lilongwe. Continued

Also: Dollarization to boost next season’s tobacco farming (Zimbabwe)

Cuban Crafters Cigar Sampler: Part 2

(Continued from Part 1) I was a little wary of buying a sampler from a single manufacturer, fearing they would all taste the same, but my fears were unfounded, there's plenty of variety here. My next selection was a Miami Cigars Medina 1959 Edition, "made at the Cuban Crafters Miami cigar factory by one of the world's most talented Cuban cigar rollers. 1959 Miami Edition Corona Gorda cigars have that special and elegant taste that only pre-1959 Cuban cigars had." Which may or may not be true, I can't say, having been born after 1959. I can say with authority that this is a tasty cigar, nutty, light, mild, & very well constructed. The sample I received was huge, but I managed to smoke it right down to the nub, enjoying every puff.

Then came the Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection. My first reaction was "now this is a cigar." And it is a cigar: box pressed, nice & strong with a good full flavor, and complete with a pigtail, I'll be buying more of these.

Unfortunately the Cuban Crafters Cameroon was not to my liking at all. I can't say anything bad about the construction or the draw, etc., I just didn't like the taste. Moving on ...

The Cubano Claro is an example of why it can be good to purchase the occasional sampler as it makes me try things I wouldn't normally try. I tend to shy away from cigars with light colored wrappers, but the Cubano Claro has me rethinking the whole notion. It was a nice, light flavored (but powerful), smoke that reminded me of drinking a really great cup of tea. I have more on order.

Last on the list was a Don Kiki Red Label, the middling strength cigar in the Don Kiki lineup, it had a nice earthy taste and would make a good all-day cigar. The Red, Green, and Brown Don Kiki labels show a surprising amount of variety between them. I would be hard pressed to declare one of them as best, though the Brown Label Figurados have become my favorite after-dinner smoke.

I also revisited the Beck, and La Carolina cigars, and I still wasn't impressed with the Beck, but the La Carolina has risen a bit in my estimation. All in all, this was a fine sampler and a very enjoyable experience. Recommendation: Would I buy more cigars from this company? I already have more on order. Highly recommended.

Photos: Cuban Crafters

Tips to buy a 4 Hosed Hookah

(Hookahmonster.com) Hookah smoking has emerged as one of the most popular trends in the United States during the past few years. Many hookah lounges and bars have sprung up around the country, especially near college campuses because the younger people are more prone to be attracted to hookah smoking. Although, hookah smoking originated in East Asia and is an activity that is mostly attributed to many Asian countries, it has quickly become popular in America as well.

A hookah or a water pipe is also referred to as Shisha or Narghile is a long cylindrical device with a water reservoir and a long rubber hose attached to a mouthpiece. Although hookah devices take out the smoke from tobacco, hookah smoking is popular in the States more because of different flavors that can be introduced in the hookah to make it more appealing and flavorful. While hookah smoking is a social activity and undergone basically for the purpose of recreation and gathering, there are many people who may indulge in it more often or who may wish to open their own hookah business for which they will be interested on tips to buying hookahs the most efficient and economical way.

Hookahs have various shapes, sizes and capacities according to the type of people who wish to smoke. Therefore, the first thing you need to consider is your customer base or the audience you wish to entertain. The normal hookah or the one that you would probably have seen in restaurants and bars has one rubber hose attached to it in a way that only one person can smoke from it at a time. This is more or less how traditional hookahs in East Asia used to be and they used to be placed in the centre of a group of people and each one could take a puff on it one at a time. But if you want a hookah for more people or for a larger group, then the four-hosed hookah may be the best option which has four rubber hoses attached to it and four people can smoke on it at one time. A four-hose hookah may also be referred to as the Mya Obelish after Egyptian mythology.

A four-hose hookah will generally have a beautiful design especially if you are purchasing it from the right place; it should be solid and the quality should be good. Since you will be using the hookah frequently, it should be long-lasting. A four-hosed hookah will also be safer to handle with since you will not be going through the trouble of passing around a hookah with burning charcoal placed on it. This type of hookah can also be lesser costly especially if you are wishing to start your own business of hookah smoking since you will be purchasing more than one hookah and you can satisfy a larger group of people with this four-hose hookah. Therefore, under such conditions getting this hookah is a better option than dealing with the difficulty of handling a single hose hookah.

NYC Archaeologists Uncover Tobacco Pipes

(Pipes Magazine) ... Attesting to both their popularity and fragility, 1,470 fragments of clay tobacco pipes were found on the project site. Though pipes are utilitarian objects, their design, decoration, and maker’s marks can be seen as icons for the brief period of time in which each was manufactured and used. Tobacco, native to America, was introduced to Europe in the mid-1500s. By the 17th century it was popular among all segments of society, regardless of class, race, or gender.
Since pipes frequently broke and were easily replaced, they are often found in archeological deposits. Continued

Topper: The "Chewy" Cigar

(Firecured) Topper Cigars may be the ultimate all-day/every-day smoke. Tasty, relatively inexpensive, and like the title says, "chewy." The chewy broadleaf wrapper means Toppers are a cigar that can be chomped, clenched, or ruminated on for extended periods of time without falling apart. You can keep an unlit Topper in your face for hours before lighting, or nom on the stub until it's time for a fresh smoke, they are nigh on indestructible.
The Topper Old Fashioned Extra Oscura, which I'm smoking as I write this, has a light, unobtrusive flavor that can go the distance without becoming burdensome. When I'm paying attention, Topper has a light spiciness with licorice overtones, when I'm not paying attention, it's just a cigar. According to the Famous Smoke Shop, these "mixed-filler cigars employ Dominican, Honduran, and USA fillers, Pennsylvania binders, and genuine Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers, to create a flavorful, medium-bodied smoke." Some people complain that Toppers draw poorly, and while it's true that Topper will never win any fast-draw contests, the draw is usually adequate.
Topper cigars have been in production since 1893 and it shows (especially the Old Fashioned, with its perfecto shape). I gave one to my friend Kim and she immediately went into her Edward G. Robinson impression - they have "Little Caesar" & "Key Largo" written all over them. Topper cigars are made for Connecticut Valley Tobacconist by FX Smith's Sons of McSherrystown, Pennsylvania, the same people who manufacture Muniemaker cigars.
Recommendation: Recommended, though don't be surprised if you catch yourself exclaiming, "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico!"

Swedish Match joins new cigar venture

(Times-Dispatch) Richmond-based tobacco company Swedish Match International is joining with a Central American-based cigar tobacco company in a new venture.
Swedish Match AB, the local company's Sweden based parent-company, said yesterday it has signed an agreement with Plasencia Group, one of the world's largest producers of premium cigar tobacco, to form a new tobacco growing and procurement operation named Caribbean Cigar Holdings.
... Swedish Match International manufactures and markets both premium and mass-market cigars primarily for the US market and machine-made cigars for the European and the International market. Its cigar brands include Macanudo, Partagas and Cohiba. Continued

Image: Library of Congress

Tobacco Art: Finale Ligure Cigars

"Finale Ligure Italia" cigar (Via Lamarde)

Hookahs Head Mainstream?

(Smokeshop) Besieged by a sagging economy and governmental intrusion, tobacco retailers are glimpsing a guiding star in the East. Unlike the mystical biblical reference, however, this one is named "shisha."
Shisha (SHEE-shah) is the historic Arabic name for the entire hookah smoking apparatus, including a globe full of water, tobacco, and charcoal for ignition. But, in contemporary usage, it generally applies to the smoking material alone - a small amount of tobacco combined into a sticky ball with flavoring agents, honey, or molasses, and a casing (usually glycerine). Continued

(Image: Hobotopia, some rights reserved)

Maduro Cigar Wrappers 101

(JRCigars) Dark and as rich tasting as the earth from which they grow, Maduro-wrapped cigars are a favorite among many. They are the darkest of all the various shades of brown, and provide a wide array of tastes, from a sweet, mellow flavor to a robust and hearty taste that only the most seasoned smoker could appreciate.
"Maduro" is the Spanish word for "ripe" and is use cigar-wise to refer to the extra time required and the dark colors achieved during the natural fermentation of maduro wrappers. Typically these wrappers are oily, plush with flavor, and earthy to the nose. Continued

Image: Library of Congress

Senate Backs Ban on Mail-Order Cigarettes in Setback for Tribe

(NYTimes) By a unanimous vote, the Senate on Thursday passed a bill to eliminate mail-order cigarettes, a victory for public health advocates and a defeat for the New York Indian tribe that dominates the business. The measure was approved by the House last spring but then stalled in the Senate amid a lobbying campaign by the tribe, the Seneca Nation, which controls a $1 billion-a-year tobacco-and-gambling empire. Continued

Cheap cigars, politics and the Volcker Rule

(Reuters) ... The son of a town manager who grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, Volcker has a no-nonsense style. He was famous during his tenure at the Fed for the shiny suits he wore and inexpensive cigars he relished.
... "In today's world it sounds rare to see on a Friday night the chairman of the Federal Reserve carrying his bag himself in economy class, smoking the most foul cigars because they were cheap and he enjoyed them," Wolfensohn said. Continued

4Noggins Button Bay Tobacco

(Pipekeeper's Journey) This tobacco had such high reviews at Tobacco Reviews that I had to try it – and I like it. My first smoke left me assessing this complex blend and wondering what kind of alchemy was at work. But, several more smokes helped me to analyze the effects of combining this winning blend of Cyprian Latakia, Virginias, Burley, and Perique. This one is for the piper who desires intrigue and changes in a single smoke. Continued

The cigar smoker's paradise

(BBC) ... Can you imagine my surprise when I saw the cleaning woman in my hotel room, vacuuming the carpet with a huge cigar protruding from her lips? ... The security guard hovering at the front door was chomping on something the tobacco industry proudly refers to as a "Wide Churchill".
Cuba smokes with a vengeance. Perhaps it is another way of thumbing its nose at Uncle Sam.
It is certainly another item on the long list of idiosyncrasies. Continued

Malawi Minimum Tobacco Price Cut 7%, Tobacco Commission Says

(Bloomberg) The minimum price paid to tobacco producers in Malawi, Africa’s largest producer of the burley variety, has been reduced by 7 percent as the cost of producing the leaf fell, the Tobacco Control Commission said.
Burley tobacco will trade at a minimum price of $2 per kilogram (2.2 pounds) from $2.15, while flue-cured tobacco will decline to $3 a kilogram form $3.60, the commission’s Chief Executive Officer, Bruce Munthali, told reporters in the capital, Lilongwe, yesterday, ahead of the opening of the tobacco selling season on March 16. Continued

Image: Jack Delano/Library of Congress

Zimbabwe’s tobacco sales season hotting up

(Tobacco Reporter) Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has increased the number of selling days for tobacco following an improvement in deliveries to the country’s two sales floors, according to a report in The Herald. Sales will now be conducted on Wednesdays, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The additional day was allotted after the Zimbabwe Tobacco Industry Auction Centre (Zitac) exceeded the maximum 3,800 bales that can be sold per day and made representation to the TIMB. Continued

Photo: Jack Delano/Library of Congress

Fenty signs St. Patrick's Day cigar bill in time for celebration

(Washington Post) There will be cigars on Saint Patrick's Day. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has signed legislation allowing a one-time exemption to the District's smoke-free laws for an annual March 17 gathering of Washington's government and business elite.
... Time was of the essence for the bill by Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who is a member of the all-male Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, which hosts the 640-person celebration of Irish-American culture at the Capital Hilton. Continued

Image: Library of Congress

Meerschaum Pipes from the ground up

Follow a miner and a carver as they take meerschaum stone out of the ground and convert it into a work of art. You can learn more about meerschaum pipes at our website: http://meerschaumpipes.com/.

Debate continues over e-cigarettes

(Jackson County Floridan) ... the main body of the device is actually a 3.5-volt rechargeable battery encased in a cylinder about the size of a cigarette. A short metal atomizer, about the size of a filter, is screwed into it. A mostly hollow cartridge, of the same shape but slighter bigger than the atomizer, contains an amount of liquid nicotine, propylene glycol (a substance used in food coloring), and flavoring. Continued

Story via http://www.tobacco-facts.net/. Image: Nicotine (Wikipedia)

Parker Tobacco: The end of an era

(Maysville, KY) In the not too distant past, traveling Forest Avenue from Lexington Street to Union Street could take awhile, as the street was congested with trucks bringing loads of tobacco to the Parker Tobacco Company.
The entire block was a beehive of activity during the burley season, as farmers brought in their tobacco, buyers worked the auction floors and purchased lots went into storage for future processing.
Today, all that remains of the prized tobacco market which helped build the economy of Maysville and Mason County for nearly a century are empty tobacco warehouses scattered throughout town and the vacant Parker Tobacco Company processing plant, a landmark in Maysville since its construction in the 1920s. Continued

Photo: Library of Congress

Sherman, Grant, & Cigars

Sherman is an inveterate smoker. He smokes as he does every thing else, with an energy which it would be supposed would deprive him of all the pleasure of smoking. He is fully as great a smoker as Grant, but very unlike him in his style of smoking. Grant smokes as if he enjoyed his cigar. Sherman smokes as if it were a duty to be finished in the shortest imaginable time. Grant will smoke lying back in his chair, his body and mind evidently in repose, his countenance calm and settled. He blows the smoke slowly from his mouth, and builds his plans and thoughts in the clouds which are formed by it about his head. He smokes his tobacco as the Chinese do their opium, and with that certain sort of oblivious disregard for every thing else which it is said characterizes the opium smoker. He enjoys his mild Havana in quiet dignity, half-smoking, half-chewing it.
Sherman puffs furiously, as if his cigar was of the worst character of "penny grabs" and would not "draw." He snatches it frequently, and, one might say, furiously, from his mouth, brushing the ashes off with his forefinger. He continually paces the floor while smoking, generally deep in thought of important matters, doubtless; but a looker-on would imagine that he was endeavoring to solve the question of how to draw smoke through his cigar. He seldom or never finishes it, leaving at least one half of it a stump. When he used to frequent the Associated Press rooms at Louisville, in 1861, he would often accumulate and leave upon the agent's table as many as eight or ten of these stumps, which the porter of the rooms used to call "Sherman's old soldiers." - Harper's new monthly magazine, Volume 30, 1865.

Cuban Crafters Cigar Sampler: Part 1

(Firecured) Having read some good things about Don Kiki Brown Label Limited Reserve Figurado (Botella) Cigars, I ordered a box and liked them quite a lot. They are plenty strong, just the right size for an after dinner smoke, and get better as they burn down to a tasty finish. Kim calls them "grown-up cigars," meaning they are too strong for her. I call them finger burners because they are too good to quit. We both call them la marranita or little pig, because of the cigar's odd shape.
While I was at it, I ordered a sampler covering most of Cuban Crafters other brands. It's been an interesting and enjoyable experience. So far, all the cigars we've smoked have been quite good: they are all well constructed, they all produce clouds of creamy smoke, and they all produce a fine white ash - the usual for premium cigars. In particular, I can offer the following notes:

La Carolina: This brand is identical to the once and present Cupido, a very popular brand. The cigar started off light, and a little sweet, somehow though, I didn't really like it at first, but it grew on me. After the first inch or so, the flavor became nutty and smooth, staying that way for the duration. There were also traces of what I called citrus, and Kim called bitterness. We have one more of these to sample.

C.E. Beck y Ca: A very smooth, mild cigar, it seemed to us, "like a big cigarette," said Kim. Perhaps Beck's subtleties escaped us. I have a feeling that people who like light cigars (or perhaps those with a more refined palate), would enjoy this brand very much. This was the most evenly burning cigar in the bunch, thus far. We have two more of these left to try.

Don Kiki Green Label Limited Reserve: This was also a mild cigar, but much more flavorful than the Beck. It had a very agreeable woody/nutty/citrus flavor and retained a mild sweetness throughout. If you like Don Kiki Brown Label, but find the flavor to be a little too dry, you may want to try the Green. It's likely that I will order more of these.

J.L. SALAZAR y HERMANOS Reserva Especial: This was an interesting cigar, the darkest one in the lot, it came on strong and stayed there. A very flavorful smoke, cocoa being the predominant flavor. I couldn't figure this one out in one sitting and am likely to buy a couple more at my local shop, just for the sake of rumination.

That's all for now, but we still have the lion's share of the sampler to get through, which I will write up at a later date. For the specifics (filler, wrapper, etc.), you can check out Cuban Crafters website. We have discovered their descriptions, which we read after sampling, to be fairly accurate. Continue to part 2.

Puro Tobacco

Go on a journey with Alejandro Duran as he explores and reviews the miracle of pipe tobacco.

Senecas See Comeback Over Sale of Cigarettes

(NYTimes) ... The Senecas’ apparent victory — at least for now — is a comeback of sorts. Five years ago, the Indian nation lost much of its business when Eliot Spitzer, then attorney general of New York, pressured private carriers like FedEx and UPS to stop delivering cigarettes in the interest of keeping them away from children. That forced the Senecas to rely on the United States Postal Service, which declined to join the ban. The tribe’s sales fell to about 12 million cartons a year from a peak of about 30 million cartons in 2004, according to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Continued

Photo: http://www.senecacigarettes.org/

Stogie Tips: Better Ash, Better Cigar Experience

(The Stogie Guys) I’ve seen it time and again in cigar shops, cigar bars, or at other cigar-friendly locales: misinformed smokers who hastily tap, smash, or smear their cigars in an ashtray after almost every puff. They know not the damage they cause.
Cigar smoking is all about taste, relaxation, and enjoyment. So while I’m all for the “to each his own” mentality, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the danger of habitual over-ashing. Continued

Image: http://lamarde.com/

Timber Wolf Offers a Peach of a Deal

(PRNewswire) Swedish Match announced today its latest entry in smokeless tobacco -- Timber Wolf Peach Packs. The new product began shipping this week. Continued

Swedish Match Launches General Snus Campaign

(CSP) General Snus, the original Scandinavian snus introduced more than two centuries ago in Sweden, is now commanding a promotional army in the United States. Swedish Match has launched a multi-million-dollar campaign aimed at introducing the refrigerated pouches to upscale audiences in key U.S. markets and at high-end events, including the Sundance Film Festival and New York's Fashion Week. Continued

Dropping by the Drugstore: Ramrod Cigars

(Firecured) Like all Avanti products, Ramrod cigars are an all-tobacco (Tennessee and Kentucky leaf), dry-cured Toscano style cheroot. Ramrods differ in that they are flavored with bourbon. According to Avanti, "Once the curing is complete, the hardened cheroots are either packaged immediately or they are hand-brushed with anisette or bourbon flavors." It makes for an interesting smoke, which does indeed taste like bourbon. They also taste a little like overripe bananas. Overall, Ramrods are mild in character and flavor. These boozy stogies have many fans and I'd like to say I'm one of them, but I prefer Avanti's De Nobili line of cigars.
Ramrod cigars come in full (Original) or half (Deputy) sizes and cost, in bulk, around a dollar or seventy five cents each, respectively. Recommendation: Recommended, but try a single box before you order in bulk.

Don Kiki Brown Label Petit Cigars

(Firecured) If you enjoy Don Kiki Brown Label Cigars, or just like a good quick smoke, you may want to check out Don Kiki Brown Label Petit Cigars. They aren't on the same Cuban Crafters web page as the rest of the Don Kiki Brown Labels, but in a section aptly named "Little Cigars." At 3 1/4 inches long with a ring gauge of 20, they are indeed little, though they aren't short on flavor. Right out of the box, they are a little too peppery for my tastes, but a little time in the humidor brought out that Brown Label flavor that I am becoming very fond of. They'll never replace the larger cigars in the line, for a quick smoke however, they are superior to many other little cigars I've tried. Like it's larger siblings, they are handmade and priced very reasonably. Recommendation: Highly Recommended. Store in a humidor for best flavor.

McClelland Bombay Extra Personal Reserve Smoking Tobacco

(Pipes Magazine) ... Bombay Extra's tin aroma has the familiar smoky, campfire smell that transports you to the countryside, mountains and camping in the woods, but there is a lot more going on here including Virginia sweetness, and Perique and Oriental tanginess layered into the smoky Latakia. Continued

The Perils of Cigar Testing

(Hobotopia)

Last tobacco maker in Petersburg ends local operations

PETERSBURG, VA (The Progress-Index) - The city's last remaining tobacco manufacturing company has closed its headquarters here, moving to the Richmond area and marking an end to Petersburg's role in an industry that once employed more than two-thirds of the city's workers.
... A more detailed 1917 report issued by the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce listed the city's biggest tobacco producers at the time: British-American Tobacco Co., the owner of Brown and Williamson; the Export Leaf Tobacco Co.; Maclin-Zimmer-McGill Tobacco Co.; and Seidenberg and Co.
In those years, the city was producing an annual average of 2.1 billion cigarettes, as well as 13.2 million cigars, 600,000 pounds of smoking tobacco and 5.5 million pounds of plug and twist (chewing) tobacco. Continued

FDA panel to target menthol cigarettes

(Reuters) A U.S. scientific panel this month will weigh the controversial role of popular menthol flavoring in cigarettes in the first public meeting on tobacco products since a new law granted regulators power over the industry last year. ... "It's the beginning of a long, slow funeral procession for menthol," said healthcare analyst Ira Loss of Washington Analysis Corp. Continued

Smoke a cigar for the Canadian women's hockey team

(KCS) The Canadian women’s hockey team is being criticized for its behavior in celebrating their Olympic gold medal. They even felt the need to issue an apology.
If I had a cigar, I’d light one up for them, and put a torch to overblown political correctness. It’s not often someone wins an Olympic gold medal. Continued