New Room 101 Cigars on the Way

(Cigar Aficionado) Room 101, the new cigar brand from Camacho Cigars that was made in partnership with L.A. jeweler Matt Booth, has some new sizes coming soon. The company is releasing its second limited edition, as well as several other sizes. The Room 101 LTD Namakubi Limited Edition is the second limited edition smoke from Room 101. Continued

Oliva Master Blends 1 Churchill Cigar

(Cigar Photography) This week we are reviewing another one of those ‘hard to find’ cigars – Oliva Master Blends in churchill size. This gem came and went many moons ago but I was able to purchase a five pack back in JAN2011 for $50 back.
Every time I smoke Oliva Master Blends 3, there is at least one fellow smoker who will ask the same question “Did you ever try MB1 ?” Six months later I decided to pull them out and give them a try. I’m glad I did. Continued

Gawith, Hoggarth, & Co. Bob’s Chocolate Flake Tobacco Review

(Bob Tate) The tobacco that I smoked for this review is from a 500g bulk box. I have also smoked this blend in the tinned version and it tastes and smells exactly the same. The only difference is that the flakes are much longer in the bulk version than it is in the tinned version. I didn’t measure the flakes, but I would say that the flakes are about 6 inches long in bulk version and about 3 inches long in the tinned version.
The tin aroma smells of Latakia, chocolate, and cocoa with a hint of the Lakeland essence. The Latakia aroma is light and subdued. The chocolate and cocoa aromas are also light, but they do stand out. Continued

Shakespeare could give new meaning to the term "English tobacco blend"

(Live Science) A South African anthropologist has asked permission to open the graves of William Shakespeare and his family to determine, among other things, what killed the Bard and whether his poems and plays may have been composed under the influence of marijuana.
... Thackeray conducted a study in 2001, which found evidence of marijuana residue on pipe fragments found in Shakespeare's garden. Cannabis was grown in England at the time and was used to make textiles and rope. Some Shakespearian allusions, including a mention of a "noted weed" in Sonnet 76, spurred Thackeray's inquiry into whether Shakespeare may have used the mind-altering drug for inspiration. Continued

Late June U.S. Tobacco Crop Report

(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) Specialists and farmers described the condition of this crop at the recent U.S. Tobacco Forum (June 23 and 24 in Durham, N.C.) and in interviews following. Here is what I gleaned from what was said. Continued

Tobacco farmers smile to the bank: BAT offers a ready and steady market to its contracted farmers

Hoima, Uganda (The Observer) There is something deeply enviable about David Mugisha when he talks about his benefits from growing tobacco. Not many small-scale farmers can boast of owning 30 acres of land, three permanent houses, 28 heads of cattle and children attending the best boarding schools where he pays up to Shs 600,000 per term for each.
For 38-year-old Mugisha, all this has been made possible by growing tobacco, a crop that attracts mixed reactions from farmers, environmentalists and some religions.Approaching Mugisha’s farm in the remote enclave of Nyakabale village, Kitooba sub-county, Hoima district (about an hour’s drive from Hoima town), a shrub shielding a narrow path off a murram road welcomes you. Continued

Cigar Auction Features Custom Siglo Humidor

(Cigar Aficionado) Havanas, humidors and the world's most prominent collectors are set to convene on London next month for the latest Cuban cigar auction.
The Summer Auction of Vintage, Rare and Mature Cuban Cigars will be held at Boisdale Canary Wharf on July 4, with the star lot seemingly a custom-made Siglo XXI Millennium Humidor expected to fetch in excess of £150,000 ($241,740). Continued

Man's hobby grows from love of tobacco

(Montgomery Advertiser) ... After washing, drying and treating the leaves, he "twists" them into the shape he wants and slides them onto bamboo sticks during one of the final procedures.
Tobacco can be bitter, espe­cially when chewed, so Jones creates his own "sauce" to ease the taste. He uses a mixture of apple juice, sugar, honey, syrup and maple flavoring. Continued

Frog Morton Tobacco

(P*p* Reflections) I picked up 100 g of my old favorite Frog Morton on my trip to the big city last week. This baccy is an always beloved, never disappointing favorite for me. There is some latakia, and a nice dark set of earthy flavors. ... This tobacco is good in much the same way that Dunhill's My Mixture 965 and Rattray's Black Mallory are good. After smoking them it makes it hard to imagine a world in which they did not exist. Continued

Zimbabwe: U.S.$318 Million Tobacco Sold

(allAfrica.com) A TOTAL of 117 million kilogrammes of flue cured tobacco worth US$318m have been sold since the tobacco floors opened in February.
Last year a total of 91 million kilogrammes worth US$272m had been sold during the same period, an increase of 27,73 percent.
The average price for this year is US$2,73 while that of last year was US$2,97. Continued

Party like it's 1864

Tobacco was enjoyed in all the traditional ways during the American Civil War. These distinguished fellows are a "Group of Engineers and Draughtsmen, headquarters, Army of the Potomac," and are sporting some fine smoking accouterments. (Library of Congress).

Cigar Review: D’Crossier Imperium Class Vintage Robusto

(Toasted Foot) The cigar has an oily, red, splotchy wrapper with a few prominent veins and is a little spongy to the touch. A bit of a spicy smell is detectible from the foot while the wrapper has the delightful smell of rich tobacco. The draw has the perfect amount of resistance and the cold draw is similar to the smell of spice and rich tobacco. The cigar lights well and is smooth with a nice spicy finish. Continued

Famous Smoke Shop Moves In

(Patch) It’s official -- the Famous Smoke Shop has finally moved into its new location.
The cigar manufacturer and retailer on Friday announced the move to its new location of 90 Mort Drive from the smaller 1100 Conroy Place location -- both in Forks.
The new 60,000-square-foot facility not only allows for the manufacturing and retail shops, but also includes a restaurant and cigar bar. Continued

General Smooth Snus Tobacco Review

(Snus Authority) A few months ago, Swedish Match added a new brand to the General lineup called General Smooth.
Described as being a “a medium-bodied smooth tobacco flavor with a hint of bergamot, herbs and tea”, General Smooth has 7mg of nicotine per .65 gram pouch, versus 8 mg of nicotine in a regular 1 gram portion of snus. Continued

Peter Falk: Smoke In Peace

In honor of the late great Peter Falk, here's the first bit of an interview Arthur Marx did with Falk for Cigar Aficionado, back in '97:

There are people who'd sell their mother down the river for a box of genuine Cuban cigars (or maybe even a half a box), and then there is Peter Falk, the self-effacing, soft-spoken, cigar smoking star of the hit TV detective series "Columbo," who confides, "I'll smoke anything anybody gives me. I'm not particular. On 'Columbo' I smoke the cheapest cigars you can buy. They come six to a pack.
"I love the smell of cigar smoke," continues Falk, who also smokes cigarettes. "I remember Joe Mantegna inviting me to a party at this restaurant on Beverly Boulevard that Jack Nicholson owns. I think it's called the Monkey Bar, and it's also part cigar club. Well, when I walked in there, there was such a thick cloud of cigar smoke that you could hardly see across the room. I got hit by that great smoke. Oh, it was heaven. It reminded me of the old Madison Square Square Garden or my days in the pool room when I was a kid growing up in Ossining, New York. You just don't find many public places today where you can go and fill your lungs and nostrils with delicious second hand smoke. Continued

Churchill Valley Country Club: 'Working man's club' marks 80th

(Tribune-Review) Plumes of smoke surrounded the group, while light-hearted ribbing drew chuckles on a hot Wednesday evening.
A dozen men, some of them smoking cigars, sat on the patio at Churchill Valley Country Club after golfing, just as they do at least once a week.
Still, not everything here remains the same at the Beulah Road club, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Continued

Malawi Tobacco Earnings Down 76% in Season, Nation Reports

(Bloomberg) Malawi’s tobacco earnings dropped 76 percent in the first 13 weeks of sales compared with the same period a year earlier, the Nation newspaper reported today, citing a Tobacco Control Commission report.
Earnings fell to $49.6 million from $208 million earned last year after 13 weeks, the Blantyre-based newspaper said. Continued

Cuban Cigar Marcas 1850 to 1910

(Cigar History Museum) That oval or other design on the top of a cigar box is a direct descendent of the first markings on hogsheads, barrels and crates of tobacco and cigars shipped from anywhere to somewhere else between 1762 and 1862. It was called a marca in Cuban cigar-speak and a “mark” in U.S. forms-speak.
Around 1800, Cuba was opened for international trade in tobacco and cigars...and the boom was on. Those-in-charge quickly determined that a registry of names and marca design would be a good idea.
All Cubans used marcas on cigar boxes intended for export (which is where the money was). Continued

Tobacco Farmers Want Separate Distribution Chain

Jakarta (TEMPO Interactive) The Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI) said it was separate itself from the sales distribution chain currently linking farmers to the cigarette industries.
According to Abdus Setiawan, the APTI chairman, profits from the tobacco added value mostly benefits traders and collectors or brokers. Continued

Second Short Run Cigar from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Debuts

(Cigar Aficionado) Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, the man who once made La Gloria Cubanas in Miami, has launched his second E.P. Carrillo Short Run cigar. The smokes are on their way to cigar stores now. ... His son Ernesto Perez-Carrillo III called the cigars "a bit stronger" than the previous version. Continued

Maryland's Franchot: I won't bust online premium cigar buyers [TS for pipe smokers, snussers, etc.]

(Baltimore Sun) A few days ago Comptroller Peter Franchot said he didn't want to enforce the ban on online sales of premium cigars. He asked legislative leaders and the attorney general for their opinions. Now he has decided that he will refrain from enforcing the law until the legislature has an opportunity to fix it, probably in the fall's special session. Here is the entire letter: Continued

London’s cigar terraces are heating up

(City A.M.) WITH the inconsistencies of a British summer it’s very important for cigar aficionados to be able to take shelter in high style while enjoying Cuba’s finest. The newest addition to London’s most lauded and exclusive cigar terraces offers just that and is at one of London’s most famous nightspots, Tramp on Jermyn Street.
Built in celebration of the club’s fortieth birthday, the Smoking Terrace has been constructed for the princely sum of £1.8 million and employs a sexy black and gold design with gilded mirrors, plush seating, retractable roof and a state of the art heating system that warms the body directly without pumping energy into the air. There’s a swish new bar upstairs too as part of the expansion. Continued

Cigar Review: 262 Paradigm 4Sixty

(Toasted Foot) ... Revolution 262 was started by 3 cigar enthusiasts in 2009 and they spent most of last year designing the brand and working on their first release, the Paradigm, which was released in January of 2010.
262 carry the motto “Smoke the Revolution” and are advocates for fighting the regulations that impede upon personal freedom, including the ever increasing laws that harm the cigar industry. You can find their manifesto on their website.
The Paradigm jumps onto the scene with a smorgasbord of tobacco, combining Nicaraguan, Cubito, Columbian, Honduran, and Brazilian. The name 262 is taken from the February 1962 date of the Cuban embargo and is a change from the original moniker of Revolution 262. The Paradigm is sold in four sizes, Robusto, Toro (box press), Torpedo, and the 4Sixty, which we are toasting today.
You can learn more about 262 online and they are also on Twitter. Now, let’s toast it! Continued

Tamping your way to tobacco bliss

(SPT) ... Tampers are one of the most important tools a pipe smoker has, right up there with fire and pipe cleaners. It doesn’t really matter what you use whether its the tip of your finger, a two dollar pipe tool, or a hundred dollar handmade work of art. It just has to be something you can nudge the ember gently against the unburned tobacco. Technique is far more important than the tool. Continued

Peterson's

C & C Cigars

(PR.com) C & C Cigars announces, with much excitement, the beginning of its journey in the cigar industry. Joe Chiusano took over the presidency of Cusano Cigars after his brother Michael Chiusano resigned. Joe Chiusano is joined by Jeff Aronson, Maurice Tisseur and Shane Hays. Every member of the C & C Cigars team has prior experience at large Manufacturers/Distributors in the cigar industry.
... C & C is launching two handmade product lines from the Dominican Republic that are consistent with our value product philosophy. C & C LRMD is a Limited Release natural maduro boxed in three sizes. Roll Back is a tray and refill bundle line offered in three sizes and two wrappers. Roll Back will be offered in a creamy Connecticut Shade and rich natural maduro. Continued

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Top Black Cherry Tobacco Review

(P*p*es Magazine) Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Top Black Cherry Tobacco is one of the unique Kendal-style pipe tobaccos. Kendal tobaccos are made according to over 200-year old recipes from back in the days where British purity law dictated that only certain natural ingredients could be used in pipe tobacco. This isn't your grandfather's tobacco, it's your great-great-grandfather's tobacco. Continued

British American Tobacco’s Ugandan Unit Cuts Crop Forecast 11% on Drought

(Bloomberg) British American Tobacco Plc (BATS)’s Ugandan unit, the country’s biggest producer of the leaf, cut its crop forecast for this year by 11 percent after a drought, and said a stunted harvest may further pressure estimates.
Contracted farmers may produce as much as 16,000 metric tons this year, from an earlier forecast of 18,000 tons, Solomon Muyita, the corporate and regulatory affairs coordinator at BAT Uganda Ltd., said in an e-mailed response to questions today. Continued

New Cigar from Sencillo, the Sencillo Black

(Sencillo via Toasted Foot) The outstanding quality and affordable price of Sencillo Platinum cigars have won them thousands of fans since they were introduced in March 2010.
The new Sencillo Black-a collaboration between Nestor Plasencia Jr. and Keith K. Park, the man behind God of Fire and Angelenos cigars and Prometheus accessories-is sure to win the brand even more acclaim.
Sencillo Black is a new twist on the Sencillo theme. Like Sencillo Platinum (the first release of the Sencillo brand), it’s a truly extraordinary cigar that is smooth enough and inexpensive enough to smoke every day. Yet Sencillo Black has a distinctive flavor all its own. If Sencillo Platinum is the cabernet of the line, Sencillo Black is the pinot noir. Continued

More class warfare for cigar world

(CSD) ... “There is a movement afoot by the Premium Cigar Association, people who make hand-rolled cigars as opposed to machine-made, trying to get an exemption for themselves from FDA law,” Beckwith explained. “I think all cigars are exempted to a certain extent, but they are trying to push for the machine-made cigars to be regulated by the FDA and exclude themselves. It’s sort of a pre-emptive strike on their part. That’s an intra-family battle on the horizon that is starting to pick up a little steam. It’s interesting: the cigar world is fighting amongst itself.” Continued

Hot Viaje Cigar Brand Expands

(Cigar Aficionado) Hot boutique brand Viaje is expanding its offerings. There is a new shape, a double torpedo, on the way for two Viaje brands.
The cigars are known as the Viaje Oro Reserva Double Torpedo VOR DT and the Viaje Platino Reserva Double Torpedo VPR DT. Continued

New G. L. Pease Full-Bodied Latakia Tobacco Blend

(P*p*s Magazine) We just received exclusive word that "Lagonda" will be the latest G. L. Pease blend in the Old London Series slated for shipping in mid-July. Based on what Mr. Pease writes on his site, glpease.com, Lagonda will be the heaviest of the Latakia blends so far in the Old London Series. It is of course, Cyprian Latakia, along with a spicy oriental ingredient. Continued

Cigar store Indian statue headed to Walla Walla museum

(News Tribune) The Scout that stood for decades by the front door of Lutcher's Store in Walla Walla won't be leaving the city.
The 6-foot-tall wooden Indian statue, affectionately nicknamed Chief Smoke by Walla Walla residents, was put up for auction by the Small family after the death of Theodore B. Small, a longtime Walla Walla resident. Small and his wife, Gerry, bought the statue from the Lutchers around 2004.
The statue -- actually an antique advertising sign -- is very collectable for two reasons. Continued

Photo: Cigar store Indian, Manchester, New Hampshire, 1936 (Carl Mydans/Library of Congress).

Tobacco farmers protest outside charity golf tourney

(Tillsonburg News) Former members of the National Hockey League were left scratching their heads when they arrived for a charity tournament at the Woodside Greens golf course west of Simcoe Friday.
They were greeted at the entrance by two dozen farmers, all of whom were protesting the collapse of True Blend tobacco in Tillsonburg. The farmers had contracts with True Blend last fall. However, the processing company ultimately collapsed and filed for bankruptcy after it could not pay the farmers for their leaf.
"They took our tobacco and we have not yet been paid," said Cindy Dierick of Vanessa, whose family has suffered a $245,000 loss. Continued

Stanwell DM 2011

(TPS) ... The shank on this pipe is a full 60 mm long and oval in section and the stem is 45 mm. Which makes for a pretty stylish pipe, considering the full length of this thing is 140 mm. The engineering is spot on. Or at least, it is on my pipe. Continued

Kauai tobacco farm pursues puff perfection

(Honolulu Star-Advertiser) Like fine wine, coffee and cigars are meant to be savored — their aroma as important to the sensory experience as their flavor.
That's one of the things visitors will learn on a tour of Blair Estate, which cultivates three acres of coffee and two acres of tobacco in the lush hills of Kapaa, Kauai. Observing its 10th anniversary this year, the farm sheds light on the coffee- and cigar-making processes, from tending the plants to enjoying the final product. Continued

Gallery: Images of Women Smokers, 1870-1920

(National Cigar Museum) Women in Latin countries have always smoked, so label featuring languishing señoritas smoking a cigar or cigarette were popular. By 1920, the women were more exotic, sleeker, more fashionable...and smoking cigarettes. Continued

Amelia tobacco farmer, former gospel singer Patrick Venable dies at 107

(Times Dispatch) ... Nevertheless, he and his wife were able to settle on 7 acres of their own and he raised and cured tobacco. He also used it, defying medical probabilities by regularly smoking a pipe and occasionally lighting up a cigar or tucking a chaw in his cheek.
His son-in-law, Mxolisi T. Sowell of Amelia, said Mr. Venable amazed his doctors on his rare visits with his healthy heart and ideal blood pressure. "They would ask him, 'What are you doing, Mr. Venable? We need to bottle it, whatever it is.' And he would tell them that one thing he did was stay away from doctors." Continued

Cigar Review: New Orleans Plantation Reserve

(Toasted Foot) The Plantation Reserve is rolled out of the New Orleans Cigar Factory. The Factory was established in 1999 in the famous French Quarter by two families who are familiar with the industry – they have over 25 years experience and established Don Pablo Cigar Company in Las Vegas years ago. The New Orleans factory produces around 30,000 cigars each month between the two locations in the city. They produce 6 blends. The Plantation Reserve, which we are looking at today is available in 6 sizes and they are well priced at around $4-5 a cigar. To learn more you can visit the company website here. Continued

Rotary Club of Grand Bahama Sunrise presents 'Cigar Nights'

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island - July 1st, 2011 Join fellow aficionados, Business Professionals, Owners and Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists for an evening of Good Food…Fine Cigars…and Excellent Spirits with a Flair…
Bring your favorite Cigar or enjoy one of ours, Hand Rolled on site by a Graycliff Cigar Roller.
Great Food…Wine Tasting…Jewelry Show…Fashion…Silent Auction and More!
$50.00 Donation per person with proceeds going to The Big Brother Big Sister Program and The Safe Swim Zone Program. Continued

MP on struggling tobacco market: Reduce quantity, think quality

LILONGWE (Maravi Post) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Malawian tobacco farmers are failing to make money this year, says Kasungu South East MP Bokosi Khamba who believes it’s about time the country had few producers of the leaf.
“Tobacco prices are a source of concern,” said Khamba as he commented on the 2012 budget presented earlier this month by Finance Minister Ken Kandodo. “This is an economic crop and not political as others want to make it in this House. Continued

What’s Your Passion?

(Bob Tate) Pipes and Tobacco. Tobacco and Pipes. You can’t really have one without the other to enjoy all of the pleasures that pipe smoking has to offer.
There are some exceptions when it comes to pipes though, as I know of people who don’t really smoke their pipes and just buy them for the art that they are and the collect-ability factor. Continued

Cigar ice cream, anyone?

DUBAI (The National) Karl Heinz does not hesitate when he names the strangest ingredient he has used in his exotic ice creams.
The asparagus ice cream sounds odd as do the requests from customers for wasabi, brown bread and pineapple curry flavours.
But the cigar ice cream wins the prize as weirdest. Continued

Swedish Snus Tobacco Maker Sets Sights on U.S. Market

(Wall Street Journal) Smokeless-tobacco giant Swedish Match AB, the dominant maker of snus in Scandinavia, plans to begin a major push into the category in the U.S. in the coming months.
The company, which to date has only dipped its toes into the small-but-growing segment of the U.S. smokeless-tobacco industry, is unveiling two new versions of its General brand for American consumers and sharply expanding retail distribution starting this month. Initial markets will be Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia, executives said in an interview Thursday.
The effort underscores tobacco makers' rising interest in expanding a product style that is popular in Sweden and Norway but relatively new in North America. Snus—a type of oral tobacco that comes in small pouches and requires no spitting—accounts for about 2.5% of smokeless-tobacco sales in the U.S., up from virtually no sales just a few years ago, according to Swedish Match. Continued

Cigars & Family: Grandfather sparks love of cigars

(Victoria Advocate) I remember growing up in South Texas - Port Lavaca to be precise - and spending most of my summers with my grandparents. My grandpa, Lupe Cantu, worked at Alcoa in the boiler room and would typically be home around 4:30 every afternoon, although he would often take several days off to spend with me.
We'd drive all over the place in his 1963 step-side Chevy pickup - going fishing, hunting, visit his friends, or just go shopping at the local Bottom Dollar. I would sit right there eating my potato chips and drinking my Frostie Root Beer, while Grandpa would have his cigar and Dr. Pepper. Continued

Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Shark

(Toasted Foot) This is somewhat of rare cigar so I am very fortunate to be able to review this one here at Toasted Foot. The Anejo is a limited release that comes out twice a year, in the summer around Fathers Day and winter around Christmas.
The seven year old Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper is aged a portion of its life for 8 months in cognac barrels. The wrapper encases a blend of Dominican tobacco that is blend that is based on the Opus X release for Fuente. Continued

A Case for Reform at Japan Tobacco

(Reuters) ... And the investment fund has a sound case against Japan Tobacco’s management. Over the last three years, the company has lost a third of its value while two international rivals, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris, have gained 42 percent and 32 percent, respectively. That’s before factoring in dividends. On that front, the fund notes that Japan Tobacco’s payouts have amounted to a quarter of its earnings, significantly less than its rivals have handed back. Continued

Famous Smoke Shop Gets Set to Move

(Patch) Famous Smoke Shop, based in Forks Township and getting ready to move into a facility that will include a restaurant, supplies cigar aficionados across the country with cigars, humidors and accessories.
The company maintains a retail operation locally and reaches out to cigar lovers everywhere through catalogs, several Internet sites and social media.
“We’re not only moving, we’re undertaking a major expansion,” said Jeff Brown, who is coordinating much of the move. He will be managing the new retail facility and restaurant. Continued

Maryland's Franchot doesn't intend to harass wealthy cigar smokers - just the rest of us

(Baltimore Sun via Fahrenheit 752) Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot has reiterated that he did not intend recently passed legislation banning cigar shipments to apply to high-end cigars, and he has asked General Assembly leaders for permission to not enforce the law with regard to those products.
As previously chronicled, fans of fine cigars got angry over the ban on buying cigars over the Internet, passed in 2010 and effective this year.
Franchot, who requested a wider law covering cigars, chewing tobacco and other non-cigarette products, got deluged with complaints last month from people who like to smoke $10 stogies on the golf course.
He quickly said that he didn't intend for the law to cover "premium" cigars and that he would suggest the General Assembly pass an exception for those products. Continued

India farmers' protest halts tobacco sales

(Business Standard) With tobacco farmers agitating for remunerative prices, auctions at the 11 platforms spread over the southern black soils (SBS) and southern light soils (SLS) in Prakasam and part of Nellore districts are yet to start.
Tobacco growers are on strike since June 2, demanding higher prices and have refused to bring the product to auction platforms since June 9.
The requests by Tobacco Board chairman, G Kamalavardhana Rao, to increase the price to Rs 120 a kg from Rs 104 a kg had fallen on deaf ears and farmers were left with no option but to keep off from the auction centres.
On the other hand, buyers say the tobacco prices in the international market have come down and there were no export orders on hand. Continued

Highland Blend by Mac Baren tobacco review

(SPT) ... This has a very interesting taste at first light. It is a very familiar almost caramel candy-like flavor that I believe forms from the combination of the tobaccos and Scotch whisky, certainly not any aromatic component. Aside from the whisky this is straightforward tobacco. Once the ember is going this unique taste slides behind the expected flavors of the tobacco. Continued

Corn Dodgers with Tobacco Juice

The following is from the exhaustively titled Lancaster county Indians: annals of the Susquehannocks and other Indian tribes of the Susquehanna territory from about the year 1500 to 1763, the date of their extinction. An exhaustive and interesting series of historical papers descriptive of Lancaster county's Indians prior to and during the advent of the paleface:

"I now jot down an item as to certain Susquehannock customs found by the Swedes when they came among them in 1638. Campanius tells us of this in his history of New Sweden, p. 121, and while what he relates there of itself does not prove that he is speaking of the Susquehannocks distinguished from other Indians—other parts of the text read with it show it to be so. A little portion of this I have written before but I set it down more fully now. He says, "They make bread out of the maize or Indian corn which they prepare in a manner peculiar to themselves; they crush the grain between two stones or on a large piece of wood; they moisten it with water and make it into small cakes which they wrap up in corn leaves and bake them in the ashes. They can fast for many days when necessity compels them. When they are traveling or lying in wait for their enemies they take with them a kind of bread made of Indian corn and tobacco juice which is very good to allay hunger and quench thirst in case they have nothing else at hand." I wouldn't try this at home.

Photo: From a drawing by Captain John Smith circa 1608. Smith describes his first meeting with the Susquehannocks, including their tobacco pipes: "The half sleeves coming to the elbows, were the necks of bears; and the arms through the mouth, with paws hanging at their noses. One had the head of a wolf hanging in a chain for a jewel; his tobacco pipe three-quarters of a yard long prettily carved with a bird, a deer or some such device, at a great end, sufficient enough to beat out one's brains; with bows, arrows and clubs suitable to their greatness."

Malawi Reduces Its Minimum Flue-Cured Tobacco Price by 15%, Nation Reports

(Bloomberg) Malawi, the world’s largest producer of burley tobacco, reduced the minimum price of the flue-cured variety of the leaf by 15 percent, the Nation reported, citing the Tobacco Control Commission, which regulates the industry. Continued

Photo: Burley tobacco is placed on sticks to wilt after cutting, before it is taken into the brn for drying and curing, on the Russell Spears' farm, vicinity of Lexington, Ky, 1940. (Marion Post Wolcott/FSA/Library of Congress)

Toraño Cigars Links With Sam Leccia as well as Graycliff

(Cigar Aficionado) The Toraños have been active lately. Toraño Family Cigar Co., the owners of the Toraño cigar brands and a company with a long, storied legacy in the premium cigar business, has taken on distribution of a second boutique cigar brand. Only weeks after picking up distribution of Graycliff cigars, Toraño announced today that it would distribute the cigars from the new Sam Leccia Cigar Co.Charlie Toraño, president of Toraño, called Leccia “one of the industry’s most creative minds.”
Leccia was previously involved with Oliva Cigar Co. and was partially responsible for such smokes as NUb and Cain. Continued

Cuba's famed cigar industry recovering from crisis

(Reuters) - Production of Cuban cigars and tobacco leaf are on the rise after falling on hard times in the country famed for its "puros" due to smoking bans and the international financial crisis, according to local reports.
The dexterous fingers of Cuba's cigar makers rolled out 81.5 million of the much sought-after smokes last year, compared with 75.4 million in 2009, according to a report released by the National Statistics Office on its Web page (here).
Cuba's finest tobacco leaf is grown and cured in western-most Pinar del Rio province where the just-concluded harvest produced 25.4 million leaves, according to local radio reports, compared with the previous year's 22.4 million leaves. Continued

Indonesian Farmers Fear Smoking Bill’s Effects

Semarang, Central Java (Jakarta Globe) A thick, blue cloud of tobacco smoke scented with frankincense wafts through the Campurejo village hall in the Central Java capital.
“This is the No. 1 tobacco in this village,” says Ngatimah, one of the women puffing away on hand-rolled cigarettes. “It’s so much better when you roll it yourself. The tobacco is like part of your soul.” Continued

Tobacco sale disrupted as farmers keep away

Guntur (Hindu Business Line) Tobacco auctions on 11 floors in Prakasam district have been disrupted as farmers have kept away, but auctions are continuing on nine floors in other districts, according to Mr C.V Subba Rao, the Executive Director of the Tobacco Board. Farmers did not want to participate due to low prices.
He told reporters here on Tuesday that efforts were being made to resume transactions. “We are in touch with the trade and we have explained the point of view of the farmers to the trade as well as the peculiar circumstances which led to the crisis in the district.” Continued

Hopz, the First-Ever Craft Beer-Seasoned Cigar

(Smoke Magazine) Ted's Cigars, the Louisville, Kentucky-based producer of premium spirits-seasoned cigars, has rolled out the Hopz Craft Beer Cigar, the first-ever premium cigar aromatically seasoned with craft beer grade Centennial hops. ... Ted’s Cigars is the leading producer of premium cigars seasoned with spirits, including Maker's Mark bourbon, Grand Marnier, Forty Creek Canadian Whisky, and Dumante Liqueur. Continued

Small Store Holds Big Tobacco Selection

WYOMISSING, Pa. (CSP) The Kwik Stop convenience store that just opened in Wyomissing, Pa., is "tiny," according to an article in The Reading Eagle, but it holds quite a bit when it comes to tobacco.
The store sells hookah products, 60 to 70 types of cigars in a large humidor and roll-your-own (RYO) cigarette supplies--in addition to the cold drinks, ice cream, snack foods, candy, magazines, lottery tickets and cigarettes it carries. Continued

Quesada to Debut Limited Edition Casa Magna Cigar

(Cigar Aficionado) Casa Magna, the bargain-priced Nicaraguan cigar brand that took the cigar world by storm when it was named Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado in 2008, will soon have a new, limited-edition version.
The Casa Magna Domus Magnus, made at Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua, and blended by Manuel Quesada and the Plasencia family, will come in two sizes. The Maximus will measure 6 1/2 inches by 55 ring, and the Optimus will measure 5 3/4 by 52. Continued

Number Ten Manchester Street launches monthly cigar tastings

(WebWire) The indulgent Number Ten Manchester Street hotel in London, part of the Bespoke Hotels UK portfolio, has launched an exciting calendar of monthly cigar tastings.
Hotel clientele and any members of the public with a passion for cigars are invited to enjoy a hand-picked selection of cigars, along with complementary brandies, as part of the romantic hotel’s monthly tasting events.
Number Ten Manchester Street is one of Bespoke Hotels’ boutique hotels London and has a dedicated humidor and cigar terrace which offers an all-weather place for people to enjoy a very fine Cohiba, Montecristo, or Romeo y Julieta, in comfort and style. Continued

Tobacco crop continues for at least one more year

(The-Dispatch.com) Raising tobacco has been a family affair for the Sinks since 1974.
The tradition continues this year with Henry Sink Jr. farming his 37th consecutive tobacco crop on 42 acres in the unincorporated township of Yadkin College west of Lexington. Sink is one of 30 tobacco growers in Davidson County who has pushed through a changing tobacco industry to continue the crop. Continued

When tobacco was center stage

(thedurhamnews.com) ... One auctioneer who knew Liberty Warehouse well went to the big time. Lee Aubrey "Speed" Riggs, a sixth-grade dropout from Goldsboro. Nobody could match Speed's snake-charming chant. He sold tons of tobacco at a blistering pace.
Fate had given Speed Riggs a gift. In 1938, he caught the attention of George Washington Hill, then president of American Tobacco, who made Riggs the radio signature of Lucky Strike cigarettes, then produced by uncounted millions in Durham. Continued

Photo: Baskets of tobacco piled on top of each other after being sold at auction. Here they are picked up by the trucks which haul them to the cigarette factories. This is in the Liberty warehouse. Durham, North Carolina, 1939 (Marion Post Wolcott/FSA/Library of Congress).

Erinmore Mixture Tobacco Review

(Bob Tate) ... The recipe for Erinmore Mixture is a closely guarded secret which is revealed to only two people in each generation. ... The tin aroma is sweet tobacco with a fruity type essence. It smells familiar, but I can not place it. It kind of reminds me of a tropical fruitiness. The moisture level is a bit on the moist side. I recommend some drying time before smoking. I loaded up the pipe and proceeded to the charring light. Continued

India to extend health care to beedi cigarette workers

(Hindustan Times) As part of its social outreach, the Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to extend medical facilities to beedi workers and bring them under the Rastriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. About 55 lakh beedi workers will gain from the decision, which will cost the government around Rs 311.25 crore. ... Under the scheme, a worker and his family (unit of five) will get an insurance cover of Rs 30,000. Continued

Di Fazio Cigar House Opens First Store

(Franchise Hound) The Cigar House, a new concept store opened under the Di Fazio Cigar House, Inc., has just opened their first shop in Miami.
According to the company, this new store concept provides the “perfect environment for the most selective cigar smokers” combining luxury with elegance and nobility.
They are currently planning to open additional master franchise locations in Venezuela, Bahamas, Nicaragua, Cape Town, London, and Minnesota. Link

Three Friars Tobacco Review

http://smokingpipetobacco.com/2011/06/three-friars-pipe-tobacco-cornell-and-diehl/ I have found Cornell and Diehl Three Friars to be a superb anytime Virginia blend with a bright vivid flavor and enough Burley and Perique to add just the right amount of body and zing for a great warm weather smoke.

Three new cigars from Sosa

Antillian Cigar Corporation, owner of popular cigar brands such as Sosa, Imperio Cubano and Macabi, explodes onto the cigar scene this summer with the introduction of three new brands.
The new brands, Sosa Underground, 60 by Sosa, and Sosa Family Selection, are a collaboration of new and old cigar traditions by the Sosa family created to appeal to the individuality of the cigar lover. Continued

Tourist Tobacco Route in Cuba

(cubaheadlines.com) While some prefer to visit the fields where the aromatic plant grows - under the sun or soft covers - others admire the dexterity of true masters of the tobacco industry.
The municipality of San Juan y Martinez, site of the legendary Hoyo de Monterrey plantation, is one of the places preferred by visitors from different continents.
Acquired in 1860 by Catalonian Jose Gener y Batet, the plantation grows the leaf that, since then, has been used for export.
Of special interest are the meetings with renowned farmers such as Pancho Guba and Hector Luis Priest, awarded with the Hombre Habano Cigar prize. Continued