Cornell & Diehl's Old Joe Krantz Tobacco

(Adam Davidson) When I first arrive in the morning, I'll most often walk down the hall to get a cup of coffee, load my personal pipe with some tobacco (Orlik Golden Sliced recently) and check my emails and a few other sites to see what the news is of the day (with regard to pipes and tobaccos).
I was reading a pipe forum this morning and came across a thread about Burley tobaccos, and so decided to read some posts as to have a better understanding of what smokers around the world are discussing.
Interest in Burleys seems to have lately increased among smoking circles that have previously focused mainly on Virginias or English blends - just look at the extreme popularity of the newest MacBaren Dark Fired offering.
In this thread about Burley tobaccos however, it was Prince Albert, McClelland bulks, and Cornell & Diehl's Old Joe Krantz that were the main focus. Continued

Beverly Hillbillies Winston Cigarettes Commercial

Talking Broadleaf With Steve Saka of Drew Estate Cigars

(David Savona) ... "Everything about [broadleaf] is traumatically expensive," Saka says.
So broadleaf is expensive, takes forever to work and all agree it's a royal pain. So why use it?
"I personally love broadleaf," says Saka, who started smoking cigars in 1984. Broadleaf blends, especially those by the late Frank Llaneza, were some of his favorites. "I've always been a broadleaf fan. It's sweet, it's earthy, it's pungent. It's something I've always enjoyed." Continued

Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired Tobacco with Per Georg Jensen

Here Sykes tours the Mac Baren tobacco factory in Svendborg, Denmark, and gets a brief lesson in what makes HH Old Dark Fired so special, courtesy of Product Manager Per Georg Jensen.

Tenth Anniversary Zino Platinum Cigar Hits Market

(Cigar Aficionado) The Zino Platinum Ten Years, an anniversary line commemorating ten years of Davidoff’s upscale Zino Platinum brand, has gone on sale. The cigars began shipping last week, and tonight Davidoff is holding a launch party for the cigar at its flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City. The cigar comes in two sizes. Continued

Ask Doctor Tobacco

(G. L. Pease) Dr. Tobacco, resplendent in his perfectly pressed white lab coat, log-log-decitrig slide rule and antique pocket protector, yellowed from years of smoke-filled rooms, and stuffed with medium point Biros and pipe cleaners, has returned to his underground lair to explore new and exciting things to do with the his newly patented Smokinator, tanks full of highly classified rocket fuel and small rodents, so it’ll just be me, back at the keys for issue number 17. He does send his regards, however, and wants his readers to be assured that any resemblance to Dr. Heinz Doofenshcmirtz is purely coincidental. (Where’s Perry?) Continued

Vintage Cigar Connoisseur's Corner: A Classic El Rey Del Mundo Scores a 98

(Cigar Aficionado) This was a lovely selection of cigars ranging in age from 14 to 54 years old. Four rated 95 points or higher, classic on our 100-point scale. The best was an El Rey del Mundo Coronas de Luxe from 1983, a relatively diminutive Cuban smoke (it’s less than 6 inches long, and but a 42 ring gauge) that combines creaminess with sweet spices. It’s interesting to look at the performance of a 1986 Quai D’Orsay Imperiales, which scored 95 points, and compare it to the modern-day version we rated blind, which scored 92. Of particular note is the sole non-Cuban cigar in this collection. The Cuba Aliados Valentino, a cigar rolled in Honduras in 1994 under the tutelage of the great cigarmaster Rolando Reyes Sr., who recently passed, showed great balance and flavor after close to 20 years of age. Continued

Hartsville tobacco warehouse damaged by massive fire

HARTSVILLE, TN (WSMV-AP) It appears that a butane torch sparked a fast-moving fire at a tobacco warehouse in Trousdale County on Tuesday.
The fire at Holder's Tobacco Warehouse, 314 Main St., began around 10:30 a.m., and the column of thick, black smoke was visible for miles.
... "The property owners and so on were busy getting their stuff out of the part that wasn't burning."
That likely the saved the business. Also, the tobacco season will not fully start until later this fall. Continued

Reynolds to offer more menthol versions of Pall Mall cigarettes

(Winston-Salem Journal) R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is aiming to expand the recent surge in Pall Mall cigarette sales by extending its reach in menthol.
The company has introduced Pall Mall Black and Pall Mall White to complement Pall Mall Green, its standard menthol style.
Reynolds spokesman Richard Smith said the black style offers "a full-flavor tobacco blend," while the white style "has a smoother tobacco blend." Continued

Geneva man makes golf friendly for cigar smokers

Geneva, IL (mysuburbanlife.com) An avid golfer and occasional cigar smoker, Douglas Holzrichter of Geneva found the two activities weren’t really conducive to each other.
For example, keeping a cigar in his mouth while taking a swing could affect his stroke as smoke drifted into his eyes.
So, Holzrichter would simply lay his cigar on the ground. But that could cause his cigar to become soggy if the grass was a little wet or gritty if he laid it on the sand. Continued

Saving tobacco crops after early frost

(WCYB) WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. - When the temperature dropped overnight and brought patchy frost to parts of the region this past week, it put cash crops in danger. One of those is very sensitive to frost and a heavy frost can destroy an entire crop while it is still in the field.
The recent frost made some really noticeable changes to the color of local tobacco plants. The damage isn't tragic yet, but workers are going full speed ahead to clear the fields. Continued

Sextant Tobacco Review

(PfP) ... There’s been a lot of buzz about Greg Pease’s new English blend, Sextant, since its release. Everybody - and I mean EVERYBODY - gives the blend high marks. Until Saturday, I hadn’t smoked the blend.
My friend, Sam – a retired mathematician and former Navy pilot – brought a tin of Sextant with him for us to give the tobacco a try. Sam made no bones about his high regard for the blend, and since Sam and I tend to like the same tobaccos, I looked forward to giving Sextant a try. Continued

Powerhouse Mini Torpedo Cigar From La Flor Dominicana

(Cigar Aficionado) La Flor Dominicana’s Litto Gomez is building a reputation as a crafter of ultra-strong smokes. One of his latest creations, the La Flor Dominicana Torpedito Ligero Oscuro Natural, made its public debut at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in August and has now gone on sale in cigar shops around the United States. Continued

Michael Jordan brings charisma and cigars to help cart off Ryder Cup

(guardian.co.uk) Is it possible that the only person on the USA side in the Ryder Cup who will not hit a single drive, line up one putt, play out of any bunkers or have his name written on a solitary page of the Ryder Cup record book could end up playing one of the most pivotal roles this week at Medinah Country Club?
It does not require an extreme bend of the imagination for such a scenario to come true, at least not in the mind of the USA captain, Davis Love, who is stirring a special ingredient into his team mix – a bald, 49-year-old, cigar-chomping, billionaire former basketball player named Michael Jordan. Continued

Kentucky tobacco crop 'looks really good,' expert says

(kentucky.com)Kentucky's 2012 tobacco crop, very much in doubt only a month ago, suddenly has burley farmers smiling again, thanks to recent rains.Weeks of drought left many tobacco fields in bad shape by late August, the plants small and the leaves lacking weight. Continued

Marvin Shanken Lights Up: The founder of 'Cigar Aficionado' on how he scored a rare interview with Castro

(Adweek) Twenty years after launching Cigar Aficionado, Marvin Shanken looks back on the unexpected success of the high-end men’s lifestyle magazine. Continued

Another objection raised to Renegade Tobacco reorganization

(Winston-Salem Journal) The bankruptcy administrator overseeing three Mocksville tobacco companies has filed an objection to the proposed reorganization plan by their trustee.
Michael West said in a filing this week that he is concerned about the feasibility of the plan, particularly certain financial aspects regarding administrative costs.
West joins the U.S. Justice Department and the National Association of Attorneys General in filing an objection. Continued

Cigar etiquette circa 1917

 Let that be a lesson to ya, by cracky!

Nicaraguan Cigar Co. Condega Serie F Petite Robusto Review

(NTA) Boutique or “Salon” cigar companies are coming up in the cigar community more and more each day. I was searching on Twitter for new companies and came upon a new company called Nicaraguan Cigar Co. and figured, why not follow them and see what they are all about. Shortly after I was offered to review their cigars for NTA and today I’m going to take a first impression of the Condega Serie F Petite Robusto.
Condega is the area in Nicaragua where the “famed” Esteli city is in. A lot of people have heard of Esteli, but not so much of Condega which adds to the mystique of this cigar. I’ve noticed a good number of great cigars come from Esteli, which means they also come from Condega; so lets see how this one fares up. Continued

Wet weather puts damper on Robeson County’s tobacco crop

LUMBERTON, NC (robesonian.com) Recent rains have prevented some Robeson County tobacco farmers from harvesting their tobacco fields, and disease within the crops is creating an urgency to get the tobacco out of the field before they lose any more of their crop. “The farmers are up against it trying to get the crop out of the field as fast as they can with the barn space that they have. They can’t cure it all at one time,” said Mac Malloy, the county field crops agent with the Agricultural Extension Service. Continued

Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Plug Tobacco - A First Look

Le Royal Monceau Paris Gets On The Cigar Room Bandwagon

(hotelchatter.com) In case you hadn’t noticed: cigars and hotels are a combination that’s all the rage right now. Fresh off our visit to London Fashion Week’s epicentre that is The May Fair Hotel, word comes that Le Royal Monceau Paris (part of Raffles Hotels & Resorts) is opening Le Club Viñales this fall.
Before you get your calendar out and start planning a visit, Le Club Viñales will be members-only, a “sanctuary for the happy few”. Continued

A true tobacco man

(YourGV.com) South Boston native Roger Jackson Eggleston, a true tobacco man, was memorialized at the Kenbridge Tobacco Museum this summer following his untimely death on March 17 of this year. He was 55.
His mother, Norma Murphy Eggleston, who lives in South Boston, stopped by the office last week to tell us of the memorial to her son at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum.
Roger, the youngest of three brothers, inherited his love for the tobacco heritage having had deep family roots in the industry.
He along with his brothers, Tommy and Jim, and their dad, Thomas Brice Eggleston Sr., were all proud tobacconists. Continued

Purchasing Cuban cigars in Havana can mean good bargains

(Cigar Aficionado) I’ll never forget the first time I bought a box of cigars in Cuba. It was back in 1996 at the end of a weeklong tour of the island—my first. After spending a day visiting Cuban tobacco farms, my colleagues and I pulled up to a cigar store in Pinar del Río on a mission to procure the finished product.
The shelves were loaded with Vegueros, a brand that was rolled locally, and new to all of us. A domestic brand at the time, it would become export-only the following year. I smoked one, and found it interesting, but not intriguing enough to warrant a box purchase. I wanted something better. Continued

There's a feather in my tobacco: John Middleton's Sugar Barrel reviewed, as far as possible

It's been one of those days: I cracked a tooth, my paycheck was 70% short, someone at CVS appears to be coveting my elderly mother's diazepam prescription, and there's a feather in my tobacco.

Not one of those nice feathers like you'd find in a fancy hat or feather boa, no, it looks like a feather from a dead pigeon. It's no small amount of tobacco either, but a full 12 ounce can of John Middleton's Sugar Barrel.

I've been looking forward to trying this tobacco for some time, but now, I'm kind of scared of it. Are there more feathers underneath, perhaps a whole bird? I should throw it out, that's probably the best thing, but it wasn't cheap, no tobacco is, these days.

Maybe I could take it to the dentist with me and see if he can x-ray it, or put it in the autoclave. I'm usually not this squeamish, but thoughts of West-Nile keep dancing in my head. I can see the headlines now: "Idiot smokes verminous tobacco, dies." That's not how I'd like to be remembered.

Still, I was really looking forward to this. It smells really good in the can, all sweet and plummy. I have heard that Sugar Barrel is as good as Carter Hall, but without the chemical aftertaste. I like Carter Hall a lot, except for the chemical aftertaste. What to do, what to do.

Maybe I could ask the John Middleton Company for advice. Hmmm, no email address.

Maybe I should try 4noggins, the retailer I purchased it from, maybe they know somebody at Middleton.

O.k., I wrote 4noggins:

"Hi, I just found a feather in the can of Sugar Barrel I ordered from you. Should I smoke the tobacco anyway? Have you had any other complaints like this? Why doesn't Middleton have an email address, too many feather complaints? Please advise."

And yet, it's way past business hours and I still want to smoke this tobacco. Maybe I could smoke it with some bourbon or something, as a disinfectant. Hmmm, no booze in the house, clean living seems to have its own hazards.

Oh, maybe I could put some in the microwave, except that I don't care for the microwave people, you know the type, "I always put my Erinmore Flake in the microwave wrapped in three paper towels, one on the bottom and two on the top, turned on medium high for exactly 13 seconds at 1,000 watts or 18 seconds at 750 watts or 9 seconds blah blah blah." Indeed, I bought this "drugstore blend" because I'm sick of fiddling with damp and otherwise weird old-world tobaccos.

I mean, it's very quaint that you still make smoking tobacco the way they did during the Interregnum, but surely, manufacturing has made a few objectively good improvements since then, that perhaps you could incorporate into your bitey, damp, soapy tobaccos? On the other hand, I never got any bird parts in my tins of Squadron Leader.

Ah, I think I've found a solution, it's a pack of Wave cigarettes made by JTI. Let's open it up and try one: no feathers, not too damp to smoke, pretty good taste, doesn't bite the tongue, burns evenly. Oh look, there's 19 more in here just like it. Never mind.

Limited-Edition Four Kicks Cigars

(Cigar Aficionado) What do you do with a batch of wrapper that’s too dark for your regular line? Use it on a limited-edition cigar with an amped-up blend and a catchy new name.
A batch of too dark wrapper (and a spur-of-the-moment discussion) led to a darker, stronger limited-edition version of Four Kicks that will come to market in early November. It’s called the Mule Kick, and it has a little more punch than the original release. Continued

Tobacco varieties bring their own management constraints

(Southeast Farm Press) As the 2012 tobacco crop began its trip to market in earnest during August, growers were reminded of the benefits of picking the right variety for their conditions.
Two fairly new varieties are dominating their respective types. NC 196 (flue-cured) and KT 209 (burley) have become just about the most popular varieties in just a few years. Both produce good yield and quality. In addition, both feature very good black-shank resistance. Continued

Palmetto Beach makes tobacco history

TAMPA (TBO.com) For more than a century, La Mega cigar factory has towered over the Palmetto Beach neighborhood, a few miles east of downtown.
The factory once employed hundreds of people who lived in its shadow. Now it's a shadow of its former self — abandoned, its windows shrouded in plywood. By the front steps, a weathered, warped sign offers a promise of condos.
"I'd like them to do something with that building," said Jacinto Simon, who moved to Tampa from Cuba 40 years ago. He lives next to the ghostly factory.
La Mega stands at the center of the new Palmetto Beach Historic District, which was added last month to the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places. Continued

No Cigar Before Its Time

(SMO) Rolling a cigar takes mere minutes; the vast majority of time invested in producing cigars, which can span numerous years, is in preparing the leaf - an incredibly complex, multi-step process full of nuance, mystery, and artistry. Continued

Happy 20th Birthday, Cigar Aficionado

(Forbes) The Grand Havana Room in Manhattan hosted Cigar Aficionado’s 20th birthday bash last night, and the lavish event made it feel like we were all back in the go-go Nineties: The room was dense with smoke, big martinis, elegantly dressed women and loud macho-men who make Arnold Schwarzenegger look like Liberace. An unending supply of complimentary stogies and nibbles were enjoyed by the guests. Continued

Bulgaria Asks MEPs to Defend Turkish Tobbaco

(novinite.com) Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Naydenov has invited Bulgarian MEPs from all political groups on a meeting to forge a common position in defense of Turkish tobacco varieties.
Turkish tobacco, also known as Oriental tobacco, signifies a number of aromatic varieties of the plant developed and grown in the area of what once was the Ottoman Empire.
It currently comprises the vast majority of tobacco grown in Bulgaria, being also widely grown in neighboring Greece, Turkey and Macedonia, as well as in Italy. Continued

That deserves a cigar

(al.com) KABUL, Afghanistan - Today marked the third anniversary of the Tali-banned Cigar Aficionado Club, of which I have only been a member for about a month.
The club met today at noon to enjoy a mid-day cigar and hold a raffle for cigars, cutters, lighters, ashtrays and a grand prize of a humidor filled with goodies. We also elected a new president. Continued

Tobacco sales of 2012 begin in North Carolina

(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) The first leaf auction of the year took place on August 28 at the Old Belt Tobacco warehouse in Rural Hall, N.C., near Winston-Salem. ... "The first sale went real well," says Dennis White, who is manager of the warehouse.The bidding was very strong, and every lot on the floor attracted a bid. There was no ticket tearing." Top quality lugs brought $1.80 per pound, and second quality brought about $1.65. Continued

Tom Eltang's Early Career

(Sykes Wilford) "The best decision I ever made was to become a pipe maker," says Tom Eltang as he sands a billiard that will soon make its way to South Carolina to Smokingpipes.com. I'm sitting in Tom Eltang's workshop as I write and we've discussed everything from the political situation in Botswana to manufacturing in China, but the conversation, as it always does when I'm with Tom, returned to pipes. Tom Eltang is now one of the most successful pipe makers in the world today. But it has been a long road. Continued

Partagás Edición Limitada 2012 Cigar Trickles into Global Market

(Cigar Aficionado) Four days ago, Habanos S.A., the international distributor for all Cuban cigars, announced that the Partagás Edición Limitada Serie C No. 3 would be “arriving soon to markets all over the world.” While the cigar has certainly made it to some of the larger distributors, smaller markets still await the new release.
The Pacific Cigar Co., which distributes Cuban cigars throughout the Asia Pacific region, has received the new Partagás and hosted a launch party last week in Hong Kong where the Serie C No. 3 retails for HK$232.65—approximately $30. Continued

York cigarmaker's skill inspires loyalty

(York Dispatch) With nimble fingers, Jesus Castanon rolled moist, brown tobacco leaves in a specific pattern.
Used for the filler in a hand-rolled cigar, they made a triangular shape when pushed together from each end. That shape would allow air to move during smoking, keeping the cigar from being too dry.
"A dry cigar is like drinking an empty glass of water," said Castanon, owner of Hain's Cigar & Pipe Shop at 225 S. George St. in York.
Soon the filler is ready to be rolled in tobacco leaves before the smoking end is cut at an angle with a chaveta knife. Then, the rolled cigars are placed in a mold to take their smooth, cylindrical shape. Continued

The oldest cigar company in the Dominican Republic does things its own way

(Cigar Aficionado) When a visitor walks into a factory, he might be met with suspicious looks from the workers. It doesn’t matter if the visitor makes himself as unobtrusive as possible, or if he’s accompanied by the factory’s top managers: his standout clothing and demeanor alone can disrupt the workflow. Even workers who pretend not to
notice can still be visibly distracted.
But this isn’t the case at La Aurora S.A., the Dominican Republic’s oldest cigar company. Rather, there’s focus and concentration. Continued

Packaging- A Tobacco Company’s Dilemma

(Russ Ouellette) ... When we started making the Hearth & Home tobaccos, they were all in a bulk format. After a while, I received comments and requests to tin our blends, as some folks don’t want to buy loose tobacco and jar it. I understood, but I had some angst in making the choice (with Scott’s okay, of course) because there would be the inevitable comparisons- were the two versions the same (in our case, yes); and why the big price difference? The added labor, container, labeling and shipping costs mean that tinned tobacco has to be, of necessity, more expensive. But as far as the components go, there’s no difference in quality. Yet some people will insist that there are noticeable contrasts. This is unavoidable as bulk is exposed to open air more, and tins have additional fermentation occurring. Continued

Oliva to Distribute Padilla Cigars

(Cigar Aficionado) A major distributor change is bringing Padilla Cigar Co. and Oliva Cigar Co. even closer together.
In an exclusive with Cigar Aficionado, president Ernesto Padilla said his company’s cigars will now be distributed by Oliva Cigar Co. The move, which will affect how Padilla cigars are sold in the United States and in international markets, should expand Padilla's distribution as well as its “sales, marketing and customer service.” Padilla is a rather small cigar company, while Oliva (no relation to Oliva Tobacco Co.) is considerably larger. Continued

Barns in Cape Fear region are relics of tobacco era

(fayobserver.com) It's been years since the tobacco barn on Donald Matthews' property near Clement was used for its original purpose, but it doesn't take much to transport Matthews back to those days.
"You can still walk in there and smell the tobacco that was cured in there," Matthews said. "It's kind of like taking a trip without leaving the farm."
Matthews' barn - now used for storage - is one of the remaining reminders of a bygone way of life. Continued

Award-Winning Illusione Epernay Cigar Line Expanded

(Cigar Aficionado) When the Illusione Epernay brand debuted in 2009, it had only four sizes. The brand has grown considerably, and the new L’Excellence, which comes out in November, will mark the tenth size in the Epernay portfolio.
More of a traditional Churchill than any other vitola in the line, L’Excellence is a round, standard parejo that measures 6 3/4 inches by 48 ring and is set to retail for $9.50. Continued

'Made By Hand' Series Explores NYC Hand-Made Cigar Shop, Martinez Cigars

Cuba Starts Tobacco Harvest in Robaina Plantations

Pinar del Río, Cuba, Sep 6 (Prensa Latina) Tobacco growers in Vueltabajo, cradle to the best tobacco, will start tomorrow by watering the seedbeds as they initiate the 2012 campaign.
Labors will extend to all fields dedicated to that crop in the Pinar del Rio province, declared the Master in Science, Enrique Cruz, director of this sector in that western territory.
Watering of the seedlings precedes planting of this economically important crop, which will take place in the second half of October.
Known decades ago as Vueltabajo, Pinar del Rio contributes 70 percent of national production of the leaf that provide most of the covers used to roll the habanos or Havana cigars worthily considered the world's best. Continued

Sad Day at Cornell & Diehl Tobacco

(C&D) It is with extreme sadness and near inconsolable sorrow we announce the passing of Cornell & Diehl’s founder, Craig Tarler. Craig passed on to the next adventure Tuesday evening, Sept. 4, 2012, surrounded by his greatest joy in life, his family.
For the past twenty three years Craig and his partner and love of his life Patty devoted themselves to their family and his great passion, pipe tobacco and pipe smokers. Continued

New Cohiba Pirámides Extra Cigars Now Arriving On Market

(Cigar Aficionado) The new Cohiba Pirámides Extra, the first figurado in the regular-production Cohiba line, is making its way to market. The cigars have gone on sale at a limited number of cigar shops, and their full-fledged arrival is expected by the middle of this month.
The Pirámides Extra is a new size, or vitola, for Cuba, measuring about 6 5/16 inches long by 54 ring gauge. Standard Cuban pirámides (the most famous is the Montecristo No. 2) run slightly thinner and shorter, measuring 6 1/8 inches by 52. Continued

Ontario tobacco harvest at 50 million pounds

TILLSONBURG (Brantford Expositor) Ontario tobacco growers are about to finish bringing in a harvest that will meet a total 50 million pounds in licensed contracts with cigarette manufacturers. To do it, though, they had to fend off the strong pressures of some pests and the onset of opportunistic viruses, mostly due to the summer's hot weather.
Growers licensed under the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Marketing Board, and concentrated in the counties of Norfolk, Brant, Oxford, Elgin and Middlesex, are close to completing the harvest, after having to conduct one of the most sustained irrigation campaigns in recent memory against drought conditions. Continued

More red tape for Renegade Tobacco

(Winston-Salem Journal) The U.S. Justice Department has filed another objection to the proposed bankruptcy reorganization plan of three Mocksville tobacco companies.
The department's Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said in a filing Friday that the disclosure statement for Renegade Holdings Inc., Renegade Tobacco Co. and Alternative Brands Inc. does not set aside enough money to handle an excise tax dispute.
On Aug. 10, U.S. District Judge William Stocks approved the disclosure by Peter Tourtellot, trustee for the three companies. Tourtellot filed the statement May 28, amended it July 20 and modified it again Aug. 10. Continued

Female Cigar Roller Is a Rarity but Finds a Niche

(NYTimes) Ana Pérez reached into a pile of Connecticut shade tobacco leaves and placed one on the small table in front of her. She began spraying the leaf with water and carving it up with a chaveta knife.
“These leaves are very temperamental, just like women,” Ms. Pérez told a group of men surrounding her at a corporate event on a recent weeknight in Midtown Manhattan. Continued

Scranton cigar maker will move operation to Dunmore

(thetimes-tribune.com) In 2013, the century-old Avanti Cigar Co. will mark another evolution.
The North Scranton-based company will relocate to Dunmore with a new partner and new business plan.
Energy executive and Scranton native Tom Karam has joined the cigar company as a partner. After the new year, the company will move into a part of the former Thomson Consumer Electronics building. Continued

A Labor Day Cigar

"Cigar factory of F. Delloiacono, 205 Atwells Av., Providence, R.I. Eight year old boy and ten year old girl are stripping. This room is the living, -sleeping-and-working room and adjoins the store. Nov 23, 1912. Very dirty and ill-kept. Location: Providence, Rhode Island." Photo by Lewis Hine, from the records of the National Child Labor Committee (Library of Congress).


"A Union Shop, Cigarmakers Tierra del Laga Cigar Co. Almost no hands under 20 years of age. (60 employees.) These are the conditions the labor organizations strive for. One third of the cigarmakers in Tampa are Union men. Location: Tampa, Florida." Photo by Lewis Hine, 1909, from the records of the National Child Labor Committee (Library of Congress).

Perdomo Marks Two Decades with Anniversary Cigar

(Cigar Aficionado) Tabacalera Perdomo turned 20 this year and is celebrating with its Perdomo 20th Anniversary line of cigars—Nicaraguan puros featuring bourbon barrel-aged wrappers and thick ring gauges.
The cigars use mostly high-priming tobacco grown on Perdomo’s farms in Estelí, Condega and Jalapa, and come in two wrapper varieties: Cuban-seed sun grown or Cuban-seed maduro, both of which are made at Tabacalera Perdomo in Nicaragua. Continued