Cigars International opens in Hamburg

 

(Morning Call) Cigars International is scheduled to open a new superstore Friday, at 1635 Mountain Road in Hamburg [Pennsylvania].
More than 650 brands of cigars will be offered at the store that will employ 26 workers. The store will include two full-service bars, a lounge, pool table, several wide-screen HD monitors, inside mezzanine with seating, an outdoor patio and a deck. Cigars International, one of the largest premium cigar retailers in the country, already has two locations in Bethlehem. Link

The Fading Glory of Burley Tobacco

 

(Smoky Mountain News) This year, Bill Holbrook will start drawing on the “old man pension” — as this local tobacco farmer likes to refer to Social Security. At 66 years old, Holbrook is one of the older, if not the oldest, tobacco growers left in Haywood County.
Although looking at the spry, tanned farmer, you’d never guess it. He just finished a September of harvesting and now his 6-acre tobacco crop hangs curing in his old, wooden barn on his farm near Bethel.
Several weeks from now when the tobacco is ready, Holbrook and whoever he can hire to help him, will begin separating the leaves from the stalks and readying the crop for market. But, Holbrook, has to ask himself how many more seasons does he have left in him. He began working in the tobacco fields helping his father when he was 16. He remembers his grandfather cutting off part of a tobacco leaf to chew on while working on the farm. Continued

Peterson Christmas Blend 2012 Tobacco

Smokingpipes.com calls this "a mix of Virginias of differing shades and cuts along with no less than three kinds of black cavendish."

‘The Black Patch,’ about dark-fired tobacco, is a way of life for Western Kentucky farmers

(kyforward.com) Lexington’s Michael Breeding goes straight from a successful launch of a PBS documentary, “Cassius Marcellus Clay: An Audacious American,” to another PBS premiere — about a way of life common to Western Kentucky, the production of dark-fired tobacco from start to finish. It will premiere at Murray State University on Monday, November 5.
Farming in the Black Patch features farms of western Kentucky and the production process of dark-fired tobacco, only common to Western Kentucky and Tennessee. Now, for the first time, the world can see this process of producing dark-fired tobacco from start to finish. Continued

Famous Cuban Planters Part of Tourist "Tobacco Route"

Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Oct 29 (Prensa Latina) Tours through the tobacco plantation owned by Hector Luis Prieto, the youngest of the "Hombres Habano" (Cigar Men) will become an added attraction on the tobacco route through this Cuban province, its coordinators announced on Monday.
The Quemado de Rubi farm devoted to the cultivation of the aromatic plants will be part of the itinerary through rural areas of this region known for the excellence of their crops, the prize-winning grower confirmed to Prensa Latina.
One of the options for that mode of agrarian tourism will be accommodation in log cabins, built in the style of the local vernacular architecture. Continued

Waiting on a Hurricane

(Cigar Aficionado) ... Hurricanes are rare in the New York area, but they’re quite common in cigar country, and I’ve been getting calls and emails of concern from friends in the cigar industry. Jorge Padrón called, checking on how things looked up here, and I just got off the phone with Litto Gomez, who was also checking in on me. Earlier, Rafael Nodal sent me an email. They’ve all been through the same and much worse, but they know that all of us up here in the north are hurricane novices. Continued

Convert a Dorm Fridge Into a Cigar Humidor

 

(lifehacker) If your cigar enthusiasm has escalated to the point where you have multiple desktop humidors you may want to scour Craigslist for a non-working dorm or beer fridge and convert it into a large humidor by replacing the shelves with cedar planks and adding humidification devices and a hygrometer. Continued

Ask G. L. Pease October 2012

(G. L. Pease) ... Rick wants to know: Would like to locate a good tobacconist who might be able to duplicate the old discontinued tobacco “WHITEHALL”. (And, perhaps, RUM & MAPLE). I used to smoke a mixture of Borkum-Riff (whiskey), Whitehall and Rum & Maple. A very pleasing aromatic mixture that my wife and ladies loved. I really miss that mixture. Continued

9 Posh Cigar Bars for Miami Men

(Ocean Drive) The Aromas lounge serves as a room-size humidor, replete with tobacco-loving staff, a range of high-end cigars, and plenty of refined drinks; pair a Davidoff Platinum with a cognac and relax on a plush leather couch to watch a game on one of the flat-screen TVs. 14781 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami, 305-940-0988 Continued

Legal spat threatens to snuff cigar brand

(Tennessean) A Nashville startup that sells artisan cigars has stumbled into a legal dispute with a 145-year-old farmers association over a product named after a piece of Led Zeppelin lore.
Crowned Heads, a company less than 2 years old, introduced the “Headley Grange” cigar line recently, finding inspiration in the name of a 19th-century poorhouse in East Hampshire, England, in which rock group Led Zeppelin reportedly wrote and recorded many of its hit songs.
On a product description, the company said the cigars were blended to evoke the heavy drums heard during the opening of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” which was recorded at Headley Grange.
The company filed for a trademark on the name, but days before the patent’s comment period ended, a farmers group by the tongue-twisting name of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry objected. Continued

La Riqueza Cigars Get New Format

(Cigar Aficionado) It’s been four years since La Riqueza cigars hit the market, and brand owner Pete Johnson (who also owns Tatuaje) laments that it’s become the weakest seller in his entire brand portfolio. Rather than cancel the line, he’s decided to repackage it, changing the format from 25-count boxes to 10.
... “The 10-count box format is a heavy trend right now, and as much as I hate trends, I want to see the brand survive. I’m doing the same thing with the El Triunfador line. I think they’re both misunderstood in the market.” Continued

Restored cigar factory 'a gift to Tampa'

TAMPA (FOX 13) Robert Holsopple has remodeled a lot of buildings, but none quite like this one. The old cigar factory at 22nd Street and 3rd Avenue in Ybor City is the largest project he has ever tackled. It's also one of the most extensive restorations of a historic building ever in Tampa.
"With all the work we've done, we want it to look like we haven't done anything," explained Holsopple, a 66-year-old building contractor whose crew of craftsmen includes his two sons, Robbie and Brian.
Their goal is to make the building look like it did when it opened more than 100 years ago. They were hired by the Arturo Fuente Cigar Company to restore the old factory for its corporate headquarters.
"My direction from Carlito (Fuente) was to take it back like it was," Holsopple continued. More

Captain Black Mini Tipped Cigars

(CSP) Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane presents Captain Black Mini Tipped Cigars. The plastic tipped cigars are conveniently sized to offer a quality smoking experience in a short amount of time. Captain Black Mini Tipped cigars are smooth with a pleasant aroma and blended with quality tobacco.
The cigars are sold in packs of five and single sticks. All of the cigars are individually foil wrapped for ultimate freshness and available in three great flavors: Original, Vanilla and Cherry. Continued

Tobacco tourism in Esteli

ESTELÍ (NicaraguaDispatch.com) Atop the Tisey mirador, looking west, I lean into a burly Pacific breeze blowing in over an ocean of rolling hills. Barely visible on the horizon, several cone-shaped volcanoes remind me that yes, I am still in Nicaragua.
That’s how faraway and fantastic it feels to hike through pine trees in Central America in the middle of the rainy season. The Tisey-Estanzuela Nature Reserve is only a short drive from the center of Estelí, but the small altitude gain enhances the region’s drizzly splendor.
A few hours by bus north from Managua, the Sebaco Valley gives way to the Segovia Mountains—steep, rocky hills, pine forests, and wide river valleys whose soil is perfect for growing many things, including tobacco. Continued

Eiroa Opening Miami Cigar Factory

(Cigar Aficionado) There’s a new cigar factory coming to Miami, and it’s not on Calle Ocho, but in the artistic and colorful Wynwood arts warehouse district.
Next month, Christian Eiroa, the former president of Camacho Cigars and the head of CLE Cigar Co., will open Wynwood Cigar Factory, his newest venture. The operation will be rolling cigars on a small scale using rollers that were trained in Honduras. Continued

Iconic Leaf Recluse Cigar Review

(The Perfect Draw) Don Jose Rafael, working in the Leyendas Cubana factory, created the blend for these cigars.
If you want the whole story you should check their page on this cigar out but, what I found interesting is that they use the entubar method of rolling cigars. What does that mean? Well, roughly speaking, that means they roll the filler tobacco into a tube shape, which is suppose to give it a better draw. Continued

Graycliff Cigar Debuts Graycliff Silver Limited Edition, B-Cuz

(SMO) Graycliff Cigar Company is getting back to its roots with the launch of two new blends, a new, expanded production facility in Nassau, The Bahamas, and the re-introduction of G. Distributors Inc. to cigar shops as the official U.S.A. distributor of all Graycliff Cigars.
“We’ve created two new blends at different spectrums of the market so that we can satisfy both the connoisseur and the novice cigar aficionado,” says Paolo Garzaroli president of the Graycliff Cigar Company. Continued

When Small Cigarette Companies Challenged Big Tobacco

(Bloomberg) In June 1931, with the U.S. economy in a depression and leaf tobacco prices at 20-year lows, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. decided to increase the price of Camel cigarettes.
This proved a truly bad idea. And the response of consumers and competitors offers a telling example of how the Great Depression was upending industry after industry. Increasing the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes to 15 cents from 14 cents launched a price war that undermined Big Tobacco's hold on a shrinking market.
First, the company's key competitors -- American Tobacco, Philip Morris and Liggett & Myers -- matched the price hike. But by fall, a small Virginia-based tobacco firm, Larus & Brother, had put out a new cigarette brand called White Rolls at just 10 cents a pack. Continued

Cigar Accouterments: Adorini Hair Hygrometer

(Cigar Aficionado) We know you love that desktop humidor. The fine wood and polished finish are a point of pride, and the smokes you keep inside give you a modest amount of bragging rights whenever you proudly offer one to a guest. Sometimes, though, that hygrometer reminds you a little too much of that alarm clock you had back in the ‘90s—the one that was shaped like a football and played that early morning radio show you grew to loathe.
Back then, you were keeping your cigars in Tupperware, so a plastic hygrometer was fine. Now it’s time to upgrade to a finely made instrument to take care of your finely made cigars. Continued

Orlik Dark Kentucky Tobacco Review

A Tasting of Vintage Cigars

(Gregory Mottola) It’s always been surprising to me how little scholarship there is on the subject of vintage cigars. Look at vintage wines, or antique furniture or other period-piece hobbies. They’re supported by voluminous documentation and have no shortage of experts or enthusiasts. Vintage cigars, in this respect, are different, so when one comes across a true, world-class expert and collector of vintage cigars, it’s like looking through a window into another era. Continued

Vintage Cigar Bags of Holland

(Cigar History Museum) I am absolutely delighted to be able to bring this Exhibit to you, and can do so only because of the sharp eye of tobacciana dealer Pete Lingg in the Netherlands who found this treasure of a collection and made it available to me.
Cigar bags are an early invention, created to assist dealer and smoker in transactions involving 2, 3, 4 or 5 cigars. Long before cardboard 5-packs became a standard marketing-packaging tool (1910 in the U.S.; unknown date in Europe) the temporary carrying of small quantities of cigars loose in a coat or shirt pocket was an invitation to disaster as they jiggled, tumbled and abraded ... frequently damaging the wrapper. Bags could be twisted to hold cigars firm, reducing that problem. Continued

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Aims For Zero Waste

(CSD) By Jan. 1, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco plans to be recycling about 97% of its manufacturing waste, with the other 3% converted to energy at waste-to-energy facilities, replacing fossil fuels.
Santa Fe Natural Tobacco is working hard to protect the environment. It’s a lofty environmental goal—one that relatively few companies attempt. But Jamie Morgan has said that Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. plans to make it happen at its manufacturing plant in Oxford, N.C., by the end of this year. Continued

Swedish Snus Tobacco Manufacturing: Gotlandssnus

(Snus Girl) Welcome to Gotlandssnus!
This summer I made a visit to the Gotlandsnus factory placed on Gotland Island in Sweden. I got a guided tour around the factory and an exclusive interview with Jimmy Karlsson.
Now, let me show you around the factory.. Continued

Photo courtesy of Snus Girl.

Over-thinking your tobacco? You're in good company

(G. L. Pease) I've been smoking a pipe for about 30 years, now, and I’m starting to get the idea that I just don’t know how to do it. Seriously.
It’s not that I can’t stuff tobacco into a bowl, get it smoldering  and even keep it going more or less until I get to the bottom, but I know there’s more to it than that, despite the choir’s sustained insistence that “it’s easy,” or that I’m “over-thinking it.” Let me ’splain. Continued

General Cigar Brings Six-Pack of Punch to Tailgate Party

(Cigar Aficionado) As football season continues to heat up, General Cigar Co. is tapping into the tailgate market, offering half a dozen Honduran-made Punch cigars, along with a cigar cutter and bottle opener, all delivered in a package designed to look like a classic six-pack of beer.
The pack retails for $24.99 and includes these six smokes: Continued

Fire destroys old tobacco warehouse

LAKE CITY, SC (WPDE) - Firefighters say a fire is contained and under control at the old Ragsdale tobacco warehouse on South Church Street in Lake City.
It's one of the oldest buildings in the community, according to city officials. Firefighters have yet to determine what caused the fire.
Lake City Fire Chief Randy Driggers says the fire started after midnight Thursday and when crews got to the scene flames covered nearly every inch of the building. Continued

Barrington Cigars penetrates the Jamaican market

(sflcn.com) Kingston, Jamaica - Barrington Cigars Jamaica Ltd. has brought a different side to the usual spectrum of the taste of Jamaica products and holds the title as the sole manufacturer of authentic Jamaican cigars.
Founded by Barrington Adams of Barrington House International, Adams is a direct descendant of one of the most heralded tobacco estates in Jamaica – Barrington Hall. Barrington Cigars currently operates from their factory in Kingston, with a corporate office in New York, with plans to open a sale office in Montego Bay to further export Jamaican cigars in high demand world-wide.
Employing an approximate twenty-two persons, all of the company’s cigars are specially hand rolled by skilled Jamaican tobacco experts and with all Jamaican products. Continued

Dunhill Brings Back Bulk Tobacco

(Talking Tobacco) ... Today, we’re thrilled to have received that magic phone call letting us know that two of their most popular blends, Mixture 965 and Early Morning Pipe, will now be returning in their bulk form.
For those of you who utilize these blends as your go-to smokes, this represents the chance for very significant savings since you can load up without paying so much just for the packaging. Continued

Hammer+Sickle Cigars Turn to Nicaragua

(Cigar Aficionado) Hammer+Sickle’s Hermitage No. 1 St. Petersburg, the brand’s first cigar that incorporates tobaccos from Nicaragua, is now on its way to retail shops throughout the United States.
Introduced at this summer’s IPCPR trade show, Hermitage No. 1 sports an all-ligero binder composed of tobacco grown in Estelí, and the filler is a mix of Criollo leaf from the Jalapa Valley. The all-Nicaraguan insides are covered by an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper. Continued

Solar tobacco barn saves time, money

(Southeast Farm Press) Using solar power to add more precision to the tobacco curing process has proven to be a time and money saver in tests at Virginia Tech University and at Clemson University’s PeeDee Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Florence, SC.
Modern tobacco production is often time and labor intensive. Tobacco curing can make or break both quality and profit in a tobacco crop.
Curing takes about 20 percent of variable cost and 15 percent of the total cost of tobacco production. Continued

Reynolds American tops tobacco customer satisfaction survey

(CSP) Reynolds American Inc. continued a three-year upswing in the American Consumer Satisfaction Index as it edged out competitor Philip Morris for the top spot among tobacco companies in the University of Michigan School of Business Survey.
A score of 81 marks a 16-year high in customer satisfaction for the Winston-Salem-based tobacco company (NYSE; RAI), which was two points above the industry's score of 79 as a whole. Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) received a score of 80 again this year, according to the survey results.
Customer satisfaction with tobacco products rose throughout the industry this year, rebounding from a dip several years ago experts attributed to higher tobacco taxes. Continued

Turrent Family Releases Te-Amo Revolution Cigars

(SMO) Te-Amo Revolution from the Turrent family in San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico, is the brand’s most ambitious blend yet—a rich, flavorful, full strength, and fuller-bodied cigar offering complex taste and aroma profiles.
It's crafted from a blend of Nicaraguan, San Andrés Negro, and San Andrés Corojo fillers; San Andrés Corojo binder; and San Andrés Habano wrapper. Continued

E.P. Carrillo Releases Full-Bodied Cardinal Series Cigars

(Cigar Aficionado) Cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has just released the E.P. Carrillo Cardinal Series, and he claims that it’s the strongest, most full-bodied cigar in his entire brand portfolio.
His company handed out samples of the new blend over the summer during the IPCPR trade show, and the cigars began shipping to tobacconists last week. Continued

USDA PROJECTION: FLUE-CURED TOBACCO 495 MILLION LBS, BURLEY TOBACCO 202 MILLION

(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the results of its last survey of the year of tobacco production on Thursday, and it continued to project an enormous increase in N.C. flue-cured over last season, as it did last month. In fact, it projected four million pounds more than in the controversial projection of September: 394 million pounds, up 58% from last season. But that level of production for Tar Heel tobacco remained questionable among many of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter's most reliable sources. Why? Continued

The Great Cigar Component-Flavor Debate

(Cigar Aficionado) While there are an infinite number of variables that can alter the taste of a cigar—soil content, tobacco variety, climate, curing, fermentation, aging and format (just to name a few)—most cigarmakers would agree that a wrapper has the best potential to impact the subtle secondary notes great cigars can impart. The key word in the above sentence, though, is potential. Continued

The Second-Millennium Falcon

(PfP) ... Some years ago Neil stopped collecting North American artisanal pipes and became a vintage Kaywoodie Collector. He brought several lovely pieces, including a gorgeous and rare bent Mandarin, a couple of lovats, and an incredibly beautiful long-shanked Canadian. I inquired about the relative rarity of each of the pieces when Neil reached into his bag for another pipe.
“And here’s my bent Falcon,” he said, as he commenced regaling me of the extraordinary smoking quality of this pastel-green, aluminum, and briar pipe.
I asked Neil what it was that made his Falcon such a fine smoker. Continued

Japan seeks Zambian tobacco

(Zambia Daily Mail) JAPAN Tobacco (JT), the world’s third largest tobacco manufacturer has signed a contract with 7,000 Zambian tobacco farmers for the supply of raw tobacco to that country.
Speaking during a question and answer session when President Sata met Japanese business executives at Keidanren in Tokyo on Thursday afternoon, JT manager for the tobacco business planning division Ryoji Chijiiwa said JT has for many years been buying leaf tobacco from Zambia.
“JT has signed a contract with 7,000 leaf tobacco farmers in Zambia and has also provided 300 jobs because we have a procurement base in your country,” Mr Chijiiwa said. Continued

Spanish tobacco for limited edition Kardus snus is cut, not ground

(Tobacco Reporter) The tobacco for this year’s limited-edition Kardus snus has been harvested from around the small village of Cincho.
Only 600 packages of Kardus will be made available in western Spain.
As always, said Swedish Match (SM) in a note posted on its website, the tobacco had been carefully selected and meticulously handled to satisfy the demands of the most discerning snus users in Sweden. Continued

Pipa tobacco kit

(CSD) Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane has introduced PIPA, a product that will make it easier than ever for cigarette and cigar smokers to explore the world of pipe tobacco.
Each package comes with 1.5 ounces of Vanilla Cavendish pipe tobacco, a free corn cob pipe, a free sticker, and a free ‘Pipe Smoking 101’ instruction booklet—all for a suggested retail price of $5.49. Continued

Alec Bradley "Fine & Rare" Cigar Hitting Stores Today

(Cigar Aficionado) The second release of Alec Bradley Fine & Rare is on its way to cigar shops. The limited-edition torpedoes, made with a complex blend of ten tobaccos, left Alec Bradley's headquarters in Dania, Florida, yesterday and will begin arriving in stores today.
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2012 is a torpedo measuring 6 inches long by 52 ring gauge, made in Honduras at the Raices Cubanas Factory (which also makes the Alec Bradley Prensado, Cigar Aficionado's reigning Cigar of the Year.) Continued

Winston Churchill's cigar bills and draft war speeches put online

(Telegraph) Drafts of wartime speeches are among almost a million archived documents relating to former British prime minister Winston Churchill that have been digitised. Other documents that have been made available online for university libraries, public libraries and schools to access include school reports and personal correspondence with family members and other leaders.
Receipts of purchases and cigar invoices are also available. Continued

Vueltabajo Growers Start Tobacco Sowing Season

Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Oct 11 (Prensa Latina) Tobacco farmers in this western Cuban province, famous for its excellent product, are beginning their sowing season at the well-known Vueltabajo tobacco plantations, the country's largest producers of the leaves.
Some 14,600 hectares are being devoted to this traditional crop, involving more than 10,000 producers, Enrique Cruz, director of the sector in the territory, told the press.
The expert stated that the farm workers hope to conclude tobacco planting before the end of the year. Continued

Cookies, tobacco help Watkins Glen man live to 100

(Star Gazette) If you ask John Plate the secret to living 100 years, he’ll tell you, “chewing tobacco and having two cookies after breakfast every day.”
And John should know. He celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday. Continued

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. Continued

Liquidation threat looms larger over Renegade Tobacco

(Winston-Salem Journal) The fate of three bankrupt Mocksville tobacco companies is coming down to two legal issues, one of which is beyond their control.
A scheduled U.S. Bankruptcy Court confirmation hearing for Renegade Holdings Inc., Renegade Tobacco Co. and Alternative Brands Inc. was postponed today until Nov. 14 by Judge William Stocks.
The companies have a combined 94 employees, down from 140 when they initially entered bankruptcy in January 2009. Continued

UK Receives New Regional Edition Cigar

(Cigar Aficionado) Less than five months after receiving the 2011 Regional Edition Punch Medalla d’Oro, cigar shops in the United Kingdom have received their 2012 Regional Edition cigar from Cuba: The Ramon Allones Petit Belicoso.
Described by some as the “little brother” to the U.K.’s original Regional Edition, the 2005 Ramon Allones Belicoso, the Petit Belicosos measure a tidy 5 inches long by 52 ring gauge. Continued

New Tobacco Blend from Russ Ouellette: Fusilier’s Ration

(Russ Ouellette) ... I’ve spent a good amount of time preparing for the release of my newest entry to the Hearth & Home Marquee Series- Fusilier’s Ration. I’m really excited about this one as it’s the culmination of three years worth of trial and error, but I feel that it is one of the best things that I have done in the last seven years. So I thought that I would recount the process regarding this new pressed Latakia-based cake. Continued

Help Wanted for Tobacco Harvest

(Nashville Public Radio) Tennessee tobacco farmers say they can’t find enough help for this year’s harvest. The labor shortage is a result of immigrant workers not showing up in their usual numbers.
Tobacco farms are much bigger than they used to be, but nearly everything is still done by hand – chopping, spiking, and stripping. Continued

Volunteers needed for Pittsylvania County tobacco barn survey

(GoDanRiver.com) A local preservationist is looking for volunteers who would like to explore Pittsylvania County and learn about its old tobacco barns.
Sonja Ingram, field representative for Preservation Virginia and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is undertaking a historic survey of tobacco barns in the county. Ingram will hold a volunteer training session at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Chatham Depot.
There are about 10 volunteers so far and Ingram is seeking more for the project that would be the first in the state to focus on tobacco barns. Continued

Savinelli USA Closes

(Pips Magazine) It was just announced moments ago that Savinelli USA is closing its North Carolina-based U.S. subsidiary and appointing Laudisi Distribution Group (LDG) as their new American distributor.
LDG is a subsidiary of Laudisi Enterprises, run by Sykes Wilford. As many industry people are aware, Laudisi Enterprises also runs Smokingpipes.com. The two company divisions will operate independently, with SmokingPipes.com being a customer of the distribution company. Continued

Gutkha makers get creative, bypass ban with new fix

(business-standard.com) A few weeks after 14 [Indian] states banned production, sale and marketing of gutkha, its manufacturers have come out with a new way to sell their products by cleverly bypassing the ban. Instead of the earlier “ready-to-consume mixes”, companies are now selling gutkha in a new avatar — where chewing tobacco and paan masala are sold in two different sachets. When the two packs are mixed, consumers get a proper substitute for gutkha. Continued

Petit Churchill Cigar Makes Impact in Habanos Market

Havana, Oct 8 (Prensa Latina) Considered an emblematic cigar band of the Cuban cigar market, the international cigar market welcomes the Petit Churchill, ideal for the world´s cigar-smokers, announced Habanos S.A. international corporation in a communique. The communique calls the attention on that type of Cuban cigar, which now offers a new variety aimed at satisfying smokers.
With the launching through the prestigious Romeo y Julieta cigar brand, it retakes the impact of that name existing since 1875 for the cigar world. Continued

Cuenca y Blanco Cigar Becomes CyB

(Cigar Aficionado) Joya de Nicaragua has changed the name of its new Cuenca y Blanco cigar to CyB by Joya de Nicaragua. The name change is intended to stop potential trademark conflicts with other cigar brands bearing similar names.
While the packaging, boxes and bands on the cigars will be changed, the cigars themselves will remain the same, made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in Estelí from a blend of Nicaraguan, Peruvian, Dominican and Ecuadoran tobaccos. Continued

Another Vintage B&H Mellow Virginia Tobacco Commercial

Chewing mixture of tobacco, ash a Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta tradition

BETHEL, ALASKA (adn.com) Jennifer Wilson, a dentist here, thought she knew chew. Growing up in tobacco-loving Kentucky, it was common to see men loading up on Copenhagen or Skoal. Women too. What she found while treating patients in Western Alaska's largest city and the surrounding villages was something different: People of all ages, sometimes entire families, chewing an earthy, super-charged variety of smokeless tobacco. It's called iqmik, or blackbull, and it makes a mule kick of a first impression. Continued

Winston Churchill Cigar for Sale in Reykjavík

(Iceland Review) A half-smoked cigar reportedly belonging to Winston Churchill is on sale in Reykjavík. ... Churchill left the cigar in an ashtray in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, on August 16, 1941, ruv.is reports. Continued

A new light for roll-your-own tobacco fans

(Times Union) Proprietors of roll-your-own tobacco shops have smoked out a loophole they believe will re-ignite their business. But anti-smoking advocates are already looking to snuff them out. ... To use the machine, customers now pay $5 to join a smoking club, said Renia Liu, who helps run the family-owned business. Continued

New G. L. Pease Tobacco

(G. L. Pease) ... So, what is Navigator? A base of red virginias, sweetened with high-sugar orange and yellow leaf, and given body and depth with a bit of beautiful dark-fired. The The result is softened with a little of the same rum that makes Sextant so engaging, pressed, and sliced. It's not as potent as JackKnife, but it's certainly fuller than Union Square. Continued

Xikar Vitara Cigar Lighter

(Cigar Aficionado) Among a slew of new designs Xikar is set to debut this year is the Vitara, a solidly built double-torch lighter that makes sparking large-ring cigars a breeze, and features a built-in punch cutter, too.
The Vitara, which was first seen at this past summer’s IPCPR trade show, is ignited by a slide ignition button located on the side of the body. Continued