Why Habana and Not Havana?

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Cigars that are made in Cuba or come from Cuba have Habana on the band. Why not Havana? Continued

Presbyterian Mixture Tobacco

(Sherlock's Haven) More often than not, my go to tobacco of choice is Presbyterian Mixture. You can find the reviews here if you’d like, though I prefer to make my own decisions about a tobacco from actually smoking it. This blend has been a trusted and reliable friend for more years than I can remember. It has bright ribbons with tan and dark brown shag. Its musty scent is earthy with hints of fig. Once lit, it has a strong pungent peat flavor that settles to a subtle sweet assortment of Orientals, leather and spice. Continued

Photo: Firecured's great-great grandfather, a dyed-in-the-wool blue-light Presbyterian, no info on what he put in his pipe.

State Stubs Out Mobile Cigar Lounge

 

(Patch) CigaRV, aka "The Mobile Man Cave," was snuffed when the state refused to renew its license citing a new ruling for mobile tobacco retailers. The company had been rolling into local cities like Martinez since 2010 and will now likely be sold out of state. Continued

My Father’s El Centurion Cigar Returns

 

(CA) Quick cigar test—do you remember El Centurion? The smoke came on the market in 2007, but it didn’t stick around very long. The first limited-edition smoke from José “Pepin” Garcia, the cigar was limited to only 2,550 boxes.
A lot has changed for Garcia since 2007, and today Pepin’s son Jaime does most of the blending for the family business out of a grand factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, called My Father Cigars. Continued

Panel: General Cigar can use Cohiba name in the US

 

(AP) A federal panel says General Cigar Co. Inc. can continue using the Cohiba (co-HEE-ba) trademark on its cigars in the U.S.
The ruling is the latest in the nearly 16-year-old legal battle with Cuba's state-run cigar company over the signature Cuban cigar brand. Continued

Retailer scours Nicaragua for signature cigar blend

(amarillo.com) A concept truly conjured in smoke-filled rooms in Amarillo and Nicaragua should result in a custom product available by mid-summer.
Good Karma Cigars, a premium cigar seller in Amarillo, has enlisted Florida-based My Father Cigars to produce its signature blend, owner Todd Dailey said.
Dailey made the first of what he expects will be many trips to tobacco-growing Esteli, Nicaragua, in January to tour company fields and factories in search of a custom cigar to follow on the success of a no-longer-available variety Good Karma sold 18 months ago with its own wrapping. Continued

The Jefferson Humidor

 

(CA) Humidor makers tend to bring in a lot of dark, exotic and burled material such as zebrawood or African olivewood for their finishes, and they can create beautiful works of art. But those rare finishes aren’t always the best fit for the room where you want to keep your smokes. With the Diamond Crown American Series humidors, J. C. Newman Cigar Co., which produces Diamond Crown cigars, has a few great options for the smoker who values simple elegance over flair. Continued

Rediscovery of a Pipe

 

(Talking Tobacco) If you’re a pipe smoker like me and have been collecting pipes and related paraphernalia for as long as I have, you’re bound to have come across a pipe in your collection that you’ve forgotten or overlooked. I’ve not kept track, but I bet that I’ve purchased, traded and owned thousands of pipes in the past 30 years. My current collection is small by comparison to what it was a few years ago. Even so, with so many…it’s easy to misplace and/or overlook a pipe among the crowd.
Recently while sorting my pipe collection, I came across a pipe I distinctly recall buying, but never really smoked it much. It’s a medium sized Calabash shape from L.J. Peretti located at 2½ Park Square in Boston, MA. Continued

Photo via paws22
 

Pacific Cigar Releases Regional Rey del Mundo Cigar

 

(Cigar Aficionado) In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Pacific Cigar Ltd, the Habanos distributor for Cuban cigars in the Asia Pacific region, has released the El Rey del Mundo Aniversario. It’s the regional-edition cigar for 2012 that was named for Pacific Cigar’s 20-year milestone, and also marks the first time that the Asian distributor has ever offered the El Rey del Mundo brand as a regional smoke. Continued

Lasse Skovgaard Pt 1: Conversations with Pipemakers

(smokingpipes.com) Sykes and Ted take a tour of Lasse's workshop and talk with him about his introduction to making pipes.

Industry Group Reports Early Success With Better-for-You Cigarettes

 

(Time) ... Scientists from the research-and-development branch of British American Tobacco (BAT), which oversees more than 200 smoking brands, for example, have created prototypes of cigarettes that reduce exposure to some — but not all — toxicants in smoke. The researchers then tested their cigarettes on 300 healthy adults and found the products lowered the smokers’ exposure to the dangerous toxins. Continued

Hoaxers or Morons? "New Line of Ultra Luxury Cigars to be Rolled on Bare Breasts"

 

 

Miami, FL (PRWEB) March 26, 2013 Each cigar contains an international blend of high quality tobaccos, but that's only the beginning of the allure to these ultra luxurious smokes. Every Venus Cigar is hand-rolled on the breasts of young women in Nicaragua, and production of this line will be limited to 1,000 cigars.

Serious cigar enthusiasts will have to pay $100 to get their hands on one of these sexy cigars, but every purchase will come with a video of the cigar being rolled against the breasts of the woman it was created on. If that wasn't enough of a bonus to luxury cigar buyers, each cigar will also come with a calendar of all the Venus girls that helped make Venus Cigars a reality. Continued

This is how Jay-Z rolls: Rapper hires cigar maker for tour

 

(The Sun) ... JAY-Z has taken decadence to a new level by inviting a professional cigar roller on the Legends Of The Summer world tour.
During tough times, where jobs are thin on the ground, it’s not a bad bit of work to pick up. The rapper, who will be on the road with JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, is putting his money into a “gentlemen’s club” backstage at all of the dates. Continued

Swisher cigars, one of world's top producers, started here

(newarkadvocate.com) For many years, Newark [Ohio] had the reputation of having several of the world’s largest businesses, whether it was manufacturing stoves, lawnmowers or truck axles. This article is about a company that started in Newark and became the largest in the world — after it moved away.
In 1861, David S. Swisher took over a small one-room shop but had little interest in the product, cigars. His sons, John and Harry, thought differently, and in 1885, they bought the business from their father. Swisher Bros. was born. Continued

NeatPipes' AeroBilliard takes flight

 

(PfP) ... I suspect that a key driver of the AeroBilliard’s smoking quality is the generous capacity of its tobacco chamber. With a diameter of 22mm (.85 inch) and a depth of 40mm (1.58 inches), the chamber volume allows for plenty of tobacco. As I’ve often asserted, if you want robust, concentrated flavors, you need a big distillation zone where the embers can dry-distill those volatile resins into the smokestream and where the tobacco’s sugars can solvate into the aerosol. So, what we have with the AeroBilliard are big flavors and plenty of sweetness that are cooled and concentrated by its engineering. Continued

The Labors of the Land

 

(David Savona) I hope you’re smoking a handmade cigar as you read this blog. You know that the robusto, corona gorda or perfecto that you’re puffing was made by hand, but you might not have a full idea of just how much hand labor went into its creation. And I bet you didn’t realize that the hand labor started long before the cigar was a cigar. I was going through some old files the other day, and I came across a video I shot two years ago, when I was in northern Nicaragua. I spent a day in the fields of Jalapa, a beautiful place known for growing some of Nicaragua’s finest wrapper leaves. It’s a gorgeous spot, with vibrant fields of green leaves, bright blue skies, clear and cold streams, and gently sloped mountains covered in vegetation. And it’s a fine place to grow tobacco. Continued

The outlook for this tobacco season is looking awfully good

 

(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) And that is largely because of strong demand on the foreign market. The outlook could remain positive for some time, says Kirk Wayne, president of Tobacco Associates, the U.S. leaf export promotion organization. "There is a shortage of flavor tobaccos at a time when there is fairly consistent demand. I expect this situation to last for some time." Where Wayne sees the most growth potential for U.S. leaf is Asia. Continued

Cuban Cigar Lovers Confirm Attendance to Partagas Friends Meeting in Havana

 

(cadenagramonte.cu) Havana, Cuba, Mar 23.- Cuban cigar lovers from Canada, Grand Cayman, Italy, Panama and Brazil confirmed on Friday their attendance to the 25th Meeting of Friends of the Partagas Cigar Center, scheduled for April 15-19 in this capital.
The program of the meeting, to be held at the Partagas Cigar Center near the Capitol building, includes the enjoyment of San Cristobal de La Habana cigars, commercialized by the Habanos S.A. international corporation. Participants will also be able to taste cigars made for the occasion by the center’s cigar roller, Leopoldina Gutierrez (La China) the Prensa Latina news agency reported.
Also included on the agenda is a tour of picturesque landscapes of the Cuban countryside on board the historic train of Hershey to a farm of Mayabeque, east of Havana, where they will be able to enjoy horseback riding and savor sugar cane juice and coconut milk. Continued

Dotter Pipes: Black Bamboo Freehand #84

 

(Pipes Magazine) ... This pipe is a smooth black bamboo straight Freehand, #84 by his keeping. As a finished package, this pipe brings a sophisticated beauty to the eye. While we have all seen pipes with bamboo used in their construction in one form or another, this one seems somewhat unique. While the bamboo is present, it does not become the center-piece to the eye. The quality of the briar and the pipe’s overall ‘presence’ IS the show. Continued

Villiger introduces new cigar range

 

(DFNI) Swiss cigar supplier Villiger has introduced a new range of Mini and Corona cigars in bright colour-coded tins.
Six flavoured variants are available including: Minis in Red (vanilla with and without filter), Black (Sumatra) and Saphir (Oriental Tobacco), and Coronas in Red (Vanilla), Black (Sumatra) and Blue (Cuban). Continued

The Case of the Expensive Cigars

 

(propertycasualty360.com) A contents consultant was recently asked to help establish the value of a cigar collection. To be clear, this was not just any collection. It was thought to be of the Cuban variety, and therefore this project had several interesting implications. Continued

Cold Weather Hurting Southside Tobacco Farmers

WSET.com - ABC13

Pittsylvania Co., VA -- A lot of us are ready for some warm weather, but no one seems to be looking forward to it more than tobacco farmers. That's because when the temperatures stay low, they have to pay more to heat their greenhouses. Continued

NC tobacco broker sentenced to 5 years for fraud

 

(AP) A North Carolina tobacco broker will spend 5 1/2 years in federal prison and must repay more than $13 million for cheating the federal crop insurance program.
... The case comes as federal investigators break up a massive scheme by dozens of eastern North Carolina insurance agents, claims adjusters, brokers and farmers to steal at least $100 million from the government-backed crop insurance program.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/21/2769234/nc-tobacco-broker-sentenced-to.html#storylink=cpy

Continued

Oliva Master Blends 3 Liga Maestra Cigar Review

 

(Traveling Stogie) Oliva Cigar Company first released Master Blends 3 Liga Maestra back in 2006 and seemingly has been a regular production cigar. This is contrary to Master Blends 1, which featured a Habano wrapper, debuting for a one time release in 2003 and Master Blends 2, featuring a Sumatra wrapper, a one time release in 2005.
Seeing that the Master Blends 3 is still readily available for purchase and even heavily discounted on some site, this cigar is not limited. Continued

Photo: Hobotopia

 

Ask G. L. Pease (Volume 23)

 

(Pipes Magazine) ... Q. I was hoping you may be able to lift the fog on the origins of Esoterica Tobacciana? The blends have achieved mythic status yet their exact history seems to be elusive. I have read that the blends were made by J.F. Germain at the request of Stephen Richman, who also happened to be the proprietor of Drucquer’s Piedmont location. Was it actually Mr. Stephen Richman who developed the recipes for the Esoterica line? Continued

Asylum 13 Cigars Adding Corojo Line

(Cigar Aficionado) Christian Eiroa has harkened back to his roots for the newest addition to the Asylum 13 cigar, an all-Honduran blend covered by Corojo-seed wrapper grown on his family’s farm in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras. Asylum 13 Authentic Corojo Seed will be packaged in 50-count boxes and will start shipping in April in two sizes (for now)—a five inch by 50 ring gauge and a six by 60 ring. Continued

Pipes and Tobacco by J. W. Cundall

(smokingpipes.com) The introduction to this Briar Book's Press reprint of the 100-and-odd-year old Pipes & Tobacco (or, Discourse on Smoking and Smokers) is, in Gary B. Schrier's usual manner, equal parts eloquent, honest, and enjoyably contrarian. As Gary notes, the original writing and publishing of this book appears to have been a personal project for J.W. Cundall, who as a minority owner of the publisher, could probably get away with it. Both the original 6p asking price (which would have left little if any room for turning a profit) and the quality and manner of Cundall's writing certainly suggest a labor of love. The same could be said of Gary Schrier even tracking down a copy of this material; very few examples of this slim, but surprisingly rich piece of tobacciana literature seem to have survived, or at least survived anywhere not completely obscure. The upside, of course, is that its contents are thus sure to be found as undiscovered country to the overwhelming majority of readers. Continued

Arandoza Blue Label – Cigar Review

 

(acigarsmoker.com) The Arandoza Blue Label is made by Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Estelli, Nicaragua. It features a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with a mix of Nicaraguan binders and fillers.
It is available in four sizes, a 6 x 60 Trabuco, a 6 x 52 Torpedo, a 6 x 52 Toro, and a 5 x 52 Robusto which I am reviewing today. Continued

A Grain of Truth

 

(Russ Ouellette) Briar is an amazing material, and is ideally suited to making tobacco pipes. It’s a hard wood that polishes beautifully, it’s heat-resistant and it has a relatively neutral flavor. But one of the main reasons for its popularity as a pipe making wood is the intriguing grain that it has. The way it grows accounts for the intricate and unique appearance of the wood. So, this is a little bit about the types of grain exhibited in briar pipes. Continued

US to revise cigarette warning labels after abandoning legal battle with tobacco companies

(AP) The U.S. government is abandoning a legal battle to require that cigarette packs carry a set of large and often macabre warning labels depicting the dangers of smoking and encouraging smokers to quit.
... Floyd Abrams, a noted First Amendment lawyer who represented Lorillard Tobacco Co. in the challenge said he wasn't surprised by the Justice Department's decision not to appeal. "The graphic warnings imposed by the FDA were constitutionally indefensible," he wrote in an email. Continued

Cedar Secrets

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Q. Is either red or white cedar considered a good alternative to Spanish cedar to line the inside of a humidor? Continued

The 2013 Danish Masters Slow Smoking Championships

 

(TPS) The 2013 slow smoking championships were held yesterday. I didn’t get to be the Danish Champion. Again. But I did get to be no. 16 out of around 100 smokers, so I’m not entirely displeased with my performance. I think the pipe played it’s part in this, it not being entirely typical of a championship pipe. But more about that later on. Continued

Cincinnati entrepreneur creates his own cigar brand

(cincybizblog) A Cincinnati entrepreneur is working to turn his passion for cigars into a full-time business.
Kevin McKenna created his own brand of cigar, La Abeja, Spanish for “the bee.” For nearly two years, he’s been traveling to Central America to meet with growers, visiting Florida to talk with rollers and working with designers to create his brand. Continued

All Roads Lead to Virginia

 

(Cake and Dottle) The first couple of tobaccos I ever smoked in a pipe were aromatics. I moved on quickly, because the great tin aroma never translated into the smoke for me.
Next stop was Latakia blends, where I happily stayed for a long time. I also explored Burleys, after a generous forum member sent me a big selection to sample.
As I was winding down figuring out how to finish my half completed cellar, I decided I'd better revisit straight Virginia tobaccos again, just to be sure I wasn't making a mistake in omitting them from my cellar. I took to Va's instantly and in a big way. I scrambled, building a cellar that was focused squarely on straight Va's, with enough Latakia and Burley to provide some variety. Good thing I had a last minute crisis of faith. Continued

Photo: Unidentified soldier of Laurel Brigade Virginia Cavalry Regiment with tobacco pouch (Library of Congress).

A Conversation with Litto and Ines of La Flor Dominicana Cigars

 

(Cigar Aficionado) ... Once strictly mild smokes, La Flor Dominicanas now encompass a wide portfolio, and—thanks to a library of gutsy tobacco grown on a company farm in La Canela, Dominican Republic—the brand is today best known for its powerhouse versions. In December, the couple sat down with senior editor David Savona in Cigar Aficionado’s New York City offices to reflect on their past and look to the future of the brand. Continued

NYC Mayor Bloomberg Trying to Snuff Out Cigarette Displays in Stores

 

(Slate) If you don’t see them, you won’t want to smoke them? That seems to be the thinking behind the latest chapter in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s long crusade against tobacco. A week after a judge shot down his move to ban supersized sugary drinks, Bloomberg made it clear Monday he isn't giving up on his aggressive public health initiatives. Now if he gets his way, stores will have to physically hide cigarettes. Continued

Yet Another Hamlet Cigar Commercial

Blakeney's Best Tobacco Review

 

(At the back of the hill) ... All in all, the Blakeney's Best line is a worthwhile venture. It differs enough from McClelland's other lines that the marketing genius cynicism behind the name is un-objectionable, and in fact justified. Creating a different image to set it apart in the consumer's mind, and to present all four as a suite, makes plenty of sense.
In some ways I find myself quite charmed by these four tobaccos. Continued

Cultivation of NRVs tobacco becomes serious issue for PTB, exporters

(Business Recorder) The cultivation of non-recommended varieties (NRVs) of tobacco has become a matter of deep concern for Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB), tobacco companies and exporters. According to sources in PTB, these varieties usually have low reducing sugar contents and high nicotine level blight the savour/flavours of cigarettes and the smokers avoid it, resulting in inflicting losses on the blenders.
The tobacco farmers of Swabi, Mardan and Charssada have cultivated nurseries of non-recommended varieties (NRVs) like Swati, Alishery, Spin Dandi, Kelabutai etc. Exporters also suffer losses due to rejection of their orders and the blenders are hesitant to use such varieties due to rejection by the consumers. Continued

Pairing Cigars with Irish Whiskey for Saint Patrick's Day

 

(Cigar Aficionado) In the search for pairing the perfect whiskey with your premium cigar, knowledge remains your best ally. With St. Patrick's Day quickly approaching on March 17, we present a slew of Irish whiskey reviews (with cigar pairings) from our spirits guru, Jack Bettridge. And if you are more of a visual learner, then check out our video on the subject "Luck of the Irish: Pairing Whiskey with Cigars." Continued

Dating Loewe Pipes

(Cake and Dottle) Loewe is my favorite pipe maker. How to rank them in terms of the many great London made pipes of their era? No better or worse than any I suppose. For me in the simplest of subjective terms, Loewe pipes from before the Civic era are like Comoy's, but even better. After Civic took over in 1964 I suppose the quality of Loewe was very comparable to GBD, which means they were still really nice pipes. But those earlier pipes, to me they're just as good as it gets. Continued

Covering My Ash

 

(G. L. Pease) I’ve been saving the ash from my smokes for a couple weeks, partially in response to some vocal claims made by a few that smoking to the bottom is either nearly impossible, or that doing so almost guarantees destruction of the pipe through burnout. Continued

Rocky Patel Adding Two Sizes to Bernie Parent Line

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Rocky Patel Premium Cigars is adding two additional sizes to BSB no. 1 by Bernie Parent, the limited-edition cigar it released last December with the legendary hockey goaltender, best known as the leader of the famous 1973 and ‘74 Philadelphia Flyers, nicknamed the Broad Street Bullies, who won two consecutive Stanley Cup championships. The original BSB no. 1 (a nod to the hall of fame netminder’s jersey number) is a “winter friendly” 4 inch by 54 ring box-pressed robusto that consists of a Nicaraguan blend covered by Habano-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. Continued

NHC Illusione Burn Robusto Cigar Review

 

(NTA) ... Made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras, the Burn line was done as a house line for the Burn Lounge in Miami, FL.
It may just be an odd querk, but most cigars that have “Miami” in the name I tend to like a pretty good bit. So, I actually have high hopes and expectations for these cigars. Continued

New Limited-Edition Room 101 Hybrid Cigar Shipping

 

(Cigar Aficionado) A new, limited-edition project with some familiar flavors is on the way to market from the guys at Room 101, and will be arriving to retailers as early as this week.
Combining elements of two previous Room 101 releases, the Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador is bits and pieces of the original Namakubi release and the Room 101 OSOK, the limited-run cigar produced in 2012 as a tribute to photographer Edgar Hoill.
“With the Room 101 brand we really like to explore and push the boundaries with different flavor profiles,” said Dylan Austin, head of marketing for Room 101 Cigars. Continued

Dorisco Mixture Tobacco Review

 

(Pipes Magazine) A strange animal, this Dorisco Mixture. It has been called one of the biggest practical jokes in the world of pipe tobacco, owing to its tin description indicating it as a Perique-forward Virginia blend, while neglecting to mention the rather generous amount of Cyprian Latakia in it. My own experience with it came about quite by accident, as I had mis-typed the item number while bidding on a popular auction site and won a well-aged tin of this instead of the intended tin of Escudo. I decided to hang on to it, even purchasing a recent production tin for comparison, and am happy to report that it was worth the effort. Continued

Nat Sherman's New York State of Mind

 

(SMO) From Depression-era corner cigar shop to a metropolitan showplace known as the Nat Sherman Townhouse, Manhattan's home-grown iconic cigar store has set the bar higher and higher during its 83 years of growth and evolution. Continued

Photo by Jim.henderson

 

Make Your Own Snuff

(dighsx) I show how to make your own snuff from pipe tobacco. I recommend having the tobacco be very dry before you grind it.

Drew Estate Expanding In Nicaragua

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Drew Estate is in the midst of expanding its already massive footprint in Estelí, Nicaragua. It’s constructing a state-of-the-art, pre-industry tobacco warehouse slated for completion by September.
The new warehouse will be located directly across the street from La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the large factory the company uses to roll such premium brands as Liga Privada, Herrera Esteli, Undercrown and Chateau Real, as well as its infused line of Acid cigars. Continued

Punch Rare Corojo Makes Annual Return with Perfecto Size

 

(NTA) General Cigar announces that Punch® Rare Corojo is making its anticipated annual return to retail, this time with a new, strikingly-packaged figurado that is only available as part of the Honduran brand’s 2013 release.
A total of eight Punch Rare Corojo frontmarks are now available, with suggested retail prices ranging from $4.79 to $7.39 per cigar. This includes the new “Perfecto” size (7” x 48, SRP per cigar $7.39), which is protected in a keepsake, wooden cabinet-style box. Continued

Photo via http://www.past-inc.org/ 

 

Are There Really Enough Barns to Cure This Tobacco Crop?

 

 

(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) The concern just won't go away that there may not be enough flue-curing barns to meet the needs of growers in 2013. One of the reasons is the apparent rise in value of used barns: In one auction sale in eastern North Carolina last Saturday, used barns that were over 15 years old sold for only a few thousand dollars less than new barns of the same brand and type. That phenomenon has been observed frequently this winter. With the resale value of used box barns so high, it has been suggested that buyers are afraid there won't be enough new barns to go around. Could this be true? I asked four barn manufacturers who have proven reliable observers of this scene in the past for their assessment of the situation: Continued

Videos: Weaver, Prevost, and Batson - The Power of the Pipe

(smokingpipes.com) The walls seemed to be made of industrial tarps, and the roof appeared to be tin. The space itself was filled with wooden support posts and rustic round tables. It was as if I were sitting in a pub fabricated from an old carport that had been transplanted to the heart of the city. Three feet away, beyond the tarp wall, a cold mist was falling. I struck a match and took a few puffs, pulling the cool smoke into my mouth and savoring the moment. It had been a while since I last enjoyed a good bowl. I had recently made the journey to Nashville from South Carolina, land of tobacco and sunshine, in order to visit a few pipe carvers (Grant Batson, Bruce Weaver, and Pete Prevost). I sat, listening to Pete go through pint recommendations for the evening. We had what Pete called the “Nashville Experience,” which was a trip to a honkytonk and a PBR. Needless to say, it was fun. As the evening progressed, we mapped out the next day, which was to be filled with plenty of pipe enjoyment. Continued

Cigar Release: Black Patch Kenbano

 

(Cigar Inspector) The Black Patch Cigar Company, located in Pikeville, Kentucky, recently released a cigar with a proprietary Habano seed grown in the fertile soils of Western Kentucky. This new cigar, appropriately called, Black Patch Kenbano, was first released in September-October of 2012 and is currently shipping nationwide.
... Kenbano is the name of the proprietary tobacco that is grown in the Black Patch region of Logan County, KY. It should come as no surprise that great cigar tobacco can come from this soil; the first strains of tobacco indigenous to North America were a broadleaf variety and Western Kentucky has been growing broadleaf and other tobaccos for over 150 years. But growing Cuban seed (i.e., Habano) tobacco is something quite new. Continued

C.A.O. Cruises With Kid Rock

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Justin Harris of Nashville, Tennessee, is currently out to sea with rock star Kid Rock, thanks to General Cigar Co.’s C.A.O. brand.
The winner of the C.A.O. Concert launch sweepstakes, Harris and a guest have set sail with Rock, C.A.O. blender Rick Rodriguez and more for a music festival at sea. Continued

DIY Cake Tobacco

(dghsx) Come along with me as I try to make and press my own caked [plug/flake] tobacco using leftovers from my 2011 tobacco crop.
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htIydLeXkF0

Wave Collection Cigarettes

(csnews) JT International U.S.A. Inc. will introduce its Wave Collection of cigarettes in California, Louisiana and Kentucky by the second quarter of this year. Wave is a premium quality, American blend cigarette with a smooth finish. Continued

CigarsDirect.com Lights Up College Basketball Tournament for 6th Annual "Cigar Madness Brackets Challenge"

 

TAMPA, FL, Mar 08, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) - Cigar lovers and college basketball fans are invited to participate in the 6th Annual CigarsDirect.com "Cigar Madness Brackets Challenge" for a chance to win premium cigars and accessories, ranging from a limited edition Fuente Destino al Siglo Humidor (retail value $3,499.95) to boxes of Opus X, Padron and other leading brands.
The top 10 bracket point earners will each win a prize. Continued

Retailers and Industry Veteran Form Sindicato Cigar



Discounts? Piffle!

(Cigar Aficionado) A group of high-profile cigar retailers, including the former president of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, have joined forces to create Sindicato Cigar Group LLC, and this week they named a 37-year veteran of one of the world’s largest cigar companies to run the operation.

Sindicato has been created by tobacconists to create national cigar brands. The company says the brands it releases will be protected from discounters, and added that brands it sells won’t be closed out, something that sometimes happens to a cigar brand that has fallen out of favor with consumers and retailers. Continued

In His Iconic Portrait, Winston Churchill is Scowling Over a Lost Cigar

 

(petapixel) This is a photo of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh, captured in 1941 during the early years of World War II. It is said to be one of the most widely reproduced photos of all time.
It’s a legendary portrait of a legendary man by a legendary photographer. There’s also a legendary story about how it was shot. Continued