Vacation

Firecured is taking some time off to roam and ramble. I'll be back in a few weeks. In the meantime, you might enjoy some of the 2,863 archived posts on this blog.

La Gloria Launching First Nicaraguan Lines

 

(Cigar Aficionado) La Gloria Cubana is releasing two new cigars this year with a Nicaraguan country of origin. The first of the new blends will be produced under the Serie R line (which is known for big ring gauges and full-bodied flavor) and will be called La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black.
The cigar, which goes on sale in the next two weeks, will only be sold via Internet and catalog retailers. Continued

FDA tobacco chief says health community grappling with idea that some products are less risky

(AP) The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s tobacco control efforts says changes in the marketplace have forced the public health community to grapple with the idea that some products are less harmful than others. Continued

Tobacco manufacturer enters little cigar market in a big way

(Packaging Digest) As part of the American tobacco farming industry for over 100 years, S&M Brands Inc., one of Virginia's largest independent tobacco growers and manufacturing companies and makers of Bailey's, Tahoe and Riverside cigarettes, has expanded into the little cigar market with LEX12. LEX12 launched its first entry into the little cigar market just 12 months ago with its signature brand, LEX12 Classic, a slender 100mm sweet-tipped, filtered little cigar. Continued

Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Robusto 1979 Cigar Review

 

(Cigar Inspector) Don Pepin was one of Cuba`s most respected rollers when he fled the country and started rolling cigars in Miami with some other prominent defectors. The cigar is marketed as full bodied and is promoted as some of the most Cuban tasting non-Cuban cigars. The Cuban Classic is billed as a spicy cigar made from very select tobaccos. I had the opportunity to sample their Natural Robusto and what follows is my review of this cigar. This cigar comes from his “Black Label” line and is manufactured in Nicaragua. Continued

Ask G. L. Pease (Volume 25)

 

 

(G. L. Pease) Some really interesting questions fell out of the mailbag this month, with topics ranging from humidification, to tobacco colors, to blending, to toxicity. For a change, though, it’s not the toxicity of tobacco that’s in question, but rather that of flavoring agents, and of different woods when used in pipe making. Some fascinating and challenging stuff. So, without further ado, grab a pipe, find a comfy spot, and let’s dive in. Continued

Reynolds American Expanding E-Cig Distribution

(cspnet) WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Reynolds American Inc.'s experiment with making electronic cigarettes is about to move to a larger distribution scale, the company said at its annual shareholders meeting last week, reported The Winston-Salem Journal. The company provided several strategic updates during formal remarks by Daan Delen, its CEO and president.

R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. remains in test markets with its internally developed Vuse e-cigs with no reported sales numbers. It is selling Vuse at Tarheel Tobacco stores in Clemmons and Winston-Salem, N.C., and in Danville, Va., said the report. Continued

 

Wow Wintermint White Portion Snus Review

 

(Snus Girl) Wow Wintermint is made by a company named SPT (Scandinavian Premium Tobacco) that also owns Wow wintermint snusthe brand Taboca, which I haven’t tried yet. I have heard a lot of good things about Taboca so I was really curios to try this WoW! Wintermint snus.
I opened the can, by actually pulling off the top of the label on the sides of the can. I think they had me there already. These guys think about my nails! How thoughtful! I hate breaking my nails when I open a snus can. Continued

Va. tobacco entrepreneur caught in growing political drama

(newsleader.com) RICHMOND — When Jonnie R. Williams believed he had discovered a way to make tobacco less harmful, the Virginia car salesman-turned-entrepreneur tried to sell his method to anyone who would listen.
Persistent phone calls to the nation’s top cigarette makers often started with the colorful venture capitalist, once dubbed a “super salesman” by a local newspaper, dropping names and promising the world.
“He knew anybody and everybody and they were all endorsing his idea,” said Chris Coggins, who ran the research and development department at Lorillard Tobacco Co. in the mid-1990s. “He very much is a hobnobber, that’s his raison d’être, if you like. … He was a salesman like you wouldn’t believe.” Continued

Altadis Releasing Next Generation Saint Luis Rey Cigars

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Altadis is giving its Saint Luis Rey brand a facelift and a newer, bolder flavor with the new SLR Gen2, which comes out this month.
SLR Gen2 is a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, a Nicaraguan Binder and a wrapper leaf of Ecuadoran Sumatra (the original blend features a Honduran wrapper and includes filler from Peru). Continued

Imperial Tobacco HQ sold

 

(Insider Media) Imperial Tobacco's current base in Southville has been sold to Bristol City Council.
The 45,000 sq ft office is set to become a new primary school to meet increasing demand in the area.
The purchase price has not been disclosed. Burston Cook acted for Imperial Tobacco in the transaction. Continued

Final Word on Finish

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Q. You often refer to a cigar's 'finish' in your tasting notes. Can you define this term for me? Continued

Photo: Michael Brandon plays F.W. Woolworth on the TV show Mr. Selfridge (Curtis Brown).

Mac Baren Burley London Blend Tobacco Review

 

(Pipes Magazine) ... All-burley or burley-forward blends, I feel, unfairly get a bad rap for not taking on the epic qualities we often hear of in Virginia-based blends. As proof of a burley-forward blend that has the ability to age gracefully, emphatically and deliciously, I submit for your approval Mac Baren’s Burley London Blend. It is primarily a white burley that has been aged in wooden casks, along with a sprinkling of Virginia. This is a blend that, for all its inherent simplicity, is certainly memorable as a solid, tasty smoke. The review is based on a comparison of a 1980s vintage tin with a current production tin from December 2012. Continued

I crave for some Craven Mixture

 

(Dutch Pipe Smoker) Some time ago while browsing on the British ebay I saw an old still full and sealed tin of Carreras’ Craven Mixture. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered reading about it. After a quick Google search I knew it. It was the blend famous novelist and author J.M. Barrie called “Arcadia Mixture” in his famous “My Lady Nicotine” book. The ebay tin looked pretty good so I decided to bid on it. To my pleasant surprise I won it for very little money. The lady from who I bought it was somewhat worried when she had send the package: “You are not going to smoke it right? It’s OLD!” I answered “Madam, I have every intention of smoking it!” And so I did. Continued

A Mother's Day Smoke

 

10 Years of Tatuaje, Don 'Pepin' Garcia Cigars

 

(Cigar Aficionado) ... To commemorate this milestone, My Father Cigars is repackaging the original Tatuaje Selección de Cazador, or "brown label," sizes in a gold foil pouch with a redesigned band and uncut foot. A new perfecto size has also been created. At the party, guests received a 5-pack of Tatuaje 10th Anniversary Noellas as well as a box containing six My Father cigars that included two My Father limited-edition smokes, two limited-edition Jaime Garcias and two previously unreleased Don Pepin Garcia 10th Anniversary cigars. Continued

4th Generation Pipes Debut, Comoys Come Back

 

(Pipes Magazine) During the Chicago Pipe Show last weekend, renowned tobacco blender Erik Stokkebye debuted some exciting new pipes. He was there representing Phillips & King International, which distributes several pipe and tobacco lines, including Erik’s own 4th Generation Tobaccos.
Building on the 4th Generation brand, there will now be an accompanying line of 4th Generation Pipes. The pipes are made in Denmark and developed by Erik and an undisclosed pipe maker. There are 4 shapes available; 1855, 1897, 1931 and 1957 –as with the tobacco each shape is based on the birth year of the four generations. Continued

Cuban Cigars Going on Block at Christie's

(Cigar Aficionado) Next week, a group of Cuban cigars is going on the auction block at Christie's.
Christie's has salesrooms around the world, including New York, Paris, Dubai and Geneva, where this particular sale will take place. Centered around fine wines, the May 14 and 15 auction features several lots of cigars, with some signed by former Cuban president Fidel Castro. Continued

Balkan Smoke: Tobacco and the Making of Modern Bulgaria

(Foreign Affairs) Smoking may seem a curious route into Bulgarian history, but given the centrality of tobacco to the country’s commerce, examining it allows Neuburger to add depth to many facets of Bulgarian social and political life as the country moved from the tutelage of the Ottoman Empire to autonomy after 1877, through the crosscurrents of World War I and its revolutionary aftermath, and to the genocide of World War II and then the confused heavy hand of communist overlordship. Continued

The Return of Ohio Blue Tip Matches

 

(Cigar Aficionado) You don't have to be a phillumenist to appreciate the newly rebranded Ohio Blue Tip Matches—just a cigar enthusiast.
While the current cigar accessories market offers a deluge of options to light your premium cigar, purists opt for the simple match. Not only are matches cheap, but they never run out of butane and force you to slow down and focus on properly toasting a cigar's foot.
... So when the Jarden Corp., owner of the Ohio Blue Tip Matches brand, quietly removed Blue Tips from the market in February of 2011 to focus on its other match brand, Diamond Matches, cigar and pipe enthusiasts who have come to rely on the tiny wooden bringers of fire bemoaned the day. But they did not go quietly into the good night, so to speak. Continued

Photo: Christopher Cacho via Tad Carpenter (Pinterest)

 

North Carolina tobacco grower dodges 2,4-D bullet

(Southeast Farm Press) Eddie Johnson has grown tobacco in Surry County, N.C., for a long time — long enough to be a charter member of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina and well enough to be a former North Carolina and Southeast Swisher/Sunbelt Expo Farmer of the Year.
But, while working on his diversified farm, Johnson smelled the unmistakable scent of 2,4-D.
It wasn’t the unpleasant organophosphate smell that bothered him, it was two greenhouses filled with tender young transplants — the only plants he had for his upcoming tobacco crop.
What Eddie Johnson smelled that February morning was disaster. Continued

Oliva Serie V Melanio Petit Corona Cigar Review

 

(Cigar Inspector) The company markets this cigar as hand-rolled using ‘expertly fermented’ ligero fillers which are known for their robust and rich flavors. The Serie V Melanio is considered one of the brand’s “Premium” Cigars. The long filler tobaccos are a blend of Oliva Nicaraguan Habano that emphasizes tobacco from the Jalapa region, an area known for a more nuanced leaf than the Esteli or Condega regions. Continued

Cornell & Diehl Plantation Evening Tobacco Review

 

(At the back of the hill) Lately I've been indulging in a mixture which Keith at Cornell & Diehl recommended back in early January. It is probably one of the most disturbing things to which I have ever been exposed.
Regular readers know that tobacco blends, by their particularity and unique nose impressions, are memory sparkers of no mean magnitude for this blog.
What something smells and tastes like often reminds me of times, places, and people from my past. Which is very useful, and great fun too. Plantation Evening (No. 416) does none of those things. Leastways, none of them well.
But it is exceedingly addictive. Continued

 

Image: Hobbinol's Blog

 

Video: How Savinelli Pipes are made

Via Pipes Magazine

The Year of the Cuban Cigar

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Cigar smokers around the world still remember the "dark period" of Cuban cigars, a long stretch of time from around 1998 to 2003 when the quality of construction and taste of their cigars was below par.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 and the subsequent end of billions of dollars in annual subsidies severely impacted Cuba's tobacco industry just as the global cigar boom began. An attempt to meet soaring demand by increasing production with fewer resources—everything from fertilizers to gasoline was in short supply—backfired and undermined the quality of many cigars rolled on the island.
But those days are in the past. Continued

A Pipe Filling Experiment (Part 1)

(Glynn Quelch) Been wanting to try this for a while. Loading a pipe with different blends at each layer. This isnt a great example but more of a proof of concept.
Smoked in a Comoy's Red Bark 1780XL
I am going to revisit this in a different manner and with a bigger, (almost) magnum pipe!
Have some ideas on 2 and 3 course blends, with some interesting twists.
Q.Want to know how to make the room spin?
A. This is how 33% Perique 33% Kentucky 33% Latakia
www.glynnquelch.co.uk

Aurora Releasing Maduro 107 Cigar

 

(Cigar Aficionado) The Aurora 107 blend is taking a dark turn with a new maduro release that will be hitting shelves this month.
La Aurora has been in business for more than a century—110 years to be exact—and released the 107 three years ago to commemorate that milestone. The blend has averaged more than 88 points in Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider taste tests since then, recently netting 90 points for the Gran 107 in December 2012. Continued

Cigarette Revenue Drop Surprises Pennsylvania Legislators - Plan the Same for Other Tobacco Products

 

(NACS) HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania cigarette sales are declining, which has some lawmakers eyeing higher taxes on other tobacco products to fill the gap.
The Pennsylvania Independent reports that revenues from cigarette taxes are down 4.6% from last year, which came as a surprise to Matthew Knittel, executive director of the state’s Independent Fiscal Office, who projected closer to a 2% decrease.
Pennsylvania’s cigarette tax is $1.60 per pack, after it was increased by 25 cents in 2009. The national average, as of the start of 2013, is $1.36. Continued

Small Batch Smokes: Premium cigar companies are finding big success with small-scale releases

 

(Cigar Aficionado) ... The cultivation of high-quality, low-yield tobacco is evident, as more and more small-batch expressions find their way to the market, garnering high scores and critical praise for both character and distinction.
In lieu of their larger production core lines, small-batch releases give cigarmakers the chance to experiment creatively with rare tobacco that they may never see again, and turn it into a limited offering. Continued

N.J. Cigar Festival Set for May 11, 2013

 

(Smoke Magazine) The New Jersey Cigar Festival is returning to North Jersey on Saturday, May 11, 2013. The event will be held on the grounds of the picturesque Park Avenue Club in Florham Park, N.J.—a private dining club housed in a beautifully restored historic brick and slate dairy barn once owned by the Sisters of Charity.
The event is organized by Barrister Cigars, a premium cigar shop located in Union, N.J.
Over 15 cigar manufacturers will be participating, including A.J. Fernandez; George Sosa of Alec Bradley Cigars; Ashton Cigars / La Arome de Cuba; Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate; Gurkha Cigars; Willy Herrera of Herrera Estelí; Paul Joyal of J. Grotto Series; José Blanco of Joya de Nicaragua; Maria Martin of Martin Family Cigar Company; Arielle Ditkowich of Miami Cigar; My Father Cigars; Antonio Lam of Reinado Cigars; Rocky Patel Cigars; and Xikar, Inc. Continued

Vintage Cigars?

 

(Cigar Aficionado) A person I know claims to have 4 pre-Revolution Cuban Davidoff Tubos and is trying to sell them to me. What are they worth, assuming they are still smokeable? Continued

Tobacco Board fixes Karnataka crop at 102 million kg

 

(The Hindu) Bangalore, May 6: The Tobacco Board has increased Karnataka’s crop size by four per cent to 102 million kg (mkg) for the crop year 2013-14.
A decision to this effect was taken at the full board meeting held recently. The trade had demanded 112 mkg and growers request was for around 105 mkg.
“Keeping the annual demand projection in mind in addition to companies’ interest, we have hiked Karnataka’s crop size by four per cent,” K. Gopal, Tobacco Board Chairman, told Business Line. Continued

A pipe for one last smoke

(Passion for Pipes) “You can have one last pipe smoke.”
Now, those are dreaded words. They conjure up visions of midnight on Death Row and one long, last walk into oblivion. Or worse, my wife having grasped the last straw before separating me forever from my beloved briars.
In any case, were those words ever to scuttle like earwigs into my external auditory meatus, I have found the pipe for my final puff: Continued

Tobacco Lovers Discover Mystique of Perique

 

(NYTimes) ... Fans describe perique as spicy, earthy and rich. It is a “condiment” tobacco, more akin to an intense habanero hot sauce than ketchup. It rarely makes up more than 15 percent of any given blend, and that is enough to make its presence known. Most people in St. James have a story about someone who tried to smoke or chew perique straight. It never ends well. Continued

 

Photo: Perique tobacco in process of ageing near Lutcher, Louisiana, 1938 (Russell Lee/FSA/LoC).

Side by Side Review of GL Pease Fillmore Tobacco (2006 & 2012)

(Glynn Quelch) Mr. Tobacco looks at the aging question.

Dutch tobacco trade

 

(Dutch Pipe Smoker) Around the 16th century, sniffing, chewing tobacco and especially pipe smoking slowly became the ways to use tobacco in the Netherlands.
In the 17th century smoking was becoming more and more common. There was smoke everywhere: in homes, shops, inns etc. The Netherlands as a trading nation, with Amsterdam as the centre, played an important role in the tobacco trade. English sources depicted the Dutch as chain smokers. And then to think it were English craftsmen, fighting in the army as mercenaries, who learned us to make what later became the famous Gouda pipes.
“A Dutchman without a pipe in Amsterdam is a national impossibility. A city without a house, a stage without an actor, a spring without flowers. A Dutchman could not feel blessed in Heaven without his pipe and tobacco.” Continued

EXACTUS Cigars – Line Review

 

(Casas Fumando) One of the coolest things about writing for Casas Fumando is trying out cigars that I may never have come across otherwise. A couple of weeks ago, I received a few samples of EXACTUS cigars, along with a very well put together booklet with the history of the company and products they offer, cigar cutter, and butane lighter.
EXACTUS cigars are produced in the Dominican Republic at Tabacalera El Artista. The factory is located in a small village in the Santiago province. Continued

Casa Fuente Launches New Website With Las Vegas Trip Giveaway

 

LAS VEGAS, NV (Marketwired – May 2, 2013) Casa Fuente inside The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace is giving cigar lovers the - possibility to win a trip for two to Las Vegas NV & to attend Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke by visiting the - brand new CasaFuente.com. Now through October 1 those visiting CasaFuente.com can fill out an entry form when checking out the - new website of the - cigar bar.
Destination Las Vegas NV is free (no cost) to enter for those 21 & over, & one winner will be selected & receive airfare for two to Las Vegas, a two-night stay & two tickets to the - annual yearly Cigar Aficionado Big Smoke. Continued

Photo via Vintage Poster Works

 

Book Review: Still Searching for Pipe Dreams by Rick Newcombe

 

(Pipes Magazine) While reading "Still Searching for Pipe Dreams" you feel like you’re hanging out with the author Rick Newcombe as he tells you all kinds of stories, with tons of interesting information and opinions about pipes and tobacco. Maybe it feels that way because I have had the opportunity to sit down with Rick and smoke some of his specially-aged and formulated Dunhill Early Morning Pipe—for which he provides the recipe in the book. Or perhaps it’s just because the book is well-written and easy-to-read, with a relaxed conversational tone to it. Continued

Photo: Brainless Tales

What was a "rolling road" and what did it have to do with tobacco?

 

Back in colonial America, tobacco was tightly packed in large barrels, known as hogsheads, for shipment to market. The hogsheads were not placed on wagons, instead they were outfitted with an axle through the middle and literally rolled to market. These market trails were called rolling roads.
If there's a Rolling Road near you, that's probably how it got its name.

Villiger Looks Increasingly to Premium Cigars

 

(David Savona) The United States unit of one of the major players in the world of European-style, machine-made cigars is expanding its presence on the premium side of the cigar business.
Villiger Cigars North America, the U.S. arm of Villiger Söhne AG of Pfeffikon, Switzerland, has expanded its small but growing stable of handmade cigar brands.
Villiger Colorado has a pair of new sizes, a 6-inch-long, 60 ring gauge Gordo (suggested retail price $10.50) and a corona measuring 5 1/2 inches by 44 ring ($6.99), pushing the brand to six sizes. Villiger Talanga has been expanded by one size, adding a corona (5 1/2 by 44, $6.99), giving the line five sizes in all. Continued

Legendary Tobacconist Mel Feldman’s "The Smoker" Blends Are Back

 

(Pipes Magazine) Starting in the 1930s, Albany, NY was home to a legendary tobacconist- The Smoker. The shop was a mainstay, operated by Solomon Levin, first on Madison Avenue, and after being sold to Mel Feldman in 1973, moving to Washington Avenue not far from the Capitol building in the 1980s.
Many pipe smokers looked upon the shop as the place to search for estate pipes of all kinds. The owner for the last thirty years of its existence (the store closed in late-2011), Mel Feldman, has been well known for his knowledge of estates, and particularly Barlings. In fact, Mel picked up the nickname “Mr. Barling” for his extensive background regarding that iconic brand.
But Mel and his shop were also renowned for the widely varied house blends that he made by hand, one pound at a time. Continued

Photo: The Portal to Texas History

 

Hand-rolled cigar lecture set for May 16

 

(Lancasteronline) Jim Rudy will present a lecture on hand-rolled cigar making with an emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century cigar-making tools on Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. in the East Hempfield Township Municipal Building, 1700 Nissley Road, Landisville. Continued

Partagás: The Book

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Can books take on a charmed life? Normally, they come and go. Some with big name authors earn mega-bucks. Some languish in obscurity, waiting to be discovered. But every so often, a book is researched, written and published against long odds, and then, it acquires even more relevance because of an external event.
That's how I would describe Amir Saarony's excellent history of the Partagás saga, from the brand's beginnings in the famous factory behind Havana's Capitol building to the current day. Continued