Rocky Patel Sungrown Robusto Cigar Review

 

(Cigar Inspector) This week I decided to go with a cigar I haven’t smoked for about 4 years. For some reason the Rocky Patel Sungrown Robusto really caught my eye in the shop the other day, so I decided to pick a few up.
Rocky Patel has truly made his mark in the cigar world. Through hard work and hours of travel/promotion his name is one of the most sought after in the premium cigar market. Continued

Why do we smoke a pipe?

 

(smokingpipes.com) What draws you to pipe smoking? Think about that question for a moment. On our resources page, we often explain all the ins and outs of "how" to smoke a pipe, but we sometimes overlook the "why." So with all the forms of tobacco out there, why do we smoke a pipe? It's a tough question, probably on par with that timeless query "What is the meaning of life?" But it nonetheless deserves consideration. Is it due to tradition? Variety? An opportunity for reflection? We all have our answers, or at least something that comes close to an answer. While you contemplate it yourself, take a look at some of the reasons why we here at SPC smoke a pipe. Continued

Additives in Pipe Tobacco

 

(Russ Ouellette) ... There are two types of flavorings used in tobaccos. The first type is called a casing. Pretty much any blend that contains Virginia or Burley tobaccos have been cased. These flavorings aren’t used as much to add taste or aroma as to mitigate any negative properties of the raw leaf. Burley, for example, has a bit of a sour note, so sweeteners may be added, such as molasses or licorice, mixed with water and steamed into the tobacco. Continued

Boca Raton, Fla. Firefighters Tell City to Butt Out of Smoking, Tobacco Habits

 

(Firehouse.com) The Boca Raton firefighters' union wants the city to butt out of firefighters' smoking habits.
After 24 years of contract prohibitions against firefighters using tobacco -- on or off the job -- Boca Raton's fire union wants to change the contract so they can light up without consequences.
Currently, firefighters who use tobacco can be fired. Continued

167 windows, 13-foot ceilings: A closer look at the Ybor cigar factory to be converted to apartments

 

(bizjournals.com) The asbestos siding that covers the exterior of the old Oliva Tobacco Co. building in Ybor City disguises the property’s potential — it’s covering up 167 windows — but it’s also done a good job of preserving the property.
... Built in 1900, Shaw said the former factory is one of the oldest wooden structures in Florida. Historic rehabilitation and adaptive reuse projects are more expensive than new construction, because of the nature of the work, and costs can shift as construction progresses and more is revealed about the state of the building. Continued

Photo: Oliva Tobacco 

 

 

Casa Fernández Aganorsa Leaf Maduro Délire (Prerelease) Cigar Review

 

(Halfwheel) Earlier this month, Casa Fernández announced it would be making a few changes to its Aganorsa Leaf Maduro line. First, the company lowered the price of the Illustre (5 x 48) vitola from $8.90 to $8, while it also announced that it would be adding a 6 1/2 x 50 size known as the Délire, which is the French word for delirium or wild idea.
Deliré is priced at $8.90 per cigar and offered in boxes of 15. It becomes the fourth size for the line which uses as Mexican San Andrés maduro cover leaf over Nicaraguan fillers from the AGANORSA farms. Continued

Three New Skruf Slim Snus Reviews

 

(Snubie) Skruf has added three new Slim products to their lineup - Original White Slim, Xtra Stark White Slim and Fresh Tranbar Xtra Stark White Slim.  As most companies are starting to realize, the long/slim portion format is truly the best way to enjoy suns, in my opinion at least. I know Northerner has the Xtra Stark Slim White and Original Slim White, though I'm not sure where the Tranbar Slim Xtra Stark is - I haven't seen it for sale online anywhere.  So keep an eye out, I'm sure it'll pop up on the web stores soon. Continued

New Brand From Restructured Puros Indios Cigars

 

(Cigar Aficionado) Puros Indios Cigars announced it has reorganized the company hierarchy and will be manufacturing and distributing Kafie 1901, a new cigar that will be shipping to stores soon.
Best known for its Puros Indios and Cuba Aliados cigar brands, Puros Indios Cigars was owned by Rolando Reyes Sr., who died in 2012. Reyes, who was born in Cuba, first produced cigars out of a small factory in New Jersey before moving several times—first to Miami, then the Dominican Republic and, finally, Honduras, in a Danlí factory called Tabacalera Puros Aliados. The family also grows tobacco in Honduras. Continued

Room101 Big Delicious Cigar Review

 

(Halfwheel) In December 2012, halfwheel broke the news of the cigar that would become the sixth installment in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series, the Room101 Big Delicious.
The “bastard child” of a cigar came with a dedicated website that featured a 16–episode comic strip as part of the lead up to the cigar’s debut at a VIP dinner during the 2013 Great Smoke and its public launch on April 26. The name comes from Matt Booth’s, owner of Room101, nickname for Abe Dababneh, the owner of Smoke Inn. Continued

Malawi nets US$360m from tobacco

 

(African Manager) The just-ended, tobacco-selling season in Malawi has contributed at least US$361 million to the economy, almost equalling earnings from last year's sales.
At least 191 million kilogrammes of the leaf was auctioned on the market this season.
"The market was fair," said Bruce Munthali, General Manager of the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC). Continued

The facts on tubo cigars

 

(Cigar Aficionado) I just bought a box of tubos and I am wondering if it is OK to store them outside of my humidor? Continued

Pall Mall Packaging Gets Upgrade

(CSP) R.J. Reynolds Tobacco's Pall Mall cigarette brand is sporting a new, "more contemporary" look beginning this month.
This change "reflects the continued positive interest from adult smokers, making Pall Mall the No. 1 value cigarette brand in the United States, and the No. 4 best-selling brand overall," said Richard J. Smith, lead manager of communications for Reynolds American Inc.
... Each pack is embossed for a premium in-hand feel and appearance, the company said, and the product inside the package will not change. Continued

On Liverpools

 

(PfP) Compared to its cousins, the Canadian and the Lovat, the Liverpool attracts fewer admirers. In my experience, many pipe smokers are not even sure what a Liverpool is. However, this seems to be changing. For mysterious reasons, the Liverpool’s star is rising. It is true for me, and I’ve noticed of late that more than a few of my friends are enthusing about the Liverpools I’ve seen them smoking. Continued

A Visit To Dalay Cigars – The Alec Bradley Road Tour

 

(Nino's Flying Cigar) A week after driving to Switzerland it was back on the road.
This time staying basically in the neighbourhood as it was an hour’s drive down to Saarbrücken, right on the French-Luxembourg border.
I had been in contact with Michael from Dalay Cigars,
the trusted and very knowledgeable sidekick to Salih Dalay, the owner, on the genial videos they produce. He had invited me to taste the new house cigar, the Dalay Limitada Capa Rosada 2014, and I wanted to taste it right there “in da house”. Continued

McClelland Frog Morton’s Cellar in a Vintage Gourd Calabash

 

(Smoking Jacket) As I said in my review of Frog Morton on the Bayou, I find the concept of the cellars of Frogmorton an interesting one, but then again, a frog probably wouldn’t find a basement half full of water to be a bad thing.
So, I find myself sitting here early in the morning with my last bowl of Frog Morton’s Cellar in my vintage gourd calabash.  When I got sent this last batch of tobacco, there were a few bags of Frog Morton sent from a private collection, and unfortunately there was just over an ounce of the Frog Morton’s Cellar, and that went really fast. Continued

Cigar history uncovered in renovations

(Scranton Times Tribune) Work on the former Avanti Cigar building on the 1000 block of North Main Avenue in Scranton uncovered a bit of history: the painted sign reading “Parodi Cigar Co. of NY.”
Contractors razed the 1960s-era addition and a storage facility but preserved the original, three-story brick and masonry building. Removing a layer of stucco exposed the brick and painted logo, a nod to the Avanti company’s history.
The Suraci brothers moved the company from the New York City area to Scranton in the 1930s, but they wanted to maintain the association with New York City, said Dominick Keating, president emeritus at Avanti Cigar. Continued

Smoker Friendly

 

(Retail Merchandiser) At the age of 46, Steve Norman was out of a job, had two kids in college and a big mortgage. He had enough socked away to survive for a little while, but certainly not in the lifestyle to which his family was accustomed. He had to come up with a plan.
Norman had a background in wholesale distribution to convenience stores, and he decided to start a chain of cigarette/tobacco stores in West Virginia. Continued

Dire Warnings by Big Tobacco on E-Smoking

 

(NYTimes) Tobacco companies, long considered public health enemy No. 1, have suddenly positioned themselves as protectors of consumer well-being in the digital age.

They are putting out among the strongest health warnings in the fledgling e-cigarette industry, going further even than the familiar ones on actual cigarettes, a leading cause of death.

... The warnings, which are entirely voluntary and are seen by some as attempts to reduce legal liability or burnish corporate reputations, generally exceed what amounts to modest cautions, silence or even positive health claims from smaller e-cigarette makers. Continued

 

 

Perdomo Cigar Mug Review

 

(Halfwheel) The 12-ounce Perdomo Cigar Mug ($14.99) features a groove in the top of the handle that’s designed to hold your cigar, while the rest of the drinking vessel can hold coffee. If you’re like me, before I knew this existed, I can’t say that it’s something I wished existed. That’s not because I don’t think it’s a good or bad idea but more so I just never thought about putting a cigar holder on my coffee cup. Continued

Remember When: Ole Buck Duke (1856-1925)

(theleafchronicle.com) ... James Buchanan Duke had gobbled up more than 200 rival tobacco companies by 1890, when he was still under the age of 35. One of them was Lucky Strike. Duke stacked together these gobbled-up firms and hung them under one big tobacco name – American Tobacco Company, which eventually accounted for 82 percent of all tobacco used in the U.S. Good for ole greedy young Buck Duke.
Really? But what about the sunup-to-sundown, hard-working farmer sweating and straining who actually hung his tobacco, up to five tiers up, in a tobacco barn on a hot-as-Hades August day? And all that was after he’d toiled away since plant bed time last January. The more tobacco he raised and hung, the more ragged he became. Why? Continued

Hometown Icon: Tobacco Pool Warehouse

 

(LaCrosse Tribune) A decorative building in Viroqua is a symbol of days gone by and a reminder of what was once the cash crop of Vernon County - tobacco.
The Northern Wisconsin Co-op Tobacco Pool Warehouse, also called the Bekkedal Leaf Tobacco Warehouse, on East Decker Street is now privately owned, but the front is emblazoned with the name of what it was built for in 1906. Martin Bekkedal was a Norwegian who immigrated in the 1880’s and became a dominant force in the tobacco leaf wholesaler business in the region by 1900. Continued

HH Vintage Syrian vs. 3 Oaks Syrian Tobacco

 

(Dutch Pipe Smoker) In my blog-posts Latakia Lover and Syrian Latakia I described the dark leaf that comes from Syria and why it is so rare these days. In fact, there are only two companies of which I am 100% certain that they still have it: Danish based Mac Baren and American based McClelland. Important to know is that they both use Syrian latakia that originates from the same stock! Which is the reason for this post. I was curious what was the better, tastier blend that contains the fire-cured shekk-el-bint: Mac Baren HH Vintage Syrian or McClelland 3 Oaks Syrian. I choose these blends because there is no other type of latakia in them. Continued

CLE Signature Series PLdM Robusto Cigar Review

 

(Halfwheel) For the better part of the last year, Eiroa (Salud, Amor, Pesetas) has been not only the eponymous line for Christian Eiroa, but also the flagship line for Eiroa’s company. But now, that’s no longer the case.
The new flagship line is the CLE Signature Series, a collection of cigars rolled in Miami using leaves that Eiroa says are individually selected and rolled by the same rollers responsible for his personal cigars. The first in the Signature Series is known as Primera Liga de Miami (PLdM), the first line from Miami, and is offered in four sizes. Continued

Custom Pipe Tobacco Blend Review (video)

Thunder Frosted Christmas Snus Review

 

(Snubie.com) ... Thunder Frosted Christmas comes in the big can (if you order 10 cans) like Offroad Julesnus.  I'm not sure if there is a loose version or not, I would assume just portions since it's a new product.  When I spoke with V2 Tobacco about this new release, I was told it's "Thunder Frosted with a hint of Christmas! Spearmint, vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon!" Continued

A Bed is a Place to Live (Sutliff's Mixture 79 Tobacco Review)

 

(At the back of the hill) ... For years, Mixture 79 was more popular than Prince Albert and Middleton's Walnut combined, and tobacconists compounded upscale equivalents for more snooty smokers. Hard to believe, but true. Continued

Cigar bar owners get one more shot to argue against ban

 

(journalstar.com) The Nebraska Supreme Court has given cigar bar and tobacco shop owners a chance to argue why they shouldn't have to stop their patrons from smoking indoors.

The decision comes almost a month after the high court's judges declared the state's indoor smoking ban exemptions for cigar bars and tobacco stores unconstitutional.
"We’re grateful that the Supreme Court’s going to give us a chance to say what we have to say,” said Jason "Hutch" Hutchison, who runs the Lincoln location of Jake's Cigars & Spirits. Continued

La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse Shipping

 

(Halfwheel) The most expensive cigar in La Aroma de Cuba’s recent history is now off to stores. Ashton Distributors, Inc. announced today that the La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse, a 6 1/2 x 52 parejo, is shipping this week.
Noblesse uses an Ecuadorian habano rosado wrapper, criollo and habano finders and fillers from the My Father farms in Nicaragua and is limited to 3,000 boxes of 24. Continued

Casa Fuente to close for renovations

 

(Las Vegas Weekly) The smoke will clear from the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace this month, when Casa Fuente cigar lounge closes September 28 to undergo renovations. The 9-year-old cigar bar will add a larger humidor and a new lounge space, where guests can smoke Casa Fuente’s finest or sample a glass from the stocked whiskey collection. Continued

Quick Pipe Tobacco Reviews: Missouri Meerschaum Country Gentleman

(BaldPipeSmoker) A new blend from Missouri Meershaum and Russ of pipesandcigars.com. Bright and red Virginias with Perique and a little bit of dark-fired Kentucky.

Camacho Criollo Robusto Tubo Review

 

(NTA) ... The cigar has an overall solid feel to it and is fairly light in the hand. The wrapper has a light hay note with dabs of a black pepper in the mix.
The foot aroma has hints of nutmeg, hay and a slight spiciness to it. Continued

Hoptown looks back to Night Riders Raid

 

(Kentucky New Era) The streets of downtown Hopkinsville echoed with the booms of shotguns, the cracks of pistols and the click and clack of horseshoes on pavement Friday night during the third annual Night Riders Tobacco Raid re-enactment.
The tour was part of the Tobacco War Pilgrimage weekend, hosted by the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County.
Four large trailers lined with hay bales and filled with more than 400 spectators made their way through town for the re-enactment, stopping at the various spots the Night Riders burned and destroyed during the Dec. 7, 1907 raid. Continued

Tobacco farming fades, but it’s not extinguished

 

(pressherald.com) Some of Jay Smithback’s earliest memories are of driving a tractor, when he was 4 years old, and working in his family’s tobacco field.
Now 29, Smithback is a fourth-generation tobacco farmer near Deerfield, in Dane County, Wisconsin. Overall production of the crop in Wisconsin has dwindled to the point where it’s barely a blip in the state’s $59 billion agricultural industry, but it remains profitable for Smithback and about 200 other farmers. Continued

Cigars for breakfast!

 

(sbnation) Having Michael Jordan inside the ropes is a Ryder Cup tradition at this point. Jordan typically starts each session posted up on the first tee, and then he's seen patrolling the fairways and zipping around in a golf cart all day. And he always, always has his cigar. Even at 7 a.m. in Scotland. Continued

Fernando León Family Reserve Preferidos Reviewed

 

(Halfwheel) The original Don Fernando was modeled after Don Fernando León. It was the cigar the late head of La Aurora smoked, 5 9/16 x 42. differentiated from the rest of the León Jimenes line only by a few words on the boxes.
At the 2012 IPCPR convention and trade show, La Aurora showed off a new Don Fernando. Continued

East End farms grow niche crops for specialized markets

 

(Newsday) The idea to grow tobacco on the North Fork of Long Island came to Michael Chuisano about five years ago, as he sat on his deck, gazing across the water at the not-so-distant shores of Connecticut.
For generations, some of America's most prized tobacco for cigar wrappers has come from farms along the Connecticut River, which empties into the Long Island Sound just eight miles north of Chuisano's home in Orient Point. If the stuff grows in Connecticut, he thought, perhaps it could grow on Long Island. Continued

Vanilla Cream Loose Cut By Mac Baren Tobacco Review

(Smoking Jacket) ... I filled my pipe to the brim, sniffing as often as I could. I could not get enough of the smell of this tobacco. I took about 3 tries to get a good smoke going, and stayed lit for a good while. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to smoke this bowl. My first mouthful was divine! It was sweet and mild and took me about 10 minutes to experience any tongue bite. The smoke started out tasting like a vanilla cream puff, about half way through it morphed into a vanilla latte. Continued

Österlensnus: A new, small batch snus from Sweden

 

(Snubie.com) ... Eskil Thomsen, the man behind Österlensnus has been into snus his whole life. He bought a farm and began to make his own wine, slaughtered his own lamb and chickens, and began growing his own vegetables. Eventually, he began to buy raw tobacco to make his own snus. After a while, he saw how easy it was to grow tobacco, and eventually started making his own snus, which he called Österlensnus. Continued

Portrait: Brian Chinnock

 

(Halfwheel) There are a lot of cigar brand owners who enjoy wine. Many of them have seen their love of grapes spill over into the names of cigars, no one has taken quite as far as Brian Chinnock, owner of Chinnock Cellars Cigars. For Chinnock, wine is not just a passion or hobby, rather, it’s his other business—Chinnock Cellars, a winery. That business is located in California, while his cigars are rolled across the country at Miami’s El Titan de Bronze. As is so often the case with Chinnock, we managed to find him with a cigar in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Continued

A Face Lift for a Battered Old Meerschaum Bulldog

 

(rebornpipes) ... This unfortunate meerschaum was in about as bad shape as I had ever seen any pipe I still wanted to buy. I thought, if not I, then who? There were others of more merit in the lot, but that one cried out to me. Then again, I do have a sizable collection of meerschaums and knew I would be more than happy to keep that one if things didn’t work out restoration-wise. Continued

Cigar Review: Perdomo's 20th Anniversary Sun Grown

 

(Smokingpipes.com) ... Available in 5 different vitolas, the 20th Anniversary Sun Grown cigar comes packaged in a 24 count box following Perdomo's classic schema for cigar boxes. The 5 different vitolas, or sizes, are the standard Robusto, Torpedo, Toro or Epicure, Churchill, and the not-so-standard Corona Grande, or double corona. Normally, I would be sampling the Robusto size of this cigar, but I am recently becoming a fan of skinnier and longer sticks, so I decided to sample the Corona Gorda/Grande today. Continued

Demolition reveals vintage Battle Ax tobacco ad on Grand Rapids building

 

(mlive.com) GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The last time anyone saw the advertisements now visible on the side of Rockwell & Republic bar, Theodore Roosevelt was starting his first term as U.S. president, Albert Einstein was in the midst of his “miracle year,” and the Wright Brothers were perfecting the world's first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Continued

Try this with your flakes

 

(Talking Tobacco) I am a big fan of flake tobaccos and enjoy the long, cool smoke they provide. The only problem is I over pack the pipe, leading to a troublesome smoke. The bowl will not stay lit and I often get tongue bite from lighting it so much. I stayed away from flakes for a long time after a few really bad cases of tongue bite. Continued

Partagás Selección Privada EL 2014 Arrives in Stores

 

(Halfwheel) The first of this year’s annual Edición Limitada series has arrived, in Germany. The Partagás Seleccíon Privada, which measures just shy of 6 3/10 inches (160 mm) by 50, is the first of the three scheduled Edición Limitadas to be released and is expected to begin debuting in other areas of Europe in the coming weeks.
Two La Casa del Habanos in Germany have the cigars listed at €180, around $230, per box of 10. Continued

The Escape Pipe

 

(PfP) ... Thanks to spy and secret agent novelists like the great Ian Fleming, everyday objects with secret functions are part and parcel of spy lore. Whether it’s fountain pen guns, button cameras, dagger shoes, garrot watches–or even Maxwell Smart’s outrageous shoe phone–gadgets that masquerade as something else have been around since before the cane-sword.
Believe it or not, secretly purposed smoking pipes were manufactured during World War II–and they were no Deus-ex-machina figment of some author’s imagination that was intended to solve a thorny plot problem, either. They really existed. Continued

Dunhill Signed Range Cigars are Back With a New Look

(Cigar Aficionado) The 2014 IPCPR in Las Vegas allowed General Cigar Co. to flex some muscle, showcasing a host of new brands and offerings as part of its monster cigar portfolio. Among the major announcements included the official debut of the reimagined Dunhill Signed Range.
"The new look of Dunhill Signed Range has been inspired by the need to create a more modern feel to the brand," said Steven Kron, regional account manager at Dunhill Cigars. Continued

Free Tobacco Cellar Database for Android

 

(Smoking Jacket) Hey folks, have I got a find for you!
Many people are looking for a way to keep track of their tobacco cellar and share it with friends on their android based device.
I- has apps, specifically one called Pipe Tool that I hear is pretty good, but there is really nothing for android…  UNTIL NOW! Continued

At harvest time, Kentucky tobacco producers have cause for concern despite good crop

 

(kyforward.com) While there is no such thing as a perfect growing season, most tobacco producers in the region might agree that this year has been adequate enough to produce a very good crop.
Still, labor concerns, market volatility and harvesting problems caused by an overly wet summer have created a whole set of worries for producers. Continued

Canadian cigar event hopes to go up in smoke

 

(Cochrane Eagle) The first ever Rocky Mountain Smokeout (RMS) will be held at the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, which looks to unite cigar fans from across Western Canada.
The event, running from Oct. 3-4, promises to feature some of today’s top premium cigars and is aiming to be the largest cigar festival in Canada. Continued

Cain F Lanceros Cigars Returning in October

 

(Halfwheel) One of the most popular lanceros of recent memory is set for a return. Oliva began informing retailers that the Cain F Lanceros will return as a regular production item, likely before the end of October. Continued

Two Perez-Carrillo Cigars to Launch in Europe

 

(Cigar Aficionado) The EPC Cigar Co. first broke into the European cigar market two years ago, and now company owner Ernesto Perez-Carrillo wants to show his appreciation to retailers there in the best way possible: with new cigars.
New Wave Reserva and E.P. Carrillo Cabinet debuted at last weekend's InterTabac tobacco trade show, held in Dortmund, Germany, and they are slated for release in Europe in October. Perez-Carrillo confirmed that the new lines will appear in U.S. cigar shops later in the year.
The New Wave Reserva's blend features a Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Continued

Winston Churchill's half-smoked cigar is set to fetch £3,000 at auction

 

(express) A cigar half-smoked by Winston Churchill during a Cold War conference with world leaders is going up for sale.

A soldier guarding the meeting room containing Churchill, US President Dwight Eisenhower and French Premier Joseph Laniel collected the still-smoking cigar when he was sent in to tidy up afterwards.

Welshman Sergeant Rudolph Hughes stubbed it out in an ashtray before pocketing it as a souvenir. Continued