Puros Indios Unveils 2012 Series Cigars, Cuba Aliados Cabinet Selection, Super Mazo

(Smokemag.com) The Puros Indios 2012 Series is being made in Miami under the close supervision of company President Carlos Diez, grandson of Honduras-based cigar maker Rolando Reyes Sr. “We secured some incredible tobacco out of Nicaragua that allowed us to create this special blend,” says Diez of the all-Nicaraguan blend he created. The line is box-pressed and available in three “simple” sizes — robusto, toro torpedo, with a suggested retail price between $7 and $9 dollars. “We only use three cigar rollers out of our Miami factory, and their daily output is limited to 100 cigars each.” This cigar isn’t widely available, but can be found on the shelves of the company’s “best customers.” Continued

La Aroma de Cuba Adds Two New Sizes

(Cigar Aficionado) The La Aroma de Cuba brand has added two more vitolas to its portfolio—a corona and a double corona—bringing the brand to eight sizes total. Owned by Philadelphia-based Ashton Distributors Inc., La Aroma de Cuba is made in Nicaragua at My Father Cigars S.A.
“They’re the smallest and largest sizes in the line” said Sathya Levin, vice president of Ashton. Continued

Circle K to Push Private-Label Cigarettes?

(CSP) Highlighting the noticeable detrimental effect Philip Morris USA’s Marlboro Leadership Program has had on its same-store sales in the United States, Alimentation Couche-Tard executives this past week hinted that they may unveil a private-label program or other action to drive its cigarette sales and margins.
During its second-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, Couche-Tard reported an average same-store sales increase in its U.S. stores of 2.5%. The Circle K retailer would have liked to see that statistic higher and pointed squarely at one product category for holding it back: cigarettes. Continued

Cigar lover lights up a new-old business

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (Charleston Gazette) Brad Mayo's Jameson Cigar Co. straddles two worlds: one new and the other old.
The new, always-on wired world makes a large part of his business possible. Internet purchases are a significant chunk of his trade as he makes sales 24/7 across the continent to people and shops on the hunt for custom-designed cigars.
Plus, there's the iPad, which the 29-year-old Mayo uses as a cash register for walk-in sales and to play the tunes heard in his retail shop at Heritage Village, a stone's throw from the Ohio River.
The old world is represented by his old-school cigars, hand-made in centuries-old fashion in a small factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Continued

Tanzania: Modern Tobacco Farming Gets New Push

(allAfrica.com) THE government's recent move to ask tobacco farmers to ignore calls by activists against the crop is seen as a new push to counter such a negative campaign.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof Jumanne Maghembe said in Arusha recently at the opening of the annual general meeting of International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), which took place in Tanzania for the first time that farmers work jointly with their respective governments to grow the crop more responsibly.
He also advised tobacco farmers in developing countries to transform their farming methods to match those of their counterparts in developed countries, including use of modern farm implements and irrigation.
"It is time you emulated your colleagues in developed nations who grow tobacco in modern agriculture by doing away with inferior farm implements, particularly the hand hoe. The use of tractors, oxen plough to facilitate the farming is still small, hence farmers' average acreage is between 0.8 to 1.0 hectares per family," he said in his speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary of his Ministry, Mr Mohammed Muya. Continued

G.L. Pease In Celebration of Briar 2012 Calendar

(P*p*s Magazine) This is the 6th year that Pease has produced a calendar for the pipe enthusiast. It may be the only calendar specifically catering to the lover of smoking pipes. Pease has been a professional photographer for 43-years, and it shows in the extraordinary, exquisite photography of 12 gorgeous pipes.
This is the perfect calendar for the pipe lover and the perfect gift for your pipe smoking friends - so remember to get at least two - one for yourself, and one for a friend. Then you will have one more holiday present crossed off your list. Continued

Photo: NOT from the calendar!

New Colorado Oscuro Cigar From La Flor Dominicana Coming Soon

(Cigar Aficionado) A new strain of Habano seed wrapper grown in Nicaragua was the inspiration for La Flor Dominicana’s Colorado Oscuro brand, a limited-edition cigar that will be released twice a year—once in July and once in December.
“It’s very different from my Ligero and Double Ligero lines,” said brand owner Litto Gomez. “The cigar is very smooth, but has a surprisingly full body. This is the nature of this particular brand.” Continued

Davidoff to open new flagship store at Zürich airport

(Airport World) On December 1, the Oettinger Davidoff Group will open its new Davidoff ‘Flagship Store’ in the revamped ‘Airside Center’ at Zurich Airport.
The new 60sqm shop has been designed to give a sense of the Caribbean to passengers in an attempt to recreate the “flair and savoir faire” of the Dominican Republic, where Davidoff cigars are manufactured.
As a result, the shop’s interior is decorated with “warm colors and wooden lamellae”, and has a 30sqm walk-in humidor with a generous glass frontage. Continued

J.M. Tobacco Introduces Carnero Cigars

(CSP) JM Tobacco has entered the long-filler handmade arena with Carnero, its first true premium cigar line.
“Carnero is all about strength,” according to JM Tobacco’s president, Anto Mahroukian. “Carnero is Spanish for the tough, formidable mountain ram, which we feel fits this brawny, full-bodied cigar.”
... The Corojo-wrapped Carnero is strong without apology. Even though it has an all-Dominican filler, which normally means a soft smoke, the binder is an equally powerful Connecticut broadleaf.”
The second offering, the Connecticut-wrapped Carnero, has a medium-full body. Continued

The Cigar Club of Calcutta – Calling Out To All The Cigar-Lovers Of The City

(Washington Bangla Radio) It’s time for all those who love to have a puff to make a beeline for Calcutta. The city is all set for the launch of an exclusive Cigar Club, the second of its kind in the country.
Since the inception of the first Club at Mumbai three years back, the demands among cigar-admirers have been high for more such joints in other cities as well.
Finally, our very own City of Joy can boast of a place where people can enjoy a wide range of select cigars, including the Cuban beauties. Continued

New Montecristo New York Connoisseur Edition Cigar Hits Stores

(Cigar Aficionado) “Only in New York” is a slogan that Altadis U.S.A. Inc. is taking very seriously with their new U.S. regional release: the Montecristo New York Connoisseur Edition. It was blended with New York in mind, and will only be available for purchase in the Empire State. And this cigar, like New York City, is a melting pot.
It’s composed of Dominican filler, a Nicaraguan binder, and an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper leaf. They were all put together at the Tabacalera de Garcia factory in the Dominican Republic and conceived by a team that included José Seijas, vice president and general manager of Tabacalera de Garcia. Continued

Dissolvable tobacco products appealing to women

(Richmond Times-Dispatch) Adult female tobacco users have proved an elusive consumer group for manufacturers' smokeless and smoke-free products, particularly — and especially — if they involve spitting.
However, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. reported recently that its Camel dissolvable tobacco products, which do not require spitting, are gaining traction with women in its test markets of Charlotte, N.C., and Denver.
Reynolds said the flavored, finely milled tobacco products serve as an alternative to cigarettes, giving adults a discreet option in venues where smoking is banned out of concern for secondhand-smoke exposure. Continued

Hot Chocolate with Cigar Milk

(Chicago Tribune Magazine) ... To prepare cigar milk, put 2 cups of the milk in a metal container inside a larger metal container. Put cigar in a small metal container; put next to milk in larger container. Light cigar until smoking; blow out any flames. Cover larger container with aluminum foil; let milk smoke 30 minutes. Strain cigar milk into a saucepan. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pinch of salt. Continued

Photo: Paul Rand via Lamarde

José Seijas Releases New Cigar with Familiar Name

(Cigar Aficionado) VegaFina could be starting a major comeback.
Altadis U.S.A. Inc. vice president and general manager José Seijas is rebooting the cigar after a four-year lull in U.S. activity with a limited release. The head blender for Altadis U.S.A. is turning the medium-bodied brand into a fuller-bodied blend with a darker wrapper. Continued

A nostalgic account of saving up your dinner money for a pack of John Player Specials, Northern Soul nights and Britain's golden age of smoking

(Sabotage Times) ... First time out, I opted for a pack of Craven A. I was attracted by the clean, red and white livery and the promise of a ‘smooth’ smoke. The first time I got them out, an older (13 year old) sophisticate dismissed them as ‘tasting like teabags’. I never bought them again. It could have been worse – certain brands would get you mocked out of the door. Rothmans, with their too light filter and the perfectly manicured nails of the bloke holding them in the advert, were soft. Silk Cut – forget about it. The cinema commercials were hilarious, but you may as well wear a pink tutu if you were planning to come out with low tar cigarettes. If you even considered menthol- you should just go to the woods and hang yourself immediately to avoid the years of unremitting persecution.
Second time out, my saved up dinner money went towards some John Player Specials and they got a far better reception. The key was the shiny black pack. Schoolies were like magpies when it came to fag packets, with the silver of Lambert and Butler being a particular favourite of the pre-teen night club set. An ostentatious lad could get away with the wide box, extra length and discreet silver strip of Dunhill International.
The girls could push things even further, using the cigs themselves as fashion accessories. For a young lass in Northern England in the late 1970s; nothing marked you out as a free spirit like a coloured Sobraine Cocktail with a gold foil filter, nothing screamed elegance more than the kiss of lip gloss against a skinny, dark brown More cigarillo. Continued

Ernie Kovacs' Holiday Commercial for Dutch Masters Cigars

Don Luis VIP Cigars

(WNYC) ... Don Luis VIP, a cigar shop, serves as a living room for those craving a safe place to smoke tobacco in a city where the regulations on smoking have been getting heavier in recent years.
It's where police officers, sanitation workers and lawyers come to get a taste of cigars that are hand crafted by Felix Diaz, who rolls as many as 200 a day in the shop's basement as he listens to Spanish radio.
Diaz sits at an old wooden table customized for the trade, rustling through a deep pile of dry leaves, crinkling them in hands that first started rolling 44 years ago in the Dominican Republic. Continued

Malawi tobacco sales down by at least 35 percent

(malawitoday.com) Tobacco proceeds will fall by at least thirty five percent this year in comparison to last year.
The Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) has revised downwards this year’s national tobacco revenue projections from $300 million (K50.1 billion) to $270 million (K45.09 billion).
Last year, tobacco, which is Malawi's mainstay, raked in $410 million.
High rejection rate coupled by poor prices have been highlighted as the major factors to this development. Continued

2011 Kardus Snus Tobacco Review

(Snus Authority) November is the time of year when it begins to get colder out, the days get shorter (here in the Northern Hemisphere at least!), and I begin to sleep longer at night. Fortunately, it is also the time in which Swedish Match releases their limited edition yearly Kardus. Since last year’s Kardus was delicious, I was quite eager to try this year’s Kardus. Continued

Burley tobacco farmers hope for rebound in market demand

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Kentucky burley farmers who endured a drought-plagued season last fall are hoping to be rewarded as the new marketing season gets under way.
Tobacco experts are upbeat about burley prices rebounding this fall, thanks in part to favorable curing conditions that should make the leaf more appealing to cigarette producers. Continued

Photo by Steve Snodgrass, some rights reserved.

Toque Cheese & Bacon Snuff

(glo0115) An unuasl snuff from the guys who brought you such classics as Toast & Marmalade, Coke & Peanut Butter.
A quick review of THE weirdest and most enjoyable snuffs i had in a while.

Powerhouse Petit Cigar from La Palina

(Cigar Aficionado) The newest cigar from La Palina is known as Kill Bill for one very simple reason. “I wasn’t able to finish smoking the first prototype,” says La Palina brand owner Bill Paley with a chuckle. So he dubbed it “Kill Bill.” ... The La Palina Kill Bill has a Honduran Corojo wrapper, two binders (both of them Honduran Criollo seed) and a mixture of Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo tobaccos in the filler blend. Continued

H. Upmann Launches New Cigar

Havana, Nov 21 (Prensa Latina) As part of Cuba''s strategy to present new highest-quality cigars every year, the release of the new H. Upmann Half Corona international cigar was announced on Monday. Producers say the vitola has a format that allows enjoying an authentic Cuban cigar under any circumstances.
The flavor of this cigar, said the report from the international corporation Habanos S.A., is particularly suitable for those who want an aromatic, balanced cigar that presents a smooth to medium fortaleza.
The Half Corona (ring gauge 44 mm x 90 mm long) is in keeping with the needs of many short-format cigar aficionados, without sacrificing the fullness of the quality of these Premium cigars. Continued

Don Duarte cigar line inks national distribution deal

(news-journalonline.com) A Palm Coast cigar company has inked a deal to exclusively distribute a Nicaraguan cigar brand. Company officials say they expect to sell $4.5 million worth of the cigars in a year's time.
M. Misti Cigar Co., which has been in Palm Coast for 2 1/2 years, will distribute the Don Duarte cigar line, a recent addition to the cigar industry. That line is a subsidary of a Nicarauga-based tobacco company GBP. Continued

Fifth Guinness Record to Cuban Cigar Roller

Havana, Nov 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuban cigar roller Jose Castelar Cairo, known as Cueto, will get his fifth Guinness record certificate for rolling a 81.80-meter long cigar, the longest in the planet, in a ceremony at the Morro-Cabana historical, military complex on Nov. 24.
He achieved his feat in May during the 31th International Tourism Fair in Cuba before hundreds of exhibitors and visitors, according to Opciones magazine.
The renowned cigar roller made this Premium cigar using aromatic leaves donated by tobacco grower and Cigar Prize laureate (2007) Hector Luis Prieto, from Pinar del Rio, the Cuban province boasting the best tobacco worldwide. Continued

Tracking a family tobacco tradition

Julesnus & other snus tobacco news

(Snus Authority) ... JuleSnus is back at most online retailers (along with eggnog in stores), and I couldn’t be happier! I had the opportunity of trying JuleSnus last year, and I really liked its unique taste. Be sure to stock up, because this one is going to be only available for the holiday season. Continued

Amid economic reforms, Cuba goes after corruption

HAVANA (AP/Google) Green-clad security agents swoop down on an upscale business complex to shutter the offices of a Canadian car dealership. Top executives at Cuba's famed cigar monopoly find themselves behind bars. A former government minister trades his seat in power for a jail cell and a 15-year term.
... A dozen executives at cigar maker Habanos SA also have been jailed since 2010, including company vice president Manuel Garcia, according to three sources close to the company, a joint venture between the Cuban government and a subsidiary of England's Imperial Tobacco Group PLC. Continued

Photo: Raul Castro (Some rights reserved by Trinidad-News.com)

Astor Cigarette Review

(Mr. Tobacco) A review of Astor Filter cigarettes and some random rantings.

R.I.P. Jay Jones, Hermit Tobacco Founder

(Pipesmagazine.com) ... Jay was known and loved by many in the pipe community. You could see him and Louise at almost all of the pipe shows, and it seems fitting to describe the man as a loveable guy. He was the creator of the Hermit line of tobaccos and was also an avid Dunhill pipe collector, amongst other areas of collecting. Continued

Cigar Connoisseur's Corner, Corojo-Seed Classics

(Cigar Aficionado) In this installment, we found a quartet of classic smokes, cigars that have clearly benefited from careful aging in a humidor. The two top-scorers were made in 1989 and 1991, blessed years for Cuban cigars. This was when the Cuban cigar industry still worked with the immensely flavorful (if hard to grow) seed known as Corojo, and the country’s cigar factories worked at the unhurried pace of the pre-cigar-boom days. The Cohiba Esplendido (note the pre-1992 cigar band) and the Davidoff No. 1 each scored 97 points. Continued

Volume picks up at Karnataka tobacco auction platforms

(The Hindu Business Line) The Tobacco Board has been marketing daily 1.2 million kgs of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco at various auction platforms in Karnataka for the last 15 to 20 days.
According to Tobacco Board officials, “Growers have begun to offer good quantity of their produce at all the auction platforms, as the prices have stabilised. Initially, they were reluctant and apprehensive of price fluctuation but now not much withdrawal is happening at the platforms.”
With good quantity of bright grades entering the market, prices have maintained last year’s level. Continued

Top Roll-Your-Own Tobacco Companies Ink Exclusive Licensing Deal

(PR Newswire) RYO Machine, LLC (RYO) and SAM Manufacturing, LLC (SAM) today announced a major licensing agreement, bringing together two of the leading U.S. manufacturers of large scale and table top roll-your-own tobacco machines. These machines are currently being used by customers in over 40 states.
In addition to this agreement, SAM has agreed to assist in any future legal costs in actions against state and federal regulators regarding the use of roll-your-own tobacco machines in a number of states across the country. RYO has granted an IP license to SAM for use of RYO's patent pending technology in SAM's Quick Draw Express machines.
The technology is used in RYO Filling Stations to insert loose leaf tobacco into rolling tubes. Continued

Cigar Finder Prepares for Release of Android Version, iPhone Update

CigarFinder LLC, which launched the free navigational app Cigar Finder for iPhone in mid- August, will release both the iPhone update and the Android app towards the end of November.
Both Cigar Finder for Android and the iPhone update will include easier search features, an updated Cigar 101 section and an improved dossier section that helps app users keep track of each cigar experience.
The brainchild of a few “cigar aficionados” who travel frequently for work, Cigar Finder locates merchants based on zip code, city, or a user’s location. The app’s database consists of about 11,000 cigar shops, retailers and smoking lounges in the U.S. -- currently more than any other cigar-related app on the market. It allows users to store information about individual cigars, bookmark their favorite cigar places, and invite friends to join them. Continued

Paronelli, Frog Morton, and Socrates

Xikar’s New HC Series Salomon Cigars Now Shipping

(Smokemag.com) Xikar has released an extremely limited production new shape within its HC Series Habano Colorado blend. The HC Series Salomon Limitado is a 7 inch x 58 ring gauge figurado, a very traditional Cuban salomon shape that tappers at both the foot and head.
The official launch was November 15, and only 1,000 boxes cigar have been made. The cigars are crafted by Jesus Fuego’s Tabaccos S.A. factory in Nicaragua. Continued

Sense of (Smoking) Place

(Jack Bettridge) ... Years ago, I wrote a Cigar Aficionado article about what were essentially the cigar rooms of the rich and famous. I discovered that the smoke-atoriums installed at some of the great Gilded Age estates were all different. Some were little dens meant for a maximum two people to smoke in peace while dressed in smoking jacket and fez.
Others were great halls where the male contingent of a large banquet would take their postprandial cigar and Cognac, dressed in white tie and tails. Obviously, both worked or they wouldn’t have built a mansion around each idea. Different strokes—or should I say stokes—for different folks. Continued

Rehydrating Dry Tobacco

An incredibly easy and highly effective method for rehydrating dry smoking tobacco.

India plans elimination of non-cigarette tobacco crop

(Business Standard) The tobacco control programme of the ministry of health may see some paradox. In its strategy to curtail tobacco production to control its usage in India, the ministry of agriculture has decided to embark on a phase-wise elimination of all varieties except the cigarette-producing one.
... Official sources said the cigarette smoking varieties, such as flue-cured virginia ( FCV), burley and oriental, etc, are also export varieties of tobacco.
“These are highly remunerative cash crops, with tremendous exchange earning potential, being export varieties. Producers of FCV varieties earn very high return on investment, unlike non FCV varieties. ..." Continued

New Solani Tobacco: Festival 333

Kohlhase & Kopp's website says this tobacco is "Virginia, süßer Black Cavendish, nussiger Burley, veredelt mit Flakestückchen." Which, according to Smokingpipes.com, translates to something like "Virginias, black Cavendish, Burley and a touch of plum come together to form this delightful blend."

Meerschaum video

A Conversation with Davidoff's Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard

(Cigar Aficionado) As the storied Davidoff brand celebrated its 100th anniversary this past June, it was also welcoming its first chief executive officer, Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, to take the helm without rising through the ranks of the company.
Henri Davidoff started Davidoff as a shop in Geneva and titled it with his surname. His son, Zino, brought the shop to fame, and from that cornerstone the brand was expanded to include a worldwide chain of stores as well as its cigar lines. Continued

Berger & Argenti Adds Entubar CRV Cigar

(smokemag.com) Entubar CRV (Connecticut River Valley) is a medium- to full-flavored, super-premium line extension to the unusual Entubar cigar brand from Nicaragua’s Berger & Argenti. It is blended with flavorful, deeply aged Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobacco, a Nicaraguan binder leaf, and is finished with a top-grade U.S.-grown Connecticut Shade-Grown wrapper, encompassing a unique range of flavors.
... The full-bodied ligero leaves are bunched independently then placed into the center of the cigar’s entubado-rolled filler blend, stretching the full length of the cigar and then extending 3/8” beyond the foot for a “fuse-like” appearance. Argenti says this method delivers a “superior draw, flawless conical burn with a long white ash, and a myriad of complex flavors channeled directly onto the palate.” Continued

Slideshow: Tobacco is still king for some Maryland farmers

(Washington Post) Farm owners are still growing tobacco on their land in southern Maryland, 10 years after the state used its tobacco settlement money to pay hundreds of farmers to quit growing the plant. Continued

Want to Learn to Blend Tobacco and Maybe Go Pro?

(P*p*s Magazine) The folks over at PipesAndCigars.com have announced a great contest and fun learning experience for any wannabe tobacco blenders.
They have put together a great section on their website that provides information explaining the different flavors imparted by different types of tobaccos, and lots of other pertinent information for blending. Continued

Indian delegation in Prague to revive tobacco exports

(The Hindu Business Line) Indian tobacco business is on a global sales pitch. Recently a trade delegation went to China in an attempt to revive a lost market. Now, a huge delegation from Indian tobacco industry is in Prague, Czech Republic in a bid to improve exports to European Union that declined last year.
... Several Indian businesses houses, including ITC, Godfrey Phillips and other players, will either set up stalls or interact with their peers from across the world who will attend Tabexpo-2011. Continued

Fuentes To Rejoin ProCigar

(Cigar Aficionado) Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia., the makers of Arturo Fuente, Fuente Fuente OpusX, Ashton and many other prominent cigar brands, is rejoining ProCigar, the association of cigarmakers in the Dominican Republic. Fuente left the organization in 1995 after a labor dispute with other companies in the organization. Continued

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces New Method for Low Level Detection of Volatile Nitrosamines in Tobacco

(spectroscopynow.com) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced a new comprehensive method that uses triple quadrupole GC-MS/MS to achieve lower levels of detection of volatile nitrosamines (VNA) in tobacco.
The new method allows environmental laboratories, tobacco companies and government agencies to efficiently separate VNAs while lowering detection limits, increasing specificity and enabling the analysis of many other contaminants in tobacco, including pesticides. Continued

A burning desire to revive the family cigar business

(Washington Post) Bill Paley of McLean decided a couple of years ago to get into the family cigar business, where his late father had begun his career. Bill’s father eventually took his work in another direction and left the company. It expired around the 1930s.
Now the younger Paley, who has never been interested in business, has resurrected the family’s cigar line, buying back and relaunching the La Palina cigar brand with nearly $1 million of his own money. Continued

Mural to preserve Kentucky's tobacco past

(Louisville Courier-Journal) FRANKFORT, KY. - The evolution of tobacco farming isn’t apparent at first glance as Carla Canonero Phillips works on the 10-foot-by-60-foot mural in an upper floor of the Old Y on Bridge Street.
Twelve 5-foot panels, some bowing against the Y’s 10-foot ceilings, are spread out along the second floor and depict five eras of tobacco planting — commonly known as “setting” — over the past 200 years.
The panels will become a mural on the side of John and Pat Craigmyle’s Owen County barn along U.S. 127 North. It’s part of the Owen County Agricultural Trail Committee’s project to preserve local tobacco barns by showcasing the area’s history with agriculture and farming. Continued

Davidoff Royalty Tobacco and Solipsism

(ContemplativePipe) A quick thanks to TheMysteryPipe for making Davidoff Royalty sound really great, followed by a short discussion about Solipsism. ... Cheers!

A Veterans Day Smoke

American Tobacco Pipe Makers Descend on San Diego

(Smokingpipes.com) Writing this, standing up, at the entrance to Jeff Gracik's workshop, as machines whirr and briar dust flies, conversations on the finer points of tool use are audible over the general din. Jeff asked us out here after the West Coast Pipe Show in Las Vegas, so we find ourselves in a surprisingly cool San Diego in the company of five American pipe makers: Jeff, Brad Pohlmann, Adam Davidson, Ernie Markle and Eric Heberling.
Ted Swearingen, Smokingpipes.com's indefatigable Sales Manager, roams the shop, entranced by the myriad simultaneous processes, snapping photos of Ernie and Eric at the lathe and Adam at the shaping wheel. Continued

Scotty's Cigar and Martini Lounge revives Erie's speakeasy past

(GoErie.com) ... Renovations have restored the interior of the building, a liquor establishment since the 1920s, to the original Caesar Batista Club setup. Oversized black-and-white photos of the old club -- which was open during Prohibition, then continued as a speakeasy -- are on the walls. Bartenders dress in 1930s-era vests with bow ties and matching garters around the upper arms of white dress shirts.
Patrons can imbibe in the lavish upscale lounge while enjoying the finer points of their favorite robusto, corona or portofino cigar. Continued

Counterfeit COHIBA Cigars Seized in Key West

(BUSINESS WIRE) General Cigar announces that federal and Florida state law enforcement officials yesterday seized more than 3,000 counterfeit COHIBA(R) cigars from seven tobacco retail stores located in prime tourist areas of Key West, Florida.
Individual cigars were sold at approximately $20 apiece. Based on current estimates, the approximate street value of goods seized was more than $60,000.
The counterfeit cigar seizures followed a lengthy investigation conducted in cooperation with General Cigar Company, which is the exclusive owner of the COHIBA trademark in the U.S. Continued

Photo by Soonadracula, some rights reserved.

Havana Cigar Tasters Honor Famous Cuban Bar

(Prensa Latina) Considered the birthplace of the famous Cuban cocktail "Daiquiri", immortalized by U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway, the Floridita Bar-Restaurant was honored by the world''s most renowned Havana cigar tasters.
A group of Cuban and foreign cigar tasters, members of the workshop Bayamanaco (an aboriginal word for tobacco), also named Balcon del Tabaco, celebrated the work of the establishment, one of the most famous in Cuba.
Spokespersons for the group said they held one of their monthly meetings in this restaurant, because it has excellent professionals. Continued

Photo: Neon sign from the Floridita Bar, Havana, Cuba (Carol Highsmith/Library of Congress).

Vintage Cigars Bring Cache

(Smokeshop) Mike Khalil of metropolitan Chicago’s Casa de Montecristo has generated retail excitement by aging select premium cigars in a separate “vintage room.”
If wine customers can enjoy vintage wines, why can’t cigar smokers do the same?” Continued

Japan Tobacco's Indian JV goes up in smoke

(Business Standard) Confronted with a stringent FDI regime in tobacco, the world’s third largest publicly traded tobacco company, Japan Tobacco Inc, is closing its joint venture in India from December 31. The venture, JT International Indian Pvt Ltd, has already surrendered its licence to manufacture five billion cigarettes per annum to the government.
Japan Tobacco has 50 per cent stake in JT International Indian Pvt Ltd jointly with a Mumbai-based partner. ... Foreign investments in Indian tobacco have long been a contentious issue. Continued

Four Kicks, Crowned Heads First Cigar, Shipping This Week

(Cigar Aficionado) Four Kicks, the first cigar from boutique cigarmaker Crowned Heads LLC, is heading to limited numbers of cigar stores this week.
“The shipment has left Santiago,” said Jon Huber, adding the cigars were due to arrive in Crowned Heads’ Nashville, Tennessee, headquarters today. “We will begin shipping to our retailers as soon as we receive.” Continued

Photo: "Cigar and Matches," Some rights reserved by mradisoglou

Key West and ‘Clear Havana’ cigars

(Palm Beach Post) ... “Pablo” is a descendant of the thousands of Cubans who fled the revolt against Spain in 1868. Cubans migrated to Key West by the hundreds and brought the Havana cigar business with them. These immigrant cigar makers imported tobacco from Cuba and began rolling local cigars with Cuban tobacco. Their product was called “Clear Havana” since little tax was demanded by Spain for raw leaf exports compared to rolled cigars. Continued

Photo: Cigar workers, stranded when factories moved north, turn to manufacturing in their homes. Key West, Florida 1938 (Arthur Rothstein/FSA/Library of Congress).

Historic Bartow cigar factory future still uncertain

Bartow and Polk County officials will be meeting soon to try to resolve remaining issues involving the city’s takeover of the cigar factory building.
The historic building was headed for demolition until a group of citizen activists finally came up with what seemed like a logical plan to at least mothball the badly deteriorated building until grant funds could be secured to restore it.
The County Commission agreed in April to give city officials until Nov. 3, which was last week, to come up with a firm plan to take over the building. Continued

Dubinthedam: Tobacconist Hajenius

It's a great cigar, why waste it?

(Cigar Aficionado) Question: If a cigar is long (like a Cohiba Lanceros, for example), I usually relight it when I'm ready for another few puffs. I've been told that is bad cigar etiquette, and, in fact, is bad for the cigar. Is that true? Answer

Court halts Raleigh tobacco company's bid to buy three Mocksville tobacco companies

(Winston-Salem Journal) A U.S. bankruptcy court judge has halted a Raleigh tobacco company’s bid to buy three Mocksville tobacco companies.
Judge William Stocks approved Friday the request of bankruptcy trustee Peter Tourtellot to deny CB Holdings’ offer for Renegade Holdings Inc., Renegade Tobacco Co. and Alternative Brands Inc., which have a combined 100 employees.
Tourtellot said the purchase as currently structured “would not be in the best interest of creditors,” particularly Bank of the Carolinas Corp. Continued

Limbe market closes, tobacco revenue down 36 percent

(Malawi Today) Tobacco sales at Limbe Auction Floors officially closed on Friday with earnings falling by 36 percent to $46.5 million (K7.7 billion) from last year’s $72.1 million (K12 billion).
The major factor for the drop in revenue was poor prices.
But Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) regional manager (South) Richard Chinthunzi said the leaf’s prices improved tremendously towards the last days of the selling season. Continued

Hamlet Cigar Ad - Gates of Heaven

It's time for El Tiante

(Boston Herald) During his breathtakingly long Hall of Fame speech in 2000, Carlton Fisk called Luis Tiant “the best and most colorful pitcher I ever caught, and the best and most colorful pitcher in Red Sox history.”
Colorful? Nobody will ever deny that the cigar-smoking, ever-smiling El Tiante, a man with a delivery so funky that he could wink at fans in the center field bleachers while in his full windup, was a colorful baseball personality.
But being colorful, in and of itself, doesn’t get you into the Hall of Fame. So let’s focus on the other superlative in Fisk’s verbal bouquet, the part about how Tiant was the best pitcher he ever caught, and, indeed, the best pitcher in Red Sox history. Continued

Photo: SoxStickers

How cigarettes are made

(McClatchy) It might take several years before tobacco produced by Ron and Dave Lamm of Lamm Farms in Sims arrives at Philip Morris USA's cigarette manufacturing plant in Richmond, Va. Flue-cured tobacco the company buys from the Lamms and other local growers is ... Continued

Photo via Lamarde

Flake Tobacco: Much Better Than its Reputation

(Per Georg Jensen) How many pipe smokers have not cast a suspicious glance at that small tin of flake tobacco and said to themselves that they would rather have a “normal” pouch of tobacco - partly because the packet is bigger and partly because you do not have to spend time preparing the tobacco. But this would be to deny yourself a unique tobacco experience. Because a pipe filled the right way with flake tobacco is an extraordinary smoking experience.
Throughout my adult life I have been among pipe smokers – the first 23 years as a pipe maker with Georg Jensen Pipes and the last 4 years as ”Tobacco Professor” at Mac Baren. During all these years I have very often encountered prejudice among many pipe smokers towards flake tobaccos, and never have I savoured a moment more than when the idea behind flake tobacco is explained to a pipe smoker for the first time, and then he fills his pipe with it and lights it. To see his face slowly transform into an understanding smile, to watch his eyes light up as the taste of a well-prepared flake tobacco pipe provides convincing evidence, is an experience not to be missed. Continued

First cross country flight landed in Pasadena 100 years ago Saturday

(Star-News) The only reminder of C.P. "Cal" Perry Rodger's historic cross-country flight in the Vin Fiz 100 years ago today is a simple plaque at Tournament Park.
"HISTORICAL SITE - TOURNAMENT PARK
"Official Terminus of the first transcontinental airplane flight. Calbraith "Cal" Perry Rodgers took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York, September 17, 1911, landing here November 5, 1911."
Shortly after his descent from the sky, Perry climbed down from the cockpit of his flimsy Wright Brothers' constructed biplane.
He shook an ash from his trademark cigar, as Pasadena welcomed him with open arms. Continued

American tobacco farmers under siege

(WCTV) Tobacco is all farmer Daniel Johnson knows; he's been growing it for 28 years. He uses a tobacco harvester to launch his leaves into a hallowed out school bus.He jokes that school buses are the cheapest form of transportation known to man.
But even if Johnson's named Georgia Farmer of the Year a third time, it won't be enough to save his crop from one of the driest harvest seasons in decades. Continued

Ocean State Cigars Launches J. Grotto Series Reserve

(Smokemag.com) Paul Joyal, founder and president of Ocean State Cigars, Inc., has developed the J. Grotto Series Reserve to satisfy an entirely different palate from his well-received debut cigar introduction in 2009, the J. Grotto Series. “If you like spice and medium body, the original J. Grotto is for you,” Joyal explains. “The Reserve has power, but no spice.”
Joyal describes this new boutique premium cigar line as an “intriguing, memorable smoke, noting that “Unlike many one-dimensional cigars, it displays a complexity and depth, with a unique spectrum of flavor and body profiles.” The blend consists of Honduran-grown ligero and Nicaraguan Jalapa filler, Criollo 98 binder, a Nicaragua-grown Criollo 99 wrapper. Continued

Zimbabwe Tobacco Grower Profile Shifts

(allAfrica.com) ... The 2011 tobacco selling season failed to meet the projected 170 million kgs of tobacco and the country is still below the peak season of 236 million kgs in 2000 before the height of the land reform programme.
The increase in communal and A1 farmers will result in an increase in the tobacco output, as the country positions itself to produce to its peak period.
But statistics indicate that there is a relatively low figure of large scale commercial farmers in the 2011 season who can guarantee a significant comeback of the tobacco crop to peak levels. Continued

Russ Ouellette: Proud Tobacconist

(Russ Ouellette) ... As to whether I'm involved in a noble profession, that's a matter of perspective. And I'm certainly not doing this because of financial gain. Don't get me wrong, I get paid fairly for what I do, but there are certainly a number of other things I could do that would pay me better.
So why do it? First, I love tobacco blending. It's the closest thing I can think of to becoming a chef without having to deal with a 130 degree kitchen in July. Plus I get the additional benefit of performing my tasks and serving people around the world. Continued

Photo: Not Russ Ouellette

Cigars Driving OTP Sales

(CSD) Other tobacco products (OTP) in general and cigars in particular continue to earn more shelf space in convenience stores, and the higher price of cigarettes is only one factor.
Cigars and cigarillos are popular not just for their value, but for their flavor options—which cigarettes don’t have as a result of regulation—aggressive maneuvers by suppliers in packaging and promotions, and a feeling among many that they are healthier or safer than cigarettes. Continued