Cigars

Fewer Cigar Smokers Want Cubans, Production Drops

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 22nd 2010 at 7:01PM

The Cuban cigar industry is struggling under the dual pressures of smoking bans and economic malaise. Consumers around the world aren't buying as many sticks, and Cuba is cutting production. In Pinar del Rio, only 22.4 million leaves were harvested this year, off 14 percent from 26 million last year. Local media reports: "There was a reduction in planting due to limitations in resources caused by the economic crisis," according to the Financial Times.

With 70 percent of the market – not including the United States – the Cuban cigar business is a global force. So, its financial performance has broad implications, and the data doesn't look good:

According to the most recent report released by the government's statistics office, the industry has fallen on hard times in recent years, with production of cigars for export down from 217m in 2006, to 123m in 2007 and 73m last year as the business drew on its inventory.

Export cigar sales plunged to $218 million last year from $243 million in 2008 ... but keep in mind that the effects of the late 2008 financial crisis didn't really come to bear until 2009.

Of course, consumption in the United States is unchanged, because you can't go below zero. Nobody smokes Cuban cigars in the United States because they're illegal ... right?

Gallery: La Casa del Habano, St Barths

Vegas Robainos at La Casa del Habano, St Barths

Tags: cigar, cigars, cuban, cuban cigars, CubanCigar, cubanos, cubans, Habano, habanos

A Cigar Smoker Invades Rick's Cabaret ... and Brings Davidoff Surprise

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 20th 2010 at 2:02PM

Last week, cigar smokers took over the roof of upscale gentlemen's club Rick's Cabaret in Manhattan. With a view of the Empire State Building, not to mention the impeccable local talent, dozens came to cut, light puff and imbibe.

The event, organized by Barry Stein the man behind the cigar blog "A Cigar Smoker," attracted a large and varied group of cigar smokers, making the Rick's roof feel like your local cigar shop (though with the obvious differences). As hors d'oeuvres were passed and drinks sipped, on-the-spot back rubs were delivered expertly by roving masseuses, and cigars were abundant. Conversation flowed freely and easily, especially with my new blogging buddy the Social Vixen.

Gallery: A Cigar Smoker Event at Rick's Cabaret

Tags: cigar, cigar lounge, cigars, CigarShop, davidoff, DavidoffMadison

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Five Cigar Recommendations for Father's Day

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 14th 2010 at 11:01AM

I'm about to celebrate my first Father's Day, so when I heard that the Beverly Hills Cigar Club had a few cigar suggestions for the occasion, I opened the e-mail immediately. In past years, I would have written the blog post for everyone else ... this year, I have something at stake!

Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, has put together an interesting menu of cigars for Father's Day this year. From this list, I'd go with the Oliva Serie V, though my personal favorite these days is the 601 Trabuco (hint, hint).

Let's take a look at the five cigars Lee offers up as Father's Day suggestions:

1. CAO America Monument Pinstripe Torpedo
The wrapper on this cigar consists of two leaves arranged to deliver a pinstriping effect. One is a golden brown Connecticut Shade, and the other is a chocolate brown Connecticut Broadleaf. The filler comes from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Notes Lee, "Warm summer nights this Father's Day, heat up the Kalamazoo 900 Grill and let Dad light up America while he slow grills his special burgers. No, he still won't tell you what's in the sauce though."

Tags: beverly hills, cigar, cigar club, cigar lounge, cigars, colombia, costa rica, dominican republic, fathers day, fathers-day, FathersDay, honduras, Mexico, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

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Wine-Inspired Cigar Released

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 12th 2010 at 7:02PM

Hendrik "Henke" Kelner has been busy this year. The blending guru not only released the Puro d'Oro and the new De La Concha house cigar, but he's also created Second Growth, a brand inspired by wine for importer Eric Hanson. It was launched on May 26, 2010 at Club Macanudo in Manhattan.

The Second Growth sticks tend to be on the mild side, writes David Savona of Cigar Aficonado, and they were made specifically to pair with fine wines. The boxes are built from used wine barrels. Said Hanson, "I purchased 50 barrels from a second-growth Bordeaux chateau."

The cigar comes in one size: 7 ¼ by 54. It sells for $32.50 a stick, and only 1,000 boxes were made.

Interested in more from Henke Kelner? Check out his thoughts on the Davidoff Puro d'Oro.

[photo via Cigar Aficionado]

Tags: cigars, davidoff

New Cigar Dinner Lets You Pay IRS Again!

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 8th 2010 at 8:04PM

Let's face it: even the best accountant in the world leaves the high net worth community paying more taxes than you would like. You drop all kinds of cash to the IRS every year, and it sucks. It really does. So, do you want to send that government body more?

That's the question Orlando banker Jeff Ramsey is asking.

He has organized a cigar dinner at Foxwoods in Connecticut to help rescue the house currently (and perhaps temporarily) owned by Jim Thorpe and his wife, Carol. Thorpe, once a pro golfer, won't be able to join you at the dinner ... because he's in prison after "losing a two-year legal battle with the IRS."

The dinner will include silent and traditional auctions to fill the financial void left in Thorpe's life by the IRS.

For $200, you can head up to Foxwoods on June 21, 2010, smoke a few cigars and dine with other civic-minded aficionados who are eager to give Thorpe a hand. For another $1,500, you can play in the ProAm golf course the next day.

Note: This is indirect IRS support. Your money will not go directly to the government agency.

Tags: cigar, cigars, golf, irs, jail, Jim Thorpe, prison, tax, taxes

Virtual Cigar Factory Tour: The Drew Estate Manufacturing Process

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 4th 2010 at 3:02PM

Have you ever wondered how your favorite Liga Privada cigar finds its way in a box and on a cigar shop's shelf? Well, if you can't make it down to the Drew Estate Cigar Safari resort for a few days, check out this interview with Marvin Samel, one of the founders of Drew Estate. On a recent trip to New York, he explained the entire process, from seed to ash. I'd say you'll learn the secrets behind the Drew Estate cigars, but as usual, lips remain shut tight when it comes to the infusion process!

Gallery: Drew Estate Cigar Factory

Cigar Safari: the resort section of Drew Estate

Disclosure: I was invited to cover this event for Cigar Reader by De La Concha, and wasn't charged anything. It was free for all invited. Each guest received a Dirty Rat cigar, a few slices of pizza (or more, depending on hunger)and some cognac.

Tags: cigar, cigar lounge, cigars, CigarShop, drew estate, new york

Unsmoked Churchill Cigar Fetches Thousands

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 4th 2010 at 2:02AM

Sir Winston Churchill memorabilia was good for more than half a million pounds. A collection belonging to Malcolm S. Forbes Jr. went under the gavel at Christie's, with 84 lots finding new homes. One of them was an unsmoked Havana cigar, which sold for £2,125. It soundly beat the auction's presale estimate of £1,500.

Included with the cigar was a note from the prime minister to Christopher Dunn, with whom he was dining: "Sir Winston Churchill... gave me this cigar at Luncheon – Hotel de Paris [Monte Carlo]" 12 April '63."

Forbes developed this collection over 30 years, and it sold for a total of £577,063 ... and it's only the first of three auctions from this private collection. The ultimate total is expected to exceed £1 million.

Tags: auction, auction houses, auction-house, auctions, Christies, ChristiesAuction, ChristiesAuctionHouse, churchill, cigar, cigars, forbes, havana, Winston Churchill

I Smell a Dirty Rat: Drew Estate Talks about Its Rarest Cigar

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 2nd 2010 at 4:02PM

You probably won't find the "Dirty Rat" on the shelves of your local cigar shop. The rare corona-sized stick is too expensive to manufacture for mass distribution, so it's rolled in small quantities for the Drew Estate staff and is shared with friends and at cigar events. The unique cigar is worth a smoke if you can get your hands on it. It's smooth and flavorful with a solid construction and a great draw.

Cut and light a Dirty Rat, and you'll certainly be the envy of the cigar shop.

Gallery: Dirty Rat Cigar Event: Drew Estate and De La Concha

Marvin Samel of Drew Estate and Ron Melendi of De La Concha

Marvin Samel of Drew Estate Smoking a Dirty Rat

[Photos by Steve Zak]

Disclosure: I was invited to cover this event for Cigar Reader by De La Concha, and wasn't charged anything. It was free for all invited. Each guest received a Dirty Rat cigar, a few slices of pizza (or more, depending on hunger)and some cognac.

Tags: cigar, cigar lounge, cigar shop, cigars, CigarShop, corona, drew estate, esteli, nicaragua

Cigar History: The Evolution of Drew Estate

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Jun 1st 2010 at 3:02PM

Have you ever wondered how the Acid and Liga Privada cigars came to be? I had the opportunity to sit with Marvin Samel a few weeks ago, and he explained how a company that started as a pushcart in the World Trade Center mall became one of the largest in the cigar industry.

What started with outsourcing to La Rosa, a small rolling shop in Manhattan, and single-stick sales underground downtown has grown into an international force, with large factory (and small tourist) operation in Esteli, Nicaragua, cigars in humidors across the country and committed customers eager for anything from coffee infusion to the more traditional Liga cigars. It's been a wild ride, according to Marvin, but the future definitely looks bright.

Drew Estate will be in New York on June 24, 2010 for a cigar dinner. Smoke a "Dirty Rat" cigar, and learn more about this unique Nicaraguan-and-America success story.

Gallery: Drew Estate Cigar Factory

Disclosure: I was invited to cover this event for Cigar Reader by De La Concha, and wasn't charged anything. It was free for all invited. Each guest received a Dirty Rat cigar, a few slices of pizza (or more, depending on hunger)and some cognac.

Tags: cigar, cigars, drew estate, esteli, manhattan, new york, new york city, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

Genco Berk's DeLight Humidor

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) — May 28th 2010 at 4:01PM

Genco Berk considers cigars to be "an earthy product, which for cigar lovers can create heavenly pleasures," and believes that a humidor should be more than just a cigar storage box. Disappointed by the selection of humidors on the market he decided to design his own and created the DeLight Humidor. Taking its inspiration from ancient Chinese coins, the square center represents Earth and the circular exterior represents Heaven, a tie in to the emotional experience of cigar smoking. The square/circle theme is repeated on the lid as well as the interior, which is lined in Spanish cedar for optimum humidity control.

The DeLight Humidor is Genco Berk's first humidor design and is available in a limited edition of 300 pieces, each personalized with the owner's name and edition number, at a price of $4,400 each. Watch for Berk's second humidor to be released later this year.

Via Robb Report

Tags: cigars, genco berk, humidor

Blend a Cigar in Five (Not So) Simple Steps

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — May 27th 2010 at 2:01PM

You cut your cigar, put a flame to the other end and experience a collection of tastes that is unique and fulfilling. But, have you ever thought about what makes it all possible? I'm not talking about the broad strokes. Sure, there's a guy who picks the leaves, another who roles them and so on. It doesn't take much to figure that out. Rather, I'm talking about the real details ... such as knowing to look for a leaf that may not be as long as the others, which can alter the flavor at the foot (or lead to intensity toward the end).

Blending and rolling is both art and science – we all know that – but the detail and care required likely exceeds your imagination. I've sat at a rolling table (briefly, on two occasions) and have a new appreciation for what goes into this task. When I sat in a conference room at the La Aurora factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, though, I got a feel for the role of choice in constructing a cigar. And, to be honest, I was terrified. Making a great cigar doesn't start with the rollers: it begins with the arbiters of taste.

How do they do it? Here are five steps that may look easy on your screen, but they are terribly difficult in practice (especially with my palate).

Gallery: Developing a Cigar Blend at La Aurora

Cigar loggers begin to prepare their blends

Tags: cigar, cigar manufacturing, cigars, dominican republic, dominican-republic, tobacco, tobacco industry, TobaccoCompanies

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New Cigar: Nestor Miranda Collection 1989

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — May 18th 2010 at 6:01PM

The Nestor Miranda Collection 1989 just hit the streets, and it is worth the 45 minutes you'll need to commit to it. Rolled by Pepin Garcia, it is inspired by Nestor, who told Pepin he wanted a cigar "that can be sold at a very reasonable price point, in deference to the prevailing economic conditions."

Like the other cigars in the Nestor Miranda Collection, the 1989 is available with one of two wrappers. One is a Rosado, for smokers preferring a medium-bodied cigar. The other is an Oscuro, for those who want something a little fuller. It comes in three sizes: Robusto, Toro and Torpedo.

I smoked the Torpedo with both wrappers and found it thoroughly enjoyable, and fans of Pepin's work will notice his handiwork immediately. As with most of Nestor Miranda's cigars, its body that you notice immediately, rather than flavor, though he certainly isn't deficient in the latter.

Interestingly, the 1989 is included in the 10-cigar sample pack currently on sale through the Cigar Rights of America. A one-year membership is included.

[Photo via Facebook]

Tags: cigar, cigars, nestor miranda, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

Davidoff Launches First New Cigar Line in a Decade

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — May 6th 2010 at 6:01PM

The best things come to those who wait, it seems. For the first time in 10 years, Davidoff has introduced new line of cigars. The creation, the Puro d'Oro line is the first "puro" by Davidoff and has been a labor of love for the company's master blender, Henke Kelner, who worked diligently to find the right conditions in a remote corner of the Dominican Republic.

The Puro de Oro is a medium-bodied cigar and is packed with flavor. But, if you're expecting a traditional Davidoff smoke, you'll be surprised. It has a taste all its own, due in large part to the effort that has gone into production, and the unique soil and weather conditions on which Kelner relied to make this cigar possible.

[Thanks to John Biggs of Cigar Reader for filming the interview]

Disclosure: I attended the launch and interviewed Henke Kelner at a media event hosted by Davidoff at its Madison Avenue store in Manhattan. Free cigars were available at the event and were given to all in attendance. Would I have covered the story anyway? Well, for the chance to interview Henke Kelner, definitely.

Tags: cigar, davidoff, davidoff madison, DavidoffMadison, dominican, dominican republic, dominican-republic, dominicano, madison ave, Madison Avenue, manhattan, new york, new york city

Cigar Interview: Padron Discusses Coming Limited Edition

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — May 3rd 2010 at 10:01AM

The name Jorge Padron is known to even occasional cigar smokers, and the anniversary lines – such as the 1926 and 1964 – are certain to make the connoisseur salivate. I had the chance to catch up with Jorge a few weeks ago, when he came to Manhattan to attend a cigar dinner in his honor. The company has a new limited edition cigar coming out this year, which I, frankly, can't wait to cut and light. Watch the video to see what Padron has to say about the quality of his cigars – past, present and future.

Gallery: Jorge Padron Cigar Dinner

To keep the FTC happy: I did not pay to attend the Padron cigar dinner at De La Concha. I was hosted by Ron Melendi, the store's general manager. That said, do you think I would have paid for the dinner, just to have the chance to interview Jorge Padron? Of course. Also, I would have shown up just to interview him and participate in the event if I hadn't been invited by Melendi.

Tags: cigar, cigar lounge, cigars, CigarShop, jorge padron, manhattan, new york, new york city

Churchill Cigar Stub Found in Malta

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) — Apr 26th 2010 at 7:02PM

Winston Churchill was rarely seen without a cigar, and his trips to Malta were no exception. So, it's unsurprising that the tiny nation's history is littered with the stubs of Britain's war-time leader. Just recently, one of them was discovered, attached to the glass frame of a photo of the prime minister.

The cigar was found by Wigi Ebejer, grandson of Gabriel Ebejer, secretary of what is now the San Gabriel Band Club. During WWII, he worked for the Demolition and Clearance Department, which cleaned up around the Clock Tower in Vittoriosa shortly after the war's end. He received the cigar stub from a man remembered as Mr. Nappa, who worked as a cook at the Governor's Palace. Nappa received it from Gabriel Debono, a messenger with business for Churchill. Debono used the smoked cigar as proof of his legitimacy.

There are several of Churchill's "empties" in Malta, and there is a market for them as collectibles. Prices can run from hundreds to thousands of euros.

Tags: cigar, cigars, collectibles, malta, Winston Churchill

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