The management of Cigar Landing announced late last night that it is reopening after a series of repairs. We encourage cigar smokers in New York City to drop by this great shop, located in the heart of the devastation from Hurricane Sandy.
Hello everyone,
We’re very happy to announce that we’ll be re-opening this week after some much-needed repairs. The shop is officially open for business on Thursday, and we’ll celebrate with some festivities on Friday night (starting around 7:00 pm). If there’s enough interest, we’ll get a poker game started during the night. Please come out to support one of the few Seaport businesses that survived Sandy. Hope to see you all…
Cheers,
Cigar Landing
150 Beekman Street (between South and Front Streets, one block north of Pier 17 @ the Seaport).
March 7, 2013 — General Cigar announces that Punch® Rare Corojo is making its anticipated annual return to retail, this time with a new, strikingly-packaged figurado that is only available as part of the Honduran brand’s 2013 release.
A total of eight Punch Rare Corojo frontmarks are now available, with suggested retail prices ranging from $4.79 to $7.39 per cigar. This includes the new “Perfecto” size (7” x 48, SRP per cigar $7.39), which is protected in a keepsake, wooden cabinet-style box.
Punch Rare Corojo cigars will be sold by General Cigar to retailers nationwide until May 31, 2013. The 2013 Rare Corojo release will therefore be available in cigar shops until the limited quantity is depleted.
Gus Martinez, director of marketing for General Cigar’s Punch cigar brand noted, “Punch Rare Corojo started the trend toward seasonal offerings, and we are pleased to continue the tradition. Between the breadth of frontmarks and the addition of the Perfecto to this year’s lineup, we are confident that Rare Corojo will be the go-to, springtime smoke for cigar lovers across the country.”
Like the recent issues of Punch Rare Corojo, the 2013 release is crafted with a lustrous, extra rich, Sumatra wrapper cultivated in the mountains of Ecuador. Grown only in limited quantity, these rare, reddish leaves give Punch Rare Corojo its uniquely smooth taste. Bound with Connecticut Broadleaf, Punch Rare Corojo cigars are filled with a select blend of Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco, for a complex smoking experience, layered with spice.
Every now and again something truly unique slips into the vast stream of cigar industry related announcements. This release, announcing “Kenbano,” which features a wrapper grown in Kentucky, is truly original. I can’t speak to taste or quality yet, but it seems that since the project took as many years as it did, Mr. McAnallen might just be on to something great.
Stay tuned for reviews on this stick. The release follows:
March 9, 2013 (Pikeville, Ky.) — The Black Patch Cigar Company, located in Pikeville, Kentucky, recently released a cigar with a proprietary Habano seed grown in the fertile soils of Western Kentucky. This new cigar, appropriately called, Black Patch Kenbano, was first released in September-October of 2012 and is currently shipping nationwide. Only two sizes of this special edition cigar will be released: a 5 x 50 Robusto and a 6 x 54 Gran Toro.
Kenbano is the name of the proprietary tobacco that is grown in the Black Patch region of Logan County, KY. It should come as no surprise that great cigar tobacco can come from this soil; the first strains of tobacco indigenous to North America were a broadleaf variety and Western Kentucky has been growing broadleaf and other tobaccos for over 150 years. But growing Cuban seed (i.e., Habano) tobacco is something quite new.
“The emotions of finally seeing something like the Kenbano become tangible was almost anti-climatic,” said Eric McAnallen, owner of the Black Patch Cigar Company. “In 1998, when I first dreamed of growing great cigar tobacco in my part of the world, I expected it to happen overnight… Was I ever wrong! The passage of time tends to erode any unrealistic expectations.”
After curing, McAnallen’s Black Patch raised tobacco is shipped to the Dominican Republic, where it is fermented, aged, and eventually blended and rolled into cigars at the farms and factories of Jorge F. Carbonell. “I was given such great advice and guidance from the 100 year established Carbonell Tobacos family who instilled in me from the beginning that it would take passion, persistence, and time before my dream would come to fruition.”
“My goal was to create an aroma and taste that is infinite and unique,” said McAnallen. “I believe the Kenbano will elicit memories of yesteryear and entice the senses of all seasoned cigar smokers.”
March 7, 2013 (Tampa, Fla.) — Room101 is extending its popular Namakubi franchise with a bold and exciting new blend due out in early March 2013. The new Room101 Namakubi Ecuador is a fusion of wrapper and binder tobacco from a recent, highly rated Room101 release combined with the filler tobaccos of the original Namakubi line.
“With the Room101 brand we really like to explore and push the boundaries with different flavor profiles. The Room101 Namakubi Ecuador is the product of us combining two of our greatest successes to see if we could create something truly unique. With this new blend, we’ve done just that. The Room101 Namakubi Ecuador is an absolute flavor machine,” said Dylan Austin, Head of Marketing for Room101 Cigars.
The packaging is also a fusion of the two previous releases. The new Namakubi Ecuador comes packed in the original Namakubi boxes and utilizes a Samurai inspired outer wrapping for the diadema and perfecto shaped formats. The Room101 Namakubi Ecuador is medium to full in body.
The Room101 Namakubi Ecuador is available in (4) formats:
Papi Chulo – (42 x 4 parejo) — $6.00 MSRP per cigar, 50 cigars per box
Filero – (52 x 42 x 4 ½ mini-diadema) — $8.00 MSRP per cigar, 10 cigars per box
Ranfla – (30 x 50 x 19 x 5 ½ perfecto) — $10.00 MSRP per cigar, 10 cigars per box
Chingon – (60 x 44 x 8 diadema) — $12.00 MSRP per cigar, 10 cigars per box
It is our pleasure to announce a new addition to the FineTobaccoNYC team. I first met Christian at the Grand Havana Room on my birthday, and I was amazed at his knowledge of the art and enjoyment of cigars, spirits, and everything in between.
A little bit about Christian.
Christian offers a perspective of cigars ranging from vintage pre-embargo smokes, hard to find cigars as well as current releases. His 16+ years of smoking and love of travel have taken him on cigar journeys here and abroad. From smoking HERF’s in friends backyards to smoking Montecristo #2’s on the terrace of the Hungarian Palace Hotel in Lido Italy, Christian takes the “everyman” approach to cigar smoking being it all about taste and enjoyment of where you are or who you are with.
Said journey also led him to become one of the first Cigar Rights of America Ambassadors for NY State. Attending the CRA Freedom Tour in August of 2008 Christian was immediately inspired to fight for the beloved cause of the right to enjoy a cigar. Christian can be seen attending various cigar events in NYC and Long Island spreading the word of CRA and its mission.
Christian’s passions also span the world of fine wines, foods and spirits. From Bourbons to Bordeaux Christian has had the opportunity to taste various vintages and bottlings. As a member of the American Sommelier Association Christian has had the pleasure of attending wine seminars as well as visiting several wine countries on his vacations. These things as well as dining at various Michelin stared restaurants demonstrate his motto that “Taste IS life”.
Bill Sherman, Executive Vice President of Nat Sherman and Former Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha
This afternoon, American Hero and most recent Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Former Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha enjoyed Nat Sherman cigars with former comrades at the Nat Sherman Townhouse’s exclusive Johnson Club Room.
Nat Sherman has a long history of patriotism, from the recent event celebrating the NYPD to hosting personal visits from Mayor Giuliani.
In my opinion, there is not a cigar lounge in New York City that does a better job of recognizing the devotion of our armed services, police force, and political freedom defenders than Nat Sherman.
My appreciation goes out to the Nat Sherman team for their service and intentionality, and to Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha.
A group of cigar retailers announced yesterday a partnership to create “Sindicato Cigar Group LLC,” a cigar company that according to their Facebook page is “by the retailers, for the retailers.” What this will mean in terms of their vision and their product quality, I don’t really know. But the announcement certainly brings with it a sense of mystery, and even optimism considering that in the release below they also announce that Jim Colucci, who is the former Executive V.P. of Sales & Marketing for Altadis USA.
Read on…
March 6, 2013 (West Palm Beach, Fla.) — TRUST. This is the cornerstone of the foundation of Sindicato Cigar Group LLC (“Sindicato Cigars”). Sindicato Cigars was officially launched January 16, 2013 when a group of passionate cigar loving Tobacconists decided to extend their cigar knowledge and experience into making cigar brands. Their goal is to create a cigar company whose mission is to put the tobacco retailer and its customers first. The Tobacconist can trust that Sindicato Cigars will create quality brands that they can whole-heartedly support and that will never work against them. Consumers can trust that the collaboration of the country’s top cigar minds, who have listened to your words day in and day out, will create top quality brands based on the knowledge that those same consumers have provided.
Today, Sindicato Cigars wishes to announce the hiring of Jim Colucci as the President/CEO of the company. Sindicato Cigars is very excited and honored to have Mr. Colucci, former Executive V.P. of Sales & Marketing for Altadis USA, at the helm of this new venture. Sindicato Cigars intends to exhibit its first 2 cigar brands at the IPCPR show this year in Las Vegas and looks forward to greeting all IPCPR attendees.
Please stay tuned for announcements regarding the release of Sindicato Cigar’s new brands and any behind the scenes action by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The management at Iconic Leaf announced the release and some details of of the Iconic Leaf Recluse Draconian. Iconic Leaf is a cigar company headed by J.R. Dominguez that seems to have a fixation with innovation, especially when it comes to sizes. The company’s first release, RECLUSE, is available in ten sizes, three of which “have never been done before.”
Time will tell how these cigars are received.
March 4, 2013 — We are pleased to announce that we have completed the blend for our upcoming special edition release of Recluse. It is called the Recluse Draconian. It will be made in three vitolas called Sidewinders. Sidewinders are another new shape that we have created. As we did with our Kanu’ shape, the Sidewinder shape has never been done before in the cigar industry. It will remain undisclosed until its release at this years IPCPR July 13th-17th.
A few select retailers will get an advance release of the Recluse Draconian blend in three box pressed sizes. Recluse Draconian will be rolled in true Entubar fashion as is every cigar that is rolled in the Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas factory.
The Recluse Draconian blend is truly exotic.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro
Binder: Proprietary
Fillers: Brazilian Hybrid
Piloto Cubano
Dominican
Iconic Leaf Ligero* (leaf developed and exclusive to Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas)*
This blend was created in keeping with our philosophy of creating flavorful, well balanced blends that are smooth with many transitions.
We are proud that we have been able to bring quality and innovation together. This is only the beginning.
The makers of Montecristo announced recently that it is recently a figurado vitola in its wildly popular Montecristo No. 2 line. We should make clear for beginners that this press release refers to the Cuban Montecristo – not the Dominican cigars you see at convenience stores.
February 26, 2013 (Havana, Cuba) — Heard of a brand with a name of its own? That’s Montecristo. The Montecristo legend was born from the reading of Alejandro Dumas’ famous novel The Count of Montecristo to cigar rollers at the H. Upmann factory in Havana. Since then, the legend has grown larger-than-life, as the famous character.
Penciled in as a tasting benchmark to size up the other Habanos, Montecristo will step on the limelight during this Festival with the launch of two new vitolas and the presentation, with absolute respect for its history, of a new band in an effort to boost its value and image. Now a new proposal, aimed at reveling all that taste in a shorter span of time, has popped up.
Yet it had been a long time since the Classic Line didn’t have a range launch, a move that give twice as much significance to the unveiling of Petit No.2 because it clings to the brand’s tradition by now adding a figurado, a niche in which the Montecristo No.2 is quite a benchmark.
Completely rolled by hand with long filler, the ring gauge will catch on among smokers because of the easy grip and good burning that makes each puff a thrilling moment. For its part, the midsize length makes customers love every minute of it, despite a tough working day.
The exquisite blend of tobacco, exclusively rolled with filler and binder leaves hailing from Vuelta Abajo, guarantees faithfulness to the original Linea Clasica’s mild-to-strong taste and captivating scent that enthrall both seasoned smokers and those who are now cutting their teeth in the realm of Habanos.
The Edmundo line grows on with the coming of Double Edmundo, also featuring the new Montecristo band and bigger size. This Habano of Dobles factory vitola delivers this blend’s classic scent and taste for approximately a one-hour-long smoke.
Though featuring thinner ring gauge –large enough the delight passionate smokers- its length guarantees slow pleasure and intimate contact between smoke and spirit. In a word, this is a great opportunity to grab all the taste Montecristo has to offer… unhurriedly.
Ash Fine Cigars in Hoboken, NJ announced via Instagram this morning that they now carry the Alec Bradley “Filthy Hooligan,” a variation of the Alec Bradley Black Market that features a bright green candela wrapper. As the marketing strongly suggests, this cigar was created exclusively for St. Patties Day festivities.
From what I can tell through my work with Ivan Grullon (shop owner), his industry connections have allowed him to receive these cigars much more quickly than most shops in the city.
Ash Fine Cigars is located at 203 Washington St. in Hoboken, NJ. If you haven’t been by already, I strongly recommend dropping by. The selection is great, and the prices are significantly below any you will find across the river in the city.
