(Ramsey, NJ Monday March 22, 2022) Ferio Tego is pleased to announce details of their first limited release of 2022, the Ferio Tego Timeless TAA 2022. The announcement came during the 2022 meeting of the Tobacconists Association of America in Los Cabos San Lucas Mexico today.
“The Tobacconists Association of America is a wonderful organization, and their Exclusive Series Products is a critical part of the association’s success.”, said Michael Herklots, Co-Owner of Ferio Tego, LLC. “Personally, this year’s release is quite special because, while it is the fourth time I’ve developed blends for TAA Exclusive products, this is the first time I’m doing it under my own brand.”
The Timeless TAA 2022 is a Nicaraguan Puro, handmade with the Plasencia family in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigar is available only in a 6” x 50 toro, in limited mazos of ten cigars. The 2022 release features a black and dark grey motif for the Timeless branding that debuted on the Timeless TAA 2020 but introduces a touch of red for the year. Only 700 mazos of ten cigars will be available. Suggested retail price is $15.00 per cigar. The cigars are expected to ship to retailers later this spring.
“The 2020 TAA Limited was launched just as the nation went into lock down. So much has happened over these last two years. This year’s Timeless TAA 2022 is largely inspired by the 2020 blend, utilizing very special tobaccos from Nicaragua, filler tobaccos and a binder from the Jalapa region and a wrapper from Esteli. We worked closely with the Plasencias to create complexity and nuance, but also vivaciousness. The result is a blend experience that is savory but also full of life… perfect for 2022 and looking towards a bright future.”
Ferio Tego is distributed in the United States by Davidoff of Geneva, USA.
About Ferio Tego
Ferio Tego, LLC is a premium cigar and accessories company launched in 2021 by Michael Herklots, former Vice President of Nat Sherman International, LLC and Brendon Scott, former Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nat Sherman, LLC. In addition to their flagship Ferio Tego brand, the company also owns the Metropolitan, Timeless, and Epoca brands of premium cigars as well as the Ancora accessories brand all formerly owned and distributed by Nat Sherman International, LLC.
FERIO TEGO is the Herklots family motto, found on the family’s coat of arms. While there are many interpretations and translations for this phrase, “Ferio Tego” loosely translates to “Strike and Defend.”
Big news today from AVO, with the company announcing the conclusion of their much beloved Improvisation Series which debuted in 2015 with Classic Covers.
Pinellas Park, FL – Febuary 8, 2022 – AVO Cigars, the global premium cigar brand, is proud to announce the newest addition to the Improvisation series, The Final Improvisation. This is the 10th and final release in the Improvisation line to commemorate this special and iconic milestone.
The ‘Closing Improvisation’ showcases two distinct yet complimentary blends to pair with various occasions, times of the day, and flavor and intensity preferences of the aficionado.
Edward Simon, Chief Marketing Officer at Oettinger Davidoff
The AVO brand over the past decade has released the AVO Improvisation to honour the birthday of the brand’s late founder, Avo Uvezian. A composer who had a passionate zest for life. A life that was filled with music and seizing opportunities whenever possible to create rich, noteworthy experiences for all to celebrate. This year the limited edition will arrive in March in time for Avo’s birthday which is celebrated on March 22.
Two blends are used for this year’s release and are inspired by the layout of white and black keys on a piano to capture the essence of AVO as a brand and the musical affinity of its founder.
“The AVO Improvisation 2022 packaging memorializes both the luxury and musical inspiration of the AVO Lines. The box utilizes black and gold color themes to reflect the two most commonly observed colors in a symphony. Additionally we see the contrasting nature of these two blends reflected to the surface with this box design,” says Edward Simon, Chief Marketing Officer at Oettinger Davidoff. The ‘Closing Improvisation’ showcases two distinct yet complimentary blends to pair with various occasions, times of the day, and flavor and intensity preferences of the aficionado.”
The Improvisation 2022 White is created with binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and dressed with a silky, golden Ecuador Connecticut wrapper. The Improvisation 2022 Black also uses an Ecuadorian Wrapper, but contains a binder from Mexico and filler tobaccos from both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
ABOUT AVO CIGARS AVO Cigars started when the brand’s founder, Avo Uvezian, a legendary jazz and cigar composer of global fame orchastrated his passion for each into the soul of this brand. It’s the ability to elevate the moment, to connect with the energy and to “CHANGE THE TEMPO” that defines AVO Cigars. Those very same qualities are reflected in the heart and soul of those of undeniable character who align with and carry on the rhythm of this iconic brand of fine cigars.
MEDIA CONTACT Eddy Guerra Senior Brand Manager Eddy.Guerra@davidoff.com
1/27/2022, LAS VEGAS——In 2020, Emmanuel Peña, an audacious beverage industry titan and Claudio Sanchez, a thriving viral marketing and e-commerce mogul joined forces to create East Park Cigars. Inspired by their common roots and passions, they travelled off beaten paths in search of the right blend to pair with their favorite spirits. Little did they know that the journey would take them back to their ancestral home, Santiago, Dominican Republic. It was there they would discover Cibao valley’s rich soil, which infused by the waters of the Yaque river and blessed with almost perfect microclimate conditions, yields some of the best tobacco in the world.
Today, East Park Cigars debuts three inaugural blends: El Borbón, El Escocés, and El Cognac. Blended by Henderson Ventura and produced at Tabacalera William Ventura in Tamboril, Dominican Republic, these blends represent a dynamic yet thoughtful approach that yields cigars perfectly conditioned for pairing with bourbon, scotch, and cognac.
“To develop these three inaugural concepts,” Sanchez, CEO and Co-Founder explains, “the team developed each blend by experimenting with the phenolic compounds in the tobacco leaves. Each component of the cigar is meticulously architected to enhance the smoking experience while pairing with your favourite spirit. We can’t wait to bring these new experiences to this dynamic industry.”
Each blend is available in a single 5 ½” x 52 robusto size, packaged in 10 count boxes with an MSRP of $15 per cigar.
Emmanuel Peña, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer said of the project, “with the masterful skills of Henderson Ventura, the proven commitment to quality of Tabacalera William Ventura, and the combined experience of our team and guidance of Adrian Acosta of The Cigar Culture, we’re confident that we will deliver fresh and disruptive concepts that enhance the cigar smoking experience for the new generation of smokers.”
El Borbón
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Sumatra
Filler:
Criollo 98 seco – Dominican Republic
Corojo ligero – USA
Pennsylvania ligero – USA
El Escocés
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Sumatra
Filler:
Nicaragua visus – Nicaragua
Corojo ligero – Dominican Republic
Piloto visus – Dominican Republic
El Cognac
Wrapper: Habano Maduro
Binder: Sumatra
Filler:
Criollo 98 ligero – Dominican Republic
Corojo ligero – USA
Criollo 98 – Nicaragua
For questions or requests for more information about East Park Cigars, please email HELLO@EASTPARKBRANDS.COM
(Ramsey, NJ August 25, 2021) Ferio Tego is pleased to announce the official launch of the Ferio Tego brand of premium cigars with a pair of 2021 limited releases. Both blends are offered in a 6” x 50 toro format, packed in custom travel humidors of ten cigars each. The humidors, hand made by Humidif Group’s Cigar Box Factory in Esteli, come preloaded with the company’s Gelly Humidity Control packs to ensure the cigars are properly maintained after they are acquired.
The 2021 Ferio Tego Elegancia is manufactured in Licey, Dominican Republic with the Quesada family. The blend features an Ecuadorian wrapper, over a Dominican binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic.
The 2021 Ferio Tego Generoso is manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua with the Plasencia family. The blend features a Honduran shade-grown wrapper, over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers.
“Our 2021 Ferio Tego offerings are quite different from one another in style and pedigree, yet both share a commonality of balance and body”, shared Michael Herklots, co-owner of Ferio Tego LLC. “A mild cigar need not be thin on the palate nor flavor deficient, and a bolder cigar does not need to be ferocious and aggressive. We worked very hard together with the factories to achieve a full-bodied mouth feel and presence across both blends in order to establish a ‘house style’ so to speak, while still preserving the elegant expression of creamier brighter notes of Elegancia, and the generous presentation of dense savory notes of Generoso. Both blends stand on their own much the way a winery offers a Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon together.”
The initial offer for 2021 Ferio Tego is currently being sent to retailers. The cigars are expected to arrive in stores the first week of October. Due to the extremely limited production of the 2021 inaugural release, inventory will be allocated. The 2022 release is in pre-production and will have much greater availability, though still limited in production. Exact quantities will not be announced. Ferio Tego 2021 will be offered at an MSRP of $210 per humidor of ten cigars.
“We have worked very methodically these last several months, carefully considering every decision, ensuring that we are on solid ground before taking another step”, said Brendon Scott, co-owner of Ferio Tego LLC. “We are excited to finally launch Ferio Tego in the U.S. and bring these wonderful new offerings to market. And we are equally excited for the relaunch of Timeless and Metropolitan in the coming months.”
Ferio Tego is distributed exclusively by Davidoff of Geneva USA in the United States and its territories.
—
About Ferio Tego
Ferio Tego, LLC is a premium cigar and accessories company launched in 2021 by Michael Herklots, former Vice President of Nat Sherman International, LLC and Brendon Scott, former Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Nat Sherman, LLC. In addition to their flagship Ferio Tego brand, the company also owns the Metropolitan, Timeless, and Epoca brands of premium cigars as well as the Ancora accessories brand all formerly owned and distributed by Nat Sherman International, LLC.
FERIO TEGO is the Herklots family motto, found on the family’s coat of arms. While there are many interpretations and translations for this phrase, “Ferio Tego” loosely translates to “Strike and Defend.”
Starting on Tuesday, July 7th, The Carnegie Club is reopening for the first time since it closed on March 16th due to the global pandemic. Scott Asbury, Carnegie Club’s manager confirmed via email that the legendary cigar bar will open outdoor seating for the first time in its history.
Key details on the opening include:
Establishment Hours: 3pm – 9pm
Tables will be spaced 6 feet
Guest masks are not required except in order to use the restroom
Happy Hour 3pm-6pm consisting of select $6 beers, $8 wines and $11 cocktails
Scott explained in his email that Carnegie Club may extend the hours and days of operation depending on the demand. He went on to write
“The situation will be very fluid and we will be constantly refining how we do everything since this is uncharted territory. We were planning on waiting for Phase 3 to start this Monday for indoor seating but when they cancelled it we felt compelled to be proactive and just assume that indoor seating will not be allowed for awhile and that we have to adapt to survive.
We got our approval for outdoor seating and met up at The Carnegie Club shortly after to figure out how we could pull this off in a matter of days. We ordered some open air tents that should be arriving today and some barricades to claim our street space. We will come up with some branded banners to cover up the metal on the barricades but will not likely have them in time for opening so it may not be pretty at first but in the interest of getting started we are going to go with what we have and improve it as we go.
As you know we have never had outdoor seating and are not set up for that so it will be like starting a whole new business. Mistakes will be made and that’s fine. We will make it work and most importantly listen to any and all feedback from everyone. I do hope we can figure out a way to hold events too. I’ve already got a few ideas on how but I still want to see how things develop.”
As much as we are all eagerly awaiting the reopening of our indoor cigar lounges in NYC, it’s refreshing to see cigar bars like The Carnegie Club take the lead on reopening.
Last week, Barclay Rex emailed customers announcing the reopening of the store, including the walk in humidor which is now open to the public (unlike other notable NYC cigar retailers like Davidoff where only staff are allowed to walk into the humidor). In addition, the members-only lounge is now open on the condition that reservations are made ahead of time.
Lastly, Barclay Rex has opened limited outdoor seating and hopes to gain a permit for more outdoor seating in the coming week.
Outdoor seating at Barclay Rex on Pearl St.
Below is the email that went out to the Barclay Rex mailing list last week:
Thank you for all the support during this challenging time. We are thrilled to officially announce our reopening, on Monday, for in-store shopping during Phase 2 New York City reopening. Please make note of our most updated information:
Barclay Rex will be open Monday-Friday 10am-7pm. Feel free to call, email or shop inside the store for all of your purchases.
Rex Club is officially reopened to members and their guests. Please note that a reservation is required. Please call or email before you come. Priority seating and availability will be given to Rex Club members with earlier reservations.
Before you order online, please consider ordering through us. We are currently offering a 10% discount off of any box orders and will match any online box price. We are currently ordering for the following cigar companies: Padron, Davidoff, Avo, Camacho, Griffin, Tatuaje, Placencia, Altadis, My Father, Drew Estate, Santana, Ashton and Arturo Fuente
Tobacco orders can also be picked up or delivered to you. Here is a list of our famous tobaccos: Aromatics: Maravilla, El Moreno, Alkazar, Royal Scott, Diplomat, Jack O’ Hearts, Rexey, Peter McGurk’s. Non-Aromatics: Barclay Slice, Hampton Bay, Maiden Lane, Vincents, #4, #6
Please remain safe and healthy. We are excited to welcome you back into our store.
Davidoff of Geneva announced today that NYC stores are back open after months of closure due to COVID 19. In an email, a representative from Davidoff outlined some of the health and safety measures being implemented to keep customers and staff safe, including:
Customers are recommended to wear face coverings upon entry. Staff are required to.
Sales professionals will guide the shoppers experience. Customers will not be allowed to enter the humidor. Floor markers will provide a space to wait for staff to make selection and present to the customer.
Similar floor markers are provided by point of sale area for customers to maintain 6ft distancing.
Additional signage will be applied in multiple areas throughout the store to ensure current operation measures are understood and followed.
No outside food or beverage will be allowed.
Lounges will remain closed until further notice.
Store hour vary from store to store, see below.
Madison: Mon-Saturday: 10AM-5PM / Sunday closed.
6th Avenue: Mon-Fri: 11AM-5PM / Weekends closed
Downtown: Mon – Fri: 11AM-7PM / Sat and Sun: 12PM-6PM
Note: due to the fast-moving nature of laws, regulations, and requirements around COVID 19, I suggest calling ahead before visiting a Davidoff location.
Miami, FL, September 12, 2019– AJ Fernandez will not only manufacture Viva La Vida cigars, but also distribute the brand as well. Former New York City cigar retailers Billy and Gus Fakih released the brand in March and have now agreed to use AJ Fernandez’ sales force across the country. Billy and Gus will actively remain running daily operations which includes store visits, events and overall brand management.
Viva La Vida comes in five sizes, Robusto, Toro, Torpedo, Gran Toro and Diadema Fina. The cigars range in price from $10.50 to $14.50 before taxes.
“I have known Billy and Gus since I launched the San Lotano brand,” says A.J. Fernandez, “and they were one of the first and best supporters while operating the Cigar Inn in New York City. We maintained a great relationship since then, after they sold the store. I’m proud to not only call them business associates but great friends as well.”
Viva La Vida is draped by a silky smooth Habano Oscuro 2000 wrapper, which is accentuated by a Corojo 99 binder and Criollo 98 filler tobaccos, all from AJ’s farms in Nicaragua.
Billy Fakih thus explains “Our friendship with Abdel started from the early years of San Lotano cigars, when he visited our cigar shop ‘New York Cigar Inn’ in Manhattan back in 2010. The friendship grew throughout the years and it was based on a simple thing called trust. What attracted us to Abdel was not only the great cigars he blends and creates, but also how loyal, humble and disciplined he is which reflects in his cigars.
Gus Fakih adds “The relationship we created with AJ on a business and a personal level is special, and I’m so proud and excited to call AJ a real brother and a humble human, down to earth with a big heart, a great addition to our family.
Looking forward to growing our business relationship to much higher levels with one of the best in the industry.”
Through a fusion of inherited techniques and learned patience, AJ has developed proprietary tobacco grown from the most prized seeds harvested exclusively on his family farms. Perhaps the most essential quality of an AJ Fernandez cigar is not tangible. It is passion and discipline that motivates AJ to produce world renown premium cigars. The motivation that flows and radiates from AJ are contagious and palatable throughout all the artisans who hone their craft and skills under his hands-on tutelage throughout Nicaragua. All these attributes stem from humble beginnings in San Luis, Pinar del Rio, Cuba where the Fernandez family heritage began.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Frank Santos at 786.800.5329 or email Frankie@AJFcigars.com.
Wall St. Humidor, first floor – photo courtesy Andy Oh
In April, Wall St. Humidor joined the ranks of other uniquely New York lounges consigned to memory like Velvet Cigar Lounge in the East Village, Beekman Bar & Books in Midtown East, JR Cigars in Midtown, and Merchants NY Cigar Bar on the Upper East Side. If you didn’t hear about the closure, that’s because the only evidence of its closing is its sudden absence. The website is down, phone disconnected, and a ‘for sale’ sign hangs above the entrance.
In fact, if you’re a NYC cigar smoker and haven’t heard of Wall St. Humidor at all before, don’t beat yourself up. For most of the last ten years the two-story lounge was only known by a smaller inner-circle of cigar enthusiasts and FiDi workers, and one can only guess this was one of the factors that led to its closing.
The demise of Wall St Humidor is sad for a few reasons. First, the main floor, though a bit on the shabby side, was very large and had plenty of seating. And although the staff had a well-earned reputation of being inexplicably rude to newcomers (a reputation I had proved to me on two occasions), it was still a quiet refuge where cigar smokers could pick out a good smoke and take a quiet break.
For those that spent time at the place, what may be missed most of all is the downstairs lounge, which was, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful private lounges in the city, with a baby-grand piano, modern interior, private member lockers, and much more. Losing that room is sad for the entire city, because it marks the end of one of the few remaining rooms where everyday citizens can sit down, light up, and talk about issues that really matter.
Wall St Humidor downstairs – photo courtesy Andy Oh
We can hope that this is where the sad trend of cigar lounge closings ends, but with ever more stifling city ordinances around anything tobacco, and new federal laws (current and future), the list of closings will likely only grow in the next decade.
For the first time in the seven year history of this site, we are releasing a list of the 10 best cigars we smoked this year. We’ve refrained from doing it in the past largely because there are so many great blogs making these lists already. But this year in particular, there are some smokes that didn’t get the recognition that we think they deserve.
With that said, let’s get on to the Top 10.
Top 10 Cigars of 2017
10. Montecristo Grupo De Maestros Private Batch III
The Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III didn’t receive a lot of love on social media or in the blogosphere, but it makes my top ten because, to me, this cigar represents one of the most ambitious (and successful) projects by Montecristo in recent years. The cigar is full bodied with a predominantly dry profile but with a surprisingly creamy finish. Tasting notes include dry cedar, floral, salt, white pepper, and hints of spice. If this sounds like an intense profile—it is. But well worth it (just make sure you have water or another drink on hand).
9. Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida
Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust quickly captured the attention and adulation of the cigar geek crowd —and for good reason. Not only is he famous on social media for his detailed posts about the minutiae of his cigar making process, every project he touches seems to turn to gold. Mi Querida (spanish for “my mistress”) features the signature Saka Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and delivers a truly special smoking experience, generating thick plumes of extremely smooth smoke and flavors of earth, chocolate, coffee, oak and subtle pepper.
8. Drew Estate Undercrown Sun Grown
I have been and remain a sucker for cigars featuring Ecuadoran Sumatra wrappers. The Undercrown Sun Grown delivers volumes of spicy flavor, with a really unique, creamy smoke. It is true, the Undercrown Sun Grown doesn’t change and unfold as much as some other cigars deeper down on this list. But what impresses me so much with this blend is the ability Drew Estate has found to offer a brand new, extremely enjoyable flavor profile that is still clearly within the overall smoking experience that the company is known for.
7. La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Petite Corona
For many readers outside of New York City, La Hoja Cigars might be a relatively unknown brand. Those in the tri-state area who have had the opportunity to smoke La Hoja Cigars have experienced the tremendous attention to quality and detail that Willie Flores and Carlos Gomez put in to their work. The Signature Series 1962 Petite Corona is a really complex smoke which packs a lot of flavor and changes substantially throughout the course of the cigar. It’s also what I call a “sipping cigar,” so take your time when you smoke it. Expect notes of earth, fresh roasted espresso beans, and white pepper, with a zesty fruitiness entering at different times throughout the smoke.
6. Aging Room F55 Quattro Maduro
Lovers of the original Aging Room Quattro line can’t miss the F55 Quattro Maduro, which features a similar core of flavors, including cedar, spices, and touches of vanilla. What the Maduro adds, with its San Andreas Maduro wrapper, is bright touches of burnt toast and milk chocolate. Combined with flawless construction and an excellent price tag (~$10), the Aging Room Quattro F55 Maduro is an impressive addition to Aging Room’s offerings.
5. La Instructora Box Pressed
Don’t let the cryptic band or the $20 price tag fool you: this is a serious cigar (and one I approached very skeptically). The cigar opens with spices, espresso, light chocolate and salted peanuts. However, it is the second half of the cigar which shines brightest: a drastic increase in intensity, with finely ground black pepper, baking spices, and leather. It is the complexity of the cigar as it burns which makes this a Top 10 contender.
4. AJ Fernandez New World Puro Especial
2017 was, in some ways, the year of the AJ Fernandez cigar (I know, you could probably say that about 2016 as well). He’s created numerous blends for a number of brands including Montecristo and H Upmann. His New World Puro Especial Puro Especial is, to me, the crème de la crème of his work in 2017 (and the cigar industry at large): extremely smooth and balanced flavors of earth, cedar, cocoa, and cinnamon. The construction throughout the smoke is impeccable, and it sports a beautiful, solid white ash to boot.
3. Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generacion V
The Plasencia Alma Fuerte floored guests at the launch event we hosted with Plasencia at The Carnegie Club. The blending of the tobaccos in this cigar is enough to tell a complex story, but the tapered salamon size adds miles to the experience. The smoke morphs from deep, rich notes of chocolate, spices, and coffee to creamy smoke with hints of white pepper.
2. Drew Estate Pappy Van Winkle Tradition
Few brands in the cigar world can create the kind of instantaneous excitement and anticipation as Drew Estate. When you combine that with a name like Pappy Van Winkle, delivering on the promise is important. Drew Estate delivered. In particular, the Belicoso Fino is full bodied and features a pepper-forward profile, with notes of freshly ground black pepper, cedar, touches of floral and vanilla notes.
1. Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour
The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour is a tremendous addition to Davidoff’s core line, offering a unique take on the beloved Davidoff flavor profile. It is everything and more I was hoping to find in the Davidoff Nicaragua. Aged in former scotch casks, the Late Hour features traditional Davidoff notes (earth, musk, wood) along with subtle pepper, cocoa, and touches of malt from the cask aging. This cigar is an instant classic from Davidoff, as far as I am concerned.
So there you have it, our top cigar picks for cigars in 2017. If any of the other lists are any indication, there are a lot of great cigars that didn’t make the list. And that’s what makes selecting the top cigars so difficult: the market is simply full of great brands producing incredible new products.
We’ll be back next year with our 2018 picks. In the meantime, if you love a cigar that didn’t make it on this list, let us know in the comments, and check out our take on the best cigars to smoke in 2018.
