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Gurkha Wins Golden Label Printing Award

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October 22, 2012 (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc., makers of the super premium cigar brand Gurkha, was recently awarded a prestigious Golden Label Award for the printing, design, innovation and technical execution of the 125th Anniversary cigar band.

The coveted Golden Label Award ceremony was held at the contemporary Vienna Platinum Center in Vienna, Austria, organized by Brigl & Bergmeister, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of label and paper products. Out of 12,000 entries, Gurkha reigned highest cigar brand out of all 5 categories. Working in close collaboration with TSO printers (Holland), the Gurkha 125th Anniversary band artwork features a detailed and ornate design, incorporating state of the art printing techniques to emphasize the strong logo and identity of the Gurkha brand.

“We are very honored to receive this award,” said Kaizad Hansotia, Chairman of Gurkha Cigar Group. “This is even more special as this year celebrates 125th Anniversary of the Gurkha Cigar. The artwork took over a year to develop, where the goal was to create an intricate design that highlighted the strong tradition and authenticity of the brand”.

The Gurkha 125th cigar blend is also an award winner, having recently received the company’s highest ever rating of 96’ points. The unique blend features an oily Brazilian Cubra wrapper, accompanied by an Ecuadorian, Habano binder and a complex combination of Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Dominican fillers. This intriguing medium bodied cigar encompasses a very smooth and complex taste profile, with flavorful notes of rich tobacco and subtle hints of sweet spice, vanilla and chestnut. After much anticipation, the 125th Anniversary will be shipping to cigar stores nationwide in the coming weeks!

World renowned for their packaging and design, this is the second award that the Gurkha Cigar group has won in 2012 for their design and artwork, having already won the SAPPI European Printing Award for the printing, design and execution of the popular Gurkha ‘Royal Challenge’ artwork and crest.

Double Event-Recap: Big Ronnie at Nat Sherman & De La Concha

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This week, I was happy to be invited to 2 cigar events in NYC. The privilege of being wined and dined at flagship NYC cigar establishments is not wasted on me. I humbly enjoy every minute of spreading the good word of finetobaccoclub.com/ and The Cigar Rights of America.

Nat Sherman

The first was a release party at The Nat Sherman Townhouse for Mi Amor Reserva Cigars. This Nicaraguan blend made for Ashton was a nice full bodied smoke. Not too spicy, but not mild. As usual, no tasting notes from me, as you know, I have no palate.

Ambassadors @ Work
Ambassadors @ Work – Christian Aliperti & Big Ronnie

Hosting the event were the team of Michael Herklots, Executive Director Retail and Brand Development, Nat Sherman and Pat Felitti, Director of Store Sales, Hospitality & Operations, Nat Sherman.

The event was excellent, with Cuban food catered by Sophie’s Cuban.

Tony from Ashton Cigars was on hand and talked about the makeup of the cigar and how Ashton views their new line.

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DeLaConcha

The second event was a real treat. The Rocky Patel Cigar Dinner and Birthday Celebration for Ron Melendi was fantastic. Nish Patel was on hand talking about 3 cigar blends given out over the course of the evening, and DeLaConcha’s house band, Smoking Grooves was fantastic. The event hosted about 40 people and guests were treated to an open bar and amazing dinner catered by Rue57. I was asked to say a few words and raise awareness for the CRA and our fight. I think it went well, and I was able to sign up a few new CRA members.

Big Ronnie Preaching
Big Ronnie Spreading the CRA word
Big Ronnie Lighting
Pretty sexy
Ron Preaching
Our Host
Big Ronnie posing outside DeLaConcha
Big Ronnie posing outside DeLaConcha
Ron Playing
The birthday boy shredding!
Happy Birthday to Ron Melendi from the team at FineTobaccoNYC.com
Happy Birthday to Ron Melendi from the team at finetobaccoclub.com/

We were also happy to welcome a member of our lobby, Gotham Government Relations (GGR) to the event. Warren H. Cohen is GGR’s new Director of Public Affairs and is very interested in our fight. I plan to meet with him and follow up in a future post.

That’s all for today. See you after the next event!

*Photo credit for the DeLaConcha event goes to Steve Zak Photography.

Davidoff Cigars Unveil 2012 Holiday Gift Selection

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October 15, 2012 — Davidoff reveals the perfect holiday gifting solution for the first time in the brand’s history. Perfect for the Davidoff aficionado, gifts include festive holiday sleeves wrapping an array of Davidoff cigars as well as accessories from the brand. Whether shopping for dad, friends or colleagues, the assortment features a variety of price points to allow the perfect gift for everyone. The holiday designs will adorn some of the brand’s assortment packs, including the Robusto Collection, Tubos Assortment and the 9-Cigar Assortment, as well as its Puro d’Oro series 10-count boxes. Holiday items will begin shipping to Appointed Merchants November 1, just in time to hit shelves prior to holiday shopping.

Joya De Nicaragua Rebranding “Cuenca Y Blanco” to “CYB”

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October 8, 2012 (Estelí, Nicaragua) — Joya de Nicaragua® (JDN), the oldest Nicaraguan cigar manufacturer, announced today that it is rebranding its new Cuenca y Blanco to “CyB by Joya de Nicaragua”. This change is being proactively, self implemented to satisfy the possibility of any unintended, potential trademark conflicts with other brands, and is being done so in the spirit of maintaining the harmony within our small industry of premium handmade cigars. The brand name change will not alter the blend in any way; the CyB cigar will be preserving its unrivaled quality and essence.

“We did not realize there was any potential conflict over the name, otherwise we never would have used it to begin with”, expresses Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, Owner and President of JDN, “It is never our intention to imitate others and rather than waste energy in a possibly long, drawn out legal dispute, simply changing it resolves any issue. I want our efforts focused solely on the working tobaccos, maintaining the quality of our cigars and satisfying our customers. Our industry is facing much more relevant challenges today that demand our united and collective efforts. We appreciate the forty-five years of trust our cigar consumers, retailers and distributors have afforded Joya de Nicaragua and it is our duty and honor to always ensure our brands continue to be the global icons of the Nicaraguan Spirit”.

José Blanco, Senior VP of JDN adds, “All of us are extremely proud of CyB. We spent a year perfecting this intricate blend of tobaccos to deliver a truly unique smoking experience. It’s a medium to full bodied smoke, with lots of flavor and complexity, with a great aroma and a long finish. We may have changed the name, but the jewel we have created continues to be exactly the same!”

Cigars shipped to our wholesale customers from today forward by Drew Estate, our US Distributor, will reflect this name change. Like the cigar itself, the brand’s overall design and packaging remains identical, the only difference being the name. Some legacy-boxed cigars from the initial launch may remain in the marketplace during the transition.

Portland, OR Cigar Shop Goes up in Smoke

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Fox 12 Portland reports that a fire ripped through “Roll Your Own” cigar shop in my home state of Oregon. Now, I understand this is “Roll Your Own” cigar shop, which doesn’t exactly speak volumes for quality as far as cigars go. But still, the idea of a shop so close to home going up in smoke… well, it’s just depressing. The article from Fox 12 is below. Click here to watch video coverage:

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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) – A fire broke out Tuesday morning at a building that houses Roll Your Own cigar shop in southeast Portland, and firefighters rushed to the scene to stamp out the flames.

FOX 12’s helicopter showed the flames ripping through the shop around 7 a.m.

The fire-damaged building is home to Roll Your Own Cigars, Smokes and Accessories, as well as other businesses, and is located at the intersection of 158th Avenue and Division Street.

Portland firefighters attacked the fire from outside the building and quickly gained control. It appears a storage area on the back side of the building sustained most of the damage.

The Roll Your Own shop was closed at the time the fire broke out, and there were no injuries reported. It’s unknown how the fire started, but investigators are looking for the cause.

The fire investigation shut down Southeast Division Street between 157th and 160th avenues to allow for firefighters to work. Morning commuters were told to expect delays.

Cigar Wars: Missouri Seeks to Dramatically Hike Tobacco Tax, IPCPR Opposes

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September 27, 2012 (Jefferson, MO) – Proposition B, a proposed 150% tax increase on cigars and pipe tobacco, in addition to a 760% tax increase on cigarettes, is causing quite a stir in Missouri. Politicians claim the tax hike will help fund education and health care, while small business owners are criticizing the open attack on their businesses.

Opponents of the initiative, including the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), point out that none of the tax revenue raised by Prop. B is required to be spent on tobacco-related illnesses, but rather that a board of bureaucrats directs where the money is spent, even going so far as being able to fund their own special-interest groups.

“We elected these men and women to protect our businesses, not tax them into the ground. One group of business shouldn’t be continually attacked simply because some bureaucrats need to fund a project or initiative. All Missourians should pay their fair share in taxes, rather than one group being endlessly attacked,” said Curt Diebel, owner of Diebel’s Sportsmens Gallery in Kansas City, MO.

The IPCPR also fears that this tax increase will result in “border bleed,” the movement of tobacco sales to neighboring states with lower taxes, ultimately harming local businesses and forfeiting the tax revenue that the Missouri state government sought in the first place.

“Most small tobacconists throughout this country are mom-and-pop operations dotting the American Main Street. In an already tumultuous economy, the government should be focused on preserving jobs, not destroying them,” said Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR.

The initiative will be up for vote in November.

Press Release: Habanos S.A. Announces Romeo Y Julieta Petit Churchills

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September 20, 2012 — Romeo y Julieta was created as a Habanos brand in 1875. Its roots lie in the literary tragedy of the same name by the British playwright William Shakespeare.
The brand rose to international fame during the early years of the twentieth century, after Don ‘Pepín’ Rodríguez was one of the first to recognize the importance of the bands as a success factor. During his hey day no less than 20.000 distinct bands were used in production.

Winston Churchill was one of the most devoted smokers of the Romeo y Julieta brand. Ever since his visit to Havana in 1946, his name has not only widely been used on Habanos bands, but also came to represent the best-known vitola within the brand: the Churchills by Romeo y Julieta.
Its balanced and aromatic blend, with filler and binder leaves selected from plantations in the Vuelta Abajo* (D.O.P.) zone, makes Romeo y Julieta the classic medium bodied Habano.

Today, Romeo y Julieta enjoys considerable prestige worldwide and offers one of the broadest size ranges among Habanos brands, all made totally by hand with long filler.
The new Romeo y Julieta Petit Churchills vitola was designed to complement the current Romeo y Julieta range by adding a format that is highly appreciated in recent years by Habanos enthusiasts.

The Petit Robustos Factory Name (ring gauge 50 x 102 mm in length) allows the balanced and aromatic flavor of Romeo y Julieta to be enjoyed in just 20 minutes. Its wide ring gauge and moderate length give the cigar excellent combustibility and provides in a short period of time a complete series of flavor nuances of the brands blend, made with filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo* (D.O.P.) zone in Pinar del Río, Cuba.

The new Petit Churchills vitola will be available in the classic Romeo y Julieta labeled Box containing 25 units.
They will also be available in aluminum tubes sold in cases containing 3 units in the following months.
Brand: Romeo y Julieta
Commercial name: Petit Churchills
Factory name: Petit Robustos
Measures: 50 ring gauge (19,84 mm) x 102 mm in length
Presentations: Labeled Box of 25 units

Zino Platinum Tenth Anniversary Event at Davidoff Madison

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Davidoff Madison Ave. is having a special event this Thursday that you probably don’t want to miss. As per our announcement a few weeks ago, the Zino Platinum Ten Year Anniversary was celebrated (in part) with some new, artistically inspired boxes. Well, now is your chance to experience the artistic side of tobacco, and try one of Davidoff’s newest cigars.

We should have an FTNYC representative on the scene reporting, so we’ll get back to you with some photos and a recap of the event.

Cigar Wars: IPCPR Opposes Omaha City Council Tax Plan

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September 25, 2012 (Omaha, NE) — A recently proposed occupation tax in Omaha, Nebraska threatens to levy a 7% tax on sales of all tobacco products. The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) strongly opposes this “specialty tax” as it will be detrimental to area premium cigar and pipe retailers.

The tax is designed to raise funds for a University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) expansion. UNMC has $1.2 billion dollars available, which is more than enough to pay for the project. Taxpayers are wondering why they are being forced to fund the university’s expansion.

The IPCPR fears the tax can lead to “border bleed:” the movement of sales from local businesses to neighboring shops as well as to online and mail-­order retailers in order to avoid onerous taxation. Small businesses, including premium tobacco shops, are extremely sensitive to swings in economy and taxation. Adding on yet another tax only compounds the problem in an abysmal economy and increases stress on businesses by driving sales out of  the city.

“The tobacco industry is not a bottomless well for taxes, fees and the like. We are mom­‐and‐pop, Main Street businesses in an industry struggling to survive under increasing scrutiny ad attacks from our very own elected officials, who we elected to defend us. The people who work in this industry shouldn’t have to go home every night fearing that their jobs are being regulated or taxed out of existence every time the government has a project they want to complete” said Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR.

This city-­forced tax will certainly prove challenging as businesses struggle to regain footing  and grow in this economy.

Recap: Davidoff Presents the First Annual Golden Band Awards

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Davidoff recently celebrated their first “Golden Band” awards, recognizing the many cigar shops and business owners who help make Davidoff the brand that it is. It looks like it was a pretty lavish party, and hopefully will continue as a tradition next year.

From the website:

“The inaugural Davidoff Golden Band Award Show honored those Appointed Merchants that truly embody the Davidoff standard of excellence. The first annual awards show was part of an exclusive Davidoff event on August 4th at IPCPR in Orlando, Florida. The Golden Band Awards materialized from the brand¹s success, rooted in decades of long-standing partnerships with trusted merchants. Davidoff has a long history of working with its family of retailers to help them expand their businesses, discuss best practices and grow the Davidoff brand, hand in hand. The awards are an opportunity to officially recognize these retailers for their commitment and passion for Davidoff.”

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