NEW YORK, September 2012–The fourth installment of “CONCORD,” hosted by Bigeye Desyns, took place on Friday, September 7th. CONCORD 4: Habana Edicion, was a night filled with cigars, food, drinks, live music, and the beautiful view offered by The Brooklyn Terrace.
Bigeye Desyns plans to create more unique CONCORD events. If you are interested in attending, like the CONCORD Facebook page, and sign up for our event mailing list.
September 24, 2012 — Enrique Sanchez Icaza, owner of Global Premium Cigars, makers of 1502 Cigars manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua, and Gary Griffith, owner of Emilio Cigars, announced today that they have entered into a distribution agreement. Under this arrangement Emilio Cigars sales staff will bring the 1502 cigars to market, while Sanchez Icaza will continue to focus on manufacturing and product development along with retailer support and education about the brand. Sanchez Icaza will continue to handle sales in the state of Florida as well. The cigars will be warehoused and shipped from the Emilio Cigars facility in Vineland, NJ.
“I am delighted to be able to help another boutique manufacturer benefit from our existing shipping and billing facilities, and even more happy that we were able to make this arrangement with a dear friend” said Griffith.
Sanchez Icaza added: “I am very proud and honored to have Gary carry our 1502 Cigars. He is a true friend, great entrepreneur and a great cigar guru. I am sure our business relationship will be very successful!”
Product should arrive at the Emilio Cigars warehouse within a week, and begin shipping immediately thereafter.
The Viñales Club, a cozy lounge filled with fine materials, books and works of art, welcomes connoisseurs of Havanas, Montecristos and other cigars, happy to gather round whirls of smoke, settled comfortably in plush Club chairs, while reading, pondering or savoring a drink. It is a private club, strictly reserved to members, each with their own private humidor.
If you would like to become a member, please contact Eric Vievard.
Release a few days ago via the Cigar Rights of America newsletter, it looks like we’ve got another U.S. Senator on board with the CRA/IPCPR push to avoid FDA regulation of cigars.
Co-Sponsors S. 1461
Cigar Rights of America welcomes Senator Dean Heller (R) of Nevada as the 14th member of the United States Senate to join as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1461.
Dion Giollito, owner of Illusione Cigars and the FUMARE cigar shop of Reno, noted on behalf of the Nevada Cigar Association, “We are very proud to have Senator Heller join all three members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada on the legislation that can work to prevent FDA from seizing control of cigars. Without this legislation, FDA regulations would threaten the livelihood of thousands of cigar shop owners and employees throughout America — jeopardizing the very existence of this industry as we know it. The federal government has higher priorities, and we certainly hope Senator Heller and Representatives Amodei, Heck and Berkley can work with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reed, D-Nevada to advance this legislation. Having Senator Heller and each of our Representatives on the same legislation certainly speaks to the virtue of this effort.”
Click the links below to view the full bill text and the list of all co-sponsors:
The Gurkha Cigar Group are proud to announce a new 7 x 54 Prisoner Churchill salomon shape in its flagship Cellar Reserve brand. This cigar will replace the current 7 x 54 Churchill in the Cellar Reserve range. This decision was made due to the vast popularity and demand of the salomon shape in the other sizes of the brand.
The Cellar Reserve has quickly become a strong staple of the Gurkha portfolio and has received many accolades and 90+ ratings from leading cigar publications including, Cigar Aficionado, Cigar Journal, Cigar Snob and a recent 95 rating by Cigar and Spirits Magazine.
“We feel the Cellar Reserve blend is certainly enhanced by the unique salomon shape,” said Juan Lopez, National Sales Director of Gurkha Cigar Group.”After listening to the feedback from consumers and retailers, we felt this was a great way to further enhance the popularity and continuity of the brand.”
Cellar Reserve uses the finest 15-year old aged tobacco, comprised of an oily Criollo 1998 wrapper, that combines an aged Dominican, Olor binder with a 15-year aged Dominican filler. These cigars are housed in unique wooden boxes that aesthetically evoke a maturing wine barrel. Cellar Reserve is a delicious medium to full bodied cigar that is full of flavor and complexity. Available sizes: 4 x 58 Koi, 5 x 58 Solara, 6 x 58 Hedonism, 6 x 60 Kraken and a new 7 x 54 Prisoner Churchill Salomon. MSRP: $7.98-12.94.
More information on Gurkha Cigars can be found on the company’s:
September 19, 2012 (Jeffersonville, IN) – Riverside Cigars, the country’s number one retailer of 262 Cigars, is proud to host the national release of its new cigar line, The Revere. This is the first opportunity in the U.S. for cigar lovers to sample this new cigar from 262 Cigars and to meet Clint Aaron, Brand Owner, who will be on hand to sign cigar items and host an educational session about the new Revere line.
The Revere is a Nicaraguan puro. The cigar features a wrapper from the Jalapa Valley, a double binder of both Jalapa and Estelí tobaccos, and a rare combination of Estelí, Condega and Jalapa seco, viso, and ligero for the filler. The Revere is produced by Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua. The suggested retail price is $7.50 for the Corona, $8.00 for the Robusto, and $9.75 for the flagship size Box Press Toro.
262 Cigars is named for the month and year that President John F. Kennedy signed the Cuban Trade Embargo. Other cigar lines include the Paradigm and Ideology cigars.
The 262 Cigars’ Revere Release Event will take place at Riverside which is located at 201 Spring Street in Jeffersonville, Indiana. This free event, which is open to the public, will include raffles for free cigars and promotional materials. Attendees of the event will also have limited access to Riverside Cigar’s new adjacent bourbon bar and lounge, Match, which will be opening Fall 2012.
Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) signed on as a cosponsor of S. 1461, the companion bill of H.R. 1639 yesterday.
The bills, also known as the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011, seek to exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation.
Senator Heller previously served as Nevada’s Representative to the Second Congressional District, as Nevada’s Secretary of State for three terms, and in the Nevada State Assembly for two terms.
He currently serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Special Committee on Aging. Jobs and the economy continue to be Senator Heller’s top priorities.
If the FDA is allowed to regulate the premium cigar industry, it could include changes such as banning walk-in humidors, altering advertisement and store signage, and regulating the blends of tobacco in cigars. The House bill currently has 219 cosponsors, and is above majority.
Havana, Sep 18: Supported by excellent quality, Cuban tobacco holds supremacy today among handmade premium cigars, with an eight percent increase in global sales, according to an official announcement.
Jorge Luis Fernandez Maique, co-president of Habanos S.A., noted that despite restrictive laws on consumption, the company is enjoying increasing market share in the category of luxury products.
Cuban tobacco production is going well and the industry is meeting its delivery plans agreed to earlier this year.
By late August, the company had exceeded its 2011 figures both in units and value.
Regarding units, the rise is eight percent compared with the previous year, with the same level in terms of values, indicating that by the end of 2012 it is possible that figures will exceed those of the previous year.
Fernandez Maique insisted that the trend is positive, especially in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Russia markets, where sales of premium Cuban cigars have improved.
Other important markets for cigars, and maturity in terms of distribution are the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Switzerland, the Cuban manager said, without releasing detailed marketing figures.
UPDATE: As of Saturday, September 29th, 2012, Grant’s Pipe Shop is closed and looking for a new location.
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If you have been a member of the U.S. cigar community for any real length of time, you aren’t surprised at this point when another cigar shop comes under pressure to close down by some city or state bureaucrats. In this case, San Francisco’s oldest operating tobacco shop is under pressure to close down. The official press release below:
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September 18, 2012 (San Francisco, CA) – Grant’s Pipe Shop is San Francisco’s oldest operating traditional tobacco shop, and its historic walk-in humidor was the first in the State of California. Premium Tobacco enthusiasts from around the world have been stopping by Grant’s Pipe Shop’s current Market Street location since 1963, but the shop’s history begins with the Gold Rush of 1849. Originally supplying miners and merchant seamen with premium tobaccos and fine pipes.
One of Grant’s most famous customers in the 1800s was local eccentric,“Emperor Norton.” Grant’s Pipe Shop is one of San Francisco’s oldest small businesses. Store managers of the previous shop owner, Edward L. Grant, had an opportunity to continue this San Francisco legacy when they successfully took ownership in 2004 after Mr. Grant’s passing in 2003. In 2006, the lease expired, and the shop has been on a month-to-month lease ever since, despite numerous attempts to negotiate for a longer-term lease.
The Chancery Building, in which Grant’s Pipe Shop is located, changed ownership in 2009, but the building’s management, Kevin Colombo of Terra Verde Commercial and new landlords Chelsea Pacific Holdings, LP, and manager Zack Faidi of Chelsea Pacific Group, LLC, have rejected reasonable negotiations.
Recently, the owners of the Chancery Building applied for a permit through the San Francisco Building Department to construct build outs that will affect Grant’s current space, including its historic walk-in humidor. When one of the General Partners of Grant’s, Joe A. Barron, inquired about details, such as the length and timing of multiple planned construction phases and other normal concerns of tenants when negotiating these matters, the owners of the Chancery Building in return served Grant’s with a 30-Day Notice to Terminate Tenancy, bringing about what could be the end of this San Francisco institution.
Grant’s Pipe Shop is the latest in a series of San Francisco landmarks to come under fire by local landlords eager to raise rents. Prior to serving the conviction notice, the Chancery Building initially suggested doubling the rent in 2009, which would have effectively put Grant’s out of business. Additionally, the Chancery Building’s management has seemed more interested in probing Grant’s current owners into selling the business or misleading Grant’s proprietors over the last three years, leading to speculation that the building’s management or landlords have never intended to offer the current owners of Grant’s Pipe Shop a long-term lease to stabilize this historic shop.
Grant’s owners remain dedicated to maintaining the legacy and tradition of quality expected of San Francisco’s oldest and most well known tobacconist. Quality inventory of tobacco products will be on clearance starting September 18, 2012.
For cigar smokers, the question of the health risks of cigars is an often-debated topic. Beyond debate, however, is the sad fact that when you smoke irresponsibly, tragedy can be the result.
This was the case for Lyn Baumeister, who was killed after her husband’s discarded cigar caught fire in a trash can. The fire spread to the sofa, and the toxic fumes released by the combustion killed Mrs. Baumeister and her seven month old black lab.
“The chair had been set alight by a cigar discarded by her former partner George, with whom she still lived. He had stubbed it into an ashtray and then into a waste paper basket. He then left for work, unaware it was still smouldering…
She left three children and six grandchildren.”
This tragic story should remind every cigar smoker that when you are done with a cigar, DO NOT PUT IT IN A GARBAGE CAN. Simply set it down in your ash tray, ember towards the center, and let it go out to avoid risk of an ember catching. And if you are smoking inside, take the extra precaution and take your cigar outside.
Cigar Rights of America welcomes Senator Dean Heller (R) of Nevada as the 14th member of the United States Senate to join as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1461.
Havana, Sep 18: Supported by excellent quality, Cuban tobacco holds supremacy today among handmade premium cigars, with an eight percent increase in global sales, according to an official announcement.
