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by @jbrookeiv on Twitter

Cigar Stats:
Size: 6.5″ x 52 ring, Torpedo
Smoking Time: 1hr30

The cigar has a light amber wrapper, with a well-constructed torpedo cap. One thing that I noticed about this cigar was that it had a large crease running about three inches down the side of the cigar. It looks almost as though the wrapper was stitched together. This “stitch” would later come back to bite me, but more on that later. The pre-light draw was loose, with a slightly sweet flavor.

The Burn

The burn on this cigar was troublesome to say the least. The “stitch” that I mentioned caused some serious burn issues. The cigar burned much faster on the side of the “stitch”, causing me to have to touch up the cigar very frequently. The ash was fairly tight, but was a bit flaky. I think this had something to do with the cigar being packed a little loosely, which was probably what caused the loose draw. Now, this is my first time smoking one of these, so this cigar may have been a fluke, and I will smoke more and update the review if anything changes.

The Flavor

The initial flavor upon lighting was very spicy, with some woodsy notes. These flavors continued for the first third of the cigar, before some sweet flavors kicked in. The sweet flavors combined with the spice, and produced a great cinnamon flavor. The taste was like the aftertaste of Hot Tamales, with sweetness and a light spice on the back of my throat. I really enjoyed the flavor, but it left my mouth feeling a little dry, so definitely keep something to drink on hand. This flavor continued throughout the rest of the smoke.

The Price

At $9 a stick, this is at the top of my price range. I have plenty of these left to try, and I think the burn issues were most likely a fluke. The other reviews I’ve read of this smoke have said the burn was dead on.

The Verdict

I definitely enjoyed this cigar, even with the burn issues I experienced. I loved the cinnamon flavor I picked up, and definitely look forward to trying them again. If you haven’t tried one, don’t hesitate to pick a few up from www.TheCigarStore.com.

Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: Don’t need to at the moment, but will when I run out.
Recommend It: Yes, this is a great cigar that can be enjoyed by any level smoker.

For years, the art of cigar smoking has fallen under the category of a male activity, like rebuilding carburetors or prostate exams. But, time has a way of changing things; it is the ultimate makeover. While decades ago women were consumed with burning their bras, they are now becoming intrigued by burning something else: cigars.

This may seem like an odd concept. Cigars maintain a certain masculinity that eludes women: the female gender has always been equated with more feminine smokes, mainly cigarettes. Even old Hollywood films are filled with women smoking cigarettes. From the Bacalls to the Hepburns, women were portrayed in sensual manners, their lusting voices coming through a crowd of cigarette smoke. Men, on the other hand, were portrayed as powerful, smoking their cigars and plotting to take over the world.

Now, women are taking the bull by the horns and the cigar by the head, throwing away their Virginia Slims for something that demands more presence. It may seem like an odd concept, this women and cigars thing. But the reason females everywhere are turning to stogies is the same reason men turn to them: a cigar gives the smoker a sense of power, of freedom, and the ability to show off without coming across as arrogant: there is no such thing as an unconfident cigar smoker.

But, there’s more. Because women have become major players in the corporate world, climbing the corporate ladder with speed and eloquence, they have also become major players of the amenities that come along with the corporate world: the company cars, the jetting off to Paris, and the business meetings at cigar bars.

With theses advances in the corporate world, women have found themselves with more disposable income. While they certainly treat themselves to mainstream female activities – going to spas, getting a pedicure, dying their hair at the first sight of a gray strand – they’ve also adopted activities once reserved only for men, including cigar smoking. A cigar has long been held as a luxury of the businessman – a way to celebrate a promotion or a successful merger – and women are grabbing on to that luxury, using cigars as a way to celebrate their own successes.

But, the advances in the corporate world aren’t always good. Along with professional advancement comes stress, a lot of it. It’s always included, as if part of some sort of anti-benefits package. With the accumulation of stress, women have searched for a way to relieve tension and unrest, a way to grip a sense of control. A cigar facilitates this grip, calming the nerves and providing an outlet for release.

While all the above are solid reasons women are having a love affair with cigars, leading a Smoking Renaissance, the art of tradition adds another major component. Cigars are about camaraderie with coworkers and friends, celebration of accomplishment, and traditions of intellect and sophistication. They are all about things in which women deserve to have a hand.

When it comes down to it, cigars are also about power and prestige. And now, so are women.

By Jeremiah Horrigan

Manager says many ‘Cuban’ cigars are fake. 

KINGSTON — You might expect the Obama administration’s refusal to lift the trade embargo with Cuba would have brought disappointment and dismay to the men and women who covet the island’s most famous export — Cuban cigars.

But proprietors and customers at Kingston’s Uptown Cigar Company are a mellow lot whose deep familiarity with cigars tells them Cuban cohibas may not be everything they’re cracked up to be.

To the aficionado, cigars are to other tobacco products as a Cadillac is to a Yugo. But these days, being a Cadillac was cool until the Lexus came along.

“When the cigar boom happened in the U.S. in the ’90s, (Cuba) put as many cigars as they could on the market because they needed the money,” store manager Israel Markevitz said on Friday. “And when that happened, they lost all quality control.”

All isn’t lost for the savvy cigar smoker who bought from this or subsequent vintages. A good cigar is like a good wine: aging either for some years can make all the difference.

A customer who asked to be identified only as Bob said that while he thought the embargo is “crazy,” it wasn’t surprising that it remains in effect because of the political clout of Cuban refugees in Florida.

Markevitz eschewed the embargo’s political aspects to focus on the reality of the Cuban brand, which, he said, has been eroded in other ways over the years.

“Most Cuban cigars that you find outside the country, wherever there are tourists, for example, are fake.”

Nor does Markevitz expect things to get a whole lot better when the embargo is finally lifted; it’ll be a flashback to the ’90s, with quantity trumping quality.

“Hey, we’re a cigar store, and when they’re legal, we’ll sell them. But I’m not dying in the meantime.”

The cigar shop of yesteryear has been increasingly replaced by a virtual version that offers the same wide variety of cigar brands, humidors and accessories, but knows no geographical boundaries and offers products at a fraction of the cost. Truly, online cigar stores have played a major role in the cigar boom of the last decade, revolutionizing the industry and making the purchasing of cigars cheap, hassle-free and anonymous.

Cigar stores both on and offline provide a large assortment of brands, from the inexpensive to the premium. Some of the most popular brands in the U.S. include the many varieties of Macanudos, as well as Montecristos and Nat Shermans. They come with a full range of prices that appeal to both the serious aficionado and the occasional, recreational smoker.

Of course, the most sought after type of cigar remains the Cuban variety, which makes them both more expensive and more difficult to find. Fortunately for cigar lovers, the onset of the Internet in addition to the relaxation of government sanctions regarding the importation of Cuban goods has made it much easier for U.S. citizens to enjoy the many Cuban flavors available for the serious smoker.

In addition to cigars, cigar stores stock various accessories available for purchase. The most common, and the most essential item is the humidor, which serves to preserve, protect and display a collection of cigars. Humidors vary greatly in shape and size, from a small box holding just a few items, to a full, climate controlled room, but each serves to provide the optimum temperature and humidity for lasting flavor.

Other products available include containers, cigar cutters, lighters and cases. www.TheCigarStore.com, an online cigar store featuring premium cigars as well as a full range of accessories, even offers gift packages for cigar lovers of all kinds.

While some cigar aficionados still enjoy the occasional trip to their local smoke shop, online cigar stores are clearly the wave of the future and can be credited in large part for the dramatic increase in sales to the U.S. since the early 1990’s.

You can still find Cuban immigrants hand-rolling cigars in the storefronts of Ybor City, the section of Tampa, Fla., named after a Havana cigar manufacturer.At La Herencia de Cuba, Roberto Ramirez is rolling a tobacco leaf wrapper around a torpedo-shaped cigar.

His fingers are stained from more than half a century of cigar-making. Ramirez and his son, Abraham, run the Tampa smoke shop. They’re also wholesalers and are bracing for the largest single increase in the federal tobacco tax, which takes effect April 1. The tax will help Congress pay for a $33 billion expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Cigarette taxes went up from 39 cents to $1.01 per pack, while the tax on cigars will go from a nickel to 40 cents per cigar. That has cigar-makers up in arms.

Ramirez says he supports a higher tax on imports, but says 40 cents is too much for cigars made in the U.S. “To the industry here, it’s going to kill us, because everything here is too expensive,” he says. “Our tobacco, our rents, our payroll — everything is very high.”

A Homegrown Industry

Tampa was once called the “cigar capital of the world.” The city’s proximity to Havana and its humid climate made it ideal for producing cigars.

Cigar City magazine editor Manny Leto says the industry was a force here from the late 1800s until World War II.

“At its peak in the 1920s, there were more or less 100 to 200 cigar factories operating in Tampa at any one time,” he says.

But after a series of setbacks, including the rise of cigarettes and the Cuban embargo, now only a few remain.

At the three-story, red brick J.C. Newman Cigar factory, President Eric Newman runs the company his grandfather started in 1895. On the floor, dozens of workers operate machines that churn out 13 cigars a minute.

Newman says the higher tax will increase his prices by a third and drive down business. He’s worried that he might have to cut his work force.

“This is our life. Shame on Congress, shame on our government for trying to put us out of business. In the days they are offering $25 billion bailouts, we don’t want a 25-cent bailout. We just want the government to leave us alone to run our business the same way we’ve been doing it for 114 years.”

Newman, chairman of the Cigar Association of America, says more than two-thirds of the cigars sold in the U.S. are either made in Florida or imported through the state. He calls it a homegrown industry, just like citrus.

That made supporting the tax increase a difficult vote for Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat who represents Tampa.

“I was very concerned when it started off in the U.S. Senate at $10 and then $5 a cigar.”

But she says the 40-cent compromise is worth it to expand children’s health coverage.

“Eventually it worked out because the overriding issue and concern is that children can see the doctor and get the health care they need.”

A Punitive Tax?

But retailers say the tax increase could not have come at a worse time. At Metropolitan Cigars in Ybor City, Cathy Sanchez says the tax will be a strain. She says business is already down about 15 percent.

Customer Pat Collier of Zephyrhills, Fla., calls it a punitive tax aimed at smokers. “This is really just like the tea tax in the Revolution.”

But down the street at the King Corona Tobacco Bar, Hassan Maziad of Palm Harbor doesn’t have much sympathy. “Forty cents, poor people. They’re spending $5 or $10 on a cigar. Forty cents is nothing.”

And besides, he says, higher tobacco taxes might deter people from smoking. That’s what public health advocates are counting on.

There are many styles of humidors that range from the smaller traveling humidor to the large cabinet and even walk-in room humidors.

Cigar humidors are storage units designed to hold, preserve and display a collection of cigars. They come in varying shapes and sizes, and can typically be custom made to suit the tastes of the owner. Cigar humidors are an essential appliance for any serious cigar aficionado, and can be priced anywhere from $50 for a simple wood box made to hold a few cigars, up into the thousands for an elegant, handcrafted display case providing maximum preservation and elegance.

The most important aspect of a cigar humidor is its climate control system. This is what keeps the product fresh, preserving both the look and the taste of the cigars over long periods of time. Humidity and temperature are carefully controlled and monitored in the most advanced systems. For example, in the Climatech model by Vigilant, a maker of custom humidors and cabinets, the system automatically heats, cool, humidifies or dehumidifies the unit in response to outside conditions. It features digital controls and can operate maintenance-free for up to 90 days, holding up to 2600 cigars in the largest model.

In addition to the ready-made humidors available, a person can also turn almost any chest or cabinet into a climate controlled space for storing cigars with the purchase of a separate humidification system. These devices are designed to automatically monitor and control the climate of any room, thus keeping the conditions at an optimal level for the preservation of cigars.

Cigar shops and stores typically have a system called a walk-in humidor. These are full-sized rooms where inventory is stored and can be displayed for customers. The entire area is under the same kind of climate control system used for the smaller containers or display cases, optimizing the humidity and temperature to keep cigars looking, smelling and tasting as fresh as the day they were produced.

For both the casual cigar smoker and the serious aficionado, a cigar humidor is the key to longer lasting, better cigars, as well as an aesthetically pleasing way to show off a collection.

Cigar Humidors

For people who smoke cigars, it can become something of an obsession. Over time, cigar smokers often develop precise rituals that they adhere to every time they smoke a cigar, and can be quite pedantic about how they store their cigars. If you’re not privy to this obsession of smoking the ‘perfect’ cigar, then you also probably don’t understand the need for a cigar humidor.

The basic purpose of a cigar humidor is to both store and protect cigars. Many cigar enthusiasts believe that cigars need to be stored at a precise temperature in order to maintain their peak flavor. That’s exactly what the cigar humidor does - maintains a constant temperature. Opinions vary, but it’s generally believed that the range between 68 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit is perfect for cigars. The humidity also needs to be controlled, and kept at a level around 70-72% humidity.

Cigar aficionados have long debated about the ideal temperature required for the storing of cigars. Some insist that even a slight fluctuation in temperature can prove detrimental to the flavor of their cigars, and insist on a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Others are a little more flexible and allow a slight amount of temperature fluctuation. Generally they all agree that the lower the temperature, the quicker the cigar will age, which will then cause a reduction in flavor. If you want to maintain the flavor, integrity and color of your favorite cigars, then a cigar humidor is essential.

What features should you look for when purchasing a cigar humidor? The one essential feature is that it must be completely closed once the lid is shut. If the lid isn’t snug and secure, then it’s possible that the temperature or humidity inside will fluctuate. A lid that’s tight also prevents any other outside elements contaminating the cigars, and prevents any moisture exchange. It’s helpful if the inside of the cigar humidor is smooth and seamless, to prevent snagging of cigars (or fingers!). It’s also useful to have fittings inside the humidor to assist in the storing of the cigars.

You can choose from a variety of interior linings, but cedar is generally preferred. The best is Spanish cedar. Finally, make sure you know the exact size of your favorite cigars before you go shopping for a cigar humidor. Otherwise you might get home and find you can’t fit them in! This is very important, because both cigars and humidors come in a wide variety of sizes. As soon as you get your cigar humidor home, start using it, so that your cigars will have a long life, minimal aging and the best flavor possible.

Check out the super large selection of humidors and accessories at TheCigarStore.com

• Humidors
• Travel Humidors
• Personalized Humidors
• Display Humidors

PIO VI A Real Boutique Cigar

15% DISCOUNT CODE: PIO95A3 - Show me the cigars

After a three-year legal battle over the trademark, Alberto Medina has brought the PIO VI cigar back to the market.

For the past three years Medina says he has been producing cigars on a very limited basis until the legal issues were resolved. Now he is trying to re-establish his brand with the new limited-edition Overture Series 1996 commemorating the year PIO VI was created.

Medina said the Overture Series will be limited to 600 boxes. The cigars are produced in Miami at a nondescript warehouse where Medina employs five rollers. He is planning on moving the operation to the city’s Calle Ocho, where he can maintain a retail front and a more orthodox cigar-making factory outfit.

The Overture Series comprises an Ecuadoran wrapper and binder, in addition to filler from Nicaragua, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

Bravo Cigars Columbian Gold

15% DISCOUNT CODE: BRV57R3 - Show me the cigars

NEW BRAND - Bravo Cigars has a quest to bring something revolutionary to the cigar market. With the introduction of the Colombian Gold series, the brand point of difference rings loud and clear. Bravo Cigar blends are 100% Colombian from the fillers to the oily wrappers.

The new Bravo Cigar Company has just recently introduced the first Colombian Puro. That’s right, a cigar made with 100% Colombian tobacco, filler, binder, and wrapper. The cigar is blended by Antonio de Jesus in Columbia. Colombia is of course well known for coffee but doesn’t have the tobacco heritage of places like Nicaragua and Honduras or the Dominican Republic.

That is probably why Bravo Cigars relies heavily on expertise from the Dominican Republic to make these cigars employing many skilled workers from the Dominican Republic..  These workers bring expertise in farming, curing, and rolling to ensure a quality, well made product.  The Colombian Gold Series is billed as “mild to medium bodied and boasts tender tobacco notes of earth, cedar and cocoa bean.”  It comes in boxes of 24 and is available in five sizes.  A Perfecto, Robusto, Toro, Torpedo and a Churchill.

Devils Weed

15% DISCOUNT CODE: DW82TP - Show me the cigars

NEW BRAND - Molina Cigar Co. is proud to present to you the product of its passion for the art of the handmade cigar. With its roots in the retail and distribution segments of the premium cigar industry, the Molina family has entered the cigar-making portion and is proud to service retailers and more importantly, the end consumer: you, the cigar smoker.

They are proud to begin our history with their first brand, Devil’s Weed, which came out for its worldwide release in October to coincide with the 515th anniversary of the landing of Columbus and the discovery of tabacco.

Born in the Dominican Republic in the hallowed halls of Don Leoncio, SA, Devil’s Weed is the ultimate tribute to the cigar itself. You may think that the philosophies and actions of today’s ever-increasing anti-tabacco groups are the strictest and most draconian the world has known. Surprisingly they do not claim trophy to such description; the Spanish Inquisition (yes, no one ever suspects the Spanish Inquisition) was the world’s first anti-tabaco group (and one of the most extreme). Xerez was imprisoned by the tabacco-hating zealots and many people in his hometown thought the smoke escaping his facial orifices was actually his soul escaping.

Devil’s Weed is meant to underscore to humanity that tabaco is not a tool of the devil but actually God’s great gift to all of us. Devil’s Weed is a tribute to you, the cigar smoker, who understand what the cigar can do for you and your fellow friends. We do not need to say anymore, except to enjoy life, family, friends and being. Here’s to you, o lover of geometry, philosophy and all things epicurean, the cigar smoker.

Blended as an anytime-of-the day smoke, Devil’s Weed is a mild-to medium in strength cigar which is quite refined, yet very flavorful. This is blended according to the old-school philosophy: a cigar that is clean yet elegant with flavor. This cigar does not stay in your mouth days afterwards like so many blends right now. The tobacco used is of the highest quality and it shows in the refined finish. There are hints of cream and toffee without a strong presence of pepper.