Puro Vida Maduro Toro
The Puro Vida cigar company is one that hails from the great state of Mississippi. It is a local company based out of Biloxi and is the brainchild of personal friend Eddie Rivers. Puro Vida was launched a few months ago. With the help of myself, Ben Lee of Stogiereview.com and a few other local cigar smokers, we helped Eddie with the prototype blends of his cigars. We made a few suggestions, the factory make the tweaks and the Puro Vida line of cigars was alive.
Puro Vida means “Pure Life” and pays homage to Eddie’s roots in Honduras. Some of his family is presently living in the area. Eddie goes there frequently to visit, check on cigar production and to bring back some awesome coffee that his family grows. Puro Vida has three lines to fit almost everyone’s likings; Connecticut (mild), Maduro (medium) and a Habano (full). The Habano line is my favorite, but today I am going to take a look at the Maduro line.
 
Cigar Stats
Size: 6×50
Vitola: Toro
Wrapper: Maduro
Filler: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Country: Nicaragua
Price: $8.95*Â Â Â
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JR AVAILS THE ULTIMATE IN LUXURY BY WELCOMING DAVIDOFF CIGARS & ACCESSORIES
JR Cigar, the world’s largest cigar store, proudly announces it will now offer their vast, discerning customer base a diverse selection of highly regarded tobacco products and smoking accoutrements by Davidoff Cigars. The long-awaited collaboration between these two esteemed leaders in the premium-cigar landscape is exciting news for cigar enthusiasts.
The Davidoff name is synonymous with craftsmanship, sophistication and elegance. Every stage of the cigar making process is controlled by Davidoff, crop-to-shop. It’s a simple way of ensuring unparalleled quality, time after time. Zino Davidoff believed in the importance of time. How it should, at every opportunity, be filled beautifully. Time lies at the heart of the Davidoff philosophy. It is, after all the one thing everyone at Davidoff – then and now – has dedicated to cultivating, drying, curing, blending and tasting the very best tobacco in the single-minded pursuit of creating the very finest cigars.
Rob Norris, CEO of 800-JR Cigar, Inc., provided his company’s perspective on the Davidoff alliance, “Our aim at JR Cigar is to offer our loyal consumers the opportunity to taste and enjoy the best and widest variety of Premium cigars in the US. This new collaboration with our partners at Davidoff of Geneva is an exciting new step for us, and if initial sales are anything to go by, our consumers are also incredibly excited.â€
To suit the needs of all cigar enthusiasts, J•R will offer the following Davidoff premium cigar lines:
Aniversario Series
Mille Series
Classic Series
Nicaragua Series
Grand Cru Series
Puro D’Oro Series
Maduro Series
Special Series
Millennium Blend Series
Cigarillos & Small Cigars
To order Davidoff cigars, please call 1-800-JR CIGAR or visit www.jrcigars.com
“Smoked Up” No.63
Now that my “cold of death” is pretty much gone after its two plus week stay in my body, IÂ have enjoyed a few more smokes this past week. I am getting my strength back and more active than I was the last few weeks. I hate when something gets the best of me and that cold almost did. Now, my work is trying to get the best of me. My new supervisor has a large amount of unfinished work that wasn’t done by previous employees. Now he has recruited me to help him finish those jobs, plus my current jobs…. But like I told him “What ever pays the bills! If you want me to paint the parking lot purple, I’m going to go grab a brush.” I guess that type of attitude is why he just gave me a pretty substantial raise recently.
I got a review out on Monday of the new line from Nomad Cigars, the S-307 Toro. This was an interesting cigar and I was quite pleased with it. With Nomad being a fairly new company, I’d keep my eye out for some other good cigars in the near future. Check out the review and give me some thoughts on it and the cigar if you have had it before.
Cigar Views
1876 Maduro Toro: I was gifted this cigar by a buddy who grabbed them from CI for about $60 for 50. He got them to try them out for an every day type of smoke. For about $1 and pennies, you get what you pay for and a little bit more. The cigar was fairly one dimensional and the only change was with about 2″ left. Had light mocha and even lesser hints of coffee & chocolate. Not a bad smoke, but nothing empressive at all. For a dollar and pennies, its a so-so yard gar. I would suggest to get the toro as the last 2″ were pretty rough and the toro gives you a bit more smoke time before it gets too rough. Â
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Nomad S-307 Toro
I live in the deepest south of Mississippi that you can get and I have yet to come across a Nomad cigar in a local shop. They seem to be more seen in the northern US via various forms of social media. Seeing all the buzz about Nomad, they have been on my want list for some time. With Emilio Cigars now distributing the Nomad lines, hopefully I will be seeing them more and more as the number of shops that carry Emilio Cigars grows in may area.
Fred Rewey is the mastermind behind the Nomad company. If you follow him on Facebook or Twitter you already know he seems to be a pretty down to earth guy and always has something to say to make you wonder or laugh. Nomad cigars has been around for a small portion of time and has quite a few cigar blends out. There are two blends out from both Nicaragua and The Dominican Republic. The first lines had much fanfare as well as the S-307. Hailing from Nicaragua with a Sumatra wrapper, this makes me want this cigar more and more as I do my research on it.
Cigar Stats
Size: 6×50
Vitola: Toro
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Factory: Tobacalera AJ Fernandez
MSRP: $7.95
Sizes Available
Toro (6×50) msrp $7.95
Robusto (5×50) msrp $7.75
Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52) msrp $7.95
Toro Grande (6 x 58) msrp $8.50
Corona (5.5 x 46) msrp $7.75
First Looks
The S-307 is a box pressed cigar that has a light feel to it a well as a “hollow” sound to it. Now, I know sound is something you don’t usually read about in a cigar review. But I usually give the cigar a “bounce” in my hand to see the heft to it as well as a slight tap on it to physically hear how densely or not that its packed.
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Drew Estate Announces Undercrown “Dogma†Commemorative Cigar & “5 Days of ‘Dogma’†Giveaway
Miami, FL, March 24, 2014: Drew Estate announced today their plans to release a new size within their Undercrown cigar line. The size will be called Undercrown “Dogmaâ€, and has been created to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the online community Cigar Dojo. The blend of “Dogma†is based on the Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! and is comprised of Mexican San Andreas wrapper, Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano binder, and Nicaraguan & Brazilian Mata Fina fillers. The “Dogma†will come in a 6 x 56 box-pressed vitola.
When asked about the “Dogma†project, Jonathan Drew said, “we have been major supporters of Cigar Dojo from the beginning. A handful of Drew Estate employees, myself included, are Dojo members, and we have always been floored by the support Drew Estate has received on the app and website. When Eric (owner of Cigar Dojo) approached us about coming up with this special commemorative cigar, it was a no-brainer. My dad, “Baitfish†Gary, came up with the name ‘Dogma’.â€Â  Â
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Blessed Leaf Announces Kairos
March 13, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Kyle Hoover and Chris Kelly, the leaders of BlessedLeaf.com, a Christian cigar-based ministry, announce the release of the long anticipated Blessed Leaf Kairos.
“This is a project that has been in our hearts for over a year. Our vision was to produce a great cigar with vintage tobaccos and have the proceeds go to ministry and missions efforts.†noted Kyle Hoover.
“For this project, we went back to our roots: Nicaraguan tobacco! This is a Nicaraguan puro in the Ezra Zion genre of blending. Since we are doing this for The Lord, it had to be the best work we could possibly do!†added Chris Kelly.
The Blessed Leaf Kairos is a 52 x 6.25 box press. The wrapper is Corojo 99 Rosado. The ï¬ller includes ligeros from Esteli and Jalapa. Total production is 4000 cigars of 100 boxes and 5 packs.
The Blessed Leaf Kairos is produced at the Casa Fernandez factory in Miami, Florida.! ! “We chose the name Kairos because of it’s unique meaning to this project. Kairos is deï¬ned as a speciï¬c moment in time when the Divine intervenes directly into your life. To us, there is a duel application. Obviously, as a person smokes the cigar they will have a “heavenly†smoking experience. Secondly, that the support raised for Christian missions will impact people’s lives with the gospel of Christ.†added Hoover.
The Blessed Leaf Kairos will be available for pre-order on BlessedLeaf.com and CigarFederation.com. The ofï¬cial launch herf will be on April 2 on BlessedLeaf.com.
Miami Cigar to Serve as Exclusive US Distributor of Viva Republica
MIAMI – March 19, 2014
 
Viva República, Inc. and Miami Cigar Co. are pleased to announce an exclusive distribution agreement effective April 1st 2014. Miami Cigar will sell and distribute all Viva República lines in the United States.
In addition to the brand joining Miami Cigar’s premium product offerings, the brand creator, Jason Holly, is joining the Miami Cigar team. He will concentrate on developing existing brands and work on creating new projects, while visiting accounts nationally for events and sales support. When questioned about the acquisition Jason Wood, VP of Miami Cigar, had this to say, “We plan to increase our emphasis on traditional channels,†he said, “It is time for the cigar industry to see the new Miami Cigar, the addition of (Jason) Holly is exactly what we needed to get a jump start to our 25th Anniversary campaign.â€
Founded by Nestor and Mariana Miranda in 1989 the Company is celebrating its 25th year in business. “We are proud to be adding a growing new brand in the same year we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary,†said Miranda, “Even after two-plus decades and millions upon millions of cigars, we’re not ready to slow down.â€
“I was thoroughly impressed with the Miranda’s and Jason Wood,†said Holly, who attended Harvard University, “We share similar values, key relationships and both see enhanced growth potential resulting from our complementary skills and resources.â€
“I am proud to have Viva República in the Miami Cigar family of lines we distribute.†said Wood. “In adding Holly we bring on another valuable team member, who has seen the industry from the traditional retailer’s eye. He is highly creative and can add to our strategy immensely.†When asked about future Viva República releases Holly said he would continue to rely solely on León’s factory. “It’s home. The factory is modern and well run, boasts a fantastic tobacco inventory and is owned by a great friend,†Holly said.
With the pending release of the Nestor Miranda Collection, the addition of Viva República and plans to enhance its sales mechanisms, Miami Cigar could be in for one of its most exciting years since its founding. “We have spent some serious time evaluating our practices and look forward to implementing positive changes that will enhance our brand identity,†said Wood.
About Miami Cigar Co
Miami Cigar Co is proudly celebrating its 25th Year in Business as a distributer of premium cigars. Founded by Nestor and Mariana Miranda the company is currently run by Vice President Jason Wood. In addition to the Nestor Miranda brands the company also boasts the Tatiana, Don Lino and Casa Miranda brands. MCC also serves as the exclusive United States distributor for La Aurora, S.A.
About Viva República
Viva República was founded in 2012 by former brick and mortar retailer Jason Holly. Holly partnered with Guillermo León and his La Aurora factory as the exclusive manufacturer of the company’s Viva República brand. In addition to winning an award in the “Best in Show†category at the IPCPR in 2013, the brands sales have steadily increased. Current releases include Rapture, Rapture Maduro and Guerrilla Warfare, with new additions shipping shortly.
Barry Stein
Social Media Director Miami Cigar & Company
Web: www.MiamiCigarCompany.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/miamicigarcompany
Twitter: @MCCBarry
“Smoked Up” No.62
Like I said a few times before, with the crazy weather here, its amazing I haven’t gotten sick yet. It finally happened and for the last few weeks a cold has been floating around in my area. I caught it and have been fighting it for over a week now with various types of medications. I have finally found one that seems to help the most and that’s the CVS version of Mucinex. Its costly compared to other cold meds on the shelf, but it works. Its not for everyone as my girlfriend breaks out in hives from it! With that being said, I only had 2 cigars this week as I wasn’t trying to irritate the situation any more than I should. Hopefully I’ll be better by the end of the week and get a few more cigars in as well as a review.
I got summonsed to jury duty selection on Monday and went to it after work. I was in there for about 6 hours until the Judge and Lawyers didn’t like what they heard in one of my responses from a lawyer’s questions. I told him my 100% heartfelt feelings and basically said that their “expert” defense witness was wrong in the preview of his testimony they gave to us. Needless to say, I was dismissed by the Judge and was thanked for my time.
Cigar Views
Viaje Summerfest Torpedo (original 2009 release): If I am not mistaken, the Summerfest was released in 2009 and I grabbed up a bit of these as I really liked it. They were a little costly as most Viaje LEs are, but was a pretty good smoke. This was before most Viaje LEs had to sit a bit before they hit their prime. This one has about 4 years rest on it and it shows. The flavors are way more mellow and smoother than from what my memory reminds me of when I first had it. The draw was great, burn was iffy and flavors were pretty good. I have a few more I am going to smoke when I get over this cold so I can get a better judgment of it. The huge shaggy foot is cool to lookat, but a pain to light and draw with it. I eventually cut it off and relit it.
 
EPC INCH 62 Short Run 2014: I like the other Short Run versions that EPC has released as well as the INCH line in the maduro wrapper. Although, I did not care too much for the Natural INCH. The size is still not my favorite and the Short Run blend of the INCH is not something I will be grabbing again anytime soon. I got some cold bitter coffee notes with fresh ground black pepper tossed into it. Actually, I didn’t care for this cigar at all. I smoked about an inch or so into it and pitched it. I talked to a good friend Roger, who works at the B&M I got it from and he said he didn’t care too much for it either. I don’t say pass it up all together, just try it.  Â
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Fratello Cigars Announces New Vitola
FRATELLO CIGARS ANNOUNCES 6 ¼ x 52 BOX PRESSED VITOLA
Springfield, VA (March 17, 2014) –Omar de Frias is proud to announce a new addition to the Fratello line of cigars. The new vitola will be a 6 ¼ x 52 Box Pressed Torpedo. “We are very excited about this new vitola, it has a punch of flavor thanks to its ring style and slightly modified blend but staying true to the Fratello flavor,” said de Frias.
The Fratello Box Pressed will debut in a 20-count box. Prices have not been set yet but it will be in the range of the current line. Please visit www.fratellocigar.com/thecigar for a description on the cigars.
The new vitola will have a soft launch at a Fratello Authorized retailer prior to this years IPCPR and readily available shortly after. “Fratello Cigar Company has grown exponentially since the IPCPR show and this new line will add to our calculated expansion in America’s humidors,” said de Frias. Fratello is currently being sold in 25 states. For the complete list of all our retailers please visit www.fratellocigar.com.
CIGAR PACKAGE DESIGN LOOKING TO FILL VOID IN THE CIGAR INDUSTRY
CIGAR PACKAGE DESIGN LOOKING TO FILL VOID IN THE CIGAR INDUSTRY
(Miami, FL) March 18, 2014—Can I Have your Attention (CIHYA) Advertising and Branding announces the creation of “Cigar Package Design.†Cigar Package Design is making waves in the cigar industry with their branding and design campaigns.
Based in Miami Beach, FL, managing partners Humberto Areas and Cleveland Cook created the Cigar Package Design division in response to demand due to their stellar work with the Toraño Family Cigar Company, Dona Flor Cigars, Azan Cigars, and Titan de Bronze Cigar Company. They noticed a void in the industry and have filled the need. As a cigar advertising and design firm, Cigar Package Design spotlights brands from identity and cigar band graphics to complete advertising campaigns.
Cigar Package Design is the brainchild of CIHYA’s managing member Humberto Areas. Humberto, born in Nicaragua got his feet wet in the cigar industry when Willy Herrera’s Titan de Bronze needed the company’s identity revamped. Humberto––a longtime cigar smoker with 10+ years in branding and design––was overjoyed to combine his business experience with his passion for cigars.
Humberto Areas and business partner Cleveland Cook (who possesses a stellar background as an Art Director) began work overhauling the Toraño Family Cigar Company’s corporate identity in 2010 when Toraño took back sales and distribution from CAO. After the new identity was complete, they were soon retained and have created cigar bands, box designs, and promotional pieces for Toraño’s Vault series, Loyal, Salutem, and Exodus Finite. Most recently, the newly created print ad campaign for Toraño’s “Blends from the Vault†series can now be seen in Cigar Aficionado, Cigar Snob and other leading industry publications. Â
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