Camacho – Bold is back with a vengeance
–– The World’s Leader in Bold Cigars Reveals Most Brazen Move In History ––
PINELLAS PARK, FL (Wednesday, June 12th, 2013) –– Camacho, the world’s leading brand of bold cigars, today revealed one of the most brazen moves in their nearly fifty-year history. The brand is taking an aggressive stance on the future and aims to reset the bar for bold and full flavored cigars. Nearly all elements of Camacho have been intensified; starting with a bolder brand identity, a fierce assortment of revamped blends, stunning packaging, and an array of killer consumer experiences that sum up this effort in one simple statement – Camacho is back and bolder than ever.
The new branding, which features an aggressively-poised scorpion, is a fusion of both the old school heritage and modern day vibe of the brand. The Scorpion mark, a nod to Camacho’s aggressive and entrepreneurial spirit, personifies a number of core characteristics of the brand: power, fearlessness, passion and competition. “The core values and DNA of who we are have not been altered, the volume has been cranked and the focus has been intensified. Our new image is a strong representation both of what we were and who we have become. It’s a badge of honor to be worn by the powerful, elemental person who seeks to live his life the way we do – all-out and full throttle,†said Dylan Austin, head of marketing for Camacho.
Four out of the six blends have been upgraded and taken to heights that most cigars have never dared climb. “We did an immense amount of work on the blends. It wasn’t about reinventing what people had come to love; it’s been about getting back to what they had come to love and making additional upgrades along the way. Impact is the most important component of our cigar-making philosophy, along with consistency. We kept what was great, like our Authentic Corojo, and made it better. For our famed Corojo, a top-grade fifth priming wrapper is now standard – it’s back to knock your socks off levelâ€, said Austin.
One of the most impactful components to the reintroduction is Camacho’s new team of co-conspirators and curators of bold lifestyle. Hall of Fame NFL football player and coach, Mike Ditka, Room101 brand owner, Matt Booth and screenwriter, Rob Weiss, have joined Camacho to serve on what the brand calls, the Board of the Bold. “Coach, Booth and Weiss are guys that live the Camacho way of life, they do it pedal to the floor everyday and pull no punches. Each of them anchors what we stand for down to the core, all of them have accomplished great things in life because of their boldness,†says Austin.
Camacho will hold a national release party on June 20th in Dallas where the brand will be unveiled for the first time to media and over 400 hardcore cigar enthusiasts. The launch event is open to the public and those interested in attending can RSVP on Camacho’s Facebook page (facebook.com/camachocigars). Also in the works, is a new, immersive in-store brand experience centered on exploring big taste, excellence in craft and celebrating men big enough, bad enough, bold enough to destroy the status quo. To increase the impact of these events, Camacho has teamed up with bourbon distillers, craft beer makers, local chefs and custom car companies. “The Bold Standard†in-store events are expected to kickoff in late August. For a full schedule of events stay tuned to www.camachocigars.com or visit the brand’s Facebook page.
While the official unveiling will take place in late June, the new Camacho will not go on sale until the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, which is set for the middle of July 2013. The new standard in bold cigars is expected to be on display at retailers nationwide by the beginning of August.
ABOUT Camacho:
Camacho is the world’s leading brand of bold cigars, representing the concept of unleashing unmistakable and intense experiences. Infamous since 1962, the brand has become a sanctuary for the powerful, elemental being who seeks to fill their lives with unapologetic good times. A combination of rich heritage, product excellence and a never surrender attitude has enabled Camacho to grow into an aggressive brand globally recognized as the standard of full-frontal flavor and full-frontal lifestyle.
For more information about Camacho, please visit www.camachocigars.com or follow the brand on Facebook (facebook.com/camachocigars) and Twitter (twitter.com/camachocigars).
“Smoked Up” No.23
This week has been one rollercoaster of a week. I usually like riding roller coasters, but when they bottom out hard, like this week did, I don’t care much for them. The mid week started out great with work going well and starting a carpentry project for a friend, the week was going to end well. But the weekend came in with a bang. I ended up in the ER at 3am Saturday morning getting them to remove my contacts that I had left in for too long. That was an ignorant move by me! In the process they ran a few tests on my eyes, no scrapes or scratches, yet they did find a corneal ulcer on my right eye. I’ve been on antibiotic drops since Saturday that has a slight burning tingle to them. On top of that, I can’t wear my contacts for about a week, until the ulcer clears up. The kicker is, my back-up glasses are so far out of focus (and broken) and can’t wear them. I am having to wait a few day before a new pair comes in! Needless to say, I couldn’t see all weekend and still can’t as I type this! (Thank goodness for onscreen magnifier application on my PC!) I also had to miss a few days of work since I couldn’t see to drive there, let alone work.
I had a few cigars before all this mess happened, but afterwards the antibiotics seemed to throw off my tastes, stomach and the smoke burns my eyes somewhat. So I didn’t smoke as much through the weekend and the start of this week. I had planned on reviewing the prerelease of the La Aurora 107 Maduro this weekend. But since all this has happened, I ‘ll be putting ghtat off til next weekend when I can see and meds are done. I’ll be glad when the antibiotics and ulcer will be gone this coming weekend!!
Cigar Views
Jesus Fuego Origen “Original”: A very nice “quick” smoke on a hot or humid or rainy day. Dark rich full flavors that arrived from a decent burn and draw. A hearty deep dark mix of chocolate, coffee with a very slight black pepper spice kick to it. These were my favorite J Fuego, then the maduro came out & I  fell for them. I smoke more of the natural Origen in these “Soft Packs” and have been an avid fan of this vitola since they showed up at IPCPR in 2010. The other vitolas are good, just I tend to grab the soft packs more. If I had to choose natural or Mafuro… I’d go with maduro in any size.
Casa Miranda Chapter Two
“Casa Miranda Chapter Twoâ€
Miami, FL June 6th, 2013 – Everybody loves a good sequel, and the Casa Miranda Chapter 2 is set to debut at IPCPR which is being held this year in Las Vegas, NV.
The follow up to the original which was made in Miami at the famed El Titan de Bronze, will be made at My Father Cigars S.A in Esteli, Nicaragua.
According to Jason Wood; VP of Miami Cigar & Company, “Just like any great novel, our story continues to gain momentum with the release of Chapter 2 at this years’ IPCPR. I look forward to our consumer’s feedback on this medium bodied beauty!â€
The tobacco used for this new chapter is a dark Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper with filler from Brazil, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
It is available in the following sizes:
• Robusto (4.5 x 50) $6.35 MSRP
• Corona Gorda (6 x 46) $7.00 MSRP
• Toro (5.5 x 54) $ 7.60 MSRP
• Gran Toro (6 x 60) $8.00 MSRP 
About Miami Cigar & Company
Miami Cigar & Company, founded in 1989, is the exclusive US distributor
of La Aurora brands. They are also the worldwide owner/distributor of
Tatiana, Don Lino, La Sirena and Nestor Miranda line of cigars. They can
found on the web at http://www.miamicigarcompany.com/ &
http://www.facebook.com/miamicigarcompany
New La Sirena Sizes Discovered
New La Sirena Sizes Discovered
Miami, FL June 7th, 2013 – In a recent expedition to Lake Nicaragua, which archeologists feel was once a large bay alongside the Pacific Ocean, a discovery was made. The dangerous mission to find treasures of the mermaid was met by sharks and other seemingly out of place aquatic animals. On the last day, in one of the deepest parts of the lake a cave was located with treasures of the mermaid.
Among these treasures was the Dubloon, a 7.25 x 56 Salomon. The name comes from the Spanish coins that surrounded this new size. The rarest of all Dubloons, was one that featured a distinctive 8 stamped into it.
These pieces of 8; the La Sirena Dubloon comes packaged in an 8 count box, of which only 500 are available. They will make their debut at the IPCPR in Las Vegas. Like the La Sirena “A” they feature a dark, toothy Habano Oscuro wrapper, two Cuban-seed Nicaraguan binders, Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 and a Corojo ’96 over fillers from Nicaragua
The La Sirena Dubloon will have a $12.00 MSRP.
About Miami Cigar & Company
Miami Cigar & Company, founded in 1989, is the exclusive US distributor of La Aurora brands. They are also the worldwide owner/distributor of Tatiana, Don Lino, La Sirena and Nestor Miranda line of cigars. They can be found on the web at http://www.facebook.com/miamicigarcompany & http://www.facebook.com/miamicigarcompany
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Recluse Draconian ships to select retailers
Recluse Draconian ships to select retailers.
 
The newest blend from Iconic Leaf Cigar Company has shipped to only four select retailers strategically spread out across the country. Â As of Monday June 10th the following four retailers should have our new Recluse Draconian blend on the shelves.
Outland Cigar
14815 Ballantyne Village Way
Charlotte, NC. Â 28277
Contact: Tom or Mark
704-369-5500
Tinder Box #261
3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd.
Metarie, La. 70002
Contact: Joe or Sean
504-834-5801
Tobacco Cabana
265 Hickerson St.
Cedar Hill, Tx. Â 75104
Contact: Â Jim Klipp
469-272-5999
Briar Patch
2529 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Sacramento, Ca. 95825
Contact: Â Laurence or Ron
916-929-8965
These four retailers will have exclusivity on the Recluse Draconian blend until after the annual IPCPR convention to be held in mid July.
The Draconian blend is an almost complete departure from our highly acclaimed Recluse OTG blend. Â The blend is offered initially in three box pressed sizes which are robusto, toro and 6×60 and the msrp is
$7.25-$9.50 for these initial sizes.
At the IPCPR we will also be releasing another shape that has never been done before in cigar history. Â It is called the Recluse Draconian SideWinder and it will come in three facings. Â Nothing about this new shape will be revealed until the first morning of the IPCPR convention in Las Vegas.
The Recluse Draconian blend is comprised of:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro
Binder: MBC (proprietary name)
Filler: (consists of four fillers)
Dominican
Brazilian hybrid
Piloto Cubano
Iconic Ligero*
Enjoy!
Iconic Leaf Cigar Company
iconicleafcigar@gmail.com
www.iconicleafcigar.com
LIMITED EDITION 601 LA BOMBA MADURO “WARHEAD” TO BE INTRODUCED AT IPCPR 2013
Hialeah Gardens, Florida (June 6, 2013) – Espinosa Premium Cigars is proud to announce they will be introducing a limited edition cigar for their full bodied 601 La Bomba line called “Warhead” at IPCPR this year. This is the first time the 601 La Bomba line is offered with a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. The Warhead measures 6 1/2 inches by 54 ring and is semi-box pressed with the familiar fuse-like pig tail that is found on the 601 La Bomba line. “Although the wrapper is different, we are using the same powerful blend as the rest of the line.” said Erik Espinosa.
Warhead is limited to 2,000 boxes of 10 and the packaging is inspired by several themes in the World War II era. When unraveled, the foot band on the cigar is revealed to be in the form of a bomb. This “bomb” features nose art or aircraft graffiti, which was common in this era. Most prominent is the shark-face which is a reference to the Flying Tigers, the 1st American Volunteer Group, who would paint the shark-faces on their military aircrafts.
The 601 La Bomba line was first introduced in 2011 and is considered to be one of the strongest cigars in the market.
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“Smoked Up” No.22
Summer is almost upon us and it seems to be getting a jump start here in the deep south of Mississippi. I think every day this week hit mid to upper 80s with high humidity and a few days of spotty rain. So, that means the size of the cigars I will be smoking will possibly start to get smaller. Unless, I absolutely want a cigar in a larger size due to better flavor options.
There is not a lot of cigar news this week. I would suppose the news will possibly slow done while companies are gearing up and getting prepared for the IPCPR convention in July. I also foresee a ramp up of rumors and news of cigars right before the show. I was hoping to go to the IPCPR convention this year. With finances dwindling after an upcoming family vacation, vehicle repairs, and raising a two year old; I highly doubt I will be there for coverage of the convention. Sorry, it bums me out a great bit not being able to go.
Cigar Views
601 La Bomba Napalm: One of the best “powerhouse” cigars I have had. Had slightly lesser than milkshake thick draw & decent burn that produced ashes well over 1.5″. I got a flavor similar to dark dried fruit. Similar to prunes or raisins and I really appreciated this flavor as I don’t recognize it very often. This smoke had a very hefty body to it that a new cigar smoker should be aware of. Besides the power, there were some good flavors as well that I liked. Those who like power & flavor, its definitely worth a try. I had my doubts when this cigar was announced. I figured “another flavorless powerhouse cigar” I was way off!
Gran Habano 3 Siglos Churchill: This cigar has been resting for about two or three years (possibly even more) I’ve had these ever since the name change to 3SLS. Had creamy woody & cedar flavors with an ample sweetness in the background. Had a light coffee note on the short finish that I wished was longer & more prevalent on the draw. Not a bad smoke for the $2.50 I paid for it when they were on clearance at CI. Not my favorite size in the line, but for the price paid, its not too bad.
Viaje White Label Project (WLP) Original Release: Had a thick draw & a so-so burn. Nice dark, woody & a slight carmel like flavor. Had a faint pepper note that mixed into the flavor profile here & there. Its mellowed & rounded off very nicely. The more I got into the cigar, the darker the darker the flavors got & the black pepper ramped up in strength. I am glad I grabbed a handful of these when they came out some years ago. They were pretty good then and even better now. Hmmm…. A LE Viaje that ages well???
Illusione Erpernay Le Monde: I like more of the Illusione line if its a maduro. But, the Epernay line is an exception to that. There were twangy woody notes with an underlying white pepper here n there. Milkshake thick draw, even burn & long ashes. I have tried the pairing of this cigar with Champagne in the past and it really brought this cigar to life. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any champagne on hand at the time. But, you can bet, I will be researching a decently good bottle of the bubbly to enjoy with this cigar next time. I have also found that I like the Epernay line in the larger ring gauges.
Cigar News
Espinosa Maduro Robusto – NTA Review
“Smoked Up†No.21 – NTA Views & News
DONA FLOR U.S.A. INITIATES “GOING GREEN†TECHNOLOGY TO PRESERVE CIGARS
Sosa Plans Stout Torpedo for IPCPR 2013 via halfwheel
Cigars To Watch Out For La Abeja via The Lovely Lady of the Stick
Flor de las Antillas Lancero Arrives at Up In Smoke via halfwheel
Ortega Mini Cigars Coming in June via halfwheel
Stogie411 I Episode 55 Announcement
Quesada TP40Q Heading to Tobacco Plaza in July
Toraño Dips Into the Vault Again
Sosa Adds Underground Connecticut to IPCPR 2013 Plans
DONA FLOR U.S.A. INITIATES “GOING GREEN†TECHNOLOGY TO PRESERVE CIGARS
DONA FLOR U.S.A. INITIATES “GOING GREEN†TECHNOLOGY TO PRESERVE CIGARS
(Miami, Florida) June 1, 2013— Dona Flor U.S.A. is excited to announce their “Going Green†Initiative in all US warehouses and offices. “Going Green is a project that promotes the idea that every person and every company around the world has a responsibility to incorporate environmental friendly habits into their daily routines,†says Chris Edge, President of Dona Flor USA. “Going Green represents many different avenues of environmental controls, from energy consumption to recycling, it all has an impact and every little bit helps.
“When currently traveling around the country visiting neighborhood humidors, I was shown a box of cigars that had faded and yellowed due to the UV emissions of fluorescent lighting in the humidor. When I saw the impact not only on the tobacco itself, but also the cellophane wrapper had yellowed and the beautiful band colors faded, it really hit home, or should I say the light came on. Not only was the quality of the tobacco being effected but the packaging, marketing and sales potential for the retailer was affected. We began a thorough investigation into solutions available in the US market. What we found was a breakthrough type of LED tube lamp from Titan LED which could replace the old fluorescent tubes.â€
LED lighting is not only safer for everyone and, it emits no harmful UV rays, emits far less heat than fluorescent or incandescent lighting and the energy consumption is upwards of 80 to 90 percent lower than traditional lighting. These qualities make the LED lamps a far better choice for use in wherever premium cigars are being stored. With a life span in excess of 50,000 hours and a warranty to back it up, it became a no-brainer. We have installed LED lighting in all our facilities including our tradeshow booth, allowing us to display more light with less heat while using less energy – the LED lighting has been a perfect fit for our Going Green initiative.
Titan LED is a US manufacturer of quality LED lighting located in Moorpark, California that has been chosen as the official vendor for Dona Flor USA. With so many poor quality knockoffs being sold in the market from manufacturers overseas, it was important to us to buy American made products  to insure that we had the best pricing, warranty and customer service available. Titan LED  fit in all areas.
 ~*~
Dona Flor U.S.A. reintroduced to the U.S. market the 100% Brazilian cigars known for the distinct flavors of the Mata Fina and Mata Norte tobaccos. A 100% Brazilian puro—grown, manufactured and shipped directly from the factory in Bahia, Brazil to the US—is one of only true puros on the market today. Grown and manufactured by legends Felix Menendez and Arturo Torano, it is one of the most unique and flavorful premium cigars in the world.
Menendez Amerino, celebrating its 36th year, is ready to share with the U.S. its passion for Brazil through their award-winning Dona Flor cigars. With 5 unique blends 10 different sizes of 100% Brazilian tobacco, we welcome you to FIND YOUR DONA FLOR.
The IPCPR show in Las Vegas will be the platform for the unveiling of 2013 Dona Flor campaign “Meet the Braziliansâ€. Dona Flor cigars have received consistent ratings of 93, 92 and 90 year after year, and are being well received by discriminating retailers all over the country. Also look for the appearance of the Alonso Menendez line from Menendez Amerino this year at the IPCPR.
Dona Flor USA/ donaflorusa.com / 877.321.5569 / sales@donaflorusa.com
Espinosa Maduro Robusto
Following the success of the Espinosa line of new cigars released in 2012 comes the Espinosa Maduro. I have found a liking of most anything Erik Espinosa makes from the EO 601 series, Murcielago, La Zona and the La Jugada (made for Moya Ruiz Cigars). They all have distinct flavor profiles, but all have a good place in my smoking “rotation”. When Espinosa released the press release of the new maduro line of the Espinosa line I have had them on my short list to try, but hadn’t got the chance to pull the trigger to get any. I was gifted this cigar by Erik and greatly appreciate the chance to try it. So, without further adieu…
Cigar Details
Size: 5×52
Vitola: Box Pressed Robusto
Wrapper: Mexican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Cost: Around $8*
“Smoked Up” No.21
Welcome to the 21st week of 2013 and the 21st edition of “Smoked Up”. This week was back and forth with me. I had a few days where I wasn’t feeling well (hence why this is being posted on Wednesday) so I didn’t have many cigars this week. My tastes and stomach were pretty off and just didn’t feel like leaving the couch for a few days. I got a handful of new cigars to review, so once I get to 100% expect a slew of reviews on these.
Not too much to say of any cigar happenings in my area in the last week. There is an event I am going to on Friday at Cigars El Puros Perfecto, so hopefully I can get a small recap of it for ya’ll next week.
Cigar Views
Ortega Wild Bunch Big Bad John: This is the second largest cigar I have ever smoked. The LFD Digger is the largest, but the Big Bad John was a better smoke to me. There was nice creamy wood notes with a slight hint of salt here and there. Some sweetness crept up in the smoke some as I progressed into it. A bit of pepper came in around 2″. The wood notes were the prominent flavors of the smoke. Not an overly complex smoke, but at least it didn’t go bland like the Digger dig with me at halfway. Although at 2″ or so left, I started to get major burn issues and I put it to rest there.
