La Palina Cigars Announces the Addition of Andrew Brennan
Washington DC – La Palina Cigars is pleased to announce the additiona of Andrew Brennan to tht e company. Andrew is joining La Palina as Director of Sales. He comes to La Palina from La Flor Dominicana where he was Vice Presisent of Sales.
According to Bill Paley-president ad founder of La Palina Cigars-“The addition of Andrew Brennean is a great fit to our growing company. His experience in cigar sales complements that of the company’s Vice President Courtney Smith.”
Andrew began with the company on Monday October 22nd.
About La PalinaLa Palina is a boutique cigar company which had its origin in 1896 when Bill Paley’s Grandfather Samuel Paley first made the brand. Today, La Palina markets the La Palina Classicm El Diario, Maduro, Family Series and the La Palina Collection.
THE RECLUSE IS LOOSE!!!
THE RECLUSE IS LOOSE!!!
RECLUSE has landed in the United States and should be at retail shops nationwide on Friday 10/19/12. We are proud to announce that for customers who do not yet have a retailer in their area, our online presence will be Two Guys Smoke shop in New Hampshire.
Recluse at Two Guys Smoke Shop
They have the ability to notify people to buy as soon as the product lands.
You simply need to click “NOTIFY ME†meaning when they have it in hand… you will get an e-mail notification saying it is in stock and to ORDER NOW!
It is set up and ready to go. Just click on the link below.
Recluse at Two Guys Smoke Shop
Thank you,
ILC Team
Iconic Leaf Cigar Company
10421 NW 28th St.
Doral, Fl. 33172
Info@iconicleafcigar.com
Iconic Leaf Cigars Website
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Alec Bradley Cigars Ships 2012 Fine & Rare
Alec Bradley Cigars Ships 2012 Fine & Rare Limited Edition Torpedo
Only 2,000 boxes produced
DANIA, FLORIDA, October 11, 2012 — If it’s true that good things come to those who wait, it naturally follows that better things take a little longer still . . . and the best things, by definition, are those rare, exceptional objects of desire that reward the exquisite patience of the connoisseur.
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Iconic Leaf Cigar Recluse Toro
Iconic Leaf Cigars released their first boutique line of cigars, The Recluse, at the 2012 IPCPR Show in Orlando back in August. There were a few people who were saying this was one of the new companies to look for at the show. I had the chance to try a few of these right after the trade show and was looking forward to them.
Rolled at the Leyendas Cubanas factory, the Recluse is overseen by Don Jose Rafael. It is available in ten sizes, all are in a box pressed form. Three of the ten sizes where never made before and where invented by Iconic Leaf.
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Joya de Nicaragua Rebranding “Cuenca y Blanco” to “CyB”
EstelÃ, 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 â€. 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 withâ€, expresses Dr. Alejandro MartÃnez 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 Spiritâ€.
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 havecreated continues to be exactly the same!â€
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.
About CyB by JOYA DE NICARAGUA
Departing from Joya de Nicaragua’s tradition of crafting only Nicaraguan leaf puros, the CyB has been intricately blended to be a smoke comprised of the finest tobaccos from four separate countries of origin: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru. It is a complex liga of well-balanced tobaccos resulting from nearly a year of incessant experimentation and dedication. Our labor of passion has resulted in a very flavorful, relaxing smoke with a tantalizing taste and aroma. Formerly known as Cuenca y Blanco ,CyB is the first cigar creation of the Joya de Nicaragua factory in collaboration with famed cigar maker Jose Blanco since his joining the company in 2011.
Available Sizes: CoronaReal 5.5 x 46; Robusto Deluxe 5.25 x 50; Lonsdale Club 6.5 x 44; Toro Supremo 6 x 54;Torpedo Especial 6.25 x 52
About JOYA DE NICARAGUA
S.A.JOYA DE NICARAGUA S.A., is a family owned, Nicaragua-based cigar factory that handcrafts traditional cigars for the premium luxury cigar market. First opened in 1968, it is Nicaragua’s oldest cigar factory in operation and home to the legendary JOYA DENICARAGUA® brand of cigars. Joya is regarded by many as the patriarch crafter of robust,unique puro blends of locally grown black tobaccos. For more information, please visit www.joyadenicaragua.com.ni. JOYA DE NICARAGUA is a trademark of Joya de Nicaragua S.A and/or affiliated companies.
PUNCH KICKS OFF TAILGATING SEASON WITH SIX PACK AND SWEEPS
Punch Cigars® is inviting cigar lovers to kick off football season with the brand’s first-ever tailgating pack and sweepstakes.
Debuting this month at cigar shops across the country, the limited edition six-pack comes with a great starting lineup of top-sellers from one of the best brands to hail from Honduras. Â Created with the tailgating enthusiast in mind, the pack contains a range of Punch cigars to smoke and share. Inside each pack are three, beefy Champion frontmarks from the Punch, Double Maduro and Rare Corojo collections, along with a Punch Grand Cru Maduro, a Punch Elite and one Punch Deluxe Robusto. Also contained inside is a Punch-branded cigar cutter and bottle opener, all for the suggested retail price of $24.99 per pack.
“Tailgating fits perfectly into our occasion-based marketing platform,†said Alan Willner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar. “We created this promotion to connect with consumers while they’re tailgating because hanging out with the guys and gearing up for the game is one of the best times to sit back, light up a Punch cigar and maybe do a little trash talking about the other team.â€
To give sports fans the chance to tailgate like a pro, Punch is also running a sweepstakes. Between now and December 28, consumers of legal smoking age can visit www.punchcigars.com to enter to win the Punch Tailgating grand prize: Five boxes of Punch cigars; a Char-Broil Grill2Go Grill; a $200 Chicago Steak Companygift card; a $500 StubHub gift card; a tailgate lounger; a tailgate game table, and a Punch-branded lighter and ashtray.
In addition, the Punch tailgating six-pack will be awarded to one lucky winner per day between now and December 28. No purchase necessary. For official rules, please visit www.punchcigars.com.
Punch cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo®, Cohiba®, Partagas® Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana® and several other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.
® Punch, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur, La Gloria Cubana and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.
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Antonio Benitez Maduro Corona
P. Benitez Cigars has been around for a few years out of the region of Jalapa Valley and Estelà Nicaragua. Their Cuban seed, Habana Criollo tobacco is rolled in their factory in Managua, Nicaragua. The Antonio Benitez is the second blend from said factory. It was blended by Pedro Benitez and his son, Reynold in honor of Benitez’s first grandson, Reynold Antonio.
Vitola: Corona
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo
Source: Sample
First Look: A very prominent “A” sticks out in gold on the band against a dark brown habano maduro wrapper leaf. A nicely applied double cap covers the fairly firm feeling cigar. The firm feel also relates to the firm draw that is slightly more than milkshake thick. Cold draw reveals dark chocolate/cocoa and hay tastes. The foot has a woody and dark chocolate aroma to it that is fairly pleasant to the senses.
Construction: Overall, it had a fairly thick draw, but not enough to put it down or give me a headache. The burn had a slight curve to it and produced a tight ringed off-white ash, which held for about an inch or so. Even though it had a thick draw, it still produced a good amount of dense smoke that had a peppery room note. A seasoned cigar enjoyer would like the room note, but could see where a nonsmoker or novice could see it being overbearing in strength. Me, I liked the room note alot.
Flavors: Notes of charred meat with a slight “twang” on the tongue are the first thoughts of the smoke. Nice and dark flavors which alot of people have came to like.The dark wrapper color goes hand & hand with the dark flavors I get at the start. When I say dark, you would think the flavors or overly bold and harsh. But that is not the case one bit. Working into it more, notes of black pepper start to compliment the dark charred meat notes. Its like I was smoking a smoked pepper rubbed steak. The farther I got into it, the black pepper seemed to ramp up in strength.
Around a 1/3 into it, some dark espresso flavors seem to take over some. But the black pepper tastes are still present. Through out the cigar, the meaty, peppery, and espresso notes bounce all over my palate. I really enjoyed the complexity of the smoke. It is not too complex to where the point of you getting a nice flavor you like, then quickly changing to another flavor. I like a nice complex smoke, but not too complex to where you loose track of a good flavor in the complexity.
The last part of the cigar stayed pretty much the same as the middle portion. Meaty and peppery, yet also seemed to mellow off some in flavor strength and body. At the very end, the black pepper seemed to drop off almost all together and changed into a toast note. That was completely unexpected!
Final Thoughts:Â I really liked this cigar alot. The one dislike was the thicker draw. I liked the mix of espresso, charred meat, and black pepper notes. It was like I was having espresso with my steak dinner. A fairly complex smoke thats produced a peppery room note. Later on, I will review the same cigar in a 6×60 size to see how the size affects the flavors. So keep your eyes pealed for it’s review in the next few weeks.
Tailgate Like A Champion With Punch
PunchCigars is giving away a 6-pack with your tailgate essentials: 6 Punch cigars, a cigar cutter and a bottle opener EVERY DAY from now until December 28. You can enter here: Punch Daily Prizes
Global Premium Cigars and Emilio Cigars Enter Distribution Agreement
Press Release, September 24, 2012
Global Premium Cigars and Emilio Cigars Enter Distribution Agreement
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!â€
Product should arrive at the Emilio Cigars warehouse within a week, and begin shipping immediately thereafter.
Gary A. Griffith
443-350-6957
Emilio Cigars
Nicaraguan Cigar Co. Condega Serie F Petite Robusto
Boutique or “Salon” cigar companies are coming up in the cigar community more and more each day. I was searching on Twitter for new companies and came upon a new company called Nicaraguan Cigar Co. and figured, why not follow them and see what they are all about. Shortly after I was offered to review their cigars for NTA and today I’m going to take a first impression of the Condega Serie F Petite Robusto.
Condega is the area in Nicaragua where the “famed” Esteli city is in. A lot of people have heard of Esteli, but not so much of Condega which adds to the mystique of this cigar. I’ve noticed a good number of great cigars come from Esteli, which means they also come from Condega; so lets see how this one fares up.
Vitola: Petite Robusto
Wrapper: Corojo
Binder: Arganorsa
Filler: Nicaraguan
Source: Sample from company
First Thoughts: Atop the cigar is a deeply and neatly applied double cap giving plenty of room for a cut. A medium brown wrapper with a few small veins covers the Serie F. The cigar has an overall firm feel with no hard of soft spots. The foot has a hay aroma to it. The whole cigar has a pleasant aroma to it, though I can not put my nose on exactly what it reminds me of. The cold draw is dead on. Its not too loose or too stiff, its right where I like to have a cigar draw at.
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