AVO 25th Anniversary Edition
Tampa, FL – September 14, 2012 – This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the AVO cigar brand created by cigar icon Avo Uvezian, who began composing cigars in 1987. To celebrate the 25 years of “CIGARS IN PERFECT HARMONY,†Avo Uvezian has decided to share with you his two greatest passions, the piano and the cigar. It is this passion for music and cigars that has presented Avo with such happiness throughout the last quarter century. Today, in celebration of 25 years, Avo presents his passions to you…
A stunning black lacquered, wooden ‘piano’ box, containing a short-term humidification system and a small compartment for accessory storage, brilliantly displays the “AVO 25th Anniversary Edition†cigars. Presented in a splendid 6†x 52 Toro format, the full-bodied, remarkably aromatic cigar, possesses sweet and spicy notes with a truly captivating aftertaste. The extraordinarily balanced filler tobaccos are refined with a Piloto binder and crowned with a silky Criollo, Sun-Grown (D.R.) wrapper, creating an exceptional smoking experience. Consisting entirely of Dominican tobaccos – a true Dominican “Puro†is brought to life in celebration of this special anniversary.
“The packaging for this marvelous occasion is a masterpiece of its kind. The “grand piano†box, crafted specifically for the 25th Anniversary of the AVO brand, is monumental and beyond comparison.†explains Scott Kolesaire, AVO Brand Manager. “The 25th Anniversary Edition cigar is a magnificent blend that perfectly captures the passion, quality and expertise that has gone into every AVO cigar over the past 25 years.â€
The “AVO 25th Anniversary Edition†is produced in extremely limited quantities, only 2,000 individually numbered boxes containing 25 cigars each will be available in the United States. The retail price will be $16.00 per cigar – $400.00 per box, taxes not included.
“AVO 25th Anniversary Edition†was unveiled at the IPCPR convention in Orlando, FL. and will begin shipping to Select Merchant locations this week.
*****
Avo Uvezian is a cosmopolitan who began his career as a musician and went on to become a composer, cigar aficionado and even a creator of fine cigars. Avo, who lent his name to AVO Cigars, has nurtured all these talents in his quest for perfection. In both music and the creation of cigars, passion is the driving force that spurs him to find perfect harmony. Of Dominican origin, the AVO brand of cigars has become one of the most popular and beloved cigars of today’s market.
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Torcido Lancero
I’ve got a little theme going on with the recent reviews and that is “house brands”. Last week, I did a review on Bonita Smoke Shop “Time Warp” and this week I will be taking a look at the Torcido Cigars Lancero from Just For Him out of Springfield, MO. Just for Him is a shop chock full of pipes, pipe tobacco, and have over 50,000 cigars in stock. The shop is owned by Christian and Jessica Hutson and I was contacted by them if I would like to try the new Torcido line when they had sent me the press release of Torcido Cigars.
Vitola: Lancero
Wrapper: Dominican Cuban Seed
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Factory: Matasa
Source: Sample from Torcido Cigars
First Look: The first things I notice with this cigar, is the dark wrapper, pig tail cap and the closed foot. A closed foot and pigtail cap are always eye catching to me, so this cigar is very pleasing to the eye for me. The wrapper is of a dark almost black wrapper, with a few veins here and there with an aroma of sweet and dark cocoa. There is an overall firm feal to the smoke, but ho hard or soft spots to worry with. The stiff feal still lets a good milkshake thick type of cold draw.
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Bonita Smoke Shop Time Warp
You see them almost everywhere these days; house branded/blended cigars. From your mega online retailers, to your Mom n Pop B&Ms, they are everywhere. I, like probably most of you, are always on the look out for that “diamond in the rough” house brand cigar. A cigar that doesn’t cost a whole lot, but delivers in flavor. A month or so ago, I was on twitter discussing the subject of diamond in the rough cigars, when Jackie from Bonita Smoke Shop mentioned to me about their house brands (The Time Warp & 18th Anniversary) and graciously offered me some samples to try & to review. I was very appreciative of thier offer and accepted it. I have smoked a both of them and am going to give you my thoughts on the Time Warp now and the 18th later on.
Size: 6×50
Vitola: Toro
Wrapper: Certified Vintage Natural Maduro
Binder:Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
Source: Samples from Bonita Smoke Shop
Cost: $6.95/ea – $31.30/5pk – $118.15/bundle of 20 – $278/Cuban Wheel of 50
Jackie from Bonita Smoke Shop has been working on this blend with Willy Herrera of El Titan de Bronze boutique cigar factory on Calle Ocho, Little Havana, Miami, FL for quite some time. She didn’t want to put out the cigar till she was very pleased with the flavor profile that she had dreamed of. So, lets take a closer look into Jackie’s dream.
First Looks: A very neatly applied double cap tops the light brown aged maduro wrapper. Now, when you think maduro, you think dark. But this is possibly the lightest maduro wrappers I’ve ever seen. There are a few veins in the wrapper, some larger than others (but they will all burn). A slightly spongy feel to the cigar, but there are no hard or soft spots the entire length of it. The wrapper has an aroma of wet straw and the foot of hay. The foot reminds me of a barn; but not the barnyard (poo) we always hear people talking about.
Construction: A very tight white/off-white & gray ash comes out about an inch or more from the easily toasted foot. The burn on this cigar was pretty great considering I was smoking it during a rain storm under my carport. I figured I would have a good bit more touch-ups than what I did considering the ambient humidity outside. But, I only had one touch-up; and it could have corrected itself eventually had I gave it some time. About half way in, the ash got a little flaky, but no concerns. The draw stayed consistent with a little resistance, but not a tight “milkshake” draw.
Flavor: Right out the gate, I got nice creamy notes of wood and toast. Nice medium to full flavors! Once I got into it more, I got hints of roasted peanuts here & there. Around the half way point, some notes of cinnamon type of spice crept up on my tongue. Its not a kick in the pants spice, but deffinately noticable. About 3/4 way into it, a creamy caramel tones take over and the toast and cinnamon take a step aside as undertones. It is very woody on the retrohale. I don’t retrohale but a few times during most cigars. But this smoke was smooth enough, I caught myself doing it numerous times throughout the cigar. It never got bitter, nor hot which was a good sign to me. It ended with great notes of toasted bread again. Sometimes I have trouble getting the toast notes in cigars, but this really stood out for me in the Time Warp. Also, I notied when I walked away from it and came back it had a very pleasant room note to it as well.
Overall: If someone asked me what the Time warp is similar to, I would say along the lines of a La Aroma de Cuba EE. But, its alot more smoother and possibly a tab bit milder bodied. Don’t let me get you to think they are the same, they are definitely not the same! Just similar. Its got full flavors of creamy notes of wood, toast, and caramel, with a slight cinnamon spice to it, which I really enjoyed.
Final Thoughts: I have had quite a few house blend cigars where the shop owners put their fingers in the blending and some turn out well. And there are some house blends that it seems they slap a band on a cheap bundle or 2nd cigar and call it “theirs”. The Time Warp is one of those cigars that shows the time, passion, and dedication it took to make a good cigar. Overall I was pretty impressed with this cigar! Its not too powerful, but has awesome flavors.
The Time Warp is not your typical house blend cigar!
Iconic Leaf Cigar Company pre release party for “Recluse” at Outland Cigars
Iconic Leaf Cigar Company is extremely proud to announce that today August 31st it will be doing a national pre release party of their first blend out of the Tabacalera Leyendas Cubanas factory called the RECLUSE at Outland Cigars in Charlotte North Carolina from 5-9pm.
Scott weeks the national marketing and brand manager says:
This is a labor of love that’s been a long time in the making.
Every leaf in this cigar went through Two years of fermentation.
Every detail was looked into in the making of this cigar and no stone was left unturned. We are extremely proud of this new blend out of this new and exciting young factory. I personally am so excited to be a part of what I feel is going to be one of the greatest factories and brands out there, period.
You can read more about the release at Cigarevents.com
Best regards,
ILC Team
Iconic Leaf Cigar Company
10421 NW 28th St.
Doral, Fl. 33172
(305) 725-0318
Cigar Inn to Launch Fernando Leon
Miami, FL – In 1997, Fernando Leon of La Aurora Cigars traveled to New York City with Nestor Miranda from Miami Cigar & Company. This was the first time the head of La Aurora traveled to the United States for a cigar event. The location was Cigar Inn and they were hosted by the Fakir Brothers.
Fifteen years later, La Aurora Cigars is set to release the Fernando Leon and what better then to have the official launch at Cigar Inn. This time joining Gus, Billy & Bas will be the son of Don Fernando, Guillermo Leon who heads La Aurora in the Dominican Republic.
This two-day marathon event starts on Tuesday, October 23rd with a sold-out sit down dinner for Cigar Inn members. The dinner which will feature the Fernando Leon will be catered by Rothmann’s Steak house.
According to Guillermo Leon, “My Father only shared the cigar with close friends and family, it is only fitting that we release the Fernando Leon at Cigar Inn. Ever since that event in 1997, Cigar Inn and its customers have always been an extended part of our familyâ€.
At the request of Cigar Inn, the party will continue on Wednesday, October 24th, when Miami Cigar & Company and La Aurora Cigars invite you to stop by and experience this special cigar, the Fernando Leon for FREE, while supplies last.
“We are honored and privileged that La Aurora has chosen us for the release of this cigar.†adds Billy Fakir of Cigar Inn. “Fernando Leon was a great man, who knew a lot about tobacco. We are happy to call the Leon family our dearest friends and look forward to hosting this wonderful event in the Cigar Aficionado Loungeâ€.
Fernando Leon was the head of La Aurora Cigars from 1950s until his passing in 2009. The son of Eduardo León Jimenes was a Master Blender before taking on the role of President when his father passed. The cigar named after him was the only cigar he smoked on a daily basis. He was 89 years old when he passed. Today, his son Guillermo Leon heads La Aurora making him the third generation of the Leon family business to run the company.
Nomad Cigar Company Takes Stand With Cigar Shops
Orlando, FL – August 28, 2012 – To show support for brick and mortar cigar shops, the Nomad Cigar Company discontinued it’s direct to consumer online sales pages.
“Really, I never wanted the online portion of the business long term. It was necessary to get the word out about Nomad, particularly as a new boutique cigar maker, but now it is time to leave the cigars in the hands of shops around the nation that need to be supported.†Said Fred Rewey, Nomad’s Founder.
The move was not an easy one, especially for a start-up boutique cigar maker.
In doing so, the Nomad Cigar Company temporarily loses customers that are not living near a brick and mortar location. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Nomad loses out on the profit that comes with direct online distribution.
“I am not going to lie, the profit of direct to consumer is nice – particularly for a new company. But, I have to look long term. My goal was not only to create a solid cigar; I wanted to also support the cigar industry as a whole. I believe this keeps things moving in the right direction.†Rewey added.
It is no surprise that as more and more cigar makers have supported sales online, Rewey’s move, especially from a new company, is music to the ears of some shops.
Rewey said, “Look, I think you need to have some sort of online sales for those customers that simply can not get to a shop. But, the pricing does not need to be at the expense of local shops around the nation that bust their butts to create a great cigar smoking experience.â€
Those going to Nomad Cigar Company’s “purchase page†are now greeted with a brief open letter from Rewey explaining his stance. Rewey is hoping for continued growth and Nomad’s Cigars showing up in more and more retail shops.
Nomad Cigar Company was launched earlier this year with a well-received cigar and some groundbreaking innovations; such as Rewey putting his Twitter name (@Godfadr) on the cigar band.
He is hoping that his continued support of brick and mortar retail stores will help him grow his brand long term.
Interested retailers can contact the company directly for info on pricing, cigars, etc..
Contact:
Nomad Cigar Company
Fred Rewey
Twitter: @Godfadr
Godfadr@NomadCigarCompany.com
Phone: 855-MYNOMAD (or 855-696-6623)
Miami Cigar & Emilio Cigars produce LE cigar set for Chattanooga Tweetup
Twitter, Everywhere – What started last year with the inaugural Tweetup event at Burns Tobacconist (@burnstobacco99) and was put together by the hard work of David Jones (@dmjones1009) tikibaronline.com has grown into the massive event that is expected to converge on Chattanooga on August 24th and August 25th. To commemorate the united voice of cigar smokers on Twitter. Emilio Cigars and Miami Cigar & Co. have joined forces to release a limited edition set.
The cedar box of 2 cigars will contain a cigars made just for this historic event. The Añoranza in a box-pressed Churchill, and the debut of La Musa Melete from Emilio cigars in the same format. These sizes will be limited to 300 boxes of 2.
Gary Griffith (@emiliocigar) states, “We are delighted to be releasing this joint project with Miami Cigar and Co., dear industry friends, on behalf of Burns Tobacconist, one of the finest retailers in the country. We chose this opportunity to release this special size of the new La Musa Melete blend, and as the first appearance of the blend on the market.â€
In their second year supporting the Tweet-Up, Jason Wood (@miamicigar) VP of Miami Cigar adds, “Cigar smokers on twitter have become a driving voice in the industry. These aficionados are passionate about our craft, and we wanted to share with them something special.â€
If you can’t make it to Chattanooga, you can follow the festivities via the twitter hash-tag #CHATweetup2012
Barry Stein
Assistant Director of Marketing
Miami Cigar & Company
Web: www.MiamiCigarCompany.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/miamicigarcompany
Twitter: @MCCBarry
Press Release: Executive Promotions at Drew Estate
 Miami, FL – On August 2nd, Drew Estate announced two simultaneous promotions within its executive team toenhance and expand the management of its growing organization. Michael Cellucci has been promoted to thePresident position and Steve Saka has been named as the Chief Executive Officer of Drew Estate. “Even during the ongoing recession, Drew Estate has been experiencing high double digit growth and has nowbecome the manufacturer of over 90,000 handmade, premium cigars daily, the employer of nearly 1,300 peopleworldwide and the distributor of many of today’s best and fastest growing brands,†shares Drew Estate’s Ownerand Cofounder, Marvin Samel. He continues, “The company is aggressively entering new markets bothdomestically and internationally in a variety of market categories, in the process of building a state of the art+50,000 sq ft. tobacco processing facility in Nicaragua and is the design phase to build an entirely new factory inorder to accommodate demand. Due to the company’s current and expected growth, a shift in the executive teammakeup is needed to best serve our ever-growing management needs. Michael and Steve have both been keyparts of our team and Jonathan and I are very confident that they are the best men to help lead Drew Estate tocontinued success.â€Â
Nomad Cigar Company Makes Moves With Cigar Shops
Nomad Cigar Company Makes Moves With Cigar Shops
Orlando, FL – August 7, 2012 – Nomad Cigar Company is excited to announce its rollout to approved retail cigar locations and is currently accepting applications for more brick and mortar outlets.
“At this point, everything has progressed smoothly to the next level. We launched online [sales] only for the sole purpose of getting feedback and cultivating a strong following. With that complete, we can add more and more retail locations and begin the process of phasing out our online sales completely.†Said Fred Rewey, Nomad’s Founder.
Nomad took social media by storm by not only having a great boutique cigar, but also by Rewey’s leveraging social media outlets such as Twitter.
Matter of fact, Rewey (@GodFadr on Twitter) was the first to add his personal Twitter account to the actual cigar band. Something we see other cigar makers following suit in the future.
“Protecting the retailer is paramount.†Rewey added. “As more and more retailers stock Nomad’s, we will not only turn away the online sales portion, we will also showcase those stores on our websites.â€
Rewey added, “The next phase was a full retail roll out. But in order to accomplish that, we needed to come up with attractive pricing to support our retail clients. I am pleased to say that we were able to do just that.â€
As far as start-ups are concerned, Nomad has leveraged strong pricing, great marketing, and a quality stick. All these items add up to a strong start for this new cigar company.
Interested retailers can contact the company directly for info on pricing, cigars, etc.
Contact:
Nomad Cigar Company
Fred Rewey
Twitter: @Godfadr
Godfadr@NomadCigarCompany.com
Phone: 855-MYNOMAD (or 855-696-6623)
Team LGC Presents Trunk Show
Michael Giannini and Yuri Guillen from La Gloria Cubana talk about the new Trunk Show lines from La Gloria Cubana at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. The two lines introduced are the “LR1” and the “YJ23”. The cigars feature limited and rare tobaccos thats been aged from seven to ten years. Each cigar is of a limited release of 500 boxes due to the supply of the tobaccos from four countries (Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Connecticut). Another cool feature is the smokeable band, and industry first.
