Viaje Oro Reserva Edicion Limitada Double Torpedo
That name is a mouthful, huh?  Viaje released the follow up to their No. 2 cigar of the year last year for Cigar Aficionado, Viaje Oro Reserva.  This year, its in a special shape.  The Double Torpedo.  This has become one of Andre Farkas’ favorite cigar shapes.  Enough that it will become a regular shape in the Oro and Platino line up next year.  This cigar has been kind of lost in the plethora of Viaje limited released so far this year because so many have been released.  This is great news for me as the Oro Reserva was one of my all time favorite cigars.  I was released in June with the 2011 TNT, C4 and Summerfest 2011.  There were some reports of construction issues on these from some other cigar smokers and retailers.  Did mine have these issues?  Watch the video and find out.
GET LUCKY WITH MACANUDO AND PLAYBOY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $1,000,000
Richmond, VA— Macanudo®, America’s best-selling premium cigar brand, is teaming up with Playboy to give two lucky consumers a chance to win a cool million dollars in the third annual Macanudo® Millionaire contest.
Between now and September 30, consumers 21 year of age or older can enter to win an all-expense paid, three-day, two night trip to the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. While in Sin City, each winner and their guests will be treated to a VIP evening at the Playboy Club. There, a trio of Playboy Playmates will stand in for Lady Luck when each of the contestants and their guests play a high-stakes round of poker. If either the contest winners or their guests have a straight flush or higher, Macanudo will award the $1,000,000 prize.
Alison Waite, Playboy’s Miss May 2006, will serve as the Macanudo Millionaire contest spokesperson and will entice consumers to enter the contest. Alison brings a wealth of experience, and may very well be Lady Luck herself. Prior to her work with Macanudo, she was the official hostess for the Club World Poker Tour, and as a former case model on “Deal or No Deal,†she awarded an at-home-player $1,000,000. When Alison’s not doling out millions of dollars or hosting poker tournaments, she herself is quite lucky, as the reigning champion of her fantasy football league.
Consumers can enter the promotion by visiting www.macanudomillionaire.com or through participating online cigar retailers. No purchase necessary. For official rules, visit .
Playboy Playmates Shannon James (Miss May 2007) and Jennifer Pershing (Miss March 2009) will join Alison in Las Vegas to host the Macanudo Millionaire winner and friends. The sexy trio of Playmates are all featured on the contest’s website where the girls encourage entrants to visit their favorite U.S. cigar shop to purchase a specially-marked four-pack containing Macanudo Café, Macanudo Maduro, Macanudo Cru Royale and Macanudo 1968 cigars. On the specially-marked-four-pack, consumers will find details about how they can enter the contest by submitting brief essays that describe their favorite Macanudo cigar smoking experience – whether it was their first time smoking a Macanudo cigar, sharing a smoke with a friend or celebrating one of life’s milestones – Macanudo wants to hear the story.
The website also includes behind-the-scenes videos and personal interviews with the Playmates, shot during the Macanudo and Playboy promotional photo shoot.
“With the excitement and buzz that was generated with the previous Macanudo Millionaire contests, we’re excited to reunite two iconic brands—Macanudo and Playboy—together for this year’s contest,†said Bill Chilian, director of marketing for General Cigar, parent company of Macanudo. “The Macanudo lifestyle represents everything that this contest’s grand prize promises—luxury, sophistication and decadence. Factor in the chance to win a cool million dollars and we’re confident that the Macanudo Millionaire contest is a once in a lifetime opportunity that’s not to be missed.â€
Following the grand prize winner selection on October 31, the winners and their guests will be whisked away to Vegas from November 4 – November 6, 2011 for an extravagant stay at sexy Sin City hot spot, the Palms Casino Resort. Additional details about the Macanudo Millionaire weekend in Vegas will be posted on the official contest site.
Macanudo Millionaire contest updates will be posted to its dedicated Facebook and accounts.
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About Macanudo Cigars
Since their introduction in 1968, Macanudo cigars have been a favorite among premium cigar connoisseurs. The brand continues to be the best selling premium cigar brand in the U.S. and also sells in more than 90 countries worldwide. In addition to the base brand of Macanudo cigars, the brand also features these collections: Macanudo Maduro, Macanudo Robust, Macanudo Gold Label, Macanudo Vintage and Macanudo 1968.
General Cigar Co. Inc., a division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar’s skilled artisans produce Macanudo®, Cohiba®, La Gloria Cubana, Punch®, CAO, Partagas®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur® and several other leading premium brands in the company’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan factories. In addition, the company cultivates proprietary tobacco which is used exclusively in its blends. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide and also exports select products to 62 countries. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.
® 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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Playboy, Playboy Club, PLAYMATES, Miss March and Miss May are trademarks of Playboy and used with permission by General Cigar Co. Inc. Playboy is not a sponsor of this contest.
Chattanooga Tweet-Up 2011
Editor:  Here is an announcement from our brothers-in-cigars, Tiki Bar Online and The Stogie Review about a great event at Burns Tobacconists, the Tweet-Up 2011.  Its going to be a great event.
Guest Review: Nica Libre Exclusivo
Editor: Â Shawn is back again this week with a cigar that has quite the following. Â Another Cigars International exclusive, Nica Libre. Â I find these quite enjoyable as well for such a bargain stick.
Nica Libre
Exclusivo 5.5 X 50
Filler: Nicaraguan Long filler
Binder: Habano
Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Cost: $3.80 – $4.50
Sizes: Available in 6 sizes from a 4.5×46 to 7×50. All are box pressed.
The day ended off in the mid 80s for once and what a nice away to end a good day with a good cigar. Lets see how the Nica Libre turns out.
I have seen the Nica Libre being advertised as similar to a Padron Anniversary and heard it from other people as well. Even in a few catalogs you see the Nice Libre on the same page as the Padrons. The wrapper is from the same area (San Andres) as the Padron Anniversary Maduro. Its not the exact same wrapper, but from the same area.
Xikar announces new Salomon for their HC line
General Cigars releases the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale
La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale
Continuing its tradition of innovation, Team La Gloria is proud to introduce La Gloria Cubana® Artesanos Retro Especiale, a collection that spent eight years in the making.
Inspired by an antique humidor found at the El Credito® Cigar Factory, Michael Giannini and Team La Gloria toiled for nearly a decade to replicate the antique humidor. Inclusive of a two-year process that encompassed cultivating a new wrapper, the development of the blend for Artesanos Retro Especiale was approached with an equal amount of creativity and commitment.
According to Michael Giannini, director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana, “It gives me great pleasure to debut La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale. We set out to create a product that was as unique in its packaging as it is in its taste and I believe we’ve delivered that in spades. I stand with Team La Gloria, fully confident that this collection will be a welcome addition to the smoking repertoires of today’s most discriminating premium cigar smokers.â€
Team La Gloria set out to break the mold with the blend by cross-breeding a Connecticut seed, which was then cultivated in Honduras. The maiden crop yielded a hearty, golden wrapper as noteworthy for its color as it is for allowing each of the cigar’s components to enjoy equal bearing on the overall taste of the cigar.
Despite the golden appearance of the wrapper, the blend is brash in its full flavor and engages the entire palate. The double binder of bold Nicaraguan and Mexican leaf is further enhanced not only by Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero but also through an additional peppering of proprietary Nicaraguan and Dominican leaf.
Each of the four frontmarks is uniquely packaged in a 25-count box with a different design and bears a classic name that hearkens back to the early days of La Gloria Cubana. Taino (7†x 52) will be available for a suggested retail price of $7.50 per cigar, or $187.50 per box. Habanero (6†x 52) will sell for an SRP of $7.25 per cigar, or $181.25 per box. Cubano (6 1/2†x 58) will carry an SRP of $8.15 per cigar, or $203.75 per box and Club (5 ¾†x 47) will sell for $7.00 apiece, or $175.00 per box.
La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale will debut in mid-August, with private tastings to be held throughout the country. The product will ultimately ship in late September.
About La Gloria Cubana
La Gloria Cubana cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., a division of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar’s skilled artisans produce Macanudo®, Cohiba®, La Gloria Cubana, Punch®, CAO, Partagas®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur® and several other leading premium brands in the company’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan factories. In addition, the company cultivates proprietary tobacco which is used exclusively in its blends. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide and also exports select products to 62 countries. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.
® La Gloria Cubana, El Credito, Macanudo, Cohiba, Punch, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.
Press Release: General Cigars announces Cohiba Edición Diamante
General Cigar is pleased to introduce Cohiba® Edición Diamante, a rare opportunity to own a piece of premium cigar history.
It is a widely held belief that the 1980 crop of Cameroon wrapper tobacco remains one of the most exemplary leaves ever cultivated. In the more-than thirty years since this outstanding tobacco was harvested, General Cigar’s tobacco masters have cloistered these rarified leaves, nurturing them for the perfect occasion.  That time is now, with the launch of Cohiba Edición Diamante, an extraordinary collection of six frontmarks debuting in December, 2011.
Bill Chilian, director of marketing for Cohiba notes, “Cohiba Edición Diamante spent nine years in the making. Every single aspect of this collection, from the superlative wrapper and outstanding blend, to the striking humidor exemplifies the highest art of cigar making. Cohiba Edición Diamante is tribute to the artisans who put their heart and soul into bringing this collection to life, and is destined to be regaled as one of the premium cigar category’s most treasured offerings.â€
To celebrate the well-balanced, refined taste of the 32-year-old wrapper, Benji Menendez and General Cigar’s team of cigar masters worked tirelessly to create the optimal blend for Cohiba Edición Diamante.  A proprietary Dominican Piloto Cubano blend bolsters the subtly complex taste of the elegant wrapper which enrobes an Indonesian Jember binder. To taste this cigar is to experience the art of cigar making at its finest: a fragrant aroma opens to a delightfully balanced smoke with nuances of cinnamon and toasted wood.
Created to celebrate the exceptionally rare wrapper, the collection features six unique frontmarks: Capa Reserva Robusto
(5†x 49); Capa Reserva Corona Especiale (6 1/2†x 42); Capa Reserva Lonsdale Grande (6 1/4†x 47);
Capa Reserva Toro (6†x 54); Capa Reserva Churchill (7†x 49) and Capa Reserva Gigante (6†x 60).
A stately humidor was commissioned to accentuate the treasured cigars contained within. With attention to every detail, the interior consists of six drawers and is made entirely of Spanish cedar, while the handsome exterior features hand lacquered hard wood highlighted with chrome fixtures.
A true collector’s item, a mere 100 Cohiba Edición Diamante humidors will be released. The suggested retail price for this unique offering is $4,125.00.
About Cohiba Cigars
True cigar connoisseurs recognize Dominican Cohiba cigars as one of the finest brands available in the U.S. market. Critically acclaimed for their meticulous construction and refined taste, the core brand of Cohiba cigars is complemented by these premium collections: Cohiba Black, Cohiba Puro Dominicana and Cohiba XV.
Cohiba 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®, Partagas®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana®, CAO 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.
® Cohiba, Macanudo, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur, La Gloria Cubana and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Company.
JJ 4 JJ Day
July 22nd has become a special day for brothers and sisters of the leaf. One of our fellow bloggers and a friend of mine, Jerry Cruz of Stogie Review, tragically lost his son, JJ, to SIDS at only 3 months old. As a father myself, this is gut wrenching. To honor JJ, for the past 4 years, Jerry has been smoking a Don Pepin Serie JJ to honor his son. We, his fellow bloggers, have joined him to help honor his “Little Robusto”. So, today, if you can, spark up a Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ with us to honor JJ. If you don’t have a Serie JJ, any cigar will do. If you are on Twitter, use the hash tag #JJ4JJ with you pics and tweets for JJ. Thank you for your support.
PS – Jay of CigarPhoto.net is having a contest on JJ4JJ Day. Check it out here.
Emilio Grimalkin
Unless you active with the Twitter cigar community, you might not have heard of Emilio cigars. Its a boutique brand that is the brain child of Gary Griffith of Delaware Cigars. I had heard a lot of chatter on Twitter about their AF1 and AF2 cigars and the word was they were very good. While talking to a buddy of mine on Twitter, fellow Mississippian GC Puffs, Gary saw our conversation and asked me if he could get my address to send me some samples. A few days later, a box shows up with samples of the AF1, AF2 and the Grimalkin. I have to say, the Grimalkin band really caught my eye so I had to smoke it first. Gary sent me one sample so this is a first impressions review. So how did the witch’s cat smoke? Watch the video and find out.
Rocky Patel Thunder by Nimish
A couple of weeks ago I received a package from Patrick Vivalo at Rocky Patel Premium Cigars. Enclosed was two samples of a one of the new product lines. Since this week is the annual IPCPR trade show I thought it would be appropriate to review a cigar that will be debuted during the annual trade show. The Rocky Patel Thunder is blended by Mimish Desai, Rocky’s cousin. He supervises all of the Central American manufacturing for Rocky, but has for wanted to blend his own cigar for a long time. This year he finally came up with a blend that he wanted to put on the market and Rocky agreed. So the Thunder by Nimish was born and it will be available in three different sizes.
Name: Thunder by Nimish
Company: Rocky Patel Premium Cigars
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $5-6.00/stick
Comes in: Box of 20
Vitola: Toro
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