PUNCH CELEBRATES THE TWO REASONS MAN INVENTED FIRE
National BBQ Promotion Debuts at Tobacconists Nationwide
Richmond, VA—Two of the biggest names in smoke, Punch® cigars and Char-Broil® are teaming up to encourage consumers to break out the cigars and fire up the grill to kick off the much-anticipated barbecue season with the Punch “King of the Deck†promotion.
Consumers of legal smoking age are encouraged to visit their local cigar shop to purchase a Punch-branded steel smoker box while supplies last. Inside the smoker box, cigar enthusiasts will find one each of the following cigars: Punch Magnum, Punch Gran Puro Rancho, Punch Rare Corojo Magnum, plus the new Punch Upper Cut Robusto which is included free. In addition, the smoker box contains a coupon that can be redeemed online at www.charbroil.com for $100 off the purchase of a new Char-Broil grill valued at $399 and above. For the suggested retail price of just $19.99, this special offer also boasts the added benefit of the smoker box itself which, along with wood chips, can be used to add a rich, smoky flavor to the cigar lover’s favorite grilled foods.
According to Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, parent company of Punch cigars, “For cigar enthusiasts who have a passion for grilling, we are pleased to bring these two great pleasures together under such well-respected brands as Punch and Char-Broil. To get people thinking about barbecue season, we’re taking this promotion one step further by engaging in a comprehensive social media campaign to spark online conversations about grilling tips, recipes and cigar pairings.â€
A dedicated Twitter account (@PunchCigars) and a Facebook page (Punch Cigar) have been established to educate smokers as to which Punch cigars pair best with their favorite grilled fare. A mobile extension of the promotion’s website (www.punchgrilling.com) has also been developed to allow consumers to enter their favorite Punch cigar brand and preferred grilled meat to receive personalized pairings. In addition, a series of brief videos featuring grilling tips and Punch cigar pairings from Barry “CB†Martin, Char-Broil’s lead blogger and grilling expert, will be released throughout the promotion on www.punchgrilling.com and will also be available for download.
In addition to in-store events which will be held at tobacconists nationwide, Punch cigars will be sampled at noteworthy barbecue events throughout the year. Visit www.punchgrilling.com for more information.
About Punch Cigars
Since their U.S. introduction in 1969, Punch Honduran cigars have been a favorite among premium cigar connoisseurs. In addition to the original line of Punch cigars, the brand features these bold-flavored collections: Punch Deluxe®, Punch Grand Cru®, Punch Rare Corojo®, Punch Gran Puro® and Upper Cut by Punch®.
About General Cigar
General Cigar Co. Inc., a subsidiary of Swedish Match, manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Passionate about delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar produces Macanudo®, Partagas®, Cohiba®, Punch, Excalibur®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, La Gloria Cubana® and several other industry-leading brands, which are sold through tobacconists nationwide. In addition, the company grows its own proprietary 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. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com
® Punch, Macanudo, La Gloria Cubana, Partagas, Cohiba, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.
® Char-Broil is a registered trademark of Char-Broil LLC.
General Cigar Company releases the La Gloria Cubana ARTESANOS DE TABAQUEROS
Richmond, VA—General Cigar is pleased to introduce Artesanos de Tabaqueros®, the second edition in the critically-acclaimed Artesanos series from La Gloria Cubana®.
Created to showcase the artistry of La Gloria Cubana “tabaqueros†(artisan cigar makers), Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are a stunning embodiment of the time-honored craft of cigar making. So exacting is the skill required to handcraft cigars of this complexity that Benji Menendez personally selected an elite group of just 18 master cigar makers, representing the cream of the crop from El Credito Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.
According to Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, parent company of Artesanos de Tabaqueros, “This exciting collection represents the brain trust that is Team La Gloria Cubana. They pooled their collective talents to showcase the best that General Cigar has to offer: aged and proprietary tobacco, passionate and talented cigar makers and an unwavering commitment to innovation. It is with pleasure that I commend Benji Menendez, Michael Giannini, Yuri Guillen and Rick Rodriguez on yet another exciting addition to our portfolio of brands.â€
Meticulously crafted to combine two different wrappers and two distinct tastes in one eye-catching cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros is a world-class smoke that opens to a rich and intriguing spice and ultimately reveals a depth of flavor that can only be achieved through a precise balance of unique and rare tobaccos. Hand selected from General Cigar’s extensive library of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos, the cigars are dressed in both a supple Connecticut Shade and hearty Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. The blend is made solely of proprietary tobaccos, each aged five years or more.
Presented with two different wood treatments to promote the unique tastes promised in each cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are protected in boxes of 25. The collection will debut in early April with three frontmarks, each named to according to its dimensions: 650 (6†x 50, SRP per cigar is $8.00), 652 Belicoso (6†x 52, SRP per cigar is $9.50) and 750 (7†x 50, SRP per cigar is $9.00).
“To truly experience this gem of a cigar is to smoke it and taste the masterful artisanship that comes to life when one wrapper ends and the other begins in balance and harmony,†noted Michael Giannini, director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana.
About General Cigar
Artesanos de Tabaqueros 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.
® Artesanos de Tabaqueros, Artesanos de Miami, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.
262 Paradigm Torpedo
262 is a new cigar company to the scene and has called for a revolution in the cigar world. 262’s name is based on the Cuban trade embargo that started in February 2, 1962….2-62. After SCHIP and the FDA’s heavy handed move to oversee the cigar industry, 262 declares enough is enough….revolution. In support of this, 262 brought out a cigar called the Paradigm. This cigar features filler composed of seco and ligero from Esteli and Jalapa in Nicaragua and Cuban seed cubito from Columbia. The binder is Honduran and the wrapper is Brazilian. Its a medium-full bodied smoke and comes in boxes of 20. Is the cigar enough to rally the populace? Watch the video and find out.
Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real
Happy Friday everyone. In the interest of kicking off the weekend I’m going to keep things short today. I’m diving back into the humidor to take a look at a cigar from one of the “classic” cigar companies.
Name: Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real
Company: Altadis U.S.A. Inc.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
Price: ~$5
Comes in: Box of 25
Vitola: Petite Robusto(4 1/4 x 54)
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Illusione ~88~
We’ve reviewed a few different Illusione products over the last year. But each cigar provides a different experience, so I thought I’d add one more to our library of Illusione reviews. Today I’m firing up the ~88~ which if memory serves me correctly was my first introduction to Illusione Cigars.
Name: Robust ~88~
Company: Illusione
Factory/Tabacalera: Raices Cubanas
Made in: Danli, Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Cafe Colorado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan 1st Generation Corojo ’99 & Criollo ’98 seed
Price: $8-9 per stick
Comes in: Box of 25
Vitola: Robusto(5 x 52)
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Viaje Skull and Bones
Directly on the heels of the popular Reserva line comes the Skull and Bones. This cigar features a sun grown criollo wrapper and a Nicaraguan binder and filler. They come 25 to a box and sell for $9.00. Al Duffrin from Viaje cigars asked me to review these cigars and due to my affection for Viaje cigars, I, of course, accepted. Al explain that these cigar were Viaje’s answer for a more full bodied cigar from their fans. Did they succeed? Watch the video and find out.
Cigar Shop Review – The Cigar Shop, Biloxi, MS
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and wiped out our cigar shops. Two of them, the main two shops, never reopened like many businesses in our area. Most business were scared to risk a venture on the Gulf Coast after such a devastating hit. Every since that horrible day, the Mississippi Gulf Coast especially had a huge void for a cigar shop with a lounge. Enter The Cigar Shop.
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Press Release – Rediscover La Aurora with the 107
Paul Gramirian Reserva Excluvisa
Today’s cigar comes to us from Paul Gramirian. I generally treat this brand of cigars as celebratory cigars. I’m never let down by them and the high price point keeps them out of my regular smoking rotation. However, these cigars are not so ridiculously priced that I can’t pick up a handful from time to time.
Name: Reserva Excluvisa
Company: Paul Gramirian
Made in: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican & Ecuadorian
Price: $10.30 per stick
Comes in: Boxes of 25
Vitola: Robusto (5″ X 50)
Because I enjoy these cigars so much I’ve decided to skip the pre-smoke description and leave you with the video and my final thoughts. Enjoy!
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Lempira Fuerte
I apologize to all you ash-holes for not getting a post up on Monday. Last weekend was jam packed, and although I smoked a ton of cigars, I just never had the chance to sit down and put a review together. But today I’m back with a cigar that I had never heard of until a couple of weeks ago. This cigar is the Lempira Fuerte and it comes from Casa Fernandez/Tabacalera Tropical. The only background information I have on this cigar is that the name Lempira comes from a cigar that was out during the cigar boom of the 1990’s. In 2004 Casa Fernandez revived the name.
Name: Lempira Fuerte
Company: Casa Fernandez/Tabacalera Tropical
Made in: Danli, Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $7.50 per stick
Comes in: Boxes of 20
Vitola: Torpedo (6 1/2″ X 54)
The Lempira Fuerte is a nice looking cigar. The wrapper is extremely dark and has a slightly oily feel. The veings are small and not noticable to the touch. However, there are a lot of veins to look at. The stick feels firm in the hand, and I was unable to detect and hard or soft spots. Overall the construction on this cigar seemed top notch. Th wrapper had a heavy barnyard aroma with an equally heavy smell of manure. The foot aroma was slightly lighter, but maintained a similar barnyard quality. Pre-light draw seemed dead on, so I was anxious to spark this cigar up.
