|
Newsletter naming; RDTA preview; Now search cigars by size-length-ring...
July 22, 2003
*** IN THIS ISSUE ***
1.
Feature Story: We have a name and a winner!
2. Survey Says: Smoking & Drinking
3. RTDA 2003 Preview: New cigars from C.A.O.. Punch, Drew Estates...
4. Smoker's Ed: Cigar Terms & Tips
5. Site Improvements: Search cigars by shape/length & ring size
6. Rating Lunatic: Davidoff Mille 2000 and La Fontana Galileo
7. Cigar Sightings!
Dear Fellow Cigar Lovers,
*** FEATURE STORY ***
We Have A Name and a Winner!
AS THEY SAY in the song, "people like to go where everybody knows your
name." I'm now happy to report that after several weeks of going through
dozens of names submitted for this newsletter, I boiled it down to three,
then put those submissions up for a vote by our staff. This biweekly publication will now be known as Famous Smoke
“Shop Talk.” It was also one of the few names that did not have multiple
submissions. Note that many of the submissions had to be tossed because
they were already in use within the industry.
So, (drum roll please)...Congratulations to John Ellis of Burley, Idaho
who came up with the winning name. John will receive an Olor 5-Pack Sampler
and a Famous Smoke Shop hat. I know I mentioned a T-shirt, but we ran out
and I don't know when we will be getting more in.
Some names that came in a lot were, Famous Last Words, Up In Smoke,
Smoke Rings, Blowin' Smoke and Smoke Screen, to name a few. Just for fun,
I thought I'd share some of the more whimsical names with you (I've kept
them anonymous to protect the innocent, and just for fun, took the liberty
of categorizing them. ;-)
Revolutionary: "Fidel's Most Wanted"
Hip Hop: "Puff Daddy"
Incendiary: "The Burning Times," "The Chimney," "Famous Fumes"
Nautical: "The Famous Clipper"
Devilish: "The Lucifer Match"
Garage Band: "The Soggy Butts"
Yiddish: "Schmokin"
More Than Tongue in Cheek: "The Monica Release"
Once again, thanks to everyone who sent in a name. Your input was very
much appreciated and I had fun reading them. PLEASE NOTE that the next
edition on August 5 will have the new Famous Smoke “Shop Talk” title and
will appear in your in-box as such.
*** SURVEY SAYS! DEPT.***
Smoking & Drinking
ONCE UPON A TIME, when I was a less experienced cigar smoker, another cigar smoker
said to me, "Never smoke a cigar dry."
"Huh?" I said.
"You should always have something to drink when you smoke a cigar," he
replied.
Today I rarely, if ever, light up without something to drink when I
smoke a cigar. Here in the office I usually have a cup of coffee with
my morning cigar. I enjoy this combination a lot. As a big
water drinker, I've found it to be a healthy source of refreshment
with a cigar, plus you really get the true flavor of the cigar. On the
other hand, some might argue that depending on what you drink, it may
actually enhance the flavor of the cigar. More often, I prefer a glass
of Port with a cigar. It was Hal Odzic, our
General Manager, who turned me on to Port. Our Call Center Manager, Mike
Dombrosky, likes beer with his cigars and depending on what kind of cigar
he's smoking, he prefers to match it up with a particular brew. In doing
some research for this piece I found that Scotch ranked the highest among
potent potables, while coffee, espresso and cappuccino ranked highest
in non-alcoholic beverages. I'm really curious to find out what YOU like
to drink with your cigars. If you take a moment to participate in this
week's survey, maybe we'll come up with similar results.
What Do You Like To Drink When You Smoke A Cigar?
Send an email to: and in the Subject line, type the name of the drink you enjoy most with a cigar. As always, comments are not necessary but welcome.
Survey Results for July 8th: Do You Have "Every Day" Cigars And "Special Occasion" Cigars Or Do You Smoke The Same Brand/s All The Time?
The results of our survey on whether you separated your cigars between
every day and special occasions were clearly in favor of those who have both.
88% of respondents had cigars for both occasions, while only 12% were
committed to one brand all the time. The best case made for those in the
minority amounted to, when you find a good thing, stick with it. One
gentleman said he's been buying his favorite Arturo Fuente cigar since
they were $19 a box and wasn't yet ready to try anything else. It's hard to argue with that.
*** RTDA 2003 PREVIEW ***
From August 2nd through the 6th, I and the executive staff here at
Famous Smoke Shop, will be attending the Retail Tobacco Dealers Assoc.
Trade Show. This year it's in good 'ole Nashville Tennessee and along
with my cigar cutter, I'll be packin' my cowboy boots. For those of
you who don't have the chance to attend, I'll be presenting a complete
wrap-up of the show on the web site when I return, so look for the new
link. For now, I thought I'd give you a little preview on what we can
expect to see at the show (since I'll actually be at the show when the
next issue comes out on August 5th)
Over 200,000 square feet has been reserved in the Gaylord Opryland
Resort & Convention Center exhibition hall to accommodate more than 270
exhibitors in 974 booths. Saturday night, Aug 2nd, will be the annual
Gala Opening Party where sponsers including C.A.O., Davidoff, General
Cigar, Altadis U.S.A. and Fujipub.com, among others will welcome the
attendees.
C.A.O., which is based in Nashville, will have a large presence and
will be debuting their new CAO MX2 ("Maduro-times-two") cigars. This
is a double-maduro cigar that combines a triple-fermented Connecticut
Broadleaf maduro wrapper with a peppery Brazilian maduro binder. Smokers
should expect this cigar to be full-bodied with intense flavors of sweet
and spice. Says, CAO Vice President, Tim Ozgener, "It’s like smoking a
chocolate bar and chasing it with a jalapeno pepper."
C.A.O. will also debut two new cigars added to their new "flavours"
division: According to press release from C.A.O.,‘Eileen’s Dream’ and
‘EarthNectar.’ Eileen’s Dream is a flavor-imbued premium cigar that
features a combination of Irish Cream and white chocolate truffles.
EarthNectar pays homage to Italy’s famed Tuscany region with an all-
natural mixture of toasted almonds, cocoa, honey, raisins, all combined
with infused Chianti.
Davidoff will be showcasing their new Zino Platinum Scepter cigars.
General Cigar will be debuting their new powerhouse, Punch Gran Puro.
I've already had one early sample and all I can say is, if you like
rich, spicy cigars, BADDA BING!
Drew Estates is scheduled to release a new edition to its La Vieja
Habana cigars. The new cigar named, "The Early Years," will be a premium
cigar, similar to cigars made in the company's first years.
La Aurora will be celebrating their 100th Anniversary with a big bash
that will include the official introduction and sampling of the 100 Year
Anniversary Cigar. This limited edition item has been 4 years
in the making using a special Corojo Wrapper grown by La Aurora S. A.
Providing the food for the event will be one of the Dominican Republic's
best known chefs, Mike Mercedes, while renowned Dominican Singer, Milly
Quezada will provide the entertainment - and of course, plenty of
Presidente Beer will be on-hand!
Hope this whets your appetite, for now. Much more to come in my report
after the show.
*** SMOKERS ED. DEPT.***
Cigar Terms & Tips (Collect and trade em'!)
Totalamente a Manoz - Made totally by hand; a description found on
cigar boxes. Much better than "Hecho a Mano" (made by hand, which can
mean it is filled with machine-bunched filler), or "Envuelto a Mano"
(packed by hand).
"Newbie Q & A" Feedback
Gary: I believe, in response to the question and answer [about claro wrappers]
that you [and the writer] have both used the wrong term: "double claro" is
the light green wrapper, not claro. My understanding is that claro is
light brown, at least in the days of Cuban cigars and the old style
of grading wrappers?
- Gary Stansell, Northfield, MN
Actually, we're both right. Yes, "claro" as Gary pointed out above,
does refer to the more common, natural, light brown wrappers. My
description of the "claro" wrapper was also correct, but after re-reading
my answer I discovered my error was combining two separate
answers to the same question because the writer referred to a "Jade"
wrapper and then asked about "the characteristics of claro cigars"
when he probably really meant to ask about the characteristics of
"double claro" cigars like the Macanudo Prince Phillip Jade that he
purchased. But for the record, some manufacturers DO use the term
"claro" for their green-hued, double-claro cigars. Thanks to Gary
Stansell for helping make the distinction and next time I'll remember
to wear my new reading glasses. -G.K.
What about you? If you'd like to share your thoughts and experiences on this week's cigar tip, please e-mail me at
*** SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DEPT.***
Have a question about the care and feeding of your cigars? Send your questions and comments to me at: . I will try to respond as quickly as possible, but some replies may take a few days. (Please DO NOT use the "askGary" address to be removed from the newsletter list. Thank you.)
*** FAMOUS-SMOKE.COM HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS ***
Now Search for Cigars by Length and/or Ring Size
At Famous-Smoke.com, we are always looking for new ways to make your
shopping experience with us fast and easy to navigate. For those of
you who would like to search for cigars based on length or ring size,
we've now added two new search criteria from our master cigar search
page. In addition to being able to search for cigars by country, price,
wrapper, etc., you can now include the ring gauge and/or length of the
cigars you prefer. Moreover, you can even click on multiple choices within
the same search box, like a range of ring sizes, for example. Just hold the
Ctrl key (Mac users hold the Option key) and click with your mouse. Wanna try it?
Click here.
The link can also be found in the left margin on every page of the site labled,
"Cigar Search" under the Search Our Site heading.
*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
Davidoff Thousand (Mille) Series 2000 (85)
Size/Wrapper: 5" x 43 / Connecticut Natural
It sure looked great before I lit it up and it did burn perfectly, but it
was just too spicy for me, dare I say, bordering on bitter. Even the ash
was slightly loose and dark gray in color. The saving grace of this cigar
was how smooth it smoked and the aroma. By the time I was done with it I
had about an inch left. I guess I was also hoping it would improve, but it
left me wanting. ~ Y/T
La Fontana "Galileo" (88)
Size/Wrapper: 5" x 50 / Honduran-grown Connecticut-seed Natural
If you love the Montecristo Serie V Robusto but can't afford to smoke it
regularly, this is a good bet. I would call it an 88. Rich, smooth, creamy
and mild from end to end. A bit light on the draw, but with a rich cool
cloud, this is a pretty good second to the Monte at about a third of the
price. Go for it!
- Cecil, Stockton, CA
(Customer reviews are selected at random and may be edited for length, not content.)
(AGREE? DISAGREE? Your opinion may be similar or completely different and is also appreciated, so don't be shy. Rate the cigars you smoke on our web
site. What you say can help others make a more informed decision, even you!)
*** GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR! DEPT.***
Cigar tasting events in our retail store at 1100 Conroy Place, Easton, PA
Call 610-559-8800 for more info and offers associated with these events.
Partagas Black Jack and
Punch Poker Night - Friday, August 15th, 5:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
Coming Soon!
Punch Photo Shoot
*** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.***
Cigar Sightings
Sex And The City (HBO) - Episode #77, "The Perfect Present"- had "Big" (Chris Noth) smoking
a cigar as he was lounging in his hot tub, talking to Carrie. I tried to
make out the brand, but couldn't quite get it.
- Scott Vonhof, Manteca, CA
(I saw the episode also - twice, just so I could catch the label - and I'm
99% sure it was a Romeo Y Julieta Vintage. - G.K.)
Other Famous Cigar Smokers Caught in the Act!
St. Louis County Police "A" Platoon at the reception for the Kevin and
Trish Funston wedding. Kevin suprisingly not present...???
- Tony Berardi, St. Louis, MO
My Godson Brendan Behan and I on beautiful Lake Sidney Lanier, north of
Atlanta, GA. There are very few things in life more enjoyable than a good
cigar while I'm either fishing or playing golf. Life is good.
- Sonny Behan, Duluth, GA
WANTED! Cigar-smoking photos of you and/or your friends. (See next paragraph for details.)
Have You Made A Cigar Sighting Recently?
It can be from a movie, TV show or a celebrity you've seen elsewhere or in-person puffing on a primo. If you can name the brand of the cigar, even better! Or send in a herfing photo of you and your friends to me at
and please put "Cigar Sightings" in the subject line. Limit: 1 sighting or photo (preferably, a JPEG) per email.
Until the next issue, August 5th, Happy Smokes!
Gary
(_{@}_______{{{
Copyright © 2003 Famous Smoke Shop - PA, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Portions or all of this information may be reprinted freely, provided this
link, http://www.famous-smoke.com, remains intact.
|
|
|
view cart
