In a few days, Arthur, Hal, our inventory manager, Mike, and I will be making our annual pilgrimage to Cigar Mecca, a.k.a. The Retail Tobacco Dealers Association 2005 Annual Trade Show and Convention. This year New Orleans is the site of the show, and as a blues musician visiting the Crescent City for the first time, this trip is doubly exciting for me.
As promised, I've scoured up as much pre-show info as I could muster, so thanks to those manufacturers who were kind enough to send me the descriptions you'll find here. Remember, I'll be posting a daily report from the show on a new website, CigarAdvisor.com (more on that to follow) with details, reviews and photos of all the new cigars, accessories and what-not the vendors will be presenting for release later this year and 2006.
C.A.O.
CAO will unveil the CAO CX2, the latest addition to the CAO family of cigars. CX2 ("Cameroon-times-two") is the first cigar ever to incorporate TWO Cameroon wrapper leaves in one blend. The filler is composed of Nicaraguan and Colombian tobaccos with a Cameroon binder leaf and a Grade One Cameroon wrapper leaf is used for the CX2 external wrapper. CAO CX2 will be available in 3 shapes: Rob (5" x 52), Toro (6" x 54), and Beli (7" x 56). This ground-breaking cigar from CAO is due to hit the retail shelves later this month.
On the heels of the Robb Report's "Best of the Best" 2005 honor in June, CAO has announced the latest addition to their award-winning CAO Italia line of cigars: CAO Italia Novella. This 4½" x 46 cigar will feature the same robust and distinctive flavor profile as the rest of the CAO Italia line, but in a more time-economic size created especially for cigar smokers who requested a smaller shape in the CAO Italia line.
While on the subject of Italians, according to a late-breaking CAO press release, CAO The Sopranos Edition marks the first time that Home Box Office has officially licensed a cigar to be made to commemorate the award-winning series. The limited edition cigar is a bold, full-bodied blend featuring a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, Honduran binder, and an exotic mix of fillers from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Colombia. CAO The Sopranos Edition will be packaged in 20 count boxes, and will be available in three sizes: "Associate" (5" x 52), "Soldier" (6" x 54), and "Boss" (7" x 56). [Say, what about a "Capo" and "Consigliore" shapes? Just a suggestion guys. Just a suggestion. :-)]
DAVIDOFF The Griffin's will be adding a new Perfecto shape to their Classic series. The cigar measures 4 5/8" x 52 ring and is presented in boxes of 25 & Packs of 4.
The Davidoff Zino Platinum Scepter series will offer the Grand Master (5½" x 52) and the Chubby (4 15/16" x 54 Short Perfecto) in tubo selections presented in boxes of 20 cigars.
Avo Cigars will be hosting the AVO Jazz Lounge at the RTDA on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The sessions will take place at 125 Bourbon Street, where Avo and his band will play from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Local singer Marva Wright will play from 8:00 P.M. to midnight. RTDA attendees who show their badge or room key card get a complimentary drink and every guest will receive an AVO cigar, cut and lit by 2 lovely cigar hostesses. (And let me tell you, they are very lovely, indeed!)
GENERAL CIGAR
The collaborative effort of four cigar masters has General Cigar executives shouting "VIVA BOLIVAR!" in praise of the full-scale re-launch of the eponymous Bolivar® brand.
Under the direction of cigar master Daniel Nuñez, Bolivar was developed with input from industry greats including Benji Menendez, Estelo Padrón and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. As the boldest, most full-bodied cigar in the General Cigar portfolio, Bolivar is dressed in a thick, full-bodied wrapper of Honduran San Agustin Ligero and bound with Havano Medio Tiempo, the Connecticut-grown leaf found on Partagas® Black Label. The blend for Bolivar consists of Dominican tobacco and two by Nicaraguan fillers: one from Esteli, the other from the remote volcanic island of Ometepe. According to Bill Chilian, director of marketing for Bolivar, "We decided to give the brand an 'extreme makeover'. Our intent was to provide consumers with a flavorful powerhouse of a cigar." Bolivar cigars will debut with four traditional Cuban frontmarks: Bolivar Lonsdale (6 ½" x 45). Bolivar Robusto (5 ½" x 50 in a crystal tube), Bolivar Toro (6" x 52), Bolivar Churchills (7"x49).
Partagas Cifuentes® Summer Blend is a limited availability, three cigar collection developed by iconic Cigar Masters Daniel Nuñez and Benji Menendez as a continuing tribute to Ramon Cifuentes, the legendary Cuban cigar master who originally developed the Partagas brand.
Medium-to-full in body and bursting with a bouquet of flavors, Partagas Cifuentes Summer Blend cigars are dressed in a limited quantity, lustrous, sun-ripened Honduran San Agustin wrapper and made with a proprietary Connecticut Havana Seed binder and a selection of Dominican, Honduran and Mexican fillers. Partagas Cifuentes Summer Blend's frontmarks are appropriately named in Spanish for the three months of summer and are packaged in boxes of 20. Junio (5½" x 49), Julio (6" x 54) and Agosto, a 4 ½" x 60 figurado. As with the Partagas Cifuentes 2004 Fall Selection, the blend used in Partagas Cifuentes Summer Blend will never be duplicated.
LA AURORA The 1495 series is the new cigar that La Aurora will be launching in New Orleans. The cigar will honor the year of the founding of the city of Santiago, the capital of cigars in the Dominican Republic, The wrapper is from Ecuador with a Corojo, Nicaraguan, Peruvian Ligero, and Piloto Cubano fillers, plus a Corojo binder. It will be in available in 4 shapes: Robusto, Corona, Belicoso and Churchill. It is slated for retail by mid-September.
ASHTON
Leading the way into the RTDA is the first size of the long anticipated Ashton Estate Sun Grown cigar, a 6.75 x 49 beauty. Framed with a magnificent new Ashton band (shown above), the Ashton Estate Sun Grown or ESG, features a special blend from the Fuente family showcased by a special Dominican wrapper grown at Chateau de la Fuente. The ESG wrapper has not been used on any cigar previously. Ashton will introduce one new size every year for the next five years in anticipation of the company's 25th anniversary.
LA AROMA DE CUBA
The successful Honduran brand will also see a new large ring size addition to its line-up. The Immensa lives up to its name by sizing up at 5½" x 60. Utilizing the same blend that has made La Aroma de Cuba such a huge success for the last two years, the Immensa will be available late Summer/early Fall.
Hope that whets your appetite for now, and I suggest you read the following story on something special that will also be debuting at the same time RTDA commences. ¶
CigarAdvisor.com Unveils in Time for RTDA 2005
Coinciding with this year's Retail Tobacco Dealer Association Annual Convention and Trade Show, which commences on August 6 in New Orleans, LA, a new cigar information website will be making its online debut. CigarAdvisor.com, subtitled, "Your online premium cigar consultants," is aimed at cigar smokers seeking practical advice and information on imported premium cigars, cigar tips and terms, cigar blending, humidors, accessories, and a daily blog.
The primary function of CigarAdvisor.com is to provide a useful educational resource where cigar smokers can learn more about their favorite pastime, while also helping them make more-informed decisions about cigars they already smoke or are planning to try. The philosophy behind the new website is simple: the more you know about the things you love, the more you can enjoy them.
CigarAdvisor.com's first feature news story will be daily reportage from the RTDA Convention and Trade Show in New Orleans. CigarAdvisor.com also plans to enlist others in the field such as cigar columnists, master cigar blenders, humidor makers, marketing personnel and cigar consumers themselves, to contribute their own expertise to the site.
Because there are now so many premium cigar brands from which to choose, CigarAdvisor.com will be especially helpful to those who are new to cigar smoking. Moreover tobacco legislation is also a very important issue to a lot of cigar smokers, and CigarAdvisor.com will be doing its part to keep readers apprised about what's happening at both the State and Federal level.
CigarAdvisor.com will also provide a continuous stream of news on all tobacco-related subjects via an RSS feed from www.tobacco.org. Additionally, links to practically every major cigar manufacturer and cigar communities will also be integrated into the site.
Another goal of CigarAdvisor.com will be to create a special cigar review panel made up of both new and veteran cigar smokers who will provide their personal opinions and ratings. This will give visitors a fresh online source where they can read unbiased opinions on new cigars that are released throughout the year. As the site develops, CigarAdvisor.com will seek any and all knowledgeable contributors who are willing to donate their time in exchange for a little limelight and some good cigars. Who knows, one of them could be you. CigarAdvisor.com will officially be up-and-running on Saturday, August 6th. ¶
*** SURVEY SAYS DEPT. ***
Last time you said...
If you were made aware of one of the following during the order process, which would most likely cause you to add more items to your cart?
July survey comments: (When buying cigars from a catalog or website, besides price, what is the single most important selling feature to you?)
With almost 700 votes counted, 49% of the readers felt that the copy and/or sales pitch was the most important to them in their decision making process besides having the lowest price. (Gee, maybe now I can ask for a bigger raise.) Receiving a free gift with their order appealed to 41% of the group. Only 10% felt the photo helped influence their decision.
Those who included comments with their vote mentioned several other important factors that helped them click the "Proceed to checkout" button. These included availability of the item, customer reviews, free shipping, and customer service. Regarding the latter, many said the price was no object as long as it was fair and that they would be treated well. Moreover, the ability to return items with little or no hassle was also a key closer.
Cigar Terms & Tips(Collect and trade em'!) Bozo - The name given to an inconsiderate cigar smoker who ruins it for the rest of us. An example would be a person who enters an establishment with a lit cigar and stands in the lobby or greeting area, which is generally a non-smoking area of the establishment. Others become annoyed quickly and form a negative opinion of cigar smokers in general. (Courtesy of Bruce M. in Palatine, IL)
Reader Feedback and Tips from our mailbag Traveling with your cigars? Travel well and correctly Thankfully, only a couple of concerned readers sent emails regarding Michael Chunko's references to the MSDS rating on floral foam, leather cases, and storing cigars in plastic baggies. One even went so far as to say he was "freaked-out." Personally, I really don't think there's all that much to worry about, and apparently, neither do most of you. But I felt it was only fair to go back to Mr. Chunko and ask him to elaborate on these points, which he was very happy to do.
First, regarding green oasis: MSDS stands for "Material Safety Data Sheets" and it is a Compliance Standard. Thus is using or working with this material, the government is obligated to inform you of safety issues. Particularly, when the floral foam breaks up, the powder or dust is harmful if inhaled. The MSDS, as I recall, specifically suggested proper ventilation and the wearing of a mask [in the factory] to insure none is inhaled.
Now, from a cigar products perspective, it is purely logical that this material be understood for its use and potential hazard. And with regard to travel humidors, where its propensity for drying out, breaking up and becoming dust is high, it's up to knowledgeable individuals like myself to make sure there is a reasonable education to users. Obviously, travel humidors that use this inexpensive method as a humidification element does indeed provide owners some risk.
Regarding leather cases: Leather cases do in fact make for poor humidors, especially without a humidification system. Leather dries out, and using the process of equalization, the good humidity from cigars flows into the case and leather. The net result is drier cigars, and little chance of maintaining proper humidification, even during a short time period (minutes as I've seen). It's logical, and easy to prove, so yes, the notion of leather cases being a "reverse humidor" does indeed make total sense.
[During our original interview, Michael did agree with my suggestion that keeping in the cigar in its cello wrapper or tube would help stave off fast dehumidification, which is why I mentioned those points in the article.]
Finally, the concept of plastics and their leaching of gasses has been in the news more and more recently. The fact is, all plastics, poly-vinyls (i.e., PVC, PET, and on and on plastics) breathe (allow air and gasses to pass). This is especially true for thinner plastics, as you would find in milk cartons, butter tubs, and certainly down to plastic or zip-lock bags. Recent research shows that when you subject plastics to UV light (found everywhere), or when you microwave plastics, this helps to speed up that leaching process, and what does leach is not healthy, according to the reports.
I will be further researching this to document these reports (and they are out there) as this is a potentially VERY important topic. Cigars in a plastic bag for a short period of time (i.e., getting them home from a cigar store) is probably OK. (I say probably, because maybe it is, and maybe it's not) But for now, I see no reason to panic anyone. Suffice it to say, if you're the type of person who lives a healthy lifestyle and/or prefers to minimize the risks against such things, leaving cigars in plastic bags may not be a wise thing to do.
I hope this helps anyone else who may have similar questions.
Michael Chunko Csonka Worldwide
Homemade Cigar Traveler
When traveling I put my cigars in a wooden cigar box, like the Sancho Panza Double Maduro cigar box. It's the perfect size for about 6 or eight cigars and a small disk humidifier and cutter...it's not too small nor too large and it's a good looking little black box that's attractive when pulling one out for you and a friend. - James Richmond
Got a good cigar tip of your own? Send it in and share it with our readers by
sending an email to . Please be sure to put "Cigar Tip" in the subject line.
*** SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DEPT.*** Free Advice!
Have a question about the care and feeding of your cigars or another
cigar-related topic? 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.
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*** RATING LUNATIC DEPT.***
Recent cigar reviews from Famous Smoke Shop customers. (Reviews are selected at random and may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, etc., not content.)
La Aurora No. 4 (Dom. Rep.)
Size/Strength: 5¼" x 43 / Mild - Medium
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Filler/Binder: Dominican Cuban seed
Very good value! These are excellent petite cigars for the price. Smooth Cameroon wrapper ensures a great taste. Burns even...very good construction. An underrated value that is usually in my humidor! - Jeff B. in Indianapolis
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 and write a review. You might even get your quote re-printed in our monthly mailorder catalog! What you say can help others make a more informed decision, even you!
*** GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR! DEPT.***
If you live in or near the verdant Lehigh Valley of PA, stop by our
retail store at 1100 Conroy Place in Easton, PA for one of our cigar tasting events. For details and more information call 610-559-8800.
It’s Like eBay® for Cigar Lovers!
Now you can get the cigars YOU want at the prices you want to pay by logging on to CigarAuctioneer.com. It's FUN, it's FAST and the ACTION is great! You'll not only find RARE cigars, closeouts, and discontinued cigar brands, but now you can bid on humidors, cigar lighters and more! (“eBay” is the registered trademark of eBay, Inc. Famous Smoke Shop-PA, Inc. is not associated or affiliated with eBay in any manner.) *** EYES ON THE PRIZE DEPT.*** Cigar Sightings
DaimlerChrysler CEO, Lee Iacocca in one of
his recent Chrysler ads reading a newspaper
at his desk while holding an unlit, large
caliber cigar. Jason Alexander of Seinfeld
fame also appears in the ad. In a quick close-up
shot, you never see the entire cigar band, but
it's a thick gold band, with what looks like a
second, thinner red band below it. If you
know what it is, write in and let us know.
Other Famous Cigar Smokers Caught “Infumare Delecto”
Here's a pic of me inside the storage room
of the Graycliff Cigar Factory in Nassau,
Bahamas. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the
GrayCliff restaurant and a tour of both
their wine cellar (over 250,000 bottles of
wine!) and the cigar factory.
- Jeff Click
Gary, enclosed is a picture of me smoking an Opus X Forbidden and Stephen Ventura smoking
a Gurkha Legend. Man was it was hot but we
enjoyed it while watching the Horse Races at
Churchhill downs in Louisville KY.
Thanks - Mike Ventura
A group photo from CW3 Dwayne Nelson in Iraq
with the 44th MEDCOM, based out of Ft Hood
Texas. Dwayne flies UH-60 Blackhawks transporting
wounded US Soldiers and Iraqis to US army Hospitals.
If anyone reading this has the means, these guys
could really use some extra smokes. You can
contact him at:
CW3 Dwayne Nelson
44th MEDCOM
APO AE 09342
WANTED! Cigar-smoking photos of you and your friends 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 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 .JPG) per email.
That's all folks. Happy Smokes!
Gary
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