CAO's Last Stick Standing Promotion has been extended until July 31, 2012. General Cigar wants to make sure that everyone who wants a voice in the future of CAO has enough time to submit their ratings.
Cigars International has a good deal on 10 premium cigars plus a glass top humidor for $29.95. Follow the link in our Cigar Bargain Hunter to get the special price.
New Cigars were announced by JM Tobacco, 7-20-4 Cigars, Ocean State Cigars, and Dona Flor Cigars. Here are the details from the official press releases:
JM Tobacco Unveils New "Classic Petits" Small Cigar Line
JM Tobacco, Inc., is displaying its new small cigar product category at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers trade show in Orlando, Florida, August 2-6. The 4" x 32 Classic Petits, according to company president Anto Mahroukian, "Satisfy the rapidly expanding market for shorter-duration smokes.
"Smokers are moving toward smaller cigars like Classic Petits, because they provide a rich, flavorful fifteen-minute smoke break, for cigar lovers who don't have the time or budget for a full-sized premium cigar. But, unlike cigarillos, their larger ring gauge delivers a more abundant amount of smoke, which allows the smoker to enjoy more of a 'large cigar' experience."
Classic Petits are available in both natural and maduro wrappers. Their manufacturer's suggested retail pricing will be announced at IPCPR, and Mahroukian states it will be very competitive with existing brands of European "connoisseur-level" small cigars. The hand-made cigar combines a multi-nation blend of top-quality tobaccos, aged a full 2 years. They are made in the same Dominican factory as value-priced JM's Dominican line and Carnero premium cigars, also appearing at the show. JM's Dominican line is a Cuban sandwich, while the Carnero is an all-long-filler cigar.
Classic Petits come in an attractive, durable and convenient 7-cigar carton, which gives them a greater price advantage over present European small cigars, which are packaged in clamshell tins. The cartons can be bought individually, as well as in 10-carton boxes, totaling 70 cigars.
They will be appearing on the shelves of tobacco retailers nationwide in August. JM's retailers are listed on their website.
Kurt Kendall Adds New Lancero Shape to His 7-20-4 and 1874 Premium Cigar Lines
This summer will bring two new 7-1/2" x 38 Lanceros in the 7-20-4 Cigars' portfolio. Kurt Kendall has added the shape to both his original 7-20-4 line and 1874 Series, which he introduced last year. He plans to unveil another 7-20-4 blend and an entirely new brand this August ... watch for the news release at that time.
Kendall states, "The slim Lancero shape is somewhat deceptive. Smokers expect a mild, almost delicate flavor profile and body. But surprisingly, its relatively small ring gauge delivers more body and fuller flavor than larger-diameter cigars of the same blend. Their medium body and full flavor are smooth enough for those who prefer a mild-to-medium bodied cigar, but the full flavor satisfies smokers who favor full-bodied cigars. They meet our company goal of being blended for every palate."
The Lanceros are made by hand, of 100% long-filler tobaccos, and share the same wrapper, binder and filler as the other cigars in their respective lines. The 7-20-4 Lancero boasts a remarkable combination of six tobaccos. The wrapper is a Brazilian Mata Fina, aged five years. Its filler consists of three-year-old Colombian, Honduran, Mexican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, and the binder is Costa Rican. "The result," says Kendall, "speaks for itself, in the many top reviews it has gained over its three years in the market."
The 1874, named after the year the original 7-20-4 company was founded in Manchester, New Hampshire, has a filler from Nicaragua's Jalapa Valley, an Indonesian binder, and a Habano wrapper. Its wrapper and filler are aged five and four years, respectively. Kendall attributes all his cigars' sophistication to this patient aging.
The Lanceros share extra construction features with all other 7-20-4 and 1874 shapes. They also incorporate the Cuban entubado bunching technique, in which their filler leaves are rolled individually into long tubes. This more painstaking method yields a filler that is virtually immune from the hard draws and plugs of conventionally-bunched fillers, usually caused by deformation during the mold pressing. Both Lanceros ... like the rest of the 7-20-4 line, except for the Torpedo ... are capped with a pigtail.
The construction and artwork of the Lanceros' 20-cigar box presentations reflect the boutique-level quality of the two lines' existing shapes ... Cuban dress-style cedar boxes for the 7-20-4; cedar cabinets for the 1874. The cigars will be available at 7-20-4 Cigars' retailers in July ... see Retailer Map. Manufacturer's suggested retail pricing for each is $8.00.
Its Name Defines It ... the New J. Grotto "Silk" Boutique Premium Cigar in Connecticut Shade Wrapper
"I was test-smoking samples for our new J. Grotto Connecticut boutique cigar, the latest addition to our two previous cigars in the line" states Paul Joyal, founder and president of Ocean State Cigars. "Suddenly, the word 'Silk' came to mind. I realized it was the perfect name to describe this cigar ... the wrapper's silky smooth feel and appearance, along with its flavor ... fragrant and delicate, but with a surprising fullness of lush flavor nuances. Combined with the superb burning character of today's strains of Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut-seed tobacco, you have a superlative smoke."
J. Grotto Silk follows the original J. Grotto and J. Grotto Reserve, introduced over the past two years. Their ratings and reviews remain on the Web, for anyone curious as to third-party critiques.
Silk is available in 4 shapes: Gran Robusto (5" x 52), Gordo (6" x 60), Gran Toro (6" x 52), and Churchill (7" x 50) ... "a great golf-course cigar," reports Joyal. When queried about the popularity of the series' 6" x 60 Gordo, he believes it to be the fastest-growing new shape ... not only in the J. Grotto portfolio, but with several other cigar makers, as well.
Silk's Connecticut-seed tobacco is grown under Ecuador's high, thin overcast, which offers the perfect substitute for expensive shade netting. To meld and mellow the flavors, the wrapper, filler and binder tobaccos have been aged a full 3 years. The finished cigars then rest another 8 months at Ocean State Cigars' warehouse, before shipping to retailers.
Like fine silk, the sleek and lustrous wrapper possesses a tissue-like delicacy and virtually unnoticeable veins ... producing a razor-thin burn zone that progresses evenly to the band. The filler combines tobaccos from the Trojes region of Honduras and Jalapa, Nicaragua. The binder is a double leaf of Indonesian and Criollo 98 tobaccos, and Joyal states Silk routinely grows a 2" ash.
J. Grotto Silk is individually cellophane-sheathed, and presented in boxes of 20 cigars each. The striking bands and artwork on the substantial Spanish-cedar boxes bespeak opulence. Joyal is supporting retailers with regular ads in SMOKE and the now-national Cigar Snob consumer magazines.
Manufacturer's suggested retail pricing for the J. Grotto Silk range from $6.75 (Robusto) to $7.50 (Gordo), and the cigars will be available at better tobacconists nationwide in August ... see a list of Retailers by State.
DONA FLOR CIGARS READY TO UNVEIL ITS "BRAZILIAN BLACK TREASURE" TO THE U.S. MARKET
Dona Flor Cigars, manufactured by Menendez Amerino which is celebrating 35 years in existence, is ready to share its Brazilian cigars with the U.S. market. Dona Flor, which features cigars with 100% Brazilian tobacco, expects to fill a void in the North American market with its unique and exotic blends.
Dona Flor is at its finest, a combination of the best cigar minds to come out of Cuba, and the exotic natural resources in Brazil that produces "Brazil's dark treasure" the Mata Fina tobacco. Manufactured in the state of Bahia located in northeast Brazil, Dona Flor Cigars are the result of the collaboration between Cuban cigar maker Felix Menendez (who had been involved in the making of famous Cuban brands Montecristo and H. Upmann in the pre-Castro era) and Brazilian tobacco grower Mario Amerino. Now being brought to the United States via Chris Edge owner of Dona Flor U.S.A., cigar enthusiasts will now have the opportunity to savor the cigar industries best kept secret: Dona Flor Cigars.
Dona Flor made an attempt to distribute its award-winning blend to the U.S. market in 2005 but legal issues (which have now been resolved) kept the Dona Flor brand off the shelves in the U.S. until now. Chris Edge, a cigar enthusiast and successful business man from Denver, Colorado was handpicked by Menendez and Amerino to carry out the mission of exposing the Brazil's finest cigars to North America.
"Because of the quality and unique flavor of Brazilian tobacco we will be able to establish Dona Flor cigars as the ultimate Brazilian cigar. Brazilian cigars or Brazilian tobacco in general are an unknown treasure here in the US. Brazilian tobacco has been a crucial part of infamous cigars for decades, but all of the glory has gone to the country of manufacture, not the country of origin," said Chris Edge.
The IPCPR in Orlando will be the platform for the unveiling of Dona Flor cigars which have garnered ratings from Cigar Aficionado Magazine of 92, 89, and 88. Dona Flor's cigars are 100% "puro" with filler, binder, and wrapper all grown in Bahia which makes the final product one of the most unique and flavorful premium cigars in the world.
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