Cigarticles

Women Smokers' Group Release Survey Facts

August 29, 2008

In a press release from spokesperson Heather Haddad (l0venpeace) the recently-incorporated Association for Women Cigar Smokers alerts interested parties as to the results of their current research survey. Read more...

Daniel Miranda, 38

August 22, 2008

Daniel Miranda of Miami Cigars, son of Nestor and Marianna Miranda Miranda succumbed to brain cancer this morning in Miami, after a four year fight. Read more...

Vintage Cigars?

August 21, 2008

Is 'vintage' a good descriptor of cigar tobacco and the resultant cigars? Cigar Weekly Contributing Editor Frank Seltzer (Mowee) investigates the word 'vintage' and its applicability to cigars. Read more...

General Cigar Appoints GM of Business Ventures

August 18, 2008

General Cigar, a subsidiary of Swedish Match, has announced, via a company press release, the appointment of a new General Manager of Business Ventures. Richmond, VA—General Cigar is pleased to announce that Debo Mukherjee joined the company as general manager of business ventures, effective August 11, 2008. Read more...

Paradox of Smoking in UK : Finely Aged Cubans

August 08, 2008

The news that a self-employed painter and decorator taking a break in his own van and sharing a fag with his mate had the dubious honour of being the first to be fined for smoking at his workplace made for a good silly season story. Greater Manchester councillors want to use their powers under local government legislation to impose local age restrictions in local cinemas to classify any film that "glamorises smoking" as over 18, regardless of other content that might be glamorising gratuitous sex and violence. But not much of this is new to Simon Chase, marketing director at Habanos UK agent Hunters & Frankau, from when he learned the trade. Read more...

House of Reps. Pursuing Tobacco Regulation

July 31, 2008

In this report from the Associated Press, the House of Representatives has passed its first bill--Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act--to have "health authorities" regulate tobacco on the Federal level. Read more...

Drugstore tobacco sales under fire

July 30, 2008

Ann Zimmerman of the Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that the City of San Francisco is making an effort, through the Board of Supervisors, to ban the sale of tobacco products at drug-stores, pharmacies, and other retailers that sell pharmaceuticals or other health-related services. Read more...

CRA to Hold Fundraiser

July 29, 2008

Cigar Rights of America will hold a fundraiser in August to raise money for the smokers' rights organization. The Meeting of the Masters will be held in New York on August 19th, 2008 to kick off the CRA Freedom Tour. Read more...

Cigar Weekly 2008 Blind Review #2

July 24, 2008

Reyes Family Cigars Premier Perfecto (5.5 x 58) Compiled by Doug McGuire (Mad Dawg) The story of this atypical review necessarily begins in late 2007, when Frank Santos (Marketing Director for Reyes Family Cigars) sent me a cigar for a personal review. Frank told me only that this was a prototype blend for a new cigar line that Reyes Family Cigars (“RFC”) was in the process of developing. Read more...

Imperial Tobacco Delists on NYSE

July 24, 2008

Imperial Tobacco Group PLC ("Imperial Tobacco") today announces its intention to voluntarily delist its American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") from the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and terminate its reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). Read more...

Interviews

Cigar Weekly Interview with Murray SawChuck

August 06, 2008

Cue Heart. “He’s a magic maaaaaaaaaaaaaan... he’s a magic man, Mama.” When I used to watch cable network VH1, I’d just as likely come across the video of "Magic Man" from Ann and Nancy Wilson’s Heart as I would any slightly more sophisticated or eclectic offerings ranging from Pat Metheney, Chris Isaak, Al Argenti’s favorite Indigo Girls or Edie Brickell and New Bohmeians to Fine Young Cannibals, 1970s left over Poco (trying to make a new start), .38 Special, Don Henley... well you get the idea. Eclectic mix about sums it up. Meet Celebra Cadabra, VH1’s show where various personalities shadow accomplished magicians to try and learn the art and craft of magic in order to be able to put on at least one act of their own. Say hello to Murray SawChuck. One of Murray’s many quality traits is that he’s one of us - that’s right, a 'Brother of the Leaf' (BOTL). I mentioned I was skeptical, right? Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca

May 12, 2008

On February 13, 2008, Rich Perelman's CigarCyclopedia reported that Tabacos Puros de Nicaragua, manufacturer of Joya de Nicaragua had reached an agreement to end their distribution relationship with SAG Imports, headed by Manuel Quesada. On March 28th Cigar Weekly broke the news that TPN had reached a distribution agreement with Drew Estate. The new partnership became active on Monday April 28, 2008, ironically, the day we finished this interview with TPN president, Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca. Read more...

A Conversation with Jose Blanco

March 10, 2008

CW Contributing Editor Frank Seltzer (mowee) sits down with Jose Blanco of La Aurora Cigars to answer questions about La Aurora and its many vitolas. Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview With Don Kiki Berger

February 18, 2008

The news recently hit the forums at Cigar Weekly: "Cupidos are BACK!" This set off a long thread and a feeding frenzy among members, quite a few of whom jumped on the web and on the phone to order what was thought to be gone forever from Cuban Crafters. Cigar Weekly Editor-in-Chief Thomas Bender (TommyBB) recently spoke to Cuban Crafters' driving force, Don Kiki Berger, about his Cupidos, Cuban Crafters and cigars in general. Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Jon Huber

January 21, 2008

Cigar Weekly editor Thomas Bender (TommyBB) recently had the opportunity to interview the Director of Lifestyle Marketing for CAO Cigars, Jon Huber. They discussed his new title and the changes occurring within CAO, Henri Wintermans and the takeover of the marketing arms of Carlos Toraño and Alfred Dunhill. Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Carlos Diez

December 17, 2007

There is an old, often cited aphorism, "Blood is thicker than water," which aptly expresses the human yearning for and value placed in family. By and large, people set great store in doing what's best for their families, and see them as being at the center of their own efforts. Hardly any field of business endeavor is more family-oriented, or professes to be, than the premium cigar business, especially when one refers to the non-Cuban cigar industry. Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Pete Johnson

March 19, 2007

March 19, 2007 -- Meet Tattoo Pete of Tatuaje Cigars Pete Johnson started enjoying cigars while he was in his band back in the early 90's. He first got into the business back in 1992 working for Gus' Cigar Shop in Los Angeles. Cigar Weekly's Dave Preston (Mr. Goodlife) caught up with Pete on a visit to Dion Giolito’s Fumare in Reno, NV and here’s what he had to say: Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Nick Perdomo

August 14, 2006

August 14th, 2006 -- Cigar Weekly moderator Thomas Bender (TommyBB) sent a series of questions to Mr. Nick Perdomo, owner of Tabacalera Perdomo of Miami, Florida. This new written interview was a follow-up of an interview conducted by phone in 2003 by Rod Gwinn (Nice Ash). Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Don Benigno

July 29, 2005

Don Benigno learned the art of hand rolling cigars as a child with his father and uncles. His grandfather, who was born in 1871, opened a small tobacco shop at the age of 29 and produced a cigar caled CENIZA. Living in a time of world crisis, all of his children, including 14 sons, spent their days going to school then working at the shop. By the age of ten they were all proficient in the art of hand rolling cigars. Read more...

Cigar Weekly Interview with Luis Sanchez, craftsman

May 01, 2005

Luis Sanchez began selling La Tradicion Cubana cigars in 1995. Sanchez' family has been involved in the cigar business since 1928 in the Pinar del Rio province in Cuba. Sanchez adheres to the tradional Cuban cigar making techniques and is committed to producing quality cigars at an affordable price. Made in the heart of Little Havana, the cigars are made with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos with a Honduran binder and an Ecuadorian wrapper.The maduro version features a Mexican wrapper. Read more...

Lifestyles

A Rich Pour - No. 14: The Dark Side of Red

September 10, 2008

Cigar Weekly Managing Editor Doug Kuebler (jazznut) examines what lies behind the growing number of massively rich and alcoholic red table wines in the marketplace. Read more...

Women Smokers' Group Release Survey Facts

August 29, 2008

In a press release from spokesperson Heather Haddad (l0venpeace) the recently-incorporated Association for Women Cigar Smokers alerts interested parties as to the results of their current research survey. Read more...

Smokers' Haven in Spain?

July 30, 2008

Travel articles hints that there are still places where smokers can be in their element. Girona. Read more...

“Smoking” the Corners

July 14, 2008

CW Contributing Editor Neil Noffsinger (“Road Hawg”) recently completed a motorcycle tour around the perimeter of the United States to each of the “Four Corners.” He combined this 12,000 mile road adventure with a selection of smokes and has chronicled his journey for CW readers. Join him on this trek as he fires up his Harley, fires up some cigars and hits the road. Read more...

A Rich Pour – Column No. 13: All For One & One For All

June 16, 2008

In this instalment of A Rich Pour, Cigar Weekly Managing Editor Doug Kuebler (jazznut) offers up ideas and techniques for creating some very tasty whiskies at home as he addresses one of his favourite subjects, the blending of single malt Scotches. Read more...

The Virtual Gourmand 12: Heavy Metal

June 11, 2008

CW Editor-at-large and Executive Chef BigO (Jason Clabaugh) walks us through the tedious task of selecting cookware, offering sage suggestions for sizes and types of cookware to have in a well-equipped kitchen. Read more...

Irish Smoking Up After Ban

June 09, 2008

In Ireland last month a piece of news was quietly slipped out through the back door that you've probably not heard about. The number of smokers among the population has RISEN significantly since the introduction of the Irish smoking ban. In 1998 rates were at 33%, smokers having decreased to 27% of the population by 2002. I can't find figures for 2003 but it's reasonable to assume the downward trend continued until the smoking ban was introduced in 2004. Since then, according to the Government-commissioned National Health and Lifestyle Survey (SLÁN 2007), the rate has leapt back up to 29%! Now before the antis start bleating "2% ain't a significant rise,innit?", when you consider the previous yearly fall one would expect the rate to be around 21% by now, indicating a potential yawning gap of 8% - a rise created directly as a consequence of the ban. Read more...

Friends Remember Red

June 04, 2008

Red Auerbach is remembered fondly by his close friends, the members of his former weekly lunch group. This, from Michael Lee of the Washinton Post. Read more...

The Virtual Gourmand Number 11: Ribs Redux

May 22, 2008

CW Editor-at-large and Executive Chef BigO (Jason Clabaugh) revisits the subject of barbecued ribs, the subject of an earlier column on the subject, and updates the technique to apply to upgraded equipment and knowledge. Read more...

A Rich Pour – Column No. 12: Off the Beaten Track

May 19, 2008

In this instalment of A Rich Pour, Cigar Weekly Managing Editor Doug Kuebler (jazznut) veers from the tried and true to highlight a few of his red wine discoveries from less renowned regions of the globe. Read more...