CWNews
HEARD IN THE HUMIDOR for July 9, 2010
Highlights of the week in cigars and smoking from
For the week of July 12-16, 2010
Los Angeles – Smokers who have visited a Torano in-store event are well aware of the talents of Felipe Sosa, the master roller who creates cigars in front of their eyes.
"Felipe has been a company ambassador for many years, and is certainly the most widely-recognized torcedor in America," said Charlie Torano, adding "we also think he’s the best in America, and one of only a handful of the world’s finest rollers. He has traveled to literally hundreds of smokeshops, where he is a favorite among the guests. Felipe has become not only their personal cigar roller at these events, including those of the Roots Run Deep Tour, but also a teacher of the cigar-making craft to willing guests. His magnetic personality and signature hat, plus his command of the English language, draw crowds to his table. Over the years, countless people have asked Felipe why he has not created his own blend. Master by Carlos Torano is the company’s response to those requests.
"Few people know of Felipe’s monumental courage and determination. Now 48, he had been a cigar roller in Cuba, acquiring extraordinary skills. Simply being Cuban doesn’t make a torcedor great . . . Felipe’s work showed a talent and desire to excel that far surpassed those of his fellow workers. In 1994, at age 32, he left family and friends, and entrusted his life, and the lives of his wife and infant son, to a tiny raft, drifting away from Cuba for a better life in America. Now, the flawless construction, consistency and beauty of his cigars have gained admiration among smokers and retailers at Torano events, at which he has rolled thousands of personalized cigars."
Torano announced that Master will be offered in four shapes: 5 inches by 50 ring, a 6 1/4 x 52 torpedo, 7 x 50, and 6 x 54, with a "bold, rich flavor." No details on blend, pricing or presentation were disclosed and the cigar will be introduced in August at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association convention and trade show in New Orleans.
>> There are lots of lavishly illustrated books on cigars . . . from the Cigar Boom era of the late 1990s.
Leave it to the unsinkable Aaron Sigmond, co-founder of Smoke Magazine during the Cigar Boom, to update the state of cigars in a beautiful new work, the elegant and hefty Playboy: The Book of Cigars, which debuted last month.
With the Cigar Boom a memory and cigars under attack with the rest of tobacco from the antis, some culture watchers deem cigars irrelevant. Not Sigmond, who notes that "one media outlet has indeed kept cigars on the forefront of the men’s lifestyle frontier for the last fifty-seven years. That publication, of course, is Playboy."
His new work, written in collaboration with Nick Kolakowski and illustrated in the quality style expected from Playboy, lays out the history of cigars and the impact they have had on our culture over 158-plus pages. Especially noteworthy is the section illustrating Playboy’s editorial (and pictorial) presentation of cigars from 1972 to today and a terrific sampling of cigar advertising over the past 60 years or so. The photography from veteran Ian Spanier, illustrations by Risko and layout work by art director Warren Mason are all outstanding.
There’s plenty to like in this book, such as Sigmond’s illustration of cigar sizes in the old style used in Nat Sherman catalogs, his advice on "How to Smoke Without Drowning," a self-effacing (and for anyone who knows him, priceless) recollection of the time a young Sigmond was roughed over (verbally) by Milton Berle at the now-defunct Friar’s Club in Beverly Hills, a first-rate collection of cigar quotes and a very useful section on pairing cigars and beverages – starting with coffee and Cognac and going on and on.
It even has a nice picture of Hugh Hefner – a devoted pipe smoker – enjoying a Playboy by Don Diego cigar during the launch party at the Playboy Mansion in 1996.
Sigmond’s latest project is especially recommended because of its currency. There are perhaps better basic texts on cigars, such as Paul Garmirian’s timeless The Gourmet Guide to Cigars, first published in 1990 and continuously updated, but Playboy: The Book of Cigars is an excellent panorama of the entire world of cigars: history, production, allure, brands and the culture of smoking which has led to today’s renaissance in cigar tobacco and cigar making. It is both easy and fun to read, and the cover, which its cut-out Playboy logo, is a stroke of genius.
This is a well-written, well-produced and well-sized book that will be enjoyed by any cigar enthusiast, whether novice or connoisseur and, properly presented, is an excellent argument for taking up the hobby. At a suggested retail price of $35, it costs less than some individual cigars (!) but will be cherished for a lot longer.
>> "The nearly 50-year embargo and travel ban restricting Americans' right to travel to Cuba has been a failure. The quickest way to bring democracy to Cuba is through travel and trade. Just as has been our policy with China, Vietnam and other communist countries, we should allow Americans to travel freely to Cuba."
That’s part of a statement released by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), expressing confidence that the Senate could well pass a bill to allow Americans to travel without restrictions to Cuba during the remainder of the current term and potentially allow the further opening of the Cuban agriculture market to American farmers.
Dorgan and Republican Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming both issued statements on July 1 supporting S. 3112, the Senate’s version of H. 4645, which was passed successfully out of the House Agriculture Committee by a 25-20 vote on June 30.
"Decades of the same policy will get you the same result," said Enzi in a statement. "We're hopefully about to change that and open up a new world for the people of Cuba. One of our most valuable exports is the export of ideas and Cuba is a hungry market."
The House bill, although approved by the Agriculture Committee, could also be reviewed by the Foreign Affairs and Finance committees. However, they could waive their review opportunities and send the bill to the House floor for a vote.
The Senate bill currently resides in the Foreign Affairs Committee, where it has sat since its introduction on March 15. Neither Dorgan or Enzi are members of that committee and the bill is sure to be opposed by committee member Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), who noted "The rest of the world travels to and invests in Cuba, none of which has brought democratic change."
Thus far, the Obama Administration has given no indication of whether it would support such a bill if passed by the Congress. And the bill would not end the trade embargo, but only relax some of its provisions, so while Americans could go to Cuba, the bills being considered would not allow Cuban cigars to be sold in U.S. stores.
>> Short fillers: Find our latest tasting review, of the latest blends from the Tabacalera A. Fuente and both Playboy styles in our News & Views archives for July 9.
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