Miami has been home to many cigar makers.  It’s legendary Calle Ocho still resonates with the sounds of cigar making.  Now Miami is talking about banning flavored cigars and other tobacco.  As usual, Menthol, Mint and Wintergreen are exempt.  The Miami-Dade County Commissioners are taking a preliminary vote on the measure today.  It is all about the kids don’t you know.

“Flavored tobacco products, a favorite of high school kids, could be prohibited from sale in Miami-Dade County.”

This is how the story begins and of course everyone thinks about the 13 year old smoking a blunt.  The reality is that the vast majority of stores won’t sell to those kids.  They may sell to 18 year olds who are old enough to join the military and give their life for the country.

“The kids can be in the classroom chewing tobacco and the teachers won’t know anything — it looks just like candy,” said William Sanchez, a longtime Hialeah parks employee who also works with the county on a tobacco-free youth effort. “It’s growing in popularity, and it’s easy to carry.”

Yeah those flavored cigars do look like a Mounds bar….not.  Of course conveniently forgotten in this discussion is that it already is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy any tobacco products.  But unless the cigar makers of Miami rise up against this, it probably will pass.

At least one company is fighting back…Swisher based in Jacksonville.

“There are laws on the books now,” said Joe Augustus, Swisher’s senior vice president of external affairs. “It seems to me they need to work on enforcing the law more than banning the product.”

That seems logical so it probably will never work.

Dumb Idea

Merlion?

Ok some cigars have stupid names—Smoking Toad,  Fighting Cock, Big Butt, Smoking Ass, Bad Frog and our own Flor de Baloney that Lew came up with years ago when Villazon was still making cigars in Cofradia.  But there is a new cigar with possibly a dumber name…Merlion. (Even though it may look like a sealion) La Sirena, a boutique brand made by La Aurora and wholesaled through Miami Cigars has announced the Merlion.  Yup, it is supposed to be a cross between a Mermaid and the La Aurora Lion for the Leon family.

The cigar itself will use Ecuadoran Corojo for the wrapper with a Brazilian Sumatra binder.  The fillers are Brazilian, Dominican and Nicaraguan.  It will come in three sizes—Robusto, Toro and Gran Toro and cost between $9 and $10.50.

Shape Trademarked

Litto Gomez makes La Flor Dominicana.  Early on, they were mild to medium smokes.  But then Litto got the idea of making a a much stronger cigar and the  Double Ligero was born to great success.  Then in 2003, he added a new shape, the Chisel, a kind of flattened torpedo.

(Rumor has it the best way to smoke a chisel is to punch the top of the flat part not cut it, which is what I generally do.)  Anyway, according to Cigar Aficionado Litto filed for and last month got a trademark on the name Chisel AND the shape.  The registration is retroactive to 2006 and goes through 2016.

Electronically Yours

In speaking about Cigar Aficionado it should be noted that the magazine is now offering digital subscriptions for your iPad, iPhone or Android.  Last Friday, CA uploaded 5 issues of the magazine and says many more will be coming.

Dirtbin Does it Again

When last we heard from Senators Dick Durban (D –Owned by Big Pharma) and  Frank Lautenberg (D -I saw Prohibition firsthand), they were all about pressuring the FDA to regulate cigars.  Seems they felt flavored cigars were the gateway to hell.   Well now the dyspeptic duo joined by newcomer Richard Blumenthal (D- Connecticut) are saying the tobacco tax is unfair.  You might think that is true and good, but NO.  These morons think the taxes on cigarettes are just right and want to raise the tax on all other tobacco products up to the cigarette level.  Of course the smoke Nazis at the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids — a Johnson and Johnson lapdog (gotta push drugs for people who want to stop smoking)– loves the idea.

They consider the hard fought S-CHIP lower tax rate (which was a huge increase BTW) for large cigars is a “loophole” and want to close it.

“Blumenthal added that this measure “equalizes the federal tax rate for all tobacco products to that of cigarettes” and is expected to generate more than $1b billion in revenue.”

Sure it will Skippy.

This is why we need the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act.    We have sent over 100,000 petitions to Congress but need more.  Be certain that you have sent a petition.

Kalifornia Kapers

The Wall Street Journal editorializes this week that California’s financial situation is getting ugly.  It notes that the state is now forecasting a 16 billion dollar budget deficit and adds that Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin –who will make billions off the Facebook’s Initial Public Offering— won’t be paying taxes on it because he has renounced his U-S citizenship to move to Singapore which has no capital gains tax.  You would think with the revenue drop the state would be lowering taxes to help bring in more business and people….you would be wrong.    Up first is the “California Cancer Research Act” which sounds nice but as I have written before, Prop 29 as it is also known raises state taxes on tobacco—cigars included.

As we have written before, California also faces a lack of money to pay off its tobacco settlement bonds.  As the LA Daily News wrote:

“Unlike many other states, California made the mistake of deciding not to take the annual payments from tobacco firms but instead borrowed money against expected receipts. Now that the payments are less, the state faces another fiscal problem.

California is one of only a few states that guaranteed some of those bonds with general fund revenue. If tobacco settlement money does not cover the debt, the state will have to pick up some of the tab. There are currently $2.9 billion in bonds outstanding that are backed by a state general fund guarantee.

To add to its fiscal woes, California went back to investors in 2007, when it issued $4.4 billion in 40-year tobacco bonds. To have sufficient revenue to pay back investors by 2047, the state assumes cigarette consumption will decline by about 1.8 percent per year.”

Ok kids, let’s assume Prop 29 passes and tobacco taxes go up.  What will happen to tobacco sales?  Anyone ? Anyone?  Bueller? Right, they will drop further and the so-called tax increase will result in less tobacco revenues making California’s financial situation worse.  Genius.

Still Working

There are some people still fighting the good fight.

In Kansas, the legislature is considering a plan that would let people light up again.  The bill was introduced at the end of last month and aims to let patrons smoke in bars and casinos.  One lawmaker says because it was introduced so late in the session it is unlikely to become a law this year.

As we noted last week, the Live Free Springfield coalition has made progress against its draconian smoking ban.  But the group still needs help as it faces a June 5th vote to totally repeal the 2011 ban.  They take donations on the webpage.

Over the years there have been a lot of guys I would truly call my best friend. Damn, all the way back to third grade, I remember when the teacher took away my baseball cards and good old Greg Marciano snuck into her desk and got them back for me. And the time he kicked Bernie Goldberg’s ass for calling me a whimp, yeah, that kid was a gamer and he had those ‘best friend’ attributes through and through. I think a real best friend is there whenever you need him. Whether you’re in your wheelhouse or the doghouse, your best bud will never judge or say, “I told you so”, he’ll just be there to ease your mind and comfort your soul for as long as you need him there.

God-dayum… sounds an awful lot like a cigar doesn’t it?

There is no question in my mind that the cigar has often been my very best buddy when I needed a good pal. And it’s not always in times of solitude and deep thought, but he’s there for me when no one else is around as he helps me pass the time with total enjoyment… like barbeing outside on the grill, or while taking that long drive on the open road. Nothing like rolling the window down, cranking some rockin’ tunes, and sparking up a big old bad-boy like a Bolivar Cofradia Oscuro #754 to make that highway journey a memorable one – cruising the world in style, just you and your hand rolled compadre. Even a ten-hour trek will pass by in no time when your leafy amigo rides shotgun for the trip.

While I love to golf with my best pals, a good cigar will always be there at tee-time making for the perfect fifth-some. A 10-holer like the Arturo Fuente Canones often accommodates my day on the links. And while the course rules say only two golfers to a cart, when my stogie-buddy comes along for the ride, let’s just say that three is definitely a charm.

Now people often say that your woman should be your best friend in life, but there are times when my cigar is most definitely the perfect soul mate. Face it, a cigar has never yelled at me for making a wrong turn, not taking out the garbage, nagged me to death for being a tubby load or not making enough money, yada, yada, yada. And the one thing it will NEVER do is give me crap for coming home reeking like smoke! Wow, do you think it’s legal in any of the 50 states to marry a cigar?… Cuz, I might just look into that.

About 15 years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing the great sports impressionist painter, Leroy Neiman at his studio on Central Park South in Manhattan. He was known for always having a large cigar dangling below his bushy trademark moustache. His spacious studio was filled with cigar boxes, floor to ceiling, leafy gifts from everyone who entered his abode. It struck me rather peculiar that in our conversation he would constantly refer to his cigars as his ‘friends’. When I asked him about that, he got kind of serious, much like when a parent talks about his children. When I asked him why he felt his cigars were his friends, his answer pretty much blew me away. He said, “Tommy, a cigar is honest. There is nothing pretentious about it whatsoever, and it is there for you at the moment you need it. You light it, then smoke it, and it merely does the job it was intended to do – and you simply cannot have a better friend than that.”

Wow… that was a pretty deep moment but I knew what Neiman meant as I too felt the same way. The cigar may be an inanimate object created thousands of miles away by men with names like Manuel Labor and Manuel Dexterity, but there is a personal relationship – a true bonding that we lovers of the leaf hold within out hearts. And for this reason we must continue to fight for our right to smoke and tell the FDA to keep their stinkin’ paws off of our precious hand rolled cigars.

So PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! http://cigarrrights.org

Stay Smoky My friends,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!

Moscow

You know things are out of whack when Russia is more compassionate than the United States when it comes to smoking.  That country’s chief addiction doctor says smokers should stop being treated like animals and should be given “humane” areas where they can smoke.

“The sale of tobacco in Russia is allowed officially and the government gets an income in the form of excise duties,” says Evgeny Bryun an expert in drug and alcohol dependency at Russia’s Health Ministry, “So the government must provide smokers with smoking areas.”

The doctor says bans alone will not stop smoking.  No kidding.  Oh yeah and he realizes tobacco is a LEGAL product from which they get money for the state.

Kalifornia

Speaking of cash,  the bankrupt state of Kalifornia is going for more green by hitting tobacco again.

According to the New York Times, Kalifornia is one of the states that is hurting because it issued municipal bonds based on the Master Tobacco Settlement of 1998.  The states expected huge windfalls from the cigarette companies because of the settlement…and for a few years they got it.  Then, as smoking rates declined as tobacco taxes went up, all of the sudden there is no money to pay those bonds.  So when you run out of money because fewer people smoke what do you do?  If you are the geniuses in Kalifornia you go back to the well again even though it is running dry.

On June 5^th, residents of Kalifornia will be voting on yet another tobacco tax.  According to a brain dead Nurse, Social Worker, and, of course, Educator over at the Huffington Post, the vote is simple.  She headlines her article:

“Vote yes on Prop 219: Cut Health Care Costs, Spur the Economy and Cure Cancer.

 I am surprised it is not for the kids too.

Prop 29 supposedly will raise $735 million by more than doubling the taxes on cigarette and increasing cigar taxes by 73 percent.  (Right cuz state estimates of money worked out so well for those bonds.)

Opponents to the issue say it will create another bureaucracy in the state with little to no oversight.  (For example the pros say the cancer research will stimulate places like UCal…yet the law says nothing of where the money can be spent on research…maybe India.)  Anyway it is a cash grab.

And of course the American Cancer Society is taking the opposition with good grace.  NOT.  The organization called out a lowly blogger by name and said he was a pawn of Big Tobacco.  He wishes.  But that is not the worst.

American Cancer and the other anti smoking groups most likely set up a vile hit piece on a doctor who appears in the Vote No commercials.  They say she is doing it for the money because she is broke.  Lots of accusations in the hit piece and very little evidence.  Knowing the quality of most reporters these days, this story was probably handed to them.

Adds Chris McCalla—Legislative Director for the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers, which has kicked in some cash for the vote no effort—

“Dr. Porter is speaking out on behalf of her patients and others around the state that Prop. 29 will do nothing but waste million of California tax dollars. How shameless of the reporter to drag her personal finances into this issue and make baseless, unethical accusations and by publicly questioning the doctor’s motivations. And the media wonders why the public is skeptical of journalism. No fact checking, just accusations.”

If you can stomach the article in the Mercury News you will find it to be filled with Bullshit. It sounds like it was written by ACS themselves.  For example:

“In 2002, she took the side of the chemical industry against health advocates. She became a key voice in opposing an EPA-proposed regulation of perchlorate, a water pollutant that environmentalists say has harmful effects on infants and children.”

The implication of this was that dirty manufacturers put this  chemical into the water.  But actually, Percholrate, according to the California Department of Toxic Substances (who knew the state had that department),  is naturally occurring in water (it has even been found on Mars).  In sufficient doses it affect the Thyroid and some manufacturers use the chemical.   However,  an EPA study in 2006 tested water across the country and found the highest levels of the chemical in drinking water to be in the range or 6.4 parts per billion….the area where there could be health effects is 245 parts per billion.  But yeah it is easier to smear the Doctor by writing she sided with the Chemical Industry against HEALTH advocates than tell the truth.

These people will continue to push and push.  We need to fight back.  Make sure you have signed the White House Petition and  tell all your friends about it.  Also send petitions to Congress to keep the FDA away from our smokes.

As Manuel Quesada maker of Fonseca and  Casa Magna  told me years ago when the big debate was over S-CHIP taxes, he said the bigger worry was the FDA… if cigars fall under the FDA it is game set and match.

Enlightenment in Springfield, MO

The folks at Live Free Springfield have chalked up their first victory.  The group was formed to fight the city’s draconian smoking ban that was voted in last year.  The group says it is not about smoking but about rights.  This year, Live Free Springfield gathered enough signatures to put a repeal of the smoking ban on the June ballot.  Last night, the council voted to modify the current smoking ban to exempt e-cigarettes (which contain neither tobacco nor produce smoke) and to grandfather  cigar stores and certain other retail establishments to allow smoking IF they were around on April 5, 2011.  Which means you cannot open a smoking cigar shop today.

While the council action is good news and a victory, the election is still going forward. According to Live Free Springfield:

The 2011 ban has gone way beyond “protecting” public health and into the realm of destroying businesses and taking away personal property rights making Springfield one of the most extreme cities in the country. We will continue to work for the full repeal of the 2011 ban to help further solve this problem. The 2003 ban will still be in place and will allow for people to enjoy themselves in a smoke-free environment.

The group has a fight on its hands, but with your help they can win.

I am admittedly not a religious man, but definitely more of a spiritual type person. While I don’t want to get into some kind of metaphysical diatribe, I do want to acknowledge that I have been praying with great faith to the Cigar gods for their wisdom and guidance, with hope that… wait a minute, oh ye smoker of the most holiest of leaves… you say you are not aware of the omnipresence of the immortal Cigar Gods? Oh, my brothers and sisters, while it is not in my nature to prosthelytize, I do feel it is important for me to spread the most sacred word of the leaf.

Once the land was filled with happy cigar smoking humans like you and I, gallivanting about the earth while enjoying the fruitful blue-swirling smoke of our El Rey Del Mundos, Punch, and Partagas Black. But then a darkened evil came over the land as Loki-Non-Smoky gathered his most heinous tobacco-hating cohorts and our lives have never been the same since. You see, Loki has conspired with backstabbing nay-sayers of the politico world, inflicting new taxes and laws that threaten the very existence of the sacred stogies we cherish so greatly. So, I beckon to thee, my leaf-loving friends, to acknowledge the existence of the Cigar gods and know that they are here to protect us and fight the bad men who want to harm our community at large.

I first ask you to greet Tobaccus, patron saint of premium burning leaf. He is a most loving and wise being, blending and creating the pleasures we cut and light each day. Tobaccus has called upon the Cigar gods themselves, and together in unity they face Non-Smoky and the evil zealots who threaten the sticks we rely on for pleasure each day. Now, every group of immortals has a general – a warrior who wears his band proudly, and Cigartamus is the one who leads the battle cry each day. His faithful group of brave and leafy warriors include Robustus, Toronian, Figarodeous, Ligerous, Corojonian, Criollous, Churchillian who stands tall, and last but not least J•R Ultimate Prime. Together this group of selfless heroes work tirelessly to save us all from the oppressive Tobacco terrorists.

Okay, I haven’t lost my mind – I think I might just be a little jacked up for the new Avengers movie. (The nerd in me rears its wacky little head every once in a while.) And while I admit that I don’t actually pray to these mythical tobacco gods, I have to believe that the REAL heroes who are fighting the oppressors are you and I! We’re the ones who need to stand up to the bullies and fight for the freedom we rightfully deserve. And right now we can start with signing the petition drafted by Cigar Rights of America and the IPCPR that will be presented to the Obama Whitehouse Administration, asking them to tell the FDA to LEAVE THE CIGAR INDUSTRY ALONE! (CLICK HERE for Petition) These puro-patriots have gathered the mandatory 25,000 signatures needed, but I say we give the politicos a hell of a lot more than that if we can. Let’s show them that we are voters who mean business when it comes to our beloved cigars! And if you’ve already signed it, get your friends in on it, share on FaceBook and Twitter, and be one of the warriors the cigar industry needs to fight this never-ending battle of injustice! Let us BAND together to save our smokes!

Bless you all…

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!

Partagas 1845 Corona Extra – This Is Not Your Father’s Partagas

Partagas is a brand that needs no introduction – it’s a staple in the cigar community and always delivers a consistently good smoking experience.   The Partagas brand has been around for 167 years, which for any company is extremely impressive.  Their latest release, the Partagas 1845, pays tribute to that fact, and with a few key changes to the tobacco, promises to be a completely new and refreshing smoking experience.

With that being said, let’s talk about what this cigar is made of and what makes it different than the rest of their traditional line of cigars.  The outside wrapper is Ecuadoran Habano leaf and has a rich dark look to it with a beautiful oily sheen.  The binder is Connecticut Habano, which Partagas spent nine years developing its sweet and strong characteristics.  Last but not least is the Dominican and Nicaraguan Ligero and Seco filler which is cultivated in three distinct growing areas.  The select Nicaraguan fillers are aged in Dominican rum barrels; a proprietary process that enhances their aroma.

Now that you know what the cigar is made up of, the first thing you’ll notice is that this combination is very unique for a brand like Partagas. The cigar has all the looks of something that will be extremely complex and well blended. I’m smoking the Corona Extra, which is the smallest size of this line.  When sampling a new cigar I usually like to smoke the smaller sizes first as the thinner ring gauges offer a more intense taste of the overall blend.  I cut the triple cap and take a dry draw and instantly get a hint of what’s to come: rich flavors of coffee and earth tones even before even lighting up.  I use my torch to fire up the foot of the cigar and take a few puffs. Immediately upon lighting I can tell that this cigar is prime for smoking with no resting time required.  Partagas has always gone to great lengths to assure that their cigars are perfectly aged and ready to smoke right away unlike many of the other newer lines that require extra time in the humidor before they reach their full potential.  I can’t even tell you how many new niche brands are rushed to the shelves without proper seasoning just for the sake of making a quick buck.

The opening flavors are that of rich cream, spice and cocoa with an amazing aftertaste that really just keeps pushing me forward in the cigar.  When you reach the middle, the flavors get a bit more pronounced on the coffee and cocoa side and I really think this has to do with their new outer leaf.  The cigar is dynamic and has a few changes throughout; keeping it interesting and flavorful the whole time.  The body is consistently medium and the lighter smokers may consider it medium to full-bodied.  The finish starts to develop an almost creamy caramel flavor and the cigar just keeps delivering.  When I hit the golden eagle cigar band, I thought to myself “I don’t want this cigar to end”.  The cigar from start to finish delivers on everything it promised before lighting it and I’m very impressed.  It’s a great after dinner smoke to be enjoyed with a cup of espresso or a good single malt scotch.

In conclusion the new Partagas 1845 is a great new smoke! Partagas hit a homerun with the new blend and gave a cigar with so much history and legacy a great new spin that really stands out amongst its competition.  Everything about this cigar is great – the new look, the new blend, and the price point is right where it needs to be for something new and refreshing from the Partagas line.   Grab some at JRCigars.com today!

Romeo box

Romeo has left Julieta…at least in the cigar sense.  Since 1875, Romeo y Julieta have been a pair.  But apparently Romeo is going out on his own…kinda.  In late March, Altadis USA makers of Romeo y Julieta in the Dominican Republic unveiled its newest entry at the Tobacconists’ Association of America convention in Las Cabos, Mexico.  It is the Romeo—a cigar the company says is bolder and more full bodied than the typical Romeo y Julietas which are known as mild cigars.   Last week, Altadis Reps across the country got the new box to show retailers and cigar samples are due shortly.  The new Romeo uses a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Dominican Olor binder and fillers of Dominican Piloto and Olor. It is made at the Tabacalera de Garcia and will come in four sizes–Churchill, Pyramid, Toro and Robusto. The Romeo is expected to be in tobacconists sometime in May.

New Master Maduro

Toraño Family Cigars is adding to its Master series with a new Maduro.  The Master line launched  two years ago as a partnership between master roller Felipe Sosa and Charlie Toraño — president of Toraño Family Cigar Company.  The new Master Maduro will feature a  Habano Maduro wrapper grown in Nicaragua.  The Cigar will retail between $6 to $8.

Miami fakes

Yup I got me some Cohibas from a buddy in Miami and they are real.   General Cigar has announced that the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco raided stores on Calle Ocho

Fake Cohibas

in Little Havana and netted over 10,000 fake Cohibas.  General says the fakes have an extimated retail value of $200,000.  Now when you look at the picture of these fakes…the people making them are none too bright.  They use the Cuban artwork on the box and the Cuban band, but the band also says Dominican Republic on it.  But my guess is since it is a “special edition”, like the famous glass top Cuban Cohibas, people buy it.  You know if people would stop buying them, maybe the people making the fakes could put an effort into making real cigars.  Last November General and federal and state authorities seized over 3,000 counterfeit Cohibas from seven tobacco retailers in Key West.

Cigars raise a million bucks

In 1993, financier Michael Milken was released from prison.  He had plead guilty to secutiries and tax violations.  Milken was the symbol for bad Wall Street in the 80s as king of the junk bonds.  Milken came out of prision a changed man, also one with Prostate Cancer.  He was able to beat the cancer and now he heads the Prostate Cancer Foundation.  For the past 18 years, Milken and Cigar Aficionado’s Marvin Shanken throw a big cigar event in New York called A Night to Remember.  This year about 200 people turned up for the cigars, wine and food.  (Shanken also owns Wine Spectator). At the end of the night Milken and Shanken had raised  more than one million dollars for Prostate Cancer research.  And they say cigars don’t do good.

More FDA Madness

The appropriately named Senator Dick Durban and his buddy Senator Frank Lautenberg (who actually experienced Prohibition first hand–he’s 88) are working on urging the FDA to regulate cigars.  The two Democrats are including it as part of the 2013 appropriations bill….even though the Senate has yet to pass a budget in the last 3 years.

Says Lautenberg:

The emergence of flavored cigars is a transparent effort by Big Tobacco to work around the new tobacco control law. These flavored cigars are clearly designed to attract young adults and hook the next generation of tobacco users from an early age.

Yeah  kids really want to lay out several bucks for a flavored cigar.  Oh wait isn’t Menthol a flavor?  It sure is but it is ok in cigarettes when other flavors are banned.  And as for those BIG tobacco companies like Drew Estate and Rocky Patel and brands like ACID, Makers Mark , Rocky Patel’s Java, Tabak Especial, and CAO Flavors…all of these could go bye bye if Lautenberg and Durbin get their way.

Hmm, if you believe the people in Washington, Drunk Driving is a huge problem and teens abusing alcohol is happening.  Why don’t they crack down on the flavored Vodkas?  Cuz the bullseye is on us now.

That’s why we need to take action.  The White House Petition hit the minimum 25,000 signatures, but we need to make that go higher. 150,000 is a good number. Tell all your friends and email them the link.

Also don’t forget the petition to Congress to keep the FDA out of premium cigars. Over 179,000 have sent petitions have you?

Cigar Rights of America is fighting the good fight for us cigar smokers every single day, and today I’m proud to announce that the good people at the CRA achieved a goal that is an important step in keeping the government and the FDA’s nose FAR AWAY from the cigar industry.

The CRA has been doing some amazing work getting members of Congress and the Senate on board in supporting HR 1639, a bill whose purpose is to prevent the Food & Drug Administration from having control over the cigar industry, like they do over the cigarette industry. As you all know by now, FDA jurisdiction would be detrimental to all of us who enjoy our leafy treasures – and that is a tremendous understatement. Well, now the CRA has teamed up with the IPCPR – International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association, and the duo has drafted a petition to be placed before the Obama White House Administration. Quite simply, they are asking the government to support our effort in assuring that the FDA leaves us all the hell alone! Here, here!

The one catch is that we needed 25,000 signatures on this petition within a month in order for Washington to even look at it. But in typical fashion of all tried and true cigar smokers, we hit the minimum 25,000 needed signatures on Wednesday night – in just five whole days! Woo-hoo, I say, as lovers of the leaf everywhere have come through like the troopers we truly are! But in reality, our work has just begun. I say let’s send 100,000 signatures to the politicos in the White House, letting them know deafeningly loud, and undeniably clear that we love our cigars and no one, and I mean NO ONE is going to take them away from us!

Just to let you guys know, I personally spoke with CRA executive director, Glynn Loope this past week and he and his dedicated staff are working overtime in the fight for the product and industry we all love. The man is traveling all over creation, meeting, greeting, and speaking to people in government, in all 50 states, trying to get them to understand exactly what is at stake here if the FDA gets their mitts on our leaf. It’s a damned tough job, if you ask me – while a good number of people do understand the ramifications of an FDA takeover, a good number don’t – and worse yet, many don’t care because smoking is evil in their eyes and there’s little that can be done to have things seen with an open mind. So I applaud Mr. Loope and everyone at the CRA who are giving their all, trying to protect our premium hand rolled cigars.

In closing, we ALL need to do our part – spread the word, FaceBook and Tweet this stuff to death, and let all your friends, not just the smokers, know how important this situation is and how many people’s livelihoods depend on it (85,000 here in the United States alone and hundreds of thousands more in Latin American countries whose entire economies depend on the sale and exportation of cigars.)

Okay, I’m out of words and out of breath (a rare occurrence indeed.) It’s up to everyone who smokes cigars to make some noise. My job is done here for today.

Smoke ‘em cuz ya gottem,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

Check out this week’s Weekly Special!

Zippo 500,000,000

500-million of anything is kinda a big deal (unless you are counting the federal budget and deficit). It has taken 80 years but Zippo is going to make its 500 millionth lighter on June 5^th. They announced this yesterday.

Now I know they may not be the best for cigars, you have to let the lighter fluid burn off a bit, but they are iconic lighters and that click is more known than the ping of more expensive lighters. (Our website only has 14 pages of em.) Sides to me they have always felt good in my hand. I still have my father’s Zippo from the 50s.

So how do they know when they will make the 500-millionth? Well they are kinda fudging it a bit since June 5^th is the birthday of Zippo’s late founder George Blaisdell. “When we realized that our 500 Millionth lighter and the birthday of Mr. Blaisdell were both on the horizon, we decided to ramp up production to ensure the milestones would coincide,” said Greg Booth, Zippo president and CEO. “We weren’t sure if we could do it at first, but we have now confirmed that we will be able to meet this date. We are also excited that the 500 Millionth achievement is occurring during our 80th anniversary year.”

The actual 500-millionth lighter will be made in the traditional brushed chrome and carry a time stamp and a serial number of 1. It will go on display in the company’s museum. Then throughout the day of June 5^th, the company will make 50-thousand more replicas, each with a special stamp on the bottom. These will be about $50. But if you want a higher priced Zippo, there will be a limited edition lighter of only 10-thousand, each with a serial number on it. They will retail for $100. Look for them later this year.

Buyer Beware

In the U.K there is a law suit going on between a night club owner and one of that nation’s oldest tobacconists and at stake is £145,000 or about $233,000. The store — Fox of St James — has been operating for 220 years. (The Brits think that makes it the oldest tobacconist in the world when Demuth in Lancaster, PA, has been around for 247 years.) Fox was most notably known as a place Winston Churchill used to visit to enjoy a cigar. Anyway the nightclub owner bought a collection of vintage cigars and when he opened them….he had beetles! The night club owner says Fox assured him the cigars were fine (they had come from a private collector.) Neither Fox nor the night clubowner have publicly commented on the law suit. But remember when buying older cigars, be sure YOU check them for beetles.

Smoke In

Gulfport is a small city in the Tampa area and last November the city council passed a ban on smoking for the beach. The city said it was to curb littering. Attorney Andy Strickland says it is against Florida law and it fighting it. He wants a $143 ticket for smoking on thhe beach so he can go to court. He was cited back in February, but when the charges came up, the city dropped it. So this past weekend, Strickland and more than a dozen supporters fired up cigars and cigarettes on the beach. The goal was to get another ticket.

Well once they started smoking, police showed up within the hour and told the protestors, sorry we are busy, we’ll get back to you. About 2 hours after it all began, the cops finally came back and said they would prefer to write one citation. Strickland volunteered. He now will go to court on May 24^th where he wants to fight the law legally.

The protestors noted that the Gulfport Teen Council looked at the ban and thought it would be better to invoke it on only half the beach to avoid infringing on people’s rights. Wow the teens get it.

“Everybody’s entitled to their right,” Morgan Jones said.

Jones is a Gulfport resident, small business owner and cigar smoker. Jones is a member of Cigar Rights of America and says cigar smokers are being attacked. He says as a smoker, he respects other people and disposes of his cigars properly.

“This is a lifestyle, not a habit,” Jones said.

Dennis Cline of Madeira Beach said, “I think the erosion of any of our rights is something everyone should be concerned with.”

Indeed.

FDA Petition

If you have not signed the White House petition to keep the FDA away from our cigars, do it today. We have until may 11^th to gather 25,000 signatures and as of this writing we are less than 2,000 away. But remember 25k is only the lowest threshold. The more signatures we get the better. This is an election year and the saying is I smoke and I vote. Let Washington know we want them to keep their hands off our stogies.

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. This trip has been unbelievably amazing!

Our amazing view

There was nothing planned for today so we used it as much-needed day of relaxation. This resort had so much to offer, such as tennis, massages, golf, and of course there was a beach and a pool. Then came our last dinner on the island, and this was a bittersweet occasion. It was the last time we would all be together before scattering back to our own little corners of the world.

The pool at our resort

This has been a great experience provided by General Cigar, and was first class all the way. The people at General have not only made us feel like family, but like part of their family. After you see how much they care about every employee from top to bottom, you realize how much of an honor it really is to be accepted into that family.

This trip of a lifetime was also memorable because of the people we shared it with; we could not have picked a better group! During our time here, we have shared some great meals together, had more laughs than we can count, and smoked so many excellent cigars. One of best parts is how friendly and hospitable all of the people here have been! We could not have been made to feel more at home… even in our own houses!

Our last day of the trip

Check out the rest of the pictures from the trip here.