Cigar Libre

Image Courtesy of Virtualphotographystudio

Berger & Argenti, a new joint venture between Michael Argenti formerly with Cuban Imports Cigar Co. and Henry “Kiki” Berger have announced two new cigar brands to the market.

“Clasico” and “Entubar” are the first of the two brands from the new venture. Clasico is a traditional cigar composed of Nicaraguan tobacco and wrapped in Ecuadorian paper. Entubar bears the namesake for the way the cigar is made; as tobacco filler is rolled rather than folded. The cigar’s most distinguishing characteristic is its foot, however, extending almost a half an inch from the end of the cigar.

Cuban Imports Cigar Co. have set price ranges for the Clasico in the $4.50 and $7.50 range with sizes from Corona Gorda, Rothschild, Belicoso, and Churchill options. The Entubar debuts in four sizes: Robusto, Double Corona, Torpedo, and Gran Toro sizes and retails for $8.99 to $11.99.

We’re expecting great things from the new partnership and can’t wait to see what they come out with next.

Honduras-located  Cuban Caiman Cigars recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary. The cigar maker known for their exclusive hand-rolling is ringing in one decade in business by launching their new website: www.LabelYourCigar.com.

LabelYourCigar.com offers custom cigar labeling for any reason you can think of wanting one: weddings, parties, promo items, or simply wanting to see your own smiling face and name on your stogie. They offer a variety of label designs to get you started, or you can use their in-house design team to get a truly custom order. Cuba Caiman’s LabelYourCigar.com website brings the innovative technology of today to old-world stogie enjoyment.

The Cuba Caiman Cigars factory is owned by Pedro Estevez who was born in Artemisa, Cuba from a long line of tobacco rollers. He has worked for the Villamil Tobacco Company which produces top brands like el Cohiba and El Hoyo Monterey. Cuba Caiman Cigars offers premium cigars like Salomon, Corona, Double Corona, Toro, Torpedos, Churchill, and Robustos by the bundle or by the case. For more information on the various types of cigars, and to find out more information about the company, please visit:  www.CubaCaimanCigar.com.

Congratulations, on a fantastic decade in the business, Cuban Caiman Cigars. Here’s to another great 10 years!

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

With more than $620 million missing from their budget, New York scrambles to fill in missing gaps with tax hikes on, of course, cigars. Currently, tax rates for cigars are 46% of wholesale prices, but under new plans the state will raise tax rates to an astounding 90% of wholesale price. Cigarettes, little cigars, and snuff are not to be missed, and each of these will carry tax hikes too.

New York tobacco shops and tobacconists fear the tax hikes will drive consumers to search for cheaper prices across state lines or on the Internet. Although the proposed cigar tax hits every tobacco seller, the smaller businesses stand to lose it al. Cigar shops who have been hand-rolling cigars, family owned businesses, and the cigar shop down the street all face uncertain futures  as legislature rushes to tie loose ends in the state budget. Major arguments against the tax increases include those that point out that tax increases put the crunch on consumers who turn elsewhere to purchase their products, which in the end puts companies out of business. New York government is urged to reconsider the tobacco tax hikes and search elsewhere for budget bailouts that don’t provide band-aid solutions. For more reading on the subject, visit PRWeb for more info.

In the face of a tough economy, states across the country are in similar positions as New York. With decreased federal funding these states are on their own for fundraising efforts. If you live in New York, or any other state that has imposed tax increases on your stogies, how have you been coping?

For all the newbies out there who may be venturing into the wonderful world of cigar appreciation – or for those who just look plain silly lighting a cigar and don’t know any better – we’re offering a 101 lesson in cigar lighting. The proper care and lighting of a cigar is important to the overall smoke experience. Think of the lighting as the catalyst to a rich sensory experience. You want to make sure you not only get it right, but understand why it’s so important in the first place.

First: handle your cigar gently. Remember that your cigar is wrapped in tobacco paper and that this outer covering will absorb any chemicals that it comes into contact with. Whatever is absorbed into the tobacco leaf will alter the taste of your cigar. Keeping this in mind, consider your flame of choice. Matches made with sulfur materials or anything other than a butane lighter will release chemicals in the flame that will transfer onto the tobacco wrapper of your cigar.

With flame in hand, hold the cigar end to the fire making sure to rotate it a few times before puffing. This action works to warm up the cigar end prior to actually lighting the stogie; it preps it for the actual lighting. With your cigar properly primed, go ahead and begin puffing while rotating the cigar and holding it to the flame – but not inside the flame.

You’ve invested time in selecting the right smoke, and you’re expecting a great experience – don’t put a stink on it by lighting your stogie improperly. For more great reading about lighting your cigar, or just excellent reading while puffing, check out: CigarHandbook.com.

Currently, the FDA only regulates tobacco, cigarettes, and roll-your-own types, but in recent press the Federal Drug Administration has declared that it will be extending regulations to include cigars. The notice, sent out under the Federal Register (the daily publication of the U.S. Government containing all new proposed legislation and regulations) reports that the new regs will come in under the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act passed by Congress in June 2009. The new legislation will be amended under section 901 to include cigars specifically.

What does this mean for you and your favorite stogies? In the past, The Federal Drug Administration has required that cigarette companies disclose ingredients, nicotine levels, and heavily regulated advertisements so that they don’t appeal to children and those under the legal age to purchase and consume tobacco products. Readers will be interested to know that the FDA banned sale and consumption of certain flavored cigarettes, especially those with cloves imported from Indonesia.

In June of this year the FDA will have to issue a proposed order to the general public. At this time commentary will be allowed and you can believe that pro-tobacco organizations are already preparing for their official statements. The National Association of Tobacco Outlets has confirmed that it will be issuing comments to the pending legislation in June.

For more reading on this topic, including portions from the Federal Register, please visit: CSPNet.com and CigarCyclopedia.com. Thanks to both publications for their timely and informative coverage.

How do you feel about the pending legislation? Will you be lobbying your professional organization to make an official statement in June?

My Father Cigars, Inc. is set to make available the much anticipated newest addition to their line of smokes. The Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial should be released for purchase within the next few weeks.

Most of us have read, in whole or in part, some literature from iconic American author Mark Twain. From “Huckleberry Finn” to commentary written on a range of civil rights causes from his day, Mark Twain’s writings touch lives even today. Devoted fans, students, biographers, and celebrities celebrated Mark Twain’s legacy marking the 100th year since his death in St. Mary’s City, Maryland on April 23, 2010. Why Maryland? Twain’s many public speeches drew him to the area throughout his life, and it was in Maryland where he gave his last public speech.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

More than that, however, Twain was a tobacco enthusiast, specifically he loved cigars. Speaking about the tobacco in Southern Maryland, Twain said: “It is loose and dry and black, and looks like tea grounds. When the fire is applied it expands, and climbs up and towers above the pipe, and presently tumbles off inside of one’s vest. The tobacco itself is cheap, but it raises the insurance.” It’s reported that Mark Twain enjoyed as many as 40 cigars per day! While we’re sure that he had his favorites, Mark Twain is said to have been notoriously cheap when buying his stogies, saying “the cheaper the better”. To each his own, Twain.
Thanks to Southern Maryland Online for the information and the quotes. For a great read on Mark Twain and his love of cigars, check out this article from Cigar Aficionado. Here’s to cigar smoking and Mark Twain.

The Iceland volcano that erupted April 14, 2010, sent unprecedented amounts of volcanic ash into the air and disrupted air travel all over Europe. Stranded travelers could do nothing but wait for the ash cloud to settle and try to recreate some comforts from home. In an effort to help, Florida’s Orlando Tourism Bureau organized efforts with local businesses to offer stranded tourists discounts, promotions, and free items as a way to pass the time until they can safely travel home.

Among the organizations stepping up to show support is local Corona Cigar Company. Corona Cigar is offering travelers due to the volcano’s eruption a free Corona cigar and a Presidente beer! Corona Cigar Company offers three retail locations and an online store. Their website is full of great cigar information, for every level of aficionado, and even comes with an interactive  “Cigar Wizard” which can suggest cigars suited to your specific needs. Called “The largest, best-stocked cigar shops in America” by Cigar Aficionado Magazine, we applaud the efforts Corona Cigar Company has made to reach out to stranded travelers.

CigarLibre sends our thoughts to every individual affected by the volcano eruption near Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland.

Starting May 1st, Michigan smokers are going to have a much tougher time enjoying a drag from their favorite tobacco blends. The new legislation prohibits inside smoking in bars, restaurants, and workplaces. Can you still light up at home? For the time being…

Cigar smoking will still be allowed in the casinos located in Michigan (those owned by the state and the ones owned by American Indians), tobacco stores, home offices, personal vehicles, and cigar bars. Beginning on May 1st, Michigan will be the 38th state to enforce a no-smoking public policy that carries hefty fines for violations. Says Governor Jennifer Granholm, “it will make Michigan a healthier state.”

What will lighting up at a non-designated safe place in Michigan public cost you? A $100 grace fine for the first offense which skyrockets to $500 for each offence afterwards.

What about you, reader? Has your state jumped on the no-smoking bandwagon? If so, how are you coping? Do you find that the quality of your life has diminished any because you are prohibited from enjoying a smoke, say, after dinner or with an evening cocktail among friends? We’re interested to see if any citizens from smoke-free states are staying at home to enjoy stogies.

Smokers Unwelcome in MichiganStarting May 1st, Michigan smokers are going to have a much tougher time enjoying a drag from their favorite tobacco blends. The new legislation prohibits inside smoking in bars, restaurants, and workplaces. Can you still light up at home? For the time being…Cigar smoking will still be allowed in the casinos located in Michigan (those owned by the state and the ones owned by American Indians), tobacco stores, home offices, personal vehicles, and cigar bars. Beginning on May 1st, Michigan will be the 38th state to enforce a no-smoking public policy that carries hefty fines for violations. Says Governor Jennifer Granholm, “it will make Michigan a healthier state.”What will lighting up at a non-designated safe place in Michigan public cost you? A $100 grace fine for the first offense which skyrockets to $500 for each offence afterwards. What about you, reader? Has your state jumped on the no-smoking bandwagon? If so, how are you coping? Do you find that the quality of your life has diminished any because you are prohibited from enjoying a smoke, say, after dinner or with an evening cocktail among friends? We’re interested to see if any citizens from smoke-free states are staying at home to enjoy stogies.

Add this to the slew of ongoing cigar tax proposals: Philadelphia Councilman Darrell Clarke plans to introduce new legislation aimed straight at cigars at 3.6 cents per ounce for individual stogies. The proposed tax will affect pipe and chewing tobacco, rolling papers, and cigars but not cigarettes.

The City is looking to seal the hole in their budget, estimated at up to $150 million. The proposed tax could raise an additional $6 million  per year. Council members are flirting with the idea of introducing changes to the existing business tax. Currently, Philadelphia business tax has two taxable components: a gross-receipts part, which taxes businesses on their sales, and; a net-income part, which taxes the profits. As it stands, the idea is to raise the gross-receipts rates and do away with net-income rates, which will generate extra revenue for Philly. Council members  argue that this reform will end city-business penalties and hold national retailers accountable.  The current business tax model has received criticism over the years because it taxes businesses on sales regardless of profit. If this new tax reform is passed, Philadelphia can expect to gain an extra $20 million per year. Read more on the new bill here.

How do you feel? Besides lighting a cigar, of course. Do you think that Philadelphia is grasping at straws, or do you feel they have a legitimate City tax fundraiser?