The preparations for the grand opening of “John’s Premium Cigars” are almost complete. Despite minor construction still underway at the store, which will feature a smoking lounge in addition to a walk-in humidor, it’s still on track for a March 11 opening in Berlin. “Things are coming along,” said Jaime McDonald, one of the owners of the store.
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Abdel “AJ” Fernandez may be the best cigar maker you haven’t heard of. But not for long.
Born in Cuba where he worked with legendary Cuban cigar man Alejandro Robaina, A.J. has quickly gained fame making cigars for other cigar companies including Rocky Patel, Padilla, Graycliff and Gurkha and making exclusive cigars for catalog giant Cigar International (for whom he makes Diesel, Man O’ War, La Herencia and other smokes.)
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Simon Chase, a British sage of the cigar world, stood in an elegant hotel salon here on Wednesday before a select group of aficionados, scrutinizing a box of 1970s cigars for evidence of their proclaimed vintage.
One clue, he said, was the style and quality of the seal on the box. Another was the cigar’s old-fashioned, slightly domed end, or “cabeza tumbada.”
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Altadis U.S.A. has made some restructuring changes to bring the U.S. cigar operations into line with the overall organizational structure of its parent company, Imperial Tobacco. In a move to strengthen U.S. business opportunities, and to maximize market capabilities and its worldwide brand portfolio, the company has established a new Premium Cigar Division within the United States. Ream more »
It’s probably a good thing that Americans—at least most in the middle and upper-middle classes—have given up the habit of tobacco. I say “probably” because I’ve always been convinced by those economists who argue that smokers do a favor to nonsmokers by paying exorbitant taxes on their weeds and then kicking off early, reducing the burden on Social Security and Medicare.
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Last week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned a 2006 Philadelphia ordinance that restricted cigar sales to discourage the practice of hollowing them out and using them to smoke pot.
The ordinance banned the sale of flavored cigars and required that other cigars be sold in quantities of three or more; it included additional penalties for prohibited cigar sales within 500 feet of a church, school, recreation center, day care center, or community center. Ream more »
In an effort to promote Cuba’s Cohiba Behike cigar, many online retailers outside the United States have put cigars on huge discounts in hopes of luring more consumers to these fine specimens of handmade specimens.
For many Americans, Cuban cigars are a forbidden treasure. With an embargo on Cuban travel and products stemming from the 1960s, lighting up one of the world’s best cigars in the world has been experienced by only those Americans who have skirted the system or traveled to Canada to purchase them. Ream more »
As Macau builds its reputation as an entertainment hub, the trade in premium handmade cigars is booming.
The city is already Asia’s third-biggest market, behind Hong Kong and Japan, industry insiders say.
“Hong Kong and Japan represent together around 60 percent of the market, with Macau having a market share of 8 percent to 9 percent,” says Laurent de Rougemont, managing director of Bluebell Hong Kong Ltd, an importer and distributor of luxury goods that represents brands such as Davidoff cigarettes. Ream more »
At Jake’s Cigars & Spirits in Omaha’s Benson area, customers were still puffing Thursday on thick-masted Perdomos and Rocky Patels. They might need to enjoy them while they still can. A Lincoln judge’s ruling earlier this week might snuff out the exemptions that cigar bars, tobacco shops and designated motel rooms enjoy to the state’s two-year-old smoking ban. Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson, citing a 2008 court decision on Omaha’s smoking ban, ruled that those three exemptions were unconstitutional “special legislation” for a specific group and should be wiped out.
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Downtown Scottsdale soon will be a destination for cigar connoisseurs. During the first week of January, a high-end, members-only cigar bar will open in the previous upper-level space of the Estate House restaurant, which closed in October. The Napoleon will include a full bar, a $150,000 air-filtration system, a cigar vault with individual and shared cigar lockers, and a billiards room. Ream more »