Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars

STEALS AND DEALS

New offers and a Rudy-tooty party, too

Los Angeles, September 10 – Sometimes all the catalogs show up at once, but – as they say in the National Football League – upon further review, we found some welcome opportunities for the sharp cigar buyer:

• Famous Smoke Shop is probably the most active site on the Web in terms of offering short-term special pricing. We have to review it more often than any other site to try and keep up and still we miss something every time.

Right now, Arthur Zaretsky and his team have three items worth noting for fans of Avo or Carlos Torano:

>> Avo XO was the second line in the Avo group and offers a little more power than the Classic. Because these cigars aren’t cheap, a sampler is needed and the seven-stick “Avo XO Assortment Box” is the answer. Famous has it now for $59.95.

>> The Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 line also made our medium-bodied rankings and the Exodus 1959 Silver series is on sale this week at $20-32 off retail. Take your pick of the Robusto (4 7/8 x 52), Corona Grande (6 1/8 x 46), Grand Churchill (7 x 50) or Torpedo (6 1/4 x 52) in boxes of 25 under $100. You won’t regret it.

>> If you’re looking for something less expensive, consider the Torano-made Vueltabajo line. These are high-quality cigars made in the Dominican Republic with an easy draw and a pleasant flavor that makes them a favorite any time of the day. Try a 3-pack sampler for $7.95 this week, a dollar off the regular price, or a 5-pack of Churchills (7 x 48) at $14.95 or Toros (6 x 50) at $13.95.

• Mike’s Cigars has an e-mail specials service that’s worth signing up for. It’s free; just send an e-mail to “ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ” and ask to have your name added to the list. There are some deals not worth mentioning, but then comes a nice offer like this week:

Romeo y Julieta 1875s in boxes of 10 in 10 different sizes for anywhere from $29.95 to $41! Remember that this line ranks no. 4 in our list of the best medium-bodied cigars available in the U.S. and our favorite, the 6-inch by 50-ring Clemenceaus are just $33 the box. $3.30 each! (Access to our complete rankings is available only to our CigarWire subscribers.)

Another reason to get Mike’s catalog is the marvelous cover art on most issues from Cuban-born artist Felix Gonzalez Sanchez. A detail from his best yet, “Sunday in the Park” is shown above.

• J-R Cigars has more interesting stuff, some of which you can’t even order yet:

>> Jarheads will want to place an advance order for the beautiful H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon glass “office jars.” You have your choice of five different sizes with 25 cigars to be included in each jar with shipment. Astonishingly, the cost of the cigars with jar is essentially the same as the cigars in a standard box, plus you get a clutch of 30 small Upmanns as a bonus.

>> Home redecorating freaks have a choice: buy a classy bookshelf-style humidor with glass front for $59 when you buy a box of J-R’s Library series cigars (stackable if desired, but a floor stand is also available) or a paint can with 45-60 cigars from General Cigar Company’s Dominican factory in either Connecticut, Cameroon or maduro wrappers.

>> Golf fiends can get a classy Montecristo Cup wind jacket if you order a box of Montecristo Platinum or Peruvian Square Pressed cigars as long as the jackets last. Given all the hurricane damage in the Caribbean, there’s no assurance that the 100-player 2004 tournament – which benefits charities in the Dominican Republic and Honduras – will even be played in December in Dorado, Puerto Rico, so there may be plenty of jackets to go around.

Oh, yes, there are also free lighter deals, coffee deals and even a new blend of an old cigar, the Medal of Honor in classy new packaging in chests of 35 cigars. A tasting is forthcoming . . .

More Montecristo:
General Cigar’s Club Macanudo wasn’t the only cigar oasis in New York during last week’s Republican National Convention.

Atladis U.S.A. held its own party for former Gotham Mayor Rudy Guiliani at the Grand Havana Room on Fifth Avenue on August 30 with more than 400 guests stopping by for a free smoke and Scotch. The late-night celebration followed Guiliani’s speech at the Convention.

Good smoke, too: Altadis imprinted the cedar wrap on what appeared to be Montecristo Habana 2000 Clemenceaus (7 1/8 x 47) with:

Rudy Guiliani
2004 Republican Nat’l Convention
New York City

Former New York Giants defensive back Jason Sehorn (whose football career may be over after failing a physical with the St. Louis Rams this week), comedian Joe Piscopo (considering a run for New Jersey Governor), actor Andy Garcia and former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik all were reported to have attended.

For his part, Guiliani told guests that if he’s had a cigar and a drink prior to the speech, he “really would have told the country what he thought of John Kerry.”

Apparently, some Democrats also showed up, but not because of their excitement about the Convention. Apparently friends of the former Mayor, one was quoted as noting their interest was piqued because they “heard the Republicans were handing out free Montecristos.”

Sounds good to me.

If you’re a Guiliani souvenir hunter, you can bid on a cigar from the party on eBay; the opening ask is $9.98 (plus $7 shipping) and the auction continues through next Thursday.

Bargain hunters beware:
Also on eBay is a complete 150th Anniversary Partagas presentation humidor, issued in 1995. The box contains 18 separate drawers with 100 special Ramon y Ramon cigars and 50 Partagas 150 cigars in what appears to be very good condition.

The auction continues through Friday, September 17. There has been one taker already at the opening bid of $1,850 ($12.33 a stick), although there is an unposted reserve price which is higher.

A similar but not quite complete Partagas 150 humidor was up on eBay in early August, but failed to sell when the high bid of $2,400 did not exceed the unposted reserve price.
~ Rich Perelman

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