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

HAPPY NEW YEAR . . . A LITTLE EARLY!

What to smoke on New Year’s Eve

Los Angeles, December 13 – Only 11 more shopping days until Christmas, but New Year’s Eve parties are coming soon and that’s a good time for cigars.

The author and cigarmaker Paul Garmirian suggests that New Year’s Eve is the right time for big cigars. In his highly-respected 1990 book “The Gourmet Guide to Cigars,” (pictured) he profiles big-format Havanas with an introductory note “These cigars are destined for very large men. Otherwise they are the perfect cigar for a New Year’s Eve celebration.”

We’re more concerned with cigars available in the U.S. and there are excellent selections available for smokers who prefer light, medium-bodied and heavy cigars, as we noted in our first review of the possibilities way back in August:

• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Series Masterpiece: With its perfect construction and perfecto tip, this nine-inch beauty screams class and elegance (even at 52 ring) but is surprisingly mild. We ranked the Hemingway Series in the top three among all mild-bodied cigars available in the U.S. and it is widely sold across the country (although shortages are common).

• Partagas No. 9: Superb rich and spicy taste in an 8 1/2-inch cigar (47 ring) at a very reasonable price. It’s offered in boxes of ten at mail-order prices of less than $6 each, allowing you to enjoy one yourself and share the box with friends.

• Montecristo Grande: This is a Dominican-made, double corona-sized stick of seven inches long with a ring gauge of 50, packed in an aluminum tube. Its excellent construction and balanced, slightly spicy character (less bitter than its Cuban cousin) make it a joy to smoke on an evening when you can appreciate it. Thanks to the tube, it’s a perfect New Year’s Eve gift to a fellow smoker and this size is also available in boxes of ten.

• Ashton Aged Maduro No. 60: Stunning, deep sweetness in this double corona (7 1/2 inches by 52 ring) that makes you want to sip it rather than smoke it. We ranked the Ashton Aged Maduro a sterling no. 2 in our list of the top full-bodied brands. Often hard to find – especially in this size – you will never forget this cigar once you try it. Fairly priced at $9.25 retail, plus local taxes.

• Paul Garmirian Celebration: Given his expertise, there’s no surprise that Garmirian created a highly-thought-of blend under his own name. A perfect combination of smoothness complemented by a hint of spice on the finish, we rank P.G.s in our top five in medium-bodied cigars available in the U.S. The Celebration is a monster at nine inches and 50 ring, but smokes smoothly and comfortably and has an agreeable aroma. It’s offered individually, or in boxes of ten. Expensive, worth it and appreciated among enthusiasts.

Steals and Deals:
Our friends at Abner’s World are offering a unique item not often seen by Arturo Fuente fans: a box of 10.

The elegant Privada No. 1, a 6 3/4-inch by 44-ring Lonsdale, is available in a box of 10 for $49.95. The box of 25 is also offered, at $89.95.

Hammer Time:
Remember those authentic 19th Century cigar store statues on eBay? At big prices? They proved to be very popular.

Six were up for sale and four went for $10,000 or more. An authentic Indian model brought $22,500 from 22 bidders while an Indian maiden statue topped out at $20,000.

Solider figures, one a Turkish model and another a British Grenadier, went for $14,000 and $12,000 respectively. Smaller statues of “cigar soldiers” went for $4,500 and $3,500.

Cigar jars have also been popular, especially from Partagas:

• A Partagas “Sevilla Humijar” from the 1970s in very good condition earned a sterling $550 from 21 bidders on December 11, just 10 days after a mint-condition jar drew a final bid of $676.00 from 12 bidders in an auction which ended on December 1. This is among the most collectible of all Partagas jars, produced both before and after the nationalization of the cigar industry in Cuba.

A similar jar, also made by Pickman of Spain, for the Ramon Allones brand is drawing interest in a current auction that will end on Tuesday. Despite having a broken lid (since repaired), it will draw a final bid well over $200.

• A mint-condition bakelite Partagas Humijar from the 1920s or 1930s was a big favorite, complete with the original cedar lining and the unused humidifier. It drew 46 bids (!) and earned a stunning $811.13, the most we have seen for any jar in more than two years. This comes after a similar jar, in good but not excellent condition, sold for $655 on October 24.

Also, a package offered through a consignor by cigar and pipe expert Rick Hacker drew lots of interest and a final price of $569 from 22 bidders last week. Along with a picture of Hacker and the late comic legend Milton Berle, a copy of Hacker’s “The Ultimate Cigar Book,” the main offer was for a humidor owned – and signed – by Berle. The humidor was one of about 35 replicas commissioned by Berle after his gift humidor to President-elect John F. Kennedy in 1960 was auctioned off by the Kennedy estate for $574,000 in 1997. The replicas retailed for $7,500 each and only a few were sold, but this one was certainly a gift to Hacker.

A little more authentic memento, a Cuban Romeo y Julieta cigar chest sold by Alfred Dunhill of London and actually used by Winston Churchill also sold, for 1,000 British Pounds (approx. $1,934) to the only bidder who offered. Mr. Churchill would have said, tongue firmly in cheek, that acquiring the box was undoubtedly the bidder’s “finest hour.”
~ Rich Perelman

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