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

MONTECRISTO UNLIMITED!

Plus: Steals and Deals from Cigars International and Famous Smoke Shop

Los Angeles, February 17 – On Tuesday, we made a little fun of a new Montecristo shape – the Maduro Figurado – made for Cigars by Santa Clara by Altadis, the owner of the Montecristo trademark in the United States.

After all, what was the great need for another Montecristo shape beyond the existing nine Montecristo lines?

Turns out, we didn’t know the half of it.

Imagine our surprise when J-R Cigars (the retail brother of the wholesale-only Cigars by Santa Clara) announced in its weekly e-mail special that it was offering another Montecristo, never before seen: a Mini-Belicoso!

J-R’s Lew Rothman wrote to his customers “All you classic Montecristo smokers know that only the cleanest, light golden brown Connecticut Shade wrappers are used to make the fabulous Montecristo brand. So what happens to the wrappers that are just as nice, but a somewhat darker shade?

“Well, I didn’t know myself until I was offered this lot of Montecristo Mini-Belicosos with medium brown wrappers. It seems there are other secret lines of Montecristos made for Private Clubs, Steakhouses and just plain, big corporate customers that retailers like us never see – that is until someone refuses an order.”

The good news is that the Mini-Bels (my nickname, after the delicious Laughing Cow Mini-Babybel semisoft cheeses!) are five inches by 52 ring and are offered by J-R in boxes of 25 for just $59.95 while they last.

Having just finished our new Havana Cyclopedia, I can’t help but remember that prior to nationalization of the Cuban cigar industry in 1960, the Romeo y Julieta factory was reported to have as many as 20,000 different customer bands in stock. Perhaps we are moving again – at least in the U.S. – back toward a future in which connoisseurs not only hold large private stocks of top-quality cigars, but stocks of cigar shapes and sizes not offered at retail and presented in specially-marked and monogrammed boxes emblazoned with personal and/or corporate names.

Steals and Deals:
Cigars International:
Keith Meier and his team have added the elegant Ashton Aged Cabinet Belicosos (5 1/4 x 52) to their line-up and at $135 for a box 20, it’s the best price we have seen in a while.

Famous Smoke Shop:
The always-active boys at Famous are re-introducing some of their favorite specials and have added some new ones:

• Arturo Fuente Spanish Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 42), regularly $80.95, now $69.95 for a box of 25. This special is offered intermittently, but is worth checking out if you are an Arturo Fuente lover. Remember, we ranked their standard line (of which this is a part) higher than all of their others and it’s a bargain at less than $3 a stick!

• Avo Intermezzo Tubos (5 1/2 x 50), also offered on sale fairly consistently, was $143.95 for a box of 20, now $118.95. If you like Avo, get these now as prices are going up again across the board.

• Flor de Oliva Short Torpedo (5 x 52), great tobacco in an unbelievable value: was $31.95 for 25, now just $26.95!

• Fonseca Classic Robusto Collection, the best way to try the entire Fonseca range, was $29.95, now $24.95 for 10. The sampler includes two each of the Fonseca (10-10, 5 x 50), Fonseca Serie F (Robusto, 5 x 52), Fonseca Vintage (Robusto, 5 x 50) and Vegas de Fonseca (Sobrinos, 5 1/4 x 50), plus two Cubita Spanish Market Selection Robustos (5 1/4 x 52) for $2.50 each. If you have thought about this line as too timid, try this sampler and concentrate on the Serie F and Vegas de Fonseca. You may change your mind!

• Indian Tabac Teepee, the original blend in 5 1/2-inch by 52-ring pyramids, now $20 off at $39.95 for the box of 25.

• La Vieja Habana – The Early Years, an underappreciated brand, with the Festival de Maroc (6 x 52) now $63.95 (down from $86.95) for 18.

• Montecristo Serie V five-packs were $28.95-44.95, now $5 off at $23.95 to $39.95. Our favorite is the Corona Gorda (5 x 46), which was $31.95, now $28.95.

• Troya on trial: the No. 54 Elegante (with a Connecticut wrapper), a 5 3/4 x 48 robusto was $116.95 for 24, now just $66.95. This is a subtle, milder Troya which was re-blended in 2004 and is trying to recapture its high profile from the mid-1990s.

Finally, there’s a special for us jarheads: the Montecristo Cigare des Artes “Delacroix” jar featuring an evening scene in Paris, available this week for $79.95 on sale, including 15 Churchill-sized cigars (7 x 46) in tubes inside. The jar and cigars retailed for $149.95 and were discontinued a couple of years ago, but here’s your chance to pick one up for cheap.
~ Rich Perelman

Bookmark

Email This

Comments (0) add comment