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

THE GREENING OF AMERICA . . . AGAIN?

Plus: smoking and surfing in Syracuse, New York

Los Angeles, March 11 – Veteran smokers will remember a time not so long ago when Americans shocked their European brethren with their preference for bright green “candela” wrappers.

Known as “American Market Selection” or AMS, these were mild wrappers on mild cigars. Easy to smoke, but without a lot of character, they were dominant in the 1960s. Look at shows like “Hogan’s Heroes” and when you see cigars, you’ll see green.

As American tastes grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, candela wrappers receded into the background and virtually disappeared during the Cigar Boom. But they’re starting to show up again . . .

Thompson Cigar Co. has offered a limited number of candela-wrapped Arturo Fuente shapes for some time, but now comes candela-wrapped versions of Don Tomas and Indian Tabac from Cigars International.

The Don Tomas blend has been offered off and on with candela wrappers, but Keith Meier and his crew bought some from General Cigar, which picked up the brand when the U.S. Cigar Sales brands were absorbed by Swedish Match in a court settlement last year with U.S. Tobacco. Three shapes are available:

> Cetro No. 2, a 6 1/2-inch by 42 ring lonsdale, $49 for 25;

> Robusto (5 1/2 x 50), also $49 for 25;

> Churchill (7 x 48), $55 for 25.

These are ultra-mild cigars, nice and mellow after the candela wrapper had been aging for years, waiting to be used in a market that expects brown-to-black wrappers.

The Indian Tabac candela line is a surprise, since Rocky Patel has spent the last several years increasing the heft of his Indian Tabac line and introducing powerful blends like “The Edge” and his marvelous Indian Tabac Vintage series.

But there it is, with his well-known blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler leaves and a five-year-aged, bright green wrapper! We haven’t tried it yet, but it’s an interesting concept, kind of like an iron hand inside a velvet glove!

Three sizes are offered:

> Lonsdale (6 x 42), 25 for $45!

> Toro (6 x 50), 25 for $49 (hoo-wee!) and

> Double Corona (7 x 52), 25 for $55.

That’s a nice price on anything made by Rocky and worth a try if you want to participate in the “greening” of America . . .

Smoking and surfing . . . the Internet!
A new retail concept for the Syracuse, New York area is Erik Francey and Brent Stedman’s Edward Thomas Cigar, opening about March 21 in Limestone Plaza in Fayetteville, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard.

It will have the standard walk-in humidor and more than 100 brands of cigars on sale, but also an extensive lounge to make the store a destination for smokers. A new angle is their installation of a Wi-Fi system to allow computer users to bring their laptop and smoke in peace while answering e-mail, surfing the Internet or looking for illicit vacation deals in Cuba.

It’s another way to give smokers an opportunity to spend time at the store, and with sales planned for coffee, juice and soft drinks as well, it offers enthusiasts the option of making Edward Thomas Cigar their “cigar bar” on the way home.

We think this is the wave of the future: retail stores which are also destinations, offering beverages, Internet access and large-screen television for big-event parties, and the option to stop in after dinner for a last cigar before heading home.

Everything at Once with our March Combo Offer!
Okay, we heard you! Here’s our special for the month of March, offering everything we have in one big package at 28% off! You get (drum roll . . .):

• A one-year subscription to our value-packed CigarWire and

• A copy of our 600-page Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars for 2005 and

• A copy of our third edition Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Havana Cigars!

That’s normally a $54.90 value with shipping, but we’re offering all of this for a special, discounted price of just $39.99 through the end of this month only.

Your subscription will also include our “Week in Review” newsletter sent each Thursday with a summary of our top stories of the week!
~ Rich Perelman

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