 Montecristo Golf Set available now; World of Montecristo Charitable Foundation sampler coming in July
Los Angeles, April 14 – The tie between cigars and golf is strong, but perhaps not as strong with any company as Altadis U.S.A.
In addition to their Champions Tour team headed by Dana Quigley, Altadis also produces one of the classier golf and package on the market, the Montecristo Golf Set (pictured).
Available for the first time at last summer’s Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (RTDA) International Trade Show and Convention, the Monte Golf Set places 27 cigars (more than a cigar a hole!) in a six-sided, seven-bin wooden gift box accompanied by a sleeve of golf balls and tees imprinted with the unmistakable Montecristo crossed-swords logo.
The cigars are top-flite (that’s a pun, not a brand endorsement for those of you who are golfers) and selected from four different Montecristo series:
• Montecristo Platinum: three each of the Habana No. 2 (6 1/8 inches by 52 ring torpedo), Por Delacroix (7 x 50) and Toro (6 x 50);
• Montecristo Serie V: three of the Robusto (5 x 50);
• Montecristo Serie VI: three each of the Belicoso (6 1/8 x 52 torpedo) and Toro (6 x 52), and
• Montecristo White: three each of the Churchill (7 x 54), No. 2 (6 1/8 x 52 belicoso) and Toro (6 x 54).
I’d start with the Serie V and Serie VI blends and work up to the spicier Monte White and Monte Platinum series later in the round.
The package is absolutely elegant and speaks of quality. It will also make a great jewelry box or sewing kit box for your wife when you’re done with it. The retail price is $258 before local tobacco taxes.
More Montecristo:
We previously noted the important fund-raising promotion that Altadis U.S.A. is organizing for the World of Montecristo Relief Foundation in July, where consumers will be able to make a $35 donation through local retailers to raise $1 million in aid for hurricane relief in the Caribbean.
All of those who donate will receive a three-cigar Montecristo sampler as a gift from Altadis U.S.A., along with an entry to win prizes ranging from a box of Montecristos to a signed serigraph from artist Michel Delacroix.
We now know what cigars will be in the sampler and it’s a torpedo-lovers delight: one each of the Montecristo No. 2, the Montecristo Platinum Habana No. 2 and the Montecristo White No. 2, all 6 1/8-inch by 52-ring torpedos. The retail price of these three cigars is $34 and that’s before local tobacco and sales taxes! So you’ll be able to make a worthwhile donation and get back more than the value you put in in quality Monte torpedos! Such a deal!
Altadis U.S.A. collects (?) against counterfeiter:
Ever-vigilant over trademark abuse that has plagued its and other manufacturer’s brands, Altadis U.S.A. also reported winning two judgments late last month against two now-defunct companies owned by the same person.
Suits were brought on behalf of two Altadis U.S.A.-owned subsidiaries, Cuban Cigar Brands, N.V. and Max Rohr, Inc. against South Beach Cigar Factory and Tabacaleras Cubanas S.A. Corporation, both owned by Rodolfo Morejon for infringement of Altadis U.S.A.-owned trademarks on the H. Upmann, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and Saint Luis Rey brands.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Ft. Lauderdale decided the case for Altadis U.S.A. and awarded damages under statue totaling $3.5 million. But with Morejon’s two defendant companies out of business, will Altadis collect anything?
If there is anything to collect, it will certainly be the infringing cigars, boxes and bands, which must be turned over to Altadis for destruction. Anyone for a bonfire?
Scots stuffing cigars:
The British Daily Record reported that two Scottish men were arrested at the Manchester (England) Airport and charged with attempting to smuggle in 2.5 kilograms (a little more than a pound) of crack cocaine in hollowed-out cigars. The drugs were reported to have a street value of more than $280,000.
Alexander Stewart (aged 26) and David Hawthorn (39) were apprehended upon arrival of their flight from the Dominican Republic. Stewart was released on bail, while Hawthorn remained in custody overnight.
If true, the story is another example of a misuse of cigars by the drug community. In recent years, police have been concerned with “blunting,” the practice of hollowing out the short-filler tobacco in machine-made cigars and replacing it with marijuana. The name “blunting” came from the popular shape name “Blunt” used in many of the top machine-made brands and popular with the drill-and-fill set.
~ Rich Perelman
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