Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars - QUIET, PLEASE! CLASS IS NOW IN SESSION...

QUIET, PLEASE! CLASS IS NOW IN SESSION...

QUIET, PLEASE! CLASS IS NOW IN SESSION...

Plus: Month-long Montecristo fund-raising promotion for hurricane relief begins tomorrow

Los Angeles, June 30 – Earlier this year, General Cigar trained three young “Ambassadors” for their Macanudo brand and send them traveling around the country expounding the virtues of the brand as they stop at retail stores as part of the Macanudo American Passion Tour.

Now, General is sending out a man who has forgotten more about tobacco than the Macanudo ambassadors will ever know.

Benji Menendez (pictured above), whose family owned the H. Upmann factory in Havana prior to nationalization, is preparing to tour some 50 retailers by the end of the year, demonstrating exactly how blends are created in the factory.

This “Partagas Quality Tour” will allow consumers to try tobacco the way blenders try it, one type at a time. Participants will receive three “fumas” (smaller cigars usually made for the rollers themselves to smoke) showcasing the primary types of filler leaves:

• A “ligero fuma” with ligero leaves picked from the top of the plant, offering the strongest flavors;

• A “seco fuma” with seco leaves from the middle of the plant, most often used for lighter flavors, aroma and burning qualities, and

• A “volado fuma” with volado leaves from the bottom of the tobacco plant, usually included for combustibility.

By trying all three, consumers can experience how these leaves must be blended to offer a winning combination of taste, aroma and even burning. Then they can try the finished product from the Partagas line.

Naturally, there will be a special sale of 10-count boxes of Partagas, Partagas Black Label and Partagas Spanish Rosado at 25% off the regular retail price (before any applicable local tobacco taxes).

This is a special treat inasmuch as we ranked two of these blends among the top full-bodied cigars offered on the U.S. market. The classic “red label” Partagas ranked no. 3 (!) with a tangy flavor of rich caramel and a slightly peppery aroma. The Partagas Black Label ranked no. 30, thanks to its subtle flavors of caramel and fruit, with a toasty aroma. (The complete rankings are part of our subscription CigarWire service.)

The list of stores where Menendez will appear will be posted on the General Cigar website.

Distributors meet in Havana:
The many licensed importers of Cuban cigars to countries around the world are meeting this week in Havana to discuss future plans to meet increased worldwide demand for cigars in general and for Havanas in particular.

The three-day 14th Habanos Marketing and Sales Workshop will reportedly focus on:

• The market for luxury goods – which the Cubans clearly consider their cigars to be part of – and pricing strategies to wring the most money from consumers;

• The impact of the annual Habanos Festival, and

• How the Casa del Habano franchises impact sales of other shops in cities where both exist.

The Cuban national news service, Prensa Latina, reported that the eighth Habanos Festival in February 2006 will focus on the Cohiba and Romeo y Julieta brands.

Altadis’s hurricane relief effort begins:
Altadis U.S.A. is set to launch The World of Montecristo Relief Foundation promotion at 128 retailers in July with a goal of raising $1 million for relief efforts.

Monies raised from the month-long program will help repair the damage inflicted by this winter’s hurricanes in the Caribbean, especially in the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Combined with other activities such as the Montecristo Cup Charity Pro-Am Golf Tournament each December, the Foundation hopes to donate as much as $3 million this year.

Participating is easy. Just go into a participating retailer – check out the list at the Altadis U.S.A. website – and donate $35. In return, you’ll receive a commemorative three-pack of Montecristos in a snazzy wood case and be entered for prizes including more cigars, a serigraph from famed French artist (and creator of much Montecristo artwork) Michel Delacroix valued at $2,500 and retrospectives on Delacroix’s work, personally signed by the artist.

The sampler cigars are 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. It’s a great way to try the three most popular Montecristo blends and help those in need in countries where these cigars are made.
~ Rich Perelman

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