Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars - FROM CUBA TO BRITISH COLUMBIA: A LOST TREASURE

FROM CUBA TO BRITISH COLUMBIA: A LOST TREASURE

Plus: how about a free cigar?

Los Angeles, August 31 – One of the most impressive books published on Cuban cigars is Min Ron Nee’s An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars. Compiled in collaboration with former Habanos S.A. executive Adriano Martinez, it’s about as comprehensive a look at the Cuban cigar industry as you can get.

But there are still surprises to be found. One popped up last week.

Two odd elements came together in an auction on eBay as part of a sell-off of items from the History of Advertising Archives from the Sauder School of Business from the University of British Columbia. Up for auction was a rarely-seen “Branch of the Tree” humidor cabinet, a format which disappeared around 1980. Even more amazing is that the top of the cabinet was marked for a controversial brand which has long disappeared: Siboney!

The “Branch of the Tree” cabinets were listed in Cubatabaco catalogs at least as late as 1979, when corona-sized cigars (5 1/2 inches by 42 ring) were offered in this packaging for Romeo y Julieta (called “Arbolados”) and Sancho Panza (“Tronquitos”). In Nee’s Illustrated Encyclopedia, it was noted that this format had also been used for Hoyo de Monterrey, Partagas and Ramon Allones.

But for Siboney? This was the mythical brand which Fidel Castro was going to use to replace all Cuban brand names after the Revolution. It was later a reality in a very small way for Austria Tabak, for whom this brand was made under an eight-year agreement from 1988 to 1996 and then discontinued. One handmade size was made, a 6-inch by 38-ring panatela called “Especiales.”

On the eBay item, the top of the cabinet bears the Siboney logo of a native holding tobacco leaves with the outline of the island of Cuba in the background. The top is marked “Siboney” and “Coronas” with the words “La Habana, Cuba” at the bottom.

On the bottom of the item are the words “Hecho en Cuba” which means “Made in Cuba” but interestingly nothing more. Cuban-made cigars were stamped with the Cubatabaco logo from 1985 on and the phrase “Totalmente a mano” (“totally by hand”) was stamped on Cuban cigars beginning in 1989. The “Hecho in Cuba” phrase began use in 1960; prior to that time, cigars made in Cuba bore the inscription in English, “Made in Havana - Cuba.”

So, we most likely have a new chapter in the history of Siboney, a handmade Corona of 5 1/2 inches by 42 ring, produced in Branch of the Tree cabinets of 25 sometime between 1960 and 1984. A new mystery for Havana hunters to solve . . .

Given this history, the auction was lively, drawing 13 bids and a final sales price of $502.00. It went to a California buyer.

Hammer time:
Another eBay auction drew lots of interest, this time for a sealed box of 29 Fuente Fuente Opus X Super Belicosos (5 1/2 x 55).

Bidding started at $50, but the auction drew 14 bids, topping out at $537.77 for the box, an average of $18.54, below the $20-23 average for most Opus X auctions this year.

Not surprisingly, the Nashua, New Hampshire-based seller had a higher reserve price and the item went unsold.

End of an era in SoCal smoking:
A Southern California cigar tradition has vanished, a victim of shifting interests and the California anti-smoking law.

Schatzi, a fixture on Main Street in Santa Monica and originally owned by now-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, had staged monthly cigar dinners since at least 1995, but no more.

At its peak, some 150 cigar hounds packed the restaurant and spilled onto the outdoor foyer on the first Monday of every month. The tradition continued through August 1 of this year, but now a Blues and Jazz band has replaced cigars, probably for good. Attendance had been down for the cigar dinners for some time, as under the current California law, smoking is only allowed outdoors.

How about a free cigar?
As large manufacturers crowd retailer shelves with new introductions, it’s harder and harder to get smokers to try new brands.

So at least one brand will give you a sample . . . if you’ll ask for it.

It’s R.D. Gomez Cigars, well known for leather goods as well as cigars. The brand was introduced during the Cigar Boom and has always been well regarded, but not highly publicized.

Gomez offers a Honduran blend which is fairly mild and a bolder Nicaraguan Gran Reserva blend. One of his best sellers is the Fast Break, a 3 3/4-inch by 48-ring mini-robusto which is available in both blends.

“We’re done really well with this,” he said last month. “We’ve gotten so many positive comments and the conversion rate once people try our cigar is outstanding.

“We’re still in several dozen stores across the country which have carried our cigars for a long time, but we’re sending 500-600 free trial cigars a month and the response has been great.”

Beyond the free trial stick, you don’t have much risk. Gomez offers a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee on his cigars (except for special order items). So why not try one? Ralph will appreciate it if you do.
~ Rich Perelman

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