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MONSTER DAVIDOFF ON THE WAY!

Plus: Someone finally designed a perfect cigar case!

Los Angeles, June 4 – When Zino Davidoff introduced his Chateau Series, made by Hoyo de Monterrey, in 1946, the five cigars he created ranged in size from four to 5 7/8 inches and from 40 ring gauge to a high of 42.

Those days are long gone.

Soon to be introduced is one of the biggest Davidoff shapes ever, the Royal Salomones. It is destined only for the Davidoff shops in New York, Las Vegas and in Europe and will reportedly measure 8 1/4 inches long by 57 ring gauge.

The Salomones shape is a giant perfecto, closed at both ends with a bulge in the middle. It continues the Davidoff experience with the “super-perfecto” format, familiar from the two cigars issued in celebration of the centennial of Davidoff’s birth last year:

• The Diademas Fina, a limited-edition , 6 3/4 inch by 50-ring unbanded perfecto issued in boxes of 10 (pictured above).

• The Diademas, a specially-made 9 1/8-inch by 55-ring unbanded perfecto offered in individual cedar coffins only at the “Thank You Zino” dinner series and not sold commercially.

The Royal Salomones will debut at a special dinner to be held in New York on June 25, hosted by the New York Davidoff boutiques.

The new cigar is likely to be offered at a retail price of around $40 each and is, of course, manufactured at the Davidoff factory near Santiago, Dominican Republic. Although not specified as yet, it’s likely to feature Dominican-grown binder and filler leaves and a Connecticut-seed, Ecuadorian-grown wrapper. And if you want a box, you’ll probably be looking at a cabinet of 50, with a price tag of around $2,000 plus local tobacco taxes.

The Royal Salomones will be the fattest Davidoff of all time, but faithfully reproduces the girth of the Salomones shape that rose from the history books in 1997. German retailer Christopher Wolters convinced his friends at Habanos, S.A. and especially the Partagas factory to produce this old size in a special production run to be sold at his store. It was such a hit that the shape was incorporated into limited-edition production in 1999 and joined the standard production line of Cuaba in 2003. On the U.S. market, Graycliff introduced a Salomon size of 7 1/8 inches by 58 ring in its Chateau series (purple band) that debuted in 2005.

The new Davidoff will be the latest expansion of the line of cigars sold only at Davidoff stores. Already exclusive to the New York stores is a high-quality, but low-profile line called “Super Selection,” made up of four sizes. And more will be coming in the future.

Andres Garcia is on the case!
The leather cigar case has evolved considerably over the past 20 years, from a soft leather pouch to a hard-leather safe, seemingly strong enough to pound nails. Some even offered a slot for a cutter, but smokers always had to make room in their pockets or bags for a lighter or cutter if it didn’t fit in the slot.

Abhik Roy has finally solved this problem. Coming later this month will be his new “St. James Collection” line of cases, which offer all the convenience of his Andre Garcia case line, but with an addition: a full section for accessories!

The concept is simple enough: Roy previously created a series of cases that not only offered spaces for cigars, but included a zip-around top that made it easy to pick out a cigar without taking the entire case apart. He simply turned the idea upside down by placing an inch-high zip-around compartment at the foot of a new line of cases that can hold a cutter, lighter, toothpick or whatever the smoker desires. Now there’s no reason to take anything with you except his case.

The St. James Collection, manufactured in India, will offer a wide range of sizes, all complete with cedar lining and an interior divider, also made of cedar, which can provide nearly crush-proof protection for cigars under most conditions. The smallest will probably hold 6-8 cigars and retail for about $130; the largest will hold 24 cigars – a full box worth – and will likely cost $250.

All use high-quality leather in the most popular colors and finishes and are available from select tobacconists and on the Andre Garcia website.

A “Sopranos” Tsunami:
C.A.O. created a noteworthy cigar when it launched its C.A.O. “The Sopranos Edition” cigar in 2005, officially licensed by HBO. But it’s not the only manufacturer which has jumped on “The Sopranos” bandwagon.

Longtime character actor Frank Vincent, who plays Phil Leotardo on the show, will have a cigar created in his honor later this year by Cigars by Santa Clara. And now actor Joseph Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore in the series until his character was killed last season, has become the national spokesman for Rocky Patel Premium Cigars.

“I’ve been a stogie man for years,” he said, prior to last weekend’s appearances at the Two Guys Smoke Shop locations in Salem and Seabrook, New Hampshire. “It’s funny how life works. I was a Rocky Patel customer and now I am their spokesman!”

Patel, who has given the word “tireless” a new meaning with his endless travel and promotion of his highly-successful lines, noted “We are thrilled to have Joe on our team. He’s helping to bring us a new level of national notoriety.

“Sopranos fans and cigar lovers will see him with one of our cigars and they instantly want one! He’s touring the country with us at events and we’re creating a signature line of cigars with his name and image to be released this summer.”

The release will no doubt come at the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America convention and trade show in Houston in early August. With Gannascoli and perhaps Vincent (already an RTDA show veteran) and others present, hopefully no one will be get whacked!
~ Rich Perelman

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