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

NEW CIGARS FROM P.G. AND PEPIN GARCIA

Plus: new Havana Retailer Rankings!

Los Angeles, July 9 – As the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America trade show in Houston nears, the introduction of new cigars continues apace.

• A new line of P.G. cigars – the Soiree series – is being introduced. It’s described as a “full bodied after dinner cigar with an exquisite aroma and smooth finish.”

Made under the supervision of Hendrik Kelner in the Dominican Republic as are all the rest of the P.G. line, the Soiree line is easy to spot with a second band, with the name and design developed from the P.G. Dupont Soiree lighter. There are three sizes in the range, all offered in boxes of 25:

> Belicoso Soiree: 6 1/4 inches by 52 ring at $11.30 each retail;

> Connoisseur Soiree: 6 x 50 at $10.50 each retail;

> Robusto Soiree: 5 x 50 at $9.20 each retail.

It’s the seventh P.G. line, following the Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series (first introduced in 1991), the P.G. Artisan’s Selection (1997), Gourmet Series II (1999), Gourmet Series Maduro (2000), Reserva Exclusiva (2001) and the 15th Anniversary Series in 2006.

The Gourmet Series Maduro line is also being extended with a Corona Grande size: 6 1/2 inches by 46 ring. It’s priced at $240.00 for a box of 25 ($9.60 each), not including local tobacco taxes.

• There’s no hotter cigar maker than Jose “Pepin” Garcia and his newest creation is just like its name: “Firecracker” (pictured above).

Created for Dave Garofalo’s 2 Guys Smoke Shop in New Hampshire, it’s just three inches long by 50 ring gauge with a long rat tail! Wow!

Part of the full-bodied Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label line, it’s packed vertically in boxes of 25 and offered at $99.95 the box. That’s a bargain: only $1.33 an inch!

New Havana Retailer Rankings!
In our third review of international retailers of Havana cigars, Spain – which helped to found the Cuban cigar industry – again came forward as the top nation in sales.

The sites in the top ten didn’t change much, with eight of the ten from our last review in December repeating in the those positions. This time, Puro Express from the Canary Islands of Spain – headquartered in a free-trade zone – had the best average price.

The survey compared the average price of online retailers on four cigars, selected for their current popularity:

• Cohiba Robusto (4 7/8 inches by 50 ring);

• H. Upmann Magnum 46 (5 5/8 x 46);

• Montecristo Edmundo (5 1/2 x 52) and

• Partagas Serie D No. 4 (4 7/8 x 50), all in boxes of 25.

Puro Express rose from sixth in the last rankings to the top spot this time while Puro Rey Cigars, from the Cayman Islands, maintained the second position. Following after in the top ten are:

• 3. Cigars of Habanos of Hong Kong (first in December);

• 4. Cuban Lou’s of Canada (also fourth last time);

• 5. Don Gabriel of Spain (tenth last time);

• 6. PromoCigar, also from Spain (fifth in December);

• 7. 1001 Cuban Cigars of Canada (third last time);

• 8. Gesto Cigars of Switzerland (seventh last time);

• 9. Corporate Cigar from Australia (new);

• 10. Geneve Cigars of Switzerland (new).

Esplendido Cigars fell from ninth to 11th in this review; Strictly Cuban was eighth in December and placed 14th this time.

This survey covered 102 retailers, a modest increase over the 92 sites in December. Shipping costs were not included in the calculations because of different costs to different locations. Also not included in the top ten were two outlets which apparently sell cigars marketed in Cuba – complete with holographic stickers – which so far as we know is not permitted by the Cuban government: Royal Habanos and Solo Cigars.

Dueling bills to continue the smoking fight in Colorado?
It appears likely that for the fourth legislative session in a row, Colorado lawmakers are going to continue their fight over smoking.

After the Colorado Clear Act acted passed in 2006, a rolling battle over the poorly-drafted “cigar bar” loophole continues. At present, a Colorado court decision allows bar owners who can show tobacco sales that account for $50,000 or five percent or more of revenues to permit smoking in their establishments.

One bill will attempt to eliminate this “loophole” for cigarette smokers while another may allow bars to keep smoking once and for all. The Rocky Mountain News reported that Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D-Thornton) is considering a new bill to allow bar owners to obtain a $500 license to allow smoking (this has been defeated previously) or to allow smoking if air purification equipment has been installed.

“If people are really hurting and hanging on by their thumbnails,” she told the News, “then they should have an option to stay open.”
~ Rich Perelman

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