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

HEARD IN THE HUMIDOR

Fabulous Finck and a bargain (?) or two

Los Angeles, August 30 – In today’s super-charged anti-tobacco environment, it was certainly a surprise to see an extensive feature by business writer Bonnie Pfister in the San Antonio Express-News on the 111-year-old Finck Cigar Company.

Attendees at the 2000 Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (RTDA) convention and trade show, held in San Antonio, mobbed the Finck factory for tours during the show. It was a considerable sign of respect, given that Finck only manufactures machine-made cigars. However, Bill Finck, Jr., grandson of the founder, isn’t sure he’s ready for another RTDA soon: “I’m not sure I’m ready for that again.”

That leaves Bill Sr., now 74, and Bill Jr. running their factory and sales operation which makes some of the best all-tobacco, machine-made cigars available anywhere. Unlike many of the better-known mass-market brands, Finck’s Travis Club and Travis Club Premium cigars are available in the large sizes so favored by premium smokers, including robustos, toros, corona extras and even a full double corona (7 inches by 50 ring) size. The Premium line is especially noteworthy with Dominican and Brazilian long-filler leaves, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and either a Connecticut Shade (natural) or Connecticut Broadleaf (maduro) wrapper.

And prices?

A Travis Club Premium Robusto (5 x 50) retails for $1.90 (before state tobacco taxes) and a Churchill (7 x 50) costs just $2.25. You can find them at FinckCigar.com. A six-size sampler of the Premium line – with a humidifier included – is just $16.95 and a worthy contender for the golf course or a morning cigar.

I’ve tried these cigars and they are well made, mild and an, obviously, excellent value. It’s a little bit of American history for a firm founded in 1893.

The Express-News feature also noted that Finck Sr. started as a lawyer before joining the family business. He also served as a member of the Texas Legislature from 1967 to 1973 and was elected as Bexar County treasurer in 1982, modernizing the office so that he abolished the job three years later.

One brand which always piques the interest of smokers is their “Havana Blend” brand, which includes some Cuban tobacco from the 1959 crop. Pfister didn’t miss the story on that one, noting “In Finck’s Havana Blend, a few pinches [of the filler] come from a cardboard box holding the remnants of Cuba’s 1959 harvest, the last to make it stateside before the embargo.” Now you know.

More deals::
Tampa’s Thompson Cigar Company has one of the best-produced catalogs in the business. Every cigar is a world-beater, rarer than pre-Castro Havanas, or available at such an unbelievable price that the only logical option is to call and max out your credit card by buying everything available.

It’s a hoot from cover to cover.

Thompson’s not the best on price for many of the high-profile brands available from most mail order or Internet retailers. But its new August catalog features one cigar twice in its 68 pages, so you know it’s got to be special.

This one is Flor de Jalapa, one of the early quality brands from Nicaragua. It debuted in 1996, at the height of the Cigar Boom, introduced by Swisher International. Unfortunately, it didn’t make enough of a splash to stay in production and Thompson obtained the entire stock and control of the brand.

They’ve been offering box of 25 at a very reasonable price of $37-41 in a choice of five sizes from Robusto (5 x 50) to Presidente (8 1/2 x 52). Flor de Jalapa offers a lot of flavor in a medium-bodied blend that won’t bite you and is easy to enjoy. Not the best value, but a good cigar at about $1.50 a stick.

This is a deal?
At the other end of the spectrum is the continuing insanity over Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars on eBay. A week ago, a box of 32 Perfecxion X (6 1/4 x 48) went for $760, an average of $23.75 per cigar.

Last Friday, another box of Perfecxion X was up, with eight bidders straining to win. The bidding ended at “just” $620, “only” $19.38 per cigar, the lowest price we have seen on an Opus X auction in some time.

This week, there’s a wild offer of a box of 29 Opus X Perfecxion No. 2 (6 3/8 x 52), a box of 10 Arturo Fuente Hemingway Masterpieces (9 x 52) and two boxes of Puros Indios pyramids: ten each of Piramides No. 1 (7 1/2 x 60) and Piramides No. 2 (6 1/2 x 46). The auction ends Wednesday and bidding has already surpassed $1,000. Cha-ching!
~ Rich Perelman

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