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

“YOU SHOULD SEE THE SMILES”

Plus: Corona Cigar wins top billing in Orlando

Los Angeles, August 30 – Among those who know how to enjoy them, there are few things in life better than a cigar, especially when all else seems to be going wrong.

American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have found this out and a lengthy story in Saturday’s Tampa Tribune reported on how much U.S. troops treasure cigars, but also the efforts of noted national retailer Thompson & Co. to get cigars to the troops:

“‘The cigars are very popular,’ said U.S. Air Force Sgt. John Jewell, in an e-mail to the Tribune from Afghanistan on Friday. He said he initially started smoking cigars to keep the bugs away and is first to get the boxes of cigars from Thompson Cigars, which he doles out to fellow soldiers.

"’I did not think that many people smoked cigars,’ wrote Jewell, of Brandon. ‘But, I soon found out that there was a big demand all over this theater and with people working 12 or more hours a day, it provided the perfect excuse to congregate and talk while having a cigar.’

“‘Even people who did not smoke much, or at all, would gather,’ he wrote. ‘We call it mental health sessions.’

“Many of the troops save their cigars for after dangerous missions, he said.

“Jewell often has extra cigars and likes to hand them out to soldiers, particularly ones who have had bad days.

“‘You should see the smiles,’ he said. He credits Thompson Cigars with improving morale among the troops.

“‘It is an opportunity to have a taste of home and to relax,’ he said, ‘and we certainly need that here.’”

Thompson is one of many retailers across the nation who have been sending cigars to the U.S. military all around the world during the past four years. Reporter Keith Morelli explained that at Thompson – one of the nation’s largest cigar retailers – it’s quite an operation.

“In a small cubicle in the Thompson warehouse is Marilyn Taylor, a Cuban-born woman who grew up in Tampa and has been around cigars all her life. She is the "Cigar Queen" who arranges shipments of cigars to troops overseas.

“It began with a box or two at a time, she said. Now, she packs 20 to 25 boxes every two weeks, each box filled with 300 to 350 cigars. They come from boxes that are broken or from returned boxes. Sometimes they are a less-expensive $3 variety; sometimes they're high-quality $15 stogies.

“‘I've made a lot of friends,’ Taylor said Friday.

“Her cubicle has evidence of that. Photos of military men and women hoisting thick cigars adorn the walls. Plaques with photos and words of thanks hang below five folded flags that sit on top the partition. She said she has received more than 30 flags from troops saying thanks for the smokes.”

Morelli’s story also noted the impact the cigars have on the troops, quoting Bob Williams, who works with Thompson to send cigars to the military.

“‘Giving them cigars and cigar cutters is like handing out $100 bills," Williams said. "You can see the morale go up.’”

From the Cubador:
While famous brands such as Cohiba, H. Upmann and Montecristo get most of the recognition in the Cuban cigar industry, there is a robust production of cigars for domestic consumption on the island as well.

In the province of Camaguey, located on the eastern third of the island, the Rolando Valdivia factory is one of the facilities used to roll handmade cigars for the local market and is on track to produce about 2,000,000 cigars this season.

Priced at exceedingly low prices in order to be affordable to Cubans who are paid in nearly-worthless Cuban pesos, these cigars are made from all-Cuban tobacco, but rarely from the prized Pinar del Rio region. Instead, leaves from the Santa Clara region in the middle of the island and the Oriente province on the eastern end are used for the most part.

The cigars are usually packaged in bundles and often without bands and are sold under brand names such as Bauza and Moya. Don’t try to find them outside of Cuba, however, as these cigars are not licensed for export.

Corona Cigar Co. is no. 1!
Orlando’s Corona Cigar Company was recently named as the “Best Cigar Store in Orlando” by WESH Channel 2, the local NBC affiliate.

The award is part of WESH’s “A-List” program of selections by voters for the best of Orlando on the WESH Web site. Corona ran a heavyweight campaign and won the vote, beating out a half-dozen other stores.

In celebration, the two Corona stores will be throwing appreciation parties on September 7 in its Heathrow store and on September 8 in its store on Sand Hill Road. With about two million cigars in stock, there will be plenty of deals, but also food, music, magicians, caricature artists, wine and port tastings, drink specials, live cigar rolling, among other attractions. Congratulations to President Jeff Borysiewicz and General Manager Jeff Wojtanowski.
~ Rich Perelman

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