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HABANOS GIVES SMOKERS A GOLD MEDAL

Plus: true “reserve” cigars from C.A.O.

Los Angeles, October 24 – One of the most distinctive and sought-after of all Cuban cigars was the Bolivar Gold Medal.

Not only was this a unique cigar, with a gold-foil wrapper covering the top half, but it was one of the most powerful of all Havanas, made in small quantities and of a unique quality. It was a standard Lonsdale: 6 1/2 inches long and 42 ring gauge, offered in boxes of 10. Alas, it was discontinued in 1992, reportedly because it wasn’t possible to get the quantity of gold foil needed to complete the presentation.

It was too well-known and well-loved a cigar to be permanently retired and in 2005, Fifth Avenue Trading, the importer of Havana cigars into Germany, commissioned a one-time production of the Gold Medal. Only 1,000 boxes of 10 were made and they were welcomed as both a treat and a collector’s item.

Now, Habanos S.A. has seen fit to re-introduce the Gold Medal worldwide . . . sort of. The Gold Medal is again being offered for sale, in its traditional size, in its traditional box, but only at the more than 100 Casas del Habano worldwide.

As the Habanos announcement notes, “It boasts a richness of flavor in its blend of Vuelta Abajo region tobaccos.” All of the new Gold Medal cigars are double-banded (shown above) with a second band designating it only for the Casas del Habano.

Prices will vary by country depending on local tobacco taxes; the 2005 edition of the Gold Medal cigars sold in Germany retailed for the then-equivalent of about $20 U.S. each.

Old-style box is new again for Partagas:
Habanos S.A. has been busy with new introductions of specialty items and in addition to the Gold Medal, an old-style presentation of the Partagas brand has been re-activated along with a new size of cigar.

The so-called “Partagas Ancient Humidor” returns to production a very old style of box which was produced between 1900-1910 and which occasionally shows up on eBay. Today’s version is considerably upgraded; while retaining the elegant exterior marquetry on the top, it is finished in the style of a humidor rather than a simple cigar box. It includes a keyed lock and interior humidifier and hygrometer.

Inside is a new treasure: 50 Partagas cigars in a new size, the “Sobresalientes.” These cigars were made specially for this presentation and follow the trend of thicker and thicker cigars from the Cubans, this time six inches in length and a healthy 53 ring gauge. These straight-sided cigars are presented facing each other – foot to foot – in two-layer sets of 25 (13 + 12) on each side of the box for a total of 50.

Only 200 humidors will be made, so just 10,000 of the Sobresalientes will be produced.

As with the Gold Medal, you won’t see the Partagas Ancient Humidor or the Sobresalientes in even the best cigar stores worldwide, as they are planned to be directed exclusively to the Casas del Habano.

True reserve cigars from C.A.O.:
How many times have you read about a cigar, or seen a box labeled “Reserve” or “Private Reserve” or even “Limited Edition” and thought, “who are they kidding?” C.A.O. has a slightly different idea, however, in announcing a special program of humidors containing 105 C.A.O. Gold Maduro cigars recently introduced to the market.

The company has been running a continuing tasting at its Nashville headquarters and created a special, humidified room called the Escaparate, meaning “showcase” in Spanish.

It uses the room to test new cigars with visitors and experiment with different blends. The initial test program started in 2004 included 11 “Concept Series” blends and the Escaparate has grown to about 400,000 prototype cigars in storage. Of the original experimental group, the Gold Maduro did so well with visitors that C.A.O. decided to release it as a regular-production line earlier this year.

Thus, it doesn’t need the Gold Maduro test cigars in the test chamber any more and 200 humidors containing 105 Gold Maduro cigars each (21,000 total) are being sold through retailers beginning in November. Each humidor will have a mix of the six shapes in the line: Corona (5 1/2 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), Corona Gorda (6 1/2 x 50), Churchill (7 x 48), Torpedo (6 1/4 x 52) and Double Corona (7 1/2 x 54).

Before Detroit made cars, it made cigars!
The town of Escanaba, Michigan will hold elections on November 6 and local attorney Richard Clark is urging voters to find leadership that will find new economic stimuli for the community and not return to the mistakes of the past. He wrote in the Escanada Daily Press that new concepts are what drive prosperity . . . and drove cigar-making out of Michigan:

“The automotive industry wasn’t always Detroit’s main industry.

“At the end of the 19th century the economic powerhouse in Detroit was ... cigars. The cigar industry began in Detroit in the in the middle of the 19th century. Individual mom and pop operations hired individuals, called buckeyes, to make each cigar from start to finish.

“As the 19th century progressed the cigar industry grew. Before Henry Ford developed the assembly line for automobiles cigar makers organized workers into specialized tasks. Each worker performed one step in cigar making. One person didn’t know how to make a whole cigar, only one part of the process. It was efficient and a cigar made in Detroit became a symbol of quality.

“At the turn of the 20th century Polish immigrant women became the cornerstone of the cigar-making business.

“Detroit cigar workers were in demand. To entice and hold workers cigar manufacturers provided hot lunches. To make lunch time a more positive experience companies brought in musicians to play music in the cafeteria.

“At the beginning of the 20th century cigar makers weren’t able to adequately supply enough workers to supply the demand. Soon automation came to the industry. Machines began performing the work of those Polish immigrants. Eventually cigars were made in other places and the industry so important to Detroit and Michigan ran its course.

“Fortunately, Detroit embraced a new industry, automotive manufacturing. Henry Ford used the assembly line concept to make cars. The new industry attracted talent and workers. Detroit prospered.”

Clark’s essay makes the point to look forward and not back. But the history lesson was good, too. Cigars from Detroit were all the rage 100 years ago? Who knew?
~ Rich Perelman

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