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

AN OLD PLAYER WITH A NEW GAME

Plus: American little cigar exports explode!

Bulletin: Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, agreed to purchase machine-made cigar giant John Middleton, Inc. (Black & Mild, Gold & Mild, Prince Albert) for $2.9 billion in cash. More details coming on Monday.

Los Angeles, November 2 – The venerable cigar merchant James J. Fox and Robert Lewis traces its history back to 1787 when Christopher Lewis opened a shop in London. It’s been open – at different locations – ever since then.

There were certainly those who hoped that the English smoking ban would destroy shops like this, but the opposite has happened. As reported in the newest issue of Cigar Buyer magazine, the opposite has happened. The shop has been remodeled and is thriving.

Said store manager Paul Bielby, “Basically we wanted to create a cigar room at the back of the shop, move the museum down stairs and use it as a private smoking room.

“We have installed some extractor fans for it is quite comfortable in there for six or so people smoking. This is what we are allowed to do in the shop, sampling for education.”

Bielby told the magazine that he sees two trends continuing in cigar smoking in England. The first is the well-known and worldwide movement to thicker cigars of larger and larger ring gauges. But he also noted that smokers are looking for better quality cigars, even if significantly more expensive, “as it is part of an indulgence and making more of an event of enjoying the cigar.”

That means the shop is selling some rare and pricey cigars, such as the original Edicion Limitada cigars issued in 2000 or other treasures. Said Bielby, “it looks like there is good times ahead for us and the industry.”

Not what the anti-smoking movement wanted to hear.

There was also a tasting of 23 cigars, most of which were Cuban-made Edicion Limitadas or new releases:

• Of the 12 new cigars on the market, the lowest score was a 9.2 for the Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos (5 3/8 inches by 40 ring gauge). The other two members of the Cohiba Maduro line – the Genios (5 1/2 x 52) and the Magicos (4 1/2 x 52) – both received perfect scores of 10. The new Davidoff Primeros (4 1/8 x 34) also received a 10 and the Davidoff 6000 (5 x 48) and Millennium Blend Short Robusto (4 1/4 x 53) received scores of 9.8, as did the Zino Platinum Scepter Series Pudge (4 x 50).

Three of the Rocky Patel “The Edge” series were tested, with all three earning from 9.5 to 9.8 points, endorsing the brand’s world-class status.

• In the tasting of 11 Edicion Limitadas, perfect scores of 10 were awarded to the Cohiba Piramides (EL 2006) and the Partagas Serie D No. 3 (EL 2006). The Partagas Serie D No. 1 from 2004 earned a 9.7 score and the Romeo y Julieta Hermoso No. 2 (EL 2004), Montecristo Robusto (EL 2005) and Romeo y Julieta Escudos (EL 2007) all earned 9.5s.

But two Bolivars that were not part of the Limitada series also earned perfect scores: the Belicoso Fino and the Royal Corona. The Winter 2007 issue had a number of other interesting features, including a preview of how C.A.O. will become more relevant in Europe in the future and how cigars are making a comeback in Indonesia!

U.S. little cigar exports on the rise:
In addition to the strong U.S. import totals reported through the month of August by the Cigar Association of America, U.S. export totals of little cigars are also going through the roof.

In 2005, U.S. little cigar exports were 114.2 million, but demand exploded last year as the little cigar total increased 38.3 percent to 157.9 million. But it hasn’t stopped there. Through eight months of 2007, the little cigars export total has climbed an astounding 47.7 percent to 146.4 million, with four months of the year left to go! At this rate, the 2007 export total will hit 233.2 million, more than double the 2005 figure.

Who’s buying these things? The biggest markets for U.S.-made little cigars are Canada (72 million, up 66.3 percent over last year) and Russia, with 32.9 million imported, up 32.7 percent. Japan is third with 8.3 million, actually down almost 33 percent from 2006. The Ukraine has also become an important market at 6.9 million little cigars through August, up 338 percent for the year.

Although American exports of large cigars have declined steadily, U.S. manufacturers still shipped 145.8 million large cigars – virtually all machine-made – outside the country in 2006. So far this year, large-cigar exports have continued to decline, currently off 18 percent through August at 81.3 million units. The biggest markets for these cigars are Canada (25.3 million, off a whopping 45.4 percent) and Turkey with 11.6 million, up 53.2 percent for the year.

Gurkha’s Black Dragon now roaring!
Late last year, Kaizad Hansotia created a unique holiday gift for the ultra-rich: a $115,000 box of 100 Gurkha Black Dragon cigars of 8 1/2 inches long and 52 ring gauge, offered in a specially carved humidor made of camel bone in India. He made five boxes and says that three have been sold to buyers “in the Middle East.”

The interest in the blend – an aged Connecticut maduro wrapper, Cameroon binder and Dominican-grown filler leaves – was so great that Hansotia created a Black Dragon series for the commercial market that’s finally now shipping.

“We’ve already had re-orders before the cigars even got to a store,” he said, confirming that the three commercial sizes – Robusto (4 1/4 inches by 52 ring), Grand Especial (8 1/2 x 52) and Imperial Presidente (7 x 56) – have been shipped to stores nationwide.

The blend and presentation are different, but still exquisite. The new cigars are made with five-year-aged Cameroon wrapper, a Dominican-grown binder and Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler leaves for a rich taste that offers depth and subtlety. Like all Gurkha blends, it is made in Danli, Honduras by Torano Cigars.

Like the holiday edition of the Black Dragon, the presentation is exceptional. Each size is offered in leatherette-covered boxes and the cigars themselves are packed in trays of ten, carefully nestled in a textured red fabric.

The cost is accessible, however, with retail prices of $10 to $13 each, a lot better than the $1,150 per cigar of the holiday edition. Such a deal!

Hansotia also noted that the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy, a wild-looking cigar with an uncut foot that’s packed in raw tobacco inside each box, is also shipping again after being sold out during the summer. All four sizes (Toro, Churchill, XO and Torpedo) are offered in boxes of 25 or 100, the latter for those who have lots of friends!
~ Rich Perelman

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