The 2009 Tarries Cigar Award Show

It’s the cigar award show you didn’t realize you were eagerly awaiting. The Tarries celebrates the unusual aspects of the cigar industry, shining an industrial-sized spotlight on dubious distinctions that may be either points of pride or the stuff of shame. But either way, nothing anyone wants to be known for!

And without further ado, may I have the envelopes please…

Best Smogar Of The Year
Winner: Nub Miami
The “Smogar” is the cigar world’s version of vaporware, or,…

First Look: La Flor Dominicana Air Bender

Had the pleasure of getting together with doc8466 at W.Curtis Drapers today. Upon entering, we were greeted by the usual faces plus Litto Gomez, the man behind La Flor Dominicana. I knew Litto was in the area doing events at a few local cigar shops but didn’t see Drapers as one of his stops. So it was a pleasant surprise to see him.

Litto and the guys from Drapers were nice enough to gift me his latest release in…

CAO to Debut New ‘Real’ Ad Campaign

New CAO Campaign To Feature Series of CAO Consumers

Nashville, January 7, 2010:

CAO, one of the world’s foremost premium cigar manufacturers, announced today that it will debut a new ad campaign in the January/February issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

With the tagline “CAO REAL” the cutting-edge cigar manufacturer will roll out a series of ads that will feature actual CAO cigar enthusiasts, further reinforcing the emotional cord between the sought-after brand and its consumers. “We’ve always maintained…

Toraño Partners with Fumee for Branded Lounge

Over the past year, I think it has been pretty common to hear of cigar brands partnering with local cigar shops to open sponsored lounges. The most prominent of those partnerships, at least in my mind, was the nationwide launch of Diamond Crown Lounges. In fact, Brian even attended and reported on one of these openings in the Atlanta area.

Just the other day I received an email from our good friend Heather Haddad over at

A Message from Pete Johnson

Originally posted at New Havana Cigars and asked to publish here by Pete Johnson:

I wanted to write everyone a quick note and touch on some of the concerns revolving around the Tatuaje Drac and Tatuaje Boris Halloween cigars. Please understand that these are big concerns of ours also and we want to assure everyone there is an easy solution.

First: The cigars were finished months ago but the box maker in Nicaragua was delayed and was

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Drug Paraphernalia and Cigars: Words that Don’t Belong in the Same Ordinance

Being a member of the Cigar Rights of America (CRA), I routinely receive email alerts in regards to whats going on with the cigar industry from the political perspective. The most recent to hit my inbox had me shaking my head a little more than usual.

The email alert contained an article written by Glynn Loope, CRA Executive Director, about the recent goings on in the Washington D.C. City Council. It seems that there are a group of…

Zino Platinum Announces Crown Series Emperor Edition 2009

While browsing through my Twitter Feed yesterday, I came across a link from Zino Platinum in regards to a new release. The link pointed to their Facebook page and included a small writeup on the new Emperor 2009 release, which included a picture. While I’ve never had the pleasure of smoking a Zino Platinum, the new release seems interesting.

Zino Platinum Emperor Edition 2009 Copy:

The Zino Platinum Crown Series Emperor Edition 2009 is an

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General Cigar Announces Macanudo Millionaire Contest

Over the last couple of months we have been seeing different contests and giveaways from a few different cigar manufacturers. Among them is General Cigar, which you may remember announcing details on a Mr Punch Tax Relief Program and a Partagas $10,000 Man Cave giveaway.

I received a press release yesterday announcing General Cigars newest give-away. This time they are going even bigger and giving someone a chance to become a Macanudo Millionaire. Entering seems pretty simple and…

Press Release: Cigar Conference West

Just the other day I was checking my email and saw something come through from our good friend Doc over at Stogiefresh. If you haven’t heard, Doc has put together an event that features food, beverages, entertainment, and education on the Central Coast of California.

If you are free on September 18th and 19th, head on over to www.cigcon.com for information on the event. I’ve also attached a press release below to give a complete picture…

CNN Video on Hav-A-Tampa Closure

While logged into Facebook just the other day, I saw Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigar Company make mention of a CNN Video involving a cigar company. Being at work when I saw the mention, I made a note for myself to watch it when I got back home for the day.

The two minute video spot informs us of the closure of the Hav-A-Tampa cigar factory down in Tampa Florida. One former employee, Ron Russel, took it upon…