Cigar Industry Report: Volume 3, Number 8 (1/18/14)

The Cigar Industry Report is a one stop place to catch up on the activity here at Cigar Coop and Stogie Geeks. It is a combination of our news reports, cigar reviews, and assessment updates we do throughout the week. We will also recap what happened on our Stogie Geeks show. Finally, each week we will look back at Cigar Coop history. Look for this report every Saturday morning at 8am Eastern time.

One Year Anniversary

One year ago this weekend, Cigar Coop launched “Cigar Week Wrap” which at the start of the 2014 Cigar Coop Cigar Year, we rebranded the “Cigar Industry Report”. Our goal was to provide a week in review recap of all things we covered on Cigar Coop. We are proud to be have published 52 consecutive Saturday mornings the cigar industry’s most comprehensive week in review. Since then, we’ve merged with Stogie Geeks and have built a cigar media ecosystem we are very proud of. All of this would not have been possible without reader and viewer support over the last year, and of course our sponsors. We look forward to continuing this series long into the future.

Feature of the Week: Espinosa 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster

This week, Espinosa Cigars and Smoke Inn showed off the first pictures of the 601 La Bomba Bunker Buster. In 2013, Espinosa Cigars put a major push on the 601 line – one of the lines it picked up from the now defunct EO Brands. The Bunker Buster represents the company’s first retail exclusive – and it goes to Smoke Inn as a part of the MicroBlend series. The MicroBlend series has become one of the most popular in the industry, and the Bunker Buster represents the eighth release in this series.

News and Previews.

E.P. Carrillo: The company has mentioned that Perez-Carrillo will be the first of something called the Generations Series. Meanwhile, V.P. of Sales Bob Moreno said on his Facebook page that the E.P. Carrillo INCH Short Run 2014 is being targeted for a March release, and that the company is also looking at Father’s Day and Holiday Gift packaging option.
Nicaraguan Cigar Festival: The third cigar festival took place from January 15 through January 18th in Managua and Esteli, Nicaragua.
Ortega Premium Cigars: Eddie Ortega posted a photo of a potential band for something called Ortega Serie Negra.
Roberto Duran Cigars: Announced a marketing promotion for Azan Cigars. The company also announced its Special Edition Maduro Natural was heading to retailers soon.
Sindicato Cigar Group: The company’s new self-titled Sindicato Cigar is expected in February. The company is also planning a maduro bundle cigar to outer its Azan lin. Finally, we reprinted a press release for the company’s 1/18/14 “Hex Me” promotion.
Torano Family Cigars: The company announced the event only Torano Limited Edition Vault Gold VLE100.

Legislative News

Delaware: The seaside community of Rehoboth Beach is considering a ban on beaches and boardwalks.
FDA: No new co-sponsors signed on to HR792. The count remains at a total of 136 co-sponsors (137 total sponsors).
Washington: The state legislature is proposing a smoking ban in automobiles that have minors on board.

Assessments

Assessment Update

Illusione Rothchildes

Stogie Geeks – Episode 80

On Episode 80, we discussed our Smokes of the Week. As a part of our segment, we were provided an unbanded cigar from listener Alex. This turned out to be the Tatuaje Cojonu 2003 Wet Pack from Federal Cigar.

We also went through Mark Jr’s Top Ten Cigars for 2013 (as he was not on Episode 79). We reviewed the Stogie Geeks Composite Top 15 list for 2013. Finally, our segment focused on taking a preview into what to expect in the cigar industry for 2014.

Here are some of the smokes we highlighted in this week’s Stogie Feed:

Casa Trompeta Nicaragua Toro
The Griffin’s Special Edition XXV
Illusione Singulare 2013 Rose Croix
Pedro Martin Limited Edition
RoMa Craft Tobac Aquitaine Blockhead

On this date January 18th…