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.
The CIGAR INDUSTRY REPORT HITS ITS 100th Edition
This week is the 100th edition of the “Cigar Industry Report”. The Cigar Industry Report debuted back on January 26th, 2013. When Cigar Coop became a 365 day/year website in 2012, a weekly wrap-up soon became a necessity. Not only is this the 100th edition, but this is the 100th consecutive week we published this weekly wrap-up. There are a lot of weekly recaps, but we believe we have the longest continuous active streak for publishing this.
We thank you for your support – and how the Industry Report has been informative and useful.
Stogie Geeks Studio C is Coming to North Carolina
Over the next few weeks we will now be adding studio equipment to where the show is recorded in NC. This top of the line equipment includes an HD Camera, a professional audio mixer, new microphones, and studio lighting. This will also give us the ability to bring in live guests and do remote shows in the North Carolina area. This will supplement our Rhode Island Studio which remains the hub for Cigar Media’s only multi-camera broadcast. Be sure to check us out and look for more announcements coming soon.
Aged Selects 2014 Cigar of the Year Countdown
In a Cigar Coop December tradition, we began a daily countdown of the Top 30 Cigars for the Yea for 2014. This is the fifth consecutive year for the countdown. We are proud to welcome Aged Selects as our official sponsor.
We outlined our vision and criteria in this month’s Editor’s Corner. Here were this week’s selections #25 through #19:
#25: Viva Republica Propaganda
#29: A.J. Fernandez New World
#28: Viaje Plata Lancero
#27: Regius of London Claro Especial Exclusivo U.S.A
#21: Federal Cigar 93rd Anniversary Reserve No. 2 by Oliva
#20: Tortuga 215 Reserva El Coyote Negro by Legacy Brands
#19: J. Grotto Anniversary by Ocean State Cigars
Feature of the Week: Davidoff Brand Revamping
While it was a slow week, the big news came out of Davidoff. This week, announcements for revamping a couple of brands in the Davidoff portfolio were made. This includes the Winston Churchill and Avo brands. While the Winston Churchill rebranding was announced last month, full details of the new Davidoff Winston Churchill were announced in New York. Later in the week, the Avo details were announced.
News and Previews
- Cubanacan Cigars: The company has shipped the long awaited HR Cigar. We assessed this cigar over the past week.
- Davidoff: The company made additional announcements around its Davidoff Art Initiative at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida.
- Kafie Cigars: The company announced their second Kafie 1901 blend, the Kafie 1901 Connecticut is slated for February 2015.
- California: The city of San Francisco has announced it will reduce the amount of tobacco permits available in half. This will be accomplished through attrition. This law was passed unanimously by the city’s board of supervisors.
- FDA: Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) has signed on as a co-sponsor to S772. The number of co-sponsors is at 16 (17 Sponsors total). No new co-sponsors have signed on to HR792. The total remains at 167 co-sponsors (168 total sponsors).
Assessments
- Black Label Trading Company Deliverance Corona
- Cubanacan HR Sublime
- Espinosa Laranja Reserva Corona Gorda
- La Palina Black Label Robusto
This week’s Stogies of the Week included:
Aged Selects Maduro Toro Grande
Cubanacan HR Sublime
Hammer + Sickle LE14
Soneros Habano Claro Toro (Collaborative Unbanded Review with Blind Man’s Puff)
- December 13th 2010: We unveiled our #18 Cigar for 2010 – the My Father Limited Edition 2010.
- December 13th 2011: We unveiled our #18 Cigar for 2011 – the My Uzi Weighs a Ton (MUWAT) by Subculture Studios/Joya de Nicaragua.
- December 13th 2011: We reprinted a press releae announcing James Suckling’s documentary, The Heart and Soul of Cuba.
- December 13th 2012 We assessed the Viaje Holiday Blend 2012.
- December 13th 2012 We unveiled our #18 Cigar for 2012 – the El Primer Mundo Clase Reserva.
- December 13th 2013 We unveiled our #18 Cigar for 2013 – the Draig Cayuquero by Emilio Cigars.
- December 13th 2013: We did an Assessment Update on the E-Stunner Brahman by E.P. Carrillo.