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.
Feature of the Week: Gary Griffith Departs House of Emilio and Emilio Cigars
Gary Griffith, who was a founder of the Emilio Cigars brand, and then built a nine company distribution arm with House of Emilio has departed. House of Emilio issued a statement on social media announcing Griffith’s retirement from House of Emilio, Emilio Cigars, and his retail responsibilities at Delaware Cigars.
Southern Cigar Festival
Cigar Coop and Stogie Geeks are proud to partner with the Southern Cigar Festival. The event is being held on June 6 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, Georgia. This past week, we took a look at the Amphitheatre venue itself. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster via the event website, Cutters Cigar Emporium, and the Amphitheatre box office. Those purchasing tickets in person at Cutters Cigars will get a free cigar with their ticket purchase.
News and Previews
- 262 Cigars: The company has announced its Peacefield line, a new bundle cigar offering.
- A. Turrent: We looked at plans to release the Casa Turrent into the U.S. market.
- Caldwell Cigar Company: The Last Tsar, the company’s first limited edition cigar will ship next week.
- Camacho Cigars: The brand announced a new line debuting next month, the Camacho American Barrel-Aged. This will be a cigar that features a Corojo leaf aged in bourbon barrels.
- Davidoff: The company has opened a new Flagship Store in Amsterdam. The company also named Carlo Motti to Head Up Omni-Retail.
- Inca Cigars: We took a look at the company’s plans to expand into the U.S. market. Inca makes Peruvian puros out of a factory in Peru.
- Kristoff: We took a look at the newly shipped Kristoff Classic Reserva.
- La Flor Dominicana: The company announced the “winning blend” of their upcoming TAA release, the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47. This was a cigar that was put up for a vote among three contenders at the recent Tobacconists Association of America convention.
- Mombacho Cigars SA: The Grenada, Nicaragua based company will be releasing its Liga Maestro Heads to U.S. Market.
- Selected Tobacco: Two line extensions have been announced to the Byron line.
- Swisher International / Drew Estate: The company announced plans to expand into Asia.
- Federal: Senator Lindsey Graham [R-South Carolina] became the 16th sponsor of Senate Bill (S. 441). Three new co-sponsors have also been added to House Bill (HR 662): Rep Patrick Mc Henry [R-North Carolina], Rep Peter King {R-New York], and Rep Will Hurd [R-Texas] – the total sponsors is now at 101.
- This month’s editorial discusses press releases and the timing of announcing new product information.
- Saga Golden Age Toro
- Avo Limited Edition 2004 – Avo Legacy (Avo LE04) (Part of Avo’s Greatest Hits Sampler)
- CAO Amazon Basin
- LUJ Morpheus Anniversary #4 Maduro Box Pressed
- Senor Andre’s Chicharrones Spicy (Criollo) by Viaje
Agile Cigar Assessments
This week we welcomed Robert Caldwell of Caldwell Cigar Company as our featured guest. Our Debonaire Ideal was on “Mold in the Humidor”.
We posted Episode 137 – which contained our interviews with Phil Zanghi of Debonaire Cigars and Jason Holly of Viva Republica.
Our smokes of the week included:
Saga Blend No.7 Perfecto
Saga Golden Age Toro
Avo Limited Edition 2004 – Avo Legacy (Avo LE04) (Part of Avo’s Greatest Hits Sampler)
Avo Limited Edition Improvisation Series – Avo Classic Covers 2015
Charlie Torano Captiva Robusto
Eiroa Robusto by CLE Cigars
Hammer + Sickle Hermitage No. 1 Churchill (Collaborative Review with Blind Man’s Puff)
La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Cameroon No. 1
Nat Sherman Host Hobart
Nomad C-276 Robusto
Partagas Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso
Room 101 Namakubi Roxxo (Unbanded from Seth)
Tatuaje Gran Cojonu
Tatuaje Jekyll
- May 2nd 2011: We assessed the E.P. Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009.
- May 2nd 2012: We reposted the press release on the Torano Master Maduro.
- May 2nd 2012: We assessed the CAO Last Stick Standing (LSS): C.
- May 2nd 2013: We assessed the Alec Bradley New York.
- May 2nd 2014 We previewed the Alec Bradley Family Blend Lineage.
- May 2nd 2014: We reported on Drew Estate’s plans to distribute Tsuge Pipes in U.S. and Canada
- May 2nd 2014: We did an Assessment Update on the George Rico S.T.K. Miami American Puro Toro Grande by Gran Habano Cigars
