Category Archives: News

News: Smokin Tabacco Announces Second CF-CF Fundraiser

I was able to spend a little time with Matt and Nicole at the TPE in Vegas when I was there and they are doing good things. This is one of them! Of course, the CF-CF is a good cause, doing good work in the DR. I was quite amazed one year when my daughter bought me a Toast Across America pack for my birthday because of the charitable aspect. It’s not like her to buy me cigars! One day I hope to get back to the DR and visit the Fuentes, they make some of my favorite cigars, in the meantime, I’ll throw some support to the CF-CF whenever possible.

 

Smokin Tabacco is proud to officially announce the second Smokin  Tabacco Cigar Family Charitable Foundation Fundraiser. Last year, Smokin Tabacco raised  $7,000 for CF-CF and presented a check to Cynthia Fuente for the donation in May of last year.  This effort was made possible through a raffle system where raffle tickets were sold through  SmokinTabacco.com and numbers were emailed out. The raffle was then run and then numbers  were pulled live on The Smokin Tabacco Show announcing the winners as well as the final  amount raised. The show was The Smokin Tabacco Show’s One Year Anniversary episode and  featured guests such as William Cooper, Matt Booth, Cynthia Fuente, Kurt Kendall, Dan  Thompson and more with Jon Carney playing host. 

 

For 2022, we have set a goal to beat last year’s amount of $7,000. There will be some similar  raffle items and more this year although the final line up could change by the end as many folks  add prizes in while the raffle runs over it’s six week period. Additional prizes will be announced  as soon as they are available but so far you can win prizes from brands such as Arturo Fuente,  Room101, La Flor Dominicana, Micallef, JC Newman, Tatuaje, United Cigars and Drew Estate.  The raffle system will be a little different this year and it will be hosted via a third-party raffle  system called RallyUp instead of the Smokin Tabacco website. Tickets will be $5 a piece and as  always, the more tickets you buy the better your chances are to win. The tickets will go on sale  on Monday March 28th  at 9 AM and will run until Monday May 9th. The winners will be pulled  on a special May 10th live episode of The Smokin Tabacco Show. More information will follow  as the fundraiser proceeds.  

 

About Cigar Family Charitable Foundation 

The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation (sometimes referred to as CF-CF) began in 2001 when  long time cigar industry business partners, the Fuente and Newman families, formalized the  dream of improving people’s lives in the mountainous Bonao region of the Dominican Republic.  By focusing on families, they hoped to give the children in this cigar producing region an  opportunity for a better future. 

 

About Smokin Tabacco

Smokin Tabacco was founded in September of 2019 by Matt Tabacco. It is a cigar media blog  and news website which also includes two hit cigar podcasts known as The Smokin Tabacco  Show starring Matt Tabacco and Nicole Fantasia with occasional guest host and industry insider  Jonathan Carney of La Flor Dominicana and The Spare Notes Series with Matt Tabacco and  William Cooper of Cigar-Coop. For more information about Smokin Tabacco or to catch up on  what is happening in the industry, head over to www.SmokinTabacco.com

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News: Diesel to Release Fool’s Errand

I like a lot of the Diesel cigars, as a matter of fact, I smoked an Unholy Cocktail just last night. I think that was the first Diesel. There’s been a few here and there that I wasn’t fond of, the original Whiskey Row I didn’t get, for instance, but I really like the Sherry Cask. I look forward to giving this new series a shot.

 

Diesel will roll out a new trilogy that blends storytelling, interactivity, and cigar mastery in one. Called ”Fool’s Errand,” the new, limited edition release will ship to retailers on April 1.

 

Justin Andrews, who oversees Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s (STG) cigar collaborations and the Diesel brand says, “AJ Fernandez and I recently completed the Elixir trilogy and in that time, Diesel fans grew accustomed to our cool approach to limited edition cigars. We’re keeping the tradition alive with ‘Fool’s Errand.’ It’s our next three-year series, and we’ll launch it annually to kick off spring. With Fool’s Errand, we’re taking it to the next level by adding an interactive game to the mix. As far as the blends for Fool’s Errand go, we definitely won’t disappoint.”

The first Fool’s Errand release is called “Stubborn Fool.” Blended by AJ Fernandez and Justin Andrews, this full-bodied expression is made with a highly-sought-after Connecticut Broadleaf that has been used in previous Diesel releases. The filler is a hardy blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos beneath a Honduran Jamastran binder. In Stubborn Fool, dark chocolate, coffee, leather, cedar and light spice come together on the palate for an invigorating smoking experience.

 

 

Stubborn Fool is being released in one size, a 5” x 58 perfecto chosen because it “expresses the blend well,” according to AJ and Justin.

 

For the premiere of the Fool’s Errand series, the Stubborn Fool character will be introduced via a collectible tarot card inside the box. The card contains a QR code that, when activated, will launch an interactive game which invites the cigar smoker to complete the Stubborn Fool’s errand by solving a series of riddles. Special Diesel Fool’s Errand prizes created specifically for the Stubborn Fool character will be awarded at random to the top 10 participants.

 

In addition to the annually-released blends, new characters will be introduced annually for the next two years to complete the trilogy.

 

Justin Andrews hints, “The opposite of a fool is someone who’s wise, so if a wise person were to buy a box of Stubborn Fool smokes, they would put the tarot card in a safe place for the future…”

 

Diesel Fool’s Errand Stubborn Fool is handmade at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigars will come in 10-count boxes.

 

Diesel Fool’s Errand Stubborn Fool (5” x 58); SRP per cigar $9.99

 

Diesel cigars are produced by Scandinavian Tobacco Group and distributed by Forged Cigar Company.

 

About Diesel

Handcrafted by artisans in Esteli, Nicaragua, Diesel cigars are “bold by design.” The brand challenges the current conventions of the handmade cigar category through the bold, unapologetic style of its Cigar Master, AJ Fernandez. Diesel cigars are unified by their deeply complex flavor which is achieved through AJ’s steadfast adherence to time honored cigar making techniques and his insistence on using the highest quality tobacco. The Diesel portfolio includes Hair of the Dog which was released in 2019; Whiskey Row which launched two expressions, one in 2019 and one in 2018, and Diesel Grind which debuted in 2017. For more information, visit www.dieselcigars.com.

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News: Drew Estate Releases New Gordo Size Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Exclusively for the Van Winkle Family

Just throwing this out there on a Saturday morning. I really enjoy the Pappy Family Reserve Cigar, it’s almost like a really, really refined Kentucky Fire Cured to me.

 

Drew Estate and Pappy & Company are teaming up once again to add the new Gordo (6 x 60) vitola to the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented premium cigar line. Crafted for connoisseurs who love large ring gauge cigars, the Gordo will launch on March 19 and will be initially available exclusively on Pappy & Company’s website, pappyco.com, before becoming accessible to Drew Diplomat Program participants nationwide in 2023.

 

Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigars are the result of a close collaboration between Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate, and the Van Winkle family to pay homage to Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle and the unparalleled bourbon legacy he began creating more than a century ago. The cigars feature a Tapa Negra-style Kentucky Fire-Cured and barrel-aged wrapper over a Mexican San Andres base wrapper, as well as aged Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Kentucky Fire-Cured filler tobaccos. Medium- to full-bodied, Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigars offer an ultra-premium smoking experience with notes of coffee, cedar and charred wood and an overall smoky sweetness that pairs perfectly with bourbon, whisky or scotch.


“Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented cigars are a symbol of quality, distinction and rarity, just like our family’s bourbon,” says Carrie Van Winkle Greener, Co-Founder of Pappy & Company “We are proud of our collaboration with Jonathan and the rest of the Drew Estate team to produce a completely one-of-a-kind cigar that deepens our family’s legacy for producing authentic handcrafted high-quality products and expands our already widely popular collection of Barrel Fermented cigars.”


“Pappy Barrel Fermented stands alone as the most difficult, complex blend we have ever produced due to the intricate level of leaf processing in both Kentucky and Louisiana, as well as leaf placement at the factory floor,” adds Jonathan. “Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented is complicated to produce, and this is the singular reason that we produce very few of them.”



Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented Gordo cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes with an MSRP of $175/box or $17.50/cigar. They will be available exclusively at pappyco.com beginning on March 19.

 

 
ABOUT DREW ESTATE

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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News: CAO Presents Pilón Añejo

Here’s some news from General Cigar about a new CAO cigar, which is interesting since Rick Rodriguez recently announced that he will be retiring after 22 years with the company.  I’ve known Ricky for a long time, although I never get a call when he’s in the area, like right now!  I’d love to have gotten to see him one last time. Maybe he’ll stop by Son’s tomorrow night, but I somehow doubt it.  I’ve liked a lot of what he’s done with CAO, and I think his contributions will be missed, to the point where I wonder what will become of the line. I enjoy the Pilón line, I look forward to trying this aged version, especially up against some old Pilóns I have in my humidor! 

 

CAO is set to launch a blend called Pilón Añejo which pairs labor-intensive fermentation and finished cigar aging to deliver a cigar of great depth and character.

 

The limited-edition line will ship to retailers in April and a total of 5,000 boxes will be released in the US.

 

 

CAO Pilón Añejo is made with the same circular pilón fermentation technique as CAO Pilón, the collection that launched in 2015. However, that is where the similarities end. CAO Pilón Añejo features a unique blend of tobaccos that are met with aging after the cigar is finished, to release an intriguingly complex smoke.

 

Rick Rodriguez, CAO’s blender/ambassador commented, “With CAO Pilón Añejo, we’ve combined pilón fermentation which does such incredible things to the tobacco, with a full two years of aging of the finished cigars. Together, these methods add a whole new dimension to the blend. We’ve ultimately created a layered smoking experience that we could not have achieved through any other processes. This cigar is just a pleasure to smoke, and the team and I are really proud of it.”

 

Handcrafted in Honduras at STG’s HATSA factory, CAO Pilón Añejo relies on the pilón process of natural fermentation to heighten the smoking experience and aesthetics of the Cuban seed Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. The blend is rich and savory, consisting of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, beneath a Honduran Habano binder. CAO Pilón Añejo is a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that bears a deep, rich color and an array of notes including wood, earth and toast, with a touch of spice.

 

CAO Pilón Añejo will be presented in 20-count boxes, in the three sizes listed below.

 

CAO Pilon Añejo Robusto (5.5” x 54) —  SRP per cigar $8.89

CAO Pilon Añejo Toro (6” x 52) —  SRP per cigar $8.99

CAO Pilon Añejo Gigante  (5.88” x 60) —  SRP per cigar $9.29

 

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News: Black Works Studio Announces Tiger Series Cigars

Here’s some news from the folks at Black Works Studio/Black Label Trading Co.  I’m going to have to scrounge through the humidor to find something from BLTC to smoke tonight. I look forward to getting ahold of some of these cigars, I know there’s a BLTC event coming to Son’s in the next couple months, and I’m a sucker for fancy cigars.  

 

Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the release of its Tiger Series; NEON TIGER, TIGER LILY and KHAN: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

 

These will be available at select BLK WKS retailer events beginning this month. 

 

“Given it’s the Year of the Tiger we wanted to release our Tiger Series in the US. These have previously only been available in Europe and as Factory Exclusives since 2017. These cigars will be released as event only boxes in very limited quantities. I wanted to offer something special for our retailers who support us with events,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC & BLK WKS and owner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

 

NEON TIGER

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Candela, Connecticut and Ecuador Maduro 

Binder: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Robusto – 5 x 48 (13 count) MSRP $18.00

 

KHAN

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuador Maduro, Candela and Connecticut

Binger: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Robusto – 5 x 50 (13 count) MSRP $18.00

 

TIGER LILY

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Connecticut, Candela and Ecuador Maduro

Binger: Ecuador Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

Toro – 6 x 48 (13 count) MSRP $18.00

 

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco behind our boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra. BLK WKS cigars are available for purchase through Oveja Negra Brands. For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com.

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