Tag Archives: Ezra Zion

by CigarCraig | September 16, 2018 · 10:06 am

Wooden Indian Drew Estate Charity Pig Roast and Some Nomad Cigar Acquisition Questions

Yesterday I attended the 8th annual Wooden Indian Drew Estate Charity event, and I think it was the most successful so far, at least it was the one I personally enjoyed the most. The setting is the Wooden Indian Tobacconist in Havertown, PA, in the shop, in a tent on the front lawn of the shop, and on the driveway along the side of the building (which, conveniently, maybe, is next door to the local fire department…how often do we see cigar stores near firehouses? hmm…). Dave and his staff always do a great job with this event. I’m not quite sure how $20 pre-event registration which includes a $20 store credit toward Drew Estate purchase the day of the event and the pig roast works out, but I bought in and re-supplied some favorites that I like to have around. Pedro Gomez, the Factory Spokesperson for Drew Estate, and my longtime friend, was there, and I like to catch up with him when he’s around. You may remember that I talked to him on the Barnsmoker episode of the CigarCraig Podcast, if not, go back and give it a listen! The Pig was delicious, the fellowship with the attendees was excellent, and the cigars, of course, were great. I started with a MUWAT Swamp Thang Toro, because I like that cigar, hadn’t had one in a while and had a hankerin’ for one! It’s almost become a tradition for me to smoke a Nica Rustica El Brujito with Pedro when I see him because we have a mutual connection to that cigar, so I had one of those as well. The main event at this, er, event, was the auction of unique and interesting Drew Estate goodies, including several pieces of original artwork by Jessi Flores of Subculture Studios. There were several serious bidders in the crowd, and a couple bidding by proxy on the phone (who had deep pockets and won the majority of the big-ticket items). In an interesting turn of events, an item came up that had been auctioned off at this same event in 2012, and is documented on my site here, and would be hanging on my own wall if not for the persistence of the person who had to have the piece, and ended up selling it later. It took a circuitous route, but through the generosity of the gentlemen who ended up with it, it generated several hundred more dollars for charity. I’m told that over $11,000 was raised for Operation: Cigars for Warriors at this event, which is quite impressive. The event was well attended, although many of the people I have seen at the event in the past were absent, however there seem to have been a ton of events happening around the northeast yesterday, Buffalo, New York, New Hampshire, all had some big events going on. I would recommend keeping an eye open for 2019’s Wooden Indian Annual Charity Pig Roast, considering what I saw yesterday, I can’t imagine it won’t be even more spectacular. Once again, kudos’ to Dave Mayer and his staff, Ray, Alex and Pedro from Drew Estate, and all the supporting cast members who made this all possible, and to those who attended and supported the excellent cause!

Editorial

This week it was announced that Ezra Zion Cigars acquired Nomad Cigar Company from Fred Rewey (for an undisclosed amount of bacon, but that not important to my editorial on this). This was reported on Cigar Coop, Halfwheel and Cigar Federation (which is owned by the owners of Ezra Zion Cigars, by the way), and I would probably have published a news item if Gmail hadn’t sorted the e-mail into a lesser viewed folder for me, I would have been late to the party anyway. This transaction left me with some questions, so I figured I’d throw them out here and see if it generates any discussion. To understand what I find interesting about this we have to go back a few years. I first met Chris and Kyle at the 2012 IPCPR show when they had a booth debuting both Cigar Federation and Ezra Zion Cigars together, at the time neither was selling cigars direct to consumer, Cigar Federation was a start-up cigar community and blog site, Ezra Zion was a new cigar line. I developed a good relationship with these guys, one I hope, continues to this day. Eventually, Ezra Zion came to be one of the brands distributed by the House of Emilio, distribution company which had its roots with Gary Griffith and Delaware Cigars, and LJ Zucca Co., which had as many as nine boutique brands under its umbrella at one point. for a few years, maybe 2014, 2015, the House of Emilio was huge, they had a national sales force, Nate McEntire (now with Miami Cigar & Co) was once leading it, and Kyle and Chris of Ezra Zion were heading it at one point too (which may seem like a bit of a conflict of interest, when the sales force s reporting to one of several brand owners?). Over a relatively short period of time, Gary Griffith retires (deservedly so, some say he was close to 900 years old!), several brands either take their distribution elsewhere, or, in the case of Ezra Zion, direct to consumer. I may have the timeline a little off, but somewhere in here House of Emilio changes the name to Boutiques United (which Dave Garafalo, I assume, challenged), then Boutiques Unified. The last couple of years Boutiques Unified has represented the Emilio brand, Black Label Trading Co/Black Works Studio, and Nomad. Running Parallel to the above timeline, Chris and Kyle sold Cigar Federation, which eventually became the online storefront for Delaware Cigars, which I mentioned above was owned by LJ Zucca, and associated closely with what’s now Boutiques Unified. Last year Chris and Kyle bought back Cigar Federation, so now they own the online storefront for, what we’ll call for simplicity’s sake, the company they used to be the sales managers for, but left. Now, they have bought one of the last brands in the Boutiques Unified stable and intend to distribute it themselves. My question/confusion in this is does this leave BU (I’m tired if typing Boutiques Unified) as basically the sales organization for Black Label/Black Works? Granted, Oveja Negra is a hot factory, and seems to be worthy of its own representation, is it big enough? Is the Emilio brand have enough legs any more? I honestly don’t know if the AF1 and AF2 are in production any more or not, the new Grimalkin is exceptional, but is made at Oveja Negra. Where does Ezra Zion and Nomad fit in, not to mention all the Cigar Federation cigars, are they still a thing? I’ll admit I lost track of a lot of the small batch crazy stuff EZ did after they left wider distribution (I live in an area that had pretty good BU representation). I have to assume that things are good between the EZ guys and the Delaware Cigars guys and there’s no animosity, right? I find it all very interesting, I’m probably the only one, and I apologize for boring you all with this rambling nonsense, I’m just trying to make sense of all this. I certainly get why Fred sold Nomad so he could concentrate on his social media joke telling, obviously cigars were getting in the way of the quality in that department!

**note: I just saw an email from a retailer saying they were discontinuing the Nomad line because the only reason they kept it on was the relationship they had with Fred, the sales weren’t enough to sustain it in their shop. – edit 9/17 **

That’s way more than enough for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

2 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Events, Review

Tagged as Boutiques Unified, cigar, cigars, drew estate, Emilio, Ezra Zion, Nomad, Operation: Cigars For Warriors, wooden indian

by CigarCraig | March 15, 2015 · 9:06 am

A 1502 Corona or Two or Three, an Ezra Zion, and a New Humidor

I’m on a House of Emilio kick this week. Enrique at Global Premium Cigars recently released his three core lines in corona sizes, and I was lucky enough to have a couple of each arrive in my mailbox a week or so ago. Thursday I grabbed one of the 1502 Cigars Black Gold Coronas, who would expect otherwise? I’ve been a fan of the 1502 line in general and the Black Gold in specific. All the coronas are 5½ x 42, and are box pressed, and my ScrewPop 2.0 punch was the perfect diameter to fit the cap. The burn and draw were perfect, the flavors were dark and rich with some spice. The San Andrés wrapper on this is dark with a nice sheen of oil. As I think back to last May when I smoked the 1502 Lanceros last, I liked the Emerald the best, where I enjoy the Black Gold more in the larger ring gauge. I’m interested to see if that is the case with the Coronas.

To mix things up a little, Friday I wrapped up the week with another cigar from the House of Emilio family, the Ezra Zion Eminence in the Belicoso Gran Toro size. That’s a unique name for this, it would be like calling a Fuente Don Carlos No.4 a Torpedo Petite Corona, I guess. It’s 5″ x 58, so calling it a Belicoso would have sufficed. This is another cigar with a San Andrés maduro wrapper that started off really spicy and smooths out over the course of the smoke. It’s reasonably strong too, so better to smoke this on a full belly. The cigar performed admirable, burning and drawing well after snipping a bit of the tapered head off with the scissors. I really like using the scissors for pointy headed cigars. This had been in my humidors for a year or two, long enough for me to have forgotten when I got it, and long enough for it to settle a little more than my prior experience (here)! Another great cigar from Chris and Kyle at Ezra Zion.

Just so you know, this is NOT the new humidor I bought, but one that came to my attention and I though it would make sense to bring up. The folks at Brown Safe like cigars and take cigar storage seriously. I’ll be heading over to their place when the nukes go off or Armageddon hits because they will be the only ones with cigars that are still in perfect condition!

The special-edition Cigar Safe features a custom sealed Spanish cedar interior for storing and aging cigars, in addition to state of the art security features Brown Safe is known for. The Cigar Safe is a celebration of everything the modern man cherishes….and often wants to keep to himself. Ballistic steel, fire cladding, anti-drive, and triple redundant relockers come standard, and complement the carbon fiber accents and integrated Thermo/Hygrometer from esteemed maritime instrument maker Wempe Chronometerwerke Maritim. Depending on features, price for the new special edition Man Safe ranges from $7,800 – $22,500

Just a little something for the man who has everything! I have more modest needs, so I went with the Lemans from 1st Class Cigar Humidors. I purchased this from Keith there because he’s been a long time supporter of the site, but make no mistake, I did purchase it! It arrived yesterday and I’m in the process of seasoning it before filling it up (I suppose if I “fill” it I’m going to have some ‘splaining to to, since my wife asked if I was sure if it would be big enough. I love that woman! It was her Christmas present to me) I was quite relieved to find that Victor Vitale has the same humidor and gave it a good endorsement. More pics as I fill it, but I put the Cigar Oasis unit in, and filled up the old school humidifiers up with distilled water (these will, no doubt, be replaced at some point) and it’s looking pretty good sitting at about 75% over night. I want it to be at about 65% before I load it up. It arrived in good shape, it was very well packed, and I ‘ve got a huge pile of cardboard and styrofoam to dispose of! The order process was smooth and I was notified when it shipped, no complaints at all with the service from 1st Class Cigar Humidors. I’m looking forward to not having to rummage through coolers!

While I was waiting I indulged in a 1502 Emerald corona, another 5 x 42 box pressed beauty from Enrique Sanchez. It rained all day, so I sat on my covered front porch waiting for the delivery. Very much like the Lancero series, I think the Emerald might be my favorite of the three. While it’s on the milder side in comparison with the others, it’s loaded with flavor, and very well balanced. I enjoyed the cigar very much, although I had to keep waiting for the delivery. they had given me a 9:30-5 delivery window, and when 6:00 rolled around I decided to fire up the 1502 Ruby corona and walk up and down the street. Wouldn’t you know the driver finally called to say he was running late (well duh), and would be there in 20 minutes. I still really liked the Ruby Corona, it falls solidly in between the Emerald and the Black Gold in strength, and has a hearty flavor with hint of sweetness. As the truck pulled in, I had to abandon the cigar before the band, which I hated doing, so I’ll revisit this one in the near future. The coronas are terrific, on a par with the terrificness of the lanceros. I’m a big fan of the whole line anyway, but these smaller ring gauge cigars add a whole new dimension. Well done, Enrique, and thank you to Gary Griffith at the House of Emilio for sharing these goodies!

I was going to have a contest today, but things got a little busy. Look for something on Wednesday, it’ll be good. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

9 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as 1502 Cigars, 1st Class Cigar Humidors, cigar, cigars, Ezra Zion, House of Emilio, humidor

by CigarCraig | January 21, 2015 · 9:07 pm

Ezra Zion, East India Trading Co. Classic Cigar and an Orchant Seleccion by Oliva

With all the talk of the lifting of Cuban Embargo, and all the speculation that goes along with it, it got me thinking about what happens when the embargo is actually lifted and Cuban cigars make their way to US retailers shelves. Of course, there will be a huge number of people who want to try what was the forbidden fruit, and the Cuban cigar industry will be struggling to meet the demand. It seems to me that opening the US market will effectively double that demand. One point I never hear discussed is that Cuba struggles now to meet the global demand, and Cuban cigars, as they are now, need to rest for a good couple of years before they reach their potential. I can see the initial deliveries of cigars being fresh, and potentially turning off the new smokers out to try that which hasn’t been available for the last 50 plus years, due to the cigars not being ready. This theory of mine also supposes that Cuban cigars will come in at the same quality that they are at now, not that they will be rushing poorly grown and processed leaf to the factories to crank out an additional several million cigars to meet the demand. If the embargo is a few years from being lifted, the cigars will be another few years until they are really ready to be smoked! Just a few thoughts that roll around my head as I’m listening to speculation being bandied about!

So Monday, after struggling mightily with a migraine on Sunday, I reached for an Ezra Zion FHK in the Truth size. This is a 7″ x 44 cigar, a long lonsdale, or fat lancero, I’m not sure which. This cigar is in their Honor series, and the FHK stands for Fathers of Hoover and Kelly, a tribute to the forefathers of the founders of Ezra Zion cigars (who, incidentally, also founded The Cigar Federation website, Kyle and Chris, not their forefathers). It’s a beautiful box pressed cigar with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Indonesian binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Brazil, made at the Placencia factory in Esteli. This was a very enjoyable cigar, smooth with a nice espresso flavor, lacking the rough edges I generally associate with the Mexican leaf. I’m sure the Brazilian leaf helps to temper that some, and while I’m not a fan of Indonesian tobacco, it’s pretty neutral and doesn’t detract from the blend. It’s a very nice smoke, like most of the cigars I’ve smoked from the Ezra Zion line.

Tuesday I found myself in one of my “I don’t know what I want to smoke” moods, so, after some rummaging around I decided to choose an East Indie Trading Company Classic Cigar Habano Blend Robusto from a box which was a recent gift from the folks at Gurkha (many thanks!). I’ve smoked a few of this cigar in the toro size, and it was a good smoke, but this one surprised me with a minty quality. It was quite refreshing and unusual. It’s another box pressed cigar, measuring 5½ x 52, and my main complaint was that it smoked a bit too fast for my liking. I suppose that was a good thing, since I wanted to watch the Flyers play the Penguins, which was a very entertaining game. So I had a full evening of entertainment, first with a cigar that was very refreshing, then with a great fight, where a hockey game broke out! I’m very interested to see if that cool, refreshing mintyness is present in more of these. If you’ve smoked this vitola, please let me know in the comments if you got the same sensation.

Tonight I knew exactly what I wanted to smoke, it was just a matter of choosing a size. Last week, Mitchell Orchant, of CGars Ltd. in the UK, released his Orchant Seleccion by Oliva in three sizes, Skinny (5 x 43), Short (5 x 50) and Chubby (4 x 60,). in boxes of 10 and limited to 500 boxes per size. Mitchell is the UK distributor for Oliva Cigars, and this series will only be available in the UK. I chose Chubby, it being a very American thing to do, I think, as I don’t imagine the 60 ring as as popular in jolly ole England as it is here. Word on the street is that this is based on the Serie V blend, although the wrapper is lighter in color and rather flawless in appearance. The wrapper is Ecuador Sumatra, like the Serie V Melanio, with Nicaraguan filler. It smoked very smooth and flavorful, really a delicious smoke that I feel bad about telling you about since it’s damn near impossible to get on this side of the pond. The construction was perfect, the draw was open as a non-plugged Havana cigar generally should be, and it was a very enjoyable smoke. I look forward to Mitch releasing his Inka line of Peruvian puros here in the US, but in the mean time, I will certainly enjoy smoking this exclusive Orchant Seleccion Oliva cigar, as I’m certain it will be a hit in the UK, especially at the modest price points comparatively (the most expensive in the line being around $15 USD, in the land of very expensive cigars). Thanks to Mitchell for sharing these fab smokes! Blimey, it was the dogs bollocks!

Please join me in welcoming Stogies World Class Cigars to the CigarCraig.com family! For as long as it appears on their ad on the left sidebar, there’s a 10% off coupon code, Craig10, you can use, and they also offer free shipping! They love lanceros there and have several shop exclusives, and will soon have the Fratello lancero to add to their portfolio.

That’s it for today’s installment! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

9 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Cuban Embargo, East India Trading Co., Ezra Zion, Gurkha, oliva

by CigarCraig | November 23, 2014 · 8:41 am

Crux Cigars and a House of Emilio Event at The Wooden Indian

Friday night’s smoke was an interesting one. Back in August I picked up an interesting cigar, the Crux Ninfamaniac Dark. Â This is a cool 7″ x 33 cigar is based on an old Cuban size, the Ninfa. The difference is that the Cuban Ninfa size is a parejo, and this Ninfamaniac is tapered on both ends. It’s a really nice looking cigar and it’s priced pretty reasonably, about $6. Â I should have picked up the lighter wrapped version as well, the difference being that the dark version has a sungrown Habano wrapper grown in Jalapa, while the lighter one might be shade grown (I’m assuming based upon the description on their website, listing one as “Habano Jalapa” and one as “Habano Sungrown Jalapa”. Having not visited Jalapa, I can’t say if the grow shade grown wrapper or not). Â This cigar is fun to smoke. It’s got a great flavor, rich, chewy, really nice. It burned very well and had a burn time similar to that of a Robusto sized cigar. Â An added benefit is that it’s easy to manage with gloves on, which is an important thing when it’s flippin’ cold out! Â I can see keeping some of these around, they don’t take up a lot of space! Â Based on this cigar, I look forward to trying their other offerings, for a new company it seems like they’re doing things right.

Saturday I went down to Havertown, PA to the Wooden Indian for a House of Emilio event. Â The owner of the shop’s son, Alex, recently became the northeast area rep for Emilio, and Gary Griffith was also on hand. I haven’t seen Gary in quite a while, which is a shame because he doesn’t live far away, but I’ve been missing his Delaware Cigar Festival for he last couple years and we just haven’t crossed paths. Â They did something a little interesting that I thought was pretty neat. They had made samplers up of cigars from five of the House of Emilio brands, in mild, medium and strong categories. I picked up one of the medium samplers, which included a 1502 Nicaragua, a Nomad S-307, an Emilio Mia Dora, a 1502 Ruby and an Ezra Zion FHK. For $28 this was a really nice selection. Â I also picked up a 1502 Black Gold Toro and an Ezra Zion Tantrum PA. Â I promptly lit up the 1502 Nicaragua and proceeded to catch up with Alex and Gary. Â I also was hanging out with a couple of Social Media celebrities from the north Joisey area, Matty Rock and Peter Totaro, who stopped in for the event (and went on to visit the cheese steak shops in Philly, much to the delight of the local economy! Imagine turning these two loose in the Reading Terminal Market!). Â Also in attendance was Alex Hirsh, of Evil Genius Cigars. The 1502 Nicaragua is a fine cigar, certainly medium and well balanced. I think I prefer the Ruby and Black Gold lines, but this was certainly a great cigar. Â I followed that up with the Ezra Zion Tantrum PA, with is a longer version of the Tantrum, measuring 6Â½ x 44. Â Once again, this was a very good smoke. Â I think the added length tempers the blend a little as the Tantrum was a very strong cigar. Â Full of hearty flavor and it burned perfectly, although I dropped an ash on the way to the ashtray. The shop had a lot of traffic, which is probably pretty normal for a cold Saturday afternoon. Â Dave Mayer had a lot of interesting and hard to find cigars in his shop, including some of the original Ezra Zion Inceptions, and some hard to find Liga Privada Unicos. Â As always, it was a great event, if you find your self in the Philadelphia area, The Wooden Indian has to be a shop to visit.

When I got home I took a walk with the dog and a Nomad C-295 robusto. This is a nice, box pressed robusto that is made at the AJ Fernandez factory in Esteli. The blend has five filler tobaccos, including some from Ometepe, for which the cigar is named in a rather roundabout way. Â In Fred Rewey’s own words: “The name C-276 also has a back story. The â€œCâ€ is for ConcepciÃ³n, one of two volcanoes on Ometepe Island. â€œ276â€³ is the square kilometers of the island.” Â I’ve really enjoyed this cigar in the past, it’s loaded with dark, lush flavors, just like a strong espresso, which is a profile I enjoy. This is probably better if you haven’t already had two cigars over the course of the day, but it has the horsepower to cut through and deliver a satisfying smoking experience. On a side note, I’m hooked on the ScrewPop PunchÂ 2.0, as I have been using it exclusively. It makes a clean punch like a hot knife through butter. By the way, I finally got in touch with Jeff K, and his ScrewPop Punch (and maybe something to test it out on) will go out in tomorrow’s mail. Back to the Nomad, it’s a darned tasty smoke, worth a try.

That’s it for today, back to the new house to do some work so we can get moved in next week. Also, the 12DoSCG humidor is almost filled to capacity! It’s going to be a pretty amazing couple weeks, folks! I just have to get to taking some pictures and getting the posts ready to go. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

7 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as 1502 Cigars, cigar, cigars, Crux, Emilio, Ezra Zion, Ninfamaniac, Nomad, wooden indian

by CigarCraig | July 20, 2014 · 9:40 am

Ezra Zion, Leccia, A Rocky Patel Pre-Release and Loads of Cigar News

After the trilogy of good luck with the fine line of cigars from Bombay Tobac at the start of the week, I felt the need to take no chances. I started the week well, I was going to finish this week off right! Â I smoke a lot of different cigars, and I have to admit, while the almost all have some redeeming qualities, not all of them are what I’m looking for in terms of personal satisfaction. Â I know the difference between a good cigar, and one I really like, so I feel comfortable reporting on various cigars, but sometimes you just want to smoke some cigars you love. Â I’m also going to share some news I’ve received over the course of the week.

Thursday was a beautiful evening. I had been listening to the CigarChat in podcast version, featuring Kyle and Chris from Ezra Zion Cigars, and formerly the owners of Cigar Federation, which hosts CigarChat. Â I listen in podcast form as I just never seem to be sitting in front of a monitor when the shows are on. This is true for all of the shows I listen to, I prefer to listen in the car, or on my walks. It would be fun to participate in the various chatrooms associated with some of these shows, I just always seem to be doing something else…but I digress. Â I had a Ezra Zion Jamias VuÂ Corona Gorda Box Press 6Â½x52 (not really a corona gorda, but a toro) in my humidor which called my name. I really liked this cigar when it came out and was called Inception, and I like the Inception name better than Jamais Vu, but the cigar remains the same. It’s rich, dark, smooth and satisfying. Just about everything I look for in a smoke. It features mature tobacco, all Nicaraguan and all aged five to six years. You can taste the quality. Â So far, these guys do it right, and were pretty hysterical on the CigarChat show.

Friday I needed the slam dunk, so I picked one of my favorite cigars so far this year, the Leccia Luchador, in the 6″x60 El Castigo size. I wanted a smoking experience longer than the robusto, Â so I went large. Â For me, I love the El Castigo, but I think the robusto better represents what’s really special about this cigar. The larger size downplays that jalapeÃ±o cocoa flavor I find in the smaller vitola. I want to get around to trying the other two sizes, the El Guapo Toro and Loco Perfecto to see what they bring to the table. Â If you haven’t tried the Luchador line yet, and you like great cigars, give it a shot.

Saturday we spent the day laying sod where our back patio used to be. Â If the ground were just at about waist level, this job would have been much easier on my back. All the lifting, moving, bending, etc. killed me. Â For a reason I haven’t figured out, be it exhaustion, or blind faith, I decided that evening’s walk would be a great time to try a new cigar from Rocky Patel‘s Decade line. This has a flawless Cameroon wrapper, and, to my knowledge, is not out yet, and may be debuting later today at the IPCPR show in Vegas. I happen to love some Cameroon wrapper now and then, it has a unique sweet flavor I refer to as Camerooniness. Â I took a chance on a new, untried cigar to wrap up my week of great smokes, and got lucky. Â This was a wonderful, medium bodied smoke with a perfect burn. It had the nice, flat ash that shows me how much care went into selecting tobaccos that all burn at the same rate. Â Smooth, balanced, and darned yummy.Thanks to our local RP rep, Mark, for setting me up with this one. Â It’s a great cigar that I’ll be on the hunt for.

News

I’ve been inundated with press releases this week, and I’m sure you’ve seen most of this elsewhere, but I just want share it anyway.

First, a scoop from Victor Vitale of Legacy Brands on his Tortuga Reserva Cedro No.10:

The teaser on theÂ Tortuga Reserva Cedro No.Â 10 is that itâ€™s the third addition to myÂ Cedro Series. As you can see, Â itâ€™s a bit larger 6.5×58 however still packs the power of my Cedro No. 5. There are not many boxes of this made and it will *not be onÂ display at the show. This is going to be held back until the fall due to the limited quantity produced and inability to meet the already existing demand. Iâ€™m going to complete the fullÂ production, properly rest the additional cigars and deliver in the fall.Â

Â *Box qty 36

*Original productionÂ number 7,200 (set for July delivery – but will stay at the factory until the fall)Â

*Total 2014Â production number is 18,000 cigars for the Cedro No.10

This is exciting as I really enjoy the Cedro line, it’s refined and delicious! Â Looking forward to smoking more of the Coyote Negros too!

The rest of these I’m going to present the press releases as I received them, which I know is the lazy way to do it, but I’m lazy, what can I say!

First, from 1502 Cigars:

Contact: Enrique SanchezÂ
Email: info@globalpremiumcigars.comÂ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Global Premium Cigars Releases New Cigar, the 1502 Nicaragua

Miami, Florida, July 16, 2014Â

Global Premium Cigars is pleased to announce the release of its newest cigar, the 1502 Nicaragua.Â Global Premium Cigars is a tobacco company which is proud of its Nicaraguan heritage. The new cigar continues the company’s tradition of excellence and is the only cigar in the 1502 cigars line that is 100% pure Nicaraguan tobacco.

Nicaragua is one of only two countries in the world which can produce cigars entirely from their tobacco. The 1502 Nicaragua epitomizes this birthright, as it is made from tobacco from all four regions of Nicaragua: Esteli, Condega, Jalapa, Ometepe.

“This cigar was created for my newborn son. So that he never forgets his roots – 100% Nicaraguan,” said Enrique Sanchez, President of Global Premium Cigars.

The 1502 Nicaragua is packaged in a golden wrapper with a white band. It is a medium to medium-plus cigar that is stronger than the 1502 Line’s Emerald. The cigar will be available in the Robusto vitola, measuring 5 X 50, and in boxes of 30 cigars, box pressed. Retailers are urged to order them in time for their customers.

For more information please email info@globalpremiumcigars.com or contact via the website: globalpremiumcigars.com

###

From La Flor Dominicana:

La Flor Dominicana
123 San Lorenzo Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33146-1513
Phone- (800)543-7131
Fax – (305)443-7985
ligero@laflordominicana.com

La Flor Dominicana to introduce new items at 82nd IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas this year.

Coral Gables, FL July 16th 2014 – La Flor Dominicana will introduce the following items at this year’s IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, July 20th – 23rd.

La Flor Dominicana 1994 Limited Edition Beer Stein – In honor of our 20th anniversary we have created a very special cigar uniquely packaged in a beautiful porcelain beer stein. The cigar is made with tobaccos that were set aside several years ago in anticipation of this very special occasion. The complex and powerful flavors of this cigar originate from the best fillers and binder grown on our farm in the Dominican Republic and are complemented with a sweet and savory Mexican San AndrÃ©s maduro wrapper. This blend is as special as the occasion it serves to commemorate and is symbolic of the quality and pride with which La Flor Dominicana has built its name. The packaging is a toast to our friends and loyal fans that have supported us over the years. It is because of them that our passion for making cigars is as strong as it has ever been. Cheers!

1994 – In addition to the limited release, a very similar blend will be made available in 4 sizes, a 58 x 6 “Aldaba”, a 52 x 6.5 “Rumba”, a 52 x 5 “Conga”, and a 54 x 7 “Mambo”. The blend will feature the same fillers & binder, but with a natural San AndrÃ©s wrapper. This line will be a permanent addition to our portfolio.

Capitulo II – A great sequel should pick up where the first left off, and the highly anticipated continuation to Antonio Gomez’s Chapter 1 does just that. An entirely new blend was created for the familiar box pressed Chisel shape, and though the tobaccos may be different, Capitulo II promises power and flavor all the same. This cigar features a gorgeous Nicaraguan Colorado wrapper which adorns a sweet Ecuadorian Habano binder and robust Dominican fillers. Sweetness, spice, and power are what define this story.

Salomones – The La Flor Dominicana Salomones is a subject of great lore among cigar collectors worldwide. We are ecstatic to announce that a very small quantity of these will once again be made available at this year’s IPCPR in both natural and maduro. These cigars have been maturing for years in our aging room and promise to provide an unbelievable experience of complex flavors and aromas like no other Salomon ever has!

Digger Ashtrays – Cigars these days have outgrown the accessories made to complement them. Being pioneers of the large cigar craze that has taken off over the last few years, we have noticed this problem more than most. This is why we are introducing a new line of ashtrays, Digger ashtrays to be exact. Beautiful, refined, and practical, these ashtrays have never met a cigar they couldn’t hold. They will be available in full porcelain and solid mahogany with metal trim.

La Flor Dominicana is a vertically integrated premium cigar company, where we proudly control the process from the seed to the final grading, inspecting and packing process. Our tobaccos are grown at our farm in La Canela, Dominican Republic. Our factory is located in Tamboril.

For further information, please contact our office at (800) 543-7131.

www.laflordominicana.com

Â From George Rico’sÂ G. R. Tabacaleras Co.Â in Miami:

NEW SUMMER S.T.K. MIAMI 2014 PRODUCTS

GEORGE RICO S.T.K. MIAMI ZULU ZULU

MAS PAZ EDITION 2014

This cigar will still contain the identical Ecuadorian Connecticut and Nicaraguan Habano blends, but this newest edition will be made in our own factory in Miami. G.R. Tabacaleras Co. is collaborating with a new artist, Mas Paz, to design the new boxes for this project, and the proceeds for the Mas Paz Edition will go towards a new charitable cause. A percentage of the sales of this new project will go towards a non-profit organization that will fund renovations for La Casa de la Madre y el NiÃ±o, an orphanage in BogotÃ¡, Colombia.

Country of Origin: USA
Factory: G.R. Tabacaleras Co.
Distributor: Santa Cruz Tobacco / Gran Habano
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut / Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Sizes: 7 Â½ x 40 Lancero, 5 5/8 x 46 Corona Gorda, 6 x 54 Rolo
MSRP: $8.25 â€“ $9.27
Release Date: Available for pre-order at IPCPR 2014

GEORGE RICO S.T.K. MIAMI BARRACUDA
LIMITED EDITION MADURO 2014

Country of Origin: USA
Factory: G.R. Tabacaleras Co.
Distributor: Santa Cruz Tobacco / Gran Habano
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Sizes: 5 x 52, 6 Â½ x 54, 5 5/8 x 46
MSRP: $7.50 – $8.50
Release date: July 2014
Number of Cigars Released: 200 boxes of each size

Â www.ghcigars.com

Â The next one is From JR Cigars:

Fans of premium-quality San AndrÃ©s wrapper leaf are gonna want to check out, Black Abyss, a brand-new handrolled premium cigar crafted by JosÃ© â€œJochyâ€ Blanco, the guy who grows the leaf for a bunch of Boutique Blends cigar brands, including Aging Room and Swag, both of which have collected tons of high ratings in cigar magazines (the Aging Room Quattro F55 Concerto took second place in Cigar Aficionado's top 25 of 2013). Anywayâ€¦

Black Abyss is handmade at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic and, while it isfull bodied, itâ€™s cleverly designed for not just smokers of super-strong cigars. Itâ€™s got that big, rich, bold flavor often associated with a San AndrÃ©s wrapper and it does contain some potent ligero leaf, but along with the blendâ€™s hearty, zesty notes of dark coffee, this cigar begins and ends with a sweetness while a smooth creaminess remains throughout, making it a great choice for medium-bodied cigar fans who want to step it up in strength.

Black Abyssâ€™s construction is top-notch, as evidenced by its extremely even burn and draw, which are made even better by an exceptionally appealing aroma.

Jochy Blancoâ€™s Black Abyss is made in four sizes (each featuring a somewhat sinister name: Banshee, Cerberus, Hydra, and Wraith) packed in boxes of 20 cigars. If all thatâ€™s piqued your interest, youâ€™ll be glad to know that Black Abyss cigars are also pretty reasonably priced. Starting in July, youâ€™ll find them exclusively at JR Cigar.

Â Then we have news from Roberto Duran Premium Cigars:

ROBERTO DURAN PREMIUM CIGARS INTRODUCES TWO ADDITIONAL CIGAR BRANDS AT THE IPCPR: NEYA AND BARACOA

Â

(Miami, Florida) July 17, 2014â€”Â Roberto P. Duran Premium Cigars,Â after a successful 2013 launch with theÂ AzanÂ Line of cigars and the recent announcement of theÂ Roberto Duran Premium Cigar BrandÂ is ready to introduce two additional cigar brands:Â NeyaÂ and theBaracoaÂ Line.

Roberto Pelayo Duran is fully committed to providing a full line at this yearâ€™s IPCPR. The Addition of the premium Neya and the value cigar Baracoa will fill in the gap in the Roberto P. Duran line as the announcement was made last week that he will introduce a super-premium brand, Roberto P. Duran Cigar.

Â

The Neya Premium cigar brandÂ is a premium brand which comes in a cedar 20 count cabinet.Â The Filler and Binder is both Nicaraguan while the wrapper is a Habana Ecuador. The Neya line will be expressed through five sizes with the two largest sizes holding a description of F8 as they will be full bodied cigars even though all sizes carry the same blend. The Neya will retail between $4.00 and $7.00 per cigar.Â Neya Premium Cigar sizes: Petite Corona 5 1/8 X 42 CAB, Robusto 4 7/8 X CAB, Canonazo 6 X 52 CAB, Toro 6 X 56 CAB, and the Yanquee 6 X 60 CAB.

Roberto said:â€ Neya is a brand that took some time to develop as we used very well fermented leaves and well-aged Nicaraguan ligero. This is a full flavored cigar in the way that we understood the term in Cuba, which is to mean not spicy but a strongly flavored cigar which increases in strength when smoking the two larger sizes. As with all of our cigars they are rolled under strict supervision in ourÂ Nicatobacco FactoryÂ in Nicaragua.â€

Baracoa, (full name Roberto Duran Baracoa) was created as a great everyday cigar. The RD Baracoa which represents the city of Roberto P. Duran family origin in Cuba (Baracoa) is made with the same quality and care of Robertoâ€™s other cigar lines. The filler and binder is both Nicaraguan with the wrapper an Ecuador Habana Criollo. Baracoa comes in carton 20 box count and will be represented in 9 sizes with three of them in box press form. RD Baracoa sure to please a wide array of cigar palates. The Baracoa line of cigars will retail between $3.00 and $.4.50 a cigar.Â Baracoa Cigar sizes:Â Robusto 4 7/8 X 50, Torpedo 6 1/8 X 52, Toro 6 X 52, Churchill 7 X 47 Gordito 4 X 58, Gigantes 6 X 60, Robusto 5 X 50 Box Press, Toro 6 X 52 Box Press, and Torpedo 6 1/8 X 52 Box Press.

Roberto said:â€ Baracoa is a true power house value cigar gives boasts plenty of quality for the priceâ€, Roberto continued,â€ I am very excited to introduce Neya, Baracoa and the previously announced Roberto P. Duran Cigar Brand to the public. We are about producing top quality products and we invite everyone to ourÂ booth (3813)Â to experience the passion we put into all of our brands.â€

Roberto Pelayo Duran began his lifeâ€™s work in his homeland ofÂ Havana, CubaÂ where tobacco grabbed a hold of him, and never let go. Supervising the production of cigar manufacturing in Cuba was only the beginning as he later went on to assemble and managedistribution of all Cuban cigar brands for Asia atÂ The Pacific Cigar Company Ltd.Â Most recently, heÂ contributed to the new global brand marketing strategy forÂ British American Tobacco. The creation of Roberto P. Duran Premium Cigars has given Roberto the platform to introduce a brand of cigars that offer the same quality, construction, and detail which he exceeded from those he supervised while in Cuba.

For more information about Roberto P. Duran Premium Cigars, please visitÂ www.Robertodurancigars.co.Â For media inquiries and interviews, please contact Creativas Group atÂ info@creativasgroup.com.

###

Fred Rewey of Nomad Cigars sent this out this week, along with some samples!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nomad Cigar Co. Releases much-anticipatedÂ C-276

EstelÃ, Nicaragua (July 18, 2014) â€“ Nomad Cigar Company is pleased to announce the release of the Nomad C-276 at this yearâ€™s IPCPR in Las Vegas.

The C-276 is a full flavored complex blend featuring five different fillerÂ tobaccosÂ (with two Ligeros).

It also marks theÂ second full production cigar that Nomad has done in EstelÃ at Tobacalera AJ Fernandez.

The C-276 rounds out Nomadâ€™s portfolio of offerings and joins its place onÂ the shelf with the Dominican Classic,Â NicaraguanÂ S-307, and the released-early-in-2014 Dominican Connecticut Fuerte.

The C-276 also marks Fred Reweyâ€™s first venture into using Ometepe tobacco in a blend.

â€œWhen I was blending the C-276 I approached it in layers. I kept trying to add layers and layers of flavor but didnâ€™t want to overpower any one tobacco in the process. At one point I was struggling to add a finalÂ componentÂ that I couldnâ€™t quite nail down. It was suggested to me that I visit Ometepe and check out that tobacco – it was the best addition to this blend I could make â€“ it just came together,â€ said Rewey.

As with theÂ other Nicaraguan lines, Rewey creates the name of the cigar using a variety of Nicaraguan factoids.

“The â€œCâ€ is for ConcepciÃ³n, one of two volcanoes on Ometepe Island. â€œ276â€³ is the square kilometers of the island. It seemed a fitting tribute to an incredible island growing amazing tobacco.â€ said Rewey.

Details on the Nomad C-276 includeâ€¦Â

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Factory: Tobacalera AJ Fernandez

Box Pressed. 21 Count Box.

Immediately available inÂ Toro (6Ã—50),Â Robusto (5Ã—50),Â Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52),Â Toro Grande (6 x 58),Â Corona (5.5 x 46)

Contact:

Fred â€œGodfadrâ€ Rewey, Nomad Cigar Company

Twitter: @Godfadr

Godfadr@NomadCigarCompany.com

Phone: 855-MYNOMAD (or 855-696-6623)

Lotsa news from Drew Estate:

Drew Estate Announces New Releases in ACID, Kentucky Fire Cured, Herrera
EstelÃ & MUWAT Lines
Miami, FL â€“ Drew Estate announced today that they would be releasing new
extensions in their ACID, Kentucky Fire Cured, Herrera EstelÃ and MUWAT lines at
the 2014 IPCPR tradeshow in Las Vegas, NV next week. The new cigars will include
the following:
â€¢ Acid Blondie Maduro â€“ A maduro version of Drew Estateâ€™s popular Blondie.
Featuring a San AndrÃ©s Valley Maduro instead of the Connecticut Shade
wrapper used on the current Blondie, the new ACID Blondie Maduro will
appeal to those who desire Blondie in a bolder blend.
â€¢ Kentucky Fire Cured Sizes, â€œDelfinasâ€, â€œKyotosâ€, & â€œHamhockâ€ â€“ The
Kentucky Fire Cured line is being expanded by three sizes: the Delfinas (6 x
26), the Kyotos (5 Â½ x 34), and the Hamhock (3 Â¾ x 56). All three sizes are
based on the original KFCC blend, which features smoked tobaccos as well as
dark air cured tobaccos.
â€¢ Herrera Esteli NorteÃ±o â€“ The “NorteÃ±o” showcases extensively aged
tobaccos from the EstelÃ and Jalapa growing regions of Nicaragua, coupled
with a spicy Honduran binder and a rich, bold Mexican San AndrÃ©s maduro
wrapper. The â€œNorteÃ±o by Willy Herreraâ€ will be available in the following
six vitolas at select Herrera EstelÃ retailers nationwide.

Coronita – 4 x 46

Corona Extra – 4 3/4 x 48

Belicoso Fino – 5 x 50

Robusto Grande – 5 1/2 x 54

Toro – 6 x 50

Lonsdale Deluxe – 6 1/2 x 44

MUWAT Nightcrawler â€“ A 4 Â½ x 50

and

Drew Estate Announces â€œDrew Diplomatâ€ App & Consumer Loyalty Program
Miami, FL (07/18/2014)

Drew Estate, Inc. announced today the â€œDrew Diplomatâ€
Consumer Loyalty Program, which includes a mobile application for all smart
devices, as well as a desktop version. This exclusive new program provides
members with the ability to earn Points by checking-in Drew Estate Cigars and
attending events at retail locations throughout the world, as well as social
networking functions and unparalleled access to La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate.

Michael Cellucci President of Drew Estate, â€œThe Drew Diplomat program bridges the gap
between the old world of the premium cigar industry and the modern technological
platforms available today. Our goal was to ensure that Drew Estate delivers the best
possible way for our consumers to interact with the company and our brands. Innovation
is the heart of what drives us, not only in the manufacturing process, but in all aspects of
the consumer experience. This program is a clear example of the tireless drive to be
thoughtful trailblazers.â€

In 2013, Jonathan Drew assembled a team nicknamed â€œSLAB,â€ lead by Executive Director
Mario Takeyama. When reached for comment, Takeyama said, â€œOur team was created
with one objective: the connectivity between technology and premium tobacco. This is
something we have been working on in secret for a year and a half now.â€

Heading the â€œDrew Diplomatâ€ Consumer Loyalty Program is Customer Loyalty &
Advertising Specialist Sam Morales, who according to Jonathan Drew â€œis a specialist with
a true street fighter mentality, definitely Drew Estate Subculture approved. SLAB intends
on launching the Beta Program in the fall.â€

Drew Diplomats can expect to spend their points on one of a kind artwork and swag from
Jessi Flores (Director of Subculture Studios in EstelÃ, Nicaragua); Lifestyle swag from
Creative Director Joey Reichenbach in Miami; and trips to Cigar Safari at La Gran Fabrica
Drew Estate. Jessi Flores notes, â€œWe never had a way to get our artwork to final
consumers in the United States in a sustainable way. This groundbreaking application
explicitly connects each creative Drew Estate team member to our support base
worldwide.â€

Consumers who are interested in Beta testing the program should visit
http://drewestate.com/ipcpr and enter Drew Estateâ€™s giveaway for a chance to win one of
three prize packs:

â€¢ Liga Privada MEGA Standing Humidor/Ashtray
â€¢ A signed box of Liga Privada Feral Flying Pigs & an IPCPR Exclusive
Subculture Studios Stinky Ashtray
â€¢ A signed box of Liga Privada UF-13 Dark

Beta testers will be chosen from those who enter. Sam Morales notes that, â€œwe are going
to need everyone in the Drew Estate family to help to make Jonathanâ€™s vision come true.
This is the first program of its kind in the industry.â€

For more information about the Drew Diplomat program, please visit Drew Estateâ€™s booth
at the 2014 IPCPR tradeshow in Las Vegas, NV at Booth #210. Also, please use Drew
Estateâ€™s hashtag #DEipcpr on any posts relating to Drew Estate and IPCPR. Lastly, follow
all of Drew Estateâ€™s IPCPR coverage at http://drewestate.com/ipcpr.

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 â€œThe Rebirth of Cigarsâ€â„¢, Drew
Estate has led the â€œBoutique Craftâ€ movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco
industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that have attracted new and old
cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew
Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera EstelÃ, Kentucky Fired Cured,
Liga Privada, MUWAT, Natural, Nica Rustica, Tabak Especial, UnderCrown, and Java by
Drew Estate.

Finally, this one is fromÂ Shon Brooks’sÂ people. I admit, I have no idea who he is, and I’ve never heard of, or tried his cigars. I’ll have to look into this:

Shon Brooks “Star Cigar” Sets Chart Records – Smoke Magazine

Shon Brooks of Brooks Entertainment Inc. invents top rated S.O.Bâ„¢Dominican cigar while in the mist of launching a new television channel with Cox Media. Shon Brooks, helped increase the highest NCAA Championship Nielsen Ratings after signing a ESPN Cox Media contract for March Madness. He is also one of the (IMDB) Internet Movie Database (SEO) search engine optimization traffic leaders and now becomes one of Smoke Magazineâ€™s top 36 cigar manufacturers in the world!

Long Island City, NY, July 16, 2014 –(PR.com)– Lockwood Publications Inc. was incepted in 1872 and is the owner of Smoke Magazine. Their focus is on cigars and life’s burning desires, featuring blind tasting reviews of premium cigars and interviews with cigar makers. The publication includes feature stories on cigar producing countries and cover story interviews on cigar-smoking celebrities. It brings news and trends in the cigar world, must-have gifts and accessories, cigar-friendly drinks and spirits, etiquette advice, cigar culture, history, and much more. Smoke Magazine has the cigar industryâ€™s most strict and critical cigar reviewers. TheÂ S.O.Bâ„¢Â Robusto cigar wholly owned by Brooks Entertainment Inc. received an all-time high score of 95% from panelist number 3 and quantifies for an overall (A+) 90% grade curve and is now leading amongst the top 36 cigar manufacturers in the world. Shon Brooks and Brooks Entertainment Inc. invention is now eternally inducted into the Smoke Magazine volumes.

The S.O.Bâ„¢ Robusto cigar was described by panelist 2 as being flawless, tan, smooth and silky, â€œLike a beautiful woman.â€ Also, inÂ Smoke MagazineÂ (Volume 18, Number 2, on page 63) the S.O.Bâ„¢ Robusto cigar was mentioned as being, â€œA good early day smoke to enjoy on the golf course.â€ The flavor and strength was described as being mild and-medium and a bit spicy.

The hot S.O.Bâ„¢ Dominican cigar brandâ€™s heritage is from Tabaqueria Carbonell CXA; it was founded in 1894 with more than 100 years of experience in the manufacturing of cigars. Brooks Entertainment Inc. discovered Jose Rivas in the Dominican Republic to help with the designs. This is the same area where Christopher Columbus once sailed in 1492. The brand successfully launched the S.O.Bâ„¢cigar to the United States achieving a missile star rating which has now toppled the charts. The unprecedented task was accomplished the hard way by skipping over cigar trunk trade shows. Instead, relying on the hand rolled cigars’ pure quality and the screaming (SEO) Rock Star fan base of Shon Brooks. This pioneering schematic is how the S.O.Bâ„¢ cigar climbed the charts. While accomplishing this high rating the hard way, the brand took one hundred percent of the risk and receives all the reward.

Not only-but also being in a nation that demands proof of performance on the big stage and where numbers speak volumes which equates to dollars for corporate advertisers. This highly favorable S.O.Bâ„¢ Star Cigar brand and its excellent ratings has had a positive impact on all the innovative brands of Brooks Entertainment Inc. Likewise, Brooks Financial & Entertainment Consultants ratings of their S.O.B television show campaign on Cox Media during the NCAA college championships helped in achieving the highest cable Nielsen ratings for March Maddness. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/08/cable-top-25-ncaa-basketball-tops-cable-viewership-for-the-week-ending-april-6-2014/252262/

Cox Media with Brooks Entertainment Inc. plans on creating a 24/7 â€˜On Demandâ€™ Television Network which appears to be closer than expected. News feed reports of the latest meetings between the two were reported on a Cox Media corporate metadata tag of #coxshowcase. Professedly, the corporate advertisers have not been revealed as of yet, however, the television production content for the 24/7 â€˜On Demandâ€™ channel is already completed with never seen before footage. TheÂ Brooks Financial & Entertainment Consultants Networkis expected to be included inside the Cox Gold Bundle With Contour TV which is in high definition.

As noted, Shon Brooks is a Time Warner – TV Editorial Excellence Award Winner for covering the Olympic Games, Game Changer by Invention Magazine, named Superhero by â€˜On Wall Streetâ€™ Magazine and Financial Planning Magazine. Brooks Entertainment Inc. now emerges as a member of Smoke Magazineâ€™s Top 36 Cigar manufacturers in the world. As a golden rule, being one of the top in the world for manufacturing luxury premium cigars has driven up the market price of the S.O.Bâ„¢ cigars, as well as the autographed collectors memorabilia merchandise for Shon Brooks. (Shon.TV)

The Hit-maker created both modern day United States history and Dominican Republic history at the same time from the recent S.O.Bâ„¢ cigar invention. A bus load of fans in the Dominican Republic report, Shon Brooks, donated autographed copies of the Smoke Magazine and collectors memorabilia. It was donated in honor of this Dominican cigar history being made. Shon, tributes Rock & Roll in directing him into the entertainment industry. His first live on stage performance in grade school was at Bells Elementary, NJ. The rock band he assembled had diversity which included a female lead singer, a drummer boy, a male bass player and Shon Brooks on electric guitar. This musical performance introduced him to the entertainment industry which later lead to the creation of the hit S.O.Bâ„¢ Dominican cigar. http://www.cigarlopedia.com/pages/GridPage.aspx?s=S.O.B%20cigar

When asking the inventor, Shon Brooks, about his thoughts of the S.O.Bâ„¢ Cigar emerging to the top spot in the world with this extremely high rating, he says, â€œMaking the grade is remarkable, and a magnificent world class achievement. It represents a shining beacon of hope for manufacturers. Especially, when only an exiguous number of cigars ever get rated. I would like to thank our Dominican global teammates and the Smoke Magazine review panelist for being a industry leader and having the courage to rate and rock our S.O.Bâ„¢cigars. The Smoke Magazine review award will be used as motivation and encouragement for our team to continue making more blends.â€

â€œThe S.O.Bâ„¢ luxury cigar brand was created for the Vanquisher that plays the cards that has been dealt in life to win and not fold! It is vital that you remain ethical at all times even though others may bend the rules of life. Pressing on is when you begin to obtain Rock Star status!â€ (Says the companyâ€™s mission statement)

For Media inquiries regarding Lockwood Publications Inc. or Smoke Magazine (volume 18) please contact Ted Hoyt at www.LockwoodPublications.com. Whereas, for a list of news stands and Smoke Magazine retailers to order the S.O.B cigars in your area please see attachment.

Paris Crosby (Retailer and Public Relations Calls Only)
619-575-0242
Contact
www.SOBcigars.com
S.O.B Cigar Authorized Retailer – Habana Club Cafe 858-231-6673 780 4th Ave
(between G St & F St)
San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood: Gaslamp