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Good day, folks. I’m glad you’ve stopped by. I have a few items of cigar news this week, with a good bit more coming in the next few days.
First up, as we discussed in last night’s show (see information at the bottom of this post), Toraño Family Cigar will begin distributing Palió accessories and the new “E” cigar line from BOTL, LLC as of February 15th. Here’s the press release from yesterday:
February 7th, 2013. Miami, Florida. – Toraño Family Cigar Company is proud to announce that they have been officially appointed by Brother of the Leaf, LLC as their sole distributor in the USA as of February 15th, 2013. Toraño will distribute Palió cutters, lighters and BOTL, LLC’s brand new cigar line “E”.
The agreement marks the first time that the Toraño Family will have accessories to offer along with their own cigar line. Toraño Family Cigar’s president, Charlie Toraño, along with Brother of the Leaf president, Marc Aub, felt it was a perfect fit for both Companies. “Marc and I share the same business philosophy in that we both strive to offer an excellent product together with outstanding customer service. We are very excited to be able to add such a high quality range of cigar accessories to our product portfolio,” said Charlie.
Marc added, “The new relationship between our companies is going to allow us to focus on maintaining our current level of quality, as well as, develop new products.”
In the pursuit of precision and excellence, Palió cutters are entirely hand crafted in the USA and deliver the finest and most consistent cut for your cigars. More recently, Brother of the Leaf has developed and added a line of single torch Palió lighters and their new cigar line “E”. Palió’s superior design and construction has made it the premier choice in cigar preparation and lighting.
A leader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four generation company currently based in Miami, FL. It enjoys a rich heritage and history in tobacco growing and manufacturing. For more information: www.Toraño.com. Please also follow Toraño on Facebook: Toraño A Family Cigar Company or on twitter: @TORAÑOFAMCIGARS.
Ezra Zion
Ezra Zion also released a newsworthy item this week, in that their Inception will be rebranded in the near future (the blend remains the same; only the name is being changed to protect the innocent…). As reported by Ezra Zion on the Cigar Federation:
Ezra Zion Cigar Company, recipients of multiple Cigar of the Year Awards for 2012, are re-branding their inaugural cigar release, INCEPTION. The name of the blend will be changed to JAMAIS VU.
Chris Kelly explains, “After being cleared for use by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, we went into furious production on INCEPTION. Come to find out, the USPTO failed to inform us of another company that was using the same name and ended up awarding them the trademark rights.”
Kyle Hoover, co-owner added, “We knew we had a choice: we could engage in a lengthy, nasty legal dispute, or we could keep our focus on making great cigars. We chose the latter.”
“It’s the exact award-winning blend as INCEPTION, nothing has changed there, but along with the new branding we will be redesigning the packaging and adding 3 additional sizes as well.” The Don Fonseca noted. “I think our customers will be pleased!”
“We chose the name “JAMAIS VU” because it’s the opposite of Deja Vu, and the definition tells the story of the rebranding of INCEPTION. JAMAIS VU is defined as “…a sense of eeriness and the observer’s impression of seeing the situation for the first time, despite rationally knowing that he or she has been in the situation before.”
Chris continued, “Those customers with INCEPTION boxes have a very limited edition piece of cigar history! We will begin production on the rebranded JAMAIS VU within the month.”
More information on Ezra Zion Cigar Co. can be found at EzraZion.com or @EzraZionCigars
ScrewPop Tool
I received a couple of these handy little items to try out last week, and have to admit that the ScrewPop Tool is handier than I had imagined. It is a combination bottle opener and cigar punch that compactly clips onto your keychain (or anywhere else you’d like to carry it). I am an extreme minimalist when it comes to my keychain – if I could key my house and vehicles alike, I would only carry one key – and the ScrewPop has found a place on it. It’s quite a useful little item to have at the ready, and apparently is TSA-friendly, as I carried it with me to the Dominican for CFC. Here’s the release information for it as well:
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Brett Fischer
[email protected]
Screwpop Tool’s clippable cigar punch/bottle opener now available through Cigars International
The latest in its line of lightweight, compact and functional tools, Screwpop introduces a must-have for cigar lovers, the Screwpop – Cigar Punch, now for sale through the world’s largest cigar retailer, Cigars International (CI). This durable cigar punch is equipped with a sharp, stainless steel insert for neat-and-easy cutting, threaded screw cap and lightweight aluminum body. The punch can be clipped to belt loops, straps, key rings, in the eyelets of zippers —and just about everywhere else. And because a good brew goes hand in hand with a good smoke, the Screwpop Cigar Punch’s also doubles as a bottle opener.
Clip the Screwpop – Cigar Punch to a keyring, cord, bag or cable. It’s ideal for everyday use or on the “go” for things like golfing and the great outdoors. Unclip it as The Cigar Punch is rust resistant and is great on the patio table when grilling or for the smoking room too.
The Screwpop Cigar Punch retails for $7.95 and is available for purchase at Cigars International
For more information about the Screwpop Cigar Punch and Screwpop Tool’s complete line of products visit screwpoptool.com.
Half Ashed Inaugural Episode
After much hubbub, Craig Schneider and I broadcast our inaugural episode of Half Ashed last night on The Cigar Federation, with Bob McDuffee sitting in as a special guest. You can view it either in the “videos” section of Cigar Federation, through the embed below, or on the our YouTube channel. I am posting the audio from the show below, which can be downloaded directly by right-clicking on the “Download” link and saving – or to your mobile device by subscribing to the Half Ashed RSS feed at: www.thecigarmy.com/feed/podcast . Now that we have an episode in the can, I will initiate the process of admission into the iTunes store, where the podcast will be published free of charge for those of you who use that software [EDIT: we are in the iTunes store now!]. Tune in to this introductory episode to find the details on our current giveaway, which will be a set of 5 cigars – the Arturo Fuente 858, in each of the five available wrappers (Natural, Maduro, Claro, Sungrown, and the hard to locate Rosado from 2009), as well as a Cigarmy coffee mug and a ScrewPop Tool mentioned above. I hope you enjoy, and will continue to give us a listen as we work through the learning curve of putting this thing together. Also, stay tuned here for a full trip report from last week’s trip to the DR to visit Chateau de la Fuente, the CigarFamily Charitable Foundation, Fuente Factory #1, and other fun locations! Thanks for stopping by, and as always have a great week!
Great Show Guys! Enjoyed it very much, looking forward to next month.
Swede! Good to hear from you. We’ll be posting up recorded shows every week, with the “Live” shows being the 2nd Friday each month. Thanks for tuning in!