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Episode 012 of Half Ashed is in the can, and we welcome you back to join us for this week’s show. We are offering up another opportunity to humble ourselves in the public eye this week, with Unbanded 003, generously provided by Dan Crouch. Smoking blindly is something that is becoming somewhat of a habit for me. Be sure you give us a listen by any of the means below for several news items and updates, what we’ve been smoking, what we thought of the unbanded selection this week, a couple listener emails, and a slight rant from me. Also, don’t forget to listen in and check out the details on our current giveaway. Thanks for stopping by! Here is a quick show summary:
Unbanded 003
The Cigar of the Week for Episode 012 is an Unbanded submission from Dan Crouch. Dan took a novel approach with this submission; something that is a little different than our normal format. He submitted two differing vitolas from the same line of cigars, rather than two examples of the same cigar. Craig and I both had similar notions about the origin of the cigars, as well as a clear preference for one vitola over the other. Definitely an interesting experiment, and we thank Dan for the originality and generosity of supplying the cigars. Check out the show to see what we thought of it, and get the reveal.
Industry News
- Legislative items – NYC Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn (also speaker of NY City Council) is proposing that the age restriction on tobacco be raised from 18 to 21 years – NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley states “People who become full-fledged adults without smoking are very unlikely to pick up the habit afterwards. So if we can prevent our youth from starting smoking until they are 21 we may just be able to protect an entire generation from a lifetime of being addicted to the world’s most dangerous drug.” So, 19-21 year olds are still youth? Reminds me of the “study” a few years ago that classified “youth” as anyone under 26, and “smokers” as anyone who’d ever smoked a single cigarette….ORIGINAL STORY
- Sam Leccia’s White began shipping this week. From appearances, the White allocation was all spoken for very quickly….
- Casa Fuente tweeted that their online store was open on Monday – much to the delight of Fuente fans everywhere. Disappointment quickly followed, when they went to the site to find out that no cigars were sold there….just Casa Fuente branded clothing and accessories.
- The Casa Magna Domus Magnus II is finally being shipped – months after it was initially announced. I’m not a fan of some Casa Magna cigars – but I love me some Domus Magnus. I believe the blend remains mostly the same, with the exception that the wrapper (sungrown Jalapa) is of a different vintage than the earlier offerings.
- Ezra Ziontweeted a picture of their upcoming Limited Edition TANTRUM being boxed up at the factory. So, it appears they’re on schedule for the release (launched at Michael’s Tobacco of Keller – in Keller, TX on Friday April 26th). They crew from Ezra Zion will be joining us LIVE on May 10th.
- Macanudo will be the new main sponsor for “Big Break” on the Golf Channel. I’m not a golfer, but apparently this is the channel’s longest running original series – and a big hit for them. Macanudo will feature prominently, with several episode being filmed at the Macanudo lounge Mexico, as well as the brand being incorporated into some of the challenges.
What Else Have We Been Smoking?
- Kip – This week, I’ve been through a number of cigars, including two special Fuente sticks, a “Lauro’s” from Craig, some Casa Fernandez Arsenio and more. Tune in to the show to get the scoop on how those went…
Miscellany
- Giveaway! It’s time we have another giveaway, and we have some cool stuff going out this time around. Courtesy of Cuenca Cigars, we have an Ashton ashtray and some killer premium cigars – as well as a Cigarmy coffee mug and a couple more cigars from me. The cigars are: 2X Cuenca 5 Anniversary, 2X Ortega Serie D Maduro #12’s, 1 Oliva Serie V Maduro, 1X La Aroma de Cuba Marquis Tubo, 1X L’Atelier Surrogates Tramp Stamp, 1X Torano Salutem, 1X Aging Room M356, and 1X JC Newman Perla del Mar. Listen to the show for all the details, but every email received between now and May 30th with a comment, question, concern, or compliment/complaint about the show will be entered in the giveaway – although, admittedly, complaints will have considerably less chances of winning :). On our May 31st show, we will randomly select a winner from those entries. So, get those keyboards humming and send us an email to [email protected] or [email protected]!
- After last week’s discussion of my attempts and misadventures in making Cuban coffee, I received quite a few emails on making better brews for cigar accompaniment. I’m looking forward to giving some of these a try.
- We also talk a little about another email we got from Enzo Temko concerning a bit of discomfort after smoking some cigars.
- Finally, I go over the edge this week with a minor rant about the profusion of recent emails and distribution lists I’m on – or rather, some that I was on.
Wrap
Next week, our featured cigar will be the 2005 Padron Aniversario Natural. Be sure to tune in to find out how that goes. On May 10th, we will have our next LIVE show, broadcast on Cigar Federation. We’ll be talking with special guests from Ezra Zion about their Limited Edition release – the TANTRUM. The following week, we will have another special guest – William Cooper (Cigar_Coop) to get his insights into the industry, how it’s going, where it’s going, and generally pick his brain and see what we can learn.
Again, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to check back in next week. In the meantime, if you would like to contact us you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. Also, don’t forget you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), or find us on iTunes.
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