Half Ashed Episode 030: illusione ECCJ and a giveaway!

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Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone, and welcome back for Episode 030 of Half Ashed.  This week, we’re smoking the illusione ECCJ, a cigar originally produced for the 15th anniversary of the European Cigar Cult Journal (now known as Cigar Journal).  Tune in to get our thoughts on this how time has treated this phenomenal cigar.  Our giveaway for this month is coming to a close – the prize this time around is a 10 pack of fantastic cigars.  This is a selection of cigars that I enjoy and wanted to share with someone else.  They are pictured below.  With the exception of the new Cubao, these are from my personal humidor.  The Cubao were some extra samples provided by Eddie Ortega – I think the soon-to-be-re-released line is an outstanding smoke and wanted to share a couple with a lucky listener.  All you have to do to enter into this giveaway is send me or Craig an email ([email protected] or [email protected]) with a comment, question, complaint, or compliment about Half Ashed.  That will get your name in the running when we randomly pull one from the pile next week (Sept. 6).

The current giveaway (Left to Right):

1. Tatuaje Wolfman (2012 Halloween)
2. Ortega Cubao (prerelease)
3. Ortega Cubao (prerelease)
4. Casa Fernandez Miami toro
5. Opus X
6. Sam Leccia Black robusto
7. Sam Leccia Black robusto
8. JC Newman Julius Caeser
9. Fuente Anejo 46
10. Fuente Between the Lines

In other news, we also discussed the current charity raffle going on over at Cigar Federation.  Every $10 donated to the chosen organization gets you an entry into the raffle – which has about two dozen prizes, ranging from hats and T-shirt prize packs, boxes of cigars, and other swag – culminating in a grand prize of a 3-day trip to the Dominican Republic to visit cigar factories and other local attractions.

We also covered a couple of Gran Habano/GAR items, some sweeping changes to the executive team at Joya de Nicaragua, a partnership formed in the world of online cigar media, and some packaging issues in the recent Viaje DESII.  Finally, we talked over what we’ve been smoking this week, had some pipesmoking chat, and reviewed a few emails that have been postponed the past couple of weeks.

Next week, we’ll be featuring the Casa Miranda Chapter Two when we have guest Barry Stein of Miami Cigar sitting in with us.  Be sure to check back in then as Barry is a great guest, and has an upcoming cigar line in the works that you’ll want to hear about.  If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us through the contact page or at the following email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected].  Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints.  We love to get your emails!  Also, remember 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 to subscribe.  Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed Video Archive.

P.S. – If you have unbanded suggestions or contributions, you can get those to us by sending an email to [email protected].  This email address goes directly to my wife, so you can simply suggest an unbanded cigar for her to source, or send me an email to [email protected] if you have something you’d like to send in.  I will provide an address to send them.  Thanks!