Cigar Podcast and Cigar Reviews
A.J. FERNANDEZ TO INTRODUCE THEIR NEWEST CIGAR BRAND AT THE IPCPR: NEW WORLD
Per a press release issued this morning, A.J. Fernandez Cigars will be introducing a new value brand at this year’s IPCPR tradeshow in Las Vegas. The brand, called “New World,” will feature [Read more…]
AJ Fernandez Cigars announced via press release yesterday that they have brought in Robbie Streitz as National Sales Manager. As would be expected, he will manage the entire salesforce from AJF headquarters in Sunrise, FL.
Robbie is a longtime cigar apasionado, originally entering the tobacco industry when he founded the CigaRobbie Radio Show. The show was broadcast from 1340 WTAM in Tampa, FL but grew to include five other states during its run, and featured industry personalities and cigar related content. Subsequently, he successfully held the National Sales Manager position with Esteban Carreras which led AJ Fernandez Cigars to take notice of him and offer the current position.
Kris Kachaturian managing partner at A.J. Fernandez Cigars said: “We are looking to take A.J. Fernandez Cigars to the next level as we are hard at work putting together the kind of staff that that will focus on customer satisfaction. We believe that Robbie Streitz possess the passion, experience, and dedication to push A.J. Fernandez forward.”
Robbie said: “I am honored to have received this opportunity and look forward as the national sales manager for A.J. Fernandez to building a culture of positive growth by implementing new standards of business. I was the hard working blue collar guy that would hang out in a cigar lounge with my buddies; to work in this industry is a dream for a guy like me. I love my clients and always try to build a better relationship with them through, truth, respect and professionalism. I hope one day I am looked upon as a man that helped this industry.”
About A.J. Fernandez Cigars:
A.J. Fernandez Cigars is based on the rich tradition of the Fernandez cigar legacy. A.J. Fernandez now produces unparalleled, hand-rolled cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua which have garnered numerous top ratings and acclaim from cigar publications and consumers alike. Today A.J. Fernandez continues the family tradition as he oversees production and manages day to day operations in his factory in Estelí.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Estelí, Nicaragua (November 4, 2013) – Nomad Cigar Company is pleased to announce the release of the much-anticipated S-307. The company’s first full production cigar in Nicaragua, the S-307 is a box pressed Sumatra wrapped cigar blended and rolled at the AJ Fernandez factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
In July 2013, Fred Rewey, founder of Nomad, made a significant splash at IPCPR when he expanded from his Dominican produced core line to include the Nomad Lot 1386, a Nicaraguan Limited Edition cigar that almost immediately sold out at the show. Rewey then returned to Nicaragua with the continued goal of creating an even higher caliber cigar than the last all the while delivering competitive pricing for the consumer. The result is the Nomad S-307.
Name: Nomad S-307
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: AJ Fernandez
Notable: 21 count, Box Pressed
Sizes / Pricing
Toro (6×50) – $7.95 MSRP
Robusto (5×50) – $7.75 MSRP
Torpedo (6.5×52) – $7.95 MSRP
In keeping with his trend, Rewey gave meaning to the name of his new cigar as well. The “S” stands for Sumatra. The “307” pays homage to the approximate square miles of the Estelì area.
“I am really excited to get this one in the hands of cigar aficionados. I received a ton of great insight and encouragement from some industry icons in Nicaragua. I am just taking it all in, learning, listening, and enjoying the journey,” stated Rewey.
Rewey launched Nomad in 2012 and immediately started adding his own twist to the cigar industry. Rewey was the first cigar maker to add social media to the outside of a cigar band by printing his personal Twitter account (@Godfadr) – an account that has continued to grow to over 20K people as he engages in constant conversation with his followers. Nomad has been gaining international attention of cigar fans due to creative marketing and noteworthy cigars. All the while, Rewey has remained grounded.
“I try and surround myself with really smart and experienced colleagues. I am always learning new things. New techniques, new aging methods, new blends. I am thrilled Nomad cigars are so well received, it has been awesome journey so far and I look forward to the future,” said Rewey.
The S-307 is now shipping to retail locations and is Rewey’s third cigar blend offered to the retail market, following the success of the Dominican line and Nicaraguan Lot 1386.
Contact:
Sales Contact:
Nathan McIntyre, National Sales Director – House of Emilio Cigars: (615)691-1654
Fred “Godfadr” Rewey, Nomad Cigar Company
Twitter: @Godfadr
[email protected]
Phone: 855-MYNOMAD (or 855-696-6623)
Esteli, Nicaragua (July 1, 2013) – Nomad Cigar Company is pleased to announce a new Fall Nicaraguan blend called the Nomad S-307.
The cigar is scheduled to be released in September/October (2013) and will be made available to authorized retailers.
The final production is a box-pressed cigar with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper called the Nomad S-307. It will be released in three sizes (Toro (6″ X 50), Robusto (5″ X 50), Torpedo (6.5″ X 52)) and be available for pre-purchase at IPCPR.
“I am honored to have my first full production of a Nicaraguan cigar being blended and manufactured at Tabacalera Fernandez. The new blend is amazing and I am thrilled to expand the Nomad cigar line to include Nicaragua in a really big way,” said Fred Rewey, Founder.
Nomad Cigar Company launched in 2012 with four sizes of classic hand rolled Dominican cigars and quickly grew the line to seven sizes; not to mention conquering social media (@Godfadr on Twitter)
In spring of 2013 Rewey created Esteli Lot 1386, his first project in Nicaragua, available in limited edition 12 count boxes. Nomads next step is this full production of Nicaraguan cigars.
For sales Contact:
Nathan McIntyre, National Sales Director House of Emilio Cigars
Twitter: @CigarNate
Or…
Fred Rewey, Nomad Cigar Company
Twitter: @Godfadr
[email protected]
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This week on Half Ashed, we’re joined by our old friends Bob McDuffee and Dale Roush, formerly of Dogwatch Cigar Radio. Bob and Dale provided 410 Episodes of the first, longest-running cigar podcast in history. Dogwatch was the context through which Craig and I met, and its much lamented conclusion was the impetus for the two of us to pick up the mantle and try to preserve the community it fostered – all the while (hopefully) continuing to provide a useful couple hours of cigar information and entertainment each week. We’re much indebted to both Bob and Dale in that respect, as well as their generosity and help in getting Half Ashed off the ground and running. We wanted to have them on the show as the first of an ongoing segment in which we bring in various industry people – bloggers, manufacturers, retailers, etc. – for some discussion about their ideas and views concerning the world of cigars. We want to provide an outlet for them to candidly discuss and reveal the unique insights that they have into the industry and provide us with an education on the same.
Our cigar of the week for Episode 3 is the recently released Cuenca 5 Anniversary, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. It was my idea to have this as the cigar of the week, as it has made such a grand impression on me. It’s not secret that I love the cigar, and I wanted to share it with you all. We also spend a great deal of time talking with Bob and Dale, getting their ideas on what is wrong with the cigar industry, what is right with it, and some of their preferences in cigars when they just want to enjoy a good smoke. In news, we cover what we think the ramifications are with Swisher International having designs on creating a premium cigar division within their company, some antismoking legislation being proposed by a Florida state Senator, and what we’ve been smoking this week. We also make a couple of corrections from last week’s show, brought to our attention some of you – notably, we misspoke about the arrangement of some local/state ordinances during the IPCPR tradeshow last year. Thanks to George Edmonson of Stogie Guys for helping us out in that regard. Also, I managed to talk a good deal about an upcoming Fuente cigar without ever telling you its name. That cigar is the Casa Cuba. Thanks to the many of you who made me aware of that. I see at least some of you were paying attention :).
Unfortunately, we went very long this week and had to cut out a good deal of content we had planned on discussing. Under normal circumstances, we try to hold the show below two hours, but we were having such a good time conversing with Bob and Dale we managed to go over the 2:30 mark. So, we’ll have a few more news items next week – as well as some discussion from the world of pipes and tobaccos spurred on by an email and questions from Stephen D. We’re looking forward to that, in addition to next week’s Cigar of the Week – our first Unknown/Unbanded cigar! Remember, you can suggest an unbanded cigar for us via email at: [email protected]. That is a forwarding account that goes directly to my wife, who can source the cigars and provide them to us without information. You can also send us cigars to smoke blindly by contacting me: [email protected] for an address to ship them.
As always, you can find the video on Cigar Federation, on our YouTube channel, or simply through the embed below. You may also download the audio below or find us in the iTunes store (be sure to leave us a good review!) to subscribe directly to an audio feed of the show as it publishes. Thanks for tuning in!
Audio:
A few worthwhile items have presented themselves this week, and I thought I’d share them with you in one “Cigarmy News” post:
1. First, a press release from Tarazona Cigars:
MIAMI, FL, January 16, 2013 – Building off the success of its Cubanacan Connecticut line, released at IPCPR 2012, Tarazona Cigars is announcing the release of the Cubanacan Habano. As with the Connecticut, the Cubanacan Habano will be available in five vitolas and housed in boxes of fifty. MSRP for the Cubanacan Habano will be between $5.35- $7.85. The Cubanacan brand is named after the Tarazona Cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Cubanacan Habano:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaragua
Chato 4.5 x 42
Rothschild 5 x 50
Piramide 6 1/8 x 52
Churchill 7 x 50
El Gordo 6 x 60
For additional information:
Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]
2. Smoke Inn and Room101 Cigars also issued a press release this week, announcing the upcoming release of the sixth in Smoke Inn’s Microblend Series – the Big Delicious.
3. I tried a few new (to me) cigars this week that were of note.
I was down in South Florida a few weeks ago, and while at a cigar shop I met Emiliano, a rep for Cipriano Cigars. As he was leaving, he passed me a petit torpedo to try. I just got around to firing it up this week, and found it very interesting. They do have a website, although it is essentially a placeholder with some contact information. So, I don’t have much information to go on beyond that brief chat with Emiliano. Based on the conversation I had with him, I believe that the company has a history in the Northeastern U.S., and is currently expanding into new markets (such as Florida). He told me the cigars are Nicaraguan puros, manufactured in Esteli, with a Jalapa/Esteli filler blend and featuring a habano wrapper. I’ll abstain from a full review since I have not yet been able to find a retailer from whom to buy a couple more to try; however, here are some initial notes on it. By my handy-dandy cigar ring gauge guide, I found it to be about a 54 ring, and 4.75″ long. Prelight, both the aroma and flavor were a very faint hay. With the addition of fire, it produced a good amount of smoke, and moderate spice over a predominant nuttiness. The cigar burned well, and the flavors remained consistent throughout – with a slight increase in the spice as I neared the end of the cigar. I could not locate the MSRP on any of their cigars, so I’m afraid I can’t offer much information on pricing. I also have not yet located a retailer – so I am in a holding pattern on this line pending more information. If you find them in your local shop let me know. I’d be interested in buying a few more to try. I’m sure most fans of Jalapa tobacco and medium strength cigars would enjoy the Cipriano. The construction was very good, and the flavor quite pleasant. Definitely worth investigating should the opportunity arise.
On the same trip, I bought a couple of other cigars at Charmed Leaf with which I was unfamiliar. They are from DUJO, a company I’d never heard of – so, of course I had to buy a couple to try in the name of science, right? The cigars are Dominican puros, with a “super secret blend of the finest tobacco available. Made in extremely small quantities and available ONLY at Charmedleaf” (per the Charmed Leaf website). DUJO also has a website, but like Cipriano above it doesn’t yet furnish many details about the cigars themselves, although I do know that they sell at Charmed Leaf for $8.75 per stick. Again, holding to only a brief synopsis of the cigar: The DUJO comes in one vitola, which is 5.5″ X 52. Mine had a slightly oily sheen to the wrapper, which made it quite smooth to the touch. The unlit aroma was faint on the wrapper; slightly less so at the foot with a bit of sweetness that reminded me of allspice. Both of mine delivered an outstanding draw – firm, but free. The flavors ranged from nutty to citrus to a sweet spice (akin but not identical to the allspice aroma before lighting). At times, the sweetness was accompanied by a savory “twang” that was reminiscent of some contraband cigars I might have had in the past. If you are into Dominican tobacco with the slightest touch of spice you should give these a try. I wouldn’t hesitate to keep a few around.
Finally, thanks to Ana at Cuenca Cigars, I had the chance to try the new Cuenca 5 Anniversary cigar. I published the press release from them last week, and will be posting a full review of the cigars later this week. Just as a teaser, I smoked the first one in preparation last night, and it was one of the best new cigars I’ve tried in a some time. I made mention of it over on The Cigarmy Facebook page, so I won’t rehash those comments here. I’ll only say that it was bold and spicy – but never approached being overwhelming. It remained remarkably flavorful. Full bodied and constructed superbly. Suffice it to say, if they are all as good as that one, Cuenca should have a great future with that cigar. So, stay tuned for the review – I should have it published by week-end.
4. Plans continue to progress for the new Show.
The only other news I have is that Craig and I are zeroing in on kicking off the new show. We have a tentative first-show date set for February 8th. There will be some big news between now and then with details on how we’ll be pushing the show out and some alliances that are forming for supporting the show (muhahaha). For the first show, I’ll be freshly back from my third trip down to the Dominican Republic to visit the Chateau de la Fuente and the CigarFamily Charitable Foundation for CFC 2013, so you don’t want to miss that.
Well, that about wraps it up for today. I hope you’re all having a great week and will stay tuned in to The Cigarmy.
Recent news from Cuenca, whose cigars I will be reviewing this upcoming week:
Monday, December 28th, 2012
Hollywood, Florida— Today, Miguel Cuenca has officially announced the upcoming release of Cuenca Cigar’s latest creation: the “Cuenca 5 Anniversary” cigar. The cigar is available for sale since December 2012.
“Cuenca 5 Anniversary”, is a medium to full body cigar with a full flavor profile accented with spicy notes. This blend has been specially chosen by Miguel Cuenca. Then, a group of five seasoned smokers at Cuenca Cigars of Hollywood, along with Ana Cuenca were part of the testing process. “This is how we do things at Cuenca Cigars”, said Ana Cuenca. We have reinforced our customers’ avid knowledge and palate by allowing them to freely experience the vast selection in our store. In turn, they have become even more sophisticated when making their next choice for a great smoke. When it came time to develop our cigar, we fully engaged them in the development process. Who better than our loyal customers to give us unbiased feedback!
Our goal was to blend a cigar with complexity and a lot of flavor. We did not want to come out with a mild blend; we love spicy and full bodied cigars. Even though, mild may be an easier sale; we want to be known and defined for offering a spicy and strong product. We also love to be “different”, in every possible way. Did you notice the absence of the “th” in 5? We like it like that way, and 5 is a great number for us.
“Cuenca 5 Anniversary” will have an initial batch of 500 boxes. All boxes will be signed by Miguel Cuenca. In 2013, a full line will be released using this same blend. More details will be released early next year.
“Cuenca 5 Anniversary” is a 7 x 54, Torpedo Box pressed, with carefully selected dark Habano wrapper from Nicaragua. It was aged and cured by AJ Fernandez the creator of San Lotano Cigars, a good friend of the Cuenca Family. They come in an elegant cedar box which contains 10 cigars.
Cigars will be initially available in 20 different cigar stores in the Continental U.S. and Europe. By mid 2013, the whole line will be available in 50 U.S. and European stores. The “Cuenca 5 Anniversary” line is a registered trademark of Cuenca Cigars TM and/or affiliated companies.
Mission
….the only place that will put up with your ash…..
Cuenca Cigars
1928 Harrison Street
Hollywood, FL 33020
866-417-9454
954-364-7660 * Fax: 954-364-7661
Email: [email protected]
http://www.cuencacigars.com/
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or to receive Mobile Alerts
Company Overview
Cuenca Cigars is a bar, a patio, a cappuccino bar situated adjacent to a “Members Only” Lounge. Enthusiasts gather for a great coffee, beer and wine at outside tables and signature cigars in lounge. Owners greet guests with a cigar in one hand and a fun attitude, providing cigars bars aren’t just a boy’s Club anymore. Their active Facebook page pitches promotions, drawings and comedy nights. It is truly an inviting aura that is unpretentious and sophisticated. Hollywood Gazette, 2011.