Cigar News…

First off I want to welcome everyone who saw my website mentioned in the newest issue of Smoke Magazine. The first issue that I am a panelist in has hit the newsstands. For those of you who are unsure of the issue, it is the one with Tucker Carlson on the cover and my ugly mug is on page 77. The picture is when I shaved the facial hair, which is now back. The next issue will feature a picture of my handlebars.

CAO News: I was informed tonight by Jon Huber of CAO Cigars that the LX2 lancero will be available as a regular release and should start to appear in cigar shops sometime in March. No word yet on the MSRP. For those of you who have yet to have them it one of the best lancero smokes around today.

Oliva News: It has come to my attention that the Oliva V Maduro will be released yearly as a limited edition smoke. No word on when the 2009 release will be, but if they follow the 2008 pattern it will be sometime in the fall. In other Oliva news the Nub Maduro and Nub Miami should be out sometime in the spring with the Miami being a limited release.

SCHIP: The word/abbreviation that cigar smokers has come to hate. I have been informed that the federal tobacco tax will go to 40 cents a stick. While this is a big victory for cigar smokers, it does further put a crack in the dam. Don’t forget how small the first increases in cigarette taxes were before they ballooned to what they are now. Let your congress person know you are appreciative of the hike not being out of control, but it has to stop here!

Contest Time: In the next couple of days I will have a contest where you can win a 5 pack of Defiance and a Xikar cutter compliments of Xikar, Inc. If you have not yet smoked the Defiance from Xikar I suggest you give it a try. It is a great smoke!

On a final note, I will be back on Friday with a review of the Mi Dominicana cigar which I received today compliments of Altadis USA.

Cigar News: Win 10,000 Gallons of Free Gas from 2 Guys Smoke Shops

Salem, New Hampshire  November 9, 2008 – One of the 414 guests at the 23rd Anniversary party of Two Guys Smoke Shops on November 19 will win 10,000 gallons of gasoline from the New Hampshire-based smoke shop chain with stores in Salem, Nashua and Seabrook.

“For $200 per ticket – and we have just a few more available –  you get more than your money’s worth with  23 premium, handmade cigars, a five-course Italian feast, entertainment by the Rat Pack, raffles, cigar celebrities, plenty of prizes, surprises and fun plus the chance to win 10,000 gallons of gas,” said David Garofalo who founded Two Guys in 1985.  The party will be held at DiBurro’s Function Facility in Bradford, Massachusetts.

Garofalo pointed out that the gas alone is worth $25,000 at today’s prices for about 12 years’ worth of gasoline or enough to drive around the world more than 10 times.

In addition, Two Guys is also giving away to all of its customers a free $10 gas card with every purchase of selected boxes of cigars.

“We’ve got 23 world famous brands participating throughout this year’s celebration,” he said.  Participating brands include Avo, Punch, Cusano, CAO, Heaven, Chateau Real, Oliveros, Camacho, Arganese, Cuvee, Ashton, Tabac Especiale, Excalibur, Rocky Patel, Padron, Defiance, Tabaccos Baez, Oliva, among others.  In addition to more prizes and surprises, guests will be able to visit with a broad array of cigar celebrities including Avo Uvezian, Jorge Padron, Michael and Joe Cusano, Gene Arganese, the Heaven Angels and more.

Tickets to the event are available at all Two Guys locations, by calling the catalog/mail order cigar line at 1-888-2-CIGAR-2 and on-line at www.2GuysSmokeShop.com.

Two Guys Smoke Shop locations are at 304 South Broadway in Salem NH; 15 Spit Brook Road in Nashua NH; and 741 Lafayette Road in Seabrook, NH.

News: SCHIP

Just a heads up to my fellow brothers and sisters of the leaf. SCHIP is due for a vote in the house prior to the 2008 elections. Not sure what SCHIP is? You may recall last summer the talk of an added cigar tax. Well, the bill behind that was SCHIP….

And this time it is back for a vote in the democratic controlled house which means that the liberal democrats are more likely to pass this bill. What does that mean for you and I? Well it means the cigar tax will go up to over 50% or a cap of 3.00 per cigar.

Let your local house representative know you do not support this!