Cigars Headlines

Winner of Torano Wine Contest
Torano Family Cigar Co. has announced the winner of their grand prize trip to Arrington Vineyards. Timothy Hudson is the grand prize winner of the month-long Torano-Arrington wine fridge contest. This contest awarded 25 lucky winners with a Torano branded stainless steel wine fridge, and the grand prize winner was awarded a weekend trip to Nashville, Tennessee to visit Arrington Vineyards. Read more and view photo at About.com Cigars on Facebook.

Super Cigar Events
The Great Smoke in West Palm Beach is coming up on February 18, 2012. This major cigar event is hosted by the Smoke Inn. Visit thegreatsmoke.com for all the details, and check out our Great Smoke Image Gallery from prior years. Cigar Aficionado has announced the 2012 dates for their annual Big Smoke events in Las Vegas (November 9-11) and New York (November 29). Tickets will go on sale March 15 and April 15, respectively. Visit Cigar Aficionado for all the details, and check out our Big Smoke Image Gallery from prior years. Rocky Patel is hosting a cigar cruise on the Carnival Destiny on April 16-21, 2012. Visit rockypatelcigarcruise.com for details. Sorry, we don't have an image gallery from a prior Rocky Patel cigar cruise, but you can always check out our article about cruising with cigars. ...Read Full Post

New Cigars From General Cigar
Macanudo cigars will now be available in the Gigante size measuring 6" x 60. Macanudo Cafe and Macanudo Maduro Gigante cigars will be available in 25-count boxes with an SRP of $199.75, or $7.99 per cigar....Read Full Post

Customize Your Next Zippo Lighter
Zippo has announced Customize It, a new customization tool that allows consumers to create their own personalized Zippo windproof lighters. The easy-to-use tool prompts users to upload a personal photo or piece of artwork, or choose from an existing array of images in the Zippo Library. This photo is then color imprinted on the lighter itself, making the final product one-of-a-kind....Read Full Post

Review of Flor de Gonzalez Cigar
Flor de Gonzalez 15 Aniversario cigars are made in Miami with an interesting blend of tobaccos, including some filler from Panama. These are limited edition cigars, and are modestly priced considering they are made in the United States. To find out more, read my Review of Flor de Gonzalez 15 Aniversario Robusto Cigars.

Gran Habano's New Factory
The Gran Habano - G.R. Tabacaleras Co. cigar factory located on "Calle Ocho", 8th street, in the Little Havana district of Miami is completed and ready to roll. The factory will employ 10 Cuban rollers who will produce no more than 1,000 cigars per day to ensure quality and consistency. This will be the base of Gran Habano's new cigar line "Gran Habano Miami" which will lead off with the soon-to-be-released Black Corojo, Opium Miami and the continuance of the company's STK program. The exact opening date to the public will soon be announced. Visit About.com Cigars on Facebook for more information and to view a few photos.

Super Bowl Cigars
Cigars come in virtually all shapes and sizes, so on Super Bowl Sunday, you need either a cigar shaped like a football or a large super-sized cigar. Football Shaped Cigars are novelties that can be very expensive and/or hard to find, but on February 5, 2012, you can easily be the guy puffing on the biggest stick in the room with a La Unica 100 Premium Cigar. Your La Unica 100 may not last until the Indianapolis 500, but with a cigar that measures 8½ inches in length, you will still be able to blow smoke at Madonna during half-time. Check 'em out!...Read Full Post

Cigar Dolls
If you are planning an event and want to make it special, consider hiring a cigar roller. But if you want to kick it up a notch and plan something extra special, hire one or more attractive female torcedors known as Cigar Dolls. According to the PR, "Your guests will never expect them, or forget them." Prices for events average between $1,100 to $1,500. Upscale, VIP events range in the $4,000 to $6,000 range, as they typically bring 2 to 3 Cigar Rollers and have multiple quantities of cigars on hand for larger guest lists. For more pictures and information, visit About.com Cigars on Facebook....Read Full Post

Cigar Resolutions For 2012
Is anyone planning to smoke more and/or better cigars in 2012? How about smoking healthier cigars? There may be no such thing as a healthy cigar, but some cigars just might be a bit healthier than others, especially certified organic cigars. Nestor Plasencia has been growing and processing organic cigar tobacco in Nicaragua for a number of years, and I finally got around to reviewing his Plasencia Reserva Organica Cigars a couple of years ago. If you haven't already made your resolutions for the new year, now might be a good time to add some organic cigars to your list.

Cigar Reviewers As Critics
A couple of months ago, I wrote a piece about egomaniac cigar bloggers. As you might imagine, I did receive some some feedback, but the response was far from being an avalanche. Although most bloggers help to support and promote the cigar industry, sometimes a few of them forget that their mission as cigar reviewers is not to promote themselves and/or every cigar that comes their way. An independent reviewer cannot also be a representative of any cigar company. Bloggers should leave some of the superlatives or embellishments in their "reviews" to the marketing folks employed by the cigar companies....Read Full Post