The battle for our rights as cigar smokers

    I want to take a few moments to talk about some of the most important issues for cigar smokers to date; cigar bans and the FDA.

     Anyone who has smoked in the last twenty years will have noticed that the places a person can smoke a cigar, a perfectly legal product, are becoming increasingly limited.  We have been banned from restaurants, some bars, public parks and in some cases even our own backyards and homes.  This is an affront to the founding principals of our nation.  We are a country founded on the belief of individual freedom and we are having that freedom infringed upon more and more each year.

     Now we are facing a crisis even more dangerous to us than any smoking ban, control of the tobacco industry by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has been driven this authority under the guise of "protecting children from demon tobacco."   Cigar smokes over the years have turned a blind eye to the regulations and restrictions imposed on cigarettes saying, "Well, at least it isn't us." Well, now it is us.  The new powers given to the FDA gives them jurisdiction over the entire tobacco industry, including premium handmade cigars.

    How bad could that really be, you may ask.  Very bad indeed.  The FDA is seeking to impose the same restrictions that are currently in place for cigarettes and those new initiatives that are in the works on cigars as well.  That could mean a change to the cigar industry as we know it.

• Higher prices on every cigar in the form on a massive tax increase to pay for an entirely new federal tobacco bureaucracy. 
• A complete ban on any flavored OR flavor infused cigars, such as the Drew Estate Acid line.
• A restriction on any self service displays, meaning the end of the walk-in humidor at your local tobacconist.  
• A ban on cigar events involving any giveaways and any in store tasting events.
• The nationwide ban of Internet and mail order of cigars. 
• The restriction of any cigar advertising to black-and-white print ads only. 
• Graphic depictions of health warnings that could cover half of a cigar box, destroying the traditional decorative cigar boxes.
• The imposition of a limit on the nicotine contents in a cigar ending the strong cigar.
• The ban of any kind of branded merchandise such as hats and shirts. 
• Required FDA approval of any new blends, causing significant delays and a very expensive testing process that would put an end to limited run products and force many boutique cigar maker to close their doors.  

    These changes would destroy the pastime of cigar smoking that I have come to love.

    Do we have the power to stop this?  Fortunately we are not alone.  The Cigar Rights of America is working to have premium cigars exempted from FDA control.

   The CRA was formed by an unprecedented collaboration of the cigar industry  and has grown into a powerful grassroots organization of member cigar smokers from across the country.  I am a member.  As you may have seen, at the top of the page there is a banner declaring myself as a proud member.

  As to what YOU can do to stop the FDA, there are two bills in congress right now;  House Resolution 1639 and Senate Resolution 1461 collectively known as the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing & Small Business Preservation Act.  This act will separate premium cigars from cigarettes in the eyes of the law and keep the FDA away from our cigars.  But we need your help.  We need YOU to contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to co-sponsor these resolutions. The CRA has made it easy for you, click the link at the bottom of this post or go to http://www.cigarrights.org/action and fill out the form there and it will send a letter to each of your congressmen for you.

     While you are there, please consider joining the Cigar Rights of America.  Anyone, from the occasional smoker who enjoys a cigar now and then to the seasoned cigar aficionado should consider joining.  They are fighting to preserve your right to enjoy your cigars and they deserve your support.  For a membership fee that is far less than your probably spend on premium cigars in a month, you get a year long membership in the organization and to help soften the cut into your cigar budget, you will receive two special limited edition cigars donated by some of CRAs  industry partners, such as Oliva, Arturo Fuente, Drew Estate, General Cigar, A. J.  Fernandez and many others.

   Together we can turn back the tide of anti-smoking legislation.

Expedition: Vitola!
Dan.

Click here to Help Exempt Premium Cigars From FDA Regulation!

Alec Bradley Black Market Robusto

   The Alec Bradley Cigar Company has, in it's relatively short time, developed a reputation for producing some of the cigar industries most unique cigars. From the Alec Bradley Trilogy, originally a triangular pressed cigar, to the Tempus and the Family Blend, AB has produced cigars that have taken the cigar world by storm. This year at the IPCPR trade show Alec Bradley unveiled its new creation to the public. The Black Market.

 

   I am very fortunate to have an outstanding brick and mortar tobacconist a mere hour drive from my home. Habana Port Cigar Merchants and their exceptional selection has allowed me to sample many recent releases and when I came across the Black Market in their well stocked humidor I had to purchase one to enjoy and review.

    And enjoy I did! The Black Market is an exceptional smoking experience. It has easily earned its place among Alec Bradley's fine catalog of brands, and incidentally in my short list of favorite cigars this year. I would recommend this cigar to anyone looking for a unique smoke and I will most certainly smoke more of these myself.

Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic 1979

     It's a beautiful fall day in southern Louisiana of course in Louisiana that means something quite different what it means elsewhere in the country. Here it is in November and I'm sitting outside were writing this in shorts and T-shirt enjoying a clear sunny 80° day. A perfect day to write a cigar review.  For this review I decided to sample a classic (some pun intended) the Don Pepin Garcia Cuban classic otherwise known as the Don Pepin Black Label.

    I enjoyed it quite well it was very flavorful but much of what I had heard of the Don Pepin Black was that it was a very very strong cigar and this example was not as strong as I expected. Now this example of the Don Pepin Black Label that has several years of age in the humidor, as you can see from the out-dated DPG label, so that strength has had the opportunity to mellow. I enjoyed the cigar I think that this is a cigar that I would return to again in the very near future.

JC Newman Diamond Crown

     The J.C. Newman Cigar Company wanted to produce a special cigar for their 100th anniversary back in 1995.  Stanford J. Newman enlisted the aid of Carlos Fuente Sr and they set out to create a super premium cigar together. The Diamond Crown was the fruit of their labor.

   The Diamond Crown is an amazing cigar.  Light in body but full of complex flavors yet in complete balance.  Each cigar is constructed of six or seven individual leaves at the Tabacalera A. Fuente factory and are blended into a smoking experience that is truly world class.

   This cigar is sadly the last cigar I have left that I received in a sampler pack when I joined the J.C. Newman Cigar Connoisseur Club.  The sampler contained the incomparable Diamond Crown, a flavorful Brick House, an excelent El Baton, and an outstanding Cuesta Rey cigar and is well worth the price of membership and more.

Punch Champion

     The first thing most people notice about the Punch Champion is its unique shape.  Likened by many to a bowling pin, the shape of this little figurado makes smoking it an interesting experience.

     I thoroughly enjoyed the Punch Champion.  It is a outstanding cigar at a very good price.  When I can make the room in my meager cigar budget, I will be looking to purchase a full box of these incredible little figurados.

     This is the third Champion that I've had.  When I purchased the first from Habana Port Cigar Merchants earlier this year the owner, Luis, asked me to tell him what I thought about it after I had the chance to smoke it.  His request is what eventually led me to create this blog.  In effect, the Punch Champion and Habana Port are the reasons Expedition: Vitola! exists

E P Carrillo Short Run Populare

    When I saw the Short Run in the humidor at Habana Port Cigar Merchants, I had to give it a try.   Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is the master mind behind the reemergence of the La Gloria Cubana cigar line and is now producing cigars under his own label.

     As the name implies, the Short Run a cigar that is produced in a limited number by E. P. Carrillo.  It has a rare Sumatra wrapper with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.

     The Short Run was a complex cigar with lots of interesting flavors, but is lacking in balance of those flavors.  The wrapper on my example was somewhat fragile and suffered from some cracks but smoked reasonably well.  At it's price point the Short Run's value warrants returning for another try, if I can find another of these limited sticks.

CAO OSA Sol Lot 50

     The CAO cigar brand has gone thru a major change recently when in 2007 the company was purchased by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group from the Ozgener family that had owned and operated the company from it's founding as a pipe manufacturer.  

     The OSA Sol is their first release after the purchase.  It is made with an Olancho San Augustin wrapper, hence the OSA name, that comes exclusively from a 2008 harvest.  As a fan of a few CAO brands, when I saw this cigar in the humidor at Habana Port Cigar Merchants I had to give it a try.

      I was not disappointed.  The OSA Sol was a well made well balanced smoke, full of interesting flavors.  I am going to pick up a few more in the very near future.

Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959 50 Years Torpedo

     The Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959 50 Years, more commonly called the Exodus Copper for the striking band, is a cigar that quickly became one of my favorites.  The Copper was suggested to me by Luis at Habana Port Cigar Merchants over a year ago and It has earned a place in my regular cigar rotation.  From it's gorgeous Brizillian Arapiraca wraper to its complex  sweet and creamy flavors, the Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959 50 Years is a cigar that well worth its modest price tag. 

     The Exodus line was created as an anniversary cigar for the Toraño family, but not a happy one, 1959 was the year the Toraño family along with many other giants of tobacco creation left Cuba after the nationalization of the tobacco industry.   Cuba's loss was most certainly our gain.

Macanudo Vintage 1997 Maduro

     Macanudo has long had a reputation of producing mild cigars without much flavor complexity.  Over the last few years the company has made huge steps in changing that reputation.  With offerings such as the 1968 and the Cru Royale and now the Vintage Maduro they have a stable of medium to full flavored cigars.

    In a flash of marketing brilliance these vitolas are packaged not with a paper main band, but one of stainless steel.  While I rarely ever smoke a cigar with the band still in place, the stainless ring on this one made an excellent cigar holder.

Brickhouse Bash

Today is the Brickhouse Bash at Habanaport Cigar Merchants in Covington Louisiana.  Sadly, I am unable to attend, but I can still enjoy a fine Brickhouse Cigar from the J.C. Newman Cigar company.

Viaje White Label Project 50/50

   The day after Tropical Storm Lee had passed dawned bright and cool.  The perfect day to enjoy a fine cigar I thought.  And a fine cigar I had.  The Viaje While Label 50/50 was a rich flavorful smoke that enjoyed sitting outside in the gentle breeze.

   Viaje cigars are generally a bit over my modest cigar budget, but thankfully Habana Port Cigar Merchants had these great smokes for a reasonable enough to allow me to try them.  The White Label Project concept is to produce cigars of blends that they are working on at the Viaje factories in extremely limited quantities to get those blends in the hands of the everyday smoker and allow us an insight into upcoming production.

    If this example of upcoming Viaje products, I may have to make a little room in my budget.  The WLP 50/50 was a fantastic cigar.  Medium to full bodied and flavorful from start to finish.  A bit of a restrictive draw was the only drawback of this otherwise fantastic example of cigardom.  Due to the limited production and scarce availability, finding one of these cigars will be a challenge, but if you can find them, I highly recommend giving them a try.

Happy smoking,

Dan Law

 

  Thank you for visiting my little corner of the web.

  It has only been a few years since I discovered my love for fine cigars.  Since then I have been trying to educate myself and expose myself to as much of the cigar culture and industry as possible.  This is my attempt to document my cigar journey.

  The name of my site "Expedition: Vitola!" has two parts of course.  "Expedition" refers to what I feel is my educational journey and "Vitola" which is a term the cigar industry uses to denote a cigar's shape.

  I hope to be able to post my cigar related observations and rants as well as cigar reviews, my cigar photographs and industry news here on a regular basis but, please, if I do go quite some time between updates bear with me.  Sometimes the "real word" does intrude upon us all.

Happy smoking,

Dan Law