IN the NEXT CIGAR INSIDER the Super Toro Comes Packaged in Boxes of 25 and Retails for $7.50 Each

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CigarMAY 10, 2011 n VOL. 16, NOInsider. 9 n FROM THE PUBLISHER OF CIGAR AFICIONADO MAGAZINE

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TASTING REPORT: LA RELOBA SELECCIÓN SUMATRA TORPEDO VERTICAL BRAND TASTINGS: NICARAGUA n PRICE: $6.50 n BODY: MEDIUM 94 POINTS n PDR 1878 Cubano Especial For a full tasting, see page three. Capa Madura [page 2]

n La Reloba Selección Sumatra [page 3] BEST CIGARS THIS ISSUE CURRENT RELEASE: La Reloba Selección Sumatra Torpedo Nicaragua 94 n Romeo y Julieta Regalias de Londres [page 3] La Reloba Selección Sumatra Robusto Nicaragua 92 PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura Toro Dom. Rep. 90 CIGAR NEWS PDR 1878 Cubano Especial n Bill Aims to Exempt Premium Cigars From Capa Madura Torpedo Dom. Rep. 90 FDA Regulation [page 4] PDR 1878 Cubano Especial n Cuba’s H. Upmann Factory Moves [page 4] Capa Madura Lancero Dom. Rep. 89 n Altadis U.S.A. Cuts Sleepy Brands [page 5] Romeo y Julieta Regalias de Londres Cuba 89 n Nicaragua’s Bumper Tobacco Crop [page 5]

n Alec Bradley Releases American Classic Blend [page 6]

n Bargain Smoke from El Credito [page 6]

n New Size for Winston Churchill [page 6] RYJ BECOMES UPMANN CUBA’S ROMEO Y JULIETA FACTORY n Brick House Gets a Belicoso [page 7] is the new (albeit temporary) home of H. Upmann n Rocky Patel Hosts Charity Golf Event [page 7] cigars. The factory manager, workers, tobaccos and brands from Upmann have been moved to Romeo y n Perdomo Debuts Champagne Noir [page 8] Julieta while the H. Upmann factory is renovated. For the n Big Smoke Tickets on Sale [page 8] full story on the switch, turn to page four.

A BILL DESIGNED TO KEEP AWAY THE FDA THE THREAT OF THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION CONTROLLING THE U.S. CIGAR INDUSTRY has many people in the business losing sleep. Ever since United States President Barack Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law in June 2009, the FDA has been in control of the entire American tobacco industry, but it originally focused exclusively on cigarettes. Insiders fear it is only a matter of time before the FDA turns its attention to cigars. The Cigar Rights of America and the IPCPR have made moves to keep the FDA away from premium cigars. For the full story, and to find out how cigar smokers such as you can help support the bill, see page four.

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double robusto TASTING REPORT 88 POINTS n 5 1/2" x 54 n $5.65 Dark and oily with a pigtail cap, this stout cigar begins woody and herbal, gaining a chewy, spicy character as the cigar progresses. PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Capa MadurA Body: Medium vertical brand tasting Country: Dominican Republic double magnum 87 POINTS n 6" x 60 n $6.75 Maker: PDR Cigars This thick cigar smokes evenly despite its heft, impart- Distributor: R&F Importers ing a spicy smoke with licorice flavor. The aftertaste is a Filler: Dom. Rep., Nicaragua bit gummy on the palate. Binder: Dom. Rep. Body: Medium to Full Wrapper: Brazil Release Date: June 2010 robusto 87 POINTS n 5" x 52 n $5.55 Toro A dark cigar that burns unevenly, but draws well. Char- 90 POINTS n 6" x 52 n $5.85 coal and anise are the predominant flavors of each puff, A very dark and oily cigar with a tightly rolled pigtail cap. though the anise notes cling to the finish. Pleasant hickory flavors come through the even draw as Body: Medium do touches of leather and earth. Body: Medium Churchill 85 POINTS n 7" x 54 n $6.65 Torpedo Combustion problems plague this woody-tasting cigar. 90 POINTS n 6 1/2" x 52 n $6.15 Toasty notes and anise flavors turn gummy and the poor This pigtailed, cedary smoke burns and draws evenly, burn never corrects itself. showing some licorice sweetness and an earthiness that Body: Medium lingers on the palate. Body: Medium to Full BRAND SUMMARY: The PDR (Pinar Del Río) 1878 Cubano Lancero Especial brand comes in four different varieties. We tasted 89 POINTS n 7 1/4" x 38 n $6.55 the Capa Madura, which is distinguished by a Brazilian A well-rolled lancero with a tight pigtail cap. The burn is Arapiraca wrapper that, according to brand owner Abe blistery, but the draw is smooth, offering some savory Flores, was harvested in 2007. The binder is Dominican leather notes with cedary flavors and a fruity finish. Criollo ‘98 and each cigar of the series is finished with a Body: Medium tightly rolled pigtail cap. The Dominican factory where this brand is made was once called Tabacalera Don Leoncio, Corona but in an attempt to simplify things, it was renamed PDR 88 POINTS n 5 1/4" x 44 n $5.25 Cigars and is in the process of relocating to a free zone in The draw on this well-made corona is a bit firm. Coffee Tamboril. This is a fairly large line with many sizes, none flavors are most prominent, complemented by notes of retailing for more than $7. The most of impressive were the dried orange peel and sour apple. Toro and Torpedo. Both scored 90 points. Body: Medium to Full Average Rating: 88.0 points

95-100: Classic n 90-94: Outstanding n 80-89: Very good to excellent n 70-79: Average to good commercial quality Below 70: Don’t waste your money n N/A: Not Available Note: Prices are manufacturers’ suggested retail, before taxes.

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La Reloba Selección Sumatra with a lighter Habano-seed wrapper grown in the same country. The inside of each cigar is entirely Nicaraguan, “all from our farms vertical brand tasting in Nicaragua,” said John Gonzalez, vice president of sales for My Country: Nicaragua Father Cigars. According to Gonzalez, La Reloba was named after one of the oldest cigar factories in Plazeta, Cuba. The wallet Maker: My Father Cigars S.A. friendly brand was released in April of 2010 and was prominently Distributor: My Father Cigars Inc. featured at last year’s IPCPR tradeshow. These cigars scored well, Filler: Nicaragua but two truly stood out: the Torpedo and Robusto, which scored Binder: Nicaragua 94 and 92 points, respectively. And retailing at $6.50 and $5.60, Wrapper: Ecuador each is a bargain, though the value of a 94-point cigar that retails for only $6.50 really can’t be overstated. Release Date: April 2010 Average Rating: 90.3 points

Torpedo 94 POINTS n 6 1/8" x 52 n $6.50 n Humidor Selection The tip is a bit soft before cutting, but it draws and burns perfectly, showing remarkable balance and complexity ranging from coffee and vanilla to toast and minerals. Body: Medium

Robusto 92 POINTS n 5" x 50 n $5.60 n Humidor Selection A tasty cigar that is laden with pronounced coffee bean Romeo y Julieta flavor from the first puff. The robusto picks up toasty current release notes and a sweet wood character. Balanced. Country: Cuba Body: Medium to Full Maker: N/A Corona Distributor: Habanos S.A. 88 POINTS n 5 5/8" x 46 n $4.50 n Best Buy Filler: Cuba Initial wheaty flavors turn sweet and herbal. A cola note Binder: Cuba emerges, but the smoke stays lightly sweet. It draws and Wrapper: Cuba burns evenly throughout. Body: Medium Box Date: March 2010

Toro Regalias de londres 87 POINTS n 6 1/4" x 52 n $6.00 89 POINTS n 4 5/8" x 40 n 4.40 euros (italy) This veiny, bumpy cigar draws evenly, but starts out very Rolled with a soft head and attractive wrapper, this little tart and acidic. Eventually, it settles down to a primarily cigar smokes evenly, delivering easy-going floral flavors woody smoke. with hints of toast and cocoa. Body: Medium to Full Body: Mild to Medium

BRAND SUMMARY: The Garcia family, which owns and oper- ates My Father Cigars Inc. in Nicaragua and Miami, continues Have a comment about to expand its portfolio of premium cigar brands. La Reloba, a Cigar Insider? cigar available in two wrapper styles, is one of the latest. The La We’d like to know what you think. Reloba Selección Sumatra, which we tested here, has a Sumatra- Email us at [email protected]. seed wrapper from Ecuador, while the Selección Habano comes

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Canada’s Ministry of Health Promotion must frost the glass of their walk-in humidors, to obscure the view from CIGAR NEWS the outside. Customers aren’t allowed to handle a cigar before buying one. Rather than wait for such potentially industry-threaten- ing legislation to occur, though, the CRA and International Bill to KEEP premium CIGARS Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers decided to act. AWAY FROM FDA Regulation “We have to be proactive to keep the FDA from regulating cigars,” said Jeff Borysiewicz, an IPCPR board By Andrew Nagy member, co-founder of the CRA and owner of the Corona Cigar shops in Orlando, Florida. newly introduced piece of legislation aims to remove Ever since last year, Borysiewicz, Loope and Apremium, handmade cigars from the jurisdiction of others have been meeting with officials in Washington to the Food and Drug Administration. convince those with a hand in controlling the fate of the cigar The Cigar Rights of America recently announced it has industry that premium cigars are quite different from worked with lawmakers to help introduce a first-of-its- cigarettes and machine-made cigars. kind bipartisan bill that would, if passed, protect premium Borysiewicz said he has even met last November with cigars from being legislated by the FDA. Dr. Lawrence Deyton, the Center for Tobacco Products In addition, the CRA has launched a national petition director. The center is a branch of the FDA. drive, called Operation Cigar Liberty, to garner signatures “They definitely are listening,” Borysiewicz said of and support for the bill, which was officially filed as House Deyton and the center. “They realize there’s a difference Resolution 1639. between handmade cigars, machine-made cigars and other “I believe [FDA regulation] is the most overriding issue tobacco products.” confronting the cigar industry today,” said Glynn Loope, As a result of all the hard work, many top officials in executive director of the CRA. Washington, including U.S. Representative (and Presiden- HR 1639, introduced by Rep. Bill Posey of Florida and tial aspirant) Ron Paul of Texas, have pledged their sup- dubbed the “Traditional Cigar Manufacturing & Small port of HR 1693. Business Jobs Preservation Act,” removes the FDA’s juris- Both Borysiewicz and Loope said that the next step is to diction over the premium cigar industry by amending the keep building momentum on Capitol Hill by getting more Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. lawmakers to officially back the bill. Why is this important to cigar enthusiasts and retailers? CRA is asking all cigar enthusiasts to get behind this bill In 2009, President Obama granted the FDA full regula- by voicing their opinion to their representatives. tory control of tobacco products, such as cigarettes, roll- Visit http://www.cigarrights.org/petition_FDA001.php your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco when he signed to find out more. n the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law. The FDA had an immediate impact on the cigarette industry—banning all flavored cigarettes save for men- thol, limiting advertising and placing restrictions on the use of words such as “light”—and other tobacco products. In November, the FDA announced plans to make warning CUBA’S H. UPMANN FACTORY labels on cigarettes larger. Then, earlier this year, the FDA CLOSED AND MOVED announced that it would closely review the release of new cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and all smokeless prod- By David Savona ucts sold in the United States. Cigars, however, were not included in most uba’s H. Upmann factory, also known by the post- of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Crevolutionary name José Martí, has been closed for Control Act’s restrictions. They still are not. But the renovations, and the factory’s staff and production has lingering fear among those in the cigar industry is been moved to the Romeo y Julieta factory. that such limits could one day be imposed on cigars. Cigar Insider toured the Romeo y Julieta factory in May, Industry observers point to the example in Canada, and found it had been completely transformed into the specifically Ontario, as an example of what the future new—albeit temporary—home of the H. Upmann brand. could hold. There a law known as the Tobacco Display For the past five years, Romeo has been closed to Ban prohibits businesses from displaying tobacco prod- tourists, and has been used primarily as a rolling school. ucts within retail stores, and any shop not registered with Now it is decorated with banners and posters touting the

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H. Upmann cigar brand, and H. Upmann factory manager BUMPER CIGAR TOBACCO CROP Miguel Barzaga Maceo is running the factory, which has been filled with his staff of workers from H. Upmann. GROWING IN NICARAGUA Barzaga came here at the end of January, and he said By David Savona the facility was ready to roll cigars by February 10. It was in full production upon our visit, and was even open to igarmakers and tobacco growers in Central America tourists. While not as popular a stop as the iconic Partagas Care basking in a bumper crop of top-quality cigar Factory, a tour of Romeo y Julieta/H. Upmann costs 10 tobacco being grown in Nicaragua. The 2010/2011 harvest Cuban Convertible Pesos ($10), the standard rate for cigar is shaping up to be one for the record books. tours throughout Havana. Cigar Insider toured several tobacco fields in Nicaragua H. Upmann is the mother factory for H. Upmann, in March while visiting the country for a cigar festival and Montecristo and Diplomaticos cigars. Every Cuban while reporting on stories for upcoming issues of Cigar H. Upmann is now being rolled at Romeo, as well as some Aficionado magazine. We witnessed sun-grown leaves in Montecristos, some Romeo y Julietas and some Cohibas Estelí that were much larger than is typical, and field after (each brand is too large for one factory). As for the tiny Diplomaticos brand, which mirrors many sizes of Monte- cristo, none were being rolled at the time of Insider’s visit. The factory will close in July for a two-month paint job. Cigars cannot be made during such work, as they absorb odors and would reek of paint. The factory is scheduled to reopen in August. The closing of the H. Upmann factory is somewhat surprising. The factory has been open for only about 10 years, and was known as Nuevo H. Upmann. The original H. Upmann factory was closed in the early 2000s when H. Upmann moved to what was touted as one of Cuba’ s most modern cigar factories. The 166-year-old Partagas Factory, arguably Cuba’s best known cigar factory and certainly the one most frequented by tourists, was expected to be closed by now for extensive field of robust, tall and vibrant plants growing in the sun renovations, but it was still open on our visit. n and under the shade in Jalapa, where some of Nicaragua’s finest cigar tobacco is grown. “The crop this year was, and still is, amazing,” said Nestor A. Plasencia, who grows tobacco throughout Cen- tral America with his father, Nestor Plasencia Sr. “We have not seen a crop like this in many years, both sun grown and shade grown. The tobacco plants in our fields looks so ALTADIS U.S.A. DISCONTINUES healthy and vigorous. Also the tobacco in the curing barns are so even and uniform in color that we are very happy SLOW-SELLING BRANDS with the results. The weather has been a great help.” By Gregory Mottola Pete Johnson, who uses Nicaraguan tobacco in all of his cigars, including the highly rated Tatuaje brand, raved t is not at all uncommon for cigar companies to about the dry growing season, which is resulting in plants Ioccasionally cancel slow-selling brands, but in the wake of that should deliver plenty of ligero leaves, which are used Altadis U.S.A. Inc.’s many new releases and recent to make powerful cigars. corporate restructuring, the giant cigar maker and Eduardo Fernandez, the owner of Aganorsa, one of distributor has decided to cut six lines of premium Nicaragua’s biggest growers of cigar tobacco, said this crop smokes from its large portfolio, including Bock y Ca., was looking exceptionally good, although he was careful Montecruz and Santa Damiana. Other brands getting the to say that the crop was not complete, and he didn’t want axe, such as Juan Lopez, Da Vinci and A. Turrent, have to count his chickens before they hatched. been on the market for less than a decade. It should be “The weather has been good,” said Jorge Padrón of noted that only the A. Turrent core brand, which was Padrón Cigars. “But you don’t really know looking in the launched in 2005, and A. Turrent Six Generations will be field, you see the final results in the barn.” deleted. A. Turrent Triple Play, which launched last year, To watch video of tobacco in the fields of Nicaragua see remains in the Altadis portfolio. n David Savona’s blogs at www.cigaraficionado.com. n

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ccording to Alec Bradley Cigar Co.’s owner Alan n inexpensive, intention- ARubin, the Tampa-style cigar of the early 20th cen- Aally rustic and con- tury was affordably priced, smooth, sweet and complex. siderably gutsy smoke So he’s offering his retrospective interpretation of this from the Domini- idea with the American Classic Blend, a mild- to medium- can Republic is bodied brand scheduled to hit retail shops by Memorial heading to your Day Weekend. cigar shop. El Credito “Since there are so few people around who would Perritos, War of Flavors, remember what this kind of cigar would have tasted 5 1/2-inch-long, 38-ring-gauge like, it was a real challenge for us,” said Rubin. An early smokes made without cigar presses 20th Century Tampa cigar would have been made with or molds, went on sale in late April. mostly (if not all) Cuban tobacco, but the American Clas- Perritos, Spanish for “little dogs,” came out of the El sic Blend attempts to recapture the spirit with Nicara- Credito section of the massive General Cigar Dominicana guan filler, Nicaraguan binder and a Connecticut-seed factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. “It was devel- Honduran wrapper. oped by two guys in the factory who smoke it for them- “Eventually we found the right tobaccos and I believe selves,” said Michael Giannini, the director of marketing we hit the nail on the head,” said Rubin. for El Credito brands and the leader of Team La Gloria. When asked how Rubin, at 49 years old, could pos- Giannini saw the men smoking the cigars one day, pointed sibly know what a cigar from the Teddy Roosevelt ad- and said, “I want that.” ministration would have tasted like, he told Cigar In- The rollers used the term “war of flavors” to describe sider: “I’ve smoked some very old cigars, vintage cigars. the combination of tastes delivered by the Clint Eastwood- There wasn’t a heck of a lot [of flavor] left in them, but in style smokes, which are rolled from a combination of some respects one could imagine what they originally Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos, a Connecticut tasted like. I know that people didn’t analyze cigars broadleaf binder and Ecuador Habano wrappers. The little back then like they do now. They liked them smooth dogs come in rough-looking boxes of 50 cigars, each of and mild.” which sells for a suggested retail price of $2.50, quite cheap The brand, made at for a handmade cigar. Nestor Plasencia’s Segovia A test smoke of the Perritos delivered rustic, gutsy flavor, factory in Estelí, Nicara- with some earthiness. n gua, will come in six sizes: Corona, which is 5 1/2 inches by 42 ring; Robus- to, 5 by 50; Toro, 6 by 50; Churchill, 7 by 48; Torpe- do, 6 1/8 by 52; and the WINSTON CHURCHILL GETS A Gordo, 6 by 60. They will retail for $3.95 to BRIEF BELICOSO $5.50 each. By Gregory Mottola “This is Americana,” added Rubin.“It’s truly wiss company Davidoff of Geneva has added the stout in our history.” n SLancaster size to its Winston Churchill brand of cigars. The 4 1/2-inch-by-46-ring smoke is the brand’s first belicoso and seventh size in the line, which first came out in 2008 under the auspices of the late Winston S. Churchill, grandson to the famous statesman. According to the press Have a comment about Cigar Insider? release, the size was created for the “briefer interludes We’d like to know what you think. of smoking.” Unlike the rest of the Winston Churchill line, the Email us at [email protected]. Lancaster has a stronger blend consisting of an Ecuadoran sungrown wrapper, Peruvian pelo d’oro binder, and filler

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cigar with a name harkening to the 1977 funk hit by the band The Commodores. The Brick House Robusto, which also retails for $4.95, is Cigar Aficionado’sNo. 17 cigar of 2009. The 5-inch-long, 54-ring smoke scored 92 points in that special rating. All Brick House cigars are made entirely of Nicaraguan tobaccos by Fabrica de Tabacos San Rafael S.A. in Nicara- gua. The name of the brand is taken from the archives of the venerable J.C. Newman Cigar Co., which dates back to 1895. The company founder, Julius Cesar Newman, named the original version of the brand after the Brick House in Hungary where he was born. While the cigar won’t formally go on sale for months, preview tastings will occur at selected Brick House retailers, at events known as Brick House Bashes. Check with your local cigar shop for details. n tobacco from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. “The Lancaster received its name from a World War II heavy bomber plane, the Avro Lancaster, used by the Royal Air Force,” said brand manager J. Scott Kolesaire. “In talks with the great-grandson of Winston Churchill, Randolph Churchill, it was decided to stick with a WWII theme for this release.” ROCKY PATEL HOSTING CHARITY The Winston Churchill Lancaster is the larger follow-up to last year’s Winston Churchill Spitfire, a diminutive 4-by- GOLF TOURNEY 38 cigar named after a single-seat fighter plane used by the Royal Air Force during The Second World War. by Andrew Nagy Packaged in ruby-red tins of four, the Lancaster retails for $23.00 per tin, or $5.75 per cigar. They are made in the he Rocky Patel Foundation announced it will be Dominican Republic. n Thosting a charity golf tournament on May 28 at the Old Corkscrew Golf Club in Estero, Florida, to raise money for the construction of an educational housing facility that would serve the disadvantaged children of Danlí, Honduras. “I started the Rocky Patel Foundation because I saw a need to build an educational housing facility to help home- NEWMANS ADD ANOTHER less and underprivileged children in Danlí, Honduras,” said BRICK TO THE WALL Rocky Patel, owner of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, in a press release. “I felt by building this school, I could make by David Savona an impact in the lives of these children, and try to end the ampa’s J.C. Newman Cigar Co., which has cycle of poverty that they are trapped in.” Tlong had most of its premium cigars made The tournament kicks off at 9 a.m. at the Old Corkscrew in the Dominican Republic, is boosting its popu- Golf Club (designed by Jack Nicklaus) and costs $150 to lar and inexpensive Brick House line made in enter, which includes golf, food, beverages and prizes. Nicaragua. The Brick House Short Torp, a 5 1/2- A separate Foundation Gala event will be held at by-52 mini-pyramid, will be on display at the 6 p.m. on the rooftop at the Strada in Mercato, located in International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Naples. A ticket to the gala costs $150 and includes (IPCPR) show in July. dinner, live entertainment, dancing and both a silent and The new size, says Newman, concentrates the live auction. Smoking will be permitted both on the course flavors in the head of the cigar. It will have a sug- and at the gala. gested retail price of $4.95 and come in boxes of The Rocky Patel Foundation was started in 2008. 25 cigars. “We currently employ over 2,000 men and women in Brick House hit the market in 2009 with four Central America, and I believe deeply in my heart that sizes, and last year the Newmans boosted the I have an obligation to give back to the people of Hon- line by adding the Mighty Mighty, a 6-by-60 duras,” said Patel, who has most of his cigars made in

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Honduras. “The school that we construct will take home- CIGAR AFICIONADO less children off the streets of Danlí and provide them shel- ter, clothing, food and a quality education. We can, and we “BIG SMOKE” will, make a difference in the lives of these children.” n

October 28–30 LAS VEGAS • THE VENETIAN

PERDOMO RELEASES BARREL-AGED November 30 CHAMPAGNE NOIR NEW YORK CITY • PIER 92 By Gregory Mottola Tickets ARE NOW on sale at abacalera Perdomo has released the first size of its new CigarAficionado.com TChampagne Noir line, a 6-inch-by-60-ring Super Toro rolled with only Nicaraguan tobacco and a wrapper aged in bourbon barrels. “After carefully fermenting these thick Cuban-seed maduro wrappers for well over 14 months in a natural pilón, we age them an additional six months in oak bourbon barrels,” said company president Nick Perdomo Jr. He says the process helps to ensure “parallel colors, a clean even burn and rich, complex flavors.” IN THE NEXT CIGAR INSIDER The Super Toro comes packaged in boxes of 25 and retails for $7.50 each. More sizes will be introduced at this A new cigar factory is coming to Miami, plus summer’ s IPCPR tradeshow. n breaking news from around the cigar world and ratings on hot new cigars. You'll always read it first in Cigar Insider.

BIG SMOKE TICKETS GO ON SALE Your Next Cigar Insider Arrives on Tuesday, May 24.

ickets to the largest cigar celebrations in the world, TCigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke Las Vegas and Big Smoke New York, are now on sale. The 16th annual Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend is sched- Editor and Publisher Marvin R. Shanken uled for October 28–30 and will be held at the Venetian Executive Editor Gordon Mott Hotel & Casino for the sixth straight year. Expect two nights of luxe evening parties featuring tasty libations, Managing Editor David Savona world-class cuisine from Sin City’s leading restaurants and, Director of Research Frank C. Walters of course, cigarmakers passing out premium cigars. Tasting Coordinator Gregory Mottola In addition, the Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend will feature two days of cigar-centric seminars, which sell out Editorial Assistant Andrew Nagy quickly each year. Full program details will be available Art Director Chandra Hira online May 18. Senior Designer Jackelyn Navarro Last year’s Big Smoke New York was held at the Pier 92 events center, located directly on the Hudson River, for the © 2011 M. Shanken Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. first time, and the cigar party will return there for 2011. Materials may not be reproduced without permission. Hundreds of The Big Apple’s most enthusiastic cigar smokers will gather there on November 30 to smoke premium cigars, sample delicious food, quaff fine drinks and cele- brate the good life. More information for the Big Smoke Questions about your subscription? New York will be available online September 15. n Email: [email protected].

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