Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Things have been pretty hectic here over the past few weeks with visiting family, friends, holiday cheer, food coma, etc., therefore I apologize first and foremost for not posting lately. In all actuality, the cigar news has been a bit slow as of late, and I haven’t been smoking enough to produce quality reviews; however, that’s all about to change.

Tomorrow night marks New Years Eve and I plan to light up at least once. One of my many resolutions for the New Year will be to expand my realm of cigar smoking for which I’m used to now. I’d like to really dig into the history behind the sticks that I enjoy and provide some additional insight to the origins of cigar tobacco. I’m hoping to conduct several interviews as the year progresses, attend more cigar events, along with focusing more on the overall mystique of the enjoyment of a smoke. On top of everything else, I’ll be soon changing the format of this blog to my own site at www.fumosanto.com. This will take some time to ramp up, so please don’t look for anything immediate, but know that the format you’re all used to here may change somewhat in the near future.

I hope all of you have had a great holiday season up to now, and here’s wishing everyone a happy and safe New Years Eve. Should you get a moment, drop me a line and let me know what you’ll all be smoking at midnight tomorrow!

Windy City Bans Smoking... Sort of.

The Windy City, Chi-Town, Second City, Chicago, a cigar smoker’s paradise, now faced with a smoking ban to go into effect on January 16, sort-of.

The ruling passed yesterday for a blanket smoking ban across the city which bans smoking within fifteen feet of the entrance and inside of a prohibited enclosed area which includes restaurants, convention facilities, sports arenas, government vehicles used for city business, and the lobbies, hallways and other common areas in apartment buildings and condominiums; however this blanket is full of holes.

According to an article posted by Cigar Aficionado, “The law does allow for smoking in cigar stores, hotel and motel rooms, private clubs and lodges, and bars, taverns and restaurant bars. Smoking in bars and restaurant bars will be allowed until July 1, 2008”.

There is also a provision that states “If the owner of a place of employment can demonstrate that its air filtration is sufficiently powerful—the wording suggests the air quality must be made the same as the air outside the establishment—to the satisfaction of the city commissioner of public health and the commissioner of the environment,” they’ll have an exception to the ban.

Either way, this spells a certain doom for cigar smokers and the enjoyment and pleasure of the city, as we know it today.

Preserve Tampa's Cigar Factories

Moving from a city like Chicago full of rich heritage, cultural diversity, neighborhoods built by ethnic backgrounds and stunning historical architecture, to Phoenix, a fairly young city in development with potential where everything looks new and sterile without a richness in history that Chicago captures, it disturbs me to read any article that questions preserving historical structures. Case in point, an article from the St. Petersburg Times questioning historic preservation of the last remaining cigar factories.

The defining nature of a city is it’s historical symbols reflected through architecture. Tampa is widely known for it’s “grand, brick cigar factories that still grace the city”. These plants have transitioned over the years from Havana, to Key West, eventually making their way to Tampa, which helped define the city’s character. Only 25 of some 200 factories still stand, and the opportunities to preserve these landmarks are dissolving quickly.

The Tampa City Council has the opportunity to decide whether 15 factories not currently covered should receive preservation status. There’s been some pushback from the factory owners fearing that if covered under the preservation laws, they’ll loose rights as property owners and would require them to follow architectural guidelines.

Preservation is key, and it would be a mistake for those owners wanting to “opt-out” and make preservation voluntary. Take any measure to preserve the richness in history, for when the factories are gone, only to be replaced by another strip mall, the only question would be “why?”

You can read the article in its entirety HERE.

More Holiday Gift Ideas

Cigar Jack had recently posted an excellent comprehensive list of gift ideas for those cigar lovers in the family (which you can check out here). Since this is the season of giving, I recently came across a fantastic book, Celebrating Cigars, for any cigar enthusiast, which would make a fine addition to Cigar Jacks list of ideas.

Weighing in at 208 pages, Celebrating Cigars is a fantastic hardbound edition full of history, illustrations (many in their actual size), tips and anecdotes just to name a few. The author is Anwer Bati, who’s also given us The Essential Cigar and The Cigar Companion. Here’s a blurb from the publisher:

Celebrating Cigars illustrates more fine cigars, many in actual size, than any other book. It also has more superb color photos of state-of-the art accessories, humidors, and paraphernalia. And more than an illustrated survey, it is an entertaining read, with plenty of stories about cigar connoisseurs and their favorite smokes. Anwer Bati takes you through the history of cigars and how they are made, before looking in detail, brand by brand, at all the world's great handmade cigars. The book continues with a fascinating miscellany of information, from experts' lists of best cigars to the author's practical tips on how to smoke. After a look at some of the most beautiful accessories and boxes, the book closes with the perfect accompaniment to your end-of-evening smoke: anecdotes from famous cigar smokers, from Mark Twain and Groucho Marx to Danny DeVito and John F. Kennedy—all of whom have something witty and revealing to say about one of life's true pleasures.

Check it out at Amazon (includes free shipping as well), and happy shopping!

Holiday Shopping Tips

With the holiday season in full swing, I’m sure there’s a number of questions on how to pick the right cigar, where to pick the best smoke, is what I’m buying decent quality, etc. Well, have no fear, for the good folks at Cigar Aficionado have a great “Tip of the Week” on making sure consumers are buying cigars from the right place. Here’s a little of what they had to say:

“…If you are shown into a walk-in humidor, pay attention to the atmosphere inside. If moist air caresses your face, and you almost need a sweater because the temperature is right around 70 degrees, you know you're in the right place.”

“Be wary of cigars kept in glass display cases that look as if they have been there forever. Sometimes the humidification units in these types of cases are not efficient.”

So the bottom line here is, don’t buy cigars from 7-11 or a grocery store where you can find dust bunnies under the display cabinet, and make sure you’re going to a reputable shop. I know some of you may think that the local mall would be a good place to find a decent retailer, but think again. Most larger malls will be surrounded by smaller strip malls, which may have a decent smoke shop hidden somewhere within. Do a little research by driving by, and you may stumble upon a hidden gem.

For those in the suburbs of Chicago, when shopping at Woodfield Mall, head across the street to find the Habana Cigar House, and for those in the Phoenix area finding themselves shopped out at the Chandler Fashion Center, take a stroll across the parking lot to Matchstix Fine Cigars (which you can read my review of here).

Another great link to help you find a local retailer is the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America. Here you can search by state to find registered shops, phone numbers, addresses and links to their sites.

Hopefully this information will help in your never-ending quest for the perfect cigar gift.

War Fuels Cigar Sales

I’ve read a few articles as of late claiming the war in Iraq and Afghanistan has given the cigar industry the boost we’ve been seeing this year. According to Cigar Insider, domestic sales jumped 9.5% in the past year, and some say a key reason for the increase is the guilty pleasure of smoking cigars by our troops.

According to J.J. Jurovich, owner of Havana House of Cigars in Baton Rouge, “about the only thing the boys can do over there that's not illegal is smoke cigars. I have a good friend who serves in Lima Company, he lost five men in Falujah--literally the only thing they look forward to at the end of a patrol is sitting back with that cigar.”

J.J. also states that he’s shipped thousands of dollars in boxes of cigars in the past year or two.

Is this really the spike we’ve been seeing in the cigar industry? Voice your thoughts by adding a comment.

Little Known Facts #4

The highly publicized stogie habit of Ulysses Grant earned him 10,000 cigars from various voters upon winning the presidency. He tried to sample at least one from each batch and gave the rest as gifts.