Gary's Cigars Blog

Everyday can be a holiday if you like enjoying fine cigars, but some holidays are more applicable to cigar smokers than others. The holiday that is (or should be) celebrated the most by cigar smokers is Columbus Day (which will be observed in the U.S. this year on October 13). Yep, back in the late 15th century, old Chris discovered more than just America. Get a taste of cigar history or read a review of the Spanish Galleon cigar, just in time for Columbus Day.

According to Dr. Mitch Fadem, the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 5 cigar is one of the smoother smokes from La Flor made in the Dominican Republic with Dominican and Nicaraguan filler, a Dominican binder, and a Cameroon wrapper. To find out more, read Dr. Fadem's full review of the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 5 cigar.

Congrats to Flor de Copan cigars (Altadis) for winning this year's annual award from the European Cigar Cult Journal for the Best Brand from Honduras. Flor de Copan cigars are made at the La Flor de Copan factory, located in Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras. The same factory also produces the St. Luis Rey, Quintero, and Gispert brands of cigars. George Gershel, Altadis U.S.A.’s Executive Vice President – Tobacco (left) and Eric Prias, Vice President Sales/International, accepted the award.

^{Photo Courtesy of Altadis USA}

A Florida jury returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 in State of Florida v. James David Joiner, pending in the Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Broward County, Florida. The jury found the defendant had violated the federally registered U.S. trademarks of Altadis U.S.A. by vending goods with counterfeit trademarks. After the jury’s verdict was announced, the defendant was immediately remanded into custody and is currently in county jail awaiting sentencing.

According to Altadis, “It is also a major victory for our consumers, because it protects the consumer from unknowingly purchasing counterfeit and inferior products. Altadis U.S.A. remains committed to ensuring that the company’s trademarks are only associated with the cigars it produces under the high standards of quality for which they are known."

UPDATE: On October 6, a Florida judge sentenced James David Joiner Read more...

Cuesta Rey Centro Fino Sungrown cigars are made by the Fuente-Newman cigar family in the Dominican Republic. These cigars are made with Dominican filler tobaccos and a sun-grown Sumatra-seed Ecuadorian wrapper. The cigars are moderately priced, and are available in several sizes. Check out my review of the Cuesta Rey Centro Fino Sungrown Pyramid #9 cigar for more details.

After knocking off Montecristo, CAO Cigars must now face a new challenger in our ongoing Battle of the Brands. Can CAO retain their championship in an online battle for your votes against Camacho Cigars? Only you can decide. Cast your vote now for the brand of cigars that you like better, either CAO or Camacho.

Thompson Cigar has a good deal on 25 cigars plus an aluminum travel case for only $29.95. This offer expires on November 30, 2008. To get the special price, just follow the link in our Cigar Forum. For more bargains on cigars, visit our Cigar Bargain Hunter.

Tempus cigars were released in May 2008 by Alec Bradley and the Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas in Honduras. Dr. Mitch Fadem smoked several different sizes, but chose to review the Genesis version, which is a Corona-sized cigar. For all the details, read Mitch's review of the Alec Bradley Tempus Genesis Corona cigar.

CAO Cigars is embarking upon a nine-city U.S. tour of retail tobacco stores touted as the “CAO Rock N Rolled Tour.” Each stop will feature special offers on CAO cigars (including a preview of the new Lx2 brand), limited edition ‘CAO Rock N Rolled’ apparel and accessories, and CAO's Director of Lifestyle Marketing, Jon Huber. The tour will officially launch on October 7, at The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky, and will conclude in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on October 30, at Twins Smokeshop. For more information about the "Rock N Rolled" tour, as well as other CAO events, visit caocigars.com.

^{Photo Courtesy of CAO Cigars}

There are a number of major cigar events coming up in November, but if you can't make it to Las Vegas for the Big Smoke or Tampa for the Cigar Heritage Festival, maybe you can make it to Miami for a new but somewhat less expansive cigar event. Mike's Cigars is a well-known South Florida cigar retailer and one of the top cigar distributors worldwide. Mike’s will be hosting their first-ever We’re Smokin’ event on Saturday, November 1, 2008, from 1:00-6:00pm at Read more...