In February of this year, the Cohiba Behike was launched in Havana, and the tag line “setting a new standard among smokers worldwide” was used. Naturally, the interest of cigar aficionados was caught, and the fact that supplies of the cigar will be limited has only helped fuel the flames. Law of supply and demand at work here!

Where there is smoke, there must be fire, right? While the cigar has not yet been released for sale, privileged people have already tried it. Mitchell Orchant is one example. He is a cigar merchant operating out of London, and he was one of the select individuals who was able to smoke a Cohiba Behike during its launch. He swears by the cigar, and is proud to declare that he as 1,000 people on his waiting list for the cigar.

What makes this particular cigar that great? Orchant says that “this is perfection in a Cuban cigar… the Cubans have got every aspect of this cigar right – the brand, the size, the taste. And of course it’s unique because a rare leaf is being used in its blend, the first time such a leaf has been used in a cigar.”

It will be for sale in June – I suggest you go find your source as early as now.

What is the response of the Cuban cigar industry? Adapt and target a new market! And surprisingly, they are now looking to the female of the species to save their product. Habanos S.A. have come up with a new cigar dubbed Julieta. It is smaller and milder as compared to the renowned Romeo y Julieta cigar. Obviously, the Julieta is targeting women as its main customers.

Reuters reports:

Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos, the worldwide distributor of Cuban cigars, marketing director Ana Lopez told a news conference kicking off the annual Habanos cigar festival.

The search for new markets is needed because even though Cuban cigars are considered the world’s finest, sales are slipping with the rise of anti-smoking laws around the world, said Habanos vice president Manuel Garcia.

I wonder if any man will find himself smoking a Julieta anytime soon…

Last week, the very same Wallace Reyes started work on another cigar, which he hopes will break the previous record. His target is to roll a cigar which is 180 feet in length. USA Today tells us the story behind his goal:

“We gonna show Tampa and the world basically that this is still (the) cigar capital of the world, that we’re still making big things here,” Reyes said.

A 180-foot cigar would shatter the old world record by more than 35-feet. Reyes says it will take him 30 pounds of tobacco and more than 100-hours of work to finish his cigar. He is making his record setting cigar in 10-foot sections at the Ybor City Museum and it will be assembled and displayed on November 21st at the Tampa Cigar Heritage Festival.

Same person, same place, same festival. Would he break his record? Reyes says that they do not have the facilities to create the cigar all in one go. As such, he has to work on one segment at a time. The whole cigar will then be assembled in less than a month. All that work on one cigar! I bet that when he breaks the record, it will be all worth it!

Photo courtesy of USA Today

Is this scenario even possible? Definitely! While you may not want to think about cigars going bad, it does happen – and it has happened. And the last thing that you want is to ruin your night with a bad stogie. Before you even light it, take a closer look at your cigar and make sure that it is worth lighting. Here are some tips to help you determine whether to light your cigar or not.

Is it dry beyond hope? If your cigar is drier than the Mojave desert in the middle of the day, I suggest not lighting it. This means that the cigar has lost its essential oils that give it flavor. Of course, you can opt to light it but the chances are that your mood will be ruined beyond repair. Here’s a better tip: avoid getting dry cigars by investing in a good humidor.

Does your cigar smell bad? It does not take a rocket scientist to know that, generally, some thing that smells bad tastes bad! If you do not like the smell of your unlit cigar, then the chances are it will taste just as awful when lit. Spare yourself. Throw it away.

Where did you buy your cigar? Let’s face it folks, buying cigars at 7-11 or grocery stores is not the smartest thing to do. While you can get them for cheap, they are probably of low quality. Worse, they are probably old stock – stale. If you bought those cigars from the local supermarket check out counter out of impulse, I suggest just going to a “real” cigar store or even buying online. Don’t waste your money.

Here is their mission statement:

Cigar Rights of America (CRA) was founded on the principle of fighting for the freedom to enjoy cigars.

CRA is a consumer-based, non-profit public advocacy organization that works at the local, state, and federal level of government to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts.
Together, with our constituency of nationwide members, we focus our fight for freedom in two main areas:
• Oppose restrictive smoking bans
• Oppose taxation of cigars.

To join CRA, you can visit their web site and sign up. You can opt to join for 1 to 4 years or for life. A year’s worth of membership will cost you $35 while lifetime membership will set you back $500.

Why join CRA?

Aside from supporting their cause, as a member you also get perks. For example, they have an ongoing promotion wherein new members or renewing members will receive two exclusive cigars. Participating brands are: Ashton, Arturo Fuente, Aurora Avo, Alec Bradley, C.A.O., Camacho, Carlos Toraño, Casa Fernandez, Diamond Crown Maximus, Drew Estate, Don Pepin, Fonseca, La Flor Dominicana, La Gloria Cubana, Oliva, Padrón, Perdomo, Punch, Puros Indios, Rocky Patel and Tatuaje. You don’t get to choose the cigars but they’re bound to be good. Sign up now?

Will Sluetal, on the other hand, has been at it for quite some time. He is from Grand Haven, Michigan, and claims that he can make an excellent musical instrument given four hours and a whole lot of passion and talent. I must say, his work supports his claim.

Sluetal’s day job is the chief mechanic of the Grand Haven Department of Public Works. The skills that are integral to his day job are carried over to his passion, the creation of a wide variety of musical instruments from guitar boxes. Guitars, ukeleles, madolins, drums, and other “unnamed” instruments – these are only some of Sluetal’s works of art. Oh, and everything he creates is electric.

So does this mean that he is an avid cigar smoker? Well, he does smoke but he does not have to spend a fortune in cigars to obtain all the boxes that he needs and wants. He does have the smarts. What Sluetal did – and does – was to make guitars for the presidents of cigar companies. He gave these as gifts and he has been amply compensated with all the empty cigar boxes that he needs.

If you want one of his works, you can visit Elderly Instruments in Lansing and Surroundings in Manistee. Make sure you have about $125!

Chewgars are “cigars” which are meant especially for your lovable dog. For stogie lovers who have dogs, you’ve probably noticed how they react when you light up. In general, I have noticed that my friends’ dogs (I don’t have one) seem to be wanting to enjoy what their owners are also enjoying. I don’t know if it’s the aroma that the cigar is giving off. I don’t know if it’s the smoke – heck, I really don’t know. The fact remains that sometimes, when you smoke a cigar and your dogs are with you, you just want to share your pleasures with them. I am sure some of you have done the same thing with beer….

Anyhow, you can get chewgars so that your canine friend will be kept busy as you smoke your cigars. Chewgars do not really contain tobacco, so they should be safe for your pet. The fun part is that chewgars are shaped just like cigars and are even packaged just like real ones! They are made of rawhide and come in various flavors – chicken, beef, and even chocolate! If you’re worried about other health concerns, really you shouldn’t. these products are guaranteed to be pesticide-free, and will not harm your dog.

But did you know that Spanish Cedar is technically not cedar? As a matter of fact, it comes from the mahogany family. If you look at it, you will see a salmon red tight-grained wood. The aroma is very nice and spicy, making you want to smell it more. 
Another piece of trivia – Spanish Cedar is used not only for humidors but also for other building materials as lining.

Another advantage of using Spanish Cedar for humidors is its natural ability to resist molds. This is very important as no one would want any mold formation inside his humidor! In addition to this, Spanish Cedar is also resistant to tobacco beetles! Anyone who has had an experience with these nasty little critters will know just how important this is.

In modern times, however, developments in technology have made the use of other materials possible. Electronics and plastic have been used to treat cigars without the need for Spanish Cedar. As such, you will find many humidors today that do not make use of this wood at all.

That is not to say that you cannot find humidors made of Spanish Cedar. While this wood may not be a require material, many still find humidors made of it desirable over those using modern materials.

While we can’t do much about the smoking bans, there are workarounds to the increasing prices of cigarettes. For example, have you ever thought about rolling your own cigarettes?

Manufactured cigarettes, like the branded ones I mentioned above, are the ones which are taxed highly. However, you can buy tobacco leaves and rolling papers and create your own smokes, which are just as good AND definitely much easier on the pocket. Rolling papers are basically small sheets of paper which can be used to make cigarettes. They can be rolled manually or by machines. Rolling papers can be made of various materials, but the most common base materials are hemp, wood pulp, and flax.

The market is rife with both tobacco leaves and rolling papers. You merely have to know where to get them and which ones to get, and you can make considerable savings while enjoying your smoke.

A note of caution with regard to rolling papers – there are a LOT of brands that you can find in the market today. You have to know which brands are good however, as the material used to make the rolling paper can affect the flavor of your cigarette. There are also some papers which have been reported to contain elements that are higher in carcinogens. If you want to be sure, look for reputable suppliers such as Rolling Supreme, which offers some of the best rolling papers there are. They also offer tobacco and other accessories which will help you roll along and bypass the headaches of high cigarette taxes.

Try rolling your own cigarettes. You might never have to buy a pack from the store again, and have a fatter pocket for it!

Rocky Patel 24 Cigar Sampler (Honduras)
Strength: varies
Wrapper: varies
Filler & Binder: varies
Presentation: Pack of 24 cigars
Sampler Contents:
4 Conuco Robusto (5 x 50)
4 Olde World Reserve Robusto (5 1/2 x 54)
4 Rocky Patel American Market Selection Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)
4 Rocky Patel Edge Lite Robusto (5 x 50)
4 Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)
4 Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)
Suggested Retail Price: $165.20
Weekend Deal: $79.95 plus a FREE 5-pack of Rocky Factory Selects Toro

The sale on runs till today so you should head on over to Famous Smoke to get your sampler. If you don’t make it in time, don’t despair. I’ll be posting more deals from time to time.