Needless to say, it was a big hit and we are excited to be a part of this experiment.  After some discussion, it was decided that we were going to let all of you be a part of Test 156.  We were going to bundle it as a 3 pack with a box purchase of the ever popular Liga Privada Undercrown.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Test 156.  It is potent, rich, smooth and delicious.  The smoothness is deceiving because it will catch up to you quick, so smoke it after dinner if you can.  The richness is almost like fudge.  I am not going to go too much further because I don’t want to taint your opinion of it.

Here’s the catch, we are not selling them, you can only get your 3 pack with a box purchase of Undercrown.  Because it is still in development, your feedback will also come into play.  If you do get a 3 pack, I want to hear all about your experience. (jrubino@pipesandcigars.com) Send me your reviews.  You can see more details about it here.  Once you have had yours for a while, we will follow up with another mailing to give you the official specs from the manufacturer.

Some of you may be thinking that a box purchase is a bit ambitious, well you do get 3 Test 156s with the box, so try splitting it with 2 of your buddies. The only drawback to this arrangement is you will regret having to give away most of these fantastic cigars. You will each get 8 Undercrowns and 1 Test 156 with one stogie left over.  The guy who actually placed the order should get the 25^th Undercrown.

On to the Undercrown review:

If you don’t know the back story, that is just as cool as the cigar is good. Check it out:

It has always been the policies of Drew Estate to allow all of their personnel to smoke as much of whatever they want.  Well guess what they were smoking? Liga Privada.  They were being consumed at such a rate that not enough were making it to market.  To combat that, the Undercrown was created.  The blend incorporates many of the same rare tobaccos, but of different vintages and primings.  The cigar they created was no mere replacement.  This cigar also became so popular that Drew Estate released it at last year’s trade show.

Just in outward appearance this cigar looks like a winner.  The wrapper is dark oily and smooth.  There are barely any veins on it and it has those little bumps of deliciousness.  The aroma of the foot is sweet, floral and almost has a butter-like smell to it. The cap looks like it was laser cut and graphed onto the head of the cigar.  It looks like it was drawn, not rolled.  The feel of the cigar is dense and even.  The prelight draw is spot on with the firmness of the cigar.  The taste pre light is sweet and a little floral.

The light generates a ridiculous amount of smoke and there is a definite floral note at this point.  It has a very rich but smooth quality about it with notes of coffee and toast.  The retrohale is much milder than I had expected.

About an inch in there is a cedar quality coming through and a spice that I think might be like nutmeg, or gingerbread. The burn is as straight as an arrow at this point.  The ash looks fantastic as well so far.

At about a third in I was slightly disappointed that the ash fell very easily, however it stayed in one solid chunk and stood up in the ashtray.  The smoke is a dense medium gray color.  The taste is very rich and the draw is easy.  It is still producing lots of smoke.

Through the 2nd third, there is a hop- like floral quality and bitterness similar to a good mild IPA.  Another retrohale is indicating much more body and a pepperyness that was not present in the first third.  There is also a slight raisin note combined with dark chocolate and coffee.  The burn at this point is still razor sharp.

The cigar is taking on a creaminess that I am enjoying thoroughly.  There is an increase in spice with a hint of salt (?).  The body is building nicely into medium plus at this point.

I did have to make a touch-up towards the end of the 2nd third because I set it down for too long and the burn slowed down.  It did not go out however.  The smoke began to taper off a little.   After that, the smoke made a full rebound and the burn is till remarkably straight.  This is shaping up to be fantastic.

The spice notes in the final third are beginning to mellow out and the body is beginning to plateau at medium full.  There is still a note a raisin to this cigar as well as a coffee richness. The floral note has just made a comeback as well.  This taste is rather unique and I like it.  Not too many cigars have this quality and I think that it separates it a little from a lot of others in this category.

Ultimately this cigar really impressed me and I can understand why it was the choice of so many in the know.

That being said, I crafted something that was not the intended blend that I was shooting for. With the intent of blending a wonderful other Hearth and Home Tobacco, I made a large portion that I was going to sending out for tinning. This large quantity was then pressed, as I thought was the right thing to do. After doing all this I discovered that blend was not a pressed tobacco. Hence, what came out of the press was a huge mistake, or “Royal Blunder”. Understanding that no tobacco should go to waste I figured I would give it a try.

Let me preface this review by saying, WOW! This English blend at first has a buttery smoke with a floral hint at the end. Nothing too complex until the bowl really catches. At this point it really deepens to a buttery spice on the tongue with such a smooth finish that you could puff on it all day long. Being that it is a cake, it does take some effort to rub out. It is really slow burning but I had no problem keeping it lit. It is very close in flavor, smoke and composition to the original, but I think that in the long run it comes out more complex. One good pack should last a good while and really won’t disappoint all the way to the end. There was no hint of a bite and moisture is not a problem at all. I really would recommend this cake to anyone, not just an English smoker. It has fantastic flavor and a room note that is very pleasing.

One element that seems to be an afterthought for most cigar smokers is the size of the cigar. When I first started smoking premium cigars (which was difficult, as fire hadn’t been invented) I believed that choosing the size of the cigar was just a matter of personal preference based on what was comfortable. So for the first five or six years that I enjoyed lighting up a hand-rolled cigar, just about everything I bought was either a corona or Lonsdale or maybe a cazadore or palma. This kept me in the fairly comfortable 42-46 ring gauge area, and a length of about five to six and a half inches. Little did I know that I was depriving myself of some very interesting and subtle nuances by limiting my choices by doing so.

Of course, back in the seventies, anything over 49 ring gauge was considered some kind of novelty, so the choices in large cigars ran from about 38 (panatela) through 47-48 (Churchill). With a relatively narrow range like that, it was hard to detect much of a difference. But one day I had my eyes opened when a manufacturer’s rep brought in samples of a new line. He handed me a panatela which I lit up immediately, and smoked while he extolled the virtues of his new cigar. I thought that the cigar was nice enough, but it was unbalanced. The strength of the wrapper (it was a Nicaraguan) was too much for the filler blend, and though I liked the overall flavor profile, I found the overall experience lacking, and I told the rep how I felt. He smiled and said, “I’m actually glad you said that” as he pulled out a different size in the same series- a 50 ring Rothschild. “Give this a try”, he said I took the chunky stick from him. The difference was night and day. Whereas the panatela was rather one-note and in-your-face, the Rothschild was balanced, complex and overall a far more enjoyable smoke than its skinnier sibling.

I asked the rep why there was such a difference. I had foolishly assumed that when a smaller ring version of a cigar was being made, they just cut the filler into thinner pieces, keeping the blend the same. He informed me that in some cases they would eliminate a leaf entirely and that in a thicker smoke they may add an additional piece of a different type, based on what the blender wanted to accomplish.

Then came a revelation, which wouldn’t have been such an epiphany if I used a little thought. The smaller the ring gauge of a cigar, the more influence the wrapper has on the flavor. It doesn’t take a math wizard to figure that out; all you have to do to understand the principle is to look at two different ring gauge vitolas to get the idea. And when the cigar has a particularly flavorful capa, the impact is even more pronounced.

This can be a very valuable piece of information. Suppose you just tried an Ashton VSG Cigar in a 44 ring corona shape (Tres Mystique), and found that the taste was too peppery. The VSG has an Ecuadorian Virgin Sun Grown wrapper that is known for having a lot of spice, so using our new found logic, you try it in a 52 ring Eclipse Tubo and the pepper is toned down enough to make it enjoyable. Carrying it a step further, you try the Enchantment, a 60 ring gordo, and you find it to be the best smoke you’ve ever had, because everything is in perfect balance for your palate. So when you find a cigar that has flavor elements that you find pleasing but is not quite what you’re looking for, you might want to try a different diameter.

Now that we’ve touched on the effect that the girth has, what about the length? Yes, the length will change a smoke in more than just smoking time. Remember that to some degree the filler of a cigar acts as a filter of sorts for the smoke being drawn through it. For that reason, the last three inches of a toro will taste different than the last three inches of a robusto, even if the blend is the same. As the particulate matter of the smoke travels up the length of a stogie, some of it will adhere to the filler, so the resultant smoke generated later on will be much more powerful. Some companies became more aware of this concept and started putting a bit more ligero in the foot of some of the shorter vitolas so they have a similar “kick” to their longer cousins.

Now that I’ve covered the impact of thickness and length on the smoking qualities of a cigar, I should mention how the size of the opening after cutting affects the smoke. First, a basic principle- thinner cigars smoke hotter. Another principle- the bigger the difference between the ring gauge and the opening cut by the smoker, the greater the potential for heat issues. So, right off the bat, never put a small hole in the cap of a chunky cigar. A few years ago, the Gran Habano Imperiale #5 took our store by storm. It’s a 60 ring gordo with a beautifully oily Corojo wrapper with a lot of body without too much spice. I really enjoy them, and had smoked them on and off since they were introduced. I always used a double guillotine to cut them, and loved how well mannered the cigars were, right down to the nub. This day, I didn’t have my cutter, so I used a nine millimeter punch cutter. Bad move. When I got within an inch of the band, the smoke had become so hot that I couldn’t enjoy the cigar any longer. So when you are puffing on those gordos, make sure that the cut is big enough.

So, the next time someone tells you that size doesn’t matter…

• Pipe cleaners- you should run a pipe cleaner through the pipe after every smoke, and if the tobacco you are smoking tends to smoke wet, you will probably need to use one while smoking. There are a number of different types- regular, which are thin; extra absorbent, which are thicker for larger-bore pipes or particular wet smoking pipes; bristled, which have nylon bristles to help scrub out an exceptionally dirty stem and/or shank; and, tapered, which are best for pipes that are hard to pass a cleaner through.

• Pipe nail/pipe tool- The purpose of a pipe tool is to tamp the burning tobacco and to clean out the chamber after smoking. The nail is the simplest, with a tamper at one end and a scraper at the other. A pipe tool or Czech tool has three parts- a tamper, a scraper or rounded-tipped knife blade for reaming and a pick for dislodging items from the shank or loosening damp tobacco from the heel.

• Pipe rack- The best way to store a pipe is vertically, and pipe racks generally do this. Some hold them horizontally, but this is more for display or longer-term storage.

• Lighter- A dedicated pipe lighter can make your life easier. Most are soft-flame butane, and the flame comes out the side to keep the flame from hitting your fingers while lighting. Many have tampers that come out of the bottom. Butane is tasteless, and the soft-flame shouldn’t scorch the pipe. There are two liquid fuel pipe lighters as well- Zippo makes one with a hole in the side of the chimney for placing over the top of the bowl, or the Sportsman, which looks like a large bolt and nut. These work well in windy conditions, but are less desirable to use, as the fuel has some taste that can be unpleasant.

• Pouches- There are a number of cases and pouches available that will allow you to transport your tobacco and or pipes. What you should use is dependent upon your circumstances.

• Cleaners and polishes- There are cleaners that are meant to freshen a pipe, usually by dipping a pipe cleaner in it and running through the pipe. Most pipe smokers don’t use these, but many swear by them. There are also polishes available for the wood, which are non-aromatic so they don’t have a noticeable smell while smoking the pipe, and there are mildly abrasive polishes for stems which help to clean, shine and remove oxidation from stems.

• Humidors- These are tightly-sealed jars which normally have a humidification device in them for keeping your tobacco at optimum moisture levels.

• Reamer- These tools are used to shave back the carbon build-up in the chamber when it builds up too much. They use a blade which takes a small amount of the cake off at a time while not damaging the pipe.

Is this the line for the bathroom?

This week has been quite a wild ride.  We had one of our biggest events of the year this week, HabanaPalooza.  Every year this event grows and impresses everyone including us and this year was no different. We decided to do a wrap-up for all of you that could not make it.  I have been to a few of them in the past, but for a decent amount of the guys (and ladies) here, this was their first time so we decided to see what their perspectives were on it.

The first one I went to was the first one, sort of.  I went to the first one called HabanaPalooza in 2007.  The year before was the 10^th anniversary party.  Since then, not only have we become much better at organizing and promoting it, but the vendors too have realized how great an event this is and pull no punches with the swag.

As is typical the days before and day of here are like Christmas meets the last day of high school.  Vendors from all over are in town at the same time, customers are excited and there is an intense amount of prep work still to be done by all.  The event culminates with the descent of a few hundred cigar smokers into the Armory downtown.  What an appropriate venue too, I mean why not have it at the place that was once a fortress and now hosts such events as roller-derby and boxing.

Scotty and the guys!

In typical fashion, I arrived about an hour late, but this year no one was expecting me, so I was off the hook.  I went as a total spectator. I made a b-line right for the Brewery Ommegang table to catch up with an old friend and have a few brews to get in the mood.  I fired up a PDR 1878 and began to wander around and shake lots of hands.  I made it a point to stop and thank each of the reps and catch up a bit.  Each one of them told me how much they enjoyed attending and how they can see the event growing every year.  Some have been with us since the beginning, while this was the first for a few others.

It would take me hours to talk about all of the things that went on there, so I will let you in on 2 other perspectives: first we have Travis with his take, and after will be our Graphic Designer Josh on his perspective.

Travis:

Even the pig is having fun!

The crowd was excited and having a blast without getting too rowdy, Scotty was his always-charismatic self, telling stories and giving away some very nice raffle prizes. Didn’t see anyone without a big smile on, and from my perspective it just seemed like a very positive event all around for attendees, vendors, and of course us guys and gals at Habana Premium.  I set a goal to only smoke two cigars during the event so I wouldn’t fry my palate, and I did achieve my goal. I smoked the J. Grotto Series Reserve that I hadn’t tried before and found to be very enjoyable, and I also fired up an Alec Bradley Black Market which I’d had a few of in the past. It was a little too busy for me to focus on doing a full review, but I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either to someone who enjoy rich Honduran cigars with some spice and complexity. Definitely looking forward to trying some of the other smokes I picked up, and in fact, in between the event and writing this I have enjoyed a Guillermo Leon that was absolutely delicious.
This was my first time at HabanaPalooza, and it was quite an experience. I’ve been to some other events like it before, and while I may be biased, HabanaPalooza was by far the best run and best set up cigar event I’ve been to. The haul of stogies from the generous vendors was staggering, and the food and drinks were far beyond my expectations. I wish I’d had a little more time to enjoy more of the food, but it didn’t put a damper on my fun. Since a nice part of my role here is to work with the vendors to create promotions, sales, and other stuff like that, I spent most of my time hanging around the vendor tables. Everyone seemed in good spirits, feedback on the cigars they brought was great, and in general they really seemed to genuinely enjoy participating and turning our customers on to their brands. It’s fun to see the camaraderie between vendors, despite being in competition with each other for sales, they seemed to enjoy getting the chance to spend some time together in a relaxed atmosphere, swapping stories from the road and getting to let their hair down a little bit.

Another highlight for me was discovering a nice new summertime microbrew in the Adirondack Bear Naked Ale, had a great flavor and that easy-to-drink smoothness that I look for in a beer for the hot summer months. Full of great food, tasty beer, and of course the premium cigars, I closed out the night sitting around the table with my co-worker Harry, an old friend (Brett, our rep for Rodrigo, Ortega, El Primer Mundo, Emilio and some other brands), and two new friends – Brad from AJ Fernandez cigars and George Rodriguez himself, the very charismatic owner of his own Rodrigo brand. I was very proud to hand out copies of our hot-off-the-press catalog and get their feedback in person, and of course my ego enjoyed all of their praise and kind words. Very gracious guys all, and it was a great opportunity and environment to get to know them.

Overall I can’t imagine HabanaPalooza being any better, but I’m sure Scotty will do his best to top it next year. I’m already looking forward to attending again, and while I know you blog readers are spread out all over the country and the world, if you can find yourself an excuse to be in Albany in the first week or two of May next year you will not be disappointed.

Drawing for the winner of the trip to the Rocky Patel factory in Nicaragua

Josh Crystal – Staff Graphic Designer/Photographer

As I approached the corner of Lark and Washington I could see the line of people wrapped around the corner of The Armory. As everyone was patiently waiting for the gates to open, I left my father and girlfriend at the end of the queue as I skipped ahead to drop my bags off inside and get my equipment ready for what was sure to be a long night of shots (photographs, that is).

Having only worked full time at Habana Premium for two full months, I am still feeling the waters to get a sense of our “corporate” culture and adjusting my sensibilities accordingly. Judging by the incredibly fun evening that was HabanaPalooza, I think the more relaxed I am, the better! After taking a few photos of the crowd before and during the gates being opened, I made a b-line for the Brewery Ommegang table and got a pint of their Three Philosophers brew. This step was purely so I wouldn’t look out of place compared to the rest of the people in attendance, I assure you…

From only a cursory glance of the crowd, the sense of camaraderie was obvious. Large groups of people were already chatting and laughing over stogies, drinks and food while others began visiting vendors to receive their complimentary smokes and learn more about the brands represented. I’ve been to a lot of trade shows for different industries in the past and this was not only the most fun, but the level of comfort and knowledge the vendors displayed was impressive to behold.

I personally had a blast meeting many of our loyal customers and company reps and I can’t wait for future opportunities to mingle and get to know more of you. I hope you enjoy the photos and get a chance to check out our newly released catalog which the marketing team, including myself, are extremely proud of!

Kevin and Kaira enjoing a cigar.

Another thing that was very apparent as the evening went on is how much of a pet project this event is to Scotty. It seemed like he was constantly in the corner of my eye, taking the time to thank what seemed like every single attendee and vendor in attendance. It feels great to work for someone who not only appreciates his loyal customers, but who appreciates them so much that he wants to put on great events like HabanaPalooza to show his affection.

See you next year!

Bobby G. preps for the Chicago show

Our journey began on Friday, May 4th before the sun came up. Scotty, Bobby G., and myself converged at Albany International Airport, and groggily waited in line for our very early flight. Everything was on time and smooth, soon enough we were leaving Midway Airport and heading for downtown Chicago. After a quick tourist stroll around Navy Pier and the surrounding area, we headed for the suburb of St. Charles, about an hour west of Chicago, and right on the Fox river. From the second we entered the Pheasant Run facility, we could smell Latakia in the air, and it was very clear that this was not a “normal” convention by any stretch of the imagination. We made our way slowly around the pre-show, taking in the slew of gorgeous hand-crafted pipes and the comfort of both the world’s greatest pipe makers and many of our long-time friends.

After enjoying cocktails paired perfectly with vintage Virginia tobaccos, we made our way into the beautiful city of St. Charles for dinner. We were generously treated to a delicious Italian meal by 30-year pipe veteran Tom Fitzpatrick, the food was scrumptious, the service impeccable and the atmosphere just right for our lively conversation which skipped quickly back and forth between business and pleasure. Our stomachs full, we returned to the smoking tent at Pheasant Run to enjoy scotch and cigars. Tom Fitzpatrick was still with us, and our table was quickly joined by legends Erik Nording and Tao Nielsen. We smoked and drank into the night, but not too late, we knew we had an early morning and a big day in front of us.

Saturday morning we hit the convention floor as early as we could, wanting to maximize our set-up time. The floor was mostly empty, but there was a sense of excitement in the air as vendors bustled around, getting ready to meet the hundreds of pipe smokers who would flood the floor in a few short hours. Once the floor opened to the public, we were met by a never-ending flow of pipe smokers from all over the world who are incredibly enthusiastic about this hobby. We never tire of listening to all the different accents of our brothers of the briar throughout the globe. The show was a busy blur, with us getting to meet new friends, put faces to the names of our customers and vendors, and catching up with old friends we haven’t seen in far too long. Without our resident master blender/celebrity Russ Ouellette we were a little short-handed, but the many heartfelt well-wishes and condolences made his absence a little easier to handle.

Over the course of the seven hours the floor was open, we handed out over 500 samples of Hearth & Home, Cerberus, and the New York Pipe Club blends that we were introducing.

Three Pipe Titans

We also gave away 300 tote bags, as well as countless boxes of matches, bundles of pipe cleaners, and of course own very own catalogs and calendars. We also took entries where one lucky winner will win a $200 shopping spree on our website. We were met with some surprise that everything was free, but everyone seemed much appreciative of all our free stuff, and seemed to enjoy getting the chance to try many of the slew of blends we brought to the show. After our samples were gone and the floor was covered with a sea of green tote bags, it was time to move back to the smoking tent where the John Cotton Throwdown was just getting underway.

This was the 2nd Throwdown at the Chicagoland show, based on the anticipation and response I’m going to guess this event will stick around for a while. This seems to be something everyone from the blenders to the judges to everyone else who gets to smoke the blends truly enjoys. Our own Russ Ouellette, last year’s champ, was slated to move over to the judges side of the table this year, but in his absence Scotty adeptly stepped

in to deliver Russ’s notes with his usual flair and charisma. Again, the audience seemed to really enjoy this event, and they also got to participate by voting on their favorite. Leonard Wortzel from Lane Limited took the People’s Choice prize, but Dick Silverman from Chief Catoonah took home the grand prize in a landslide. This really is a fantastic tradition that I hope continues for a long time to come, from where I’m sitting it seems like there are plenty of long-lost blends to emulate, and no shortage of talented blenders ready to take a shot at matching these iconic blends.

After the Throwdown concluded, it was back to St. Charles for dinner at the St. Charles Steakhouse with our good friend Jeff Abel from Mitchell Thomas. Another great meal with another talented pipe veteran, again, our talk flowed seamlessly between work and play, with the excitement level for all of our plans and ideas bubbling over. For the second day in a row stuffed full, we again returned to the smoking tent at Pheasant Run. Our group and Jeff sat down with cigars and drinks, only to be quickly joined by three of the industry’s heaviest hitters, Paul Creasy from Altadis, Leonard Wortzel from Lane, and Mike McNeil of McClelland. It was then we learned that we had missed Mike receiving his Doctor of Pipes award, which was too bad, but at a show with this much going on you can’t see everything and we refused to let it spoil our fun. We stayed up long into the night, drinking, smoking, and socializing with our friends.

Sunday morning we returned Pheasant Run to enjoy breakfast and say our goodbyes to our many friends, old and new. We took a last turn around the floor, getting some last-minute pictures of all the great people and pipes. It was hard to say goodbye with still more to go in the show, but we left and headed to the airport to begin the journey home back to our busy Monday.

Overall this was a fantastic experience for us, and we hope for everyone who was able to attend. For me personally being my first pipe convention, I really enjoyed myself and learned a lot about our hobby and the people who are so passionate about it. I’m already looking forward to next year, and I’m sure everyone else is as well. I could keep talking about all the fun we had, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s true, than the photo-montage that Scotty put together is worth at least a novel, so take a minute and check out his photo-journal of our trip!

The story has some great elements- a famous person, an elegant solution to a problem and the origin of an iconic product. It’s a wonderful story, outside of being impossible to prove, and most likely untrue.

The most reasonable answer to the birth of the cigar band is that in Europe there were a number of cigar factories over there that produced smokes for the masses- inexpensive sticks that sold for around a penny, but some less-than-reputable people would collect boxes from Cuban makers, and pack them with these cheaper stogies, but sell them around the same price as their Habano counterparts, which was around 10 times the cost of the cheapies.

In response to concerns of this sort, Gustave Bock began shipping his cigars from Cuba to the continent with paper bands on them that identified the cigars as authentic. It didn’t take long for other makers to follow suit, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One piece of trivia that is confirmed to be true is that of the oldest continuously produced brand of cigars, with an interesting back story.

In the early 1800s there were many shops in Cuba that rolled their own cigars, and they were well-known for their own blends as well as custom blends that they would make for clients. These special blends would be named for the person who ordered them. One such customer was Ignacio Larrañaga whose custom blend sold so well that the maker put a sign in the window proclaiming that they made cigars “por Larrañga” or “for Larrañaga”. The trademark was registered in 1834, which makes it the longest-tenured continuously made brand of cigars- a total of 177 years.

Here are some other trivial tidbits: Connecticut Shade tobacco (also known as Windsor Shade) is grown in the area around Windsor and Granby. If you drive from I-95 to Bradley International Airport, you can clearly see fields covered with tents of white cloth (called tapedas) that are protecting the plants from direct sunlight. While interesting, that’s not really trivia as it’s fairly common knowledge, but this isn’t- even though Connecticut Shade has been grown there since the 1930s, it is actually grown from the seeds of a Cuban strain known as Hazelwood.

Speaking of Connecticut, there is another little-known piece of information regarding cigar tobacco growing in the Nutmeg State- Connecticut Shade and Broadleaf are not the only types of cigar leaf being grown there.

On a buying trip for wrapper leaf, representatives of Drew Estate noticed something unusual in the barn- a whole tobacco plant hanging upside-down. After expressing their curiosity, they were informed that it was a Cuban strain, and that they were curing it using a seldom used method. They stalk-cut the plant, meaning that they didn’t harvest the leaf row by row, but they cut the entire plant down and hung it in the barn to allow the remaining nutrients to migrate to the leaves, making for a very rich and flavorful leaf. After tasting some of the leaf, the folks from Drew Estate knew that they could have something special so they bought a load of the leaf (designated T-52) and used it as the wrapper of an offshoot of the Liga Privada #9, which they named Liga Privada T-52, a lighter but spicier version of the top-shelf cigar. So if you tried one of these robust flavor bombs, you now know that the wrapper comes from good old Connecticut.

Up until the 1950s, the perfecto shape was one of the more popular vitolas. If you look at old cartoons, you’ll notice that most cigar smoking characters puffed on the football-shaped cigar. From the fifties on, parejos (round head, straight sides) like the corona, Lonsdale and panatela became the bulk of the market, and later, with our desire for bigger, chunkier cigars, we saw the growth of the robusto, toro and gordo. The perfecto recently has made a comeback, and its newfound rejuvenation has led to a flock of them, along with similar shapes like the diadema and salamone, coming to market. But where did the double taper cigar come from.

Cigar smokers who worked outdoors, (especially on a boat or ship) found it difficult to light their cigars properly if there was any wind, and it was even more difficult with only one hand free. The clever answer was to bring the foot of the cigar to a point, so only a very small spot needed to be lit to get the stick going, and to burn fairly evenly.

One of the best known premium cigars is the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8. This Lonsdale/cazadore shape (6×47) has been a mainstay of the Arturo Fuente company since the 1970s, but how exactly did it get its name? In its earlier days the Fuente company rolled cigars in Florida, mostly using imported Cuban tobacco, and made quite a few machine-made shapes. But Arturo, Sr. had his favorite to smoke- a cazadore size with a mild to medium body and a smooth, elegant flavor, but the company never sold the cigar to the public. After Arturo passed away, his son Carlos (who had taken over the company) wanted to do something as a tribute to his father so he decided to make his dad’s personal smoke available for sale. The cigar was an overwhelming success, and helped to establish Fuente as a premium brand. So why the designation “8-5-8”? Because of the fact that Arturo, Sr. died at the age of 85.

Our free corn cobs seem to be the biggest surprise hit, I think Bobby G really hit the nail on the head when he guessed that people would enjoy the opportunity to sample our blend without having to smoke them in their regular pipes. Tote bags are also a bit hit, love seeing them covering the floor!

New York Pipe Club blends are a hit!

Empty & messy, just how I like it!

Busy floor

Gotta get back to work, but here’s a few more pics!

Our friends at Cornell & Diehl have a great setup

Brian @ Brigham likes our catalog!

Not sure what else we could have done to make this as special as possible for all involved, and I hope everyone enjoys our booth and the show as a whole. There are a whole bunch of really fantastic people here, it’s fun to put faces to names and to meet many of the legends of our industry. Got some

The best (and only?) banner in the room

pics of our set-up for you, and will have more commentary for you as the day continues!

New York Pipe Club blends are ready to smoke!

Bobby G busting his hump to get us ready