Month: November 2020

Plasencia Cigars, a world-leading premium tobacco grower, announces the release of the limited edition the “Year of the Ox”. 
It’s a limited edition with only 2,500 eight-count boxes of the 7 x 58 Salomon vitola. It will be exclusive to the international market.

Plasencia “Year of the Ox”

The cigar brand commemorates the Chinese New Year this coming February 12, 2021, which is the start of the “Year of the Ox”.

Oxen is an important animal in Chinese culture because of its role in agriculture. They are recognized for their hardworking, honest, and humble disposition. Never the center of attention, and never looking for praise, the Ox gains its recognition through its labor.

The Plasencia family felt it important to recognize the hard-working agriculturists and farmers, who – like the Ox – are never the center of attention but continue to be the backbone of the cigar industry.

Growing tobacco since 1865, the Plasencia family felt that creating the “Year of the Ox” would perfectly align with their traditions and passion for tobacco. 

The Plasencia Cigars Master Blending team worked tirelessly to create this cigar, using leaf from the Plasencia family’s vast library of tobacco.

This Nicaraguan puro offers a distinctive smoking experience.
A medium-strength, full flavoured cigar, the smoker of the “Year of the Ox” will experience initial notes of cashews, red berries, and final notes of milky chocolate, with hints of peppermint.  

Plasencia Cigars CEO Nestor Andres Plasencia stated:
“The “Year of the Ox” is dedicated to the hard-working people who are in the trenches, cultivating the very tobacco we used in this blend.
We at the Plasencia family consider ourselves farmers first.
Since 1865, our family has gained invaluable tobacco knowledge, born of unwavering hard work and dedication.
“The Year of the Ox” celebrates that passion.” 

Plasencia Year of the Ox is limited in production; only 20,000 cigars have been created. Housed in stunning eight (8) count boxes designed to honour the upcoming Chinese Year of the Ox. 
MSRP: $35 per cigar
$280 per 8 count boxes. 

For more information, visit: www.plasenciacigars.com, and follow @PlasenciaCigars on social media.

ABOUT PLASENCIA CIGARS

Plasencia Cigars is one of the world’s leading growers of first-class tobacco. The Plasencia family has been pioneering the industry since 1865 when Don Eduardo Plasencia began growing tobacco in Cuba, and five generations of the Plasencia family have continued the legacy. 
Today, Plasencia Cigars produces more than 35 million handmade cigars per year, and harvests tobacco on more than 3,000 acres across several countries in Central America, including Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama.

https://www.plasenciacigars.com

Joya de Nicaragua was one of the locations I visited during Puro Sabor 2016. It was a memorable experience – one which I will dedicate an entire post to in the near future.
For now, I want to share this portion of a newsletter recently received from JdN.
It’s a reminder the cigar brands we love today haven’t always been available.

It’s a reminder that we have to protect premium cigars.

Dear amigos, our history has been a turbulent yet rewarding journey. In 1985, our country faced an embargo that prohibited our cigars from entering the United States. But, from that obstacle, we found an opportunity on having Europe as one of our greatest allies. Commemorating the resiliency of Joya de Nicaragua thirty-five years ago, the company is proud to introduce ​Cinco Décadas El Embargo.

THE 1980S

Two events were fundamental in shaping our country’s history during that decade: the civil war and the economic embargo declared by the United States. The embargo became an enormous obstacle for every Nicaraguan product, as they were prohibited from entering the US Market. However, instead of giving up, we did what Nicaraguans do best: we forge ahead a new path for us.

“The embargo was one of those hard situations we confronted, but one that in retrospect allowed Joya de Nicaragua to establish itself as a truly global brand.” – Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca.

With its primary market forbidden indefinitely, Joya de Nicaragua had to seek alternatives to sell its cigars. This is how Europe became of our greatest partners, emerging as the first brand of Nicaraguan cigars to be enjoyed in the old world. After that, becoming one of the best known Nicaraguan brands around the globe.

EL EMBARGO: A CIGAR THAT COMMEMORATES RESILIENCY

This limited 152 mm x 60 Gigante masterpiece, we bring to our European friends a token of gratitude for opening their arms to us during those years.

Released in 2018 to commemorate fifty years of cigar manufacturing, Cinco Décadas El Embargo continues to pay tribute to our milestones as a company and the events that have made and shaped who we are today.

HAVE A WORD!

Join Joya de Nicaragua online celebration, follow their social media channels!

Facebook: @joyacigars

Instagram: @joyacigars

Twitter: @joyacigars

Protect Premium Cigars.
Join Cigar Rights of America.
https://www.cigarrights.org/index.php

Ahead of the holiday season, Woodford Reserve announces the release of its annual holiday bottle, which this year features the festive artwork by renowned UK-based architect Nick Hirst.

Woodford Reserve “Winter Slumber”

Hirst’s serene painting “Winter Slumber” captures the contrast between the warm, wooden interior of the historic warehouse at Woodford Reserve, and the stone exterior of the building.
This snowy scene, recognizable to all guests who have visited Woodford Reserve over the last 24 years, celebrates the fact that whiskey ages year-around, regardless of weather.

“Nick Hirst effortlessly captures the distillery with an artful elegance and architect’s eye,” said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris. 

“At Woodford Reserve, I was looking for an opportunity to compare the colder exteriors to the warm interiors of the older buildings, while continuing to ‘tell the story’ of how the whiskey was made” explains Hirst. “There was also a strong connection between the color of the rich wooden interiors of some of the buildings and the color of the bottle itself. The stone walls of the barrel store, with the barrel run leading into the wooden interior, was an ideal composition.”

Specializing in historic buildings, Hirst has worked for 20 years in sites across the world from North Africa to the Middle East and Russia, identifying and analyzing the unique qualities of each building by drawing and sketching. His work has previously exhibited at the prestigious Royal Academy and Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour in London.

The “Winter Slumber” painting is based on a few preliminary pencil sketches from his visit to the distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, later laid onto a handmade watercolor paper with the detail added with gouache and pen-work.

“As I worked on the painting, I kept a bottle of Woodford Reserve on the drawing board, as a reminder of the color palette.
Inevitably the bottle made its way into a drawing,” Hirst said. 

About Woodford Reserve:

Tucked in the heart of thoroughbred country in Versailles, Kentucky lives the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery, the birthplace of Woodford Reserve. A National Historic Landmark, the Woodford Reserve Distillery represents craftsmanship with a balance of historic heritage and modern practices. Woodford Reserve is a product of the Brown-Forman Corporation, a premier producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands including Jack Daniel’s, Finlandia, Korbel, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Chambord. Please enjoy your bourbon responsibly. To learn more about Woodford Reserve, visit us www.woodfordreserve.com or www.facebook.com/woodfordreserve.

Since 2011, Cigar Rights of America has been leading the effort to
protect your right to enjoy a premium cigar.  

As CRA prepares to continue this campaign in 2021 and the 117th Congress, we wanted to share with you some outstanding news regarding members of the CRA lobby team. 

Last week, the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics (“NILE”) awarded its annual top lobbying/lobbyist accolades in Washington, DC. 

What makes these awards unique is that peer lobbyists make the nomination/selection.  

Accordingly, these awards reflect the respect that fellow lobbyists have for others in their field.  

 CRA Legislative Director Mike Copperman was a finalist for Top Lobbyist of the Year.  
Mike has led the CRA legislative team in Washington since it first opened its office.  One of the nominators wrote: “Mike led the development and implementation of a multi-year legislative and regulatory advocacy campaign that ultimately led to this year’s (court) victory for the industry he represents.”

 CRA Lobbyist Dennis Potter of K&L Gates was named Top Lobbyist in the large firm category.  
Dennis has been a part of the CRA lobby team for many years and has led numerous legislative efforts in Congress and the Executive Branch that are integral to CRA’s legislative success. 

Additionally, a lobbyist at Cornerstone Government Affairs was also awarded Top Lobbyist in 2020.  
Cornerstone Government Affairs serves as CRA’s main senate lobby shop and is led by Paul DiNino.  
Paul has been an invaluable member to the CRA lobby team and has led our successful outreach in Congress and multiple Administrations.  His advocacy work has been critically important to limiting the impact of legislation that negatively affects premium cigars. 

The successes of CRA’s lobby team and the recognition by their peers of their work reflects the years of dedicated work the team has put in to protecting your rights to enjoy premium cigars. 

CRA congratulates Top Lobbyist of the Year award nominee, Mike Copperman, Lobbyist of the Year, winner, Large Firm, Dennis Potter of K&L Gates and Paul DiNino, of Cornerstone Government Affairs, whose firm had a Lobbyist of the Year award winner.

** Information courtesy of Cigar Rights of America.

https://www.cigarrights.org/index.php

Great news from the Premium Cigar Association!

Joshua Habursky now oversees all government relations operations as the new Head of Government affairs.
Glynn Loope, former Executive Director of the Cigar Rights of America, will be assisting PCA as an advisor to state government affairs.

“Glynn brings a wealth of industry experience and has been working closely with Josh and me developing state and regional training models. It will be a huge help to have his advice and insights as we work through some unprecedented challenges in the States”
said PCA Executive Director Scott Pearce. 

In addition to Loope, the PCA has enlisted the services of graduate intern Ryan Parada, a current graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. Parada will be a research assistant and work on projects to help provide quality information to assist in tax and smoking ban legislation. 

Patrick Anderson of Proventure Consultants will re-engage with PCA as a general consultant on both federal and state affairs as we head into the new year. PCA will evaluate additional consultants and programs on a case by case basis and will look to attack key threats in states that present credible threats to the premium cigar industry.

The team of in-house lobbyists and consultants will also work with PCA marketing and communications to build new member content, podcasts, interviews, and virtual/live events. 

“It is important that we build a team that can tackle that variety of issues that we will face at the federal and state levels. We feel confident that the experience, demonstrated success, and aggressive approach will serve our member well and protect the industry from retailers to manufacturers to consumers,” said Pearce. “It is imperative that the PCA is poised and ready to not only fight back, but to be proactive in making continuous progress for the industry.”

“The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) is the leading authority and advocate for the premium cigar and pipe retailer industry. The PCA is dedicated to the current and future success of brick and mortar premium tobacconists.
Founded in 1933 as the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America, the PCA is the largest, most active, and longest-running trade association representing and assisting premium tobacco retailers, manufacturers, and partners in the industry.
We offer premier services in education, advocacy, and business development, helping protect our members’ businesses from unfair regulations while simultaneously helping them grow and succeed.”

2021 PCA Annual Convention and Trade Show will take place July 9—13, 2021at the Sands Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada! 

Premium Cigar Association
https://premiumcigars.org/?_zs=UWndX&_zl=4pIK2

News from Nicaragua:
“Despite the impact of Hurricane Eta, a category 4 hurricane, the 2020-2021 tobacco harvest was not damaged”

The Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco tells us they’ve done an evaluation with the tobacco producers in Esteli and have determined the 2020-2021 Nicaragua tobacco harvest was safe from Hurricane Eta

But Nicaragua is now preparing for the impact of Hurricane Iota – also a category 4 hurricane – which is expected to hit Monday November 16, 2020.

The biggest challenge now facing tobacco producers in that Central America country is the amount of rainfall associated with those hurricanes.

“The ground is saturated” said Claudio Sgroi, President of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco, “the rain that is expected now will not help”
______________________________________________________________________________

The Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco is an organization established in 2008 that represents the interests of the most important tobacco and cigar producers in Nicaragua.

Its 27 members represent 95% of the total national production of tobacco and cigars. In the last decade, Nicaragua has stood out as one of the largest producers of tobacco and cigars in the world.

Different brands manufactured in Nicaragua have been recognized by magazines and experts as the best in the world.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020 — Miami, Fla.– Today Drew Estate announces the cancellation of the upcoming Barn Smoker Live virtual event, originally scheduled for November 14th, due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases throughout Florida.

The virtual Barn Smoker Live event was designed to be broadcast live from the tobacco fields in Clermont, Fla., featuring members of the Drew Estate team including Jonathan Drew, Willy Herrera, Pedro Gomez and more. However, due to the recent significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Florida, Drew Estate has, after much consideration, determined that it is unfortunately necessary to make this difficult decision to ensure the safety of both the staffs of Drew Estate and the incredible Florida Sun Grown Farm with whom Drew Estate partnered for this event.

From Sag Harbor, N.Y., Jonathan Drew, President and Founder of Drew Estate, notes, “It is with a heavy heart that we make this decision, but it’s clearly the right thing to do in this precarious moment. Many stakeholders, including DE staff, tobacco farmers, and a multitude of suppliers have contributed a great deal to creating such an amazing experience … all for the love of the leaf, love of our special relationship with each of you, and to celebrate our industry and culture. Keep your heads up, stay safe, and support your friends and loved ones during these times. We love you guys and look forward to being together soon under the big tents at the farms.”

Drew Estate had previously announced that as part of the Barn Smoker Goodwill Act, it would be donating $50,000 to Cigars for Warriors. Despite being unable to move forward with Barn Smoker Live under the current conditions, Drew Estate will still be making the full $50,000 donation to Cigars for Warriors, a charitable organization to whom Drew Estate has donated over $250,000 to date.

Financial donations to Cigars for Warriors may be made via PayPal. Cigar donations may be made at an authorized Cigars for Warriors donation center or sent to Attention: Cigars for Warriors at 8585 SW Hwy 200 Unit # 16, Ocala, FL 34481. For more information, visit cigarsforwarriors.org.

  • info from Drew Estate Press Release