Cash To Burn

Gurkha’s Majesty’s Reserve

His Majesty’s Reserve is the official name of this limited production cigar. Fewer than 100 boxes are produced each year. Twenty sticks come per box and each cigar is placed in a crystal tube and sealed in green wax.

The wrapper, filler, and binder are all from the Dominican and is said to have a mild-medium strength. What is most interesting of this 7.5×50 sized cigar is that it is generously (an entire bottle) infused with Louis XIII Cognac. Technically this would make the cigar a “flavored cigar“.

President of the Gurkha company personally decides which retailer qualifies to receive the $15,000 box of flavored cigars.

Doing the math: Individually the cigars sell for $750.

Cigar in a Bottle (Forbidden X Bottle)

Walking through the Fuente booth at the 2008 IPCPR one would see a beautifully lighted display sticking out like a sore thumb. Inside the display was a bottle of Grand Pommier XS Calvados brandy, and inside the bottle of apple brandy was a Forbidden X cigar.

Fuente Fuente Forbidden X is the unique cigar especially made to sit inside the capsule of the bottle. It is rolled to a size of 6 3/8 x 49 and made of tobacco grown on the grounds of Chateau de la Fuente. The X cigar is then placed in imported empty French oak Calvados casks for 45-60 more days (to add a hint of apple sweetness).

The brandy / cognac like liquor is made of hundreds of green and red apples that grow locally in the French region. Apples are removed at different times in the growing season, washed in purified water, and pressed to make juice. The apple juice is then double distilled and placed in the casks for 30-40 years.

The cost of this unique item is around $600 per bottle or around $60 a shot (at Casa Fuente).

Cohiba Behike

Cuban cigars are generally more expensive when purchasing them while on vacation or having the sticks shipped into the USA.

Cohiba Behike cigars were named after the cheif of one of Cuba’s indigenous tribes. 4,000 of the honorary cigars were produced by Cohiba and every single last stick was rolled by hand. In fact Norma Fernandez, the cigar roller at the El Laguito factory in Havana was the lone roller.

These cigars come with an Elie Bleu designed humidor. It is made with Galuchat, black ebony, mother of pearl, sycamore, cedar and ox bone. The humidor will also be personalized with the production number, the cigars are numbered and the owner’s name. Only 100 humidors, with 40 cigars each will be sold upon exclusive order of Habanos distributors, double ringed and numbered from 1 to 4000.

Gurkha Black Dragon

This is not the Black Dragon that you can pick up at your local cigar lounge. I do not know if the cigars that come in the box are similar (except aged).

Black Dragon cigars are hand-crafted by the Gurkha factory in Honduras. Each cigar contains African Cameroon, Dominican, and Connecticut tobaccos wrapped in a dark chocolate maduro wrapper. Aged for 12-15 years the 7.5×52 cigar is said to be very strong and very spicy.

The beauty of the 100 count cigar package has to be the box. The box is made in India of camel bone and solid brass.

The production package was limited to just 5 boxes and retails for $115,000.

Drew Estate in Arizona

Drew Estate spent a lot of time in Arizona during the month of October.

As October is coming to an end I have to invite everyone to their Saturday event at Stogie Cutter.

Clear your schedules, the weather is perfect and the beer will be cold.

Cigar Donation

Online cigar retailer Cigars International will ship approximately 18,000 cigars to our courageous troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Company spokeswoman Debi Lehr estimates the total cost will be $65,000. This estimate does not include the overseas shipping charges on about 5,000 boxes (30 cigars per box average).

Keith Meier, president of Cigars International, said:

“If you enjoy cigars now and then and you’ve been overseas and under duress, it’s nice to have a little treat like this.“

Not everyone agrees with actions of Cigar International. Deborah Brown from the American Lung Association was quick to look down upon the troops gifts:

“We send these products over to our soldiers who are fighting to defend our country and they come back addicted to their product. They’re providing them with an unhealthy choice, whether it’s donated or whether they have to pay for it.“

What do the soldiers have to say about this?

Perhaps somethings can be left unsaid - I once read that a picture was worth a thousand words (352,000 words).

PuffingCigars.com Statement to the American Lung Association:

Ms. Deborah Brown please remember that our troops are putting their life on the line for one thing: Freedom.

Smoking may not be considered healthy to all, but let us celebrate. Celebrate because the soldiers (and you, and me, and everyone else in our great country) actually have the choice, the freedom, to smoke the cigar (or not smoke).

A cigar they might enjoy after dodging bullets, facing dangers, and missing anything and everything that would remind them of home.

I will, like you should have, thank anyone who puts effort into making their time a little bit better and/or supports to our troops (Keep in mind I have not said you couldn’t voice concern).

Thank you Cigars International and everyone else who has made private donations across our blogs, web boards, local shops, and everywhere else.

Golden Zeus Cigar

Golden Zeus is what this cigar is called.

The Golden Zeus cigar was exhibited in Munich, Germany at the Millionaire Fair.

The Millionair Fair is a trade show, established in 2002, that displays the ultra luxury goods.

For the not-so-millionaire cost of admittance ($50) you  can wonder around the exhibit and  see what the “good life” is all about.

PuffingCigars.com Official Opinion…

This cigar is for amateurs.

PuffingCigars.com would smoke no less then a platnium covered cigar.

On a semi-more serious note: PuffingCigars.com will attempt to obtain a Golden Zeus and write a full review.

Cigar Industry Consolidation

Luxury cigar brand Davidoff (Oettinger Davidoff Group) has officialy taken over Camacho Cigars as of October 13th, 2008. The full terms of the deal have not been released to the public.

The company was owned by the Eiroas family who also mainted 9 other cigar brands; Baccarat was one of the more popular brands that Davidoff would acquire.

Davidoff has expressed intrest in keeping the Camacho brand as is - for now. Eiroa will remain as president of the brand, and while the tobacco farms were not part of the deal there was a supply agreement in the terms.

Cigar Consolidation Continues…

It appears as if the online cigar community has come under consoldiation because of an individual named John Caputo.

John Caputo has recently purcahsed CigarLive.com, ClubStogie.com, Cigar-Review.com and Top25cigar.com. The plan is to consolidate these communities under one umbrella that will be known as Puff.com.

In postings (on all the forums) started by John Caputo he states the goal is to create the “largest cigar social site on the planet it will enable us to do things that apart would not be achievable.” Even more interesting was his idea to start a “cigar advocacy group whose voice can be heard and respected“.

While an advocacy group is great and always needed to us, cigar smokers, there is an uneasy bit of tension throughout all the original members of the forums. Not knowing what will truly come about and the feeling of a “family” being broken apart has caused lots of negative comments and concern.