This may be news to some, and old information to most but we are fighting yet another battle against Washington but this time, they have totally crossed that line. In a nutshell – We have all seen the cigar wraps at gas stations also known as ‘blunts’. Now most people acknowledge this form of cigar wrap as being used with smoking marijuana and I don’t think that any cigar smokers really have an issue with these being outlawed. The issue arises because the way this bill is being worded – any single cigar sale would be outlawed. Umm, sorry guys, but no. I have included the article posted on www.cigarrights.org – All credit on the report goes to them, I am just spreading the word.

“There is more trouble in Washington , DC , but this time it’s a few blocks from Capitol Hill. It’s in the Washington , DC City Council chambers.

An initial group of five (possibly eight) city council members, including Marion Barry, Tommy Wells, Michael Brown, Yvette Alexander and Harry Thomas, have introduced an amendment to the Drug Paraphernalia Act of 1982, known as the �Single Sale of Cigar Products Prohibition Act of 2009.� The very reading of �cigars� in a �drug paraphernalia� ordinance is deeply disturbing, and the reason such a trend needs to stop � now.

The intent of the proposed ordinance is to prevent the use of cigars as a means to marijuana use. The draft ordinance defines cigar as �an individual cigar, cigar leaf wrapper, flavored or non flavored cigar that is referred to as a blunt, blunt wrap, or any other tobacco product that may be used in the ingesting, inhaling or introduction of marijuana to the human body.�

In this draft, there is no mention of price, size, hand-made, machine-made, or other defining characteristics of cigars. While media reports have said its intent is to ban sales at convenience stores and gas stations, there is no mention of them in the bill either.

Local premium tobacconists such as W. Curtis Draper and Georgetown Tobacco view the language as too vague, with John Anderson of W. Curtis Draper stating, �It’s scary because it’s open ended.� David Berkebile of Georgetown Tobacco intends to join in the opposition.

The measure is not without precedent. Just over the border in Maryland , Prince George ‘s County Council, where ordinances were advanced to require sales of cigars in packs of five, helped usher in a trend with such public policy. That legislation did exempt stores that specialize in cigar sales.”

Help in the fight against issues such as this, join CRA today – Click on the banner on your right – What are you waiting for?!

Earlier this year, Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore , Maryland stated, �cheap cigars are becoming popular and these products are addictive and deadly.� The effort in Maryland was praised by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, stating �Individual cigars are more affordable to price sensitive kids.�

We would like to dramatize how such nebulous policies can lead to unwarranted and unjust actions.

Recently, a customer of Havana Connections, a Richmond , Virginia based premium tobacconist, purchased a $10 cigar, left the shop, and proceeded to drive home. He was enjoying the cigar in the privacy of his car, when he saw the blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror.

When the cigar enthusiast asked what the problem was, the officer said he saw smoke, and wanted to know if he was using marijuana. Obviously, the answer was no, but the officer said �well, I have probable cause. Give me the cigar. I need to test it.�

After some protest, he took it; set the cigar down, and the officer proceeded to cut this premium hand made cigar in half, dousing it with a solution to test for the presence of marijuana. Guess what? There was none. The cigar enthusiast proceeded to say, �you owe me $10 for that cigar.� The officer said, no, but you can take it up with our office. He did, and they gave him $40 for his trouble. True story. Two weeks old. Amazing.

In government, especially at the local and state level, one of the foremost contributing reasons to bad public policy is the setting of precedent and others saying �we should do that too.� That’s how an outdoor smoking ban makes its way from San Francisco to Boston . That has been the case on matters of indoor and outdoor smoking bans, private property (housing) smoking bans, regulation of advertising and marketing, and the setting of tax policy.

Hopefully on September 29, a committee of Washington DC City Council will set aside this proposed ordinance. More so, however, there needs to be a halt to the very introduction of these measures across the country.”

— Text taken in full from CRA (Cigar Rights Of America)

If your going to start something off, start it right! I must say, I am a little bias with this stick, as it is my all time favorite. This Cohiba Robusto was made 08/08 and has been resting in a humidor since. Cohiba – A name that almost everyone knows, has respect for and to most, a go to cigar. For me this is a cigar that I set aside for special occasions only, not only due to the high cost but also due to the issue of acquiring such a prize. The first Cuban Cohiba I was able to enjoy was on a vacation trip of mine, but I had to pay the insane Habanos price – almost 25.00 for a single Robusto! I got ripped off, but it was still worth it, and has become my favorite since. Perhaps one of the most complex, smooth and finely crafted cigars I have ever encountered, if you have not had the pleasure of being able to smoke one, I say don’t wait any longer – Get one!!

Construction: This is a very well hand made cigar, I’d have to suggest the top 10, perhaps top 5 even. Their was a medium amount of veins that gave this stick that classic cuban hand rolled effect, but the wrapper was still smooth and oily to the touch and had no imperfections. The cigar itself was firm from head to foot, but did not feel brittle.

Smell: Once I was able to allow myself the chance to take in this beautiful aroma, I was hit with a wild cross of smells that reminded me of a barn at the farm, but only the good smells if that makes sense. Cedar, Straw, Honey – It was very sweet and mellow. The foot had a more bitter sent, deeper cedar or perhaps coco is noticed, but still a ‘sweet smell’ that made me almost drool. As said before, this cigar is so complex even the smells seem to change – haha!

To start off this cigar, especially since it was a Cohiba and a rare cigar to myself, I used cedar spills from my local tobacco shop to make it that much more interesting. The cigar was a little hard to light, I had to use 3 spills, although it could also be from inexperience. Once it was lit, never had one problem with burn or blisters.

1st third: From the first puff, sweet wood notes and leather filled my mouth. Those were the most prominent flavors but a sweet almost Carmel or Honey flavor would linger as well and was slightly noticeable on my lips. The draw was perfect, providing for lots of thick, full smoke with a medium amount of resistance. I noticed that a few coffee notes would peak and hide, exchanging flavors with roasted nuts – a slight pepper sensation as well on the retrohale – it was actually smooth and enjoyable. Towards the end of the 1st third, I noticed that an overall ‘earthy’ taste would coat my pallet as the body increased from a medium to an upper medium. The ash held on for roughly an inch and fell off (causality below)

2nd third: The 2nd third started off with lots of leather and wood, a good bitter and sweet combination. One big thing I noticed here was that the finish started to increase, roughly 30 second of ‘true flavor’, as well I could taste it when I licked my lips. The burn did decide to go kinda wild at this time, but it corrected itself within a few minutes. I noticed the wood flavor increase as well as the body picking up to a high medium. Coffee notes still come and go, exchanging places with pepper – makes for a very odd but enjoyable exchange. Ending the 2nd third, sweet cedar takes front seat.

Last third: The body has defiantly picked up and is now in the upper medium to lower full. The smoke just coats my mouth at this time but surprisingly does not dry out my mouth. Rugged leather, dark woods and roasted coffee jump out at you with every puff. Towards the end, the sweet notes from the beginning start to surge through, never overpowering the coffe and earth but rather adding a nice highlight to the darker setting.

Overall: One of the most complex cigars I have been privileged enough to enjoy. Still, very expensive per stick (Paid 28us in Mexico) but soo worth it. More for a very special occasion rather than a daily smoke and when had in such a way, by far my favorite at this time

Finally was able to pick up my CRA Sampler – I will try to review as many of them as possible (the ones I don’t smoke first haha!) and will especially review all of the Sampler Only sticks. More to come, till then, just pictures. Refer to my previous post here for all the info.

Like other reviews I have done “after everyone” (Cain Habano for example) I don’t smoke them right when I get them, I like to let them rest around 2 weeks minimum so they get some life back in them. That being said, I will have reviews up on these exclusive cigars asap, until then check out www.cigarrights.org and order yourself a pack!

Size: 6 x 54

Wrapper:� Habano

Filler: Nicarauga (Jalapa, Esteli, Condega)

Binder: Nicarauga

Body:� Full

This cigar comes to us via Sam Leccia from Nub Cigars, and happens to also be his new child in the cigar world.� Sam sure has been a busy person, releasing new profiles for his Nub line as well as creating this new beauty in Maduro and Habano. He sent me, as well as a few other review sites, a stick of this to review. This powerhouse comes in with a triple Ligero, or top leaves of the tobacco plant.� These leaves get the most sunlight and they are known for being very aromatic as well as containing a lot of oils that the tobacco plant produces and usually does not create the best burning or even smoking cigar. These things combined are known to make a very strong smoke and are commonly used as long filler to create the base flavor of the cigar rather than becoming the wrapper. The reason for this is that the Ligero, being filled with more oils and seeing more light causes it to be stronger, and burn slower than the Seco or Volado portion of the plant, not to mention the two years plus required to mature the leaf.

Although we may expect this tail kicking, Sam – as always – has to keep us on our toes. Using a triple fermentation process (similar to the Cuban Cohiba brand) the cigar responds to us with a very smooth, mild spice. Sam did use more than just Ligero also, about 82% of the stick is Ligero, but with the triple fermentation – the smoothness can not be matched.

This is one of those cigars that you can just feel seeping into your system while smoking it, but never becomes overpowering.� I frequently keep cigars in my mouth while I smoke them, and I can honestly say my mouth had a slight tingle to it by the 3/4 mark. The flavors of Coffee, Wood just take over the foreground while a nice leather and semi-sweet notes would always remain, just changing in their strengths and weaknesses. I attempted to retrohale this bad boy, and well, I’m just not that good yet, haha! Burned like hell.

I have smoked three of these to date and as of this time, have yet to encounter any type of draw or construction issues with the exception of one which cracked near the head, but it only had about a half inch left of life anyway so I can not complain. All in all, at 6-8 bucks a pop, if your into full body cigars or if your wanting to expand from a medium body rut, give the Cain a try, I guarantee� you’ll be talking about it after!

So, as I’m sure that I am just like all you other CRA memebers, its about time! This sampler is brought to us from an organization call Cigar Rights of America, or CRA for short. This organization really does a great job at helping us ‘sinners’ enjoy one of our last pleasures, cigars. Their main goal is to help assist the Tobacco Industry by lobbying and helping to reduce the taxes imposed upon the Tobacco Industry and to combat restrictive smoking bans.

One of the things that this organization has recently accomplished was when they went to the IPCPR (International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers) convention held in New Orleans which started August 8th, 2009. While at this convention, they were able to gather quite a few new members, and those were the real power players, the tobacconists themselves. These retailers are the ones who truly feel the effects of the laws and regulations. We, as consumers, may see a few cents to a dollar extra per stick or perhaps 20.00 per box but the retailer has to eat that cost, on every.. single.. cigar. The bans have also cause some brick and mortar shops to close, for what used to be a safe haven for us to enjoy in a tobacco shop, now has been deemed a no smoking zone. While at this event, CRA decided to gather a few cigars from varying producers and thus the sampler was born.

This sampler – Costing 60.00 VIA CRA and 30.00 via B&M Local Tobacconist (90.00 total) includes -

ASHTON VSG

Ashton Distributors will offer CRA members a memorable experience using 4-5 year old Dominican tobacco and an Ecuadorian wrapper. Ashton Distributors Vice President Sathya Levin stated, �Ashton is pleased to provide this one-time only presentation of the VSG. For the many fans of the VSG, this should be a great experience.�

CAO Lx2 Rosado Especiale

This Nicaraguan wrapper, Honduran binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic make this a signature cigar for CAO , and the members of CRA. Tim Ozgener, President of CAO International noted, �The CAO LX2 Rosado Toro is an extremely limited production cigar made exclusively for the CRA at CAO Fabrica de Tabacos in Danli , Honduras . Featuring a Nicaraguan-grown Rosado wrapper, the cigar boasts a bold, muscular structure layered with flavors of bittersweet chocolate, paprika, and woody tobacco notes. The exquisite Rosado wrapper imparts a pleasant floral note upon the flavor profile, which balances superbly with the three different ligero fillers.�

Casa Fenerandez

With a 100% Cuban Corojo Seed from specific farms in the Jalapa Valley and Esteli, Tobacalera Tropical President Paul Palmer pointed to the Caf� Rosado leaf and tobacco from Aganorsa as attributes of this cigar, which has a medium to full-bodied strength.

Davidoff Avo Classic #2

This carefully crafted blend of five different tobaccos results in a rich and mellow flavor. The Cuban Piloto seed, San Vicente filler and binders, blended with Dominican Olor leaves, offers the CRA Avo a special aroma, in this mild, yet flavorful cigar. Davidoff USA President Peter Banninger noted, �We are proud to make this carefully crafted cigar available to the members of CRA. It should prove to be a memorable moment.�

Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9

Through a limited production run with tobacco from seven different farms, Drew Estate’s Liga Privada No. 9 is a rich and complex cigar, using a Connecticut Broadleaf #1 darks, Plantation Grown Brazilian Mata Fina and Honduran and Nicaraguan Cuban Seed. Drew Estate President Steve Saka stated, �We are very pleased to offer the cigar that was initially meant to be strictly a private stock cigar, to the members of CRA.�

General Cigar’s Punch � CRA Blend

Punch cigars continue to enjoy critical acclaim and a devoted following among tenured smokers. As an exclusive offering to the CRA, General Cigar developed a unique blend if this celebrated brand. Featuring spicy blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco, punctuated by a Nicaraguan binder and enveloped in a brawny Nicaraguan wrapper, Punch CRA cigars are handcrafted in Honduras.

Debo Mukherjee, Vice President of Marketing for General Cigar commented, �It is with great pleasure that we have donated 5,000 handcrafted Punch cigars to continue our support of CRA. As a Founding Sponsor, we continue to stand behind the organization and its ongoing effort to protect the rights of premium cigar smokers.�

La Flor Dominicana LG � CRA Blend

Litto Gomez, recently referred to as one of the �most innovative minds in the cigar business today� by Cigar Aficionado stated, �We were pleased to develop this cigar exclusively for the members of CRA. It should prove to be a great experience knowing that only a select few can enjoy this, and the other cigars in this sampler.�

Padron 1964 Anniversary Series�

The 1964 Anniversary Series� line was introduced in 1994 to commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary. All tobacco used in this limited production series is aged for four years, creating a smooth and complex flavor. In honor of the age-old Cuban tradition of box – pressing cigars, the 1964 Anniversary line was introduced as a box-pressed series. The Padr�n 1964 Anniversary Series� is consistently ranked by industry experts as one of the top brands in the world.

Rocky Patel � CRA Blend

This exclusive ‘CRA Blend’ offers a medium to full bodied ‘masterpiece’ with its Habana wrapper from Ecuador, that is spicy yet elegant with just a hint of sweetness. Rocky Patel stated, �We wanted to do something special for the CRA sampler. The mission of CRA is to allow consumers the very ability to enjoy our cigars. They deserve the best from each company, and this sampler tells that story.�

Tatuaje – This 6×50 Nicaraguan Puro comes from Tatuaje with Pete Johnson stating, �CRA members will remember this sampler, and each cigar within it for time to come. That’s the affect we wanted with this project.�

The Following is a blurp from CRA:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 8, 2009
Contact: Brian Berman
Phone: (818) 541-1535
Email: brian.berman@cigarrights.org

CRA Launches A Limited Edition, One-Of-A-Kind Cigar Sampler � For Members Only!

Fairfax, VA � Cigar Rights of America (CRA) has announced a new program exclusively for its members that will serve as a unique member benefit, while advancing the cause of protecting cigar enthusiasts from intrusive taxation and regulation.

An initial coalition with approximately twenty of the world�s top cigar makers have joined forces to create a limited-edition, one-of-a-kind collection of cigars specially blended or sized for CRA members only! The cigars will be offered in two editions of an exclusive CRA Cigar Sampler* � each containing 10 cigars. These cigars are not available anywhere else and you must be a CRA member to get them.

CRA Executive Director Glynn Loope stated, �The Founding Sponsors of CRA wanted to offer something special to the membership. The participating companies have developed unique blends or sizes, available only in this sampler. With the proceeds of the sale of these cigars going to address the issues confronting cigar enthusiasts, this is a win-win for the member and all involved.�

The first edition CRA Cigar Sampler of 10 cigars will be pre-packaged in an all-inclusive humidor bag that includes Humidipak�s patented 2-way humidity control and will include exclusive cigars from Ashton, CAO, Casa Fernandez, Davidoff, Drew Estate, General Cigar (Punch), La Flor Dominicana, Padron, Rocky Patel and Tatuaje.

News about the CRA Cigar Sampler has already created high demand. Therefore, CRA will have a strict one sampler per member limit!

To learn more about the exclusive cigars in the first-edition CRA Cigar Sampler, or to purchase your Sampler, please visit http://www.cigarrights.org/cigar_sampler.htm.

About Cigar Rights of America
Cigar Rights of America (CRA) was founded on the principle of fighting for the freedom to enjoy premium cigars. A consumer-based, non-profit public advocacy organization that works with local, state and federal governments to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts, CRA works with its constituency of members including manufacturers, retailers and cigar enthusiasts to focus on opposing restrictive smoking bans and increased taxation of cigars.