The tobacco giant Villiger-Stokkebye International Corp has recently had their former president, Erik Stokkebye resign from the company in a letter yesterday with a quick announcement that Roy MacLaren will be taking his place as President of Villiger-Stokkebye. MacLaren has an extensive background, 30 years in the tobacco business with 17 of those years specifically dealing with cigars. He was previously vice president at Gurkha Cigars, a position he held for eight years.

“This is a great opportunity with wonderful fourth generation tobacconists,” MacLaren said during a Cigar Aficionado interview, “and I couldn’t be more excited.” He continued that “My objective is to bring the best product to the U.S. market that I can, and I’ll be working in the blending process going forward.”

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February 29, 2012 (Miami, FL) — Oliveros Cigars launches Boutique Blends Cigars. The new company will focus exclusively on the production and distribution of boutique brand cigars, including the Swag Puro Dominicano and the Aging Room Small Batch Cigars.

The project started at the end of 2010 with the introduction by Oliveros Cigars of the now popular Swag Puro Dominicano which is blended using only tobaccos from a single farm in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Dominican cigars are well known for their aroma and flavors but using new growing techniques and a variety of Habano Cuban seeds, the Swag line delivers a more complex and balanced smoking experience, with character and bold body found until now only in Nicaraguan and Central American cigars. The Swag was selected as No.1 Buy of 2011 by Cigar Insider receiving high ratings as well as inclusion in the Bargain Cigars of 2011 by Cigar Aficionado magazine.

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So the word on the street is that Casa Fernandez is already getting ready for the spring and summer months by announcing a couple new line extensions to their portfolio. Paul Palmer has not gone as far as saying that anything is being developed for IPCPR 2012 ( we all know there will be something haha ) but he has gone around and alerted the community that their JFR 7 x 70 corojo will be getting a 7 x 70 maduro version added to the line. The JFR 7 x 70 has been a very popular smoke, and with maduro’s on the rise, this could be a great addition to their company. According to some sources, Palmer has commented that the maduro’s are resting and will be shipping later this year, although nothing has been set in stone yet. On top of that, the Reserva Miami line has been expanded, at least two new items have been added with more details to follow. I will update you all as I find out more.

How time flies, for some of us we realize it quicker than others but we are all reminded once a year on that ‘birthday’ we all love to celebrate. In the cigar world, it seems like a birthday is an entirely different occasion to celebrate and indulge in that fine cigar. This year Avo Uvezian will be turning 86 years young and as a special present in his honor, Davidoff of Geneva has announced that they will be releasing this years limited-edition AVO in his honor – naming it La Trompeta. Now those versed in Spanish may be asking why they named this cigar The Trumpet – but when you look at the 6 1/2 inch long, 54 ring gauge torpedo shaped La Trompeta, you notice the three circles of lighter Ecuadoran Connecticut-seed tobacco placed against the darker background, resembling the three valves of a trumpet.

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Size: 5 x 50 ( robusto )
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder and Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Full
Price: ~ $7.00 each

Behind The Stick:

In the never ending expansion of new cigar manufacturers and names – the Sosa name is brought to us by Antillian Cigars who also produces the Macabi and IMperio Cubano lines. The Sosa line is produced in the Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia in the Dominican Republic and have been reported to be using the ‘finest blends of tobacco from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua using Connecticut, Connecticut Broadleaf, Habano Corojo and African Cameroon tobacco’ while the Underground itself is produced in their Miami location. The Sosa cigar factory in Little Havana, Fl is overseen by Arby Sosa – the Sosa’s Sale Manager – who had contracted Jay Barranco ( a famous Miami tattoo artist ) to create the Underground logo.

If you are not familiar with the Sosa story, a quick recap – like many cigar families that started in Cuba, the Sosa name started with Don Juan Sosa who was a small tobacco grower in the Taguasco region of Cuba at the turn of the century. By the 1920′s, the farm had gained popularity and became one of the largest tobacco producing haciendas on the island. Don Juan’s son Arturo and grandson Juan created cigars for sale in Cuba and around the world – but due to political issues the family left the island in 1962. The grandson Juan Sosa began his hunt for soil and climate conditions compariable to his native Cuba and found it in the Santiago region of the Dominican where their family is now located.

Enough of the back story – how the hell does this cigar perform!?

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As the title implies – just a closer look at the new security bands Cohiba released today at the Habanos Festival XIV. As I find out more information I will update you all.