StogieCast.com a cigar Blog for cigar enthusiasts! » 2007

Ok folks as promised here are few of the smoking laws / legal events that make the “lighter side” list… no pun intended.

Illinois State Law:
It is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animal kept as pets.

What??
What if you’re trying to take a picture of the “Dog’s playing poker” variety??
What if you’re dog is having puppies and you need to celebrate?
This law just seems wrong and unfair to me.

Indiana Court Case:
Back in 1924, a monkey was convicted in South Bend of the crime of smoking a cigarette and sentenced to pay a 25 dollar fine and the trial costs.

… I have nothing to say here - except maybe “Silly Monkey Cigs are for kids!”

Baltimore Police Blotter:
A man placed several cigars on the counter at the 7-Eleven in the 100 block of S. Broadway about 2:20 a.m. Saturday, then displayed a handgun when the clerk opened the cash register to make the sale. The gunman fled with $60 and the cigars.

… well at least he remembered the cigars.
Still there’s not a single tobacco product being sold in 7-Eleven that can truly be considered a cigar.
Not much a crime really.
He’ll have to spend much more than the $60 he took on toothpaste and mouth wash to get the taste of those “stogies” out of his mouth.
Take note kiddies… now-a-days… anything with the word “Blunt” in the name… isn’t really a cigar worth smoking.

Wisconsin Govenor get’s tough.

Apparently the Wisconson Govenor is proposing an outright ban on all smoking in all public places statewide.
Currently many cities that have enacted such laws still allow taverns and the like to permit smoking.

There’s also an increase in the cigarette tax in the works.
Something along the lines of 75 cents?

While I personally couldn’t care less about the price of cigarettes… messing with some business owners RIGHT to allow smoking is complete BS.

Site to-do list.

In an effort to be transparent about such things…
and help make me accountable I am posting a list of things on my to-do list here.

Hang in there folks.
We’ll get there.
(your thoughts on the color theme are more than welcome)

Et tu Virginia?

Wow I’m beginning to think I could keep the content on this site pretty well populated just posting about the ever growing threat of blanket smoking bans.

It’s bad news all around.
But cheer up - I promise to soon post some “lighter side” cigar news stories.

Smokers in Richmond,VA will be banned from lighting up in restaurants and most other indoor places if a new bill becomes law.

My favorite part of the AP story is the response from a local business owner and the Virginal Hospitality and Travel Assc.

The owner of the Black Angus Restaurant in Virginia
Beach, said he should be allowed to determine his own smoking policy.

“It’s not about smoking, it’s about my right as business to do what I need to do to attract customers,” he said.

He said many restaurants have gone smoke-free voluntarily while others continue to accommodate smokers, providing plenty of options for Virginians no matter what their smoking preference.

A lobbyist for the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, emphasized the same point.

“The current system is working,” she said. “There are several different types of smoking environments for customers.”

Well said folks - but good luck getting anything like common sense to play a part in these laws.

Cigars get props in Colorado.

A recent statewide smoking ban in Colorado made for a few exceptions.
The exemptions included casinos, certain airport lounges and an exclusive category called “cigar bars”.
According to the Rocky Mountain News it was intended as a nod toward high-end establishments like the Churchill Bar in the Brown Palace Hotel.

The exemption declared that if an establishment made 5% of it’s revenue (or more than $50,000) from the sale of tobacco products patrons could smoke. Many of you no doubt picked up on the fact that they said “tobacco products” not cigars. A fact not lost on local restaurant and tavern owners. Many combed through receipts to see if they sold enough cigarettes to qualify.

This of course ticked off all sorts of people and politicians scrambled to re-write the law.
When I first read about this I thought “Great… so much for the exemption. Another area of the country is going to end up an anti-stogie zone.”

But Colorado republican Ellen Roberts is proposing to specify that only the sales of cigars or cigar tobacco can qualify a tavern for a cigar-bar exemption.

At least someone is trying to maintain a cigar exemption instead of making a blanket ban of everything.
This may actually be the first bit of anti-smoking legislation news that I would deem as “good news”.

Certainly it would be better if the government would keep their collective nose out of the policy making of private businesses all together. But at least this alternative keeps the door open for our brothers and sisters of the leaf in Colorado to find a safe place to enjoy a quality smoke.

La Unica is a all grow’d up!

Well just yesterday we were mentioning J.C. Newman Cigar Co. regarding the recent awarding of civic honors.

The La Unica brand, previously a bundled cigar, is getting it’s very own box! The move celebrates the 20 years the company has been in business, and appropriately the new boxes will hold 20 cigars each.

(though it was previously reported that the Newman folks have been making cigars since 1895. The current company entity must be 20 yrs old - cause the family’s been making cigars a lot longer than that!)

The lid design was designed by Carlos Fuente Sr. Himself.
May be worth picking a box up.

Cigar Company Honored

It’s nice to see a cigar company in the news with a positive light.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that J.C. Newman Cigar Co. will be named Small Florida Family Business of the Year.

Newman has manufactured cigars Since 1895 and has some great brands under the Newman umbrella.
Diamond Crown, and Cuesta-Rey to name a few.

“Award criteria include the innovation of the business’ strategies and practices, expression of positive family values, the quality of the link between the family and the business, contributions to the community, and overall growth and viability.”

Newman appears to be a shining example that - when allowed to be - cigar business can be a truly positive member of the community.

More smoking law idiocy

I read an article last night that I think sums up the level of idiocy that often surround anti-smoking laws.

Now before I go any further let me say that I completely support the right of government and citizenry to ban smoking in government buildings. But things often get taken way too far with these laws.

How is it acceptable that a law can be passed that takes away a business owner’s RIGHT to allow his/her patrons to enjoy a PERFECTLY LEGAL product in their facilities?

You may say that the majority of people don’t want to have to deal with second hand smoke.
You may very well be right.
But if said business owner wants to make a business/marketing decision that alienates the majority… that should be their choice.
It may or may not be a great business move… but it’s their business.
And again… it’s a PERFECTLY LEGAL PRODUCT!

Forgive my rant here, but this article really set me off.
Here’s the kicker…
The shop that isn’t allowed to let people smoke… it’s a cigar shop!!

COME ON!
Nobody in that store is gonna mind the smoke.
How is that law fair.

“Yes Me. Business owner you may sell this product. In fact you may dedicate your entire livelihood to it. But don’t even think about letting anyone that comes in for it actually USE your product.”

I realize these laws generally get enacted to fight cigarettes.
And even I detest those stinky little sticks… but sadly they never make exceptions for cigars and pipes.

One of these days I’ll post a rant on why I think Cigars and Pipes should be considered separately from cigarettes.
But it’s getting late so I’ll wrap it up.

But dear brothers of the leaf (and sisters) keep up the fight.
Cigars are a social thing - we must defend our right to sit around and smoke.

CAO bought out?!

For better or worse CAO is a very strong brand in the cigar world and I find this news a little discomforting.
Even if you’re not a fan of their cigars (I happen to be pretty big fan myself) you have to admit that the company’s hip marketing has elevated the industry to some degree.

People often talk about the cigar boom in the mid 1990s as a mixed blessing.
It brought new life to the industry, but also strained supplies.
Manufactures rushed to meet demand and thus quality of the cigars fell as tobacco was used before it would normally have been.
(or so goes the story)
Waves of “no name” brands entered the market… and were dead and gone by 1998.

But today, in my humble opinion, the cigar industry is enjoying a prosperity that rivals the ol’ boom.
And this time it stems from organic growth.
Good news for everyone.

I think you have to give CAO at least some credit for moving the cigar industry into the 20th century as far as marketing goes.
Suddenly there’s once again a feeling of hip, yuppie, cigar coolness.
And nobody’s more hip than CAO.

Here’s the thing though…
They back it up with some really great cigars.
Who would have thunk it… a Nashville based cigar company putting out cigars that can stand up against the old guard?

According to Cigar Aficionado CAO says nothing will change.
But I’ve seen companies SAY “Nothing is going to change” before…

I hope they are right.
If this buy out hinders their ability to produce quality stogies, and/or launch savvy marketing campaigns I think more than just the CAO brand will suffer.

A quick survey of the CAO web site did not confirm the story but Cigar Aficionado is pretty reliable.
The story is here.

My Cigar Story - Welcome to StogieCast.com!

Hi folks, and welcome to StogieCast.com!
My goal here… no… my mission is to create a top shelf cigar Blog, as well as a premium experience for you.

I realize there are a bunch of people out there producing cigar Blogs.
And some of them are GREAT! For more information on what I plan to offer here that will make StogieCast.com stand out check out THIS POST.

Right now though I’d like to take a moment to tell you a little more about me, and my experiences that will (hopefully) make this a fun place to be.

Hi … my name is Doug, and I love cigars.
Love ‘em!
Everything about them. The flavor profiles, the history, the culture, the ceremony of a perfect light, and the brotherhood they foster. Very few things in life can turn strangers into chatting buddies faster than a shared cigar.
(well…sharing the experience that is. Not the actual cigar. That’s just gross)

I suppose we all get our start in these things differently.
I’ve heard many people tell me wonderful stories about how grand dad gave them their first cigar while on a traditional family fishing trip that only the “men” were invited to.

I was a sophomore in College.
My room mate and I were sitting in our fraternity room and we had a decision to make.
As young men of the world to be we had decided that we should learn all we could about one thing.
Become experts on… something.
We had it narrowed down to wine, or cigars.
We had no real experience with either, but both seemed to offer a great depth of information to study… and both sounded like fun things that men of the world ought to know about.

And thus we began the journey.
My friend didn’t end up a cigar nut, but we both had a good time asking questions of our local tobacconist, doing research, and trying out new cigars.

Today as a certified computer geek (seriously I have the certificate) I think it’s interesting that cigar lovers have carved out such a great community for themselves online. It’s my hope that StogieCast.com will be a value add member of that community.

My dual experience as a web developer and a cigar lover has doomed me to this venture.
I had no choice but to create this site… so I hope you enjoy it.