Be sure to stop in and get your’s before they run out!

featuring Sangre de Toro Cigars by J Fuego
www.tabacossa.com

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Ferrero family and his extended family at Ashton.

Manny, you’ll be sorely missed by all of us who had the good fortune to call you a friend. Rest in peace brother.

Alan Willner, vice president of marketing for General Cigar explains, “Partagas 1845 is uniquely positioned. This new collection celebrates Partagas’ rich heritage while ushering in a new taste spectrum for the brand. As such, it will appeal to the premium cigar smoker who favors the quality and consistency of classic brands, while also sparking the interest of discriminating smokers who constantly seek exciting new tastes.”

 Partagas 1845 is full-flavored with a medium-bodied taste profile and bears hints of coffee and cocoa. This unique smoking experience sits firmly between the mild and aromatic flavor of Partagas (yellow box) and the strong and sweet taste of Partagas Black Label.

Jhonys Diaz (vice president of operations) led blend development, collaborating with rising stars from General Cigar Dominicana including Francisco Rodriguez (general manager of operations) and Yuri Guillen (production manager).  In creating Partagas 1845, Jhonys and his team started out with more than 50 different blends from the company’s vast tobacco library. Together with guidance from Benji Menendez, and with input from supervisors from General Cigar’s Dominican and Honduran factories, the blends were continuously test smoked and tweaked until the final blend was chosen by General Cigar’s innovation team.

The legendary Benji Menendez served as an advisor on blend development. In this, his 60^th year in the premium cigar business, Benji exalts Partagas 1845 as “one of the most significant blends I have ever been involved in developing.”

“Partagas is a brand that is part of my soul and part of my heritage in the business. It is very sentimental for me, so coming out with the next Partagas collection to follow up on the Master Series was a project that I cared very much about. This is a dream come true for me, to help the next generation of cigar masters create new cigars and grow in the business. If I can plant a seed in their minds so they can grow a tree, I am happy,” he reflects.

To achieve the characteristic, full flavor of Partagas 1845, Dominican Piloto Cubano is blended with Nicaraguan tobacco from three separate growing areas. Some of the filler tobaccos are aged in Dominican rum barrels, a process which enhances their flavor, and is exclusive to General Cigar.

The Connecticut Habano binder is unique unto itself, for it was developed as a result of General Cigar’s dedicated research and development initiative and as such, is proprietary. Bearing the distinction of having taken nine years to develop, the binder offsets the blend with a touch of sweetness.

The blend culminates in a lustrous Ecuadoran Habano Viso wrapper which dresses Partagas 1845 in a unique color and hearty texture.

The collection will debut with these four frontmarks, each protected in boxes containing 20 cigars: Corona Extra (4.5” x 46), SRP per cigar $5.99; Robusto (5.5” x 49), SRP per cigar $6.49; Gigante (6” x 60), SRP per cigar $6.99; and Double Corona (7.25” x 54), SPR per cigar $7.49.

The trade dress pays homage to the brand’s rich history, by interpreting elements of a turn-of-the-century Partagas band (circa 1900). The band imagery is rotated for optimal presentation, whether on the shelf, in an ashtray, in hand, or when smoked, and is further highlighted by advanced printing techniques that command attention.

Partagas 1845 is housed in one of the most innovative cigar boxes ever seen in the premium cigar category. Additional details about this industry-first packaging will be released prior to the launch of Partagas 1845 on April 9.

Rolando Reyes Sr., the man behind Puros Indios and Cuba Aliados, passed away last night. He was renowned for his deft cigar making skills and admired for his tire-less, albeit odd, work habits. He was the consummate night-owl. He hand-inspected the entire day’s production after the tabaqueros had left for the day. He did this throughout the night and would leave notes and comments regarding the quality of the work he found. He honed his cigar making skills since childhood in Cuba where he gained a breadth of experience rarely found in a young man. By the age of 21 when he founded his first factory in Las Villas (Cuba),  he had already worked in numerous factories and had over 10 years of experience in cigars.

He was a man’s man. His energy, knowledge, and personality will be sorely missed.

www.reyesfamilycigars.com

(1/28/12) West Palm Beach, FL – 3 J’s Cigar Emporium in Wellington, FL hosted an all out bash featuring the Padron family (www.padron.com). Participants smoked nearly everything in the Padron portfolio and were able to meet Orlando, Jeff, Jessica, and Marcos from the Padron family. Also in attendance was ex-Miami Dolphins tight end Troy Drayton, a big fan of 3 Js and Padron cigars. All were treated to a delicious pig roast using the famed La Caja China (www.lacajachina.com) along with live music, deals on Padron cigars and a raffle that included not only cigars and SWAG but a couple of flat screen tv’s from Best Buy (www.best buy.com)!

Owner Jeremy Fedoruk: I want to thank our great customers and our gracious sponsors, especially the Padron Family for taking time from their busy schedules to spend an afternoon with us. We had an amazing time, we can’t wait to do it again!

Smoke Inn proprietor Abe Dababneh has even come up with a major promotion that guarantees to make The Great Smoke 2012 the most memorable yet – he’s giving away a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro!  In honor of Smoke Inn’s 15th anniversary, Abe had 300 limited edition humidors specially made by Altadis, each containing 50 premium cigars including; Romeo y Julieta, Montecristo, Trinidad, H Upmann, and Warlock. Each box comes with a detachable token that serves as the buyer’s entry into the raffle for the Camaro, and each box buyer also gets a base ticket to The Great Smoke event (a $150 value) included with their box purchase! The Cigars have a $500 retail value, but Abe is offering the box at only $350.  There is no better way to join in on The Great Smoke then to get a 15th Anniversary box with your ticket and a chance to win a shiny 2011 Chevy Camaro!

The Great Smoke is held at Smoke Inn, West Palm Beach. The date of the event is February 18, 2012, from 1pm – 5pm.  Tickets start at $150, with VIP tickets available for $200.  VIP guests get valet parking, early access to the event starting at 12 noon, special seating with an additional bar, and an attendant wait staff for anything they desire.

More information is available at www.thegreatsmoke.com where you can see the lineup of manufacturers, purchase tickets and browse photos of previous The Great Smoke events.

An unlikely series of events had to take place for Manny Iriarte to arrive in the cigar industry. Now that he’s considered one of the top photographers in the business, he’s changing the game.

December 1^st, 2000, 02:15 AM: He couldn’t sleep. His dream was becoming a reality; he had escaped the oppressive clutches of Fidel Castro’s Cuba and he was finally in the United States of America. After years of failed attempts, prolonged detours in South America, and numerous risky plane changes, he had made it. He pinched himself till there was no way that this was a dream. He finally fell asleep while his cellmate snored the night away at the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster, California.

Here’s a quick lesson on US immigration policy towards Cuban nationals. From the US State Department Fact Sheet: “The Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA), Public Law 89-732, was enacted on November 2, 1966. The law applies to any native or citizen of Cuba who has been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States after January 1, 1959 and has been physically present for at least one year; and is admissible to the United States for Permanent Residence.”

There’s a lot going on in that seemingly simple statement. Distilled down it means that after going through a short inspection and admission process, a Cuban national will be admitted into the US, and that after just one year of living in the country, he or she may become a permanent resident alien. In the complicated and risky world of immigration, this is the equivalent of a golden ticket. What isn’t in the above statement but is also part of the deal with Cubans is that they do not need to use a family-based or employment-based immigrant visa like just about every other group. And finally, a Cuban national is not required to enter through a port of entry. In the end, if a Cuban national makes it to American soil, regardless of how he gets here, he or she can legally stay in this country legally and permanently after one year of residence.

Upon arriving in LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), Manny alerted customs and immigration that he was a Cuban national. As part of the standard procedure, he was taken to Mira Loma where he would have to wait for admission into the country. A few days later, he was released into the streets of Lancaster a free man. Free from the tyranny, from the oppression, and from the failed political ideals. The moment was bittersweet on various levels. On the one hand, he was free to pursue a new life while on the other he was far away from family and friends. He had been released and had gained legal entrance into the United States but he was alone, cold, and penniless in a foreign land.

Imagine this recent arrival Cuban with only the clothes on his back, speaking almost no English, hailing a cab in Lancaster, CA. “I will never forget that cab driver,” says Manny. “I don’t know how he understood me or why he even bothered to fight through this conversation but he eventually took me to a Western Union where I was able to have some funds wired from Miami to pay for the cab, some food, and a flight to Miami. I don’t know what would have happened if not for that cab driver.”

He eventually made it to Miami where he began a new life. In Cuba he was a swimmer for the Cuban National Team but in Miami, he was just another recent arrival. He worked as a personal trainer taking Spanish speaking clients. When you don’t have much, the most insignificant things bring you joy. “I was living in this studio apartment in Southwest Miami and every day I would receive these flyers in the mail for electronic stores. I loved them!” His eyes light up when he talks about these lean times. “I would flip to the camera section and imagine what it would be like to shoot with something from this century.” Back in Cuba a tourist had gifted him an old 35mm camera that sparked his growing passion for photography.

Soon he learned to speak English, received a teacher certification for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and took a job as a physical education teacher in the public school system. “I loved it. Helping kids get in shape and get better at sports was a lot of fun, but at night I kept taking pictures of cigars.” He loved smoking cigars and loved taking pictures… it wasn’t much of a stretch to put both passions together. “Cigars are so photogenic. People always ask me how I get the smoke to look so real in my pictures.” His answer is always the same. “I get the smoke to look real because it is real! You have to smoke the cigars you’re taking pictures of; it’s one of my favorite parts of my job.” It was during one of these practice sessions using natural light that Manny took the shots that he eventually showed me during our very first meeting.

It turns out that the gym where Iriarte worked out daily was the same gym that a dear friend of mine frequented. (Some day, I too will have to join a gym…) The friend in question, Angel Elizalde of A.S.P. Enterprises (www.aspenterprisesinc.com), saw Manny’s work and immediately suggested he contact me.

Five years later Manny Iriarte is unquestionably the cigar industry’s “go-to” photographer. His work in the cigar industry has opened eyes in other sectors as well. The marketing team at Beck’s Beer Latin American division fell in love with his work and commissioned Manny to shoot for their Latin market in-store poster campaign. If you look up Arturo Sandoval’s award-winning “A Time For Love” album, you’ll find that all the photography, including the cover, are Manny’s shots.

Back in the cigar business, however, Iriarte’s photography clients needed more than just photos. Logos, artwork for ads, poster designs, shelf-talkers, and even trade show displays are dressed with Manny’s work. My Father Cigars hired Manny to shoot all of their product shots and design all of their ads, posters, and catalogs. Padrón Cigars used several of Manny’s shots when they recently launched a new website. Oliva Cigars used Iriarte’s photography in ads and marketing collateral all over the world. Recently, when Arturo Fuente Cigars decided that it was time to make some changes to their print ads, it was Manny that Carlitos Fuente hired to do the work.

Early 2008: Manny is setting up the studio for a product shoot for J. Fuego Cigars (www.tabacossa.com) while Jesus (pronounced Heh-Zeus), the J in J. Fuego, is thinking aloud about a problem he’s having. “I have this new blend that I love, I already have the initial batch of cigars rolled and ready, I have the name for the brand, but I don’t have a band design that I like. Do you know someone who can help?” Similar to the tourist who gifted Manny that 35mm back in Cuba and sparked his passion for photography, Jesus didn’t know he was playing with a blowtorch in a barn full of hay. “I’ll do it. I’ll create the label for the new cigar!” Manny designed the cigar label for the 777 by J. Fuego brand. Much like the events that led to this one, this chance request paved the way for the next step in his career.

Over the last 12 months, Iriarte Photography and Design has been hard at work balancing the photography requests with the growing number of design requests. The biggest area of growth for Manny’s business over this time has been cigar label and box art design. “I think that in order to stay energized and motivated in life, you need to take yourself out of your comfort zone,” explains Manny. “At first it wasn’t easy to come up with designs that worked for cigar labels, but I worked closely with Albert Montserrat and his team at Cigar Rings in Santiago, Dominican Republic and we’ve been able to come up with some incredible new designs.” It has reached the point where Manny’s designs are pushing Cigar Rings out of their comfort zone. “We’ve ordered new machines and new materials that can execute some of the amazing designs that Iriarte Photography and Designs has sent us and we are excited about what we’re able to produce together,” added Albert during a recent phone interview.

It won’t be long before Manny runs into a new medium of inspiration… or perhaps he already has. “I’m working on the most exciting project I have ever worked on. I am thrilled and honored that my company was chosen to create this design to commemorate a major milestone in the modern cigar industry, I can’t wait till it’s public!”

There he goes again…

Known for pushing the envelope when it comes to marketing premium handmade cigars, Alec Bradley’s Fine & Rare is no different. Produced at Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas, the cigar boasts a shimmering Honduran Trojes wrapper leaf that conceals dual Honduran and Nicaraguan binders plus seven long-filler tobaccos which the company prefers not to disclose. To ensure the consistency of every cigar, Raíces Cubanas assigned only one team for the job which was supervised by Alex Miguel Artica. The cigars are meticulously rolled, and each vitola has been assigned a serial number which is imprinted on the band.

Alec Bradley believes this cigar is the only cigar in the world made with 10 different tobaccos; moreover, the cigars have been aging since production was completed in August of 2010. Since then, the master team has moved on to another special project that will be released in 2012.

Each of the 11,110 cigars bear the signatures of Alan Rubin (President), Ralph Montero (Vice President), Alex Miguel Artica (Supervisor), Antonia Baquedano Aluarenga (Master Roller), and Juan Miguel Rodriguez (Master Buncher).

“1000 boxes are already pre-sold for retail cigar stores, said Alan Rubin, “They sold out in 15 minutes back in July.”

100 boxes containing 10 Toros and 10 torpedos will be used at Mr. Rubin’s discretion, while another 11 boxes containing 30 cigars (10 Toros, 10 Torpedos and 10 Perfectos) will be used to raise money for Alec Bradley supported charities.

“Since we were only able to make 1,111 boxes, we thought it would be fun to release the cigars on 11-11-11,” said Alan Rubin. “I’m really excited about this cigar, too. We’ve done a lot of special things over the years, but this cigar is really in a class by itself. We took as much time as we needed to carefully select only the best of the best tobaccos. It’s one of the reasons we could only make a limited number of boxes. As for the smoke itself, it’s aromatic, full-flavored and as about complex as it gets.”

Fine & Rare will be presented in boxes of 10 cigars with an MSRP of $14.00 per cigar (pending taxation).

For more information on Alec Bradley Fine & Rare cigars, visit the Alec Bradley Cigars Fan page.