Expensive and not so Expensive Cigars by Frank Seltzer

World’s Most Expensive Cigar Sold

 

Last year at the IPCPR, we told you about the World’s Most Expensive Cigar.  Regius of London was offering one double corona for the price of $70,000! The deal was, if you bought this cigar, Regius CEO Akhil Kapacee would come to you and personally clip it and light it. And then, the buyer and his or her tobacconist get an all-expenses-paid VIP trip to Nicaragua, where they will be able to blend and name a cigar according to their own tastes. Further, the buyer also gets 1,000 of this custom blend.  Well that cigar has now sold.

Callum Jones and the World's Most Expensive Cigar

 

Cigar merchant Mitchell Orchant in London sold the cigar for  £ 40,000 (which with the exchange rate today is about $63,000, so it is a bargain).  Mitchell told us at the show the cigar was sold, but it was late last week when the official word went out. and monies had been exchanged.  The buyer was Callum Jones, a young man who made millions in the coffee business.  As promised, Regius owner Akhil  Kapacee was there in London to cut and light the cigar.

 

“We are delighted that Callum has decided to enjoy the best,” said Mr Kapacee as he handed over the unique cigar. “Not only will he enjoy this cigar, but we will personally fly him to Nicaragua where he can see firsthand how the cigars are made. It will be the trip of a lifetime for a cigar lover. We will also blend and roll 1000 special Regius cigars to Callum’s personal flavour, size and strength profile.”

Upon lighting the cigar, Callum said: “This is one of the best cigars I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I’m looking forward to finding out how these cigars are made”.

Regius also has cigars for the rest of us with the black label made by the Plasencias in Nicaragua and the white label blended by Manuel Quesada in the Dominican Republic.  The company also introduced the Orchant selection (named for Akhil’s good friend Mitchell) but this is very limited with only 200 boxes of 10 available in the U-S.

 

More Affordable

For those wanting a pure Nicaraguan cigar that is well within our reach, I have talked about the new, old Alec Bradley Nica Puro.  It is a good smoke and has begun shipping.  They range from a robusto to a gordo and the prices range from $6.30 to $7.65.

 

Pro Cigar Opens

I neglected to mention during the trade show that registration for next year’s Pro Cigar Festival in the Dominican Republic is now open.  (It usually fills up fast.) The 2014 version will be a bit different than past years in that the traditional Wednesday informal dinner has been replaced with the opportunity to have dinner with your favorite cigar maker.

The festival begins Sunday, February 16th in La Romana where you will stay at the fabulous resort Casa de Campo.  On Monday you can take a Catamaran trip to a beach or just hang out in the hotel.  Tuesday is a tour of the huge Casa de Garcia factory located right outside the hotel.  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the festival moves to Santiago where there are tours of General Cigar’s factory and fields, La Aurora,  Davidoff’s factory and fieds , Corporacion Cigar Export, MATASA, and new this year will be tours of the Fuente Charitable Foundation,  Tabacalera La Alianza ( Ernie Carrillo’s factory) and La Flor Dominiciana’s factory and fields.

 

You can register for single events, but the package all the evnets is available for a discount at $895. According to Pro Cigar VP Manuel Quesada, if they happen to go into the black, it only means the participants did not eat, drink or smoke enough.  It is truly a terrific event and registration is here.

They are still coming at us..

 

The New York Times this past week hit on a favorite meme of the tobacco control group in that flavored cigars are luring kids into smoking.

No editorializing in this “news” story:

In 2009, Congress passed a landmark law intended to eliminate an important gateway to smoking for young people by banning virtually all the flavors in cigarettes that advocates said tempted them. Health experts predicted that the change would lead to deep reductions in youth smoking. But the law was silent on flavors in cigars and a number of other tobacco products, instead giving the Food and Drug Administration broad discretion to decide whether to regulate them.

Four years later, the agency has yet to assert that authority. And a rainbow of cheap flavored cigars and cigarillos, including some that look like cigarettes, line the shelves of convenience stores and gas stations, often right next to the candy. F.D.A. officials say they intend to regulate cigars and other tobacco products, but they do not say how or when. Smoking opponents contend that the agency’s delay is threatening recent progress in reducing smoking among young people.

 

The article quotes all the usual suspects about how bad the smoking is for the “kids” yet everyone interviewed was over 18…they are worried about the 18-24 group which in most states is legal for smoking.  The article is one to try to push the FDA into taking control over cigars, something the legislation did not address.

Flavored or not, the issue is one of government control over a product we love.  Again be sure to send yet another petition to your Senator and Congressman to support the exemption for premium cigars from the FDA.

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