Now before I smoked cigars, I used to skeeve out when I saw someone smoke while they ate. But now I find that there’s NOTHING that accompanies a hearty man-meal better than a finely aged, premium hand rolled gem tendered from a Latin-American country.

Let’s start with grilling. Oh man, I just love to char a meaty carcass over an open flame, all while smoking a good pre-meal happy stick. Generally I go for a shorter smoke for time’s sake, something on the lighter to medium bodied side accompanied by a nice cold beer. Something like an Alec Bradley American Classic is an excellent start while quaffing on liquid grains while devouring pieces of my test steak that I always have off to the side as I cook (like I said, I overindulge.)

While I’m actually eating, the type or body of the cigar I pick really just depends on the kind of food that I’m enjoying. With good eats like seafood, shellfish, burgers or even pasta, I can go medium bodied. The flavor profile and strength of a Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real will compliment these kind of foods quite nicely. Remember, you want to be able to taste your food and taste the cigar as well. So, you don’t want to choose a smoke that over powers your taste buds where you don’t enjoy your meal. And by the same token, you don’t want to go too light with your cigar’s body so your food overpowers the tobacco’s flavor.

Now, hearty full-flavored foods need hearty, full-bodied smokes to create the perfect pairing. A thick grilled juicy steak (with some Montreal seasoning), tangy dry-rubbed bbq ribs, pork chops, broiled rack of lamb – oh damn, I’m starting to salivate – these kind of meals NEED a smoke with rich body and some strength in order to cut through to your taste buds! An El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga is a fine choice – lots of smoke and tobacco flavor to make it all work out just right. And hey, much like cigars, if you’re choosing a nice wine with dinner, that has to compliment the entire shebang as well. Rich red Cabs, bold zinfindels, or maybe a peppery Australian Shiraz mixes so well with hearty meats and full tobacco flavor. (Oh yeah, I am definitely NOT eating light for dinner.)

Finally, that post meal cigar needs not only some full, bold flavors, but I like a touch of sweetness as well. A nice dark maduro or double maduro wrapped smoke – the Omar Ortiz Honudran Maduro is a freakin’ flavor bomb – is the perfect way that I like to cap off a kick-ash man-meal. Now there’s most likely a good single malt scotch making the round, so I like the sweetness of a Sherry cask aged to match that maduro. There’s also the possibility of a dark roast coffee along with an aged tawny port, another amazing combo to bring some serious flavor to your life! YESSUH!

Well, guys, I hope I drove your stomach into the growling frenzy that my gut is presently experiencing. Good food & drinks go so well when paired with the right cigars and you really should give some thought to the experience to make your meals truly memorable. Go for it, my BOTL’s and SOTL’s cuz we’ve only got one life to enjoy!

PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! http://cigarrrights.org

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!

Here at JR Cigars, we try to keep moving forward and introducing new lines to our already huge inventory.  So we’re pleased to announce that we’re now carrying cigars from Perdomo!  Perdomo is a brand that’s always requested by our customers and we worked hard to add this line to our inventory.

I’m going to review Perdomo’s Lot 23 cigar and wanted to talk about the process that went into creating this sweet smoke. The Lot 23 cigar is blended with a 2001 harvest of bale-aged Cuban Corojo and Criollo ’98 tobaccos grown exclusively on a virgin plot of land discovered by Nick Perdomo and his late father, Nick Sr named Lot 23.  When Nick went to create this cigar, he found that the tobacco that came from Lot 23 did not blend well with foreign tobaccos.  He decided to create a blend with tobacco that came exclusively from this field and found that this blend worked the best out of all his creations.

So the powers that be handed me a 5 pack of Toros and I was told to “knock myself out”.   Just looking at the cigar you can tell you’re in for a real treat.  It was well rolled with a decent weight and construction to it and the band is a true work of art.  The Connecticut seed wrapper had a few thin veins and a nice sheen to it. I cut the cigar traditionally with my guillotine and took a few dry draws to determine what may lie ahead.   I could immediately taste the richness of the tobacco in the dry draw so I was really excited to fire it up.   Right away the cigar delivered with a great rustic flavor and medium bodied strength.   The smoke was thick and there was a ton of it and the burn line and draw were perfect.  There was a distinct flavor carried throughout the entire life of this cigar and was just phenomenal.  This flavor will make you want to smoke this cigar over and over again.   The flavors I got were earth tones mixed with leather and a bit of coffee with a nice, rich, nutty flavor that accompanied the finish.  With its delightful yet subtle complexity – it remains consistent throughout the whole smoke.  I love it when cigars deliver something that’s completely unique!  The cigar finished the same way it started: fantastic!  I’m very excited that we’ll now be carrying the Lot 23 here at JR Cigars.

Overall this is one of the best “bang for the buck” cigars I have ever smoked.  The Lot 23 delivers on all things that make a cigar awesome:  Great price, great flavor, great draw, and something unique in the flavor profile.  Trust me – you want to try this cigar and at our prices how can you possibly say no?

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro

Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Piramide 6 x 52

Price: Around $8.00

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark wrapper had virtually no flaws, just a visible seam or two. It had an earthy smell, while the foot was more of a straight up natural tobacco. The cigar was solidly packed, with some minor soft and hard spots. Nothing was drastic enough to be of concern. The draw had slight resistance. The pre-light flavor was a musty, earthy flavor.

The ash held for just over an inch, and the burn required a couple small corrections.

Flavor:

The first third: Pepper. Nice pepper with a zing. It didn’t take long for black coffee to join in. The aftertaste hung around for awhile, and kept that peppery tingle.

The pepper calmed just a bit in the second third. It became more of a sweet dry cocoa mixed with pepper. Coffee was up next. Eventually everything evened out and had equal strength. Like before, the aftertaste left a spicy tingle on the tongue and lips. Everything just came together in this third.

The last third kept the same core flavors – peppery sweet spice, cocoa, and black coffee. What changed was the delivery. Strength increased, and everything just tasted richer than before.

Conclusion:

This was a good, solid medium bodied cigar. The flavor profile was pretty simple and straight forward, but well refined. Construction was great as well, which is what we’ve come to expect from anything out of the My Father factories. What about the price? It’s a little on the high end, but the cigar does deliver. You’ll have to judge for yourself. I liked it!

“Flavored tobacco products, a favorite of high school kids, could be prohibited from sale in Miami-Dade County.”

This is how the story begins and of course everyone thinks about the 13 year old smoking a blunt.  The reality is that the vast majority of stores won’t sell to those kids.  They may sell to 18 year olds who are old enough to join the military and give their life for the country.

“The kids can be in the classroom chewing tobacco and the teachers won’t know anything — it looks just like candy,” said William Sanchez, a longtime Hialeah parks employee who also works with the county on a tobacco-free youth effort. “It’s growing in popularity, and it’s easy to carry.”

Yeah those flavored cigars do look like a Mounds bar….not.  Of course conveniently forgotten in this discussion is that it already is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy any tobacco products.  But unless the cigar makers of Miami rise up against this, it probably will pass.

At least one company is fighting back…Swisher based in Jacksonville.

“There are laws on the books now,” said Joe Augustus, Swisher’s senior vice president of external affairs. “It seems to me they need to work on enforcing the law more than banning the product.”

That seems logical so it probably will never work.

Dumb Idea

Merlion?

Ok some cigars have stupid names—Smoking Toad,  Fighting Cock, Big Butt, Smoking Ass, Bad Frog and our own Flor de Baloney that Lew came up with years ago when Villazon was still making cigars in Cofradia.  But there is a new cigar with possibly a dumber name…Merlion. (Even though it may look like a sealion) La Sirena, a boutique brand made by La Aurora and wholesaled through Miami Cigars has announced the Merlion.  Yup, it is supposed to be a cross between a Mermaid and the La Aurora Lion for the Leon family.

The cigar itself will use Ecuadoran Corojo for the wrapper with a Brazilian Sumatra binder.  The fillers are Brazilian, Dominican and Nicaraguan.  It will come in three sizes—Robusto, Toro and Gran Toro and cost between $9 and $10.50.

Shape Trademarked

Litto Gomez makes La Flor Dominicana.  Early on, they were mild to medium smokes.  But then Litto got the idea of making a a much stronger cigar and the  Double Ligero was born to great success.  Then in 2003, he added a new shape, the Chisel, a kind of flattened torpedo.

(Rumor has it the best way to smoke a chisel is to punch the top of the flat part not cut it, which is what I generally do.)  Anyway, according to Cigar Aficionado Litto filed for and last month got a trademark on the name Chisel AND the shape.  The registration is retroactive to 2006 and goes through 2016.

Electronically Yours

In speaking about Cigar Aficionado it should be noted that the magazine is now offering digital subscriptions for your iPad, iPhone or Android.  Last Friday, CA uploaded 5 issues of the magazine and says many more will be coming.

Dirtbin Does it Again

When last we heard from Senators Dick Durban (D –Owned by Big Pharma) and  Frank Lautenberg (D -I saw Prohibition firsthand), they were all about pressuring the FDA to regulate cigars.  Seems they felt flavored cigars were the gateway to hell.   Well now the dyspeptic duo joined by newcomer Richard Blumenthal (D- Connecticut) are saying the tobacco tax is unfair.  You might think that is true and good, but NO.  These morons think the taxes on cigarettes are just right and want to raise the tax on all other tobacco products up to the cigarette level.  Of course the smoke Nazis at the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids — a Johnson and Johnson lapdog (gotta push drugs for people who want to stop smoking)– loves the idea.

They consider the hard fought S-CHIP lower tax rate (which was a huge increase BTW) for large cigars is a “loophole” and want to close it.

“Blumenthal added that this measure “equalizes the federal tax rate for all tobacco products to that of cigarettes” and is expected to generate more than $1b billion in revenue.”

Sure it will Skippy.

This is why we need the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act.    We have sent over 100,000 petitions to Congress but need more.  Be certain that you have sent a petition.

Kalifornia Kapers

The Wall Street Journal editorializes this week that California’s financial situation is getting ugly.  It notes that the state is now forecasting a 16 billion dollar budget deficit and adds that Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin –who will make billions off the Facebook’s Initial Public Offering— won’t be paying taxes on it because he has renounced his U-S citizenship to move to Singapore which has no capital gains tax.  You would think with the revenue drop the state would be lowering taxes to help bring in more business and people….you would be wrong.    Up first is the “California Cancer Research Act” which sounds nice but as I have written before, Prop 29 as it is also known raises state taxes on tobacco—cigars included.

As we have written before, California also faces a lack of money to pay off its tobacco settlement bonds.  As the LA Daily News wrote:

“Unlike many other states, California made the mistake of deciding not to take the annual payments from tobacco firms but instead borrowed money against expected receipts. Now that the payments are less, the state faces another fiscal problem.

California is one of only a few states that guaranteed some of those bonds with general fund revenue. If tobacco settlement money does not cover the debt, the state will have to pick up some of the tab. There are currently $2.9 billion in bonds outstanding that are backed by a state general fund guarantee.

To add to its fiscal woes, California went back to investors in 2007, when it issued $4.4 billion in 40-year tobacco bonds. To have sufficient revenue to pay back investors by 2047, the state assumes cigarette consumption will decline by about 1.8 percent per year.”

Ok kids, let’s assume Prop 29 passes and tobacco taxes go up.  What will happen to tobacco sales?  Anyone ? Anyone?  Bueller? Right, they will drop further and the so-called tax increase will result in less tobacco revenues making California’s financial situation worse.  Genius.

Still Working

There are some people still fighting the good fight.

In Kansas, the legislature is considering a plan that would let people light up again.  The bill was introduced at the end of last month and aims to let patrons smoke in bars and casinos.  One lawmaker says because it was introduced so late in the session it is unlikely to become a law this year.

As we noted last week, the Live Free Springfield coalition has made progress against its draconian smoking ban.  But the group still needs help as it faces a June 5th vote to totally repeal the 2011 ban.  They take donations on the webpage.

Wrapper: Habano Nicaraguan

Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: XO 6 x 60

Price: Around $6.00

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was a little blotchy and veiny looking, but nothing of concern. It had a cedar and hay smell, while the foot was earthy. The cigar was pretty well packed, and had minor hard and soft spots. Again, nothing of concern. The draw had slight resistance, and had a woody and musty flavor.

The ash held for about two inches, and the burn required a few minor corrections.

Flavor:

The first third: The main flavor was peppery spice and wood. The smoke feel was slightly creamy with earthy notes.

The second third changed just a bit. The dominant flavors were wood and earthiness. Next up was creaminess with an easy sweet spice. The aftertaste had that same sweet tingle with some earthiness.

The last third was basically an exact repeat of the second third. The only difference was a slight floral component. It was very subtle and hard to pick up.

Conclusion:

This was an OK medium bodied cigar. The flavor profile was pretty one dimensional and definitely had no wow factor at all. For such a simple cigar, I would have to pair it with coffee or something that would make it a little more exciting. Basically, it was just another cigar…

God-dayum… sounds an awful lot like a cigar doesn’t it?

There is no question in my mind that the cigar has often been my very best buddy when I needed a good pal. And it’s not always in times of solitude and deep thought, but he’s there for me when no one else is around as he helps me pass the time with total enjoyment… like barbeing outside on the grill, or while taking that long drive on the open road. Nothing like rolling the window down, cranking some rockin’ tunes, and sparking up a big old bad-boy like a Bolivar Cofradia Oscuro #754 to make that highway journey a memorable one – cruising the world in style, just you and your hand rolled compadre. Even a ten-hour trek will pass by in no time when your leafy amigo rides shotgun for the trip.

While I love to golf with my best pals, a good cigar will always be there at tee-time making for the perfect fifth-some. A 10-holer like the Arturo Fuente Canones often accommodates my day on the links. And while the course rules say only two golfers to a cart, when my stogie-buddy comes along for the ride, let’s just say that three is definitely a charm.

Now people often say that your woman should be your best friend in life, but there are times when my cigar is most definitely the perfect soul mate. Face it, a cigar has never yelled at me for making a wrong turn, not taking out the garbage, nagged me to death for being a tubby load or not making enough money, yada, yada, yada. And the one thing it will NEVER do is give me crap for coming home reeking like smoke! Wow, do you think it’s legal in any of the 50 states to marry a cigar?… Cuz, I might just look into that.

About 15 years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing the great sports impressionist painter, Leroy Neiman at his studio on Central Park South in Manhattan. He was known for always having a large cigar dangling below his bushy trademark moustache. His spacious studio was filled with cigar boxes, floor to ceiling, leafy gifts from everyone who entered his abode. It struck me rather peculiar that in our conversation he would constantly refer to his cigars as his ‘friends’. When I asked him about that, he got kind of serious, much like when a parent talks about his children. When I asked him why he felt his cigars were his friends, his answer pretty much blew me away. He said, “Tommy, a cigar is honest. There is nothing pretentious about it whatsoever, and it is there for you at the moment you need it. You light it, then smoke it, and it merely does the job it was intended to do – and you simply cannot have a better friend than that.”

Wow… that was a pretty deep moment but I knew what Neiman meant as I too felt the same way. The cigar may be an inanimate object created thousands of miles away by men with names like Manuel Labor and Manuel Dexterity, but there is a personal relationship – a true bonding that we lovers of the leaf hold within out hearts. And for this reason we must continue to fight for our right to smoke and tell the FDA to keep their stinkin’ paws off of our precious hand rolled cigars.

So PLEASE SUPPORT Cigar Rights of America as they continue to deal with congress, the senate, and all US legislators who need to be made aware that our cigars are the best friends we know of and we will fight like hell to keep them in our lives! http://cigarrrights.org

Stay Smoky My friends,

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado

Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Toro 6 x 50

Price: $7.98

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was oily and shiny, real shiny. No flaws were noticed, just some medium sized veins here and there. The smell of the wrapper reminded me of hay. The foot had more of an earthy, spicy odor. The cigar was evenly packed, and was rock solid. Despite this, the draw was good, with slight resistance. The pre-light flavor was hard to pin down. I’d say it was leathery and earthy.

The ash held for around an inch, and the burn required only one minor correction.

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a woody flavor. It wasn’t the usual cedar though. Retrohaling revealed a nice peppery spice that had a tinge of sweetness. The aftertaste was earthy with hay. Simple but good.

The peppery spice mellowed out a bit in the second third. Woodiness remained, but fell to the background. It was mostly noticeable in the aftertaste. The smoke took on a creamy feel, mixed with a sweet spice. At times, I could swear there was a floral component, but it was illusive and I never pinned it down. Overall the flavor profile seemed much more refined than in the first third.

The last third saw an uptick of the sweet spice. It reminded me of tingly cinnamon and pepper. As a result, the aftertaste was very sweet and clung to the mouth and lips. There still was a woody and earthy component, as well as that elusive floral note.

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. It had a nice build of flavors, body, and strength. The flavors were simple, yet there were complexities that were challenging at times. There is nothing to complain about. I could smoke more of these, and would recommend them.

Moscow

You know things are out of whack when Russia is more compassionate than the United States when it comes to smoking.  That country’s chief addiction doctor says smokers should stop being treated like animals and should be given “humane” areas where they can smoke.

“The sale of tobacco in Russia is allowed officially and the government gets an income in the form of excise duties,” says Evgeny Bryun an expert in drug and alcohol dependency at Russia’s Health Ministry, “So the government must provide smokers with smoking areas.”

The doctor says bans alone will not stop smoking.  No kidding.  Oh yeah and he realizes tobacco is a LEGAL product from which they get money for the state.

Kalifornia

Speaking of cash,  the bankrupt state of Kalifornia is going for more green by hitting tobacco again.

According to the New York Times, Kalifornia is one of the states that is hurting because it issued municipal bonds based on the Master Tobacco Settlement of 1998.  The states expected huge windfalls from the cigarette companies because of the settlement…and for a few years they got it.  Then, as smoking rates declined as tobacco taxes went up, all of the sudden there is no money to pay those bonds.  So when you run out of money because fewer people smoke what do you do?  If you are the geniuses in Kalifornia you go back to the well again even though it is running dry.

On June 5^th, residents of Kalifornia will be voting on yet another tobacco tax.  According to a brain dead Nurse, Social Worker, and, of course, Educator over at the Huffington Post, the vote is simple.  She headlines her article:

“Vote yes on Prop 219: Cut Health Care Costs, Spur the Economy and Cure Cancer.

 I am surprised it is not for the kids too.

Prop 29 supposedly will raise $735 million by more than doubling the taxes on cigarette and increasing cigar taxes by 73 percent.  (Right cuz state estimates of money worked out so well for those bonds.)

Opponents to the issue say it will create another bureaucracy in the state with little to no oversight.  (For example the pros say the cancer research will stimulate places like UCal…yet the law says nothing of where the money can be spent on research…maybe India.)  Anyway it is a cash grab.

And of course the American Cancer Society is taking the opposition with good grace.  NOT.  The organization called out a lowly blogger by name and said he was a pawn of Big Tobacco.  He wishes.  But that is not the worst.

American Cancer and the other anti smoking groups most likely set up a vile hit piece on a doctor who appears in the Vote No commercials.  They say she is doing it for the money because she is broke.  Lots of accusations in the hit piece and very little evidence.  Knowing the quality of most reporters these days, this story was probably handed to them.

Adds Chris McCalla—Legislative Director for the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers, which has kicked in some cash for the vote no effort—

“Dr. Porter is speaking out on behalf of her patients and others around the state that Prop. 29 will do nothing but waste million of California tax dollars. How shameless of the reporter to drag her personal finances into this issue and make baseless, unethical accusations and by publicly questioning the doctor’s motivations. And the media wonders why the public is skeptical of journalism. No fact checking, just accusations.”

If you can stomach the article in the Mercury News you will find it to be filled with Bullshit. It sounds like it was written by ACS themselves.  For example:

“In 2002, she took the side of the chemical industry against health advocates. She became a key voice in opposing an EPA-proposed regulation of perchlorate, a water pollutant that environmentalists say has harmful effects on infants and children.”

The implication of this was that dirty manufacturers put this  chemical into the water.  But actually, Percholrate, according to the California Department of Toxic Substances (who knew the state had that department),  is naturally occurring in water (it has even been found on Mars).  In sufficient doses it affect the Thyroid and some manufacturers use the chemical.   However,  an EPA study in 2006 tested water across the country and found the highest levels of the chemical in drinking water to be in the range or 6.4 parts per billion….the area where there could be health effects is 245 parts per billion.  But yeah it is easier to smear the Doctor by writing she sided with the Chemical Industry against HEALTH advocates than tell the truth.

These people will continue to push and push.  We need to fight back.  Make sure you have signed the White House Petition and  tell all your friends about it.  Also send petitions to Congress to keep the FDA away from our smokes.

As Manuel Quesada maker of Fonseca and  Casa Magna  told me years ago when the big debate was over S-CHIP taxes, he said the bigger worry was the FDA… if cigars fall under the FDA it is game set and match.

Enlightenment in Springfield, MO

The folks at Live Free Springfield have chalked up their first victory.  The group was formed to fight the city’s draconian smoking ban that was voted in last year.  The group says it is not about smoking but about rights.  This year, Live Free Springfield gathered enough signatures to put a repeal of the smoking ban on the June ballot.  Last night, the council voted to modify the current smoking ban to exempt e-cigarettes (which contain neither tobacco nor produce smoke) and to grandfather  cigar stores and certain other retail establishments to allow smoking IF they were around on April 5, 2011.  Which means you cannot open a smoking cigar shop today.

While the council action is good news and a victory, the election is still going forward. According to Live Free Springfield:

The 2011 ban has gone way beyond “protecting” public health and into the realm of destroying businesses and taking away personal property rights making Springfield one of the most extreme cities in the country. We will continue to work for the full repeal of the 2011 ban to help further solve this problem. The 2003 ban will still be in place and will allow for people to enjoy themselves in a smoke-free environment.

The group has a fight on its hands, but with your help they can win.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any sort of video cigar review. My pal Anthony had the idea that I switch it up a bit and do a review with him. I was all for it, especially since he has been out of the loop for quite some time too. His palate is far above average, and I looked forward to the awkwardness that may arise doing my first review with just him and I.

The Perdomo Champagne Noir is a nice medium to full bodied cigar. It has a straight forward flavor profile, which isn’t a bad thing. Coffee, rich cocoa, woodiness, and a peppery zing make this slow burner a joy to smoke.

As you would expect, Anthony and I pick this thing apart, and it is documented in this 17 minute video review. We also have some random banter and awkwardness. Yes, very awkward.

MP3 Audio only <-Right Click, Save As

I am admittedly not a religious man, but definitely more of a spiritual type person. While I don’t want to get into some kind of metaphysical diatribe, I do want to acknowledge that I have been praying with great faith to the Cigar gods for their wisdom and guidance, with hope that… wait a minute, oh ye smoker of the most holiest of leaves… you say you are not aware of the omnipresence of the immortal Cigar Gods? Oh, my brothers and sisters, while it is not in my nature to prosthelytize, I do feel it is important for me to spread the most sacred word of the leaf.

Once the land was filled with happy cigar smoking humans like you and I, gallivanting about the earth while enjoying the fruitful blue-swirling smoke of our El Rey Del Mundos, Punch, and Partagas Black. But then a darkened evil came over the land as Loki-Non-Smoky gathered his most heinous tobacco-hating cohorts and our lives have never been the same since. You see, Loki has conspired with backstabbing nay-sayers of the politico world, inflicting new taxes and laws that threaten the very existence of the sacred stogies we cherish so greatly. So, I beckon to thee, my leaf-loving friends, to acknowledge the existence of the Cigar gods and know that they are here to protect us and fight the bad men who want to harm our community at large.

I first ask you to greet Tobaccus, patron saint of premium burning leaf. He is a most loving and wise being, blending and creating the pleasures we cut and light each day. Tobaccus has called upon the Cigar gods themselves, and together in unity they face Non-Smoky and the evil zealots who threaten the sticks we rely on for pleasure each day. Now, every group of immortals has a general – a warrior who wears his band proudly, and Cigartamus is the one who leads the battle cry each day. His faithful group of brave and leafy warriors include Robustus, Toronian, Figarodeous, Ligerous, Corojonian, Criollous, Churchillian who stands tall, and last but not least J•R Ultimate Prime. Together this group of selfless heroes work tirelessly to save us all from the oppressive Tobacco terrorists.

Okay, I haven’t lost my mind – I think I might just be a little jacked up for the new Avengers movie. (The nerd in me rears its wacky little head every once in a while.) And while I admit that I don’t actually pray to these mythical tobacco gods, I have to believe that the REAL heroes who are fighting the oppressors are you and I! We’re the ones who need to stand up to the bullies and fight for the freedom we rightfully deserve. And right now we can start with signing the petition drafted by Cigar Rights of America and the IPCPR that will be presented to the Obama Whitehouse Administration, asking them to tell the FDA to LEAVE THE CIGAR INDUSTRY ALONE! (CLICK HERE for Petition) These puro-patriots have gathered the mandatory 25,000 signatures needed, but I say we give the politicos a hell of a lot more than that if we can. Let’s show them that we are voters who mean business when it comes to our beloved cigars! And if you’ve already signed it, get your friends in on it, share on FaceBook and Twitter, and be one of the warriors the cigar industry needs to fight this never-ending battle of injustice! Let us BAND together to save our smokes!

Bless you all…

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

CLICK HERE to Check out this week’s J•R CIGARS Weekly Special!