Cigar Blog

Happiness is a good cigar

Hurricanes Did Not Kill Cuban Tobacco Supply

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I posted something on hurricane Gustav destroying some tobacco crop in Cuba some time ago. With the recent spate of hurricanes hitting the area, you might have been worried about their effects on the overall supply. Well here is good new for you – tobacco is plentiful at the moment.

Reuters has this report:

Hurricanes Gustav and Ike destroyed up to 2 million pounds of Cuba’s best tobacco, but reserves of the leaf should cover demand for the island’s premium cigars for the next year, a tobacco executive said on Wednesday.

The storms, which struck within 10 days of each other, caused major damage to the tobacco industry infrastructure, which will require a significant investment to repair, said Manuel Garcia, vice president of cigar producer Habanos S.A.

“We think that for at least the next year we should not have great difficulties with the supply of cigars because luckily for us, we have a reserve of raw material,” he said at a Havana business conference.

“Undoubtedly we are going to need an important financial injection for the tobacco (industry),” he said.

Thank goodness for whoever thought of stocking up on tobacco reserves. I am sure that this is common practice for most any industry but we never really think about it until disaster strikes. Well, for the moment cigar enthusiasts like you and me can relax and wait for the next crop to be harvested. Let’s hope that no hurricanes will hit next year.

Originally posted on September 26, 2008 @ 5:17 am

Teen Cigar Smoking Up In Canada

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teen smoker
When should people start smoking? We all know that smoking has ill effects on our health. There is no going around that fact. Yet if you think like me, you also probably believe in the idea of free will. It is simply that people should be free to do what they want as long as they are not stepping on the freedom of other people. It makes sense, doesn’t it? But when it comes to smoking, is it ok to say that anyone should be allowed to smoke? Teenagers, for example?

I do not have a very solid argument against teenagers smoking but I do know that if I had a teenage son or daughter, I would not want them to be smoking. Maybe they can choose to do so on their own later in life, say when they get out of college, but at that age, that is not an option.

That is why I was disturbed by the news I read about teenagers getting into cigars and cigarillos. UPI reports:

Thirty-five percent of Canadian teens in grades 10 to 12 say they had tried cigars, cigarillos and little cigars, a survey indicates.
The Youth Smoking Survey released by the University of Waterloo also said that while 39.5 percent of boys and 30 percent of girls say they tried cigars, cigarillos and little cigars, 48 percent say they had tried cigarettes.

The survey of 71,000 students in Grades 5 to 12 in 467 schools across Canada conducted by the Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation during the 2006-07 school year was funded by Health Canada.

Don’t you feel concern for such news?

Originally posted on June 24, 2008 @ 7:43 am

Smoke Away At Mobile Cigar Lounge

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For sure, you have felt frustration due to the increasing rigidness of anti-smoking laws that are being laid down everywhere. I am sure that you and I are not the only ones feeling this sense of frustration. How come a person cannot enjoy a cigar when he needs and wants to?

Apparently, Stan Neckar and Dave Andreychuk have had the same feelings for quite some time. If you have no clue as to who these people are, they are retired NHL veterans who are quite passionate about their cigars. As you may well know, cigars are a big part of any aficionado’s celebrations. These two guys felt that it was wrong that they could not enjoy their cigars in a fine setting simply because of the strict no smoking rules in most establishments. As such, they set up this company called Mobile Cigar Lounge Co.

Obviously, the idea is to bring a cigar lounge to events which are held in no smoking venues. What the guys did was to get an Airstream and had it custom built to create a classy and comfortable cigar lounge. Being mobile, the Airstream can be brought anywhere there is a party or event. Cigar lovers then need not find themselves standing in a corner or out in the back just to enjoy a smoke. If the guys of Mobile Cigar Lounge are called in, they provide the best service to cigar lovers.

Mind you, cherry wood, granite counters, hardwood floors, and 5 flat screen satellite TVs are nothing to shy away from!

Originally posted on July 30, 2008 @ 8:01 am