I have added a few comments here and there and it is amazing how people are missing the point. Its not about a company not allowing smokers to work there or wanting to dictate what their employees do in their off hours. Its about what right does a company have to say what personal activities you can or cannot do in your own time.

Many commenters said this was great, smoking is bad and unhealthy. But would they be ok if they said we don’t hire people who drink, or eat fast food, or are overweight, mountain bike, ride motorcycles. When I posted that, one lady who said she was a nurse said that riding mountain bikes was a healthy activity and that I was missing the point. Again its about them dictating your personal life.

One of the more entertaining comments asked if I would be ok if a teacher was in a bar having a drink and a smoke and my kid say them and wanted to do the same. My question is why is your kid in a bar? Yes I am ok if a teacher does that, but I will be a parent to my child and tell them the dangers of drinking and smoking. I will let them know when they are an adult they can make their own decision and encourage them to understand the pros and cons.

Other comments said the hospital was doing this to lower their health care costs… hmm well I really doubt that not smoking is going to make that big of an impact. I would think there are other things that would lower your costs. But again, no one will target the real problems, just the things that some people don’t like.

Maybe one day people will realize all the other bad stuff that we do to ourselves and make a change. I think people eat more bad food, and more food, than those that smoke. Our kids are overweight, yet we have this thing to stop smoking, not make our kids healthier.

Can people get their heads out of their asses and start fighting the bigger problems.

UPDATE: I do support a company banning smoking on their property, I do NOT support them banning from my life.

Jon in the comments made a good point about NYC wanting to ban salt in food. Yet again we don’t go after the problem.

Another article on the issue here

The Cigar Chick has a post on her website as well.

Cigar Dave has said that he plans to do a tribute on this weekends show.

For more information about Mr. Llaneza, check out this profile that Cigar Aficionado did on him here.

I can't feel my lips!

Being a person who travels extensively and is an avid cigar lover, I am sometimes subjected to local smoking laws that can be harsh, silly or even downright sinister.  I am constantly reminded of how narrow-minded, hypocritical and self-righteous government officials can be.  My recent travel to the Great White North, however, opened my eyes even further to the assault being made on the rights of cigar smokers (and other tobacco smokers, for that matter) world-wide. 

I traveled to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada for business, and looked forward to the fact that I would then be able to stroll into any of the local tobacconists and pick up a few puros Cubanos without the risk of being taken down and dragged away for treason.  Little did I realize what startling reality I was about to face.  They do still sell Cuban cigars, however you cannot smoke them ANYWHERE indoors.  There are no cigar lounges, no smoker-friendly pubs, no lobby bars, not even a smoker-friendly casino!  As of June 8, 2005, the entire Province of Ontario went smoke-free.  It is now illegal to smoke anywhere indoors, even private clubs.  The only real exceptions to this law allow hotels to have smoking rooms, but most hotels have elected to follow the ban. 

The end result for this and many other cigar smokers that I met while in Canada is that if you wish to smoke a cigar, cigarette, pipe, hookah, etc. is to enjoy the wonder of the great outdoors on a brisk winter day.  There is nothing so cheery and de-stressing than cutting and burning a delicious Cuban puros without the ability to feel your lips, hands, or any other extremity.  To top off the insult is the fact that many restaurants, hotels, and pubs do offer patios to smoke on, but do not provide heaters or any other means of preventing frostbite. 

My recommendation is if you wish to enjoy the wonder of buying and smoking a Cuban cigar legally in Canada, do so during the summer months, or get a hotel room in a hotel that has smoking rooms.   The bottom line is, Ontario, Canada is no longer a destination for those of us Americans seeking the pleasure of enjoying a Cuban cigar without the nagging prison sentence or in the case of Ontario, frostbite.

Xikar, being known as one of the best cigar accessories manufacturers in the world, dipped their proverbial toes in the cigar making world by introducing a line of cigars in 2008, named “Defiance”.   Jesus Fuego (best known for blending cigars for Rocky Patel, Plasencia, and his own line, JFuego), was called upon to blend and roll the cigars for Xikar.  The Defiance line was also created to assist the fight for cigar smoker rights by giving 5% of all sale proceeds to cigar rights coalitions across the United States.  The release of the Defiance line was only the first in a series of cigars planned to be released by the collaboration between Jesus Fuego and Xikar.

Enter the HC line of cigars.  This line of cigars was again blended by Jesus Fuego and is rolled in Nestor Plasencia’s Tabacos de Oriente factory in Honduras and Segovia Cigars factory in Nicaragua.  The line comes in three different wrappers and blends: Connecticut Shade (mild), Criollo (medium) and Habano Colorado (medium to full-bodied).  Both the Connecticut Shade and Criollo lines come in a 5×50 Robusto, 6×52 Belicoso, 6×46 Lonsdale and 6.5×52 Toro sizes, and the Habano Colorado includes all previously mentioned sizes and adds the 7×48 Churchill and 4.5×44 Petit Corona.  Prices range from $8.25 for the Toro to $9.25 for the Belicoso, on average. 

For this review I chose the Habano Colorado Lonsdale.  The wrapper on this cigar line is a Habano Colorado grown in the Jalapa Valley, the binder is Esteli, and the filler is a combination of Costa Rican, Jalapa and Honduras tobaccos.  Smelling the foot of the cigar gives hints of cedar and dark chocolate.  The cigar itself is very well rolled, and glimmers with its natural oils.  Upon the light, notes of spice, cedar and semi-sweet chocolate were noticed, with a light Brazilian coffee finish.  The burn of the cigar was very even and continued burning very evenly throughout the entire cigar.  Once past the first 1/3 of the cigar, the complexity kicked up a notch and provided background notes of French vanilla and light cinnamon.  The spice continued throughout the second 1/3 and translated heavily at the last 1/3.  Peppery notes were dominant at the end of the smoke, but were tamed a bit with background notes of dark chocolate and Columbian dark-roast coffee. 

The flavors of this cigar are immense and delicious, but they do not overpower the palate.  This is not a cigar that you need a turkey dinner with all the trimmings in the belly to maintain your consciousness through.  This is a great first-of-day smoke or a wonderful way to close out an evening with.  Beverage pairings for this cigar range from a good amber ale to a nice bold Cabernet, and is complemented nicely with a single-malt scotch or Irish whiskey. 

As an additional note, the original line of Defiance cigars can no longer be found on the shelves in their original banding, although they do still exist.  They are now the HC Criollo line.  This is the identical blend to the Defiance line, so for fans of the original line, don’t fret!  Run out to your local tobacconist and purchase the HC line of Xikar cigars today.  You will not be disappointed!

-Doug

What Gene has done is take two of his cigars and connected them with an additional wrapper. Nothing has changed in the blends and I did see one that had connecticut shade wrappers on them as well. The consumer will pay for 5 cigars, but really gets 10. All you have to do is cut the cigars apart and light them up. He says this way they only pay the tax on 5 cigars, but the consumer and shop make out in the end.

He did not have any plans to produce any fancy packaging for them. He plans to sell them as seen in the above photo. Pricing information was not available at the time, but I would suspect that it will be cheaper than buy 10 cigars. I would think the retail price would be closer to buying 6 cigars.

Is he crazy or is an ingenious way to work around the system? Will any other manufacturers copy this idea? Only consumers will decide if they like this idea. Will you SCHIP This?

The IPCPR show is in talks to return to Vegas in 2011. This is great news for our local tourism and economy. The IPCPR show brings in thousands of cigar smokers and their spouses who not only spend money at the show, but also hotels, shows, food and other attractions. Allow this and other shows like it to be held in Vegas.

For more information, go here