Two of my favorite pastimes, smoking and reading about guns. Why?. Because I am an American and that is how it is!!! I take my constitutional rights to heart like many of my fellow smokers, but when my Congressman or Senator gets a bug up their as, they want to limit my freedoms because some criminal uses a gun to commit a crime, but when a huge bank or corporation scams the tax payer, the Federal reserve gives them a low interest loan. Nice!! So that is the usual conversation at my local Cigar shop, and rightly so, but the Cigar does give me a sense of calm and I still rant with a smile on my face.

One of the nice features of my Cigar shop is the terrific girls that tend the bar, like Gina above. So continue to visit your favorite hangout before high taxes run them out of business. Remember the old saying, " A fool and his money are soon parted" Your gov't knows this all too well!!

Taxes and more taxes

Here in Connecticut, they are looking at increasing the taxes on tobacco, which is to be expected with local governments looking for more money, but adding the tax would only cause me to reduce my consumption of cigars, hence less money to the State, but if they were to reduce the taxes, I would tend to buy more, which undoubtedly would lead to more money going to the State. This in turn also keeps your local retailer in business and also the local job market and business district can benefit from this.

Be sure to keep watch in your State for these changes. Ask your retailer or cigar distributor what is going on and how you can help.

Another concern is the Anti-Gun bills that are abuzz in D.C. since the Arizona shooting, 30 round magazines are being looked at closely, As well as H.R. 496, banning of firearms within 1000 feet of members of congress or H.R. 227 were if a criminal steals your legal gun YOU could go to prison. So please keep your eyes and ears open so that we can enjoy rights we all currently enjoy!!!

Acid by Drew Estate

If for some reason you are tired of the same old smoke, ( you must be smoking 4 cigars a day) then you should try the Acid cigars. I like these because they have flavors in the tobacco from Aroma Rooms, where they cure the tobacco. These rooms infuse the tobacco different oils, herbs spices and botanicals, and gives the tobacco a unique flavor profile. I have found myself actually drooling a bit while smoking these, which causes me to hold them in my hand more often than in my mouth, which is my preferred method while I read out on the deck. I was working in the yard with my head forward and it is difficult to not drool in that situation. So these smokes are more of an "sitting still" type smoke if you want my opinion.. But these cigars are very good and offer a definite change of pace.

Rocky Patel Decade, also

Truguru just smoked a Rocky Patel Decade, his picture showed a nice ash.

I uploaded my Rocky Patel Decade ash picture, just to show the consistency of a Great cigar. The draw and smoke on that cigar was quite smooth and had great flavor. It is one of those cigars that you do not want to put down, and you try to smoke it down as far as possible. It is not very often that you can get a cigar to burn like that but that is what you pay for. here is my Rating for this Cigar.-----The cost of the cigar/ the length of time per smoke x size of grin on face+ the cocktail that went very well with this smoke=HAPPINESS!!!!!

Rocky Patel Decade

Smoked this one last evening since weather finally warmed up in Louisville. I have smoked several of these decades and have enjoyed each of them.  Copious amounts of smoke and a great draw for a torpedo.  These also hold an ash very nicely(which I do not always like if I am worried it will drop off in my lap when I am not paying attention).  Rating coming soon.

Jose Blanco of LaAurora discussing Flavor, Strength, Aroma, Complexity, Balance, Finish

Doc Stogie Fresh has a great video on youtube of his visit to the LaAurora factory. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ijgGhe8tY

Famous Smoke Shop ready for Cuban Cigars?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Famous Smoke Shop can now legally sell Cuban cigars

U.S. Treasury Dept. grants temporary license to import tobacco products

EASTON, PA -- March 31, 2011 -- If you're an American cigar smoker who's been champing at the bit to buy Cuban cigars legally, your ship may be coming in - literally! Thanks to a temporary license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, you may be ordering your Cuban Cohibas, Montecristos and Bolivars from Famous Smoke Shop sooner than you think.

After almost three years of legal wrangling and a mountain of paperwork, Famous Smoke Shop, the nation's leading cigar cataloger and retailer of premium handmade cigars, has been granted an "exception" by the Secretary of the Treasury under Title 31 C.F.R. Part 515 - Cuban Assets Control Regulations, Subpart B-Prohibitions, specifically with regard to §515.204 "Importation of and dealings in certain merchandise" which states:

(a) Except as specifically authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury (or any person, agency, or instrumentality designated by him) by means of regulations, rulings, instructions, licenses, or otherwise, no person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States may purchase, transport, import, or otherwise deal in or engage in any transaction with respect to any merchandise outside the United States if such merchandise:
(1) Is of Cuban origin; or

(2) Is or has been located in or transported from or through Cuba; or

(3) Is made or derived in whole or in part of any article which is the growth, produce or manufacture of Cuba.

Famous began contacting U.S. State Department and Treasury officials shortly after President Barak Obama eased American travel restrictions to Cuba in April of 2009. But it was Cuba's recent devaluation of the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), now pegged to the U.S. dollar, which gave the Treasury Department the ability to approve a pilot program to help them estimate Cuban tobacco import tax revenues. Under the new provision, the Easton, PA-based cigar store was granted "exclusive authorization" to import up to 10,000 Cuban cigars a year for a two year period. The license will be effective starting July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013.
"If the program works for Famous Smoke Shop, we will consider expanding it permanently, which will allow other U.S. tobacconists to apply for the licenses." said a Treasury Department spokesperson.
Arthur Zaretsky, president of Famous Smoke Shop-PA, Inc., who received the fortuitous phone call from Washington this past Tuesday, was ecstatic at the news.
"This is the biggest shot in the arm we could ever have hoped for," said Mr. Zaretsky. "Our customers are going to be bowled over by the opportunity to get Cuban cigars without having to go outside the law."
Due to the limited supply of Cuban cigars Famous will be allowed to import, the company is trying to work out the fairest way to get them into as many of their customers hands as possible.

"Our first idea was to auction the cigars, but we decided against it," said Famous Marketing Director, Mike Vandenstockt. "For one, we thought that might be a little too greedy. And since we're required to send sales figures to the Treasury Department, they wouldn't be able to get an accurate number for estimating the tax dollars."
Famous decided the best way to level the playing field was to make up Cuban 5-packs and limit sales to one pack per customer. However, it was also decided that Famous Smoke Shop's best customers will get first dibs on the Havanas via a private email campaign.
"I believe charity begins at home," said Mr. Zaretsky. "The customers who have opened their wallets for us the most deserve to go to the head of the line." But he also assured he will do his best to see that as many customers as possible get a chance to add some Cuban cigars to their humidors.

For now, the company has posted a landing page on their web site where customers who want to purchase the Cuban 5-packs can input their names, email addresses and customer numbers. The landing page also has details explaining exactly how the Cuban 5-pack program will work.

This was a great April Fools promotion, have to hand it to them, especially knowing this may actually happen in my lifetime.  :-)