Sunday, November 05 2006
"I found that as we became more successful, I became more of a businessman and less of a cigar maker. And blending tobaccos to create new cigars is what I want to do."
So Christian Eiroa of
Camacho Cigars is now working on a special
blend, a perfect blend, working not only with the tobaccos raised on Camacho's famed Ranchos Tabacos Jamastran farms in Honduras, but also with leaves from outside.
He was especially impressed with how his father designed and executed a unique blend which is now the Camacho Select line, originally created as a retailer's holiday gift in 2005. Rather than limiting himself to their own farms, Julio Eiroa reached outside for a Cameroon wrapper to create a textured blend quite different from those Christian was familiar with.
"He really inspired me," said Christian. "The way he created a new taste by doing it a new way was interesting. I want to do something different. I may only make 10,000 or 5,000 or whatever number of cigars it ends up being. But it is going to be special, whenever I finish it."
The death of Arnold "Red" Auerbach at age 89 on October 28 brings to mind what was apparently a true story about the ex-Celtics coach and one of his favorite restaurants, Legal Sea Foods in Boston. Auerbach finished dinner there one night and lit up his trademark cigar and was immediately accosted by a woman (possibly a waitress) who told him, "you can't smoke cigars here." Auerbach opened the menu and pointed to a line at the bottom of the page which read: "No cigar or pipe smoking, except for Red Auerbach."
The newest issue of the British Cigar Buyer magazine included a great profile on the venerable JJ Fox & Robert Lewis shop, which traces its heritage back 1787. "People seem to be moving to shorter but fatter cigars, about the robusto size, [which] seems to be popular," said manager Paul Bielby. "People are definitely smoking less but smoking better.
"Sales of non-Cubans have been on the increase during the last 10 years. Our Honduran bundles are the best-selling non-Cubans. Davidoff is a strong brand as are Fuente and Padron."
Despite heavy pressure from the new smoking bans in Britain, he's optimistic for the future: "I have no absolute worries about the ban issue," he noted. "If there is the possibility of an exemption for smoking in cigar merchants then I think we might even see a mini-boom in all shops. I already have ideas about how to create more space in the shop so we can more people in and smoking."
Short fillers: The U.S. cigar imports report for August 2006 indicated that the reporting problems from the Dominican Republic may have been at least partially addressed by the U.S. Customs Service. Figures show that 28.7 million premium, handmade cigars were imported to the U.S. during the month, just 3.4% less than in the record year of 2005. The Dominican import totals are still suspect, but shipments from Honduras are flat for the year and Nicaraguan exports to the U.S. are running about 7% ahead of 2005 . . . A third entry in the "carry-your-lighter-on-the-plane" derby has been announced, the Prometheus Lighter Travel Case. It has a U.S. Department of Transportation license that allows it to be used to carry one lighter inside the case and transport it on airplanes inside checked luggage. Like the Colibri TranzPack, it can be used for compressed gas (butane) lighters as well as oil (Zippo type) lighters. The Zippo Cargo Case from Otterbox can be used for oil-fueled lighters only. The new Prometheus case retails for $19.95.
- Rich Perelman in Los Angeles
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Reprinted with permission. "Heard in the Humidor" is a publication of Perelman, Pioneer & Company. Copyright 2006; All rights reserved.
