Heard in the Humidor - June 16, 2006

Thursday, June 15 2006

The fifth edition of the Camacho Liberty line, a limited-edition cigar presented in a special patriotic display, is now shipping. Only 40,000 cigars have been produced, offered in individual slide-top coffins inside chests of 20 cigars each.

The elegant box design by artist Dylan Austin features the number "13" for the 13 original colonies, surrounded by 13 stars in a circle with a ribbon behind.

The cigars are in the "11/18" format, a perfecto shape of six inches long by 52 ring and feature a Cameroon wrapper and a little bit of pre-embargo Cuban filler. Both the 2005 and 2006 Liberty lines included some of this leaf, purchased from a bonded U.S. warehouse and certified as authentic by the U.S. government.

Camacho has been busy on the promotional front as well, becoming the sponsor of the cigar bar at Comerica Park in Detroit, home of the Tigers.

The Camacho Cigar Bar was previewed on June 12 and will be opened formally on June 23. It's the third cigar bar in major league parks. The first was the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, opening in 1998. Just this season, the Montecristo Club opened at Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

What was known as just the "Cigar Bar" continues as a part of the Tiger Club in Detroit, a hideaway within the ballpark with a view from high over the right field line. There's a total of about 20,000 square feet, within dining for 300 and a bar area that can serve 200. It's not open to the public, however. "Membership" is required, but access is included with high-end tickets and membership pass packages are available.

Is this the start of a wider trend? General Cigar opened a branch of its famed Club Macanudo at FedEx Field (home of the Washington Redskins) last season, the only cigar bar at an NFL football stadium. More are certainly on their way.

Also in time for the Fourth of July is the newest in the American Heritage Humidor Series from Altadis U.S.A., a replica of the Jefferson Memorial.

Only 500 of these elegant humidors were made by Accent Imports International, depicting the graceful dome of the Jefferson Memorial in a striking finish that emulates the marble used on the actual monument. The front of the humidor opens to reveal three pull-out drawers which can hold up to 100 cigars each, depending on size.

The humidor itself is 18 inches square and about 12 inches high, weighing in at 17 pounds. The unit shipped to retailers with a package of either Montecristo Classic or Montecristo White cigars, but it may be offered with or without the cigars.

This is the third model in the American Heritage series. The White House humidor was released last year and the Lincoln Memorial debuted in February of this year. A fourth model, of the U.S. Capitol, is also planned and may be on display at the upcoming Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (RTDA) show in Las Vegas in July.

Short fillers: Colibri's amazing new Flexion lighter combined a standard flint-strike flame with a flexible gooseneck allowing you to light your cigar and then your barbeque! It's offered in four different finishes and lists for $39.95 . . . Tropical Storm Alberto drenched the Pinar del Rio region of western Cuba with torrential rains, but no damage to the 2006 harvest (now curing in barns) was reported . . . The Prudential offers life insurance coverage for cigar and pipe smokers at a much lower rate than for cigarette smokers, although the premiums are higher than for non-smokers . . . find our latest tasting review, of five blends of the Fonseca line from the Dominican Republic, in our News & Views archives for June 16.