MAY 1999

6" x 50

Great Buy! Suggested Retail:  $177.00

6" x 44

Great Buy! Suggested Retail:  $93.75

6.75" x 48

6 7/8" x 47

5" x 50

Greetings from the Humidor

This May we have only good news. Not only are the Padron Churchills in, but The Cigar Renaissance is featuring it’s most expensive SUPER Premium cigar yet.

You want premium, well you got it. Butera Royal Vintage delivers nothing less! Introduced in 1993, Butera Royal Vintage are true blended, premium cigars hand-made in the Dominican Republic by "first row" cigar makers. Six distinctive whole-leaf tobaccos from three different countries are blended including four specific types of long-filler leaves from the rarest Dominican crops. Every cigar is well aged to maturity in cabinets of fine Spanish cedar and packaged in beautiful mahogany chests. The connoisseur should not miss this limited opportunity to grab this month’s Butera Dorado 652 at an unprecedented low price.

In keeping up with the most recently rated cigars we bring you Cibao. Produced by world renowned Tabacalera Palma, Cibao is presented as the only cigar worthy of sharing the name with the legendary fertile valley located on the North coast of the Dominican Republic known for producing some of the most enviable tobacco harvests. This month’s 89 rated Cibao Lonsdale provides a superb blend of flavor and smooth character.

Our third feature of the month is a revival of an ancient Cuban brand that dates from 1903, much appreciated until it disappeared in 1960. It was in 1996 that a Nicaraguan version of the Flor de Farach brand was recreated. The 86 rated Flor de Farach Churchill is our pick for the perfect outdoor smoke. It’s got that extra bit of flavor when you’re on the go, and a price tag that can’t be beat!

Well, it’s the moment we have all been waiting for. Many of you may have already started puffing away. But, the story begins in 1964 when the Padron family began manufacturing cigars in Miami. Using the experience of their Cuban forefathers who began making cigars in 1853, the Padron family has mastered the art of producing outstanding cigars. They use only Cuban-seed tobaccos grown in Nicaragua and everything else is pretty much a secret. This month’s 91 Rated Padron Churchill shares its rating with the Cuban Cohiba Esplendido and H. Upmann Monarch, and is only second in the world to its celebrated brother, the Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Diplomatico Maduro. Enjoy!

Nothing makes us happier than coming across a great, cheap cigar. Besides just being able to offer a great, cheap cigar, it allows us to include some higher price tag items such as the Butera, while maintaining high quality throughout the selections. Our final feature is the 89 rated Perfecto Garcia Waldorf from Nicaragua. Despite it’s rough appearance, it’s packed with flavor. And at $2 a stick, it’s a steal.

Happy smoking!

Hygrometer Highlights
(issues to keep an eye on & interesting topics)

Cubans Using New Box Codes

After more than two years of idle threats, Cuba has begun to change the codes it uses to mark the factory and production date of every box of handmade cigars it produces. While most boxes inspected recently by Cigar Aficionado in Havana bore the well-known NIVEL ACUSO code, quite a few were stamped with unrecognizable codes. "UET CCUN" is one example.

The Cubans have used NIVEL ACUSO since the mid-'80s. The stamp appears on the bottom of every box of genuine handmade Cuban cigars, along with three other markings: "Habanos S.A." (the marketing organization for Cuban cigars), "Hecho en Cuba" (made in Cuba) and "Totalmente a mano" (totally by hand).

The letters correspond to numbers indicating the month and year of production, with the letter "N" representing 1, "I" representing 2 and so on. The final letter, "O," represents 0. The factory is indicated simply by using the initials of each factory's post-revolution name. For example, "FPG" stands for Francisco Perez German (known as Partagas before the revolution and, informally, today) and "FR" stands for Fernando Roig (aka. La Corona). The code "FPG-NOSU" means the cigars were made at the Partagas factory and boxed in October 1998.

Why do the Cubans want to change the code? For one reason, it creates havoc in retail shops, as customers sort through box after box in a quest for the oldest cigars from the most desirable factories. Another reason is to thwart counterfeiters, according to a factory source, who added that the Cubans plan to change the code every month to prevent anyone--consumers and counterfeiters alike--from learning the codes.

That approach would undoubtedly keep most people in the dark. But it could backfire. If no one knows the codes, then determining the cigars' authenticity would be impossible. To counterfeiters, that might be more of a boon than a bane.

Incidentally, the code was recently cracked earlier this month.

Brendan Vaughan , CA