Leaf & Ale's Good Life Cigar Blog

"Talk, Talk, Talk" A Guest Editorial by Stuart Burkow

2011-04-07T16:35:00.006-04:00

The following is an editorial piece by Stuart Burkow. In the essence of full disclosure, I subscribe to his "Guerrilla Profits Letter." This is reprinted with his permission.

The talking heads on the major news channels continue to astound me...

Here we are at a crossroads when it comes to fiscal sanity and responsibility -- and the pundits and politicians continue to push their opinions and agendas on us... like we were children.

But spinelessness won't do any more. All things political have been proven to be, at best, ineffective -- and possibly at worst, destructive and shameful.

I can see why "Nero fiddled as Rome burned." ---> He was a politician.

So... what's a hard working business owner to do about all these morons? Well, here in the States, the process started by sending some the oldest of these specimens packing in the last election. And we've got a chance to take another shot at them in 2012.

Here are a few things I know to be true:

1) It's OUR money they're messing with... NOT theirs. They need to be accountable.
2) The rules need to apply to everyone -- NO corrupt, sweetheart, back-room deals.
3) ALL thinking and planning needs to be Long Term... NO more political bulls#*t.

And... let me make it very clear that I'm not taking political sides here. They are all full of it... unless proven otherwise by exercising fiscal sanity... and long-term planning.

This idea of "bipartisan" this... or "bipartisan" that -- is all a bunch of hogwash. (Side note: "bipartisan" is actually a code word for: "We're ALL going to screw you").

Now...

You may think I'm being harsh...

Or, you may think I'm being over-bearing on the subject.

I assure you that I am dialing back my outrage at the current state of affairs in order to "play nice." You may also think that politics has no place in Business.

But, you can rest assured that it does.

Since "they" are the ones who make the rules we business people have to live by every day. I can assure you that everything they do has a potential consequence for all those who would try to play the game of business by the rules.

by Stuart Burkow, the King of Profits
Advisor on Making Money in Business
& Advocate For Free Enterprise
http://kingofprofits.com

Leaf & Ale Kicks Off Cold New Year With Hot Events

2010-12-30T23:43:00.004-05:00

2010 is in the books and we are looking forward to an even bigger year in 2011. In 2010 we hosted 13 in-store promotional events and took part in more than a half dozen outside events, with our July promotion with Rocky Patel and Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the biggest and most successful party we have ever thrown.

We'll start 2011 off right! We have invited Nestor Miranda (who was at Leaf & Ale in May) back for another in-store promotion on Saturday, January 29th from 1-6pm. Nestor will be bringing his personal line of cigars, as well as the flavored Tatiana cigar line (named after his daughter), Calibre 58 and maybe a few other surprises as well. Because it'll be the middle of winter and we all move a little slower, the deals and free goods will be red hot.

We already have other events booked for the spring and early summer, and I'll provide more details on them as we get closer.

Thanks for a great 2010 and I look forward to your friendship and business in 2011.

-Mike Nelson
Owner
Leaf & Ale

Nub, Cain & Oliva Christmas Party at Leaf & Ale, Thurs, Dec 9th

2010-12-07T09:06:00.007-05:00

This Thursday, December 9th, we'll throw our Annual Christmas Party. Again this year, our Oliva Cigar rep, Allan Buelvas, will be the guest of honor. We'll be offering great deals on all Nub, Cain and Oliva cigars during the event. Buy any box of Cain cigars and you'll get a Cain tabletop lighter valued at $60 free! Buy any box of Nub cigars and get a Nub pocket case, bullet and double guillotine cutter valued at $60 free!

To make things even more interesting, Allan just posted this on our Facebook Page: "Mike, I can't wait for our Cain/Nub/Oliva Christmas Party this coming Thursday! I have some killer deals for the customers along with a Santa Bag full of gifts for giveaways during the event. Be sure to keep the weather in check! :)"

Let me tell you; when Allan says he's bringing a Santa Bag full of gifts, he means it. If you want to stock up on great cigars and add a ton of free swag to your purchase, DON'T MISS THIS PARTY! We'll have food and drinks as well as a little egg nog to go around.

What: Leaf & Ale Christmas Party with Nub & Cain Cigars
When: Thursday, December 9th, 3-8pm
Where: 9290 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN.

CAO Rock & Rolled Cigar Tour with Jon Huber @ Leaf & Ale

2010-10-19T13:55:00.007-04:00

CAO Cigars' Director of Lifestyle Marketing, Jon Huber, brings the CAO Rock & Rolled Cigar Tour to Knoxville at Leaf & Ale. We'll host this event on Wednesday, October 27th, from 4-8pm.

CAO cigars have been long-standing best sellers here at Leaf & Ale ever since we opened our doors in 1997. We've always had a soft spot in our cigar-loving hearts for CAO since they're headquartered just down the road in Nashville. However, this will be Huber's first visit to Leaf & Ale.

The event will feature special offers on CAO cigars, limited edition CAO Rock N Rolled apparel and accessories, and special discount pricing on all CAO cigars during the event. Leaf & Ale is also planning to have a tattoo artist on hand to display their work and we're also planning a "Guess the Tattoo" contest with CAO cigars as prizes.

CAO kicked off this concept back in 2008. "We're happy that our October '08 tour has spawned similarly themed cigar events," stated Huber. "We just want to provide an escape and continue to inject some fun back into the lives of cigar enthusiasts across the country. We're bringing a little 'rock' to the genre of hand-rolled cigars, and if we can be responsible for four hours of good times in someone's life in the process, then all the better."

illusione cigars and Drew Estate Call It Quits for Nosotros

2010-09-28T13:53:00.007-04:00

The Nosotros brand, a cigar collaboration between Jonathon Drew of Drew Estate Cigars and Dion Giolito of illusione, is officially DOA. Here is a copy of the press release from illusione cigars.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Effective immediately, illusione cigars will no longer participate in the Nosotros brand project with Jonathan Drew DBA Drew Estate. After two and a half years, terms for a product delivery date still could not be negotiated. The Nosotros brand/trademark dies in the Drew Estate Factory as per contractual agreement, and will not be made outside of the factory where it originated.

Dion Giolito
Illusione cigars

We still have a few sizes of the Nosotros in stock at Leaf & Ale. Once they are gone, it looks like they will be gone for good.

60 Second Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana Airbender

2010-09-28T13:50:00.003-04:00

La Flor Dominicana's Airbender series could be one of the top new cigars of 2010. La Flor brands have never been a "go-to" cigar for me, but I have really been enjoying the Airbender line for the last several months. Here's a quick recommendation/review.

2010-09-21T10:29:00.005-04:00

Matt Booth, former Marine and luxury lifestyle jewelry designer, teamed up with Camacho Cigars to launch the Room 101 cigar brand in 2009. Room 101 cigars are slowly gaining momentum in an otherwise crowded boutique cigar market. While most boutique brands lean on the powerful, robust side of the flavor profile, Booth's cigars remain firmly ensconced in the medium flavor profile where many more smokers are comfortable. I had the chance to chat with Matt about Room 101 and what lies in store for his brand.

You can get more info on Room 101 Cigars here, and see Matt's collection of silver lifestyle jewelry at Room101Silver.com.

Interview With CAO's Jon Huber

2010-09-21T10:23:00.005-04:00

CAO Cigars have become one of the most popular smokes in the US over the last 10 years. This is due, in no large part, to the marketing efforts of Jon Huber, CAO's Director of Lifestyle Marketing. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, CAO continues to be one of the leading innovators is cigar blending and marketing. I had the chance to talk to Jon at this year's IPCPR show in New Orleans in August.

Jon will bring CAO's "Rock & Rolled Tour" to Leaf & Ale in Knoxville on Wednesday, October 27th, from 4-8pm. We'll have great deals on all CAO brands, including the new La Traviata and La Traviata Maduro. As a special treat, Jon will bring the exclusive Rock & Rolled cigar blend (not available in stores) for anyone who purchases a full box of CAO cigars during the event. More details on this promotion soon!

Labor Day Holiday Hours

2010-09-01T22:53:00.004-04:00

In what will be a bit of a departure for Leaf & Ale, we have decided to be open throughout the entire Labor Day Holiday weekend. In the past we have closed on Sunday and Monday for most 3-day weekends. Partly because they were usually slow business days, and partly because I wanted to give my employees a little time off. It turns out that my guys really don't like time off (even Art, who at 78, technically isn't even employed anymore, yet arrives at the store around 7:30 every morning to get coffee going). So here's the lowdown:

Friday, 9-9
Saturday, 9-8 (UT vs. UT-Martin, 6pm)
Sunday, 1-5:30
Monday, 9-8

Thanks for your continued patronage, and hope your 3 day weekend is filled with fun, family and great cigars!

La Flor Dominicana Airbender Arrives

2010-09-01T22:41:00.004-04:00

No sooner did I post the video interview with La Flor Dominicana's Litto Gomez, than our first LFD shipment from this year's IPCPR show arrives via UPS. I have been waiting for this for a few weeks now. Why? Because this little package contains what might be 2010's front-runner for Cigar of the Year. La Flor Dominicana Airbender.

I have always been a casual fan of Litto's cigars, but they've never been a staple, or go-to cigar, if you will. There are a few cigars that are on my list for top new cigars of the year and Airbender is one of them.

I will post a review soon, but in the meantime, we have Airbender in 3 sizes for now. We'll roll out the carpet for La Flor Dominicana on Friday, September 24th when we host a La Flor Throwdown featuring the new Airbender.

If you want to get a good sense of what makes La Flor a cigar smokers favorite, you may want to opt for one of two samplers currently in stock. The OYA (On Your Ass) Sampler features the Coronado Double Corona Maduro and Airbender Maduro, neither of which are available outside of this sampler, along with 3 other cigars. The Chisel Sampler features all major blends Litto produces in the Chisel format, including the first ever Chisel cloaked in a Cameroon wrapper.

2010-08-30T13:43:00.003-04:00

La Flor Dominicana cigars continue to be very popular at Leaf & Ale, as well as around the country. It's no wonder. LFD offers some of the finest Dominican made cigars anywhere, and at reasonable prices. I had the chance to sit down with cigar maker Litto Gomez and ask him about some new things coming off the rollers' tables at the La Flor Dominicana factory.

Leaf & Ale will host a La Flor Dominicana cigar party on Friday, September 24th, and will feature their newest cigar, the Airbender.

Interview With Tatuaje's Pete Johnson

2010-08-19T16:18:00.003-04:00

I had a few minutes to chat with Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars at this years IPCPR (International Pipe & Cigar Retailers) convention in New Orleans. As you might imagine, Pete's a pretty hard guy to corner, as he's one of the busiest guys in the cigar business. Here's a quick preview of what "lovers of all things Pete" can look forward to in the coming months.

Thanks to Pete Johnson for taking a few minutes out of his busy schedule to chat. Look for several more video interviews, including Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, coming soon.

Enjoying A Cigar With Rudy Giuliani

2010-07-27T11:09:00.018-04:00

I have shared this story with dozens of customers and friends online. I've posted pics on Facebook and even "tweeted" the 140 word version of the story. Here's the full length version of how Mayor Rudy Giuliani wound up enjoying a cigar with the regulars at Leaf & Ale.

Wednesday, July 21st, 12:05PM

This is the day we have Rocky Patel in town for a big cigar promotion, scheduled to happen between 4-8pm. Also on this day, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is in Knoxville for a speaking engagement at a huge motivational seminar. Some time mid-morning, my wife (who had gone to the seminar) sent me a text message with a picture of Giuliani onstage. A few minutes after noon, my cell phone rings and it's Rocky on the other end, and the conversation goes something like this:

Rocky: "Mike, this is Rocky. We'll be there at 1:00. I'm meeting Rudy Giuliani at your place and I didn't want it to be a complete surprise. I hope that's ok."
Me (waving my hands at several people in the store who were getting ready to leave): "Uh... sure! Absolutely! We'll get the place cleaned up a bit and get ready for you guys." After all, what else was I gonna say?

I send a reply back to my wife's text: "Rudy Giuliani will be HERE at 1:00!"

1:05pm

A rented Towne Car pulls up right in front of the door and out steps Mayor Giuliani. Right on time. He comes in with two security people, introduces himself and we do likewise. Five or 6 regulars who had previously been occupying chairs get up to introduce themselves as well. He asks me to show him around the humidor and recommend some cigars. He sees several that he has smoked before and I recommend a few that he hasn't tried yet. From that point on, he thought he was just another regular... just one of the guys hanging out at Leaf & Ale on a Wednesday afternoon killing some time before he has to catch a plane.

1:30pm

Rocky finally arrives and they exchange handshakes, pose for a few pictures with some of the customers, and sign a few more autographs. Rocky passes out some cigars to everyone and the conversation about all the worlds problems (and how to solve them) begins anew. He is supposed to leave at 1:30 to get to the airport by 2:00. His assistant makes a few calls to the proper authorities at the airport, and she is assured the Mayor will have no problems getting from his car to his plane in short order. Shortly after 2:00 and more pictures and autographs, Mr. Guiliani is back in the car (with burning cigar in hand) and off to the airport.

Postscript: I have to give a shout out to Lee Lavinson, my former Ashton Cigar sales rep. Lee now works at Holts Cigars in Philadelphia, where Mayor Giuliani frequents when he's in the City of Brotherly Love. Rudy mentioned that he was going to Tennessee and asked Lee if he could recommend a few stores. I was told that Lee specifically mentioned Leaf & Ale in Knoxville. Thanks, Lee!

Meet Rocky Patel at Leaf & Ale July 21st

2010-07-07T22:29:00.005-04:00

We are so pleased to announce that Rocky Patel will make a rare visit to East Tennessee for a cigar party in his honor on Wednesday, July 21st, from 4-8pm. BBQ Brews & Blues With Rocky Patel will feature a TON of Rocky's cigars, music, home made Southern BBQ, beer from Cherokee Distributing, a Putt-The-Butt contest and more. And the best part is you get a chance to meet Rocky Patel in person at Leaf & Ale.

I traveled to New Orleans last August for the cigar and pipe industry's annual trade show. I had the chance to spend a few minutes with Rocky and asked him about a few new cigars that he was debuting at the show (which we have in stock at Leaf & Ale). I've posted this once, but here it is again. Hope you enjoy, and I hope to see you on July 21st to meet Rocky Patel.

Don't miss this rare chance to meet one of the top names in the cigar business, Rocky Patel. Join us at Leaf & Ale on Wednesday, July 21st, from 4-8pm.

Nestor Miranda Interview Video Part 2

2010-06-02T13:53:00.005-04:00

Here's part 2 of my interview with Nestor Miranda from May 15th, 2010.

Thanks to Mr. Miranda and our sales rep, Josh Sarkella, for being gracious enough to come to Knoxville and help make this event a huge success.

Nestor Miranda Interview Video

2010-06-02T13:46:00.003-04:00

Nestor Miranda was good enough to make a trip to Leaf & Ale in Knoxville, Tennessee, to help us launch his Nestor Miranda Collection Domincano cigar. We talked about several things, and here are a few highlights.

Thanks to Mr. Miranda and our sales rep, Josh Sarkella, for helping to make this event a smashing success.

Memorial Day & Cigar Events

2010-05-31T12:09:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to say that Leaf & Ale is open today until 6pm. I usually close on Memorial Day but got a lot of flack this year from some of my regular customers, who are also veterans. I told them that I usually close out of respect for our fallen Vets. They told me, and I quote one customer exactly, "You can honor Vets by being open and giving us a place to come and smoke!" OK, the Vets win. After all, it is their day and not mine. Thank you to all veterans who served in the U.S. Military and special thanks and prayers for all the families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for our country.

June is upon us and June 1st from 4-8pm Sam Leccia, creator of the Nub and Cain cigar brands, will be in store to give you a first peek at his newest creation, the Cain F Nub. Cain F Nub is a hybrid, using the strong Cain F blend in the novel Nub sized format. Buy a box of either Cain or Nub cigars and get a sampler that also contains the Cain F Nub. Until these cigars are released later this year, this is the only way you can get your hands on the Cain F Nub. We'll also offer a 20% discount, food, drinks, prizes and music as well. Hope to see you there.

Nestor Miranda In-Store at Leaf & Ale Saturday, May 15th

2010-04-24T10:49:00.006-04:00

Nestor Miranda will be in-store on Saturday May 15th for the official Knoxville launch of Nestor Miranda Dominicanos. Don't miss this chance to meet a legend in the cigar business.

Nestor Miranda is responsible for the incredibly popular flavored cigar line called "Tatiana." His company, Miami Cigar & Co., is the exclusive US distributor for La Aurora cigars and Jose Pepin Garcia now makes a line of cigars that bare his name, "Nestor Miranda Special Selection." Pepin also assisted Nestor in crafting his newest cigar line, Dominicanos, which marks the first time Pepin has used Dominican tobacco in the making of cigars. Here's the specs on Nestor Miranda's new Dominicano cigar. Check out acigarsmoker.com for a great review on the new Dominicano.

Cigar: Nestor Miranda Collection Dominicano
Wrapper: Dominican Rosado
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Medium Full

Brick House Cigar Bash This Friday April 9th

2010-04-06T14:55:00.004-04:00

Brick House Cigars have been one of the best selling new cigar lines we've carried here at Leaf & Ale. We're proud to introduce them to Knoxville with a Brick House Cigar Bash. The party gets started this Friday afternoon at 4 and runs till close at 9.

Buy any 3 Brick House cigars and get a Brick House Churchill free. If you buy a box of Brick House cigars, we'll throw in 8 Brick House Churchill's free and other Brick House swag on top of that. Plus, we'll offer Brick House cigars at 10% off ALL DAY, and Leaf & Ale Connoisseur Club members can take 20% off their Brick House cigar purchases during the event.

But wait... there's more!! We asked Aarons Lease To Own on North Cedar Bluff here in Knoxville to loan us a 47" LCD TV and we're going to hook up a Nintendo Wii video game system and play for even more Brick House and Leaf & Ale prizes! Wii is a blast and it'll be even more fun to win cigars and other cool stuff just for playing a video game.

What: Brick House Cigar Bash
Where: Leaf & Ale, 9290 Kingston Pike, Knoxville
When: Friday, April 9th, 4-9pm
Extras: Food, fun, drinks, Wii video game contest, free cigars and great discounts!!

Ashton VSG/ESG, Fuente Rosado, Aurora Anos & Puro Vintage Sale

2010-03-08T14:06:00.006-05:00

I only have 1 box on each of these (except the 5-ers of course), so jump on them quick if you want any. I'm a little overstocked on the boxes listed.

Ashton VSG Spellbound Reg $354 Sale $290
Ashton VSG Corona Gorda Reg $253 Sale $210
Ashton ESG 20 Year & 23 Year 5 Packs Reg. $114 Sale $75.
Ashton ESG 21 Year Robusto 5 Packs Reg $105 Sale $70
Aurora Cien Anos 100 Year Robusto (from 2007) Reg $288 Sale $225
Aurora Puro Vintage (from 2008), Box of 8 Salamone, Reg $213 Sale $150

I can also do some more Fuente Rosado Magnum and WOA Maddy 5 ers....

Magnum 52 Rosado $35
Magnum 54 Rosado $39
Magnum 56 Rosado $37
Work of Art Maduro $48.75

Everything listed here includes FREE Shipping. These are not on our website, and are first come, first served. You MUST email me (mike@leafandale.com) to take advantage of these offers.

Montecristo/Romeo y Julieta Cigar Party Fri. Mar. 12th at Leaf & Ale

2010-02-27T09:48:00.007-05:00

Altadis S.A. is one of the largest cigar companies in the world. Since these guys make so many cigars (like Romeo & Montecristo) I coerced them into giving some away for free!

Friday March 12th from 4-9pm we'll host a Cigar Party Weekend Kickoff. When you buy any 3 Altadis brand cigars, we'll throw 1 in free. To sweeten the pot we'll throw in 2 free with every 5 you buy. Leaf & Ale will take that even one step further and knock 20% off the regular price of all Altadis brands we carry. If you join the Leaf & Ale Connoisseur Club ($30.00 membership per year), we'll throw in another free cigar. If you are already a member of the Connoisseur Club, show us your card and you'll get an extra cigar free! Ask us about the benefits of being a Connoisseur Club member.

We'll have food, drinks and some KILLER door prizes! One of our friends won a $100 Leaf & Ale Gift Card and another took home a $90.00 Ashton ashtray from our last cigar event a few weeks ago, so it might really PAY to party with us!

Here are a few of the brands we will feature: Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta 1875, Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve, Romeo y Julieta Reserve Real, Frank Llaneza 1961, Omar Ortiz, Casa Garcia, Onyx and more.

Leaf & Ale Television Commercial

2010-02-23T16:30:00.005-05:00

We commissioned Chris Early at Early Video Productions to shoot and edit our new TV commercial this past November. We like the final results and hope you do, too.

Ashton Cigars "Fire & Smoke" Chili Party at Leaf & Ale

2010-02-19T17:12:00.003-05:00

Once again, we put a new twist on the same old cigar event. Leaf & Ale was the first and only tobacconist in Knoxville to host a customer appreciation dinner with 8 different cigar company owners. Then we took the traditional cigar dinner and turned it upside down and hosted 3 cigar breakfasts! This time out we whipped up 3 different home-made chili's and invited Ashton Cigars to participate. Customers got a huge bowl of chili and an Ashton Majesty cigar for just $5.00!

We're hosting Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and Gispert cigars (Altadis) in March and throwing a Brickhouse Cigars Bash in April. The crew of CigarOutcast.com online travels to Tennessee from all over the country in May (and we'll have a special treat for them!) and June will bring one of our largest undertakings yet. More details soon.

Buy 4 Get 1 Free!

2010-02-10T13:36:00.012-05:00

I have collected hundred's of cigars as samples, leftovers from parties and events, freebies from the factory and sales reps and other sources over the past year. From NOW until the supply is gone, or until I'm tired of being taken advantage of, I will give you one free cigar (my choice) with every 4 you buy.

Here's the guarantee: No dog rockets, no short filler/bundle cigars. Only premium, top quality cigars will be given away. Many of these cigars retail for $6.00, $8.00 and $10.00 or more. In fact, here's an example of some of the cigars I'll give away: Nestor Miranda, Oliva, Torano, Savinelli, Rocky Patel, Nub and more.

*Tins do not count toward the 4 cigar purchase. Don't live in Knoxville? Call for the same deal at 877-56-CIGAR. Come and get 'em!

Federal Tax Bill Proposes Pipe Tobacco Tax To Be Equal to Current Cigarette Tobacco Tax

2010-02-09T15:47:00.008-05:00

Here is an excerpt from a recent notification I received from the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association. Even though this proposal is not getting much attention, it is still imperative that you voice your opposition to this bill. It should also be noted that one of the sponsors is from my home state of Tennessee. For that I am sorry!

January 22, 2010 - HR 4439, the Tobacco Tax Parity Act of 2010, introduced on January 13, 2010, would tax pipe tobacco at the same rate ($24.78 per pound) as roll-your-own tobacco. The sponsors are Representatives Steve Cohen (Dem., TN) and Lloyd Doggett (Dem., TX). HR4439 has been referred to the House Ways & Means Committee of which Mr. Doggett, an anti-tobacco advocate, is a member. The bill is not yet on that committee's radar scope.

A groundswell of grassroots efforts has developed among pipe smokers, retailers, and others in opposition to HR4439. To complement and support this movement, the IPCPR has initiated a Legislative Action Alert. Additionally, Pipes Magazine has launched an online petition opposing HR4439. Both links are provided below:

Sign the No Pipe Tobacco Tax Petition

IPCPR Legislative Action Alert

Christmas Party 2009 With Oliva Cigars

2010-02-01T12:28:00.005-05:00

I'd like to give a big thanks to Alan Buelvas, our Oliva Cigars sales representative, for coming up to Knoxville and co-hosting a customer Christmas Party with everyone at Leaf & Ale.

There are a few new things coming this year from Oliva Cigars, including a Cain blend for the Nub line of cigars by Sam Leccia and Oliva.

Customer Appreciation Night w/ Comedian Josh Phillips January 21st!

2010-01-02T17:06:00.008-05:00

WOW! What a great year 2009 turned out to be. With all the bad news about the economy, we were expecting cigar lovers to curb their consumption this past year, but you didn't! As a matter of fact, the average sale per customer was virtually unchanged from 2008. We worked extra hard to bring you some of the best promotional events and parties that we've ever had and will continue to do just that in 2010. So why wait?

We'll have comedian Josh Phillips in store on Thursday, January 21st from 5-6pm for a pre-show herf (we'll provide the cigars!) in preparation for his opening night show at Sidesplitters Comedy Club on Parkwest Blvd. in West Knoxville. It's our first customer appreciation event of the year, and we'll even give you a free seat to see Josh's opening night show at 8pm.

If you'd like to join us for a free smoke and ticket to the show, just email mike@leafandale.com and I'll put you on the list. This customer appreciation party is first come, first served, so act quickly before all the tickets are gone!

Check out Josh's website here at ComedianJoshPhillips.com.
Check out Josh on YouTube here.

Huge Shipment of Fuente Anejo Hits Leaf & Ale

2009-12-16T12:20:00.003-05:00

WOW. That's about all I can say. At this time of year we will normally get 3-5 boxes of Arturo Fuente Anejo cigars just in time for the Christmas rush. This year we got 18 boxes! I haven't seen that many Anejo in one place.... ever!

Because we got such a large shipment, we have made some of them available in sample packs along with some other Fuente cigars for our customers who don't live in Knoxville.

This sampler contains:
Anejo 46
Anejo 48
Anejo 50
Anejo 55
Fuente Untold Story Maduro
Fuente Work of Art Maduro
Fuente Hemingway Classic Maduro
$80.00 Delivered!

How can you beat that? Here's the link if you'd like to grab one or two of these. Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy!

Leaf & Ale Puts Finishing Touches on Latest TV Commercial

2009-12-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

Over the last 12 years, we've done 2 different TV commercials. When you have something that works, you don't just change it because you're bored. Our old spot was produced in 2002 after we did some major remodeling, and our staff has changed a bit over the last few years as well.

We asked Chris Early of Early Video Productions in Knoxville to shoot some new footage and apply the latest technology and give Leaf & Ale an updated look. WOW! He did a great job. He shot the entire commercial in full 1020 HD and used digital technology to give the finished product a look more like film, and less like video. I did the voice-over and we used a :30 second version of our new advertising jingle to finish it off. We liked the final spot, and hope you do, too. Here's the link to take a look. Please let me know what you think.

Leaf & Ale TV Commercial, 2009

Oliva Cigars Christmas Party at Leaf & Ale, Friday, Dec, 18th

2009-12-11T20:24:00.006-05:00

Since Oliva is our most popular line of cigars at Leaf & Ale, we thought it only fitting that they helped us close out a year filled with great events, parties and promotions. Friday, December 18th, from 2-8pm, we'll have our top Oliva guy, Allen, in house with a BOAT LOAD of Oliva and Nub cigars and killer Christmas deals on each and every one.

We'll have Christmas food, egg-nog, gifts under the tree (for all you cigar lovers) and great Christmas music, too. Allen is bringing a bunch of great swag to give away to everyone who buys Oliva or Nub cigars, and rumor has it that Nub's Sam Leccia has autographed a few things to give away as well.

When: Friday, December 11th, 2-8pm
What: Oliva Cigars Christmas Party
Where: Leaf & Ale, 9290 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN.
Why? Because it's Christmas!!

EO's Eddie Ortega Makes a Stop at Leaf & Ale

2009-12-10T18:57:00.006-05:00

We invited Eddie Ortega of EO Brands (601, Cubao, Murcielago & Mi Barrio Cigars) over to Leaf & Ale to have a little cigar party and officially launch Cubao Maduro and Murcielago Maduro in East Tennessee. We asked Eddie to tell us a bit about the new cigars and what's coming in 2010 for his company.

Fuente & Newman Toast Across America 2009

2009-11-12T22:28:00.005-05:00

This is our 6th or 7th year as a host store for the Arturo Fuente/J.C. Newman Toast Across America. Here's a quick video look at the "toast" and how you can participate.

F/N Toast Across America at Leaf & Ale will be held on Wednesday, November 18th from 6-8pm. $50.00 donation get's you two unreleased cigars including a Fuente Fuente Opus X Pyramid and Diamond Crown Maximus Pyramid. All proceeds benefit the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation.

Smoked in :60 Seconds: A Video Review of Cubao Maduro

2009-11-02T16:39:00.002-05:00

Eddie Ortega from EO Brands (601, Cubao, Mi Barrio and Murcielago) will be in Knoxville for a visit at Leaf & Ale on Friday, November 6th from 4-8pm. I thought it would be a great time to give the new Cubao Maduro a :60 review.

Smoked in 60 Seconds: Video Review of Cain F Cigar

2009-09-25T10:08:00.009-04:00

Cain Cigars is the newest creation from Sam Leccia and Oliva Cigars. Here's a rundown on Cain from www.caincigars.com:

"Cigar Architecture is crucial in any cigar. It is especially critical in making a Straight Ligero cigar. Not all tobacco burns at the same rate. Ligeros are the fullest body, slowest burning of the tobaccos. Viso is a medium flavored with better burn qualities. Seco is lighter flavored and quickest to burn. It is the careful arrangement of these tobaccos that allows a cigar to burn true.

Flavor Range refers to the low, medium, and high range of flavors in a cigar blend. Typically these ranges are achieved by the three aforementioned tobaccos. In making a Straight Ligero cigar we are delivering our low, medium and high range all from Ligero tobaccos. Still we must carefully arrange these Ligeros with other tobaccos for a true burn. The other tobaccos make no significant contribution to flavor.

Wrapper leaf is typically credit with delivering up to 60% of the flavor of a cigar, depending on the ring gauge. This is mostly true. In a Straight Ligero cigar it plays an important but reduced role as a result of the three powerful Ligeros."

Here's a review of the Limited Cain F cigar. Cain F was made available to retailers who purchased Cain cigars at the recent IPCPR trade show in New Orleans.

You can get the limited Cain F as part of a 5 Cigar Cain Sample Pack at leafandale.com. The Cain F is included free with the purchase of the sampler. As always, I appreciate any comments.
-Mike

CAO "Lady Liberty" Tour Wrap-Up and New CAO La Traviata Coming to Leaf & Ale

2009-09-13T22:27:00.013-04:00

CAO Cigars has just kicked off a nationwide promotion to give away a chopper custom built by SuckerPunch Sally's. CAO brought the bike to Leaf & Ale in Knoxville, and we took a few minutes to talk with our sales rep, Jeff Tinnell, about the "Lady Liberty Tour," and what's new with CAO Cigars.

Check out CAOSuckerPunch.com for details on the contest, as well as how you can enter and upcoming cities and smokeshops on the CAO schedule.

Guest Cigar Review: Perdomo Lot 23 Robusto Maduro

2009-09-05T09:13:00.004-04:00

by Ed Stanfield, Chatham, Illinois

In the virtual world of cigar forums, Ed goes by Bama46. Ed is a confirmed Son of the South, and that makes him alright with me. Ed loves maduros: Partagas Black, Oliva Serie O, Camacho Triple Maduro, CAO Brazilia and MX2 among others.

Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro Robusto

Pre-light Inspection
1st one of these I have smoked. It is well constructed with a firm wrapper. I can’t identify any scents on the foot, but that is not unusual for me. It is a great looking toothy little cigar and I can’t wait to get started. Cut was with my credo. Beverage was a Michelob Amber Bock. It lit perfectly with one kitchen match.

First 1/3
PEPPER…PEPPER…PEPPER
This cigar could season a dozen eggs! Boy is it good! It produces a light gray, almost white ash and has just a ton of flavor. The burn is perfect. There is plenty of smoke.

Second 1/3
This cigar just keeps getting better. Burn continues to be perfect and I am enjoying the smoke so much, I forget to take notes…

Third 1/3
The flavors keep building and so does the strength. I cannot identify the flavors, but that is a problem with me, not the cigar.. It has plenty. The burn remains perfect and I continue to enjoy the smoke. There is absolutely no heat on the tongue or the fingers, but as I smoke it to the smallest of nubs, there is heat at the tip of my nose…it is the coal and I have no choice but to put it down.

Summary
This medium to full smoke was a delightful experience. I have had the Habanos and find them hit or miss, but this is a stone winner in my book. I can see the future and it contains more of these in my humidor. The only criticism of this cigar is that it was picked from the cigar tree too soon. If it had been left a little while longer, I’ll bet this robusto would have grown into a churchill…ya think?

Guest Cigar Review: Padilla 1932 Robusto

2009-09-05T09:10:00.002-04:00

by Paul Montgomery, Norfolk, Virginia

Paul and I first met last May when he made a trip to Knoxville for the 1st Annual Cigar Outcasts Herf at my shop, Leaf & Ale. Although we had "met" through the cigar forums earlier, this was the first opportunity for us to meet in person. Paul usually enjoys anything from Pete Johnson, Illusione, Padron, Cohiba Red Dot, Nestor Miranda Special Selection and Davidoff, among others.

Padilla 1932
Size: 5 X 50 (Robusto)
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: 5 year old Cuban-seed Corojo.
Binder: Cuban Seed
Filler: Cuba-Seed long Filler
Strength: Full

Pre-smoke
Scent of Wrapper:
Tobacco
Scent at Foot:
Tobacco
Appearance:
Very nice looking cigar
Wrapper:
Wrapper very nice, some prominent veins
Feel:
Near the cap it was tight and a little spongy from middle to foot
Tongue:
Spicy
Flavor on Draw:
Earthy, spicy taste

Smoke
Taste:
Cedar and peppery
Flavor Changes:
At the start it was full of pepper and cedar that change pretty quick and picked up its intensity with earthy and slight nutty flavors with a creamy back ground. The half way mark there was taste of coffee—very nice. At the end it was allot of spice with leather tones—this was a great smoke and really would enjoy one with a better burn.
Strength:
Full from the start to finish--
Feeling:
I enjoyed it while the burn stayed in line. Other than that it was a great cigar.
Scent of Smoke:
Tobacco
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth:
Narrry none
Draw:
Draw had a slight tug that was pleasant
Finish:
Lots of pepper and spice

Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience:
This bums me a little because of the burn. Re-touch many times, distracted me and was not really able to enjoy 100 %. I dry boxed this for a couple days and still had a burn issue. It was still a very great smoke. I just don’t care for the touch ups when purchasing a pricey smoke.

What I would enjoy is to have one of these smokes burn even for me. It seems to start well and then it would go off. So after re-touch it started back it’s coarse only to have a re-light again. This was annoying to me. The flavors, taste and smoke when on track was stellar though. That is what kept my interest.

I would rate this as a “Very Good Cigar”

Video Interviews from the 77th IPCPR Show In New Orleans

2009-08-18T19:17:00.008-04:00

A Look At What's New From Los Blancos, Nestor Miranda, Rocky Patel, Padilla and Nub Cigars

Thanks to all of these guys for taking the time out of their busy schedules to talk with us. Look for the new cigars from each of these great companies on shelves soon at Leaf & Ale.

Video Interview With Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars

2009-08-14T21:02:00.020-04:00

We had the chance to talk for a moment with Illusoine Cigars creator Dion Giolito at this year's 77th IPCPR Show in New Orleans. Here's a preview of what Dion is up to in the not-to-distant future.

I'd also like to thank Leaf & Ale's Bill Campbell for the camera work and video editing. Thanks to Dion for taking the time to talk to us and for letting me borrow your eye drops!! That gave me at least an extra hour at the Don Leoncia Cigar Bar on Canal street Monday night!!

Look for more video interviews with Rocky Patel, Sam Leccia of Nub Cigars, Cesar Blanco of Los Blancos Cigars, Ernesto Padilla of Padilla Cigars, all coming soon.

Cigar Update from IPCPR Show In New Orleans

2009-08-14T19:26:00.005-04:00

Ok, chances are if you're reading this blog then you are a little more "into" cigars than the average Joe, or even the average customer in my store. You're the one who knows more about Fuente cigars than my Fuente sales representative (and he knows a lot!).

I am a member of several different internet cigar forums, and when people post about the cigars they are most looking forward to, the usual suspects are mentioned: Tatuaje, Illusione, and Oliva among others.

I had the opportunity to smoke a number of cigars at this year's 77th IPCPR Show in New Orleans, and I have several dozen more to set fire to over the next few weeks. Here are some sticks that don't usually come up in conversations with cigar geeks (and I am a proud member of that group, thank you!) that you should be on the lookout for.

Alec Bradley Family Blend: Smoked it all the way to the band and it was fantastic. Medium body/full flavor.
Los Blancos Nine: WOW. Maybe the best cigar from the show I have smoked so far.
La Aroma de Cuba: Ashton has had this cigar made by Altadis for over 6 years. They have finally severed that tie and given this cigar to Pepin Garcia to re-blend. Great cigar!
Joya Cubana: This might be the best cigar you've never heard of. Made in the Raices Cubanas factory (Illusione and others) in Honduras. Imagine Padron taste with Illusione body/strength.
LFD Perfecto Habano: If you've had the mystery perfecto from Litto's Los Perfectos Sampler, you will now be able to get it all day every day....mmmm!

Here is a brief list of cigars I am looking forward to smoking, but haven't got to yet:

Murcialago from Eddie Ortega and Erik Espinosa, the 601 guys. Another Pepin smoke.
Cubao Maduro. Also from the 601 guys.
Pepin My Father Le Bijou. Pepin cigars... 'nuff said.
Tabacos Baez SF. 70% long filler, 30% medium/short filler. Killer price. Pepin made.
Dominus by Padilla. Killer band. I hope the taste lives up to the artwork.
Cain F. Retailers will get a 5 pack box of these with every box of Cain they order (yes, mine are ordered). My Oliva rep. said the F is the Cain on "steroids." Those were his words, not mine! Frankly, I'm scared.
Carillo from Ernesto Perez Carillo of La Gloria Cubana fame. I am really looking forward to seeing what the mind of La Gloria is bringing us this time around.

I'll paw through my stash again and see what I missed. I'll update here when I find something I missed. Also, be looking for some video interviews with Dion Giolito of Illusoine Cigars, Rocky Patel, Ernesto Padilla, Cesar Blanco, Sam Leccia of Nub Cigars and more... all coming soon.

Oliva Cigars Kegerator Giveaway A Huge Success!

2009-08-07T14:42:00.002-04:00

We recently launched a promotion with Oliva Cigars where customers got raffle tickets for the purchase of Oliva Cigars. The promotion culminated on July 31st at 7:00pm when we drew the grand prize winner.

Here is a brief interview with our Oliva sales rep, Allan Buelvas, as he discusses a few new items that Oliva Cigars has launched in the last few months. Finally, we take you to the final drawing for the kegerator. Thanks to everyone who purchased Oliva Cigars, and special thanks to Allan for helping us out on this promotion.

Join us on Saturday, August 22nd at Knoxville's Worlds Fair Park for the East Tennessee Irish Festival 2009! It starts at 1:00 and runs till 10:00 pm. We'll have a tent/booth set up and have cigars available for festival goers.

Smoked in 60 Seconds: Video Cigar Review of Nestor Miranda's 20th Anniversario Danno

2009-07-13T23:09:00.003-04:00

No flowery descriptions here, just the basic facts and whether it was a good cigar or not. When a customer comes into my store, I don't bore them with cigar nuances like "leather," "cocoa" "orange peel," and the countless other meaningless taste terms I've read about over the years. I tell them the price, and what they can expect from the flavor and body profile. Most importantly, I tell them what I thought about the cigar. No, I don't tell customers that I like every cigar I sell. If I don't like it, I tell them why.

If you are thinking of trying the Nestor Miranda 20th Anniversario Danno, I give it a thumbs up. Enjoy!

Look for more of these coming soon.

Guest Review: E. Zarzuela Torpedo

2009-07-10T17:07:00.006-04:00

By Tim Dennis, Woodstock, Georgia

Tim is also a member of CigarOutcast.com, a cigar Internet forum that I frequent from time to time. Tim was one of 17 forum members who made the trip to Leaf & Ale in May of this year for a big "herf" (a get-together of a group of people to smoke cigars). Tim recently met up with another Atlanta-area friend at La Casa del Tobaco in Buckhead. Here is Tim's review.

La Casa is owned by Pablo Nunez and Eddy Fontana - Eddy makes the E. Zarzuela cigars as well as a few others, like the Regalo for Mike at Leaf and Ale. If you'd like to try some of their cigars here's a link to their site where they have a shop locator, or if you're in Atlanta stop by La Casa del Tabaco. Dog Watch Cigar Radio recently featured Eddy's E. Zarazuela cigar as a cigar of the week. We started chatting about that and I wanted to try one of the cigars, so...On to the cigar review!

E. Zarzuela Torpedo

Size: 6 1/8" x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Cuban seed Nicaraguan and Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Price: $7.55/ea

PRE-LIGHT
This is a gorgeous cigar, slightly mottled in light to medium brown. A firm cigar with a slightly dry shiny wrapper. It cut easily and the cold draw was excellent, just a slight resistance, and produced rich and sweet tobacco flavors.

SMOKING
What a great cigar! Mildly complex with some spice, sweetness and slight oakiness that mingled throughout. The burn quality was good overall requiring a minor touch up or two. I enjoyed this cigar while on an eHerf and got over 2 hours of smoke time out of it. The cigar produced rich plumes of smoke and was never stingy on the draw.

THE STATS
Smoke Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Appearance: 10
Construction: 9
Burn Quality: 9
Flavor: 18
Overall: 91

Thanks to Tim for a great review. I should note that Leaf & Ale carries a good range of cigars from E. Zarzuela Cigar Company, including the Zarzuela and EZ lines in the most popular shapes.

Guest Review: Illusione Epernay Le Elegance

2009-07-10T07:06:00.002-04:00

By Bill Featherston, Overland Park, Kansas

Bill posts in one of the cigar forums I frequent, CigarOutcasts, under the name ER Doc. He recently reviewed the Illusione Epernay Le Elegance and has kindly allowed me to use his review here.

Cigar Information
Vitola/Size: Illusione Epernay Le Elegance (5 3/4 x 40)
Wrapper: Cafe Rosado
Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo or Corojo 99
Price: $8.35

Pre-Smoke
Appearance: rugged; white label with gold writing
Wrapper Color: reddish brown
Feel: firm

Smoke
Taste - initial 3rd: spice, spice, spice; hints of wood, but overpowered by spice
Taste - middle 3rd: same
Taste - final 3rd: picked up in power some, but still heavy black pepper spice
Strength: medium to full
Feeling: full; not very creamy, but heavy in the mouth
Draw: perfect
Finish: long with spice
Construction: good construction, but required multiple relights

Liked It: It was good, but I'm not a fan of overly powerful cigars - which I felt this was
Buy It Again: Probably not for myself, but would make a nice gift for someone else
Recommend It: Yes - for those that like powerful cigars with strong black pepper spice

Kegerator Givaway with Oliva Cigars

2009-07-03T10:39:00.004-04:00

Leaf & Ale and Oliva Cigars have teamed up to give away a home kegerator beer system! This system comes complete with the keg cooler box, Oliva tap handle, Co2 tank (empty) and we'll even throw in a keg of beer!

Just buy Oliva cigars from now until July 31st, 2009. Buy any 6 Oliva cigars and get 1 ticket to win the keg box. Buy any bundle or box of Oliva cigars and you'll get 10 tickets to win the keg box. The more Oliva cigars you buy, the better your chances to win. Just stop by Leaf & Ale for details.

What: Oliva Kegerator Givaway
When: July 31st, 1-7pm
Where: Leaf & Ale, 9290 Kingston Pike, Knoxville
Cost: Free to attend, but cigar purchase is required to be entered into contest to win the kegerator.

Acid Cigars: Everything You Wanted To Know In Under 6 Minutes

2009-06-20T22:16:00.004-04:00

Let me start by saying that a lot of hardcore cigar lovers scoff at flavored or "infused" cigars. Hey, different strokes for different folks. Cigars from Drew Estate are usually not my first choice, but their Root and Kuba Kuba are a couple exceptions to that rule. Every one I have smoked has been truly enjoyable. That being said, we sell a lot of Drew Estate and Acid cigars at my store, Leaf & Ale. And you can't argue with success.

We invited (OK, he forced himself on us) Rick Ardito of Drew Estate to come on by for a little cigar party and expose some cigar lovers to Drew Estate and Acid Cigars. I cornered Rick for a quick video interview to let you know, in less than 6 minutes, what makes Drew Estate and Acid Cigars different from other cigars on store shelves.

Tons of thanks to Rick and the crew at Drew Estate cigars for agreeing to come out and hang with us for a few hours and talk cigars with our friends and customers. If you are a Drew/Acid fan, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment here.

Jose Pepin Garcia Video Interview, Part 2

2009-06-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

Here is part 2 of my interview with Pepin Garcia during his stop at our store, Leaf & Ale, in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 6th. Again we have provided subtitles, as the audio is sometimes hard to hear and Pepin speaks through an interpreter.

As always, your comments are welcomed.

Jose Pepin Garcia Video Interview

2009-06-09T13:34:00.004-04:00

If you follow anything we do here at Leaf & Ale, you already know that we were fortunate enough to have Jose Pepin Garcia make a trip to Knoxville for a wonderful Saturday afternoon of food, fun and cigars. I managed to get Pepin for a few minutes to ask him some questions about his business, his family, and what you might expect to see from El Rey de los Habanos in the future.

This is part one of two. Please check back for part two and find out what the future holds for Jose and the cigars that bare his name.

Thanks again to all who joined us for the Pepin celebration, and especially to Mr. Garcia himself, John Gonzalez, ERDH National Sales Manager and Taven Johnson of Weeks & Associates. I would also like to thank M&M BBQ on Middlebrook Pike for the great food and Topside Wine and Spirits for the promotional help (and the rum!).

New Cigar Coming From Pepin Garcia?

2009-06-06T23:05:00.012-04:00

Pepin Garcia made it to Knoxville for our BBQ Party at Leaf & Ale on June 6th. Even though Pepin and his posse were almost an hour late because of a speeding ticket in North Carolina, eager cigar lovers waited anxiously for his arrival. Pepin didn't disappoint them.

During the course of the day, I had the opportunity to speak with Pepin about different things that he has planned, as well as the cigar business in general. One of the more interesting things that came up is the subject of new tobacco. On their farms in Nicaragua, Pepin is using a strain of Cuban seed that has been banned for use in Cuba because of it's difficulty to grow properly. It is highly susceptible to blue mold and because of that, the Cuban government has forbidden it's use. Pepin says he has the right people overseeing his fields and is confident that smokers will be thrilled with the cigars that will feature this tobacco. The wrappers could possibly be maduro when final curing is finished, but beyond that, he would not get specific.

My first cigar of the day was the DPG Blue Label Fundadore Lancero. I started this stick while we were finishing arrangements for the party that morning. I smoked it till just after 1:00pm when Pepin arrived. I had the pleasure of enjoying 4 more Pepin-made smokes during the course of the next 5 hours; My Father Belicoso, Tabacos Baez Fabuloso, another My Father Eminente and finished with a Vegas Cubanas Corona. After smoking several Pepin cigars over the course of about 7 hours, it was easy to see why I have zeroed in on the My Father and Tabacos Baez line of cigars. They just fit the flavor profile that I am really enjoying lately and every one of them I smoked was just fabulous.

Since we're on the subject of the My Father cigars, Don Pepin opened up a bit about what that cigar means to him. You may have read about Pepin's son, Jaime, who had the idea for the My Father and personally blended it, had them rolled, had the box art designed... all without Pepin's knowledge. As a person who is very involved in every aspect of his company, you can imagine how difficult this was for Jaime to pull off. After all, he wanted it to be a surprise. It was only after a worker at the factory asked Pepin where the boxes were for the new cigar that he finally got tipped off. He was obviously concerned and confronted his son about the "new" cigar. When Jaime finally presented the cigar to his father and told him what he was doing, Pepin told me that he was emotionally overwhelmed. His eyes welled up a bit as he looked at the ground so a few of us standing around would not see. There was not a man more proud of a son that day than Pepin. The My Father Series clearly has a special place in his heart and he is probably more proud of that cigar than of any he has rolled himself.

Check out my video interview with Pepin in my last post. As always, your comments are always welcome. If you know other cigar lovers who are Pepin fans, please pass this on to them. Just click the "Share" box in the upper right hand corner of our blog. Thanks!

Pepin Garcia Comes to Knoxville, TN June 6th

2009-05-23T09:31:00.010-04:00

As we are now less than two weeks away, I wanted to give you another preview of the man most responsible for the resurgence of full-bodied, Cuban style cigars; Jose Pepin Garcia.

Garcia is only making 4 appearances in the Southeast this year, and one of them will be at Leaf & Ale on Saturday, June 6th. He will be here from noon till 6 and we will be offering special deals on all Don Pepin Garcia branded cigars, including Buy 4 Get 1 Free, Buy a Box, Get a 5-Cigar Pepin Sampler Free, and 25% off full boxes of Pepin cigars.

His brands include, DPG Blue, DPG Black Label, DPG Serie JJ, My Father, El Rey de Los Habanos, and Vegas Cubanas. Brands he produces for other companies include San Cristobal, Benchmade and La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial for Ashton; Tatuaje, Cabaiguan, Ambos Mundos and La Riqueza for Tatuaje Cigars; 601, Mi Barrio and Cubao for 601 Cigars as well as a small handful of others.

Join us for a relaxing day of music, food and fun. We'll have BBQ from Knoxville's BEST BBQ joint, M&M BBQ. We'll have music and drinks and prizes, too. You can meet Pepin in person and he will autograph boxes of cigars you purchase during the event. Our out-of-state friends can also participate! Call us on our toll free line during the event (877-56-CIGAR) and order any box of Pepin cigars and we'll have him autograph the box and we'll throw in the freebies, too!!

See more details about Pepin on our website at leafandale.com.

How To Host A Cigar Breakfast

2009-04-09T22:18:00.004-04:00

We started holding cigar breakfasts in the spring of 2008. The idea came from one of our cigar sales reps after he took part in one at another cigar store in Alabama. I liked the idea, so we ran with it. This is the 4th one we have hosted, and a great big "thanks" goes out to Ashton Cigars and our Ashton rep, Gus Merkle. We had some great door prizes and all attendees enjoyed an Ashton Magnum along with their breakfast.

Coming up next on the Leaf & Ale Event Calendar:
May 6th, Savinelli Cigar Event and Pipe Trunk Show. Great deals on all things Savinelli
June 6th, Don Pepin Garcia Cigar Party 12-6pm. The maker of DPG, Tatuaje, Cabaiguan, San Cristobal, 601, Cubao and more will make his only Tennessee stop at Leaf & Ale.
June 20th, 21st, Leaf & Ale at Avalon Golf Club Member/Guest Tournament
October 24th, Leaf & Ale at the 13th Annual Knoxville Brewers Jam.

Don't forget: Become a Fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Don Pepin Garcia In Knoxville

2009-03-27T00:08:00.002-04:00

The man behind some of the most popular cigars available today is making only 5 appearances in the Southeast this year. One of them will be at Leaf & Ale on Saturday, June 6th.

I first met Jose Pepin Garcia in 2006 as I watched him roll a cigar in the shape of a pipe! It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. In 2007 I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Pepin, Pete Johnson and several other people at Del Frisco's Steakhouse in Las Vegas. It was there that I first heard him sing. When Pepin sings, he has the attention of the whole room!

He is one of the most enjoyable people that I have ever met in the cigar business. He also has the gift of being able to blend some of the worlds best cigars. You've probably had several of them but didn't even know it; Tatuaje, Cabaiguan, San Cristobal, La Aroma de Cuba Edition Especial, Benchmade, 601, Cubao, Los Imperialista and his own brands such as Don Pepin Garcia, El Rey de los Habanos and My Father.

If you reside in Knoville, please put this event on your calendar. Pepin will be at Leaf & Ale all day and we'll provide music, BBQ, cigars and live singing by Pepin himself!

Cigar Review: Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve Toro

2009-03-04T13:26:00.011-05:00

-Guest Review by Bill Campbell

Cigars are my passion! So much of a passion that I have a pretty well developed palate to discern a really great cigar from that of a dime store rip-off. I’ve worked as a tobacconist for over 10 years and I have seen cigars come and go- mostly go. Every cigar rep that I have come in contact with has promised that his cigar is the “Real Deal”, that their smoke is the best smoke on the market and all his customers are wanting to buy boxes and boxes. Most of the cigars out there are good ones, but rarely are there great ones- especially hiding in a well stocked humidor like the one at Knoxville's Leaf & Ale. Believe me when I tell you that I was dead wrong about the Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve! I have passed over this stogie time and time again thinking that it was just another big name brand full of hot air. I thought that this particular cigar didn’t have the moxie to be called a great cigar. Let me tell you how I was knocked on my butt by this brute and now cal this divine cigar one of my new best friends.

The other day Leaf & Ale owner Mike Nelson tossed me this dark and oily Nicaraguan brute and said, “Chew on this. You’ll like it!” Never to turn down a free smoke I hurriedly had that stogie clipped, sparked and burning between my lips without so much a bat of the eye, never bothering to read the band the of cigar I was smoking.

WOW!!! What was this!?! This is no DOG-ROCKET!!! What am I smoking!?! Mike, where in the heck have you been hiding this baby!?!

It tasted good- I mean real good! Before I looked to see what I was smoking, I knew that this cigar had some profoundly earthy qualities, yet it was also very smooth in the way it tasted. It was bold with a hint of a pungent dark chocolate bouquet and at the same time it was creamy like a fine Dominican should be. I am definitely a fan a fuller bodied smokes and I was not disappointed in this selection that I was now enjoying.

The Nicaraguan binder and wrapper added to the deep richness of the expertly snug roll of this fine hand-made cigar. There were no stems or plugs to thwart a good inch and a half ash that was a bright white when I finally let it fall end over end into the ashtray. Then as my eyes rolled into the back of my head just like a great white shark sinking their teeth into its pray; I smoked this gem all the way down to the nub loving every minute of it!

When I awoke from my tobacco induced coma I glanced over at what was left of the well singed leather brown band to find out that this cigar was made by one of the more popular cigar companies in the world. I normally try to avoid the big name brands, but Altadis U.S.A. has hit a home run with their Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve. It’s not just another one dimensional stogie, but it is near perfection in taste, quality and construction. So impressed were my taste buds after smoking this cigar, that it may soon be one of my favorite go-to smokes; even besting the Padron 6000 I love in taste and value for the price.

The next time you stop by Leaf & Ale you need to try out one of these exquisite blends. Not because of some ad in a magazine or what some cigar representative might be trying to sell you, but because if you don’t then you’ll be kicking yourself just like me. I learned my lesson! Never again will I ignore this gorgeous little spice bomb and I personally hope you won’t ether.

Cigar Review: Los Imperialista Torpedo by Pepin Garcia

2009-02-27T11:20:00.021-05:00

Just before the end of 2008, a man named Jesse Wills called me to let me know about a cigar brand he had that was made for him by Jose Pepin Garcia. Many of you know Garcia as the man behind the scenes of such brands as Tatuaje, Cabaiguan, San Cristobal, 601, Cubao and others. When Mr. Wills told me that Pepin Garcia had been producing a brand for him since 2003, my ears perked up.

Los Imperialista was originally rolled at Pepin's El Rey de los Habanos factory in Miami's Little Havana district long before Garcia became the wunderkind of the cigar world. Even today, as far as I can tell, Los Imperialista Cigars are only available at a hand full of retailers in the Southeast and remains very hard to find.

The Nicaraguan wrapper is gorgeous, with very few veins. The band is very ornate. Overall this is a very good looking cigar.

It is hard to pin down the flavors of Los Imperialista, but the characteristics are unmistakably Nicaraguan. The flavors tend to be woody at times, too. In the interest of full disclosure, I am an unabashed fan of all cigars made by Pepin Garcia. And this cigar does not disappoint this Pepin fan. I have read a few reviews where the reviewer had burn problems. As you can tell from the pictures, I did not have that problem while smoking this Torpedo, and have not had that problem on the half dozen other Los Imperialista cigars I have smoked.

I didn't notice any real change in the flavor profile as I smoked this cigar. As a matter of fact, I thought it was pretty straight-forward from start to finish. Not real fancy, but this cigar definitely showcases the extreme commitment to quality that Jose Garcia demands from his rollers.

The flavor profile of this cigar falls between the Cubao (from the guys at 601 Cigars) and the Tatuaje Havana VI (Red Label) cigars. I won't bore you with a flowery description of the flavor nuances (I didn't notice any flavors of pencil lead, cinnamon, nutmeg, earth or leather!), but I can tell you that this was an enjoyable cigar for the money. At $6.75-$7.25, Los Imperialista is a bargain cigar, when many Pepin-made sticks run much higher than that.

Vitolas: Robusto, Toro, Torpedo & Churchill
Rating: B
Price: $7.00
Overall: Recommended for fans of Nicaraguan cigars and Pepin cigars
Availability: In-store at Leaf & Ale now. Online at Leafandale.com week of March 1st.

Staying Connected: Keeping Up With the Times

2009-02-24T10:27:00.003-05:00

Technology is changing so fast, and in the cigar, tobacco and beer business it's no different. We are not immune to the way the internet has changed over the last several years. So this guy, who's high school only had 1 computer class, is doing his best to keep up with the fast-paced changes the internet is bringing.

Leaf & Ale has had a presence on the web since early 1998. We finally added e-commerce in 2004. These days, not even that is enough. So we've also jumped into the social networking scene with our own blog added in 2008 and now we've joined the Facebook and Twitter bandwagon in 2009.

If you would like to follow Leaf & Ale on Facebook and Twitter, you will find the links just to the right in our "Favorite Links" section. I will try to keep updates as pertinent as possible, and we may even make some special offers to fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter. We will also use this technology to keep you informed on special arrivals and events. The Good Life Cigar Blog is also imported into Facebook as well.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Tobacco & Alcohol Taxes: Leaf & Ale's Mike Nelson on WVLT Channel 8 News

2009-02-12T13:19:00.005-05:00

With the SCHIP tax increase on the April 1st, 2009 horizon, prices on premium cigars and tobacco will be on the rise. Now the state of Tennessee is talking alcohol and tobacco tax increases to help shore up our budget shortfall.

WVLT Knoxville's Gordon Boyd stopped by Leaf & Ale to ask my opinion about the upcoming federal increase, as well as the new talk in Nashville about possible state tobacco and alcohol tax increases.

Thanks to Gordon Boyd and the folks at WVLT Volunteer TV Channel 8 in Knoxville for seeking out our opinions on the subject.

Cigar Video: Rolling at Leaf & Ale, Knoxville

2009-02-05T18:35:00.012-05:00

Back in 2007 we invited the Carlos Torano Cigar Company to come to Knoxville to promote their cigars and bring a cigar roller to our store. Torano's sales representative, Armando Lipido, also came along for the event. Armando is one of the best guys in the cigar business today. He provided so much excellent advice and education to our customers about Torano cigars.

In this video, he gives a brief narration on how a premium cigar is finished, after the bunching has been done and the binder has been applied. Armando and our Grade 7 Master Roller from the Torano Cigar Factory in Nicaragua guide you through the process involved in putting the all important wrapper leaf on the cigar and getting it ready to smoke.

Enjoy, and look for more video from Leaf & Ale soon, including short video reviews of beer, cigars, pipes and tobacco.

Dealing With The Realities of Cigar Theft

2009-02-04T22:26:00.002-05:00

I have read dozens of posts on cigar forums over the years about "B&M Pet Peeves," (B&M, for those that don't know, stands for Brick & Mortar cigar retailer). As is expected, the same comment always comes up about the guys who hate to be followed around in the humidor, and being watched as if they're about to steal the place blind. "It's an insult," "I'm a regular there," "blah blah blah."

We are in the middle of our inventory here at Leaf & Ale, and I am just becoming aware of how rampant theft has been at my store this past year. I will preface this by saying that it is largely my fault. I have this genuine belief that most everyone is good. Especially MY customers. "Yes, there is some theft, but it's not too bad, and that's just the cost of doing business." That is what I have said for several years.

After taking inventory on just three brands, AVO, La Flor Dominicana and Oliva, our inventory numbers were off by an eye-popping 750 +/- cigars. Remember, that is on just THREE brands. That is over $4,500.00 lost on just those three brands. That's over 30 boxes of cigars UNACCOUNTED FOR.

One of my sales reps said that a regular, 6 day-a-week customer at a store in Nashville has been stealing for years, and they just caught him. The customer drives a BMW and is a REGULAR at the store!!

Needless to say, I will be installing a video surveillance system ASAP, and we will begin watching people more closely and "working" in the humidor when there are several people in there at one time. This situation has absolutely made me sick. It is made even worse by the fact that I really believe that every customer is also my friend. And friends should not steal from you.

SCHIP 2009: Cigars, Socialism & Taxes.

2009-01-22T13:10:00.021-05:00

(taken in part from a press release from the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association)

The latest version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), HR2, has been officially introduced in House Ways & Means Committee. The industry compromise on the revised tax rate on large cigars has been incorporated into HR2. The new tax rate will be 52.4% with a maximum tax cap on any one cigar.

In previous versions of SCHIP legislation, the tax cap rate held at $3 per cigar. Your trade association and its federal lobbyists, working in conjunction with the Cigar Association of America, our industry came together to agressively challenge the distasterous, proposed $3 tax cap, and get the substantially reduced to the more sustainable 40-cent tax cap.

While HR2 looks to breeze through the House, it may have a slower journey through the Senate, though we do not expect any direct changes to the tax cap rate.

Here are the details of the bill:

The large cigar tax rate goes from just under .05 per stick to 52.4% with a .40 cap per cigar.
The cigarette tax rate goes from $.39 per pack to $1.00 per pack

The tax on snuff goes from $.585 per pound to $1.50 per pound
The tax on pipe tobacco goes from $1.0969 per pound to $2.8126 per pound;
The tax on RYO (roll-your-own tobacco) goes from $1.0969 per pound to $24.62 per pound (not a typo).
END OF PRESS RELEASE FROM IPCPR

The bottom line for cigar lovers:

You can expect the retail price of 99% of all premium, hand rolled cigars to increase by about .70-.75 cents per stick. The .40 tax will be built into the cost that the manufacturer charges the retailer. So for example purposes, it will be an $8.75 per box (25) increase to the retailer. The retailer will then apply his usual margin to arrive at the selling price. This will mean about an .70 to .75 cent increase per cigar. If you pay $5.00 for a cigar now, the new price after the tax increase will be close to $5.70. State tobacco taxes are NOT taken into account for this example.

The bottom line for cigarette smokers who roll their own:

It will be much too expensive to continue to roll your own cigarettes. You have Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds to thank for that. They saw to it that the tax rate on those who roll their own would be an onerous one. Their goal was to get lawmakers to make it cost-prohibitive for consumers to roll their own, thus forcing them to buy THEIR brands by the pack instead. In exchange, lawmakers agreed to keep the tax increase on cigarettes a fairly manageable one for big tobacco.

SCHIP will most certainly be signed by President Obama, and will likely become law effective April 1st.

I welcome your comments.

(Update: Feb 4th, 2009. SCHIP was signed into law by President Obama.)

Cigar Review: El Baton Double Torpedo

2009-01-13T14:31:00.021-05:00

Sometime in the middle of 2008, my sales rep from J.C. Newman/Arturo Fuente Cigars was in the store with Fuente & Newman's national sales rep. We were talking about new things on the horizon from J.C. Newman, and I mentioned that they needed to branch out a bit and create a more full bodied cigar that was affordable. I also mentioned that many Nicaraguan cigars are very popular today, including Tatuaje, Illusione and various cigars by Jose Pepin Garcia. The Fuente's don't make anything like this (up to that point Fuente produced every non-bundled cigar that Newman marketed under their names).

In August, J.C. Newman introduced El Baton. It is the first premium, non-bundled cigar that Newman DOES NOT have made by A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic. El Baton is made in a small factory in Nicaragua. El Baton is also the only cigar this factory makes. El Baton is currently available in one size only; 6.25 x 56 torpedo.

I will start with full disclosure. We sell this cigar at Leaf & Ale. We recommend this cigar at Leaf & Ale. It's price point of $5.85 makes it an extremely good value for those that enjoy Nicaraguan cigars with a medium to full bodied character. This is a lot of cigar for under $6.00.

El Baton starts strong and smooths out during the first 1/4 of the cigar. If you are a fan of Nicaraguan tobacco like I am, there is no mistaking the origins of this stick. Pre light construction is beautiful, with very few flaws in the gorgeous, dark brown wrappers.

I have smoked about a dozen of these cigars, and the one thing that really stands out is the nice, even burn. A few have gone a little crooked on me, but were easily corrected with a blast or two from my torch lighter.

If you are accustomed to cigars that have flavor profiles that change as you smoke, you will not find that in El Baton. El Baton is a straight-forward, no frills cigar. The flavor strength tends to build toward the band, but I think that is primarly due to the 56 ring guage of the cigar.

This is a big cigar. Bigger than I usually prefer. But I have smoked a bunch of these and keep coming back for more. I am a fan of many of the newer Nicaraguan cigars on the market today, many of which are made by Jose Pepin Garcia. Tatuaje, San Cristobal, Don Pepin, 601, Illusione and Cruzado all fall in line with where my palette is today. El Baton fits that mold for me. I would prefer a smaller size, but for the price, this cigar is a winner.

Rating: B+
Price: $5.85
Final Word: Recommended
Buy It Here: leafandale.com

New Year Brings New Cigars

2009-01-03T23:24:00.004-05:00

This is a blog in process. As we bring in 2009, we are also looking forward to new cigars. For our friends in the East Tennessee area, we will be bringing you some exclusive brands that will only be available at Leaf & Ale. For our friends outside of East Tennessee, I will be highlighting some newer cigars that you might be able to find on shelves at your local brick and mortar cigar retailer.

Two cigars of note for the new year are Black Patch Cigars and Los Imperialista Cigars.

Los Imperialista Cigars is the brainchild if Jesse Wills of Atlanta, Georgia. Los Imperialista cigars have been made by Jose Pepin Garcia since early 2003, way before Pepin became the darling of the cigar world after the introduction of Pete Johnson's Tatuaje cigars. Originally, Los Imperialista was made in Pepin's Miami factory, but are now made alongside San Cristobal, 601, Tatuaje Red Label and others in Pepin's Nicaragua factory. Look for a full review on Los Imperialista very soon.

Black Patch cigars have a business base in Kentucky, but are made in the Dominican Republic. The most notable thing about Black Patch cigars is the tobacco. Black Patch has the unique distinction of being the only premium, hand-made cigar available in the U.S. today to offer genuine Kentucky Broadleaf tobacco either in the blend, or as the wrapper for the cigars! The Kentucky Broadleaf really gives these cigars a unique taste and flavor profile. Look for a complete review on Black Patch cigars soon.

Sick of Happy Holidays

2008-12-18T11:01:00.002-05:00

It's been over two months since I've posted anything, and I really have no excuse. Blogging is one of those things that comes with the best of intentions by those that write them. Often times, everyday life get's in the way of keeping these things up to date.

So, it's official. I've had it. I am sick and tired of "Happy Holidays." I am sick of seeing "Winter Festival" trees advertised in newspapers and circulars. I am fed up with major companies going out of their way not to offend anyone.

I am a Christian and I make no apologies for that. This statement is in no way intended to slight anyone who is not a Christian, especially my Jewish and Muslim friends and customers. My only problem with some people who claim to be Christian, is that they are afraid to show their beliefs this time of year. Christmas is about Christ. Christmas is NOT about "doorbuster" deals at K-Mart. Christmas is not about Black Friday and waiting in line to buy something for $20 less than it cost the week before. These days, though, that is exactly what Christmas seems to be all about. Singing his praises at Church has been replaced by flipping people the bird because they cut you off in traffic on the way to the big sale at Wally World.

Customers at Leaf & Ale are greeted with a "Merry Christmas" when they walk in the door this time of year. If we somehow neglect to say it and someone gives us the "happy holidays" first, we reply with Merry Christmas. You should see the looks on some peoples faces when you say it; they smile as if they've never heard it before and boldly reply, "Merry Christmas to you, too!"

So here's wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. Remember, Christmas is still one of the few things in this world that is free. Celebrate because this is OUR time of year.

Beer Review: Budweiser American Ale

2008-09-28T11:18:00.009-04:00

OK, so you're a micro-brew beer lover and you've heard that Anheuser-Busch is introducing the first ale to carry the Budweiser name. You are proud to say that you haven't drank a BudMillerCoors beer in more years than you can remember. You might even look down your nose at those who consider themselves "lovers of everything light." Just wait a minute.

I must say that after seeing TV commercials promoting the new brew from A-B, I was intrigued. Why? Because, as a beer retailer, I have seen dramatic price increases in micro-brewed and import beers in the last year alone. Skyrocketing fuel prices has increased transportation costs. That same increase in fuel prices also increases the price of everything else that relies on gasoline in one way or another during the production process. Hop prices have increased nearly ten-fold in some instances, as more and more farmers plow their hop crops under in favor of corn (because the government will PAY THEM to grow corn). Glass prices have risen dramatically over the last few years, primarily due to sharp increases in natural gas used in production. The drought in the U.S. and Europe over the last 2 years has also forced grain prices much higher. OK, so what does all this have to do with your interest in Budweiser Ale, you ask?

Anheuser-Busch is so large that they can bring good, flavorful, beer-lover beers to market for a fraction of the price of what small U.S. micro-brewers can. Now don't get me wrong. I don't believe that A-B or Miller/Coors will ever be as innovative as small American craft brewers. But for those of us that want to have a craft-style beer when we go out to eat, the choices are usually pretty bad unless you live in the Western U.S. How many times have you heard "Bud, Bud Light, Miller, Miller Lite, Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken..." as the standard answer to the "What beers do you have?" question. Budweiser American Ale could change that. If you really want a beer with dinner and can't stomach the watered-down light beer swill, you may have another choice.

Budweiser American Ale pours just like most other small, micro-brewed pale ales. It has a nice, copper/amber hue but with a faint hop aroma. The color and head of this beer would be one you would not expect from the King of Beers.

The taste was quite unexpected. Very nice malty notes and very decent hop bitterness for a pale ale. The hop notes were more reminiscent of British pale ales than American pale ales. The Brits generally aren't as assertive as their U.S. counter-parts when it comes to hopping. But overall, the hop and malt balance was nice. As the beer warmed in the glass, some of the more subtle flavors came out making this a very enjoyable beer.

On a 10 Point Scale
Aroma: 6 (needs more hop aroma for me)
Appearance: 9 (nice looking beer)
Flavor/Taste: 8 (very enjoyable, easy drinking)
Finish: 7 (nice mouth feel and lingering finish)

Overall Impression: For $5.99 a six pack... what's not to like. It stands up to many beers costing 3, 4 or 5 dollars more. I don't believe that because a beer comes from a tiny brewer and costs $10.00 a six pack that it is necessarily good beer. If a beer is good and you enjoy it then it doesn't matter what it costs. The fact that Budweiser American Ale is priced on par with A-B's Michelob brands is all the better. I liked it and I'm not afraid to say so!!

Nine Questions with Eddie Ortega of EO Brands/601 Cigars

2008-09-19T12:14:00.012-04:00

We continue our profile of cigar company owners who participated in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd.

This time around we chat with Eddie Ortega. Eddie and partner Erik Espinosa have put together one of the cigar industries most envied line-up of brands. Their flagship brand, 601 Cigars, is made in Nicaragua by the venerable Jose Pepin Garcia. Ortega and Espinosa recently released the highly touted Cubao and Mi Barrio line of cigars, also made by Pepin Garcia in Nicaragua.

Q: Where is your Smokers Paradise... the one place you would choose to have a great cigar?
Eddie Ortega: On South Beach.

Q: If it wasn't for the cigar business, what would you be doing today?
EO: I have no idea!

Q: What person, past or present, would you most like to have a cigar with?
EO: Jose Pepin Garcia.

Q: A Genie hands you a humidor filled with 100 cigars, none of which have bands. They are all different shapes, sizes and wrappers. How do you decide which one to smoke first?
EO: I'd look for the maduro box-pressed robusto.

Q: What cigar is your favorite size?
EO: Box-pressed robusto

Q: What is your favorite song of all time?
EO: Anything by Bob Marley.

Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?
EO: The Sixth Sense.

Q: What is your favorite food?
EO: Latin or Cuban

Q: Obama or McCain?
EO: Neither.

Eddie Ortega from EO/601 Cigars is one of 8 cigar company owners who took part in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd.

Nine Questions with Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars

2008-09-19T12:14:00.008-04:00

We continue our profile of cigar company owners who participated in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd.

This time around we chat with Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars. Illusione is one of the fastest rising cigars in the industry today. Giolito is also set to introduce his newest creation, Cruzado, at the end of September.

Q: Where is your Smokers Paradise... the one place you would choose to have a great cigar?
Dion Giolito: Anywhere I don't get the "hairy fisheye."

Q: If it wasn't for the cigar business, what would you be doing today?
DG: I went to the University of Oklahoma for music, so I'd be in the music business... probably playing drums for AC/DC!

Q: What person, past or present, would you most like to have a cigar with?
DG: Zino Davidoff.

Q: A Genie hands you a humidor filled with 100 cigars, none of which have bands. They are all different shapes, sizes and wrappers. How do you decide which one to smoke first?
DG: I'd grab the corona's first.

Q: What cigar is your favorite size?
DG: Corona Gorda

Q: What is your favorite song of all time?
DG: Anything by the Greenhorns.

Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?
DG: Ed Wood

Q: What is your favorite food?
DG: Indian

Q: Obama or McCain?
DG: Teddy Roosevelt.

Dion Giolito from Illusione Cigars is one of 8 cigar company owners who took part in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd.

Nine Questions With Mike Chiusano of Dom Rey/Cusano Cigars

2008-08-15T16:08:00.004-04:00

We continue our profile of the participants in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner, which is set to happen on August 23rd, 2008.

This time around we chat with Mike Chiusano of Dom Rey Cigars. Dom Rey is the parent company that makes Cusano Cigars and the Cuvee line of cigars. They have just released the Cuvee Rouge and Cuvee 151 line of cigars, as well as Cusano Habano Sungrown and Cusano Cameroon.

Q: Where is your Smokers Paradise... the one place you would choose to have a great cigar?
Mike Chiusano: An Airport! It seems that that is where I am most of the time.

Q: If it wasn't for the cigar business, what would you be doing today?
MC: I'd be in school.

Q: What person, past or present, would you most like to have a cigar with?
MC: Zino Davidoff.

Q: A Genie hands you a humidor filled with 100 cigars, none of which have bands. They are all different shapes, sizes and wrappers. How do you decide which one to smoke first?
MC: The darkest lancero in the box.

Q: What cigar is your favorite size?
MC: lancero

Q: What is your favorite song of all time?
MC: The song title doesn't come to mind, but it's by the Stompers. "When I Wake Up," I think.

Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?
MC: Scarface

Q: What is your favorite food?
MC: Asian

Q: Obama or McCain?
MC: McCain.

Mike Chiusano from Don Rey Cigars is one of 8 cigar company owners who will take part in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd. For more details, or to secure your seat at the dinner, go to our website, www.leafandale.com, or call our store at 866-327-5031.

Nine Questions With Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars

2008-08-15T15:55:00.003-04:00

We continue our profile of the participants in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner, which is set to happen on August 23rd, 2008.

Today, we feature Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars. Tatuaje's sudden rise in popularity over the past few years is due to the vision of Pete Johnson, and the cigar making prowess of Jose "Pepin" Garcia. Together, this team has produced one of the most in-demand cigars today.

Johnson spent most of the 80's in a rock and roll band in LA, and eventually wound up running the day to day operations at the Grand Havana Room in Los Angeles. It was that job that began a quick ride to the top of the cigar business.

Q: Where is your Smokers Paradise... the one place you would choose to have a great cigar?
Pete Johnson: In the middle of a vineyard in France.

Q: If it wasn't for the cigar business, what would you be doing today?
PJ: In the clothing industry or the music business.

Q: What person, past or present, would you most like to have a cigar with?
PJ: Anyone who is willing to listen to my bullshit!

Q: A Genie hands you a humidor filled with 100 cigars, none of which have bands. They are all different shapes, sizes and wrappers. How do you decide which one to smoke first?
PJ: Anything in the corona gorda size, with a nice, oily wrapper.

Q: What cigar is your favorite size?
PJ: corona gorda,

Q: What is your favorite song of all time?
PJ: "My Michelle" by Guns n Roses.

Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?
PJ: That's close. Tin Cup with Kevin Costner or The Devils Rejects by Rob Zombie!

Q: What is your favorite food?
PJ: Bacon

Q: Obama or McCain?
PJ: Ron Paul.

Pete Johnson is one of 8 cigar company owners who will take part in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd. For more details, or to secure your seat at the dinner, go to our website, www.leafandale.com, or call our store at 866-327-5031.

Nine Questions with Camacho's Christian Eiroa

2008-08-11T12:02:00.003-04:00

We wanted to profile the participants in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner, which is set to happen on August 23rd, 2008. Here is the first of those short Q&A sessions.

Today, we are featuring Christian Eiroa of Camacho Cigars. Christian is the son of Camacho founder, Julio Eiroa. Julio runs most of the operations in Honduras, while Christian is responsible for most of the day-to-day operations here in the states. He is becoming more and more involved in blending new brands as well. Camacho's highly successful Triple Maduro series was Christians idea, from the first blends to the final product that is on store shelves today.

Q: Where is your Smokers Paradise... the one place you would choose to have a great cigar?
Christian Eiroa: The Camacho Cigar Bar at Comerica Park (Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.

Q: If it wasn't for the cigar business, what would you be doing today?
CE: I'd be a pilot, flying airplanes.

Q: What person, past or present, would you most like to have a cigar with?
CE: Howard Hughes.

Q: A Genie hands you a humidor filled with 100 cigars, none of which have bands. They are all different shapes, sizes and wrappers. How do you decide which one to smoke first?
CE: I pick the one that smells like a dirty gym sock!

Q: What cigar is your favorite size?
CE: 5x50 Robusto

Q: What is your favorite song of all time?
CE: One Thing Leads to Another, by the Fixx.

Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?
CE: The Godfather II.

Q: What is your favorite food?
CE: Kobe Beef.

Q: Obama or McCain?
CE: McCain.

Christian Eiroa is one of 8 cigar company owners who will take part in our 2nd Annual Manufacturer's Cigar Dinner on August 23rd. For more details, or to secure your seat at the dinner, go to our website, www.leafandale.com, or call our store at 866-327-5031.

IPCPR; The Good & The Bad

2008-07-22T11:52:00.002-04:00

The Good:

One of the best reasons to attend the annual trade show known as the IPCPR (formerly the RTDA) is the opportunity to strengthen the relationships with the people you do business with. While there are certainly some good deals to be had, most of the show specials and discounts can be had before and after the show. For me, it's all about the relationships.

This is also a good time to form new relationships with cigar companies that you have not done business with in the past. We were fortunate to have met the folks at Palio cutters and Flor de Gonzales Cigars for the first time. Palio makes one of the finest cigar cutters in the world, and they also introduced Esencia Cigars. This is going to be a cigar to watch in the coming years, and we feel lucky to be on the ground floor of this great brand.

Flor de Gonzales has factories in Miami and Nicaragua. Their Miami made cigars rival any cigar made today, and their 15 Anniversario was the best cigar I smoked during the show. We are proud to be able to offer their Miami made cigars at Leaf & Ale.

And finally, after years of being behind the 8-ball, General Cigar has introduced 3 full bodied cigars with incredible complexity and flavor. The Cohiba Puro Dominicana, Macanudo 1968 and Excalibur Legend all rank as some of the best cigars from this company that I have ever smoked. Yes... Macanudo!! That is not a typo.

The Bad:

One of the biggest problems for retailers is that most of the larger cigar companies still do not make appointments to see you at the show. This creates quite a problem with popular folks like CAO and Rocky Patel. Their booths are always very crowded, so it's easy to waste a lot of time making repeated trips across the showroom to see "your guy," only to find him tied up and you having to make another return trip. I will once again implore those companies that have yet to do it; Please make appointment times mandatory. General Cigar, Fuente, Ashton and Davidoff have all done this and it's time you did as well. These companies have found a small way to save us a bit of time at this fast-paced show, and for that, thank you.

I mentioned this in a previous post, but this goes out to retailers who attend the show. It is not good form to smoke a cigar from company "A," when you are talking to company "B." It's rude, so quit. And while we're on that subject, put out the Opus X. We know you're cooler than anyone else there, so quit with the, "look at me!" routine.

While there is no "dress code" for the IPCPR show, you should know better. Guys who show up looking like they are headed to the beach is just plain ridiculous. Hawaiian shirts, cut-offs and flip flops say a lot about you... and none of it good. Come looking like a professional... not a professional surfer.

Finally, I implore the IPCPR people to make the show 3 days long, instead of the goofy half day on the fourth day. The show opens at 10 and closes at 5, except for the last day when the show opens at 9 and closes at 1. Open the show at 9 during the first 3 days and get rid of the final day. If saves everyone money and time, and you would only lose 1 hour of business.

If you attended the show, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

A Day At The IPCPR Trade Show

2008-07-20T08:48:00.010-04:00

The IPCPR (formerly the RTDA) trade show, has come to a close. While many outside of this business think this kind of trip is a dream come true for cigar lovers, the reality is that it's 3+ days of very hard work. "C'mon, you've got to be kidding me!" you say. OK, it's not all work and no play. Here's a typical day.

The show opens at 10 a.m. so you are up by 8 to get ready and get some breakfast. At breakfast, we discuss our appointments for the day and lay out a hit list of vendors that we want to see and people that we want to talk to. Responsibilities are split up, with the majority of those landing in my lap. As the owner of Leaf & Ale (a B&M to some of you), it's my ultimate decision on what, when and how much to buy.

We usually have a smoke with our coffee after breakfast and finish up our hit list for the day and discuss the cigar we are having with breakfast. Usually it's a new one on our list that we are considering bringing into the shop. On the second morning, this cigar was the 15 Anniversario by Flor de Gonzales. Even one week after the show, this is still, by far, the best cigar I smoked from the show. By 10 a.m. it's time to hit the show floor and bust our butts for the rest of the day.

While it is true that there are many cigars smoked during the day of the show, it's difficult to really appreciate a cigar while you are "working." And if you happen to get a cigar going that's really good, invariably you have to put it out when you get to your next stop or your next appointment. Others may disagree, but I believe that it's not good form to smoke someone else's cigar at another companies' booth. And in my book, there are no exceptions to that rule. On a side note, one of my biggest pet peeves are people who think they somehow "rise above the crowd," by smoking prestigious cigars throughout the show. You know them because they always have an Opus X, Fuente Anejo, Tatuaje Black, Cuban, or some other hard-to-find cigar hanging out of their mouth. OK, we see you and you're cool. Now stop it already.

By 5:00, it's time to wrap up and gather your thoughts and notes and begin to make plans for that evening. Several cigar manufacturers have hospitality suites, dinners and such after hours. While many have blogged and posted about the parties, big crowds and the Vegas heat are not the right combination for me. I prefer smaller get-togethers. Ashton puts on one of the finest dinners for their customers, and we were delighted to be invited for a second year in a row.

I usually like to reserve one night for a nice dinner with the guys who attend the show with me. This year we had a great dinner at Samba. Samba is one of the nicest restaurants at the Mirage Hotel, featuring Brazilian food. The steak was absolutely fantastic. This restaurant is highly recommended if you are ever in Vegas.

I'm not much of a gambler, but I do like the roulette tables. My total winnings for this year: -$100.00. OK, so I'm not very good, but it's fun nonetheless.

IPCPR Trade Show is Here

2008-07-13T10:23:00.005-04:00

For those of us in the business, it's hard to remember the new name of the largest retail tobacco dealers trade association; The International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers. The old name, RTDA (Retail Tobacco Dealers of America), apparently scared some people because of the horrible word "tobacco" in the title. At any rate, it's the time of year when thousands of members of this organization gather to get a look at new products, take advantage of special discounts, and renew or strengthen our relationships with our vendors.

Once again this year, I will be looking for new products that cigar and pipe smokers will find useful. I will also be looking for the next big thing. The problem is, you just never know what that's going to be. It might be a new cigar company; it might be a new accessory; or it might be an up-and-coming pipe maker. You just never know. If it was that easy to pick the next big thing, I would have invested in Rubik's Cube, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Beanie Babies and Hannah Montana.

In the cigar world, the trend is still toward fuller flavored, fuller bodied cigars. I have said this before and will say it again here. Seven or 8 years ago when Macanudo introduced the Macanudo Robust, they really missed the boat. No one can argue with the success of the Macanudo brand. They had a great opportunity to be on the leading edge of what would become a widespread trend, and they completely missed the boat. As an old-timer once told me, "you can put kittens in the oven, but that doesn't make 'em biscuits." The Macanudo Robust is... well... not!

While there is still no shortage of large ring guage cigars (witness the popularity of Nub), many cigar makers are going back to traditional sizes, including the almost extinct lancero, or panatella size. For years one of Macanudo's most popular sellers has been the Portofino. I'm not sure if it was because it was available in a tube, or because of the size. Now, we offer no less than 10 different lancero cigars from 7 different companies. That is the widest variety available since we opened in 1997.

So off I go to see what the future holds for lovers of cigars and pipes. I will report those finding right here on this blog within a few days of my return on July 18th. Until then, happy puffing.

-Mike

Shameless Cigar Promotion

2008-06-07T09:20:00.010-04:00

Editorializing isn't easy. Shameless promotion is easy! Anyone can blog all day about what they have that's the latest and greatest. Anyone can blog about what's on sale and why they're the best place in the free world to do business with. This is one of those posts.

It's been three months between posts, and there have been a few new things hit the shelves at Leaf & Ale, as well as other retailers across the nation. Here's a few.

Tempus by Alec Bradley: The trend in the cigar business today is definitely toward fuller flavored cigars and more traditional sizes. Alan Rubin, Owner of Alec Bradley Cigars, knows this well. When he was shown a small tobacco field on the Honduran and Nicaraguan border in 2001, he realized that it was something special. He began buying only the best wrapper leaf from that small farm and knew that it would be used in a very special cigar... but only in due time. That cigar is here now.

Tempus is made in Honduras and features a Honduran Criollo wrapper, Nicaraguan and Honduran binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. It is available in five popular sizes, including a lancero.

I have smoked the lancero and corona sizes and really enjoyed both. In my opinion, they are very reminiscent of Illusione and Don Pepin Black Label. They are priced between $7 and $9 dollars, and at that price, they are well worth a try for those who like a fuller bodied smoke. This is not an early morning smoke, so have a little food in your tummy!
Rating: A-
Final Word: Highly Recommended

Nub Cigars: Nub is the brainchild of Sam Leccia, who spent several years in the liquor distribution business before joining Oliva Cigar Company as a sales representative in the Upper Midwest.

After learning from the Oliva family how cigars are rolled, Sam and the Oliva's created “nubs”, which is a concept that seeks to deliver only that most enjoyable part of the cigar. The theory behind nubs is that the "sweet spot" of a cigar is in the 3 1/2 to 4 inch range. Ring gauges of nubs range from 56-66, resulting in a range of cigars that have the same amount of tobacco as any Churchill or even Presidente.

The only real way to understand a nub is to smoke one. The cigar starts at the sweet spot and gets better from there. Some say "bunk." I say, "try one and see!"

The cigar is available in three wrappers: Habano, Cameroon, and Connecticut. There are three sizes shared by all wrappers plus an additional size which is unique to each wrapper. The flavor range is from mild to full. Prices range from $4.50-$6.50.

I have smoked all wrappers and in my opinion, the Connecticut and Habano are the better of the three. The Connecticut is a nice, mild smoke... just what you would expect from that wrapper. The Habano, which I am told uses the same wrapper that Oliva puts on it's Serie V, is peppery and bold. The Cameroon nubs left me a bit flat. It was uneventful and one-dimensional.

Based on customer feedback of in-store sales at Leaf & Ale, most nub smokers who have tried them, love them and usually repeat buy. About 25% of those that have tried them were indifferent and may or may not smoke another one. And, of course, a few just didn't like them.

Rating: Connecticut B+, Habano A-, Cameroon B
Final Word: Recommended.
Shameless Plug: Leaf & Ale hosts a Nub Launch Event Thursday, June 12th, from 4-8pm. Sam Leccia will be on hand rolling nubs for customers in store.

If you have tried the Alec Bradley Tempus or Nub, let me know what you think.

The Perils of Blogging In Business

2008-06-07T08:51:00.004-04:00

First, for the few of you who check here regularly, or subscribe to this blog feed, let me start by saying, "I'm sorry."

Any good PR person with interest in the internet will tell you that blogs must be updated regularly in order to be useful, both for the writer and the subscriber. I agree. They will tell you that one of the major pitfalls of hosting a blog is that it's easy to get lazy and let it slide. I also agree. I think blogging is easier for those that do it as a hobby, ABOUT their hobby. I think it is more difficult for those like me who blog about our business as an information, public relations and customer service tool. The fact is, by the end of the day we just want to leave work at work. Since we usually blog at nights and on weekends... when we're trying to relax and enjoy the family a little, it's easy to let it slide. I promise to do better.

I read somewhere that there are thousands and thousands of business owners jumping on the blogging bandwagon as a way to stay in touch with their customers and cultivate new ones. In that same article (I think it was a blog!) the author also stated that most of those eventually quit, or post new articles so infrequently, that readers just quit subscribing or checking for new material. That makes a lot of sense. I don't like it, but it makes a lot of sense. The author surmised that time constraints are the biggest deterrent for the new blogger in keeping their blog updated. Amen, brother!

So what's the answer? Well, we all know what the answer is, but that doesn't make it any easier. If you want to do something well, you have to invest the time and energy into the project in order for it to be successful. And even then, success is not guaranteed. Sometimes there just isn't any more time left and something gets put on the back burner.

When I decided to start blogging as a way to keep cigar, beer, pipe and tobacco lovers (as well as my customers) informed on the latest news, the latest reviews, and the behind-the-scenes workings at a retail cigar store, I made a commitment to do just that. Lately I haven't been holding up my end of the bargain. I am making a commitment to blog at least once per week. It's been almost three months since my last post, so I may be going way out on a limb, here.

Do you blog? Have you had issues keeping material fresh? Do you have a favorite blog that doesn't do a great job of keeping new material posted (other than here!)? Let me know what you think.

Cigar Prices On The Rise

2008-03-02T11:46:00.006-05:00

Just take a look around you. Gasoline is over $3.00 a gallon. Milk is over $4.00 a gallon and it seems like you can't buy a decent car for under $20,000.00. Prices on everything you buy are going up. And they have been for some time. For those of us who enjoy a fine, handrolled cigar, prices are on the rise there, too. But what's driving the increases?

In Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega has instituted a mandatory 15% wage increase every year. So most Nicaraguan products that are exported to the United States will be increasing in price.

Some of the popular brands that are hiking prices are Don Pepin Garcia (one of the larger increases I've seen in awhile at almost 20%), Illusione, Cusano, La Flor Dominicana, and Ashton has one coming as well. The good news from Ashton is that they have another Don Pepin made cigar in the works that will retail in the $4 range. That will be a nice change.

Yes, the Pepin increase is what some of you have read, and it was a big one. Prices will go up around a buck a stick (around $25 a box). This increase is in effect for El Rey de los Habanos brands, and not necessarily for brands he makes for other people, such as Ashton and Tatuaje. I have not heard of an increase regarding San Cristobal, which Pepin makes for Ashton, so I can't comment on that brand at this time.

I have read on several cigar related forums that Tatuaje is also raising their prices. I am not sure where the Tatuaje price rumors started, but in speaking with them directly, there are NO PRICE INCREASES PLANNED at this time. I did read on another forum that Pete Johnson posted in that there will be an increase in the Tatuaje Black Label when they are released in the ceramic jar. The price increase will reflect the cost difference between the bundles that were shipped before Christmas, and the finished product in the jars. Obviously, the jars bare some expense that is passed on to the consumer. That is the only Tatuaje increase that I have heard of.

Maybe cigars aren't your real vice. Maybe it's coffee. That will be going up as well, and it doesn't matter what country it's from. As a traded commodity, coffee is bought and sold just like oil. I have been told by our roaster in Tampa that he has been absorbing price increases for so long, that he has to go up. You might see an increase by .50 to $1 a pound depending on where you get your coffee. Those increases may not kick in for several months, depending on how large their green bean supply is. Coffee futures (prices) have gone up over 25% in the last 18 months. Sooner or later you will see the effects of those increases.

Some people want to believe that most of these increases are driven by nothing more than greed. Oil closed over $103 a barrel on Friday. You are paying almost 33% more to fill up your car than you were paying this SAME TIME LAST YEAR! Now taking into account that it takes oil to run just about EVERYTHING we do and use, you can see why prices are going up on everything, not just cigars. It takes oil to make the cello they put cigars in and oil to make the shrink-wrap that goes around the box! The cigars have to get here from the 3rd world countries by boat or by plane, and either way, shipping huge containers isn't cheap.

Look for your favorite beer to be going up, too. Hop prices are three times what they were a year ago, and barley prices are going out of sight. Why? Because farmers are plowing under their hop and barley crops and jumping on the corn bandwagon because of its use in alternative fuels that are in demand right now. Why is milk $4-$5 a gallon? Because cows eat a lot of corn.

So I guess the only thing that continues to come down in price is technology. Maybe virtual cigars are the next big thing? Tell me what you think of rising cigar prices.

Cigar Myth#3: Hotties Sell Cigars

2008-02-15T23:57:00.003-05:00

Reality: Babes don't sell cigars, period. Look at the top 10 selling cigar brands in the nation today, like Macanudo, Arturo Fuente, Punch, Ashton, CAO, Padron and Romeo y Julieta. None of them use scantily-clad women in their advertising. Take a look at some of the hottest boutique brands in the U.S. today--Tatuaje, Illusione, Don Pepin Garcia, Padilla, and Zarzuela. Not a hottie in sight.

Yet some companies still use Hooters-esque models to ply their wares, both in print and, worse yet, at trade shows. One of the best examples of this is Heaven Cigars. This flavored cigar brand has nationwide distribution, but I have never seen them in any cigar store I have ever been in (and I visit shops wherever I go to scout the competition!). I think I read that Tatiana is the nation's number-one flavored cigar brand in the U.S. To my recollection, they have never used a mostly-naked woman in any of their advertising. Yet every year at the RTDA (now the ICPCR) trade show, many cigar companies trot out rent-a-babes to lure buyers into their booths, and Heaven does it better than anyone. But there are still more models in their booth than cigar buyers.

Exception To The Rule: CAO. They have recently started using models to help host in-store events for their flavored cigar line. I believe that the main reason CAO is the exception is that they already have very high name recognition because of the success of their premium cigar lines like Brazilia, Italia and MX2. If they didn't have the high name recognition, their flavored line would probably not sell as well as it does.

Leave babes-in-advertising to the big 3 beer companies and hot rod magazines. They should take a lesson from Carlos Fuente, Jose Padron, Pete Johnson of Tatuaje and Ernesto Perez-Carillo of La Gloria Cubana. If you make a quality cigar, people will buy it. No D-cups needed. Yes, guys like to look at pretty girls, but please don't insult our intelligence by thinking that we are only interested in your cigars because you have pretty women promoting them. Or maybe I'm wrong. What do you think?

Myths & B.S. (Part 2)

2008-02-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in the last post, there are several myths and misconceptions in the cigar business. There is also a bunch of B.S. and marketing hype. What exactly should you believe when it comes to the marketing of cigars?

Myth #2: "Do you have any Cuban seed cigars?"

Reality: This is not so much a myth, but more marketing hype and misconception. Almost EVERY premium cigar is derived from Cuban seeds. Before the Cuban Embargo in 1963, most cigars in the U.S. were either all Cuban tobacco or at least contained some Cuban tobacco. Many of those cigars were made here in the States.

After the embargo, when Cuban tobacco inventories were waning, many manufacturers started using the term "Cuban Seed," to let consumers know that seeds from Cuba were used to grow the tobacco in the cigars they were smoking. The cigars didn't contain Cuban tobacco, but it was the next best thing. Eventually, the supply dried up. That was over 40 years ago.

You still see "Cuban Seed" used on some boxes of cigars and in quite a few ads in mail order catalogs. So customers from time to time will ask, "What do you have that's Cuban seed?" Virtually every tobacco field planted in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras or Ecuador was planted by a Cuban expatriate who fled the country after the revolution in 1959. They all took seeds with them when they left.

Exceptions to the Rule: Not many. I am talking about is the 99% of the mainstream cigar brands available on retailer shelves and mail order catalogs in the U.S. So, enough already. It's misleading to newer smokers, and leaves the impression that the cigar is more special than it really is. Putting kittens in the oven doesn't make them biscuits. Printing "Cuban Seed" on a box of dog rockets doesn't necessarily make them good cigars.

Myth #3: "Hotties Sell Cigars" ...next time.

-Mike

Myths & B.S.

2008-01-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

There are several myths and B.S. in the world of cigars, and I certainly can't address them all in just one post. However, from time to time I am going to try to shed a little light on some of the more common misconceptions about cigars and the cigar business. It is probably safe to assume that most who read this blog are not in the cigar trade, so some of these myths ought to be informative to newer or casual cigar smokers. If you are REALLY into cigars, then you might recognize some of these myths already.

Myth #1: "Fresh cigars are the best cigars."

Reality: Fresh cigars are NOT the best cigars... most of the time. In the past 10 years I have heard hundreds and hundreds of customers walk into the humidor and say, "What do you have that's really fresh?" I have even heard of retailers who have asked factory reps to pick up or send back cigars that they have had in their humidors for 1, 2, 3 years or longer. One retailer even asked his Davidoff sales rep to replace several boxes that were almost 4 years old! Maybe they just bought too many and it's a slow seller. The truth is, with very few exceptions, cigars get better with age.

Just like a fine wine, the flavors of the different tobaccos marry over time and create a smooth, wonderful smoke. If it's a crummy cigar to start with, aging might make it palatable. If it's a good cigar to start with, aging will make it better. The best cigar I ever smoked was a 7 year old Fuente Fuente Opus X. Out of the box, the Opus X is really rough around the edges. But with time, they are truly one of the best cigars available on the market anywhere.

Exception to the Rule: New cigars right off the rollers table. I have had the pleasure to smoke several cigars over the years that had just been finished by the roller. They are a real treat. However, if you don't smoke them within a few days, they tend to go through a "sick" period where they just don't taste good at all. It is then better to let them sit for 4-6 weeks before lighting one up. The harshness and "green" taste should be gone by then.

Myth #2: "Cuban Seed Cigars" In the next post...

Thanks for your time,
Mike
Leaf & Ale

Podcast From Leaf & Ale Coming Soon

2008-01-06T00:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, I guess I'll jump on the bandwagon, too. Here's the reason why: I have listened to several of the current podcasts available on iTunes that pertain to cigars and I think they all suck. Sorry to be so blunt. One that is supposedly popular continually stretches to almost two hours in length per episode and there's two or three guys talking over each other and getting so far off topic and into "inside" jokes that I just can't stand the boredom. Another guy has a pretty decent show but he sounds like he's 16 years old.

Look, I don't claim to be God's gift to podcasting, because I've never done it. But before I fell in love with the cigar business, I was in the radio business, so I know a little about keeping an audience informed and entertained at the same time. We will review a cigar or two each show, as well as spotlight new beers and trends in pipes and pipe tobaccos. We will, when available, feature interviews with cigar industry leaders so you can hear firsthand what's new in the world of fine cigars. I promise to keep it tight, to the point, and informative. After all, who's got two hours to kill listening to a bunch of guys yuk it up about everything EXCEPT cigars?

We will try to get this project off the ground as soon as possible. The plan is to offer it on iTunes for the whole world, as well as on our website for you. As always, if you have any suggestions for topics, cigars to review, or what you would like to hear in the 'cast, please let me know. My personal e-mail is mike@leafandale.com.

-Mike

New Cigars For 2008!

2008-01-06T00:34:00.000-05:00

We have been working for some time to bring you new cigars that are gaining recognition across the country. Here are a few of what we are working on.

El Rey de Los Habanos: This is the flagship brand of Don Pepin Garcia. He is the master blender and manufacturer behind the Tatuaje brand. Tatuaje and Cabaiguan, created by Pete Johnson, is probably the hottest cigar brand in the U.S. Lately, Don Pepin's "Midas touch" has graced the popular Padilla cigars; San Cristobal, from Ashton Cigars; and 601 from EO Cigars (all available at Leaf & Ale).

Illusione: This is a relatively unknown brand that is quickly gaining popularity. It is an all-Nicaraguan puro available in a number of different sizes. In a vertical tasting by Cigar Aficionado's "Cigar Insider," all but one Illusione cigar scored a 90 or above. That is very impressive. Look for Illusione at Leaf & Ale very soon.

Got a brand you'd like to see at Leaf & Ale that we don't currently carry? Let us know!

-Mike

Thanks For Another Great Year

2008-01-06T00:15:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say thanks for another great year in the "Good Life" business. My family and I have truly been blessed during 2007, especially having celebrated our 10th Anniversary in business this past fall.

We will continue to bring you the best the world of cigars, beer, pipes, tobacco and coffee has to offer. We will also do our best to look for new things to bring you in 2008.

As always, we welcome your suggestions on new things you'd like to see at Leaf & Ale. The beer selection is largely out of our hands, as what is available in Knoxville is determined by the local distributors; retail outlets don't have much say in what they carry. But we do keep bugging them for new items all the time.

Mike Nelson
Owner
Leaf & Ale

Federal Excise Tax on Cigars Still Possible

2007-12-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

Lately I have had several people in the store ask about the "cigar tax." They are talking about the federal government's proposed SCHIP (States Children's Health Insurance Program) law. SCHIP is a government funded (read: paid for by you and me) health insurance program for poor children.

Under this proposed legislation, many lawmakers, including Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, want a huge expansion of this program to cover more "kids" (up to age 25 if the live at home with their parents). A poor child's family income cannot be over $83,000.00 per year (yes, you read that correctly, and it is not a typo). To fund this massive social health care program, the federal government, not the states, will raise the federal excise tax on cigarettes by .65 per pack. The excise tax on premium cigars would go from just under five cents per stick to 53% of the wholesale price, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar. That means that a cigar that I (Leaf & Ale) pay 3 dollars for (let's say $75 a box), now costs me $4.59. After applying Tennessee's state tobacco tax, let's say I charge $6.20 for that $3.00 cigar. Under the proposed SCHIP legislation, that $6.20 cigar now becomes a $9.78 cigar. The retail prices of cigar will go up over 50% if this tax goes into effect.

Say what you will about President Bush, but he promised to veto this bill if it were passed, and he did just that. Not because of the taxes, but because of the massive increase in social health care that he is opposed to. This is not a Republican vs. Democrat issue. Plenty of Republicans signed on to this bill because it's "for the poor children." After all... who's against poor kids? Surely not me!

What I am against is funding this program solely on the back of tobacco. If this program is really worth it, and lawmakers want it bad enough, then they ought to find other or additional ways to fund it. In short, this proposal is not dead. It us just laying in wait. Democrats may pull it out again in 2008 so they can say President Bush hates poor kids. But this bill was only 7 votes shy of enough for an override of Bush's veto. This bill, if passed in it's current form, would wipe out many small tobacconists nationwide. Large, well established shops in larger cities, as well as big mail order and Internet retailers would probably be the only ones left standing. Cigar production is a major export of Nicaragua, Ecuador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The economies of these nations would be devastated. Yes, I am severely biased against this bill because it directly affects my livelihood. If you enjoy a good cigar, then you should be concerned, too.

I am not telling you whom to vote for next November. But if Democrats control the House and Senate, and a Democrat is elected President, this bill is a done deal. Even with a Republican controlled House and Senate and a Democrat in the White House, I am not sure this bill wouldn't pass. The old saying is you vote with your wallet. That should give you some indication on how I will vote. I'd like to hear your thoughts.
-Mike

New Regalos in Stock!

2007-11-30T15:26:00.001-05:00

The new size of Regalo, our house blend of cigar, is now available. It is a mighty 6x54 Extra Toro, and is everything you love about Regalo, from the medium-to-full-body and peppery taste, and more. We have them on shelves for $5.95 ($107.10/box), which of course means that the old size, the 5.125x46 Corona is marked down to $4.95 ($89.10/box). Both smokes are a great deal for the money, and currently only available at Knoxville's own Leaf and Ale.

Sweetwater is here!

2007-11-28T13:13:00.000-05:00

A quick note to establish that all of the Sweetwater beers arrived today in this morning's shipment.

There are also several new choices for gift-giving, as we've received a large shipment of humidors of many sizes. We also have several gift boxes of between three and six cigars available for someone with varying tastes.

Winter beers in stock!

2007-11-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

More winter seasonal beers are arriving day-by-day, and today we just received Full Moon, a nicely balanced Winter Ale from Blue Moon. We are also proud to offer Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale, Sam Adams's Winter Lager, and Fort Collins's Big Shot Winter Ale. We expect even more to arrive as November fades into December.

Introducing the Leaf and Ale News Blog!

2007-11-20T11:16:00.001-05:00

In an effort to better reach our customers and provide them with the most up-to-date information regarding new products and events at our store, Leaf and Ale is proud to announce its new blog. With this blog, we will strive to save in semi-permanent form any announcements regarding our products and services, as well as pictures and details from past and upcoming events and smoking wisdom from our staff and from the people who make your favorite smokes and beers.