What an honor! Read the write up on Fumee and come in to check it out for yourself!

Well, I’ve returned from Esteli, Nicaragua, and I’m going to do a series of short blogs about different aspects of my trip. I learned a ton, and I highly recommend going if you get the chance. Just check out cigarsafari.com and book a trip. For now, here are the top 5 most interesting or weird things I learned on my trip:

#5 Manufacturers take armed guards with them when they cross over into Honduras.

#4 Water makes the difference. Pepin uses his well water to cure and roll cigars. Padron catches rain water and uses that. One manufacturer on Cigar Aficionados top 10 cigars of 2009 uses chlorinated city tap water which is stored in a reused ether barrel. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

#3 Blending theory varies widely amongst manufacturers, but each theory is valid. Pepin uses his own tobacco and doesn’t buy any because he wants to have control of the quality of the supply chain from beginning to end. Padron uses only Nicaraguan tobacco because they think it’s the best. Drew Estate buys and uses tobacco from different parts of the world because it makes for more interesting blends, and because puros will taste different from year to year, just like wine. Blending enables the manufacturer to ensure that they are delivering a consistent tasting product from year to year. All different ideas, all good cigars!

#2 We only saw a draw test machine at one place (Perdomo) and we saw multiple places where the “draw-test” was a human sucking on the cigar pre-wrapper and deciding if it was acceptable or not.

#1 At Joya de Nicaragua, there is a person whose sole job it is is to face the cigar so that the pretty side is up. He then takes chalk and a ruler and draws a straight line over the cigars to indicate the face, and where the label should go. Then the lady who applies the label wipes the chalk off before the label is applied.

Cigar Aficionado has released some of their top cigars of 2009 (the full list will be revealed by 1/8/10), and I am already uninspired by their selections. Yawn.

If I were picking my top cigars of 2009, here’s what they would be:

1. Panacea RED 560- A relatively unknown cigar, I could smoke this day in and day out. That’s saying a lot because I have my choice of cigars to smoke.

2. Alec Bradley Tempus Magistrai- an oldie, but a goodie. I can’t stop loving you Tempus.

3. Torano 50th anniversary torpedo- holy cow, I love this stick. I can’t stop smoking them. It’s so much fuller than anything else Torano has done, and they did it well. Plus, a $7 price point for an anniversary cigar? Sold.

4. Los Blancos NINE Double Corona- I think I keep smoking this because I can’t quite put my finger on it. Is it strong? Medium? Chocolately? Spicy? All I know is that it’s smooth and well balanced, and I like it. Slight burn issues can be a problem on this guy, but nothing major.

5. Padron 45th- If I didn’t take price into consideration, this would be a weekly smoke for me. But I do (can’t smoke all the profits, you know), so it’s a rare treat. Not as spicy as an original Padron, but still yummy-licious.

6. 601 Green La Trabuca- another older cigar, but it’s still one of my favorites. I love to smoke this with espresso. The pairing in unimaginable.

7. Illusione Mj12 – a nice, classic Nicaraguan profile, and it comes wrapped up like a shiny, Chipotle burrito to boot. What’s not to like?

8. Tobaco Baez SF- What, a short filler? This is on my list because it’s $3. THREE DOLLARS. It’s a great cigar for the price, with a nice punch of spice during the first third. Just don’t guillotine it unless you want to snack on short filler for lunch.

9. Esteban Carreras Habano Maduro- This cigar is one of the stronger things I have smoked, and I smoke chisels for breakfast. I’ve been told I have the palate of a billy goat. Yet, this cigar can still get to me. That’s impressive. I love the spice, the larger ring gauge, and the rich flavor. But, make sure to eat first.

10. Cain Habano robusto- yeah, I like the Cain. I think the spice is nice, the price is right, and it’s aesthetically pleasing.

11. Panacea Black 560- the milder brother to the Red, this cigar has a wonderful earthiness to it, while maintaining a great draw, solid ash, and a medium flavor. A great afternoon smoke.

12. San Cristobal Seleccion del Sol- I’ve loved the flavor and spice on this guy every time I’ve had it. Unfortunately, I had serious burn problems every time I’ve smoked it. That’s why it’s last on my list. I keep hoping I’ll get one that burns right and then we’ve got something here.

Enjoy…

Charlie Toraño

Tomorrow, Saturday December 5th, we will be having a Toraño Event featuring Charlie Torañ0. He will be bringing along one of his best rollers, Felippe, who will be rolling an event only cigar: the Roots Run Deep blend. We’ll be celebrating by having $5 glasses of port, which are normally $11.

We will also be showing all the college games at Fumée, so if you live in the Austin area, come have a cigar and drink a beer of wine while you watch the games, then hang out with Charlie as he cheers for his UF Gators against Alabama. At night we will all enjoy the UT Longhorns game during the event.

In other news, it snowed today in Austin. This only happens once every few years, so enjoy the picture below of an almost white Christmas at Fumée.

Snowing at Fumée

Special Announcement

Toraño Cigars and Fumée Inc. Announce Branded Lounge

Austin, TX (November 1, 2009) – Toraño Cigars and Fumée, Inc. have collaborated to launch the first Toraño branded lounge in Cedar Park, Texas, just north of Austin.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Toraño family.” says Fumée founder, Heather Haddad. “Charlie Toraño and I have been acquainted since I was graduate student trying to get an internship in the cigar industry. I am happy that today we are partners in this exciting and exclusive project to bring both of our companies to the forefront of the Texas cigar industry.”

The lounge, which opened last year, will showcase the entire line of Toraño cigars, including limited release and special edition product. The staff has been extensively trained on the Toraño family history and cigar line.

“Collaborating with Fumée is one step in our new direction of increasing interaction with the consumer.” says Charlie Toraño “With a branded lounge, we have a team of partners who are knowledgeable about our family history, and the passion that goes into each Toraño cigar, and can tell our story to our extended family, our consumers.”

A launch event has been scheduled for December 5th, 2009 from 4-8 PM. Charlie Toraño will personally attend.

Heads up out there, we have got a 20% discount on EVERYTHING in the estore until Friday. Have at it: http://fumeecigars.com/estore/cigars.html

Cheers,

Fumée

TXCMA Opposes “sneaky” pipe tax

Tax Was Hidden Last Minute in HB 2154

Austin, TX (July 15, 2009) – The Texas Cigar Merchants Association recently learned that HB 2154, a bill relating to physician education loan repayment, also contained a clause raising the tax on loose tobacco (pipe, smokeless and roll your own) by 325%. The bill, sponsored by Ruben Hinojosa (D) was co-sponsored by Rodney Ellis (D), a vocal supporter of HB 5, a smoking ban that failed to pass this year.

The Texas Cigar Merchants Association, which works to protect Texas tobacco retailers and their consumers, believes that Texans were duped. The bill, as it was originally written, contained no tobacco tax. The tax was added in on May 28^th, three days before the end of the session on June 1. The bill becomes law on September 1, 2009.

*****, *** of the Texas Cigar Merchants Association says, “Slipping a tobacco tax into an educational loan bill is sneaky and duplicitous. Texans were not informed about this tax and were not given the opportunity to voice their opinions about it. In an economy like this, raising taxes on a product like pipes, which is primarily used by retirees depending on social security, is an unnecessary burden. ”

The Texas Cigar Merchants Association is a non-profit comprised of retail tobacconists state-wide and can be found online at http://www.txcma.org.

Do you live on the Edge? Does this stick make you “Fury”ous? Are you super Impresso? Which of these Maduros tops your list? We wanna know.

What’s it gonna be?

FREE shipping with these bad boys for a limited time only..

Tonight at Fumee bike night, we had Napalm Motorbikes stop by with their custom chopper.

Check out these photos.