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Although the Democratic Party’s elected representatives in Congress are trying hard to regulate and tax the  tobacco industry out of existence, there will be plenty of the party faithful who will be enjoying Rocky Patel cigars at one of the bigger parties being put on during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States will be throwing an eagerly-awaited bash on Monday, August 25, with themed cocktails to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition in 1933. The evening program includes a smoking lounge, for which Rocky Patel will be supplying 800 of his Decade brand cigars. It’s hard to know why the Wall Street Journal noted that the cigars for the event "will be lower-grade than in previous years."
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Rocky & Mike with the very 1st
box of Decade cigars in
San Antonio.
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Patel isn’t playing favorites, however. The Distilled Spirits Council will be back in action on Monday, September 1 (Labor Day) with a party in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota during the Republic National Convention. This time, attendees will be able to enjoy one or more of the 800 ITC 10th Anniversary cigars that will be offered.
No word yet on whether either party has contacted Patel to make a victory cigar in November.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 24 August 2008 )
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The balance between Acidity and Alkalinity affects our lives in innumerable ways; from the environment, soil, and our bodies, to the food we eat and liquids we drink.
"pH" is a measure of Acidity and Alkalinity [of a solution] on a scale where 7 is neutral; lower numbers are more Acid (down to 0), and higher numbers are more Alkaline (up to 14).
We learn in Tobacco & Taste Colleges that cigars are more Alkaline and cigarettes are more Acidic: this effects the consumption, nicotine absorption, and addictive differences between the two.
When it comes to luxury tobacco, pH monitoring is critical for the Soil and even the water used for Irrigation and Fermentations. But the greatest effects of pH do not come from the product itself, but rather, from your mouth. Your palate's (tongue, mouth, saliva) neutral setting is around 7. Lemon Juice is around 2, Tomatoes are around 4, and milk is around 6.5. Anything we consume will affect the pH level in our mouth, and subsequently, the way we perceive the Taste of a cigar or pipe tobacco.
Have you ever smoked a cigar you know is good and it just tastes "off"?
Usually we just blame the cigar maker, Tobacconist, or our humidor, but, maybe it wasn't the cigar. It is very likely that our mouth can be "off". Fortunately, our mouths/palates have the ability to restore their neutrality within a short period of time. You can expedite this process by drinking water, milk, or eating plain bread, to bring your mouth closer to neutral.
If you just finished smoking a cigar and want another, you can eat a little lemon sorbet to restore some Acidity to your palate. Ultimately, maybe you like the contrasting Acidity of coffee with the Alkalinity of a cigar; if so great. But it is good to know the facts and be aware of how our senses can be biased.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 August 2008 )
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Yes, its true: 200 people + 2000 Years = 1 Cigar*. While most educated Tobacconists know that the leaves in a  premium cigar have been touched by human hands over 300 times, we also know that it takes decades and generations of knowledge and traditions to produce a great cigar**. In fact, cigar making is a communal effort based on science, artistry, and oral traditions: it begins with humble farmers and culminates years later in a Tobacconist's humidor. But the term 'cigar maker' can be misleading because it takes far more than one man to make a great cigar. In fact, great cigar makers rely on many individuals throughout the 'cigar-making' process. And those individuals, such as farmers and rollers, often carry knowledge passed on to them from previous generations. Obviously, great cigar making cannot be learned from books; even tobacco agronomists rely on 'old-timers' and oral history.
The fact is that more than two thousand years of human experience goes into every cigar we smoke! Ponder this thought the next time you enjoy a great cigar.... This is a profound perspective***.
Remember, great cigars take more time and skill to create than great works of art and architecture. Yet, their destiny is to return to dust.... Savor your time.... and cigars.
* Formula: "Leaves x Job/People x Generations x (Years) Experience = Total Years Contributed to a Premium Cigar". Assuming a Premium Cigar contains 6 different leaves, we can calculate that over two thousand years of human experience contribute to making a premium cigar. All of these numbers have been conservatively estimated: there is no need to exaggerate the extraordinary nature of premium cigar making.
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6 Leaves x 1 Agronomist/Master Farmer x 2 Generations x 20 Experience = 240 Years
6 Leaves x 10 Farmers/Farm Hands x 1.5 Generations x 10 Experience = 900 Years
6 Leaves x 10 Curing/Fermentation/Aňejamiento Specialists x 1 Generation x 10 Experience = 600 Years
6 Leaves x 10 Sorting & Quality Control Specialists x 1 Generation x 5 Experience = 300 Years
2 Torcedore: Bunchers/Wrappers x 1.5 Generations x 10 Experience = 30 Years
10 Packaging/Handling x 1 Generation x 5 Experience = 50 Years
Reprinted from: “Tobacconist University”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 August 2008 )
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Zippo is almost synonymous with the lighter. But how did it get that way? The entire story of this successful lighter company is almost too amazing to be true.
George Blaisdell founded the company in the 1930s as the Depression had gripped America. But cigarette  smoking had become popular since packs were included in soldier’s rations in World War I and lighters were everywhere. Blaisdell offered a lifetime guarantee on his lighters – “it works or we fix it for free” – that still holds true today and coupled with his promotional genius, Zippo’s sales soared. Lucas noted that “One interesting early marketing device for Zippo was the use of the punchboard. For five cents, store patrons could punch a paper slip out of one of the holes in the board and, with a little luck, win a Zippo, which sold for $1.95 at the time. These came off the counter-tops of bars and stores in 1940 when the device was ruled illegal as a ‘game of chance”.
Then Zippo’s other great marketing break came when World War II broke out and the military ordered so many lighters that consumer production was ended. Wartime ads for the company told the public at home, “We’ve been drafted by Uncle Sam. So be kind to your Zippo. You won’t be able to get another for the duration.”
By war’s end, millions of lighters had been distributed or purchased by the troops and the massive distribution throughout the service ranks ensured its future popularity. Lucas points out that every U.S. Navy ship “has its own custom-designed Zippo.”
Among the thousands of stories about Zippo reliability: a lighter was once removed from the stomach of a fish and still worked, as did another which resided – for a time – in the stomach of a bear!
That’s enough to get anyone fired up about Zippo.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 July 2008 )
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