Arganese Cigars -- they are on to something

What I am about to demonstrate is not only the power of the Doormatt, but of the blogosphere itself.

Remember a while back when I profiled Gene Arganese -- a Connecticut real state developer who wanted to bring NASCAR to the Nutmeg State? And instead, Gene's love for cigars shifted his attention for developing his own label?

Well folks, here's proof that more that my monthly viewership numbers aren't just me and my 10 friends logging on 100 times a month.

I received an email from Sandra Corn, Vice President of Operations for Arganese Cigars. Sandy was nice enough to send yours truly a sampler pack of 13 cigars -- various sizes, wrappers, and tobacco. One line of the email struck me:

I love your quote, "Can't wait to taste them, I'm sure they will taste like victory!"For that, I would like to send you a sample box of our cigars to try. We are looking for a special name for our limited edition cigar coming out in August, just in time for the RTDA show. I'm going to recommend to Gene that we name this special Dominican Puro "Victory" if he agrees, and I think he just might...I'm pretty persuasive, I'll give the honor to you.

While this was all great news, and I truly appreciated the outreach, I still needed to fulfill my duties to establish myself as a reputable and integrity committed cigar commentator. But clearly, Ms. Corn understands influencer outreach.

I was fairly nervous about this -- a new brand, no real knowledge of what to expect, no real knowledge of Tabacalera Don Rogue, the tobacco company Mr. Arganese commissioned. The last thing I wanted to have happen was to receive 13 sticks of fertilizer and manure and then have to speak the truth and tell it like it is.

Fortunately, the cigars put me at ease. I started with the Cameroon Chairman Petit Corona. Velvety and nutty, the cigar is well-made and develops a creamy white ash. The cigar gets a little spicy through the course of the smoke but is consistently flavorful in an non-obnoxious way.

Next I sampled the Maduro Ambassador -- based on Ms. Corn's recommendation. Her assessment of a "sweet cigar with flavors of chocolate and coffee, a nice even smoke in a light blend" was on point. I think what makes them a little sweet is a hint of cherry wood. On a night that was warmer than 46 degrees in the Northeast, this was certainly an enjoyable smoke.

Lastly, I brought a handful of the cigars down to Fume to store in the locker. While I was there, I recanted the story to the store proprietor and a few of the patrons and handed them out. By looks alone, they were impressed and I will certainly follow up with them. I lit the Connecticut Ambassador Torpedo up when I was there. This long churchill has a real woody flavor. It has some pepper to it, but I found it a bit difficult to draw. The cigar does burn evenly and yields strong ashes.

By reaching out to a blogger like me, Arganese Cigars demonstrates great insight by understanding the possibilities of using new media to build a buzz that traditional advertising cannot accomplish. Fortunately for Arganese, they have a very good product to bulid upon and can create themselves as forerunners by using this medium.

Mr. C Says -- If I were Gene Arganese and my name were on these cigars, I would be very proud. All three cigars that I sampled were well constructed, flavorful and enjoyable to smoke. They may not set the cigar world on fire just yet, however after this first batch and with some fine tuning, I wouldn't be surprised if Arganese wound up with a 88-89 rating on a Cigar Aficionado list in the near future. For the cigars I sampled, I give the Cameroon Chairman and the Maduro Ambassador in the 87-88 range. I scored the Connecticut Ambassador an 86. I think these are great scores for a first time product and would certainly buy them. Expect to see Arganese at all of Cigar Aficionado's Big Smoke's (Chicago, NYC & Las Vegas), Tobacco Expo Plus in Las Vegas, and RTDA in Houston.