End of the Embargo - Beginning of the Rumbles

Oh what will become of Cohiba. And Montecristo. And Sancho Panza.
Once the embargo is lifted, let the lawsuits begin.

Story in Today's Star Ledger by Mark Drajem of Bloomberg.

Let's hope it means that Cuba can revamp its quality - in my opinion, with the overfarming and unskilled labor, they have fallen behind competing nations.

Davidoff snatches up Boutique Cusano Cigars

Mr. Razzo will be interested in this, since he has given high praise to Cusano in the past...

According to the Bradenton Herald, Davidoff has purchased Cusano for an undiscliosed ammount. Michael Chiusano will remain president of the company. Full story found here.

If the cigars are as beautiful as the box....

...then the new Espinosa and Ortega "Mi Barrio" Limited Editions are going to be some SPECIAL smokes.  Is what's inside a comparable work of art to what is featured outside? 

Today, E&O announced the release of El Forro and El Billetero.  From its press release: "Espinosa y Ortega is now combining the release of El Forro with the release of the final cigar in the series, “El Billetero,” a 5.5” x 52 Belicoso. 

The names of the last two cigars reflect very traditional Cuban happenings in the barrio (neighbourhood).  

El Forro is a move in dominos, not necessarily respectable, where a player tries to sneak the wrong tile onto the table. He has a 6/3, the available dominos are 4 and 8 – he uses the 6/3 in the hope that no one will notice. It happens! 

El Billetero is a ‘lottery ticket seller’, and one is depicted in Gutierrez’s art in a traditional street scene. “La Bolita” is somewhat like a lottery, on a smaller scale. Playing La Bolita is an everyday occurrence in Cuban culture."

The artwork on the box is courtesy of Cuban artist Edin Gutierez.  

Looking forward to trying these out, I am huge fan of the 601 series and really enjoyed the El Puro when it came out last year.