Cigar Trend Alert: Custom Cigar Bands

Cigars have become a fixture in celebrating momentous occasions. They’ve been smoked on birthdays, weddings, golf outings, company parties, anniversaries, and military homecomings. They’re most notably enjoyed to commemorate the birth of a new baby.

Recent buzz has been centered around making these events just a little more special, and a lot more personal, by adding a custom cigar bands to these celebratory cigars. Emerson’s Cigars, a five location retailer in Hampton Roads, Virginia, launched their Custom Band program early this year. They offer many pre-designed templates but also give the option to turn your personal vision into reality through custom artwork.

Wedding season is in full bloom. And though cigars during the reception have always been a tradition, in recent years “Cigar with the Bride and Groom” has become extremely popular.
Custom  cigar  bands can offers that personal touch that will not only impress guests, but adds a special element to the wedding experience. One could have the Father of the Bride and/or the Father of the Groom pass them out at the reception or have them on a table as a wedding favor. Another idea is to save some of your wedding cigars in a humidor to enjoy the first anniversary! Who wants stale cake when you could have a premium, handmade cigar?

Golf season is also in full bloom. In a world full of no-smoking signs, there remains one oasis where the cigar lover can be free. The Golf Course. Imagine a beautiful day, the dew on the emerald-colored green is starting to settle. Birds are lightly chirping and you feel the cool breeze on your cheek.  It’s the perfect moment for a cigar. Moments like these need to be celebrated in style. Emerson’s Cigars’  custom band program is full-service, from start to finish, so all you have to worry about the day of your tournament is the weather.

Emerson’s Cigars has an entire section of their website (www.EmersonsCigars.com) dedicated to their Custom Band program. You can also find out more by visiting any of their locations in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

La Gloria Cubana Rolling Event

La Gloria Cubana Rolling Event
Wednesday, August 25 - 26
Timing -5-8pm

Emerson's @ Hampton - PTC
Ticket includes 2 LGC Cigars: Artesanos de Tabaqueros and LGC Serie R.
Join us at Emerson's Cigars as we welcome a professional roller from La Gloria Cubana to roll with our customers. We will be providing a table for 4 people at a time to roll their own cigar. Each roller with place his/her name on their cigar and and the end of the night we will pick three winners-1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Each winner will receive some amazing prizes. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opporunity! Don't miss it- buy your ticket now before they sell out.

http://www.emersonscigars.com/storefront/event-listing.aspx
http://www.emersonscigars.com/storefront/ListCategory.aspx?showAll=1&idcategory=723
http://www.emersonscigars.com/StoreFront/ListCategory.aspx?showAll=1&idcategory=963   
http://www.emersonscigars.com/StoreFront/ListCategory.aspx?showAll=1&idcategory=964


Peninsula Town Center, 4310 East Claiborne Square, Hampton, VA 23666

Kristoff "cigar"- new size, same amazing cigars

This year as part of their Superstar Cigar Tour, Emerson’s Cigars hosted Glen Case of Kristoff at their brick and mortars. Recently, Kristoff introduced a new Corona size for their blends so I thought I’d review a couple of my favorites- The Kristoff Sumatra and the Kristoff Ligero Maduro.

Kristoff Sumatra "Cigar"

After the popularity of the Kristoff Series came the release of the newest line, the Kristoff Sumatra. Very indicative of an elite Cuban, this cigar has a beautiful, rich Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The filler, like many others from the Kristoff line, is a combination of Cuban seed Dominican and Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobaccos. It's easy to taste the velvety, floral flavors meld nicely with the rich spice from that Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The cigar still maintains a lovely smooth, sweet finish that makes the Kristoff Sumatra the definition of quality craftsmanship.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Cuban seed Orlor Dominican and Nicaraguan
Binder: Brazilian
Strength: Medium Bodied



Kristoff Ligero Maduro "Cigar"

The Kristoff Ligero Maduro, delicately handmade, is typically a favorite line of the Kristoff brand of cigars. That's because when the ever popular Brazilian Maduro wrapper combines with Cuban seed Dominican and Cuban seed Nicaraguan filler, the result is flavors of dried cherry, coffee and cocoa beans,but with a snappy but nectarous finish. I guess you could say the Kristoff Ligero Maduro is sugar, spice, and everything nice.

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Cuban seed Orlor Dominican and Nicaraguan
Binder: Cuban seed Orlor Dominican
Strength: Medium to Full Bodied


Emerson’s Cigars carries Kristoff in their brick and mortar stores, scattered all over Hampton Roads, Virginia. They also sell online at www.EmersonsCigars.com

Illusione Nosotros Cigar

What happens when you combine the refinement of Dion Giolito with the ingenuity of Jonathan Drew? Perfection might be a strong word but it just might apply to Nosotros by Illusione. This one-of-a-kind cigar is special not only because it marries two leading companies (Illusione and Drew Estates) but this blend was reaching a little outside both their comfort zones.

Literally meaning “us,” you’d think it would take multiple tries to create the right blend but these two got it right the first time.  A hand-selected Corojo 99 meets a rare Connecticut Habano binder with classic Nicaraguan filler. This medium body has spice where you don’t expect it, but a smooth complexity that magnifies the taste buds.

Jonathan Drew might not have used his signature infusion techniques, but he definitely added some sort of magic when they created the Nosotros. These cigars available at Emerson’s Cigars in Hampton Roads, Virginia at any of their five brick and mortars. Out of the area? Get them online at www.emersonscigars.com". Free shipping on orders over $100. Happy smokes!!

Top Smokes for Spring

Some people think that spotting a robin is a sign that Spring has finally arrived. But for me, finally putting that snow shovel away and digging out that lawn chair from the garage so I can sit outside and enjoy an afternoon cigar is the true expression of Spring.

The first cigar on the first temperate day of the year is no small occasion. It’s the first pitch of baseball, the first day of school, the Black Friday of the Spring season. The first smoke is magic. So, choosing the right cigar is imperative.  There are few things worse than waiting all Winter to smoke only to be disappointed because you chose a bad cigar. Emerson’s Cigars (www.emersonscigars.com) has a huge selection of premium cigars and accessories and is sure to have the perfect cigar for any occasion. Below are my selections from Emerson’s huge inventory. You can buy from their online store or at any one of their locations in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, or their new location in Hampton, VA.

If you’re looking for a mild cigar, I recommend the Montecristo White. With the success of the Montecristo series came a demand for a milder, more gentle version. Jose Seijas responded with the extremely popular Montecristo White. A hand-selected Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper envelops the Dominican/Nicaraguan fillers resulting in a creamy, smooth, but still complex flavor. This is a very well-rounded smoke with a luxurious quality.  The Montecristo White is also an amazing cigar for the golf course. Emerson’s Cigars has them in a variety of sizes.

If you want to dip your toe in the cigar smoking waters with a medium bodied cigar, I recommend the Kristoff Sumatra. After the popularity of the Kristoff Series came the release of the newest line, the Kristoff Sumatra. Very indicative of an elite Cuban, this cigar has a beautiful, rich Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The filler, like many others from the Kristoff line, is a combination of Cuban seed Dominican and Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobaccos. It's easy to taste the velvety, floral flavors meld nicely with the rich spice from that Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The cigar still maintains a lovely smooth, sweet finish that makes the Kristoff Sumatra the definition of quality craftsmanship. This is a great “grillin steaks on a Sunday afternoon” cigar. If you love Kristoff, Emerson’s Cigars offers an amazing sampler with a travel humidor included. Check out www.emersonscigars.com for details.

If you want to take a small step up from medium bodied smokes, the San Cristobal Seleccion del Sol is the perfect medium to full bodied cigar and one of my top picks for Spring. Hailed as one of the most requested cigars of 2009, the San Cristobal Seleccion Del Sol is a treat for palate. Handcrafted by the legend himself, Don “Pepin” Garcia, the Del Sol features an extremely special sun-grown wrapper, grown especially for this cigar on the Garcia’s family’s Estrella farm in the fertile, lush paradise of Esteli, Nicaragua. Estrella sits on a picturesque plot of land surrounded by green hills, where sunlight abounds and the soil is thick and dark as coal. Pepin and his son, Jaime, hand-selected this magnificent wrapper from the first crop of tobacco harvested from Estrella. With complex flavors full of cedar, earth, and spice, and finished with notes of dark chocolate, the Seleccion Del Sol is the sun on my Spring day.

Padron 1964 Diplomatico (Cigar)

Padron 1964 Diplomatico (Maduro) 5 Pack
Premium Cigars
Length: 7   
Ring Gauge / Width: 50  
Price:    $ 65.50
Padron 1964 Diplomatico

The art of choosing a cigar to gift

Across the globe, cigars have marked momentous occasions. They’ve been smoked to celebrate a wedding, birthday, anniversary, and even the birth of a new baby. So it is no surprise that cigars are becoming increasingly popular as gift choices. This article provides a gift guide to help eliminate some of the confusion of selecting the right cigar.

There are various ways to categorize cigars: shape, strength, size, origin and production method (hand-rolled or machine). Generally, cigars are categorized by size, which denotes length in inches and ring diameter often specified in 64th of an inch. Fuente Hemingway, Rocky Patel Edge, Villiger 1888, Winston Churchill, Partagas

After making up your mind for a particular cigar size, concentrate on the exterior appearance of cigar.  Different wrappers carry with them different textures and flavors. For a novice smoker, Emerson’s Cigars suggests you choose a mild cigar such as the Rocky Patel Edge Lite or the Montecristo White. Both cigars have a gentle Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

More experienced palates might prefer a more full-bodied cigar. Emerson’s Cigars offers the most popular brands like Camacho (think Camacho Triple Maduro ), Cain Nub,Tatuaje, La Gloria Cubana, Siglo, Oliva, and J Fuego- all with full-bodied offerings. One of the most highly-received cigars is the Padron line which has become very popular for blends such as the Padron Family Reserve, Padron 1926 Anniversary, Padron 1926 Limited Edition, and the Padron 1964 Anniversary. These cigars are among the highest rated of all time and with tons of flavor- they make the perfect gift. Most companies can’t get the Padron Series in stock but Emerson’s Cigars always finds a way.

The value of a cigar gift also depends upon the brand and the reliability of the source. Emerson’s Cigars is the trusted one-stop shop for getting all your favorite top brands of premium quality cigars. They also offer a wide range of cigar accessories like cigar cases, cigar cutters, and cigar humidors.

Remember- all cigars tell a story. What will your story be?