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Portland, OR Cigar Shop Goes up in Smoke

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Fox 12 Portland reports that a fire ripped through “Roll Your Own” cigar shop in my home state of Oregon. Now, I understand this is “Roll Your Own” cigar shop, which doesn’t exactly speak volumes for quality as far as cigars go. But still, the idea of a shop so close to home going up in smoke… well, it’s just depressing. The article from Fox 12 is below. Click here to watch video coverage:

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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) – A fire broke out Tuesday morning at a building that houses Roll Your Own cigar shop in southeast Portland, and firefighters rushed to the scene to stamp out the flames.

FOX 12’s helicopter showed the flames ripping through the shop around 7 a.m.

The fire-damaged building is home to Roll Your Own Cigars, Smokes and Accessories, as well as other businesses, and is located at the intersection of 158th Avenue and Division Street.

Portland firefighters attacked the fire from outside the building and quickly gained control. It appears a storage area on the back side of the building sustained most of the damage.

The Roll Your Own shop was closed at the time the fire broke out, and there were no injuries reported. It’s unknown how the fire started, but investigators are looking for the cause.

The fire investigation shut down Southeast Division Street between 157th and 160th avenues to allow for firefighters to work. Morning commuters were told to expect delays.

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Quick Review: Hoja De Flores

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Author: David Alicea (FTNYC Event Coordinator)

The first time I got one of these in my hand was from Tim a young man I met at the IPCPR who kept talking about this brand he was working with based out of NJ. The whole time I’m like blah blah, whatever man, because you hear this speech from everybody. I smoke everything it doesn’t have to be a full bodied powerhouse with loads of spice, leather, coffee, etc . to be a good cigar. Case in point Hoja de Flores! So here I am at the Miami cigar after party (thanks to Nestor, and Renee) With my 2 younger brothers having some rum, and Tim comes over and says what’s up!? “I need a cigar right now man” I said promptly. “ I got you Dave” Tim reaches into his bag and pulls out 3 Toros. I cut it light and from the first puff I knew I was smoking something good, very good actually. Here is the blend:

Review Hoja De Flores
Vitola: Toro
Wrapper: Criollo 98
Binder: DR
Filler: DR

With hints of spice, earth, but the overall character is smooth with vanilla undertones. Damn it was good! The aroma had a lot to do with that as well, this cigar along with the Turei by Hispaniola and a few others are what I see the future of cigar smoking becoming. Quality, flavor, aroma, construction are more important than strength, power, every time. So check out Hoja de Flores you will not be disappointed.

Overall rating: A

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Cigar Wars: Missouri Seeks to Dramatically Hike Tobacco Tax, IPCPR Opposes

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September 27, 2012 (Jefferson, MO) – Proposition B, a proposed 150% tax increase on cigars and pipe tobacco, in addition to a 760% tax increase on cigarettes, is causing quite a stir in Missouri. Politicians claim the tax hike will help fund education and health care, while small business owners are criticizing the open attack on their businesses.

Opponents of the initiative, including the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), point out that none of the tax revenue raised by Prop. B is required to be spent on tobacco-related illnesses, but rather that a board of bureaucrats directs where the money is spent, even going so far as being able to fund their own special-interest groups.

“We elected these men and women to protect our businesses, not tax them into the ground. One group of business shouldn’t be continually attacked simply because some bureaucrats need to fund a project or initiative. All Missourians should pay their fair share in taxes, rather than one group being endlessly attacked,” said Curt Diebel, owner of Diebel’s Sportsmens Gallery in Kansas City, MO.

The IPCPR also fears that this tax increase will result in “border bleed,” the movement of tobacco sales to neighboring states with lower taxes, ultimately harming local businesses and forfeiting the tax revenue that the Missouri state government sought in the first place.

“Most small tobacconists throughout this country are mom-and-pop operations dotting the American Main Street. In an already tumultuous economy, the government should be focused on preserving jobs, not destroying them,” said Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR.

The initiative will be up for vote in November.

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Duke of Montrose Scotch Whiskey Bar to Open in Brooklyn

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New York City Whiskey lovers are in for a treat this winter. Duke of Montrose, a new Scotch Whiskey bar, is scheduled to open on Fifth Avenue and Bergen Street, near Barclays Center.

The owners of the new bar are no strangers to Whiskey or to managing a high-quality establishment. The owners currently own another bar on the Upper East Side called Caledonia.

Below are a few selected quotes from this dnainfo.com article about the new location:

“Caledonia owner Steven Owen says the new bar, to be called Duke of Montrose — a title that’s linked to his ancestral Graham clan — will serve high-quality single malt whiskeys and a full menu of food. He hopes to open in December.”

“We’re really trying to bring something fairly sophisticated to the neighborhood with a Scottish flair to it,” Owen said.

Owen said Duke of Montrose will serve arena crowds, but the bar will be focused on neighborhood customers.

“Obviously we’ll cater [to the arena] but also to the local community,” Owen said. “Our establishment on the Upper East Side has been voted one of the best bars. We’re very intent on the community.”

Some photos, also from DNAInfo are below.

Owners anticipate the bar opening in December, pending license review
Caledonia Scottish Pub, UES
Caledonia Scottish Pub, UES
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Press Release: Habanos S.A. Announces Romeo Y Julieta Petit Churchills

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September 20, 2012 — Romeo y Julieta was created as a Habanos brand in 1875. Its roots lie in the literary tragedy of the same name by the British playwright William Shakespeare.
The brand rose to international fame during the early years of the twentieth century, after Don ‘Pepín’ Rodríguez was one of the first to recognize the importance of the bands as a success factor. During his hey day no less than 20.000 distinct bands were used in production.

Winston Churchill was one of the most devoted smokers of the Romeo y Julieta brand. Ever since his visit to Havana in 1946, his name has not only widely been used on Habanos bands, but also came to represent the best-known vitola within the brand: the Churchills by Romeo y Julieta.
Its balanced and aromatic blend, with filler and binder leaves selected from plantations in the Vuelta Abajo* (D.O.P.) zone, makes Romeo y Julieta the classic medium bodied Habano.

Today, Romeo y Julieta enjoys considerable prestige worldwide and offers one of the broadest size ranges among Habanos brands, all made totally by hand with long filler.
The new Romeo y Julieta Petit Churchills vitola was designed to complement the current Romeo y Julieta range by adding a format that is highly appreciated in recent years by Habanos enthusiasts.

The Petit Robustos Factory Name (ring gauge 50 x 102 mm in length) allows the balanced and aromatic flavor of Romeo y Julieta to be enjoyed in just 20 minutes. Its wide ring gauge and moderate length give the cigar excellent combustibility and provides in a short period of time a complete series of flavor nuances of the brands blend, made with filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo* (D.O.P.) zone in Pinar del Río, Cuba.

The new Petit Churchills vitola will be available in the classic Romeo y Julieta labeled Box containing 25 units.
They will also be available in aluminum tubes sold in cases containing 3 units in the following months.
Brand: Romeo y Julieta
Commercial name: Petit Churchills
Factory name: Petit Robustos
Measures: 50 ring gauge (19,84 mm) x 102 mm in length
Presentations: Labeled Box of 25 units

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