Today they had the man who helped build the Ashton brand, Manny Ferrero. This former Philadelphia Police officer (he worked vice, and high crimes tactical, amongst other departments, so he has some “Bad Ass Tough Guy” credibility) has been with Ashton for over 20 years.. His current position with the company is Vice President of Sales, but it very well could have been “Brand Ambassador” by the way he carries himself, represents the company, and shares his knowledge and love of the brand to all of those in attendance. Accompanying Manny was Andy Green, Sales Representative, and the man with the job any Joe would kill for. (Oh to be a cigar rep….I can dream while I write, can’t I?)

"Enjoying" a Heritage with Andy

Today we tasted the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol, rated one of the Years top 25 cigars, and after smoking it, it was easy to see why.

The Ashton Heritage Puro Sol after a few puffs.

Before I get to the cigar, let me tell you a little about what makes Manny so special. He has a talent for matching cigars with alcohol, and food to the extant that it enhances the flavor of all that is involved. This is why Ashton is the leading cigar brand when it comes to such events, and high end tastings. Today Manny introduced me to the combination of Johnnie Walker Black, organic dark chocolate, and a Heritage Puro Sol. What we did was take a sip of Johnnie, then a piece of chocolate, followed another drink of Johnnie. Next we took a puff of the cigar, and blew a little out through our nose, which completed the convergence of all things delicious. First off having the dark chocolate before taking the sip of Johnnie changed the flavor in a nice way. The alcohol became smoother, and richer. Then the cigar became creamier and bolder. Another pairing Manny recommended is Vodka (a happy choice for this Kettle drinker), a green apple, and of course, an Ashton. When it comes to clearing the palate, Manny recommends unsalted cashews between cigars. They help to absorb the oils in your mouth, and give you a clean slate for the next stick to burn for your taste enjoyment. 

The Ashton spread at Buttheads.

The Heritage Puro Sol is the latest from Ashton to come out for your smoking enjoyment. They are hoping that this line will be on par with the Fuente Don Carlos, and they plan it have it compete with the staple brand. (For those of you that don’t know Ashton is partially owned by Fuente, so this “sibling rivalry” will be fun for fans of both lines.) Now back to the Heritage, we are talking a fully sun grown cigar that has a amazing spicy, yet smooth taste all wrapped in a Cameroon leaf. I did not want to put it down after I lit it & took my first puff. Now my personal favorite Ashton is the VSG, so I had high expectations and standards, and this stick did not disappoint. This was a nice spicy, yet mellower departure from the VSG.

Try as i could, I couldn't sell Manny on creating the Ashton "Joe's Smoke Enjoy" line!

I know that Ashton may not be the everyday brand for most of you. Depending on the line and size they range from $8 to $20 a stick, but if you want to delve into the $8 to $10 range the, Heritage is a good choice. Now if that is too painful for the pocket these days, fear not, your friends at Ashton have not forsaken you to die of neglect on the cross of cigar exclusivity. The make the well renowned (and lower priced) La Aroma de Cuba. These Nicaraguan & Honduran filled babies were a favorite brand of Winston Chruchill (you may have heard of him; ran England, helped kick some Nazi ass in the 40’s, and oh yeah, a cigar size is also named after him.), so if he liked it, I think it may be worth a try. Coming this September they will be reworking the Edicion Especial! The Cuban seed tobaccos grown in Nicaraguan volcanic soil will be wrapped in the Connecticut broad leaf (Manny’s favorite), and it will keep the same price point post SCHIP tax! So look for a even better cigar at the same price. Yep, another company that will absorb the SCHIP tax just to make sure that their customers are taken care of in these hard times, and in my opinion taking the correct approach to ensure brand loyalty. So you will be able to enjoy a stick for between $4.75 and $7.00.

As always, we had a great time at Buttheads, and look forward to what Kevin will bring us next. Check out their site at http://www.buttheadstobacco.com for upcoming events and information, and we hope to see you there.

I need to get serious here for a moment. (Well as serious as a sarcastic bastard can get). As many of you know, the SCHIP tax (State Children’s Health Insurance Program). Now mind you I am not above healthcare reform. As a country we are grossly behind the curve, and we are the only industrialized nation where a citizen can go bankrupt due to medical bills. I will actually go into detail the importance of all cigar smokers (customers & industry) joining together to keep the item of our enjoyment, the glorious cigar from being an easy political target in the near future. Today I want to talk about what is going on in Florida. Last night I received a message from Darlene at Tampa Sweethearts (http://www.tampasweetheart.com/) informing me of a new bill that is picking up steam in the Florida Senate. They already have their pound of flesh. As a consumer, every cigar that we buy will be at an additional $0.40 increase minimum (an increase of 700%), but now the State is presenting another tax that would be at a rate of $1.00 a ounce! Yep now your favorite cigar may be increased to almost $2.00 more a stick. For Joe smokers like us where we pay around $6.00 or so a cigar, we are looking at a 33% increase on our enjoyment. I don’t know about you, but I have not received a 33% pay raise in the last few years.

This new proposed tax can be a detriment to the Florida Cigar industry. These taxes can lead to production slowdowns, layoffs, or even complete shutdowns. Florida residents, please contact your Senator to state your outrage over this additional tax proposal.

I need to point out an ignorant quote from Paul Hull, spokesmen from the American Cancer Society in Florida:

“For the most part, connoisseurs of cigars tend to be in a higher socio-economic class anyway,” he said. “It’s hard to imagine this will have an effect on them.” Associated Press April 1, 2009

Really? We are all from a higher economic class? That is a pretty ignorant statement. As most educated people know when you make generalized statements against a population that just leads to discrimination. (Wait a minute, as cigar smokers, our rights are in trouble!) I know as I try to stay ahead of my bills I think to myself, “Gee, I am a little worried here, but wait, it’s going to be ok, I smoke cigars, I must be from a higher socio-economic class, I won’t be affected by this new tax!”

If you read this site please go to Cigar Rights of America’s page at http://www.cigarrights.org. The Joes here have all joined, and we hope you do as well. There is a lot of work to be done to protect smokers rights, and it is not going to happen by being upset, and letting these taxes compound. As a cigar smoker we need to stand up for our rights.

I just wanted to give a quick heads up to all of our Joe & Jane smokers out there for 2 great events that are being promoted by our friends at Buttheads Tobacco Emporium. What two great things are happening for sports fans this Monday? Well The Yankee Season opens (Look for the Joes at the home games every Sunday, and join us for a quick smoke in the lot!), and the NCAA Championship is played (am I alone in having their brackets destroyed?) In celebration of these two events, Kevin from Buttheads has Oliva coming to the store. The Yankee game will be on, and as always they will be running vendor specials for Oliva & Nubs. The real treat comes after the Yankee game. The March Madness dinner will be a private party at Gary’s Rib House in Danbury. Check the site for full details, (http://www.buttheadstobacco.com/MarchMadnessCigarDinner.html) but $40 gets you dinner, and some Oliva & Nub cigars. The real treat; they are making the Rib House smoke friendly for one night, and one night only! Taking us back to the days where you could have a cigar after your meal, and not be forced outside like some kind of criminal! (Remember when cigar smokers were treated like “People” in Connecticut? Next thing you know someone is going to tell me that the SCHIP tax is just a big joke!)

The event that I am really excited for is on Wednesday April 8^th. They have the one & only Manny Ferraro from Ashton cigars coming to the store to talk shop, tell you what is coming down the line, and yeah sell you a cigar or 4!. This event is $20, but that entry is applied to you purchase. (If you plan on going, I’m sure you are going to buy something, so to me that is a non-issue). The kicker, you will be entered into a raffle to be one of 2 people to have dinner with Manny!

I know we all work, but if you can make it to the Danbury area, these are 2 events worth attending. See you there.