Alec Bradley New York

Alan Rubin, founder of Alec Bradley cigars, decided to release a tribute cigar to his New York roots with introduction of the New York line. While Rubin himself is not a native New Yorker, his parents are, and that was a good enough reason for his newest creation.

The Alec Bradley New York has a filler blend of tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras. Its binder and wrapper are both of the Honduran Criollo '98 variety that was grown in the nation's region of Trojes. The New York is made in Honduras at the Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L. factory.

Five sizes are being produced: 5 ¼ x 52, 6 x 54, 6 x 58, 6 1/8 x 54, and 7 x 50. In case you do not live in New York or have missed the cigar-related news on the Empire State, it has recently experienced a ridiculously high tax hike on cigars and other tobacco products. Cigars are now taxed at 75 percent of their wholesale cost, which has driven many in the state to either cut their smoking hobby or look elsewhere for their goods. To help alleviate some of this burden on smoking fans, Rubin has priced the New York line at $11 to $13.50 each, and that price includes taxes. Of course, if you want to smoke one, you will have to purchase it from a cigar shop in New York. That's a bit of a downer, but the whole idea behind the New York line is to help combat the new in-state tobacco taxes.

Oliva Edicion Europa 2010

Cigar smokers living in or visiting Russia and Europe have a new offering from Oliva with its Edicion Europa 2010. This limited edition release was created by Oliva to thank European retailers for their help in distributing the brand's cigars and making them successful overseas.

The Edicion Europa 2010 uses the same tobacco as the Oliva Serie V, with the only difference being that the Europa has a Mexican San Andres wrapper. The new line will come in only a 4 ½ x 50 size (Short Robusto) packaged in boxes of 10. Production has been set at 1,500 boxes for this European-only release.