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Here is where our community reports and comments on all of the cigar news that’s fit to publish. We have staff editors that will contribute but our community will also sound off so that all points of view are represented which allows us to cover cigar happenings wherever they occur across the globe in real time. Sign up if you wish to become a cigar reporter and be a part of our team!

Demuth's Tobacco Shop Lancaster PA
Monday, 26 May 2008 06:16

Jim Shand grinned last week as he told Geoffrey Ranck about the latest allotment of Fuente Opus X cigars to arrive at Demuth's Tobacco Shop. One of the first customers to hear of the shipment immediately started calling other customers to alert them. The shop rations the prized Dominican brand, selling no more than three of the cigars to any given customer a day.

Even at that rate, Shand said, the five boxes would be gone by the end of the week. "They'll be happy campers," Ranck said.

Shand, who once ran Watt & Shand department store just down King Street from Demuth's, joined Ranck in the shop's ownership and took over its management April 1 as the new majority owner. "It's a perfect sort of second life for me," Shand said. "It marries so many of my interests - retailing, cigars, the financial aspects of business. … And I love downtown. I think what is happening downtown right now is amazing." The alliance of Shand and Ranck in Demuth's is heavily permeated with the aroma of history as well as tobacco. Demuth's, which was founded in 1770, is the country's oldest continuously operated tobacco shop as well as the oldest business in Lancaster city and second-oldest in the county (behind Bachman Funeral Home in Strasburg), Shand said.

Although still in its original building at 114 E. King St., Demuth's Tobacco Shop was remodeled in 1917 with famed architect C. Emlen Urban designing the facade and interior cabinetry. Urban also designed the facade for the Watt & Shand building, preserved as part of the Lancaster County Convention Center.

Ranck, president of Domestic Tobacco Co., 830 N. Prince St., manufactures a number of the house brands sold by Demuth's and bought the shop itself in 2003 from the Demuth Museum, which continues as the landlord and owner of the shop's fixtures.

The museum promotes the art of painter Charles Demuth (1883-1935), a descendent of tobacco shop founder Christopher Demuth. The artist lived most of his life in the complex of buildings that includes the shop, and his father, Ferdinand, was one of the shop's proprietors.

Domestic Tobacco
Domestic Tobacco traces its own roots to 1755, when A.K. Mann started growing tobacco near Millersville. The Mann family later set up a plant to cure and cut its tobacco, Ranck said. Ranck's grandfather, Milton H. Ranck, was also a tobacco dealer. His great-aunt married into the Mann family, and a great-uncle worked in the Manns' business before Ranck did. The Manns had three tobacco companies - A.K. Mann, Mann Tobacco Co. and Domestic Tobacco Co. - which Ranck eventually merged and ran for the family before buying the business.Demuth's Tobacco Shop Lancaster PA

Ranck traces his association with Demuth's back about 30 years when his company took over Demuth's smokeless brands and started manufacturing its chewing tobacco. "All the burnable products stayed with Demuth," Ranck said. When the opportunity came along in 2003 to put the entire business back together by buying the shop and the rest of the trademarks, Ranck took it. Domestic still manufactures Demuth's brand chewing tobacco and some of the Demuth's brand cigars, and contracts for the manufacture of its other brands and pipe tobacco blends. "We have some of the Demuth cigars handmade in Honduras, some here," Ranck said. Pennsylvania tobacco is part of the blend in all the chewing tobacco and in Demuth's 1770 Series Cigars, he said.

Domestic Tobacco manufactures other brands, too, and is federally licensed and bonded to manufacture, import and re-export tobacco products. Ranck also bought the brand name years ago for Demuth's snuff, which Demuth's itself used to manufacture in a building behind the shop. The snuff is no longer made, but Ranck hints that might not always be the case. "We're working on developing the snuff," he said.

The Shands
"Geoff's family and my family have been friends forever," Shand said, explaining his association with Ranck. Shand's great-grandfather, James Shand, was one of the founding partners in Watt & Shand back in 1878, along with fellow Scottish immigrants Peter Watt and Gilbert Thompson. Thompson died a short time later, and a few years after that the name of the partners' "New York store" was shortened to Watt & Shand. Shand's grandfather was treasurer of the company and his father was president before him. All share the name James. Shand didn't go to work in the family business right away. Instead, after graduating from Princeton University, he worked for Bay Banks in Massachusetts for 11 years, he said, becoming the company's youngest executive vice president at age 30.

"My dad had run Watt & Shand ... for 30 years, only owning 5 percent of the business," Shand said. "He put together a small group of investors — me, my brother [Douglas, chief executive officer of Amerigreen Biofuels] and father - and bought out the other 80 owners in 1985," Shand said. "I was president from 1989 to 1992." The business had $35 million in sales and employed 800 people when its two stores (one at Park City) were sold in 1992 to Bon-Ton, Shand said.

Around downtown
Since the sale, Shand has kept busy overseeing the two surface parking lots he and his brother own downtown off Prince and King streets, and serving as a wealth management adviser for a number of local individuals and families. It was his love of downtown and the opportunity to become a part of another of its historic businesses that attracted him to Demuth's, Shand said. "Restaurants are opening right and left. The convention center is going to be opening," he said. "I think downtown Lancaster is just happening. It's on fire."

Shand said when he and Ranck started talking about him taking over Demuth's, it seemed it would be a good fit for him. "It worked out for me with my background in merchandising," he said. "And I love cigars." Now, he's also learning about pipe tobacco and the people who roll their own cigarettes. "It's so cool to be able to keep going the oldest tobacco shop in America," Shand said.

 
Camacho's New Liberty Cigar
Saturday, 24 May 2008 14:29

Camacho Cigars announces that this year’s Camacho Liberty cigar will begin to ship in June 2008.

As with each issue, this blend is also different and very intricate.
This year’s Camacho Liberty will be a medium-bodied, box pressed, “Barber Pole” cigar.

Camacho Cigar will only be offering 2000 Limited Edition numbered chests
totaling 40,000 numbered coffins and cigars.

This series will retail for $16.50 per cigar or $330.00 per chest.

Camacho Liberty Cigar 2008 Edition

 
Two Indicted in Cuban Cigar Smuggling
Saturday, 24 May 2008 14:25

Fort Myers, FL: Two men have been indicted for bringing Cuban cigars and rum into the U.S., according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Douglas Hiner, 68, and Martin Sengseis, 43, were both charged in separate smuggling cases.

Hiner's 53-foot sloop "Vitamin Sea" was boarded by the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Patrol as he returned from Havana on May 13th.

Agents say they found 361 Cuban cigars, as well as cigarettes. A search of the vessel turned up 26 specialized compartments built for smuggling, prosecutors say.

That find lead agents to a storage facility where they say they found 27,000 assorted Cuban cigars and 42 bottles of Cuban rum.

Sengseis ran his 51-foot sailboat aground on February 27th near Fort Myers Beach as he returned from Havana.

The Coast Guard crew that responded to the scene noticed several items that were clearly from Cuba out in plain view.

A thorough search of the Austrian-flagged "Golden Eagle" yielded 364 boxes of Cuban cigars, 45 bottles of Cuban rum, 30 pounds of Cuban coffee and 100 cartons of Cuban cigarettes in specialized smuggling compartments, authorities say.

Each man faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for bringing the contraband Cuban products into the U.S.

Cuban Cohiba Cigars

 
Thompson Cigar Announces Donation of Over 300,000 Cigars to American Troops
Thursday, 22 May 2008 03:04

Thompson Cigar Gives #1 Requested Item to Our Troops Overseas

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thompson Cigar announces the donation of over 300,000 cigars to American Troops. Five years into the Iraq war American troops are still deployed across the globe. Far from home is a tough place to be, but there are some people and companies stateside that try to make deployment a little easier.

300,000 Cigars & Counting

Take Thompson Cigar for example. Since 2002 Thompson Cigar has donated over 300,000 cigars to troops in combat areas of Afghanistan and Iraq, plus Korea, the Horn of Africa and three Navy aircraft carrier battle groups through a local Tampa, Florida effort called Support Our Troops (www.supportourtroops.com).

"The #1 requested item by the troops is cigars, with coffee being a close #2. Every week I send out 68lb. boxes to 250 different units in the U.S. military and every single week, every one of those boxes includes a supply of Thompson Cigars. Besides being relaxing, cigar smoke keeps the bugs away, and in Iraq that's a definite plus!" said Bob Williams founder of Support Our Troops.

Cigars and more

Of course, Thompson Cigar hasn't just sent cigars. Over the past several years they've donated items like coffee pots, linens and pillows through their affiliated companies. But their care and concern hasn't stopped there. Recently Bob Franzblau, the owner of Thompson Cigar, requested his purchasing department look into buying Swiss Army Knives for the troops because they are in such demand and hard to come by.

"When it comes to troop donations, Mr. Franzblau's generosity is awesome. I've been doing this for 20 years and I've never met anyone as generous and patriotic as he is," commented Bob Williams. "I could never do what I do without the folks at Thompson Cigar."

Two for the Troops

Last year Thompson introduced its Two for the Troops promotion in which anyone purchasing a special offer from Thompson Cigar could automatically donate two cigars for our troops overseas. Public support of this program has been tremendous. ThompsonCigar.com reported that not only were people donating their two cigars with purchase, people were mailing in additional cigars to be forwarded on to the troops.

"The folks at Thompson Cigar go the extra mile to let our troops know they are behind them," said Bob Williams of Support Our Troops. "Sometimes a cigar and a cup of coffee just mean the world to someone who is far from home."

Of course, Thompson Cigar is not encouraging anyone to take up smoking. But when soldiers are requesting cigars, coffee pots, pillows and sheets, it really makes a difference to them that someone stateside cares enough to fulfill their wishes.

About Thompson Cigar

Thompson Cigar has the distinction of being the oldest mail order cigar company in the United States. Founded in Key West Florida in 1915, Thompson Cigar has devoted over 90 years to delivering cigar smokers everywhere the very best in national cigar brands, boutique cigars, humidors, cigar cutters and a wide variety of quality smoking accessories. To view Thompson Cigar's selection of cigars and cigar accessories, go to www.thompsoncigar.com.

 
Alec Bradley's New Tempus Cigar Release Party, Hard Rock Cafe, Hollywood FL
Saturday, 17 May 2008 05:34

Join us at the cigar-friendly Jazziz Bistro in the Paradise Shops at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for a night of fine cigars, savory drinks, gourmet food, and hot live music.

May 29th, 6 - 9 PM
Admission $25

Purchase Tickets

Featuring:

*Admission includes a $150 gift bag filled with items from our sponsors

For more information, call 561.893.6868 ext. 318
Need directions to the Paradise Shops? Click here

Saxophonist and Fashion Model Jessy J.
Saxophonist and Fashion Model Jessy J will be performing at the event.

 
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