Jonathan Drew, the company's co-founder and master cigar maker, expressed equal admiration for Herrera in the press release: “Watching Willy make magic in his small factory in Miami was inspirational to me and a major reason why I pursued the new relationship. Willy ran his factory for over six years, including the purchasing of tobacco, curing, blending and quality control - he has earned his rank as a real manufacturer, plus he's humble, honest, and cool as hell. He's a real Don."

Herrera will be given the freedom to create cigars under his own name within the Drew Estate umbrella. Do not expect any new cigars from him too soon, however, as the company plans to give Herrera some time to get acquainted with its operations first. Herrera will spend the upcoming year in Nicaragua working with Drew Estate's team, as well as traveling to introduce himself and hear opinions from various cigar smokers. Herrera will participate with Drew Estate during the upcoming IPCPR show in Las Vegas.

Some good news for Maryland's online cigar shoppers

With so many anti-smoking happenings lately, it's a rarity to finally hear some positive news for the good guys. This is particularly true in Maryland, where a bill went into effect on May 1st that banned the purchase and sale of Other Tobacco Products (OTP) by mail or over the internet. According to the Baltimore Sun, the office of Comptroller Peter Franchot received over 800 emails from online cigar shoppers in protest of the ban. Those emails apparently worked, as Franchot announced last week that the ban would not be enforced.

Maryland's cigar smokers are not entirely in the clear, however. Franchot will not enforce the ban for the time being while the General Assembly reconsiders the law. The good news is that the overall aim is to create a loophole for premium cigars. Proponents of the bill say it was created to prevent retailers from ordering large quantities of cigars from online sources to avoid paying taxes. That seems like a valid concern, but the average Joe who hopes to get his hands on rare cigars not found in his area should not be punished. Regardless of the final outcome, if you are in Maryland and enjoy shopping for stogies online, you may want to stock up just in case.