I've noticed that more and more aficionados have been realizing the importance of the fight against the latest attempts of restricting rights of cigar smokers. Indeed, our hobby is on the edge of becoming rather difficult to enjoy. To protect our rights, we need to act and today the most prominent organisation that operates on this segment is CRA, "Cigar Rights of America" that you must have heard of. CRA works at the local, state and federal level of government to protect protect the freedom of cigar enthusiasts by opposing excessive taxation of cigars and restrictive smoking bans.

We at CigarInspector.com think that it's very important to be active in protecting our favorite pastime. This is why we partnered with Famous Smoke, a well-known cigar retailer strongly engaged in the fight against the legislation, to give you a possibility to support CRA just by refilling your humidor with some of your favorite sticks. Here's the deal: for every order over $125 you get a 1-year Cigar Rights of America membership for free. The membership includes a member card, key & travel tags, subscription to Cigar Patriot (the official publication), access to exclusive events and products, and, more importantly, by becoming a member you help professional lobbyists fight for your freedom.

Just use the coupon code "INSPECTORCRA" when completing an order over $125 (works with all the products available on the site) to claim your free membership. We prepared a selection of our favorite smokes to give you a couple of ideas if you're not sure about your choice, please visit this page to check it out.

Please share this coupon with your cigar smoking friends on social media and forums. The offer is valid until May 31.

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Corona Gorda
Size : 5 5/8 x 46
Year : 2001
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : $11-$12
More info about purchasing Arturo Fuente Opus X cigars...

Thanks to some good friends over the years I have had the opportunity to wheel and deal my way to a slew of Fuente Opus X's from different vintages. Early in my smoking stage, I was curious to see the development of Dominican tobacco over several years of aging. What better stick to test the aging ability of Dominican tobacco than the brand most people consider the best Dominican out there?,... the Opus X brand. So I dipped into my humidor and pulled out the oldest Opus I could find. Now most seasoned cigar smokers know the great aging potential of Cuban cigars and Nicaraguans, but can the Dominicans hold their own too? We'll see,...

Read the full review of Arturo Fuente Opus X Fuente Fuente 2001...

Origin : Honduras
Format : Double Torpedo
Size : 5.75 x 52
Wrapper : Nicaraguan
Filler : Nicaraguan
Binder : Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : $10.00

Viaje Double Edged Sword was released back in 2010. This was one of the first Exclusivo blend cigars by Viaje. The Exclusivo blend releases are below in chronological order:

1. Exclusivo Robusto (Jar Release)
2. Exclusivo Robusto (Bundle Release)
3. Chiquito
4. Double Edged Sword
5. Exclusivo Short
6. Tower 45th

It was also one of the most popular Exclusivos to hit the market ever. In 2009 and 2010, Viaje really lit the U.S. on fire with some great small batch releases, with the Double Edged Sword being one of them. The last 2 years have been totally hit or miss for Viaje in my opinion. So for those of you that may still have these aging in your humidors, let’s see how they are coming around.

Read the full review of Viaje Double Edged Sword...

In what one can term Beauty & The Beast; La Sirena and La Aurora have teamed up to create a new cigar, Merlion. The name Merlion comes from a mythical creature that is half lion and half mermaid, the perfect fit for La Sirena and La Aurora.

The Merlion will be rolled at La Aurora Cigar Factory utilizing 6 different types of tobacco. The wrapper is a silky looking Ecuadorian Corojo, while the binder is Sumatra from Brazil. The filler, has 4 different types of tobacco including; Brazillian Bahia, Dominican Corojo, Dominican Criollo '98, and Nicaraguan ligero to add that strength that you expect from a La Sirena cigar.

The Merlion which comes 20 in a box is available in 3 sizes, Robusto (5 x 50 / $9.00); Toro (5.5 x 54 / $10.00) and Gran Toro (6 x 58 / $10.50). All prices are before local taxes.

According to Brand Manager, Arielle Ditkowich "We are very excited to be working with Guillermo and La Aurora, they have blended us a beautiful medium bodied cigar that is extremely complex and offers a nice contrast to our existing line."

The Merlion by La Sirena is expected to start shipping late June 2012.

Normally we’d be happy to report news of increased cigar sales, but in this case it’s not really a good thing, IMO. The Government Accountability Office recently released data which demonstrates that cigarette smokers are switching to pipe tobacco and cigars in order to dodge the sales tax on cigarettes, which is substantially higher. The federal government estimates that it has lost between $615 million and $1.1 billion in uncollected sales tax revenue from April 2009 to September 2011. In January of 2009, pipe tobacco sales were just 240,000 pounds. In September 2011, that number rose to 3 million pounds—a tremendous leap. Cigar sales more than doubled in the same timeframe, rising from 411 million pounds to 1 billion pounds.

We’re already starting to see the consequences, and they’re not good. Congress has raised taxes on small cigars to the same rate as cigarettes. As a result, the manufacturers of small cigars have already had to raise the weight of their cigars in order to enter the lower large cigar tax bracket. Naturally the Government Accountability Office has already taken notice of this fact, which means it’s only a matter of time before they end up cracking down on those, too.

Many cigar smokers (if not all) don’t even smoke cigarettes, and it is unfair that cigar aficionados should have to pay a higher tax on their cigars simply because cigarette smokers are dodging taxes, but that could well be what’s in store for the future. That could harm premium cigar manufacturers and tobacconists too, which won’t do any good for small business in this country.

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaragua*
Filler : Nicaragua*
Binder : Nicaragua*
Hand-Made
Price : event only release (MSRP: $10)
More info about purchasing My Father Special S cigars...

Beginning in 2011, the My Father Cigar Company began handing out special cigars to customers that purchased boxes at events. The My Father Special S is rumored to be based on the company’s very-limited 2007 release El Centurion. The sample smoked for review was one from a package of three I received after purchasing a box of My Father Cigars. As I began searching and asking for information on the blend, the closest answer I got is that the blend is based off the original El Centurion blend which is a Nicaraguan puro. Interestingly, there are actually two special “event-only” cigars that My Father Produces; the Special “S” and the Special “S” White Label. I was told by a very reputable dealer that the “White label” will stay an event only release, while you can find a few dealers that sell the “Special S” in boxes of three, which retail for about $30 a box.

Read the full review of My Father Special “S”...