The winner of the $12 Amazon gift certificate is Dan N.. Congrats!
Enjoy your SundaySaturday (mixed everything up), everyone - and stay tuned for more contests in future!
By Inspector in Contests on Jul 31st, 10
1 Comment
By Inspector in Contests on Jul 28th, 10
As I stated in my best cigar books post, proceeds from sale of books would be given back to one lucky reader in the form of a gift certificate. Here is another one. It is a gift card for $12 that can be redeemed on Amazon.com (doesn't work on .co.uk or .fr).
Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the draw. The winner will be announced on Sunday.
By Inspector in Contests on Jul 19th, 10
One week ago I posted a review of an excellent book called "The Cigar Maker". Courtesy of Mark McGinty, the author, we had two copies of the book to give away and the winners are:
Sjester
Alter Egon
Congrats! Check your mailbox for an e-mail.
If you didn't win, I highly suggest you pick up this book if you are interested in the cigar culture. "The Cigar Maker" is a great read. Here is the Amazon page where you can order it (either paperback or Kindle).
Stay tuned for more giveaways in future!
By Inspector in Contests on Jul 12th, 10
About one month ago I received an e-mail from Mark Carlos McGinty who asked me to check out his book called "The Cigar Maker". Sure, I said, and very soon it hit my mailbox. One week later, as I devoured the last pages, I was glad I had accepted the offer.
This book is not exactly about cigars. It won't teach you how to light, cut or store cigars. There are plenty of cigar books out there who do that. However, the cigars are very present throughout the book, it definitely deserves to have this word in its title.
Instead, "The Cigar Maker" is about one industry, two countries and several families at a crossroads of two centuries. The book realistically describes the living conditions of poor native Cubans under Spanish occupation, of rich Spaniards, of cigar makers in Ybor City, of factory owners... Mark, a descendant of Cuban cigar makers, clearly did thorough research prior to writing it; the story is not only based on historical facts but also tales he heard from his family and this turns "The Cigar Maker" into a very charming read. That's probably what I like the most about this book - it carries you to Tampa and allows you to watch these people live their lives, full of adventures and struggles. I don't want to give away the storyline, but rest assured that there's a lot of action, I was having a hard time putting it down past midnight.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. While writing this review, I realized that it was quite a difficult exercise, after years of cigar reviews. I hope you enjoyed it - and many thanks to Mark for giving me an opportunity to tell you about "The Cigar Maker". Here is the link to the Amazon page where you can purchase the book and read some more thorough reviews. You can also check the official website.
Obviously, you didn't miss the word "giveaway" from the title of this post (you are quite used to it now, aren't you?). Just leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered in the draw - we've got 2 copies of "The Cigar Maker" to give away, courtesy of the author. This contest is open internationally. Good luck - we'll announce the winners in one week!
By Inspector in Contests on Jul 11th, 10
If you have been paying attention to the latest updates, you didn't miss the secret link and entered the contest. One lucky reader just won a gorgeous 25-50 count glass-top humidor, and the winner is... wil*gin**@gmail.com! Congrats, and check your mailbox for an e-mail from us.
That was the last prize. Many thanks to CheapHumidors.com for sponsoring this contest. I hope you enjoyed participating! Stay tuned for more contests very soon.
Long ashes!
By Inspector in Contests on Jun 30th, 10
If you have been paying attention to the latest updates, you didn't miss the secret link and entered the contest. One lucky reader just won a Lotus Spectre Switchblade Cutter, and the winner is... dartm**1**@hotmail.com! Congrats, and check your mailbox for an e-mail from us.
Didn't win this time? Remember, we've got another one more prize to give away. This is a beautiful glass-top humidor. So, if you're not a subscriber yet, head over to this page and read more about the contest! And don't forget to check out CheapHumidors.com who are generously sponsoring this contest.
Long ashes!
By Inspector in Contests on Jun 27th, 10
About one week ago, we ran a contest for the best smoking-related haiku. We received a lot of great entries and it was really hard to choose the winner as there are true masterpieces; their authors might encounter some serious success in Japan. I must have spent at least one hour reading your contributions and finally decided to reward sm0kinjoe. His haiku is the very essence of hookah. He wins a nice beginner's kit from BuyHookah.com, courtesy of Nima. Thank you so much for participating and do not be disappointed if you didn't win this time, we are regularly running sweet contests! Have a great Sunday!
Here is the winner's entry:
Prepare the hookah
with the flavors of Summer.
One wishes no end.
By Inspector in Contests on Jun 19th, 10
It's Saturday, again you're expecting a links round-up and again we have a contest for you. This time, it can be organized thanks to our friend Nima who runs BuyHookah.com, one of the leading hookah retailers on the Internet. As you can guess, the prize for this contest is a hookah pictured to the right (product link), it comes with tobacco and everything you need to get started.
I was looking for an interesting contest idea and suddenly though about haiku, those short Japanese poems. Haiku and hookah sound close and I decided to make a link between those two terms. If you don't know what a haiku is, Wikipedia is your friend.
Here are a few examples of famous haikus:
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
Basho
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow.
Soseki
As you probably already understood, your job for the contest is to write a haiku. It can be about hookah, cigars, smoking or even a general subject. Simply post your haiku in the comments area below to enter the contest. In one week, we'll select the one we like the most and announce the winner on this blog. Also, if you are interested in hookahs, feel free to sign up for BuyHookah's newsletter:
Please note you need to be of legal age to smoke in order to participate. Contest open internationally.
Good luck!
