Weekly news week 46 2020. Once a month we select one of the cigar charities to write about. To show the world that the cigar community is generous and caring. This week, the Phuck Cancer charity received the well-deserved spotlight, as it supports one of our own. The Nicaraguan artist Jessi Flores, best known for his 20-year long tenure at Drew Estate, needs our help. And Philip & Ferdy did the 29th episode of the Philip & Ferdy Cigar Show. With Didier Houvenaghel from DH Boutique cigars, plus the author of From Soil to Soul, as the special guest.

Reviews 

The two reviews of this week are from the Dominican Republic and Cuba. And not a regular production Cuban cigar. The Saint Luis Rey Herfing, the 2017 Edicion Regional for the Middle East. This 5½x54 Duke is from the 2017 Regional Edition program but became available in early 2019. We smoked it and liked it. The second cigar comes from the Dominican Republic. And it is the Davtian Rubina. 

New cigars

In the last couple of weeks, a lot of cigar companies came with announcements for new cigars. This week is no different. The German luxury brand Henk is not only known for their travel ware and cigar accessories, but they also have cigars. And the first of two 2020 Limited Editions is available soon. It wouldn’t be Henk if the packaging wasn’t special. The American Polish Nicaraguan brand Powstanie is coming with a limited edition. A cigar that pays tribute to Wojtek, a bear that fought with the Polish armed forces in World War II. The Dominican brand La Galera is releasing two gigantic cigars. The La Galera Habano and La Galera Maduro are getting an 8×60 Coloso. Jas Sum Kral is planning to release the Jas Sum Kral Toothpick 2.0 Barberpole to a few key accounts worldwide. El Artista isn’t releasing new cigars this week but a new project. Artista Studio Works, where the cigar manufacturer and tobacco grower works with local artists to promote Dominican art.

Formerly only available to members of the Tobacconist’s Association of America is the New World Oscuro Redondo. A.J. Fernandez only made a thousand boxes of the cigars. The only round cigars in the New World line-up. But he’s turning it into regular production, that’s coming to the United States first and to the rest of the world in a few months. And then there is the Year of the Ox. A tradition started by Davidoff, but now many brands release a cigar with a reference to the Chinese Zodiac calendar. New to this occasion is Plasencia cigars with their Year of the Ox. The Chinese brand Great Wall is releasing not one, but two cigars to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Asia and the rest of the world

Now that we are in China, there is more. Great Wall Cigar Company is 102 years old. The company is from Shifang, a city in the northwestern part of Sichuan Province. It’s known as the hometown of the Chinese cigar. Last week, Great Wall hosted the 6th Shifang Cigar Festival. But that wasn’t the only cigar party in China. Habanos celebrated their 20th anniversary in China as well. Other Asian news came from Maya Selva. The Villa Zamorano Cigar Can samplers are going to be introduced in several Asian markets soon. The cigars from Nestor Miranda, including the Don Lino Africa, are coming to Malaysia. As well as some La Aurora blends.

In the last few weeks, cigar enthusiasts in Norway received a lot of good news. Plenty of new cigars and accessories are heading to the Scandinavian country. And the list is growing because more RoMa Craft vitolas are added. And now Nordic Cigars is introducing the Casa de Torres cigars. Nicaraguan made cigars from the German Schuster family. Casdagli’s Daughters of the Wind line is coming to Lebanon through Hand Rolled Distribution Company. And there was some good news. Well, good for the cigar industry as the damage of hurricane Eta is almost none. The hurricane is still a tragedy as more than 100 lives are lost, homes are destroyed just as infrastructure. But the projected damage to tobacco farms is avoided. This is the weekly news for Weekly news week 46 2020