Past Newsletters
Vol. 8 No. 3
Member of the Month
Dennis Grant Stops by our Mardi Gras Booth!
This month's member of the month, is a brand spankin' new member which is somewhat unusual as we tend to save the honor for someone who's been around awhile… But truth be known… no one else submitted a photo… So you da man Dennis! He stumbled upon a booth we had set up on one of the parade routes in New Orleans this year for Mardi Gras, signed up for the club and took home a tasty Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente for doing so! You gotta love Mardi Gras! Didn't sell to many smokes on the parade routes, but head on down to the top of Bourbon street and the scene changes just a wee bit! Congratulations Dennis!
Dear Cigar Club,
I know you guys recognize this photo. Your boys were good enough to let me and my buddy pose with your cigar girls which I must say, were quite fine! Even though they would not bare the flesh for me signing up to the club! Oh well… I enjoyed the Fuente almost as much. Who am I kidding. Not nearly as much, but that's another story. Man, I'd never been to Mardi Gras. That was some crazy stuff. I think I might get arrested when I pick up my photos from Costco. What can I say… I arrived with tons of beads and left only with fond memories!
I'm looking forward to my first shipment. Send me some good ones or I'm flying out to CA to kick some butt. Hope I make the member of the month thing you were telling me about at Mardi Gras.
SUBMIT YOURSELF OR YOUR GROUP PHOTO FOR CONSIDERATION! And if you're selected, we'll send you a variety pack of 25 hand rolled smokes from past selections! Get your submissions in now before everyone else does or you gotta wait 3 months to see your pretty mug adorning the front page! Send your photos and letter to: Cigar of the Month Club Attn: Member of the Month, PO Box 1627, Lake Forest, CA 92609 or email your photo and letter to customerservice@cigarmonthclub.com
Featured Cigar Dimensions
| Brand Name: | Shape | Size | Strength | Country | Panel |
| Rating | |||||
| A. Credo Pythagoras | Churchill | 7 x 50 | 7 | Dominican | 93 |
| B. Joya De Nicaragua Viajante | Presidente | 8 ½ x 52 | 6 | Dominican | 91 |
| C. La Luna Reserve | Robusto | 5 x 50 | 8 | Dominican | 92 |
| D. Macabi Dominican Reserve | Toro | 6 x 50 | 6 | U.S.A. | 92 |
| E. Especiales Selectos by Fuente | Double Corona | 6 x 48 | 5 | Dominican | 94 |
Featured Cigars
The Credo cigar line, manufactured in Santiago, Dominican Republic, was designed by the famous Belaubre family with a French flair. The blend is medium-to-full bodied and ultra smooth. Like you might expect from the French, they've got some foofy names for the line like: The Magnificent, Arcane, & Pythagoras, but don't hold that against them! These are great smokes. Our panel favored the substantial Pythagoras which is rolled with a blend of Dominican Volado and Ligero filler and binder tobaccos in the Piloto Cubano and Olor Dominicano varieties. The choice of tobacco composing the Credo cigars has thus been aimed toward a stronger, slightly more full-bodied flavor, while conserving the aromas that give Dominican cigars their distinctive nobility.
The first thing you should note is that this model sports a pristine US Connecticut Shade wrapper. Construction is flawless. It's solid in your hand, no soft spots, packed with tobacco and offers a cool, even burn. We found a hint of flintiness on the palate, and some nut and wood flavors. Look for a fairly short, dry finish. Approach this cigar prudently. Its important ring gauge negates any aggressiveness present in the smoke. Never the less the blend is very intense and the cigar demands around an hours' attention not including the necessary time for after-thought. It is truly a great after dinner cigar that prolongs indefinitely the pleasure of a grand evening. Pair it up with your favorite Port or Single Malt Scotch.
Joya De Nicaragua Viajante Presidente
Always popular since its introduction in the 1970's, the Joya De Nicaragua line was re-blended in 1996. Handmade in Esteli, Nicaragua, this smoke offers a mild-to-medium bodied taste thanks to an Ecuadorian-grown, Connecticut-seed wrapper. The line is available in no less than 10 sizes and we're featuring the biggest damn one they make! Joya De Nicaragua also introduced their Maduro Deluxe line in '96 which features a Costa Rica-grown maduro wrapper and a much fuller bodied smoking experience. Both lines are meticulously cured and skillfully rolled, earning them their distinction o f being a true "Jewel of Nicaragua."
At 8.5 x 50, you could say the Presidente is a commitment. But don't be shy, this is a killer smoke! First note the shiny smooth Colorado Claro wrapper that encases this very well constructed Nicaraguan puro. It solid, though not as densely packed as the Credo Churchill. We found the flavor to be identifiably Nicaraguan, offering a slightly sweet taste and rich earthy spicy character. Like the Consul featured in 1999, we picked up a hint of cocoa and some cedar evident. The finish is relatively mild and doesn't hang around too long. We'd suggest you pair it up with a Porfidio Anejo Margarita on the rocks.
The 1996 La Luna Reserva was produced at La Luna's Miami factory in late summer 1996 with one objective in mind; creating a complex, full bodied smoke, displaying the characteristics of fine Havanas. In 1995, La Luna secured a small quantity of exceptional tobacco. The cache included several bales of well-aged Dominican leaf. In the summer of 1996, they began experimenting with a new blend, mixing different tobaccos in various proportions, seeking to optimize the best characteristics and subtle complexities of each leaf in order to create this special blend. The outstanding Dominican tobaccos acquired a few months prior were used for the primary filler which were blended with a touch of Indonesian and Nicaraguan leaves, for balance and flavor. An Ecuador Casjuca wrapper quality leaf was used to bind the cigar and it's been wrapped with an exceptionally full flavored Java wrapper.
You're going to be very happy with this cigar. Immediately note a ruddy, well-aged Colorado maduro Java wrapper that produces a pungent aroma begging you to light it. Each sample evaluated burned consistently even and offered an effortless draw. We found La Luna's '96 Reserva to be very complex and anything but understated. The flavors of rich, well-aged tobaccos come through loud and clear. The line was produced in limited quantities so be sure to savor this one! Pair it with a full-bodied Merlot.
The Sosa family in Miami, together with the Fuente family, makes some of the finest cigars on the planet. Brands such as Sosa, Sosa Family Selection, Sosa Super Selection, E. Trinidad and Macabi. Now, the Macabi Cameroon Limited Reserve series - this is a masterpiece rolled in Miami. The sun-grown Cameroon wrapper on these cigars provides a rich, flavorful smoke to this medium-bodied cigar. These cigars are limited in their production in order to achieve the best possible quality and consistency. The original line, introduced in 1995, this brand-launched as the "pride of Miami,"has been made in Santiago, Dominican Republic since 1997.
The first thing you'll note is a very appealing, smooth and slightly oily Cameroon wrapper leaf. Still yet another firm, well-constructed and substantial cigar in your hand. Filled with just the right amount of tobacco. We found the draw easy and the burn cool and even. It's very smooth and slightly spicy. Look for a lingering cedar finish. Consider pairing it with a hoppy Pale Ale.
Especiales Selectos by Fuente-Maduro Corona Grande
With nearly 200 years combined of making cigars, the Fuente and Sosa families are two of the oldest cigar families in the world. From the Fuentes' early days of rolling cigars in Tampa's Ybor City, to the Sosa's legendary tobacco farming in Cuba in the early 1900's, the families have a rich cigar heritage that spans four generations, each. The Fuente family's tobacco roots go back to the old world Cuba of the 1800's. Arturo Fuente learned the art of cultivating tobacco and manufacturing handmade cigars from his father in Cuba. His son, Carlos, Sr., was virtually born into the cigar business in as much as his first home served as the Fuente cigar factory in Tampa. And when Fuente and Sosa team up on a project, it's sure to be a success.
The Especiales Selectos-Dominican maduro double corona featured this month is all that you would expect to come out these two great cigar producing giants. Hand rolled from a blend of Dominican Piloto Cubano binder and filler tobaccos and wrapped in a tasty Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper, we're confident you'll be as pleased with this cigar as our panel was. It burns evenly and offers an effortless draw. We found it mild-to-medium bodied, rich and flavorful. Look for an earthy, slightly sweet tobacco flavor and a mildly sweet finish. Smoke it with a coffee drink.
Tobacco Bits
AGING CIGARS - The wrapper leaf is thought to have the most effect on how well a cigar will age. Studies that use cigars with the same tobacco blends but with different shades of wrappers have shown that darker, oily wrappers have better aging potential than lighter colored wrappers. However, as with wine, age will improve a fine wine or a quality cigar, but a bad wine or a bad cigar cannot be saved by aging. (And then some cigars should be aged indefinitely if only to avoid smoking them!)
GET YOUR LEAVES IN A BUNCH - When presented with the tobacco for rolling, the first thing a torcedor will do is take the right amount of filler leaf and create a bunch. These bunches are not twisted or folded over like a book, because this will result in an unevenly burning cigar. Rather, the leaves are stacked one on top of another and scrunched together like an accordion. This ensures an even burn and an even distribution of the right leaves in the blend. Then the binder is wrapped around the cinched bundle and placed in a wooden mold that will shape the cigar to the correct size.
AGE IS THE HALLMARK OF MATURITY - Once the secondary fermentation process is complete, bales of tobacco leaves are wrapped in palm leaves for storage and aging. Sometimes, shade-grown leaves are stored in palm fronds, while sun-grown leaves are stored and aged in barrels. This practice is most common in Cuba. The aging process can last anywhere from one to three years, depending on the leaf and the desired effect. In the past, it was not uncommon for bales to be stored in the aging room of various factories for ten years, but demand for cigars now makes it impossible to store bales for a decade.
For Members Only
Give Your Friends FREE Beer, Wine, Cheese, Chocolate,
Cigars & Flowers!
Through our Customer Appreciation Program
Your name has real value to your friends, co-workers, and family members! Every time a friend, family member, or anyone else you know joins any one of our clubs, [or gives a gift] for 3 months or longer, we'll give them 50% off of their first month, but only when they mention your name. And we'll also give you 50% off your next month too which can either be applied towards your current membership or you can try one of our other Clubs out! (We can add one more month to your order at 50% off for prepaid memberships!)
The Fine Print: Members giving gift memberships do not qualify for referral credits and you can't give yourself a gift to qualify! This Program is mutually exclusive of any other promotions.
Discounted Box Re-orders!
5 Paks Now Available!
Cigar of the Month Society members can take advantage of our volume purchasing and re-order their favorite cigars in box quantities at just over our wholesale costs. Re-order any selection featured in box quantities of 25 cigars or order them in convenient 5 paks! Other cigar shapes and sizes not actually featured, but from a featured brand line may also be re-ordered. Call for pricing.
| Featured Cigar | Box Qty | Box Cost | 5 Pak |
| Cost | |||
| A. Credo Pythagoras Churchill | 25 | $97.50 | $25 |
| B. Especiales Selectos by Fuente - Maduro Presidente | 20 | $75.50 | $20 |
| C. Joya De Nicaragua Viajante Robusto | 10 | $42.50 | $26 |
| D. La Luna Reserve Robusto | 25 | $72.50 | $20 |
| E. Macabi Dominican - Miami Reserve Double Corona | 25 | $105.50 | $26 |
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery and add $6.95 for S&H for your first box and $2.00 for each additional box. S&H for 5-paks is $4.95 and $1.00 for each additional 5-pak. S&H for International re-orders must be calculated on an individual basis. Prices are subject to change.
Membership Q & A
Note: Please do not use our email address to make any account related information changes such as address or billing changes, membership extensions, or terminations. To ensure timely processing of your request, please call us at 800-625-8238.
Q: What should I do if I'm moving or want to extend
my membership?
A: Please call us prior to the 10 th of the month to
make all account related information changes such as address changes,
membership extensions & terminations, or gift accounts desiring
to continue their memberships. Address changes made after that time
may require a $4.00 re-shipping charge.
Q: How will the charge appear on my credit card statement:
A: Your credit card statement will reflect our Incorporated
business name, C&H Clubs, U.S.A., Inc., NOT The Cigar Society.
Q: What happens if my shipment is damaged?
A: If you shipment arrives damaged, please call us immediately
toll free at 1-800-625-8238 and report the incident for a prompt resolution.
Q: What happens if my credit card is declined?
A: We will attempt to reprocess the card and if it does not
clear on the 2nd attempt, you’ll receive a courtesy notice
asking for an alternative payment method and your order will be temporarily
suspended until we hear from you. As we incur a $ 2.00 re-processing
fee each time your card does not clear, that charge is passed on to
you.
Q: What happens if I join under a special incentive program
and don’t stay a member for the entire term committed?
A: Not a problem. Although we want to do everything we can
to keep you as a member, we will allow you to cancel your subscription
early, however, you will be responsible to pay for the item which
was given to you as part of the promotion.
