Past Newsletters

Vol. 9 No. 7

Member of the Month

What's a Birthday without a great cigar?

This month's Member of the Month seemingly used a portion of his shipment wisely by sharing them with his loan shark-bookie, Antonio "Crusher" Giallano, narrowly avoiding two broken kneecaps and the tab! Just funnin' with ya Byron. The camera must have caught your son doin' his Charlie Sheen, "I'm gonna bust you up, you stinkin' Paparazzi!" impersonation!

Just a line to share with members and friends a photo of Father & Son (Lance). Enjoying a cigar at Lance’s birthday. We do so enjoy our monthly trips to the mail box. The selections are the greatest. Keep up the good work.

Byron L J Marine
Springfield, VA

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. CAO Gold	Corona	5.5 x 42	6.5	Nicaragua	92
B. Fittipaldi Vintage Maduro	Toro	6 x 50	8	Dominican	93
C. La Estrella Cubana Aristocrat	Toro	6 x 50	5	Dominican	91
D. La Plata	Robusto	5 x 50	5.5	Honduras	89
E. Maxim’s by Pierre Cardin	Churchill	7.5 x 48	4	Dominican	90

Featured Cigars

CAO Gold Corona

Although C.A.O. was founded back in 1973, it wasn’t until 1995 that they unveiled a cigar line. Founder Cano A. Ozgener produces one of the best known brands of Meerschaum pipes in the world. It was a logical jump from producing pipes to manufacturing cigars. Especially when you team up with two Cuban ex-patriots that really know their cigars - Carlos Torano and Nestor Plasencia. The release of their first batch of cigars in 1995 immediately sold out. The Gold line featured this month was introduced in 1996 and hails from Esteli, Nicaragua. The wrapper is Ecuadorian whereas both the binder and filler tobaccos were grown in Nicaragua. This medium-bodied smoke has and hints of nutmeg, pepper, anise, and vanilla. Look for a leathery aroma and a pleasant woody finish. Overall, a well balanced cigar with a complex flavor profile. Consider pairing it with a smoked porter or stout.

Fittipaldi Vintage Maduro Toro

As you might have guessed, The Fittipaldi line is owned by the world-renowned Brazilian Formula 1 driver, Emerson Fittipaldi – the winner of the Indy 500 in 1989 and 1993 and two Formula 1 world championships in 1972 and 1974. Emerson teamed up with the legendary cigar makers Augusto Reyes and Tom Sullivan to produce a cigar brand worthy of his name and reputation. His first line of cigars, the Vintage Cameroon, a great smoke in its own right, was first offered back in 1993. But our panel really favored the Vintage Maduro this month, which was introduced at the 1999 RTDA show. This toro is a Dominican puro, offering a flavor-packed blend of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos as well as a handsome Dominican broadleaf maduro wrapper. Immediately note an oily, rich, dark maduro wrapper on this box pressed cigar. Look for a complex flavor, including hints of pepper, an herbal earthiness, and coffee followed up with a dry, woody aftertaste. Overall, an excellent smoke offering a complex flavor profile! Consider pairing this one up with a full-bodied Merlot.

La Estrella Cubana Aristocrat Toro

The La Estrella Cubana, which means “stars from Cuba”, is a truly unique cigar – from its uncut, shaggy foot to its bright red Rosado wrapper to the amazing flavors. Did we say “red” wrapper?!? That’s right; the first thing you’ll notice about this Dominican smoke is the bright red wrapper. The wrapper achieves this color when all of the chlorophyll is removed by boiling a natural Rosado wrapper. This medium-bodied toro is also a full flavored blend of only Dominican binder, wrapper, and filler tobaccos. Look for a smooth flavor all the way through this cigar. You’ll find that it offers an almost sweet, yet spicy flavor that’s quite pleasant. Overall, very unique, well constructed, and packed with flavor.

La Plata Robusto

The La Plata Cigar Company, originally located in downtown Los Angeles and founded in 1947, was at that time a combination of cigar factory, wholesale, and retail cigar store. They have now expanded their production to Honduras and the Dominican Republic. This month’s feature Robusto hails from La Plata’s Honduran line which is manufactured by the Villazon Cigar Co. You might not recognize the name of this company, but you will definitely recognize the names of the other brands they manufacture – Punch, Excalibur, and El Rey Del Mundo. All La Plata cigars are made with long leaf tobaccos grown in Ecuador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. This robusto smokes nice and slow and provides a very rich taste with plenty of spices and a sweet, nutty character that we suspect is contributed by the wrapper. Look for a long finish with a good, firm draw. Overall, a great little smoke, rich, full, and satisfying. Your favorite single malt scotch would pair up nicely with this robusto.

Maxim's by Pierre Cardin Churchill

This cigar was made for one of the finer French restaurants in the world today – Maxim’s, located in Paris and in New York. If you are not familiar with the restaurant itself, there’s a good chance that you still might have heard of their owner, Pierre Cardin. Sure he makes some pretty spiffy duds, but can he make a quality cigar? Our panel members thought so. We’re guessing that ole Pierre pretty much just blessed the band and paid someone handsomely to create a quality smoke that he could put his name on. The Maxim Churchill featured this month is hand made in the Dominican Republic using 3 yr. aged long fill tobaccos from the Dominican and Nicaragua. Its gorgeous wrapper is none other than Connecticut shade. We found it fairly mild, offering a smooth flavor profile that is subtle and creamy with notes of spiciness and cedar evident. Consider pairing this one with a single malt scotch or brandy.

Ask Murl

Dear Murl,

I’ve seen guys roll a cigar with their fingers up next to their ear before and was wondering why the heck they do that. What’s up with that o-mighty-tobacco hound?

Joe Bedutz
Normal, IL

Yo Joey! Joe! Dutzster!

What up Joey? You from da bronx der or wat? Sounds like a rough name. You a rough guy? And do you really live in Normal, Illinois? Damn! Very Midwest I’ll bet. Lots-o-cornfields? Soybeans. Overalls. I got it. So you’re wondering just what these seemingly expert cigar evaluators are doing when they violate a potential smoke before purchasing it, eh? Sometimes if you squeeze a cigar just right, any tobacco beetles that may be lurking inside will bust out of the wrapper seeking refuge (or if you really listen hard, you might hear one of them scream) and you’ve successfully avoided smoking an insect. Not always a good thing. Lots of cigars I’ve dusted could have used a little flavor enhancement. What they’re doing, Joey my boy, is listening for a crackle that would indicate that the cigar’s wrapper is dry. What’s really happening is they doing some serious damage to their smoke’s construction. The fact of the matter is that all cigar wrappers crackle, regardless of whether they have been properly humidified or not. Though drier cigars will crackle louder than properly humidified smokes. If you're hell-bent on manhandling a cigar before selecting it, pinch it ever so lightly down near the foot instead of rolling it. If it is in good condition, the cigar will give slightly and spring back into place. If you just like to squeeze cigars for no apparent reason, you might want to seek counsel with Dr. Ruth! Hasta Luego, Joe!

Woof!
Murl.

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. CAO Gold Corona	25	$72.50	$20
B. Fittipaldi Vintage Maduro Toro	25	$90.50	$23
C. La Estrella Cubana Aristocrat Toro	25	$75.50	$20
D. La Plata Robusto	25	$87.50	$23
E. Maxim’s by Pierre Cardin Churchill	25	$87.50	$23

Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery and add $7.95 for S&H for your first box and $3.00 for each additional box or grab bag. S&H for 5-packs is $4.95 and $1.50 for each additional 5-pak. All reorders are sent Priority mail unless otherwise requested. CA residents please add 7.75% Sales Tax. 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 2^nd 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.