From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

General Cigar announced the introduction of a new cigar in its Punch Rare Corojo line this week, the “El Doble.”

It’s a tribute to the late Bill Roethel, General’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, who died of cancer on February 21. The “El Doble” name came from Roethel’s nickname in the Dominican Republic, where, thanks to his hearty appetite, he sometimes ordered “double meals.”

The cigar itself is big at six inches in length with a ring gauge of 60 featuring the Rare Corojo’s signature Ecuadorian-grown, Sumatra-seed wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder and filler leaves from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. It’s a limited-production model to be offered at a retail price of $7.50 per cigar with each offered in a special, individual, clear-top coffin.

It’s the continuation of a trend toward bigger and bigger ring gauges on cigars.

(more…)

From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

Dennis Rodman told Rick Shaw that he goes through six to seven boxes of top-quality cigars a month and spends up to $30,000 a year on cigars.

Shaw may not have believed it, but he printed it in the newest issue of Smoke.

Spinning his story between Beverly Hills’ Grand Havana Room and his new restaurant in Newport Beach, Rodman’s, the former NBA All-Star is looking to get back into the game, looking to be a successful restauranteur and just looking around.

The author asked Rodman if “he ever gets tired of being around wild parties. [Rodman] looks over at me with a wry smile and says ‘Around? Man, I’m usually in the middle of it.’”

It’s not a deep story, but it’s fun. So is the rest of the issue, which is a better and better read under the editorship of Ted Hoyt and Mark Bernardo. Check it out.