There are times when cigars break through to the wider world, and whenever there’s a cigar pictured we all do a collective double take trying to figure out if you can see the band or not. Every week, you send us the best and the worst of cigar related stories in the news in print, on tv and online – so we’re breaking down and highlighting your favorites!
Kicking off this week’s list is a story making its way around about a $18,953 visit to a cigar store. In campaign finance reports filed this week it was revealed that Madison Cawthorn, leaving office as Congressman for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district, might have spent almost $2,000 of campaign funds at one of his favorite cigar shops. Whether it was a simple mistake or something more nefarious, what amounted to a $1,812 purchase could also bring with it $17,741 in fines made payable to the Federal Election Commission. Of the numerous articles I’ve seen reporting the contents of the filing, none have missed the opportunity to share an image from Cawthorn’s own social media feed, dated April 2021:
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cigars are a well known a pair as, well… as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Predator! Variety’s story, covering the 35th anniversary of the franchise, is sure to entertain any cigar fan that takes the time to enjoy it. While I already knew and loved the famous story of Carl Weathers, I’d never heard the rest. Real quick, Weathers arrived on set never having had a cigar and said “…never will I let tobacco touch my lips.” By the time filming had wrapped, Weathers had become an avid cigar smoker. Please enjoy this one, it’s a lot of fun and full of those kinds of stories that could only come out of Hollywood:
John Leguizamo and many others have recently brought a megaphone to a discussion that’s been happening for a long time. James Franco’s casting as Fidel Castro is a step too far for many like Leguizamo, who have been sharing their stories of what it’s like to fight for a place at the table of their chosen industries. It’s not just a conversation being had by actors, or about movies – it’s a discussion still happening in cigars as well, how to best honor and preserve the foundation built by previous generations while doing the necessary work of building on top of it. Through it all Leguizamo is very serious, but also somehow remains calm as he articulates suggestions for better ways to operate – and now we may know why…a great cigar can be just the thing to remain collected and decompress:
This story is pretty strange and is still developing. A woman appears to have ordered cigars from Thompson Cigar Company and received 100 brand new Tennessee license plates instead. There are so many questions to ask at this point, and multiple investigations have begun into this confusing mix-up. While the facts are sorted out, readers can take solace in the fact that she has since been sent new cigars…which she actually received this time:
Next up is a clip you one hundred percent should not play at work. Embattled Barstool Sports Founder, @StoolPresidente, may have just created the most cost effective advertising strategy never engineered. In a recent video that never could have been approved by any ad agency or company board, Dave Portnoy irreverently smoking an Espinosa x Guy Fieri Knuckle Sandwich sent to him by the Mayor of Flavor Town himself…backwards. Portnoy goes on an expletive filled riff that is still building viral momentum – now at just under 400,000 views. It’s a bit like watching those videos where people cut a cake just off center and intentionally mess up drawing straight lines to make the viewer anxious. While I doubt it will attract new people to the cigar community, it will definitely get more cigar smokers to try the Knuckle Sandwich. While a constant barrage of videos like this one would likely bring diminishing returns, this one-off was an amazingly simply way to get people to engage.
Rounding out this week’s list is actually a post from this morning. Artist @SedatedHype was the among the first to share the news in his IG stories yesterday, and Privada posted about it publicly a short time ago. Growing up just outside Chicago, there was no larger figure than Michael Jordan. The GOAT cigar featured on June’s Smoke Live event has made its way to the man it honors…MJ just got to see the cigar for the first time and his reaction is priceless. It was presented to him in person by randy_k_va_, a Privada member. Known for having extremely high standards and a deep affection for cigars, it was an introduction that could have gone either way for the custom blend modeled after His Airness’ favorite cigar. That’s part of what makes it such a special development. Congratulations to the boutique cigar community, to SedatedHype and to the Privada community that made this milestone possible! Love him, hate him, or leave him – this is a project that was very close to and important for the club’s founder to see through to completion and both it and that energy are beneficial for the entire industry. See Jordan’s reaction below and also the design of the band he’s reacting to:
Keep on sending in your favorite cigar related news stories, posts and videos!