Los Angeles, April 7, 2009 – Although it took 63 years to get there, Las Vegas, Nevada instantly became a favored site for the annual Retail Tobacco Dealers of America trade show, now known as the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) convention and trade show.

Between the first RTDA show held there in 1999 and the 2008 edition, Las Vegas was the host city five times in ten years and there was considerable talk about making it the permanent site for the cigar industry’s annual meeting. Then came the voter-adopted Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006.

That initiative banned smoking in most public indoor venues, including convention spaces such as the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Exposition Center, where the IPCPR show was held in 2008 (thanks to its being contracted prior to the 2006 vote).

But that might be changing.

Facing considerable losses in the bar and restaurant trade as well as the loss of the IPCPR and the Tobacco Plus Expo conventions, Senate Bill 372 was introduced on March 23 with the aim of narrowing the smoking ban act to allow smoking in essentially adults-only venues.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “If legislators pass the bill, then adults could smoke in bars and restaurants and other public places, as long as people under 21 cannot enter the smoking areas. The smoking areas in those businesses would be closed off from other parts of the business that would be open to children as well as those who prefer not to smoke.”

During testimony in front of the Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee, witnesses stated that the ban has been responsible for the closure of 47 bars in Clark County (where Las Vegas is located) and that the customer base at other locations is off by 25% and profits have been reduced by 15-50%.

In addition, Terry Jicinsky, senior vice president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told the panel that the loss of the IPCPR and Tobacco Plus Expos had cost the city about $41 million in business. But he also noted, according to the article, that “he has a commitment from the trade shows to return to Las Vegas if legislators pass Senate Bill 372.” Both shows will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana this year because, as one Tobacco Plus Expo executive put it, “you can smoke [in the exhibit hall] there.”

The bill itself faces a deadline of passage out of committee this week to remain alive on the 2009 legislative calendar, but is up for an exemption which would help it continue. As the bill would modify a voter-adopted measure, it cannot become effective for three years following the imposition of the voter-passed law. Thus, if passed, SB 372 would not come into force earlier than December of this year.

Story found HERE.

Appearance & Construction

The Delirium from J. Fuego features a Brazilian Maduro wrapper with a Costa Rican Corojo binder and filler consisting of Honduran and Nicaraguan Corojo. The wrapper on this Lancero is a nice deep brown with a slightly rough look. The band on the cigar was nice, nothing real flashy. There were no construction issues to speak of really. The cigar was capped off with a nice pigtail and was pretty solid with just a slight give during the squeeze test. This was consistent with all three of the cigars I smoked.

Nose & Taste

This cigar puts off alot of nice sweet tobacco and chocolate smells with a hint of coop. The pre-light draw allowed my taste buds to instantly pickup the cocoa flavors. After lighting the cigar I was again hit the chocolate that rather quickly shared the driver seat with a pleasant nutty flavor. For a lancero, this cigar was putting out a nice amount of smoke. Once I was into the second third I was thinking that this was going to be it. Just a nice, but one dimensional smoke. Luckily, I was wrong. A little ways into the second third the nuttiness and cocoa was joined by a nice spice that also brought another flavor with it that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. The cigar really began to pick up some strength during the final third. The first two thirds were medium but by the final third it was entering the full bodied department. The sweetness had faded out during the final third and left the cocoa, nuts and spice that complimented each other very nicely.

Final Notes

Overall, the J. Fuego Delirium Lancero was very enjoyable. If you give this cigar some time and take it slow, it will reward you with a great smoke. The finish on the cigar was very smooth and the cigar was in no way harsh. The burn wavered just a bit but never required me to look after it and the ash held on for a good 3/4 to an inch before appearing to need to be tapped off. The draw was perfect and put out TONS of smoke for such a little guy. I would definitely recommend you give the J. Fuego Delirium a try in any size. If you like Maduro cigars then there’s a good chance you’ll like this one.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall smoking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Rocky Patel announces the Spring Collection from Seasonal line and possibly a new regular line from a past season.

“Let’s just say the wrapper is going to be a Sumatra from Rocky’s special stash.”

That’s about all the information available from Sam Phillips, the director of marketing for Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, about the fourth Rocky Patel seasonal cigar, the Spring Collection, due out in six to eight weeks.

“We’re looking at a little over 4,000 boxes (of 20) in three different sizes,” Phillips noted. “It’s medium-bodied and well balanced.” The sizes will be a robusto, a toro and torpedo, with something more than 80,000 cigars produced in total.

Although a limited-production program, the seasonal cigars – which started with the “Summer Collection” in 2008 – “have exceeded all expectations” according to Phillips. “The Summer and Autumn Collections were very nice and sold well,” he said, “but the Winter Collection was just explosive.

“People just fell in love with; it was a serious powerhouse and it was gone real fast.” A maduro wrapper was promised for the Winter Collection, but the finished cigar actually featured a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper, combined with Nicaraguan-grown binder and filler leaves.

Could it become a part of the regular Rocky Patel line, as the ultra-popular Avo 75 limited-edition was turned into the standard-production Avo Signature Series? “You never know,” said Phillips. “With Rocky, the wheels are always turning.”