Amsterdam’s cigar lounges
Amsterdam’s cigar lounges. Now Amsterdam is a city known for smoking. But their reputation is not for smoking cigars. Many tourists are coming to Amsterdam to smoke weed at one of the many weed shops. Yet Amsterdam has a big cigar tradition as well. In the early days,...
Habanos collector’s item Guayasamin Humidor
Habanos collector's item Guayasamin Humidor. In 1996, the Equatorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamin painted a portrait of Fidel Castro for his 70th birthday. And from that, the idea was born to make a limited edition humidor to commemorate the 30th birthday of the Cohiba...
International Association of Cigar Sommelier scam part two
International Association of Cigar Sommelier scam part two. A few weeks ago, we gave our opinion about the International Association of Cigar Sommelier course. And we called it a scam. Something we still stand behind. The article got quite some attention. We received...
The Dutch Big Smoke 2019
The Dutch Big Smoke 2019. Mid-September is the week of the Dutch Big Smoke, and it has been since 2011. This year just continued the tradition. Ministry of Cigars was there to enjoy the company of like-minded people, lovers of the leaf. Big Smoke history The Dutch Big...
We need feedback for Ministry of Cigars
We need feedback for Ministry of Cigars. The website has been online for a year and we reached a bigger audience than we expected for the first year. Which is awesome. So now it’s time to reach out to you guys and girls for feedback. We need your opinions to make us...
Are convenience stores real tobacconists?
Are convenience stores real tobacconists? That is the question that convenience store owners and the cigar industry have to ask themselves. Especially in Western Europe, dry-cured short fillers are popular. And many of them are sold in convenience stores, petrol...
Imperial shareholders urge sales of cigar division
Imperial shareholders urge sales of cigar division. A few months ago, Imperial Brands announced that they are planning to sell all their premium cigar activities. From their factory in the Dominican Republic, Tabacalera de Garcia, to their retail businesses under the...
Certified Cigar Sommelier Scam
Certified Cigar Sommelier Scam. The other day, we read about a Cigar Sommelier Certificate and people proudly claim that they are now an official Cigar Sommelier. It’s by a company called The International Association of Cigar Sommeliers, founded by the Cuban Yamir...
The future for European cigar magazines
The future for European cigar magazines. A week and a half ago, the news came out that the Belgian Cigar Magazine El Gusto was forced to quit under pressure of the FOD Volksgezondheid. That’s the Belgian equivalent of the American FDA, Food and Drug Authority. They...
What are boutique cigars?
What are boutique cigars? According to the dictionary boutique is 'a business or establishment that is small and sophisticated or fashionable'. And that is a wide description. The words boutique and craft are rampant nowadays, brands are using it left and right. And...
Music and Cigars
Music and Cigars, when you say those two words, most people will think jazz. Because of the old image of a smoky jazz bar. But that’s not where we are going with this story. We are going to talk about cigars in music. There are songs about anything. And because of...
The stupidity of cigar legislation
The stupidity of cigar legislation. We get it, cigarettes are bad. And we agree with that. Cigarettes are tobacco, cigars are tobacco, so cigars must be bad, right? Well, no! But most politicians and the general public are too lazy, or dumb, to inform themselves. And...
The history of the cigar store Indian
The history of the cigar store Indian. No, that history doesn’t start in America. Even though cigar store Indians are now considered Americana. The story of the cigar store Indians starts in the United Kingdom. In the late 16th century, the British started to import...
The cigar insurance myth
The cigar insurance myth. As a cigar smoker, you probably heard that story more than once. According to the legend, some smart-ass insured his cigars against fire. And after smoking, filed a claim that he lost the cigars due to a series of small fires. And that it...
Always support the little guys
Always support the little guys. And no, we don’t mean just the boutique blends. What we mean are the privately owned cigar brands and retailers. And that goes all the way from that tiny tobacconist at the end of the street to big, yet privately owned, brands like...
La Casa del Habano List
La Casa del Habano list, where to find them. What is a La Casa del Habano? That’s a question answered easily. La Casa del Habano is a franchise, specialized in Cuban cigars. Not just specialized, but they only sell cigars from Cuba. And Cuban oriented accessories. And...
Duty-free allowances worldwide
Duty-free allowances worldwide. Last December, Ministry of Cigars published a number of articles on the different duty-free allowances worldwide. And published a complete list of all the allowances worldwide. But with the vacation period around the corner, it’s time...
The stupidity of the new wave of legislation
The stupidity of the new wave of legislation. And why it doesn't work. This is an editorial. Inspired by the latest news from The Netherlands. I was born and raised in that country. And I worked in the tobacco industry. So I can’t keep quiet about the proposed laws...
What is Habanos?
What is Habanos? A lot of people are under the impression that Habanos is all and everything Cuban cigars. But that is not the case. Cubatabaco is all about tobacco growing. Tabacuba handles the cigar production. Habanos is all about distribution and sales. Cubatabaco...
Don’t complain about a stem in your cigar
Don't complain about a stem in your cigar. Take a look on social media, or hang out in cigar lounges. Chances are that every once in a while you will hear complaints about a stem in a cigar. Complaints like “this is a 10 dollar cigar and doesn’t suppose to have a...
Your add here? Contact me!
Your add here? Contact me!
