Room101 Connecticut

Decided to pick up one of Room 101's new Connecticut sticks.

My UZI Weighs A Ton

Met Jonathan Drew and picked up my bundle of My UZI Weighs A Ton at Casa de Montecristo. Will post a review soon.

COMING SOON!

A Perfect Smoke: Pocket Cigar Journal allows you to conveniently record and review up to 100 cigars you've smoked. This pocket sized journal also allows you to attach your bands, rate your cigar and record all your thoughts. A Perfect Smoke also includes a style guide, ring gauge guide and a place to record your favorite smokes and retailers. At only 4.25"x 6.75, this journal is perfect for travelers or for slipping into your pocket or briefcase.

Cigar Aficionado Announces It's #1 Cigar Of 2009

MADE BY: Padrón Cigars Inc.
FACTORY LOCATION: Nicaragua
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
PRICE: $25.00
RING GAUGE: 52
LENGTH: 6"
CIGAR AFICIONADO RATING: 95

Today Cigar Aficionado named it's top 10 cigars of 2009 with the Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro on top.  Here is what they had to say:

"The Padrón Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro first reached cigar shops on September 8, the 45th anniversary of the creation of Padrón Cigars Inc. by José Orlando Padrón. The 83-year-old Cuban émigré is the embodiment of the American dream, having come to the United States in the early 1960s with nothing more than a few hundred dollars, a solid work ethic and the burning desire to make cigars that tasted as good as the ones he smoked as a young man in Cuba. The image of a hammer on this special release commemorates a most precious gift given to him by a friend when he was virtually penniless—the tool allowed him to eke out a living as a carpenter, money he saved to form a small cigar company. The cigar smokers of the world owe that benefactor a great debt, for the Padrón family continues to give us one brilliant cigar after another." -Cigar Aficionado

Log on to www.cigaraficionado.com tomorrow to see their full top 25 list and the read their full review of the Padron Reserve No. 45.

Tatuaje's New Logo

Tatuaje's website has recently been updated with a new logo, as a direct consequence of the lawsuit with Altadis which was settled last November. Not sure how I feel about it but it is definitely recognizable. I believe it is the initials PJHC for Pete Johnson Havana Cellars.

Cohiba vs. Cohiba

 (CN) - A Cuban government-owned tobacco company won its 12-year legal battle to stop a U.S. cigar producer from using the Cohiba name and trademark in the United States. A federal judge in Manhattan once again backed up Cubatabaco, which accused General Cigar of "exploiting the reputation and goodwill of the Cuban Cohiba."

Cohibas are among the world's most famous and sought-after cigars, and were originally produced exclusively for Fidel Castro.

U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet barred General Cigar from using the Cohiba name in the United States, but allowed it to keep using the name on its Dominican-made cigars, pending appeal.

Judge Sweet said his most recent opinion was "nearly identical" to his previous finding that General Cigar Holdings had tried "to plagiarize the mark" and engaged in "intentional copying."

His decision was reversed by the 2nd Circuit, which dismissed the federal claims, saying the embargo between the two countries barred the Cuban company from acquiring property in the United States, including trademarks.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

But when New York's highest court clarified its position on what constituted unfair competition, Cubatabaco's state law case was back on. The New York Court of Appeals found that "bad faith" wasn't necessary to prove unfair competition by appropriation, only that "deliberate copying" had taken place.

Cubatabaco argued that on the cusp of the 1992 cigar boom, General Cigar selected the "Cohiba" name for a new line of premium cigars "in order to exploit the reputation and goodwill of the Cuban Cohiba," according to the ruling.

Judge Sweet agreed, and said the U.S. company's choice was "in part to capitalize on the success of the Cuban Cohiba brand and especially the good ratings and notoriety that it had received in Cigar Aficionado," a magazine for cigar enthusiasts.

The debut issue of the magazine proclaimed Cohibas to be Cuba's finest cigars, in an article called "The Legend of Cohiba."

Cubatabaco further claimed that the Cohiba name was protected under the Lanham Act by the "well-known marks" doctrine, even though the company held no U.S. trademarks.

Judge Sweet agreed that this was the case, but said Cubatabaco's challenge of the Cuban Asset Control Regulations was obsolete after the state court's ruling.

"The New York Court of Appeals held that plaintiff could be entitled to relief against use of its foreign mark if it could establish deliberate copying and secondary meaning, even though the plaintiff had no U.S. trademark rights," Sweet wrote.

"For certain kinds of cases ... goodwill can, and does, cross state and national boundary lines."

This news story is published in full from the Courthouse News Service.