East Coast Travels

Greetings Friends,

The last week has seen Molina Cigar and Devil's Weed on the move on the East Coast.

First off, I personally want to congratulate Abraham Flores who is overseeing our National Accounts Sales. He brings with him generations of experience in this great industry (his family has been involved in tabaco in the Dominican Republic for over three generations) and he is a valued asset to Molina Cigar Co. On a side note, he is working with our cigar-maker, Juan Rodriguez, on their own project (called Pinar del Rio, which promises to be a great blend of a cigar! Pinar's Official Website)

I also want to welcome John Toscano who is representing us in New Jersey and North Pennsylvania. He has over a decade of experience in the cigar industry and we are honored that he is the face of Molina Cigar in that region.

Well friends, as I mentioned, I have been on the East Coast spreading the word about our great cigars and it has been a pleasure re-visiting this part of the country. I have been situated in the South for awhile and it is refreshing to see another part of this great country and all its beauty. I forgot how hilly Pennsylvania is! I stopped in Friday night at BnB International in Philadelphia to help with PA's first Devil's Weed event. And how lovely the shop is! Brian DeCesare was warm enough to invite us and his shop is beautiful. Before we even set up, I was introduced to his dogs, Maduro and Ashton (nice cigar names!) who are regular fixtures at the shop. The store is located in the beautiful Chestnut Hill area of the City of Brotherly Love and it is a gem of an area. Anyhow, the event went well and people enjoyed the cigars as many bought them by the box! I can't wait to get back and enjoy another night with Brian, his sales associates and wife! Thanks again, Brian!

On my way back down I-95, I stopped in Saint Mary's, Georgia and visited Cumberland Cigar Co. What a shop! Standing in the idyllic southern Georgia setting, dotted with moss-draped, ancient oaks, Cumberland Cigar was established by the late Ed Guevara, who was a dear friend of mine from my Don Juan Cigar days, and is now run by his amazing wife Carrie and dear friend Richard (Mealstrom on Cigar Weekly). I was honored to finally meet them both in person and pay witness to Ed's legacy. I can't wait to do an event with them (especially when it is cooler!).

After a few cigar stops in Jacksonville, FL, I headed back in my chariot to P-Cola and will be back at it preparing for IPCPR's Trade Show in Vegas in a few weeks. Energized by the cigar-smoking activities on the East Coast, Devil's Weed promises to support the B&Ms and Molina Cigar will make sure to spread the cigar throughout the rest of the country! Salud!

-Luis

May's Update

Greetings Friends,

First of all, I wish everyone a great Memorial Day. I also want to thank all those who serve and have served in the greatest country's military. I especially want to thank my brother who is proudly serving in the Navy. You are the guardians of freedom and protectors of the great virtues of America.

Now to bring you up-to-speed: there were a few reasons the blog hasn't been updated. Devil's Weed cigars made their American debut on April 28, 2008 and ever since then, demand has been hard to supply. But all is well. There are many fine shops that carry Devil's Weed and our website will soon be updated to let you know who near you carries the jewels of tabaco we proudly carry.

Speaking of our website, it has been updated for you to view in Flash (very cool, I might add). Let us know what you think and what we can do to improve your virtual smoking experience of Devil's Weed!

As I mentioned, it has been a blur (just last week, Devil's Weed hosted three events on my stomping grounds, a.k.a. Don Juan Cigar in Louisiana and the turnout was tremendous). People are speaking highly of the cigar and making great positive comments. The first week of June, I'll be hitting PA with my tigre, Abe, and hosting an event at BnB International Cigars.

We are gaining steam for our official launch at IPCPR's Trade Show in Vegas in July where Molina Cigar / Devil's Weed will have exhibitor space (along with our cigar-maker Tabacos Don Leoncio).

In addition, we have been featured in the great news/information source regarding the world of cigars: Cigarcyclopedia. Mr. Perelman was gracious enough to inform cigar-smoking enthusiasts of Devil's Weed.

At this time, I would like to personally thank everyone who has contributed to the immense interest thus far (in the spirit of a true boutique cigar company, this entire process has been a grass-roots effort) and we hope to make our mark in this industry I love so much.

Keep checking back on this blog to get the latest news; as long as men and women want to relax and enjoy life (which should be all the time), the world of Molina Cigar Co. will never rest.

-Luis

Update of Our First Shipment

Friends,

I know many of you are anxious to try Devil's Weed but I have good news for you. Our first shipment has been delayed a bit (we were expecting a late January release) but the silver lining in the cloud is appearing: Juan Rodriguez, the cigar master of Tabacos Don Leoncio who is responsible for the production of Devil's Weed, has assured me that the cigars will leave the D.R. this Friday for a receiving date into the States for next week.

So hopefully, fellow followers of Devil's Weed, we are closer to seeing the sticks at your local tobacconist. For your viewing pleasure I have some pictures of our first packaged samples. The cigar bands came out great and we feel the quality has met our high expectations.

Let us know what you think. By the way, the cigars have aged longer than our minimum aging requirements thus producing a supremely smooth blend. I ask you to be a bit patient more, now that the cigars are on their way. Thanks for your continued support!

-Luis

March Madness and FREE Sticks!

Greetings fellow followers of Devil's Weed,

We at Molina Cigar are anxiously awaiting our first shipment of Devil's Weed hopefully to hit the U.S. in a few weeks now!

We wanted to up the ante and make March Madness a bit more interesting. Go to www.espn.com and log in. Join our group and create a bracket. THE WINNER WILL WIN A FREE BOX OF DEVIL'S WEED COLON!!

Our group name: Devil's Weed
Group password: molinacigar

I believe you can create more than one entry, so fill them brackets out soon and increase your chances at winning 25 free sticks of Colon. I have filled out a bracket so if I happen to win (haha!) the second-place finisher will win the box! Good luck and fill those brackets by this week!

Here's a direct link to our group: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/group?groupID=58421

-Luis

Hats and Hooters

Friends,

I just got back from an embroidery shop to pick up a test batch of Devil's Weed apparel. They came out nicely and we'll be going into mass-production mode soon. We'll be sure to have a promotion for you loyal lovers of the leaf that support Devil's Weed so that you can get some of this customized merchandise. Keep tuned in to the blog for updates to get free goodies.

In other news, I would like to share a story with you guys. A friend of mine and I were driving from Molina Cigar headquarters in P-Cola (Pensacola for the anti-brevity types) to our homes in NOLA (New Orleans), and it was dinner time. My friend, Joey, is a big fan of Hooter's and there happened to be one in Gulfport, Mississippi. We stop in and the waitress asks us whether we want to sit in the smoking or non-smoking section....WHAT? It must be 10 years running since I have heard that question uttered in a restaurant in this country! Joey, being a Camel man and I being pro-tobacco (at this point I wasn't sure if cigars were allowed), obviously respond enthusiastically, "SMOKING!"

So we give our order and Joey lights up a cig at the table. No one gives us any trouble. We were shocked. Even New Orleans, a rather liberal life-style embracing type of a city does NOT allow smoking in restaurants (bars and casinos, yes, but no restaurants). I ask our waitress if cigar smoking is allowed. She is puzzled and says of course. This is the smoking section. I freeze. I cannot seem to comprehend the situation. I can actually sit at the same table to eat AND smoke? So we finish our meal and I ask the waitress the same question once more before lighting up. She laughs and assures me that the staff would not throw me out if I light a cigar. So I blaze up....nothing happens. Not even a lift of eyebrows from other smokers. I am smoking a cigar in a restaurant and not getting the outcast's treatment. Wow.

This is amazing and I have a great smoking session. I even meet up with fellow statesmen from Lafayette and we exchange business cards so that I can send them some Devil's Weed samplers. It's great knowing that there are parts of the country that still allow a business to make its own decisions and actually run its own operations. Kudos to Hooter's of Gulfport and to the rational Mississippians. I hope they do not change their smoking laws because it seems to good to be true.

And for those wondering, the caliber of the staff was actually better than the New Orleans area Hooter's restaurants. 8 out of 10. Nice. Salud, friends.







-Luis