Emilio Cigars and Ezra Zion Cigars enter distribution agreement

Kyle, Chris, & the Don, the owners of Ezra Zion Cigar Company and CigarFederation.com, and Gary Griffith, owner of Emilio Cigars, announced today that they have entered into a nationwide distribution agreement. To satisfy the rapidly expanding demand for the super-boutique Ezra Zion product line the Emilio sales staff will service new and existing accounts. 

“When we launched Ezra Zion Cigar Company at IPCPR in August, we were overwhelmed by the positive response and volume of orders.” said Chris, “Keeping up with the demand for our cigars and delivering a supreme, quality smoking experience is paramount to our company.  Joining forces with Gary Griffith and the House of Emilio will allow us to do that even better!”

“We started Ezra Zion with the idea of making cigars that you and your buddies would make if you made a cigar.  To us, smoking is a celebration and an experience to be had, not just a hobby. Partnering with Gary and his staff will bring that celebration to a shop near you. 

The Inception and the Reagan lines have arrived at the Emilio Cigars warehouse in Vineland, NJ and will begin shipping immediately.

"I am delighted to be able to help this outstanding boutique manufacturer benefit from our existing shipping and billing facilities, and even more happy that we were able to make this arrangement with such passionate new cigar makers" said Griffith.

“Through videos and social media, we want to continue to bring innovation and insight into our cigar journey. Whether we are at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Ca. for a Reagan/Two If By Tea cigar pairing…in Nicaragua creating new blends…or on our ranch in Texas shooting  an M-14 with a cigar burning, we want to bring cigar lovers everywhere into our world and take the journey with us.” added Chris. 

Keep up with the Ezra Zion Cigar Company on EzraZion.com. Follow on Twitter @EzraZionCigars

Butternut Squash Breakfast Frittata

This is a first for me as far as publishing a recipe, and this one is hardly original. I was rooting for eggs in the refrigerator this morning, fully intending to just make scrambled eggs for a late breakfast, when I realized there was some mashed butternut squash left from Thanksgiving. I thought "Google is my friend" and typed in butternut squash breakfast recipe. Lo and behold there were several, and I settled on this one.

I've never been one to follow a recipe exactly, and I didn't in this case. I just took a quick look through, got the basic idea (which is quite simple), and tossed it together.

In a nutshell: I covered the bottom of a greased baking dish with the mashed butternut squash. I then combined 4 eggs with a bit of milk and whisked them until frothy, and poured this mixture over the squash. Next step: sprinkle with a bit of pepper, and dropped the leftover cheese chunks from our snack tray evenly over the surface. There were 4 leftover cherry tomatoes in a salad that seemed as though they would be happy to be atop the frittata, so I tossed those on .

Last step: bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let it cool for a few so it would become firm, and voila! Breakfast. I served this with a plate of mango slices on the side. Quite a good meal, and a great way to use up leftovers.

1502 Cigars Earns Recognition

There is little more satisfying than seeing someone rewarded for their hard work. What's even more gratifying is to see someone who works in the cigar industry recognized and rewarded by a publication from outside the industry.

On our return from our recent trip to Nicaragua Dora and I were stranded in Miami for a few days while we waited for Hurricane Sandy to clear out of the northeastern U.S. This was no problem for us, since we have many dear friends in the area, and it gave us an opportunity to visit with them.

On our second night we had the pleasure of attending an awards ceremony with our friend Enrique Sanchez of 1502 Cigars and his beautiful wife Soleana. The ceremony was sponsored by Hispanic Target Magazine, and the honorees were presented with awards for their outstanding entrepreneurial spirit. As you can see, Enrique was the recipient of one of those awards.

From the first moment I met Enrique I was struck by his enthusiasm, honesty, and dedication to his family, our industry, and the people of his native country - Nicaragua. The flame of his passion for all he does burns as brightly as mine, and together we've formed business connections and a bond of friendship and respect that will have an enduring impact on both of us.

1502 Cigars have been widely praised in the blogging community, and justifiably so. The careful craftsmanship that goes into their making is evident from the moment you place torch to foot.

I offer my sincere congratulations to this remarkable young man on having received this well-deserved recognition, and look forward to continuing to grow our brands together, while giving back to the people of Nicaragua with the establishment of the La Musa School of Art in Esteli, which Enrique has pledged to support.

Retailers interested in carrying 1502 Cigars should contact their Emilio Cigars sales representative.

The McIntyre Effect

What do you get when you combine youth, passion, and creative genius? The McIntyre Effect.

A bit over a year ago I was standing in my hotel room at IPCPR in New Orleans, staring out at the Mississippi river, and talking to a young man on the telephone about our cigars. He made it clear that his dream in life was to be involved in the cigar industry. I brought him on as an independent sales rep without ever meeting him in person. That young man was Nathan McIntyre, a resident of Spring Hill, Tennessee.

He immediately established himself as a major presence in his market, opening and servicing the accounts of retailers in a way that drew constant praise not only from the retailers themselves, but from long-established members of the industry who recognized his talents, and admired his determination.

A few months later, as Emilio Cigars grew I appointed Nathan to the position of National Director of Sales, a position that afforded him no additional compensation from our fledgling enterprise, but imposed huge additional burdens on him. He undertook the task without hesitation, and always expressed his faith that I would honor the commitment I made to him at that time - someday he would become our first full-time member of staff. He never questioned my judgement when circumstances forced me to delay honoring that promise. He always believed.

Today, at long last, Nathan joins us full time in that same capacity, supervising a now nationwide sales staff, and taking responsibility for a cigar brand that has grown almost five fold in size just in the months since he first joined us.

The coming months will be exciting for all of us as Nathan begins traveling the country, assisting and training our sales representatives, and educating retailers not only about the Emilio brand, but the portfolio of small and promising other cigar brands we now distribute, including Rodrigo, Herederos de Robaina, Guayacan, and 1502 Cigars.

Watch for the McIntyre Effect to take hold across the country. Watch what we are about to do. Wish him well. Let's get it done in a bigger way than any of us ever imagined in the beginning it could be. See that determined young man in the picture? He is my right hand, my brother, and a man I now trust with everything I've worked so hard for. Together at last. Let's get this done.

Emilio Cigars Announces La Musa Mousa Release

Gary Griffith, owner of Emilio Cigars, announced today that the long anticipated release of La Musa Mousa is scheduled for the week of November 5.  The initial shipments will occur by mid week to those who have placed preorders, followed by allocation of cigars to newer accounts wishing to open.

In addition to the previously available 3 sizes of robusto, toro, and torpedo, the La Musa Mousa will be available as a regular production cigar in corona size. Each year there will also be 200 boxes of lancero made available to select Emilio retailers.

As most are aware, this blend is the rebranding of the highly acclaimed Grimalkin cigars.

"We are pleased to finally see these cigars come to market", said Griffith, "and look forward to the announcement of the release date for La Musa Melete, second blend in this series, soon."

Interested retailers should contact National Director of Sales Nathan McIntyre for additional information on availability.