Room101, the alternative luxury lifestyle brand for those who demand quality with an edge, is proud to announce their new line of Room101 Cigars (www.room101cigars.com). Originally founded in 2003 by Matt Booth, Room101 will introduce the premium cigar into their already successful line of silver jewelry, clothing, and accessories. The Room101 Cigar collection will be a blend of attitude, culture, celebrity, and some of the world’s finest tobaccos.

The cigar, specially blended and created by Camacho Cigars, is a medium bodied cigar, comprised of tobaccos from both Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper is a Semilla 101 that was exclusively grown for this cigar. The Room101 cigar is available in six formats, all representing different area codes, including the 213 (44×5.5), 305 (50×5), 323 (50×6), 404 (54×52×6), 702 (48×54×48×6), and 808(60×6).

“We are very excited to launch this line of cigars with Room101,” said Dylan Austin, marketing director of Camacho Cigars. “This project has been a year in the making and it really great to see it come to fruition.”

Following the launch of the cigar, Matt Booth and the Room101 Cigar team will embark on a 90 day “Room 101/Camacho Conspiracy Tour” making stops at 45 retailers across the country. Room101 Cigars will also support the Wounded Warrior Project charity and urge people to donate to their cause.

“The Room101 cigar is the first of its kind in many ways,” said Matt Booth, owner and designer of Room101. “I am honored to be working with the Camacho family on this project. No other combination could have possibly done this concept justice.”

About Room101

Founded in 2003 by Matt Booth, Room101 is the premier luxury lifestyle brand, based in Hollywood, CA. What started as a designer’s dream to create unique pieces of jewelry, has grown into an all-encompassing design studio, producing luxury items for all facets of life. Room101 is unmatched in the quality of both design and final products and has quickly become a stand out in the industry.

About Camacho Cigars

Founded in 1961 by Simon Camacho, Camacho Cigars was acquired by the Eiroa family in 1995. Now part of the Oettinger Davidoff Group, Camacho Cigars is one of the key players in the international cigar market. The flagship Camacho brand, made at Rancho Jamastran in Danli, Honduras, is comprised of 9 premium and ultra-premium line extensions: (Super-Premium: Diploma, 10th Anniversary Corojo, Liberty Series, Triple Maduro, Select)(Premium: Corojo, Coyolar, Havana, SLR). Camacho Cigars also has 7 core brands, including Baccarat The Game, America’s #1 selling premium cigar.

Today, our guest rater is my good friend, NY Times Best Selling author and media personality, the incomparable Larry Winget. Larry is a bold personality who happens to love even bolder cigars. I knew he liked the classic Camacho profile, but had never tried the Triple Maduro. So, a UPS box from Jersey to Arizona was sent, and the Pitbull of Personal Development was ready for action.

Now the wrapper, binder, and filler on this cigar is all made from Honduran maduro tobacco leaf, making it the world’s first true triple maduro cigar. According to Camacho, it is the result of almost a full year’s work maduro varieties. The biggest challenge was to get these thick leaves to burn and taste right together.

Now, Larry is an accomplished cigar smoker and has a good palate for rating a cigar. I knew it would be interesting to hear his comments, so without further adieu, Mr. Larry Winget.

Larry Winget is the author of several consecutive Wall Street Journal and New York times Beslling books, the most recent being, People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It. I highly recommend a trip to his website where you’ll find more great stuff than you can possibly handle.

CLICK RIGHT HERE> www.larrywinget.com

I drove past a Smart Car on the weekend and couldn’t believe this ballsy little half pint was zipping along Route 80 with the big boys of the interstate. In fact, I threw a paper clip at it, trying to knock it over, but the little bastid just laughed and kept on going. Then I tossed a handful of loose change and half a half eaten sandwich at it, but it held it’s ground. I then opened my door and farted and as you can imagine, it did give the driver a good scare.

The Smart Car is what gives the Al Gore’s of the world a perpetual woody. It is the green geekazoid’s chariot of triumph. At 8 feet long, five feet wide and five feet high, this hideous looking glorified golf cart is all the rage for the crowd that harasses whaling vessels while sucking down tofu smoothies during lunch break. At 1,500 pounds it gets around 70 miles to a gallon and is all the rage in Europe. But of course those tight little cobblestone streets are made for such a ride, not the American super highways.

The guy who invented Swatch Watches was bored one day and came up with the idea for this diminutive doo-hickey. Sure, it’s fuel efficient and good for the ozone, but it’s without question, one big rolling can of chick repellent. I love old muscle cars like Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Challengers, Chargers, Dusters, etc. I love the look, the feel, and the power. And chicks dig a dude in a 454, plain and simple. They don’t dig 50 horsepower. The ladies go gaga over eight-cylinder super-charged beasts. They don’t get all hot and bothered by three-cylinder wimps. I sincerely ask you – how the hell are you gonna get laid in that toaster with wheels? First off, no self-respecting hottie would be caught dead dating a dud in that oversized Partridge Family lunchbox. And secondly, there just ain’t enough room to bump and grind by the dashboard light. I want a lady who’s turned on by muscle and might, not fiscal and environmental responsibility. Why not go all out and put a bumper sticker on the back that says, “I have a small dick, too.”

Save the Earth? How about saving your self worth? Any real red-blooded American male is not going to be seen behind the wheel of one of those teenie-weenie, Euro machine-ees. And guess what? These little punk-ass vehicles ain’t cheap, either. There’s three models and the base starts at around $12,000 with the high-end model topping out at around seventeen grand! Are these people kidding? You could probably juice up a riding lawn mower and save yourself fifteen thousand. At least attach a couple of rotating blades under the damned thing so you can earn a few extra bucks cutting lawns in your neighborhood. Jezuz H Christmas, man.

Now, supposedly the crash ratings are pretty good on these uglified autos, but how’d you like to drive between a couple of Mac Trucks in that rolling bucket of doom? Something tells me nailing a squirrel at 30 miles an hour would F that mini gas can up something awful. I wonder in the winter if you can pop the wheels off and snap sled runners on.

I simply cannot endorse these ass-wipe automobiles. I’m a man who loves ice hockey, beer can chicken, full-bodied cigars, full-bodied females, and I believe you can put bacon on anything and it will taste better. Why just a few months back I tore a god damned beaver damn apart with my bare hands, for crissakes.

There is no way in hell I will compromise my role as a manly creature by getting behind the wheel of one of those gaudy little go-carts. And if you think this is the way road travel should go, then check your man-card at the door of life, you Mary-ass wuss. I’d download photos of Rosie Odonnell at the Denny’s breakfast bar before I’m seen in one of these death boxes.

NFW. No way, no how, uh-huh. It just ain’t smart.

- ZMAN

July 14, 2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Altadis U.S.A. announced today that Theo Folz, the company’s President and CEO, will be retiring on September 30, 2009. He joined the company twenty-five years ago and has been in the industry 46 years.

With such legendary company brands as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Dutch Masters, Phillies and Backwoods to name just a few, Folz has lead Altadis U.S.A. to a premier position in the cigar business with unprecedented sales and earnings levels. Highly respected and regarded through out the entire tobacco industry, he is known as an icon.

Folz has made a huge contribution in making Altadis U.S.A.’s cigar business the force that it is today. He has been a dominant figure in the history of the U.S. and indeed the worldwide cigar industry. Theo and his wife, Connie, look forward to global travel, fine food and wine and enjoying their sport fishing boat. Folz says, “It has been an honor to be a part of such a vibrant and historic industry.”

He will be succeeded as President and CEO on October 1, 2009 by Gary Ellis, currently CFO, who has been with the company for over twenty years.

There are some things that scare the absolute living Shineola out of us guys, but like true masochists, we just can’t seem to get enough of it. Some love vomit inducing roller coasters while others enjoy tying thin pieces of cord to their ankles, hurling themselves from five story high railroad bridges. But for the past twenty-one years, millions have tuned to cable’s Discovery Channel to get ravaged and brutalized by the man-eating kings of the deep during the infamous and highly rated Shark Week!

Sharks are devastatingly frightening predators that will make a meal of your torso in seconds, yet we adore these wretched beasts. We love watching some psycho with a camera floating in an underwater cage while a twenty-foot great white attempts to make a pre-dinner snack out of the crazed photographer. Why sharks are so popular, I’m not sure, but back in 1973, that little film entitled Jaws put a fear in people like nothing else before. I was 13 at the time and I don’t think I took a shower for the next two weeks after that flick, because I was so afraid to go near the water. I remember being light on friends during that little time period for some reason as well.

Discovery Channel debuts it’s 22st season of Shark Week and the network is ready for their annual ratings boost. Last year opening night drew 42 million viewers and it is always one of Discovery’s most anticipated events of the year. “It’s a summertime ritual,” claims Discovery president, John Ford. “People are endlessly fascinated by sharks. There’s a lot of variety, they’re fascinating creatures, and also they scare us.”

“The relationship between sharks and humans is a rich topic,” Ford continues. “There’s always something new to find out about sharks – why they attack, what they eat, and how to avoid an attack.”

I’m sure they’d love a paunchy Polak to snack on, so I really would like to stay clear of their whereabouts. Plus, I’m completely full of roast beef, ribs, burgers and snacks, so any damned shark who nails me is basically getting the Royale Polish Buffet! But I really think how to avoid an attack is pretty simple: Stay the f@#k out of waters where they inhabit! Even a stupid bastid whose family originated just west of Warsaw can figure that one out. Jeez.

Here’s the official lineup for you Hammerheads, straight from Discovery’s website…

www.sharkweek.com

The week kicks off with a two hour hair-raising special about the true story behind Jaws. During the week, Survivorman, Les Stroud, takes viewers on a quest around to the world to find the hottest of shark hotspots. Also, specialists, historians and personal accounts reveal the complexities of shark behavior and bring to light the Great White, the oceans most mysterious and dangerous shark of all! Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Blood In the Water – 2 hour premiere!
Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

The true story behind the bloody shark attacks of 1916 that inspired the movie “Jaws.” A 9 foot long shark cruises just off the New Jersey beaches. For centuries its ancestors have done exactly the same. But today there’s unusual company. Swimming in the sea has recently become popular amongst a species the shark has never encountered in his world before: human beings. For the shark it’s a novel feeding opportunity. For the humans it’s the beginning of a new relationship between themselves and the ocean, terrifying and fascinating in equal measure. It’s the first multiple shark attack in American history, and the reason we fear sharks to this day.
Check out a sneak peek of Blood In The Water.

Deadly Waters
Monday, August 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Survivorman’s Les Stroud is back for more nail biting – shark chomping action, and this time, he’s taking on the deadliest waters around the world. His quest is simple – which water is the deadliest? Starting from historical data from the Florida Museum Of Natural History’s famed “Shark Attack Files”, Les will begin his journey to test the waters in the world’s sharkiest “hotspots”. Les will work with a team of experts to compound the “count-down” format as he circumnavigates the globe to initiate a series of intense immersive experiments in an effort to determine why the waters are among the deadliest on Earth!

Day of the Shark 2
Monday, August 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PTSee what happens in this harrowing hour, when a great white breaks through a 300-pound aluminum shark cage and traps the divers inside. Another shark tackles a former Navy Seal in shallow waters off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida. And a bull shark invades a spear-fishing trip in the Bahamas. When you’re a visitor in the vast and complex ocean, any day could be the “Day of the Shark.”

Sharkbite Summer
Tuesday, August 4 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The bite-by-bite account of America’s notorious “Summer of the Shark” in 2001. Were the Ocean’s apex predators really taking back America’s shores? Sharkbite Summer revisits the attack sites and — using news archive, interviews with victims, witnesses, surgeons, family members and shark experts — builds an exact picture of the bloody summer of 2001.
Check out a sneak peek of Sharkbite Summer.

Great White Appetite
Wednesday, August 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The Great White is one of the most of the most feared predators on earth as well as one of it’s most efficient hunters. The Great White Shark patrols the shores of more than fifty percent of the world’s inhabited coastlines, and yet, besides the fact that they’ve killed hundreds of people, we know almost nothing about them. Its incredible appetite is more of a mystery than anything else about the shark. Remarkably, scientists don’t have any accurate data on the Great White’s population, mating, traveling or even what drives their feeding behavior. Observe first hand the experiments that let us uncover the Great Whites unique eating habits. We will travel the globe, stopping at three major Great White feeding grounds – Seal Island, South Africa; Adelaide, Australia and Guadalupe Island, Mexico and administer incredibly visual experiments in an effort to answer this and many other fascinating questions!

Shark After Dark
Thursday, August 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Sharks are most aggressive and most active in the dark, but the fact is, we know very little else about the nocturnal nature of these creatures. Now, armed with the latest in infrared thermography cameras and night vision technology, a team of divers travels around the world, and descends into the sharks dangerous after-dark hunting grounds. Their goal is to learn more about how Great Whites, Six-Gills, and Tiger Sharks behave after the sun goes down.

Today, our guest rater is my good buddy Niko, from In the Humidor.com. Let’s get smokin…

ABOUT OUR REVIEWER: Nick Cirksena is publisher/owner of InTheHumidor.com. He has been smoking cigars since the last cigar boom of the 90’s. Smoking everything under the sun has given him a wide range of tastes and experiences. Nick has been running In The Humidor for just about 2 years now and enjoy the hell out of it.

Nick resides in Texas and says that it’s great cigar smoking weather and wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart and has 3 girls. He enjoys hanging out with the family, cigars, and computers and is looking forward to chatting and getting to know everyone here on Planet Z!

That’s right, stogiphiles and brothers of the leaf -  for two days – September 18 and 19 2009, the Midwest Cigar Summit, one of the finest cigar get-togethers on God’s great earth, makes its triumphant return to the land Bulls, Bears, Cubs, Sox, and Hawks.

In just a few short years, the event has grown from a small gathering of friends, to a full blown cigar smoking happy-fest! This year the festivities will takes place at Jimmy’s Bar, who’s famous beer garden is the perfect venue for a gathering of this size which could reach four to five-hundred lovers of the leaf.

Event organizer and grand poobah, Lucas Woith is genuinely excited about this year’s smoke-a-thon. “Every year just gets better and better with the Summit, and this one will be the finest, by far,” says Luke. “Great vendors, incredible cigars, and all the wonderful people who come make this the greatest time of the year for me.”

Cigar Rights of America will be on hand at the Summit to tell you about their group, which is the only of it’s kind in the country.   You’ll be able to sign up to be a member, and help the fight against oppressive smoking bans and tobacco taxes.

Find out more about the Summit, how you can attend, directions and lodging, contact:

info@midwestcigarsummit.com

2009 Midwest Cigar Summit
Jimmy’s Bar
2801 W. Peoria, Illinois
Friday, September 18    from 5 to 10 pm
Saturday, September 19, from Noon – 10pm.

http://www.midwestcigarsummit.com

Enshrined in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1972, he was a 15 time all-star, won ten World Series rings, hit 358 homeruns, and was named American League MVP on three different occasions.

But do you know of his son? Well if you follow baseball, then sure you do. Dale Berra was a hell of a third baseman, playing 8 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and brief stints with the Yankees and Astros. But wait… do you know about his “other” son? Tim Berra went on to play in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts. But I’m talking about his OTHER son! He’s a member of the Metropolitan Cigar Society in Fairfield, New Jersey, the very same cigar club that I am a member of. Larry Berra is just a great guy and if you want to talk serious baseball and get a major league blast of nostalgia while you’re at it, just light up a stoag with Larry and the guy will have you riveted for hours.

“I grew up around many of the legendary New York Yankees, but I never even thought of them as ball players,” Larry says. “They were dad’s friends, and their sons were my friends. In fact, Ted Williams and guys from other teams were actually my favorite players because the guys I saw everyday were really my extended family.”

It’s amazing how a kid in his position didn’t have a clue what sheer greatness he was around day in and day out. Phil Rizutto was Larry’s godfather and guys like Mantle, Maris, Skowran, Bauer, McDoogle, and Howard were like his uncles. “Back then, the players kids were allowed in the locker room and I would talk to Mickey and Roger about school and stuff I was involved in as a kid. But no one loved kids more than Casey Stengel. He’d throw ballplayers and managers out of his office but the player’s children were ALWAYS allowed to stay.”

Larry was a dyed in the wool Yankee his entire life until that day in 1963 when New York management fired his dad – and he hated the team for a very long time. When Yogi coached the New York Mets in ’65, Larry’s allegiance moved cross-town as blue and orange became his favorite new color scheme. His dad coached the Mets for eight seasons, but when Gil Hodges passed away, number eight became Manager of the Amazins and in 1973 came within one game of winning the World Series, losing to an Oakland A’s powerhouse.

I asked Larry if “he” played and I got a “Hell yeah, I played! I was a catcher and when I was in the Florida State League in ‘71, I was the first player to hit a homerun off of Ron Guidry. And I never let him forget it, to this day, either!” Unfortunately, a rainy day and a soaking wet field caused Larry to blow out his knee and give up the game he loved. “My favorite stat of my dad’s is that even though his lifetime average was .285, he hit .320 with runners on base and .330 from the seventh inning on. He could always turn it on at the most clutch moments.”

Finally, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t ask Larry what “his” personal favorite Yogism is. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”

Well said Larry, and I’ll see you for a smoke at the club real soon.

-ZMAN