• Ban on walk-in humidors, self serve cigar displays, and mail-order cigar sales;
• Ban on all flavored cigars, that are enjoyed by legal-age adults;
• Deface ornate, decorative cigar boxes, often considered an art form with grotesque images;
• Ban on cigar events where free cigars (samples) could be available to legal-age adults;
• Limits on cigar marketing and advertising;
• Imposition of new ‘user fees’ [tax] on cigars, to finance regulations;
• Limits on special release and small-batch cigars, due to mandates that cigar blends be submitted to FDA for pre-approval before release;
• Limits on nicotine levels on cigars to near zero, severely impacting the flavor of cigars;
• Ban on marketing cigar merchandise.

Tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a father of two great kids, a husband and an artist. I paint and smoke cigars when I get a chance. It seems I could always use a little more time for hobbies, but family has to come first. Luckily I’ve been able to manage my time well enough to create some artwork I can be proud of displaying.

How long have you been have you been creating cigar art?
It really hasn’t been an incredibly long time. I started creating back in late 2008 for myself and started posting it a couple places in 2009. Thanks to internet forums, it took off from there. I posted a couple pieces and people just asked what I wanted for them. I originally traded cigars for my artwork as my cigar budget afforded a couple smokes a month. The artwork really gave me the chance to explore my likes and dislikes from brand to brand thanks to the generous BOTLs who traded me such great samplers. Now I paint my own creations or work on commissioned pieces for money payment mostly.

What interested you in creating cigar art?
This is a simple one. I wanted to hang something up in the office/man area of the house and browsed the net and didn’t find anything I fell in love with. I’d not painted in years, so I bought another set of paints & brushes and went after it. I was hooked. For me, the cost is in the materials and my time, so I couldn’t buy art for the prices I was creating it.

Do you have any formal training in painting?
I do. I began college in the Fine Arts program at Kent State University. I was also in the Honors College at the same time. So, I was writing paper after paper and I realized I could do both artwork and communicate fairly well. I switched into Advertising after my sophomore year. I graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising.

Is there a particular style of art you specialize in? Do you prefer one style/medium over another?
I would categorize my artwork as mellow and striking. I tend to paint with a cool color palate and create sharp contrast with pen & ink. Regardless, I apply both with a brush. I like to use the pen & ink when something is more ‘in your face’ and the paint when I want to create a mood. The paint allows for more depth and the ink tends to create a flatter plane.

What has been your most popular/highest grossing piece of art to date?
The piece titled “Opus X Grande” has sold the most prints. However, the series “Tats T” & “Tats T – 2011” have sold more prints combined. The highest grossing, because I set the quantity so low, is the series “Cuban Big Boys”. All of the sets of four have sold out a this point, and only the originals remain.

Do you only offer custom commissions to create your cigar art or do you offer prints, etc?
In comparison to how many pieces I’ve created based on my own thoughts, I’ve not created that many commissioned pieces. I’d love to do more, and I’m not sure why more folks don’t request them, but for some reason, I seem to be struck with an idea and start painting it. Maybe I’m not leaving enough ‘open’ time because I keep cranking things out. If you want something commissioned, just drop me an e-mail! As far as prints go, I do offer them. You can visit www.mikeuhren.com to see the pieces I’ve created and can buy any print or original you wish. I’m in the process of changing the site so I don’t have to program each “buy it now” button, and have a cart checkout and maybe be able to offer discounts/promos. Programming is not something I’m trained in, so I’m having to learn as I go.

Out of all the work you’ve done, do you have a favorite(s)?
I do have a couple!

• My favorite might just be “Liga Privada Tray” which features Liga Privada No. 9s post smoking resting on an ashtray. I left their Lion in the negative space of the ashtray and those that know the brand see it. Those that don’t might just see the cigars and ashes, but that was my plan from the beginning. I wanted the lion to be there for those that know the brand. Kind of a hidden message kind of thing.
• I love “Stealing a Kiss” because it’s based on a photo of my wife and I kissing after our wedding. In September 2011, we’ll be married 10-years. We’ve just planned a get away for the two of us and I realized I didn’t have anything to celebrate that life changing moment in my life. Something my wife wouldn’t mind hanging up would be helpful! If you look close, the only part of the smoke that touches is the “lips.” Hopefully, some other married folks will enjoy it as well.
• After that one, I did a pair of paintings titled “His & Hers”. I like them because they are simple and elegant at the same time. Suited smoker and short skirted lady smoker. I think they’re sharp together!
• I do like the “Cuban Big Boy” series for its clean brand/marca representation. I think as a pair of four, they look really good together!
• I did a series of three pen & ink titled “Life of Opus” that started with a hand reaching in towards a selection of Opus X. The second was a hand holding the Opus X and the final piece was a lit/burning Opus X. I actually donated the first piece to Draper’s in D.C. For a charity event they were holding. The other two are still available.
• I get why folks have been into the “Tats T” pieces as well. I dig them too! The negative space between the cigars forms the shape of Tatuaje Cigars “t” and those that know the brand should recognize that pretty quick. I hope anyway.

Where can we see your work outside of your website? 
Outside of my website the best place to see my artwork on-line is in various cigar forums. If you want to see it in person, you could visit Steve Saka, President of Drew Estate or Jonathan Drew, Chairman at Drew Estate as both own some of my work. You could also check out Pete Johnson’s new office in LA, when it’s completed, as he has a piece or two he may hang there. I’m not sure if Jon Huber, now of Crowned Heads, will be displaying my work or not a this point. I had done some pieces based on CAOs for him a while back. Or, you could visit one of the 200 or so BOTLs who have my artwork hanging in their homes, offices, man-caves, etc.

What types of cigars do you enjoy? Any favorites?
Hands down right now, I have two smokes that I am reaching for. First is the “Dirty Rat” by Drew Estate. The second is a Tatuaje Petit Cazadore Reserva. Both have a nice maduro/oscuro wrapper and for some reason, they are hitting the spot right now!

What’s your creative process, that is, do you just decide one day you would really like to paint a particular cigar? Maybe another way of putting this question is, what inspires you to create your art?
This varies quite a bit! Sometimes after I smoke a good cigar, I just want to layout a clean band piece, as a way of remembering my enjoyment of the cigar. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with cigars at all and has more to do with the way a shadow crosses the floor. Sometimes, and this is going to sound strange, I just close my eyes and “see” something. Sometimes, a pile of snow or icicle hanging will inspire something in me. That’s a lot of sometimes! Like I said, it varies quite a bit.

How can we get in touch with you if were interested in checking out your work or ordering some cigar art?
The four best methods:

• Email – mike@mikeuhren.com
• Facebook – Same spelling “Mike Uhren” just let me know where you found me when you write!
• Twitter – mikeuhren
• Forums – I use “muhren” everywhere I am a member

Thanks for taking the time to gather a few of my thoughts. I appreciate that you took the time. I really enjoyed it!

Smoking Notes: The cigar lit with ease and started out more mild than I was expecting. After about a quarter of an inch into the spice notes started and man did they hit like thunder. My palate doesn’t really a lot of spice in a smoke but this was ok. I can see where some people would really enjoy all the spice notes. However in my opinion they masked the true flavors of the cigars. I could tell that there were true leather and berry notes in the smoke that could tell were there somewhat. The smoke never lost form or its tightness throughout. It is a very well rolled cigar.

Final Thoughts: Keep in mind that this is a value cigar when purchased on the Erez website. It isn’t made to compete with the Big Boys. The way that I see this cigar is the everyman’s everyday cigar. Erez isn’t a well known brand but for the price point I can see them becoming a more mainstream brand eventually. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a decent smoke but not a huge hit in the wallet. Cheers!

 Quick Notes
Wrapper: Connecticut Ecuador
Filler: Cubano San Vincente, Olor Dominico, Criollo 98
Binder: Criollo 98
Length: 6 in
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Mild with Extra Heavy Spice Notes
Smoking Time: 1:20 (casual)

Smoking Notes:  This Cigar was the same from first puff to last for me.  I definitely tasted distinct flavors of leather, earth, and an occasional hint of chocolate.  There was a definitive peppery overtone throughout as well.  As I smoked, the cigar seemed to get looser on the corners.  Because of this, it was impossible to keep an ash for very long.  The one thing that I did notice about this cigar was that long after I was finished I was still tasting the peppery leather flavor that coated my mouth.  It was a great flavor.

Final thoughts:  I was fairly impressed with this cigar overall.  As I said before, I am not as a huge fan the more full bodied smokes as other reviewers out there but I thought I would give this a whirl.  I found something to like about each of the aspects that I was critiquing on.  My overall opinion on this smoke is that I would recommend trying this cigar out at least once if you can get your hands on one.  I am sure that most people will find something about this stick they will enjoy.  I liked this smoke but failed to fall completely in love with it.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Quick Notes
Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Sumatran
Filler: 5 Leaf Nicaraguan Blend
Binder: Nicaraguan
Length: 5.5 in
Ring Gauge: 55
Strength: Full Bodied
Smoking Time: 1:03 (casual)

Version 1.0 received a great reception from the cigar community and it became quickly apparent that we needed something better. We need code that was significantly more agile and provided a flexible framework for developing core functionality you all, our members, were requesting. To this end, Version 2.0 represents a different approach to some of the core functionality of CigarDig and this difference in approach has enabled some new and exciting functionality we’re releasing today. Apart from the complete redesign of the site, there are 6 features I’d like to discuss in more detail.

My Humidor – undoubtedly one of the most frequent requests we received over the last year was for the addition of an online, virtual humidor which would allow our members to keep track of their current inventory in a simplified fashion. Starting today, members can add and inventory any of the more than 3,000 cigars in our database. Once in your humidor, members are easily able to smoke the cigars one by one and we’ve even integrated the review system so you can smoke and review all on the same page. Best yet, we have simplified the inventory process for cigars. Our database automatically calculates averages and age from your entries and displays it in a single line.

Cigar, Retailers, and Spot Photos – behind the virtual humidor, the ability to add photos to cigars, retailers, and spots was a close 2nd. Members are now able to upload as many photos as they please for any cigar, retailer, or spot in our database. There’s no limit to the number of photos that can be uploaded and to make it even easier, we’ll resize the photos for you automatically!

Finder – one of reasons CigarDig was founded was because of the lack of location information for retailers and spots. Our old Location Finder didn’t do the greatest job at visually displaying this information and lacked key functionality we now have. The new Finder allows you to type in any address or ZIP Code and get all closest retailers and spots in your area, sorted by distance. On top of being able to view the information, a simple click of the mouse takes you to the profile page for the location or gets you turn-by-turn directions.

Profile Pages – one of the biggest changes to the user interface was the complete re-imagining of the profile pages. We decided to go with a tabbed layout which allowed us to maintain pertinent facts about the cigar or location on each tab while also giving it flexibility to display additional information as needed. You’ll notice that all of our profile pages now feature tabs for photos and reviews, the latter which includes a full breakdown of user reviews and their comments.

Avatars – you’ll notice on the new profile pages that each member now is represented by an avatar along with their username. This allows members to customize their public appearance in addition to their profile. To upload a new avatar, click on your username in the top left hand corner, and you’ll now have the option to upload a photo which will also be resized automatically!

Staff Reviews & Industry News – when we launched CigarDig back in 2010, we started doing staff reviews and discussing industry news. Since the launch of the Web Application this year we didn’t have an archive of these old reviews. Perhaps more significant; however, is that we simply weren’t doing new reviews or talking about current events. Based on feedback from our members, this was one thing they wanted, and so today I’m happy to announce that not only is the archive now available but we have brought in a few new writers who will be writing reviews and covering industry news. They should be up and running in the next few weeks but until then, feel free to check out our archive for older stuff.

While these 6 features are no doubt significant, I’d be remiss not to mention the hundreds of bugs we fixed and minor enhancements we made in Version 2.0. Despite countless hours, 3 months of development and testing, and the re-examining of over 100,000 lines of code, Version 2.0 is completely worth it. As I stated back in April, our goal is simple – to become your one stop shop for everything related to cigars. Today, we’ve not only delivered on our commitment but we’ve far exceeded even our wildest dreams. We hope you’ll enjoy all of work and, as always, if you have a suggestion for the site, feel free to drop us a line.

While we have you here, we wanted to announce some scheduled downtime next week. We are in the process of updating and upgrading some things on the site as well as on our servers to better handle the traffic we are receiving these days. As a result, we have some rather significant upgrades that are being made early next week which will result in the site being unavailable for between 24-48 hours during which we’ll be making the changes. Currently this window is scheduled for Monday, July 25 through Tuesday, July 26. We don’t anticipate it taking anymore than 24 hours but we may need to go into July 27th if things don’t go as expected.

We appreciate everyone’s continued support and let us know via our contact page if you have any questions!

Michael V

We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July Holiday!

So what do you need to do to win one of these awesome prizes? It’s simple!

(1) Sign up for an account here on CigarDig (if you’re already a member you don’t need to create new account)
(2) Submit THREE NEW reviews of a cigar, retailer, or spot! Any combination of reviews works so you could rate 3 cigars or 1 cigar and 2 spots, for example, to qualify. All reviews must be posted between now and 111:59 PM EST on Sunday, July 3rd.
(3) Check back on Monday, July 4th to see if you won! We’ll also contact the winners using the e-mail provided when you registered for the site.

This whole entry takes less than 5 minutes and can score you nearly $200 worth of cigars and swag! So enter today and check out photos of the prize packs on our Flickr page!

Please note, by entering this contest you affirm that you are of legal age to possess and use tobacco products in your respective state.  All winners are subject to age verification.

In addition to these, 1.1.0 introduces a pretty cool new tool, the Address Search. Out of the requests we received, this was probably the most frequently mentioned and for good reason. Finding a retailer or spot by name is great but being able to search by address is more intuitive. Using this page, you can search for either a retailer or spot by either entering a street address with a city and state or by simply entering a zip code. In either case, the search will return all results within a 25 mile radius from your address or zip code entered, sorted by distance. You can then click on the name of the location to go directly to the location’s profile page here on CigarDig.

In other news, our next release, 1.2.0, is forthcoming and should be live in under 2 weeks. While I won’t give away too much right now, there are some really awesome features that will be added with this release which our beta testers have had nothing but good things to say about! Have any suggestions for features you’d like to see? Always feel free to contact us, we love hearing from our visitors!

Mark D & Dustin H