Inspirational Smoke From Ted''s Cigars

Source from:  Cigar Aficionado 07/09/2015

A traditional cigar named after an inspirational grandmother is the new focal point for a veteran company best known for making flavored smokes.

Ted's Cigars of Louisville is turning its sights on the non-flavored, handmade cigar market.

"A cigar is about slowing down in life," said Ted Jackson, owner and founder of Ted's. "We entered the market through flavored cigars, but the biggest market is traditional cigars, so it's logical for us to enter the traditional market."

Jackson has been selling cigars for close to 20 years, starting with Maker's Mark flavored cigars. The Bourbon-infused smokes come packed in glass tubes that are dipped in red wax, just like the Maker's Mark bottle. The company also sells cigars flavored with rum, beer hops and even Grand Mariner liqueur, along with a small line of non-flavored smoked under the name Ted's Made by Hand.

His newest creation is a higher-end version of the non-flavored cigar, a smoke called Ted's Farris, a handmade line named after Jackson's grandmother Lois, whose maiden name was Farris. "My grandmother got up every Sunday for 38 years, got on the bus, and went to a women's prison with a Bible and counseled those women," he said during a meeting at the New York City offices of Cigar Aficionado. "That was her church."

The cigar comes adorned with her trademark line: "Don't Borrow Trouble."

Lois was an inspiration to Jackson, so he has created a promotion where cigar lovers can write stories of their own inspiration (it need not be about cigars) and enter it online. Sharing a story will earn you a free cigar. You can hear more about the promotion and enter by clicking here.

The box-pressed cigars come in 20-count boxes, and are made with a mix of Ecuadoran, Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. The wrapper is from Ecuador, the binder is Dominican olor, and the filler is a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican leaves. There are three sizes: 5 inches by 50 ring gauge, 6 by 50 and 5 1/2 by 56. Suggested retail prices are $9 to $11 per cigar.

The cigars are rolled at the Tabacalera Magia Cubana Factory, run by Victor Sinclair, in the Dominican Republic. Enditem