Dear XIKAR Friend,

Just when I thought it was safe to relax you hit me with some of the best emails I've ever read! 

I know there are some very passionate cigar smokers that will fight any temp for a great smoke - but from every corner of the globe?! Picking a winner was difficult, so we are sending all friends who submitted an essay a special gift. 

Find the winning essay below and don't forget to enter the sweepstakes at your local XIKAR Dealer.  Only two weeks left to enter. I promise you an experience of a lifetime. 

Finally, rest assured we are back in the drawing room designing the best things to happen to cigars since fire for 2008!

Sincerely,

Kurt Van Keppel

President

Those are just a few of the locales mentioned in last month's contest.  The winner took us back to the sanctuary we can often forget: home sweet home. 

 "As a long time cigar enthusiast and law enforcement officer here in New York City, I can truly say that I look forward to savoring a premium, handmade cigar at the end of the day. As I wake up early in the morning and sip my coffee I am already thinking about the cigar smoking experience that I will enjoy later on after work. The hustle and bustle of city life can get pretty hectic, and being a police officer, you are on call non-stop, so once it's time to clock out for the day, the anticipation grows in regards to getting home and unwinding. As the winter months approach and the raw, cold climate perseveres, the days feel longer and the every day tasks at work seem to be more difficult. Sometimes you spend hours out in the numbing cold, helping those in need and assuring that the public has in fact been protected and served to the best of your ability. Once it's time to go back to the base and end the work day I just imagine warming up and toasting the foot of a great cigar. I change and rush home, enjoy a filling, hot and delicious meal with my family and decide to take my coffee outside. I sit on the porch of my home, located just outside of the main city that I protect each and every day, and sit in silence as I watch the breathtaking skyline from afar. I sip my warm beverage and indulge in a fine smoke as I contemplate the day's events. As the night slowly ends, unfortunately so does my puro. I let the last inch or so extinguish itself as I lock up the house and make my way to bed. I smile softly as I watch my family sleep peacefully and think to myself, "This truly is the good life." Simple and humble my porch is my own private sanctuary of peace. It is now time to go to sleep and prepare for another day yet again.

- John in New York

Introducing The XIKAR Exotic Woods Collection Envoy cigar case: the perfect compliment to XIKAR's popular Xi3 Exotic Wood cutters & humidors.

Each Exotic Wood Envoy cigar case boasts an exotic wood top carved from genuine Amboina, Cocobolo & Bocote woods. We then added dark brown top-grain, padded armada leather to give each piece a well-dressed appearance and a soft feel. The inner lining of the crush-proof case, crafted with genuine Spanish cedar, holds the ambient humidity of the cigar and projects the fresh cedar smell of a humidor on every opening.  Each Envoy cigar case holds up to three 54-ring gauge, Churchill-length cigars. 

SRP $89.99  Check out the Exotic Envoy>>

Dinner has just ended.  You reach into your pocket to offer your client a premium smoke and close the deal.  Ensure nothing is lost on presentation when you pull out your XIKAR Envoy leather cigar case.   No more fussing with that unsightly plastic bag under the table, hoping that Opus X stays intact.   Your guests will recognize discernment in everything you do, and then they'll enjoy your gift in style.  In all your reveling, don't forget the basics: offer the first cut & light to your guest.  Damn, mother always did know best!

XIKAR Envoy cigar cases come in three sizes with multiple accents for every occasion & taste: One, three & five cigar cases, respectively.  For your blazer pocket, we recommend the one or three cigar case. Click here to check them out.