Partagas to Award $10K for the Ultimate Cigar Cave

RICHMOND, Va., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning at high noon on May 26, 2009,
Partagas(R), the legendary brand of handcrafted Dominican cigars will team up
with pro football defensive tackle and network TV football analyst Tony
Siragusa to find the cigar smoker who demonstrates the greatest need for a
place of their own to enjoy the pleasure of a fine cigar and award him or her
with $10,000 to create the ultimate Partagas Cigar Cave right in their home.

In the contest's website, Siragusa reaches out to cigar smokers who are
relegated to enjoying their cigar in dark, dingy basements or forced out in
the cold garage and makes them an offer they can't refuse. In his call to
entry, Siragusa connects with cigar smoking brethren by appealing to their
need for their very own, in-home cigar cave.

Consumers of legal smoking age who purchase a special four-pack of best
selling, full bodied Partagas Black Label cigars at cigar shops throughout the
U.S. between May 26 and July 31, 2009 will receive a redemption code detailing
how they can enter videos, photos and written descriptions of their domestic
cigar smoking predicament to win the $10,000 prize allowing them to create a
customized Partagas Cigar Cave for their home. Consumers can also enter by
visiting www.partagascigarcave.com. The winner will be selected on or before
August 21, 2009.

Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing, comments, "The trend toward
in-home 'caves' where men can be men continues to gain momentum. To connect
with the lion's share of cigar enthusiasts who are forced to enjoy the
pleasure of a fine cigar in undesirable locations, we found it only fitting to
tap Tony Siragusa to convince cigar smokers to share their stories with us.
For a cigar lover, having an in-home smoking lounge is the ultimate nirvana
and we're pleased to be able to provide it in the name of such a
well-respected brand as Partagas."

Consumers will be encouraged to vote on contest entries which will be posted
on partagascigarcave.com. General Cigar, parent company of Partagas, will
harness social media by pushing Siragusa's call to entry via online cigar
communities, as well as YouTube, Facebook and a host of other video content
sharing sites.

"These entries and the online conversations they spark represent a fun viral
component in this social media promotion," added Mukherjee.

Partagas Cigar Cave will be supported at tobacco retail shops with
point-of-sale displays featuring Tony Siragusa. Select tobacconists across
the U.S. will also host special Partagas Cigar Cave parties at retail.
Consumers are not the only ones eligible to win in this promotion. The
retailer who sells a four-pack to the winning contestant will win a custom
Partagas Cigar Lounge for his store.

About Partagas Cigars
Since their release in the U.S. in 1978 by legendary Cuban cigar master Ramon
Cifuentes, Partagas cigars have set the standard by which all premium cigars
are measured. In addition to the base brand of Partagas cigars, the brand also
features these collections: Partagas Black Label, Partagas Serie S, Partagas
Spanish Rosado, Partagas Cifuentes, Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas, Partagas
160 Signature Series.

Partagas cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., which manufactures and
markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering
cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo(R),
Cohiba(R), Hoyo de Monterrey(R), Excalibur(R), La Gloria Cubana(R) and several
other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium
Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in
the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo(R), a cigar
bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through
tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit
www.cigarworld.com.

(R) Partagas, Macanudo, Cohiba, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur, La Gloria Cubana
and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.

SOURCE Partagas Cigars

Victoria McKee of General Cigar Co. Inc., +1-732-721-0317, or +1-732-580-5215,
vmckee@gcigar.com