Tobacco News

As happens this time each year, the entire cigar community descends upon one city for a week of cigar smoking and deal making at the annual industry trade show. For cigar enthusiasts, it is Christmas in August, as all the leading cigar makers unveil their latest blends for the thousands of cigar shop representatives in attendance.
This week that cloud of cigar smoke will be settling over New Orleans, which is hosting the annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Trade Show for the second straight year. Known for its good food, lively nightlife, and festive nature — even in the humidity of August — it’s no wonder that New Orleans is a regular destination for the IPCPR, along with Las Vegas (where the show will be returning for the next two years). Ream more »

Filtered cigars that resemble cigarettes in appearance, if not taste, are fast gaining appeal with smokers struggling under budgets strained by tobacco tax hikes.
For $1.28, shoppers at the Cigarette Outlet, 1404 First Ave. NE, could pick up a pack of 20 Wrangler brand filtered cigars last week, one of several brands available.
The filtered cigars come in a 20-pack about the size of a cigarette package, and are similar in appearance. But they cost $2.48-per-pack less than one of the more popular budget cigarette brands, Hy-Val. Ream more »

The first thing you need to know about rose gold is that it doesn’t really exist. Not naturally anyway. It’s simply an alloy of gold and copper, the higher the copper content, the redder the tint. Save for period jewelry, this blushed metal had also been out of vogue for 100 years. But like many things in the fickle fashion world, what was once reviled is now revered, and Davidoff of Geneva has brought the trend to the cigar world by elegantly gilding rose gold onto the surfaces of two of its signature cutters and a mini lighter sleeve. Ream more »

Record sales of cheaper cigars in the United States helped tobacco group Swedish Match (SWMA.ST) beat second-quarter earnings expectations on Wednesday, and it forecast strong growth for that product.

The company, which has benefited from demand for smokeless products as cigarette sales have fallen due to health fears, also said sales of its key snus and snuff products improved in key Scandinavian markets Norway and Sweden, but fell in the U.S. Ream more »

Beijing is witnessing a surge in cigar clubs as expatriate and Chinese entrepreneurs choose to do business over a fat Cuban. As the city holds its breath for a smoking ban, the market for the slim stogies is igniting with a number of private clubs and high-end hotels now offering luxury cigars. “It’s all part of China’s new luxury lifestyles – nice cars, nice wines, and, of course, nice cigars, have become a big thing in Beijing,” said David Wilson, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton and the Davidoff cigar lounge. Ream more »

When a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel was unveiled at the London college bearing his name three years ago, some commented on the absence of the cigar that Brunel was rarely seen without. (He got through 40 a day.) The worry was, apparently, that Brunel’s vile habit had fallen victim to the disapproval of drinking, smoking, violence and gambling in public spaces.
Brunel University and the sculptor both denied this. It was a matter of aesthetics, they said. But news comes of a much greater threat to the cigar industry than moralisers – a threat so grave it leads one to question whether a stogie would even be available to a late 21st century or 22nd century Brunel.
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On Thursday night June 17th, 2010 a cigar that was originally released in 1896 had a resurrection as it was officially introduced to the world on the roof top of the world famous Empire Hotel in New York City. It seems that the cigar gods were on the side of William C. Paley, owner of the La Palina brand as you could not of asked for a more perfect night to enjoy cocktails, canapes, and cigars.
When I arrived at the Empire Hotel there was a line to get to the rooftop as the bar located on the pool deck is one of the hottest spots in NYC for singles but thankfully I had an invite and was able to skip the line. So once we checked in with the hostess it was off to the roof.
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The war in Iraq was brought closer to home for owners of a local cigar shop when a military customer deployed there.
Chief Warrant Officer Rob Way and the owners of Cigars and Such in Ozark met while Way was stationed at Fort Rucker from April 2008 until March of this year. He lived in Ozark while he served as the Commander of the 1st Warrant Officer Company at the Warrant Officer Career College at Fort Rucker.
When Way deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the shop owners, John and Marti Varney, stayed in touch by e-mail with their cigar-smoking friend.
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* Cigar production, export earnings off sharply

* Industry draws on inventory
HAVANA, June 21 (Reuters) – Global economic woes and the worldwide spread of smoking bans are taking their toll on Cuba’s famous cigar industry, with the just-completed harvest of the country’s finest tobacco down 14 percent over 2009, local media said on Monday.

In westernmost Pinar del Rio, home of Cuba’s most famous tobacco, the harvest came in at 22.4 million leaves, down from 26 million in 2009, according to Guerrillero, the province’s Communist party weekly.

The area’s tobacco is used as wrapper leaf and part of the filling in Cuba’s prized cigar brands, including Cohiba, Montecristo, Trinidad and Partagas.
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A decision to either demolish or restore the Cigar Factory in Bartow is back in the Polk County Commission’s lap.
Bartow code enforcement officials have given the county 60 days to come up with a plan to either fix the 1920s vintage building east of downtown Bartow or to demolish it. Read more