Tobacco News

Havana, Cuba, March 15.- More than a hundred businessmen, distributors, entrepreneurs and specialists from different parts of the world will meet in Cuba in April for the 21st Encounter of Clients-Friends of the Partagas Cigar House. The director of the Partagas House in Havana, Abel Exposito Diaz, told ACN that the event will coincide with the celebrations for the 166th anniversary of this Cuban cigar brand, one of the favorite ones among cigar lovers worldwide. Ream more »

The Ohio County Tobacco Prevention Coalition is disappointed comedian Ron White was permitted to smoke a cigar on stage at the Capitol Theatre during a recent performance.

But Denny Magruder, theater manager, said it is not known whether White smoked a real cigar or an electronic cigar during his Jan. 27 act. Currently, electronic cigarettes and cigars are not banned in Ohio County.
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I am writing to voice my support of the editorial on Feb. 22, “Let’s close the loophole on little cigars.” A bill recently was introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate to close this loophole in our tobacco laws. The “Tobacco Uniformity Act” broadens the definition of cigarettes to include “little cigars.” We need to ensure that “little cigars” are classified and taxed as what they really are — cheap cigarettes. A pack of 20 “little cigars” sells for less than $2, but they look and smoke like cigarettes. They are classified as cigars because they have a small amount of tobacco in the paper. Ream more »

Arthur Gallagher used to enjoy strolling down the street every morning, getting a cup of java and a newspaper, and smoking a cigar in Concordia Park, near his home in the DeMun neighborhood.
“It’s one of life’s simple pleasures,” said Gallagher, 55, a retired vineyard owner from Napa, Calif., who moved to Clayton about three years ago.
That pleasure ended on Jan. 1, when Clayton’s ban on smoking in parks went into effect. Ream more »

The preparations for the grand opening of “John’s Premium Cigars” are almost complete. Despite minor construction still underway at the store, which will feature a smoking lounge in addition to a walk-in humidor, it’s still on track for a March 11 opening in Berlin. “Things are coming along,” said Jaime McDonald, one of the owners of the store.
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Abdel “AJ” Fernandez may be the best cigar maker you haven’t heard of. But not for long.

Born in Cuba where he worked with legendary Cuban cigar man Alejandro Robaina, A.J. has quickly gained fame making cigars for other cigar companies including Rocky Patel, Padilla, Graycliff and Gurkha and making exclusive cigars for catalog giant Cigar International (for whom he makes Diesel, Man O’ War, La Herencia and other smokes.)
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Simon Chase, a British sage of the cigar world, stood in an elegant hotel salon here on Wednesday before a select group of aficionados, scrutinizing a box of 1970s cigars for evidence of their proclaimed vintage.
One clue, he said, was the style and quality of the seal on the box. Another was the cigar’s old-fashioned, slightly domed end, or “cabeza tumbada.”
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Altadis U.S.A. has made some restructuring changes to bring the U.S. cigar operations into line with the overall organizational structure of its parent company, Imperial Tobacco. In a move to strengthen U.S. business opportunities, and to maximize market capabilities and its worldwide brand portfolio, the company has established a new Premium Cigar Division within the United States. Ream more »

It’s probably a good thing that Americans—at least most in the middle and upper-middle classes—have given up the habit of tobacco. I say “probably” because I’ve always been convinced by those economists who argue that smokers do a favor to nonsmokers by paying exorbitant taxes on their weeds and then kicking off early, reducing the burden on Social Security and Medicare.
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Last week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned a 2006 Philadelphia ordinance that restricted cigar sales to discourage the practice of hollowing them out and using them to smoke pot.
The ordinance banned the sale of flavored cigars and required that other cigars be sold in quantities of three or more; it included additional penalties for prohibited cigar sales within 500 feet of a church, school, recreation center, day care center, or community center. Ream more »