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 »

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.
Ream more »

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.
Ream more »

The Globe and Mail recently highlighted a report on cigarillo and cigarette usage among young Canadians, and the results are shocking. Numbers of Grade 10-12 students who regularly smoke cigarettes has reached 13%, up two percent from last year. Numbers of those students in the same grades who have tried cigarettes topped 50%, with 80% of grade 6-9 students answering yes to the same question. Similar concerns trouble American health advisors and parents.

While these figures should alarm parents and cancer organizations, more alarming is the news that cigarillos now attract their own crowd of smokers. Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada
Worse still, available individually for about the cost of a chocolate bar, packets sell more cheaply than cigarettes says the Physicians website. If low prices fail to attract customers, however, flavors will.
Ream more »

The North End Cigar Lounge offers not only one of the finest selections of cigars this side of San Antonio, it creates a warm, relaxed, mellow atmosphere to enjoy them in. Read more

Leonardo DiCaprio puffs away at a cigar during a boys’ night out in West Hollywood on Saturday (May 8). Looks like no were girls allowed this time around! Read more

A Havana cigar given by Winston Churchill as a gift in 1963 is estimated to sell for as much as £1,500 ($2,300).
For 30 years, Forbes CEO and failed presidential candidate Malcolm S. Forbes, Jr., assiduously collected memorabilia that related to the life of British prime minister Winston Churchill, buying up items that ranged from his official wartime diary to a cigar he gave an acquaintance on a trip to Monte Carlo. Now the collection is heading to the auction block at Christie’s in London, where it’s expected to fetch more than £1 million ($1.5 million).

Read more

The ‘Rehab’ singer – who recently reconciled with Blake after they divorced in August last year – has reportedly decided to mark their reunion with a romantic trip to Havana for when his court ordered curfew is over, to celebrate their new-found passion for cigar smoking. Read more

Thick August air and cigar smoke will turn downtown Keene into a giant humidor this summer, but just for one day. At the April 15 City Council meeting councilors voted 11-3 in favor of allowing a local business owner to hold a cigar tasting event on the sidewalk outside his Central Square store on Aug. 28. Read more