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Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category
Cohiba Behiko has made it to Canada
Cuba’s new cigar brand, Cohiba Behiko, is now on sale in Canada. The cigars are described as fat, pigtailed smokes with a hefty price tag. The slimmest 52 will sell for C$75-C$80 (US$71-US$76) with the 56 selling for about C$115 (US$110). More than one thousand dollars will buy a ten-count box, but the prices aren’t keeping the consumers at bay. Canadians retailers say that they are selling out of this product very quickly.
The Cohiba Behike BHK 52 recently scored 94 points in the June 8 Cigar Insider, Cigar Aficionado’s twice-monthly cigar newsletter. For a vertical brand tasting of the entire Behike trio, see Cigar Insider.
The World’s Greenest Cigar Company?
Camacho Cigars announced its partnership with Bayer CropScience signalling perhaps the eco-friendly, sustainable cigar of the future.
By joining forces with Bayer, Camacho is the first tobacco company pledging to uphold the strict guidlelines for industrial safety and responsible land stewardship set forth by Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
“It’s incredible to see the practices that have been implemented so far and the effects it’s had on the culture and day-to-day lives of the people that work for us in Honduras,” said Christian Eiroa, President and CEO of Camacho Cigars.
Read more from the official release here.
General Cigar receives favorable ruling in Cohiba trademark case
Looks like General Cigar has won the latest round in a U.S. Court of Appeals case granting them rightful ownership of the Cohiba trademark in the U.S.
Cubatabaco first filed suit against General Cigar in 1997, claiming rights to the Cohiba name in the United States under U.S. law, although Cubatabaco had failed to take any legal action against General Cigar for nearly 20 years.
Read the full press release at CigarBeat.net.
James Suckling, European Editor of Cigar Aficionado, Retires
James Suckling, European Editor of Cigar Aficinado, has retired from the company on amicable terms.
Suckling had been with the magazine since it launched in 1992 and primarily covered Cuba. Publisher Marvin R. Shanken has reassigned coverage.
“He will be missed, but we are fortunate to have a capable and knowledgeable staff regarding all aspects of the world of Cuban cigars,” Shanken said.
James Suckling, Cigar Aficionado Magazine
Do taxpayers truly understand the issue of increasing cigar taxes?
Image by Martin Fierro
Last month, Pennsylvania voted ‘no’ on an initiative aimed at closing budget gaps in the state’s economy by increasing taxes on cigars and other tobacco products. A recent op-ed criticizing lawmakers for standing against the tax has spurred one cigar advocate to confront the misconceptions and lies associated with the cigar industry .
Tom Johansmeyer opines that those who are in favor of cigar taxes have fallen hook, line and sinker for the “misinformation and flawed assumptions about the cigar industry, cigar taxation and the impact of both on Pennsylvania’s budget.”
What would have happened if it had passed? Do taxpayers (or even cigar enthusiasts) truly understand the issue of increasing cigar taxes?
Educating the Congressional Cigar Association
Two cigar personalities – Guillermo Leon and Nestor Miranda – will speak in conjunction with W. Curtis Draper to the Congressional Cigar Association on July 20, according to an article by Tom Johansmeyer.
“As anyone who followed the fight in Albany remembers, one of the biggest problems the cigar industry faces is that politicians don’t really understand it, often confusing us with ‘Big Tobacco,’” Johansmeyer writes.
Although the event is not open to the public, Draper will host a private dinner for up to 10 guests with a price tag of $200 each at Blue Duck Tavern in Park Hyatt.
Photo of Nestor Miranda courtesy of cigarreader.com
Spotlight on PANA Cigars
Photo from PuffingCigars.com
PANA Cigars is officially the newest entry in the world of boutique cigar making. Produced in Arizona, PANA Cigars is the creation of Pablo Enchinton, who has spent the past two years developing the brand and vision.
“Our name came about while looking for a meaning of what I think a cigar symbolizes,” says Enchinton. ”The word PANA means friend in my Latin culture and I thought of how perfect it would be to launch a cigar company with the foundation of friendship at its core, in its name!”
The two blends being produced are a Ligero Maduro and Connecticut Especial. Unlike similar boutique producers, Enchinton has sourced some of the best tobacco from the Dominican Republic and has full control over the blending process, he notes.
If you’re interested in discovering other new cigar producers and products, the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers annual show will be in New Orleans August 9 – 13, 2010. Check back with Cigar Club News for a spotlight on what’s unveiled.
Ready to plan a trip to cigar country?
photo by Drew Estate
If you’re a wine connoisseur, consider the appeal of traveling to wine country.
For wine enthusiasts novice and expert alike, an experience in wine country strengthens the affinity for the wines, their makers and the regions where they are produced. With many “new” wine regions springing up across the U.S., wine-marketed travel has become a must-have experience for wine enthusiasts.
Can the same happen for cigar enthusiasts?
Cigar travel, writes Tom Johansmeyer, is bringing a new personal experience to cigar consumers. Some of the most respected cigar manufacturers are using interactive marketing to draw visitors to the factories, some located on the actual harvest fields, to learn about and experience first-hand the cigars they enjoy.
In addition to an educational experience, the chance to mingle with some of the top personalities and minds behind the brands is making cigar travel a viable alternative to advertising.
Good news for Cuba and its Cigar Economy
Amid reports that Cuba’s cigar business has been hit dramatically emerges some good news.
Habana Cuba Oliveros has increased production nearly 350% despite economic conditions, Cigar Reader reports.
By the early part of August, 2010, Habana Cuba Oliveros Cigars will be warehousing in the US six months of inventory of every facing of Oliveros Cigars that it produces. Their goal, To completely eliminate the back order issues that arose from such a high demand for the Oliveros cigars.
Pennsylvania To Vote On Cigar Tax
For those of you who buy cigars in Pennsylvania, you may end up getting a little less bang for your buck.
The Pennsylvania State House plans to vote on a bill that was amended to include a cigar tax, according to an article in WHYY.
Johnna Pro said in the article that Pennsylvania is the only state that doesn’t tax cigars and that it made sense after looking at the numbers to “do a lower cigarette tax increase, and then bring cigars back into the mix.”
If the bill were to move on to Senate, the article states that Republican leaders are opposed to any tax increases.