The following press release comes from Joshua Habursky, Director Director of Federal Affairs, Premium Cigar Association & J. Glynn Loope, Executive Director, Cigar Rights of America. Every election matters. Every two and four years, we seem to hear that a lot. But this time, it’s really serious, especially if you enjoy, sell or make premium cigars. The premium cigar industry has come too far, made such progress, and has a feeling of momentum in the campaign against […]
First, let me state this article is 100% the opinion of Barry. It is being typed from my fingers. Yesterday, HR 2339 passed the committee vote by a vote of 28-24 and some people are calling this a win for the cigar industry. It is, to a degree, because it appears cigars are getting an exemption. However, that exemption is only being offered to a select few brands as they appear on the shelf at […]
(Oct 23, 2019) – I can’t say that I was surprised or unhappy for the overall good of the entire cigar industry, but as predicted and expected, Altria Group, after just 1,000 days since purchasing Nat Sherman will sell off the Premium cigar segment of the operation. Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris. In January of 2017 Altria purchased Nat Sherman, a luxury cigarette company who also owned and operated a premium cigar division […]
BANNED IN BOSTON… THE WAR ON TOBACCO CONTINUES Another Editorial by David Garofalo It’s Columbus Day, a day to celebrate the discovery of Tobacco and Cigars, and a day to discover why there is a war against tobacco. A few weeks ago, the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker placed a four-month ban on all vaping products in response to the popularity of e-cigarettes and after nine people died in the United States from a mysterious […]
CIGAR TAX FOR ON-LINE SALES SET TO TAKE EFFECT Editorial by David Garofalo This whole thing began with the growth on the internet and the 1992 Supreme Court case Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, that determined due to the constitutional law, states could not collect sales taxes from purchases made by their residents from out-of-state vendors that did not have a physical presence within that state, barring legislation from the United States Congress that would allow them to […]
It’s Tax Day again, and still unfair to the smoker. Another Editorial by David Garofalo The discrimination against smokers, buyers and sellers of tobacco products all began in 1794, when the secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton introduced the first ever, federal excise tax. It was on tobacco products only, and after some major modifications, Hamilton’s original proposal passed only to be repealed shortly thereafter. It was believed to have an insignificant effect on the federal budget. Even though Hamilton’s […]
This time each year, since 1992, Two Guys Smoke Shop and The Cigar Authority have had the honor of announcing “The Cigar of the Year.” Today marks 27 years of The Cigar of the Year, an award that has been given out by David Garofalo, owner of Two Guys Smoke Shop, and the host of the award-winning cigar podcast called The Cigar Authority. David explains that his team takes this assignment very serious, and takes […]
Yesterday news broke that the parent company of Nat Sherman, Altria issued a letter to the FDA that called for no exemption for cigars in the ongoing fight against cigar regulation. The measure prompted many on social media to boycott the company, with many retailers vowing to no longer carry the brands. For a while now on our podcast we’ve said how big tobacco goes in and fights against us which was eloquently put by […]
Sometimes I hate to be right! Another Editorial by David Garofalo Seeing a big tobacco giant like Altria, parent company of Philip Morris getting into the Premium Cigar business with their acquisition of Nat Sherman in January or 2017 was like an alarm going off to me. Oh no… they are going to screw this up for all the premium cigar makers, retailers and consumers… I just know it. Some estimated they paid as much […]
I’ve been smoking cigars since 1998 and one of my pet peeves is watching other people cut and light a cigar. Today’s article stems from episode of The Cigar Authority which can be seen on YouTube or listen to via PodBean, iTunes, Google Play, I Heart Radio, Spotify and your favorite podcast catcher. The episode which was titled Lighting, Cutting & Tasting, Oh My! can be heard by clicking the link. To many times I’ve seen a […]