Each year the Tobacconist Association of America gathers in March and while past years have been in Mexico, in 2018 it was held in the Dominican Republic. The gathering consists of the top manufacturers such as Padron and top retailers such as Two Guys Smoke Shop. At the 2018 meeting it was announced that Padron would release the No. 89 as an exclusive for TAA members. The cigar affectionately referred to by many as the Padron […]
Drew Estate, a global manufacturer and distributor of premium cigars announced today that Jessi Flores, Director of Subculture Studios, is leaving the company to pursue new business ventures. Jessi is a twenty-year veteran, having joined Drew Estate in 1999 after founder Jonathan Drew discovered his unique style of street art on the walls of Estelí, Nicaragua. During his tenure, Mr. Flores has been a driving force behind the growth of Subculture Studios, the well-recognized and often-awarded […]
Another day, another state has joined the move to raise to tobacco age to 21. This time it’s West Virginia that saw a bill SB348 introduced by Senator Tamejiro Takubo (R). It has been co-sponsored by Senators Michael Maroney (R), Roman Prezioso (D), Ron Stollings (D), Glenn Jeffries (D), Michael Woelfel (D), William Ihlenfeld (D), Stephen Baldwin (D) and Sue Cline (D). The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee has sent the bill to the […]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has introduced a bill that would lift the Cuban trade embargo and it has already received bi-partisan support being co-signed by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). The bill S. 428 was read twice in the 116th Congress on February 7, 2019 and it has been referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. However, details of the bill have yet to be posted online at the Congress […]
A few months ago I was hanging out with Oliver Nivaud the Director of Sales for United Cigar when he asked if I ever smoked a Patina cigar, which I hadn’t. After going out on the road a couple of weeks he returned with one for knowing that I like to smoke everything on the market. It’s an obsession of mine and while most brands I haven’t heard of wind up being dog rockets for […]
You can now add the state of Maryland to the growing list of states looking to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21. The new bill which has been introduced for the 2019 legislative session is sponsored by Dereck Davis (D-25), Talmadge Branch (D-45), Benjamin Brooks (D-10), Michael Busch (D-30A), Pam Queen (D-14) and Kriselda Valderamma (D-26). It will undergo it’s first hearing on February 27th at 1pm. The measure has already received the support […]
We step into the time machine this week and we look at the cigar industry and how it has changed from 1994 to 2019. We will pull out some old price lists and look at how cigar pricing has changed. We also look at prices from other industries to see if pricing has been consistent. We also look at cigars we feel are underpriced. In short, what cigars perform better than their pricing. We look […]
It looks like it’s going to be the year of RoMaCraft as the company has just released the first of many expected limited releases in 2019. In addition to the Intemperance Goodness, there will be Aquitaine Sabertooth, CroMagnon Mandible, Aquitaine Mandible, Craft 2019, Aquitaine Slobberknocker and perhaps a few more. The Intemperance Goodness becomes the first cigar in the EC (Ecuador Connecticut) line to get the box pressed treatment, where the BA (Brazilian Arapiraca) version […]
The big game provided some nice exposure for the cigar industry. After the Patriots victory, several national newscasts showed Patriots owner Robert Kraft handing out cigars to celebrate the victory. We reviewed the Padron 50 Years yesterday but that was not the only cigar related item on display. The Vertigo Valet Lighter, along with cigars from both Drew Estate and Davidoff were also featured in 2 different special limited edition gift sets given to family […]
In case you were living under a rock, the Patriots defeated the Rams by a score of 13-3 in the lowest scoring title game to date. To celebrate winning, Patriots owner Robert Kraft broke out a gorgeous version of the Padron 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Humidor. This version was blue with the words Patriots in silver across the top. Inside the locked humidor was a gold-colored plaque that read, “We are all Patriots.” The humidor contained […]