Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 257
23 Sep 2011
As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.
1) Not surprisingly, the House bill that would exempt premium cigars from harmful FDA regulations is attracting a lot of attention from anti-tobacco groups. This week the American Academy of Family Physicians and over 40 other organizations signed a letter strongly opposing the bill, which is supported by Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR). The groups claim that all tobacco products should fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA. But Bill Spann, chief executive officer of IPCPR, says the groups’ conclusions are wrong and “their so-called supporting statements include unchallenged false science and fabricated assumptions that have become part of the myths surrounding secondhand smoke.†The bill, he says, will “save thousands of small businesses, tens of thousands of jobs, and millions in tax revenues.â€
2) With hardly any attention from the media, President Obama recently extended the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. The embargo was originally enacted in 1962 to prevent Americans from supporting Castro’s regime, but almost 50 years of evidence suggests that politicians in Washington should rethink that failed logic.
3) Inside the Industry: The Cigar Association of America reports that, as of earlier this year, premium cigar imports were up over 12% year to date. Of the biggest cigar-producing countries, Nicaragua showed the biggest gains with a 19% increase. Smaller cigar producing countries like Panama and the Philippines also had big increases from their 2010 numbers.
4) Around the Blogs: Nice Tight Ash checks out the Sosa Wavell. Stogie Review reviews the Alec Bradley Black Market. Smoking Stogie lights up the Canimao Jibaros. Stogie Fresh fires up a La Flor Dominicana Air Bender. Tiki Bar Online kicks back with the Viaje Summerfest. Tatuaje 7th Reserva has a 94 rating over at  Your Cigar Ratings.
5) Deal of the Week: My Father El Hijo (a Smoke Inn exclusive) is on special. Buy a box now and you get a three-pack of the My Father Special, a previously “event only” cigar reportedly based on Pepin’s popular but no longer made limited El Centurion blend. (Patrick SÂ jumped on this deal last week.)
photo credit: FDA