Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 454

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) Davidoff has announced a limited edition cigar called Chinese Year of the Monkey 2016. The toro (6.5 x 50) will feature a pigtail cap, a Habano Rojiza Corte 3 wrapper, a Mexican binder, and a blend of filler tobaccos from Nicaragua, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. It will be packaged in bamboo boxes of 10 (only 8,500 boxes) and be available at tobacconists starting in November for $340, or $34 per cigar. “Davidoff found its inspiration for this new 2016 Limited Edition in the character traits of the Chinese zodiac sign of the Monkey and in the noble material associated with the cultures of South and East Asia—bamboo,” said Charles Awad, senior vice president of marketing and innovation at Oettinger Davidoff AG.

2) Earlier this week the e-cigarette trade group Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA) caused a stir by leaking what it claimed was a draft of the FDA’s deeming rules, which includes regulations for cigars. Although the FDA refused to confirm the document’s authenticity (they didn’t deny it, either), the group claims the draft is what was submitted by the FDA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for final approval. Notably, the document includes option 1 for regulating cigars, which means no exemption from the FDA’s pre-approval process for any cigars introduced since early 2007, a prospect industry insiders say would be devastating. If authentic, the document seems to confirm what we’ve been hearing throughout the rulemaking process, which is that the FDA wants to take a hard line against premium cigars, while the OMB has been pushing for an exemption for handmade cigars. Since the rule is now in the hands of the OMB, cigar enthusiasts can only hope OMB will continue to push back against FDA’s overreach in this step of the review process.

3) Two Guys Smoke Shop, a three-store chain in New Hampshire, has begun a cigar box drive for Cigars for Warriors, a charitable organization dedicated to providing premium cigars to active duty U.S. military members serving overseas. Two Guys Smoke Shop is collecting boxes (and matching each box up to 500) from October 30 until Thanksgiving. There is a donation box set up at each Two Guys Smoke Shop location, and you may even donate online at 2GuysCigars.com (by leaving a message in the comment box) or by calling 1-(888)-2-CIGAR-2.

4) Deal of the Week: Smoke Inn currently has a very limited number of the annual Tatuaje Halloween cigar in stock. It’s called The Hyde, a follow-up to last year’s The Jekyll. If history is any guide, you should move very quickly if you’re interested.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Davidoff