Weekly Cigar News Sampler: New Cigars from Toraño, Renewed Calls for Cigar Rights Action, and More

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 515th in the series.

1) General Cigar has hired Jack Toraño as a full-time ambassador for the Toraño brand, as well as announced two new lines under the Toraño Vault umbrella. “Jack began working with us last year to develop Toraño at retail and has made great strides in generating excitement for the brand,” said Régis Broersma, president of General Cigar, in a press release. “We are pleased to have him as a full-time member of our marketing team and look forward to working with him to deepen retailer and consumer engagement around this important brand.” Jack Toraño will report to Ed McKenna, director of marketing strategy, and his roles will include “hosting events in strategic markets, sharing the history of Toraño cigars, and presenting the brand portfolio.” That Toraño brand portfolio is expanding to include the Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped E-021 and Jalapa-wrapped W-009, two new lines in the Toraño Vault collection. Each will come in two sizes with per-cigar prices ranging from $5.49 to $6.49. Back in 2014, General Cigar acquired the brands associated with the Toraño Family Cigar Company. The move came four years after Toraño re-launched itself in 2010—taking back control of its own distribution from a conglomerate that housed Toraño under the same roof as General Cigar and CAO.

2) Yesterday, Glynn Loope, executive director of Cigar Rights of America (CRA), posted a video on Facebook from the U.S. Capitol proclaiming his mission to recruit new co-sponsors of legislation that would protect premium handmade cigars from FDA regulation. Now, with a “new Congress, new administration, and a new regulatory environment,” Loope has committed to “totally revisiting this subject top to bottom,” and he is imploring dedicated cigar enthusiasts to visit the CRA website and contact their representatives in support of these important efforts at this crucial time.

3) Congressional Republicans target Washington’s rule by bureaucrat. But will this include a roll-back of the FDA’s handmade cigar rules? “Washington’s many agencies, bureaus, and departments propagate rules that weigh down businesses, destroy jobs, and limit American freedoms. Career bureaucrats who never face the voters wield punishing authority with little to no accountability. If there’s a swamp in Washington, this is it. In President Obama’s final year the Federal Register hit 97,110 pages—longer by nearly 18,000 pages, or 15 King James Bibles, than in 2008. Federal regulations cost the American people about $1.89 trillion every year, according to an estimate by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. That’s more than 10% of GDP, or roughly $15,000 per American household.” Read more here.

4) In case you missed it, the last two months have been news-filled for Booker’s Bourbon, a StogieGuys.com favorite for its bold, barrel-proof flavors. As explained by veteran bourbon journalist Chuck Cowdery, Booker’s maker Beam announced, then backed off, a nearly 100% price hike.

5) From the Archives: Speaking of Booker’s, twice it has been featured on this website. First in 2011, Patrick A gave his take. Later, Patrick S checked out the first batch released in 2015.

6) Deal of the Week: Seven sizes of Steve Saka’s Mi Querida are back in stock at Smoke Inn. Plus, use the code “StogieDeal” at checkout to land a free triple-flame butane lighter.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: General Cigar