Weekly Cigar News Sampler: Macanudo Turns 50, OMB Hints at Rational Approach to Cigar Regs, Humidors for Baseballs, 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 567th in the series.

1) General Cigar is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Macanudo with 50 Days of Macanudo, a campaign that kicks off March 12 with “a flurry of activity to usher in [the brand’s] next 50 years… [including] exciting and unexpected new product launches, special events, and retail promotions.” During these 50 days, retailers who purchase select Macanudo promotions will receive a $500 credit towards future purchases of Macanudo cigars. Also, all Macanudo boxes made in 2018 will include a “commemorative gold guarantee seal.” And a limited number of three new cigars will be released in the Macanudo Inspirado line. Finally, if you want to enter to win Macanudo-branded merchandise like lighters, hats, and ash trays, upload pics of your “Macanudo moments” here. “In the 50 years since its launch, Macanudo remains one of the world’s most respected and best-selling handmade cigar brands,” said Jose de Castro, General Cigar’s vice president of marketing. “This is because Macanudo has always focused on delivering the best and most consistent experience to the cigar smoker. More recently, we took a bold step to evolve the brand by introducing the Inspirado line in the U.S., amped up our retail and consumer promotions, and contemporized our logo and packaging. The result has been nothing less than a renaissance for the brand. And for cigar lovers who have been wowed by the exciting changes we’ve made to Macanudo… they haven’t seen anything yet.”

2) Cigar Rights of America (CRA) sent out an email alert yesterday pointing to a telling exchange between Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney (pictured) during a House Budget Committee meeting. When Congressman Diaz-Balart brought up the issue of premium cigars and ensuring an “appropriate cost-benefit and regulatory flexibility analysis,” Mulvaney responded: “We have absolute confidence the FDA is going to apply the [Trump] Administration’s sort of new standard when it comes to cost-benefit analysis… and we will actually have science and numbers behind them as opposed to the qualitative type analysis that was done by the previous administration. I’ve learned a great deal about cost-benefit analysis over the last 13 months and [have] been extraordinarily disappointed in what passed for a cost-benefit analysis under the previous administration. I think one of the things you can count on with Director Gottleib at the FDA is a much more rational approach to the process.”

3) Seems humidors aren’t just for cigars. Baseball fans may have heard the Arizona Diamondbacks announced next year baseballs will be stored in a special humidor designed to reduce the impact of low humidity on baseballs, which is widely believed to be an advantage for hitters. In case you were thinking about storing your cigars in the Diamondbacks’ humidor, don’t. According to reports, it will be kept at 70 degrees and 50 percent relative humidity (cigars need to be stored between 65 and 72 percent relative humidity).

4) Inside the Industry: Tickets for Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke Miami are on sale now. The event will be held on Friday, March 16 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach from 7:30 to 10:30 PM. The $325 ticket price includes drinks, a light buffet, a chance to meet with cigar makers, and 35 premium cigars. Smoking is allowed on the hotel’s outdoor terrace. An extra $50 gets you into the event one hour early.

5) From the Archives: New cigar smokers can sometimes find themselves overwhelmed, which is why we offered these five tips. Most important is the final suggestion: “Enjoy yourself. This might sound silly. But remember that cigar smoking is a hobby of pleasure, not accomplishment.”

6) Deal of the Week: Here are over 80 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Padrón, Drew Estate, RoMa Craft, Mi Querida, and more. Free shipping is included on any purchase. If you really want to stock up, add promo code “GBP20D” at checkout to knock $20 off an order of $150 or more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Macanudo / Wikipedia