Weekly Cigar News Sampler: Members of Congress Seek Cigar Regulation Delays, Illinois Keeps Smoking Age at 18, 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 581st in the series.

1) Thirty-three members of Congress have written a letter to Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to extend the comment period on FDA premium cigar regulation. On March 23, the FDA announced it was seeking comments about reconsidering premium cigar regulations, with a 90-day comment period ending on June 25. This letter to OMB asks for a further 90 days, to September 23, and also seeks to align the warning label deadline—currently slated for August—to September 23 as well. “As members of the U.S. Congress representing all sectors of the hand-rolled premium cigar industry, we remain concerned that the FDA’s regulatory overreach on this issue, which is contrary to Congress’ intent under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA), will continue to impose greater economic burdens on the manufacturers and retailers of premium cigars,” reads the letter.

2) The smoking age in Illinois will remain at 18, at least for now. This week, the Illinois House rejected a bill, which passed in the Senate in April, that would have raised the age to 21. “Five states and 14 Illinois cities and counties have already adopted local ordinances setting the age at 21,” reports the Peoria Journal Star. “According to a fiscal note from the Illinois Department of Revenue, the state would lose between $41 million and $48 million in tax revenue if the legislation were enacted.”

3) Random Read: Have we reached peak Prosecco? (Cava is a better value anyway.) Next up: Peak rosé.

4) Inside the Industry: ScrewPop (which we wrote about here) is adding a new cigar cutter. Chopo features a mini stainless steel double-guillotine cutter that fits on your key chain. Chopo, which doubles as a bottle opener, retails for $24.95.

5) From the Archives: Wild Turkey 81-Proof Rye & Russell’s Reserve Small Batch 6-Year Rye… “Both are solid pairings for a cigar, but Russell’s Reserve can stand up to a wide variety of mild, medium, or full-bodied cigars, while the standard variety is likely to be overwhelmed by a cigar that’s full-bodied. Both are good rye whiskeys, but the Small Batch variety is particularly noteworthy as a classic rye to enjoy neat.”

6) Deal of the Week: Here are over 80 deals, including cigars from Ashton, Oliva, Tatuaje, Rocky Patel, Padrón, Drew Estate, Davidoff, Cohiba, Crowned Heads, RoMa Craft, 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: Flickr