Virginia Tobacco Retailers Could be Subject to New Licensing
A bill making its way through the Virginia Senate would not only shift oversight of tobacco retailers and distributors from the Department of Taxation to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC), but...
View ArticleLa Flor Dominicana El Carajón
Late last year, La Flor Dominicana announced that it would be adding a cigar called El Carajón to its portfolio. The news got somewhat lost in the midst of a lot of product announcements from the...
View ArticleJordan Alexander III Ships Reblended Corojo
After a bit of a delay, Jordan Alexander III Premium Cigar Company begins shipping its recently reblended Jordan Alexander III Corojo today. The cigar is made at the Quesada Factory in the Dominican...
View ArticleWeekly News (Feb. 2, 2015)
Cigar News 262 Plans Roadhouse for IPCPR 2015 Crowned Heads Show Off J.D. Howard Reserve Single Action LE 2015 Crux Classic Lancero — Coming in Summer 2015 Davidoff Ships Winston Churchill Gurkha Ships...
View ArticleCain F 543
During the 2013 STUDIO TOBAC tour, a new and very limited vitola of the Cain F line made its debut: the Cain F 543. This smaller and skinnier vitola was used as a raffle prize at select tour events and...
View ArticleBlanco Cigar Co. Names Robbie Streitz Director of Sales
David Blanco, president of Blanco Cigar Co., has named Robbie Streitz the company’s new director of sales. Streitz will oversee the day-to-day sales activities as well as marketing and business...
View ArticleOhio Governor Proposes Tobacco Tax Increase
In what he described as a “sweeping budget,” Ohio Governor John K. Kasich is proposing an increase on the tax of cigars and other tobacco products from 17% of the wholesale cost to 60%, a move that he...
View ArticlePuro Sabor 2015
Puro Sabor, the Nicaraguan cigar festival has been a fascinating saga to watch unfold these last few years. Nicaragua, more specifically the city of Estelí, is the country that has seen more growth,...
View ArticleHouston Getting Davidoff of Geneva Flagship Store
The next stop in Davidoff’s U.S. retail expansion is heading south. Today, Oettinger Davidoff AG will announce that it will be adding a flagship “Davidoff of Geneva – since 1911″ store in Houston,...
View ArticleHouse Bill to Exempt Premium Cigars from FDA Control Returns in New Congress
There is a new Congress, and a new bill to exempt premium cigars from regulation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Rep. Bill Posey, R-Florida, has introduced H.R. 662, the Traditional...
View ArticleConway, S.C. Says No To Smoking Ban in Businesses; Parks Not So Lucky
The Conway City Council started off the year by passing the first reading of a proposal that would effectively ban smoking in all private businesses. Less than a month later, it appears that bill is...
View ArticleWinona, Minn. Dodges Smoking Ban in Parks
There won’t be a smoking ban in Winona, Minn. parks, but rather an encouragement not to light up. On Monday, the Winona City Council voted 5-2 to have city staff draft a policy discouraging smoking in...
View ArticleCrowned Heads Sending Paniolo Especiale 2015 to Hawaii
The first new release for Crowned Heads this year will be an exclusive for a retailer in Hawaii. Paniolo Especiale 2015 is the newest cigar from the Tennessee-based company, an exclusive for Hawaii’s...
View ArticleTobacco Plus Convenience Expo 2015
It’s been two years since halfwheel’s last visit to the Tobacco Plus Convenience Expo (TPC), the annual two-day winter trade show geared towards convenience store operators but that also has a number...
View ArticleCambridge, Mass. Makes 21 the New Age to Buy Tobacco Products
You can cross Cambridge off the list of Massachusetts cities where you have to be 18 to buy tobacco or nicotine delivery products, because the city council recently voted to increase that age to 21, a...
View ArticleTobacco Purchase Age Increase Proposed Again in Utah
The idea of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in Utah is back in the state House of Representatives, as Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, has introduced HB 0130 seeking to do just...
View ArticleAltadis U.S.A. Adds Corona to RyJ Line
It’s a good day for fans of Altadis U.S.A.’s RyJ line and smaller ring gauges, as today the company announced the addition of a 5 1/2 x 44 corona vitola. The RyJ is a Nicaraguan puro that was...
View ArticleBoulder, Colo. Expands Smoking Ban
The Boulder City Council has been on a steady march to eliminate smoking in the city’s more populated areas, and on Tuesday night the campaign took another step forward. The council unanimously voted...
View ArticleNew Viva Republica Jailbreak Places a Lancero Inside of a 6 x 58
In the age of gigantic ring gauges, it was only time before someone wondered—what happens if you put a lancero in the middle of a 7 x 70. While it’s not quite 7 x 70, Viva Republica is going to let you...
View ArticleSmoking In Nebraska Cigar Lounges Gets One Step Closer
The Nebraska legislature gave cigar smokers a bit of good news today, voting 34-2 in favor of LB 118, the bill that would reinstate the exemption to allow smoking in cigar shops and cigar bars. The...
View Article