As the cigar industry awaits just what kind of regulation it will be facing from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many have wondered just how the agency will be able to process the thousands of requests for product approval that will flood its office.

It appears we have an answer.

Earlier this week, a request was made by the FDA to purchase a “cigar smoking machine with CO analyzer,” which published on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

Specifically, the FDA is seeking to purchase a Cerulean SM410CV, a machine capable of smoking and analyzing ten cigars that measure up to 200 mm in length and 22.5 mm in diameter, roughly a 7 7/8 x 56 cigar.

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According to the notice, FDA is looking for a machine that will be able to “simulate human cigar smoking under a variety of conditions and to collect smoke residues for further regulatory chemical analysis,” while helping increase the lab’s capabilities to analyze cigar smoke products.

Given that FDA is specifically looking at carbon monoxide in cigar smoke, it could provide some insight as to a standard that manufacturers will have to adhere to once an announcement regarding premium cigar regulation is announced.

The request closes on Monday, Feb. 29 at noon Eastern. According to the request, the machine would be located in FDA’s Southeast Regional Laboratory in Atlanta, Ga. Pricing for the unit was not immediately available.

(Image obtained via Cerulean’s website.)

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.