Weekly News (May 1, 2017)

Editor’s Note: On Saturday, April 29, a story was published indicating that Frank Santos had resigned at A.J. Fernandez Cigar Co. That story was based on information provided by a company official earlier in the week. On Saturday, Santos quickly contacted halfwheel to inform us that the information was not true. We removed the story, as well as social media posts with links to the story. I apologize for any confusion, our intent was obviously not to confuse anyone or report information that is not true. — Charlie Minato.

Cigar News

• Alec Bradley Nica Puro Diamond Returns Again
• Crowned Heads Ships The Angel’s Anvil 2017
• Cubariqueño Announces Protocol Themis, Probable Cause Lancero & Guadalupe
• Davidoff Limited Edition Culebras Arrive at Flagship Stores
• Drew Estate Begins Shipping Kentucky Fire Cured Swamp Thang and Swamp Rat
• Espinosa Cigars Releases Eminent Domain as Second in Backroom Series
• PDR’s El Criollito Lands Stateside
• Quesada Releasing Limited España Torpedo
• Stolen Fuente Container Recovered Mostly Empty
• Tatuaje & My Father’s Colecciones del Rey Sampler

Legislation

• FDA Nominee Scott Gottlieb Confirmed by Senate Committee
• First Cigar Brands Receive FDA Grandfather Status
• Second Bill Introduced Exempting Vapor Products from FDA Control — Via Yahoo! Finance.

• California Assemblyman Wants to Ban Coupons for Tobacco — Via CNBC.
• Connecticut Tobacco Purchasing Age Increase Bill Heading to House
• Colorado Governor Vetoes Retailers’ Tobacco Tax Reprieve
• Louisiana State Representative Introduces Bill to Ban Smoking on All School Property — via WWL.com
• New York Tobacco Purchasing Age Bill Advancing in Senate
• Ohio House Budget Proposal Strips Tobacco Tax Increases
• Vermont Age Increase Dies in Senate

• Hutchinson, Minn. City Councilor Wants to Consider Tobacco Purchase Age Increase — via KDUZ.com
• Maywood, Ill. to Vote on Tobacco Purchase Age Increase May 2 — via TheVillageFreePress.org
• Nassau County, N.Y. Will Revisit Tobacco Purchase Age Increase — via TheIslandNow.com
• Rockville, Md. City Council Will Vote Smoking Ban for Outdoor Seating Areas of Restaurants — via RockvilleView.com
• Warminster, Penn. Will Debate Parks Smoking Ban — via MontgomeryNews.com
• Westchester County, N.Y. to Consider Tobacco Purchase Age Increase — via LoHud.com

Colleges and Universities

• Metro Community College (Neb.) Going Tobacco Free as of Sept. 17 — via Omaha.com

Deals From Our Sponsors

• Atlantic Cigar Co. — Perdomo Edición de Silvio No. 2 Natural (Box of 10, $125)
• Cigar Hustler — Viaje Zombie Antidote Collector’s Edition (Bundles of 25, $225)
• Corona Cigar Co. — BG Meyer Gigante 52 (Box of 20, $120)
• Elite Cigar Cafe — Partagas 150 in Stock
• JR Cigar — Cohiba Blue Robusto (Box of 20, $159.84)
• Payless Cigars & Pipes — Padilla La Terraza Maduro Robusto (Box of 20, $69.12)
• Smoke Inn — L’Atelier Identite Melange Special No. 2 (Box of 20, $162)
• STOGIES World Class Cigars — Laranja Reserva H-Town (Box of 20, $144.50)

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.