U.K.’s Generational Tobacco Ban Tabled Due to Election
A landmark piece of legislation that would have prevented anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, from purchasing tobacco products won’t be coming to a vote in the immediate future, despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ardent support. The House of Commons declined to take it up, leaving it for the next government to address, and that government could be made up of a majority of the Labour party, which has generally been in favor of the idea. This will be one to keep an eye on in the coming months as anti-tobacco legislation continues to be a reality.
Report: Premium Cigar Imports Remain High in Q1 2024
Following the spike in cigar imports during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been some thought that the levels would come back down at some point, but so far they remain in line with those increased numbers, and in the first quarter of the year, were up 1.5 percent from 2023. Compared to Q1 2020, imports this year were up 47 percent. I also found it interesting to see a near-staggering 17.9 percent increase from the Dominican Republic, while imports from both Nicaragua and Honduras decreased by 2.3 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively. It’s good to see the numbers strong and still growing, hopefully the rest of the year continues the trend.
PCA Announces Events During DNC, RNC
The Premium Cigar Association is taking its message to two of the largest political gatherings in the country, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and Republican National Convention (RNC). The PCA will hold events at a member cigar shop near the conventions, with hopes of bringing together politicians—elected and otherwise—and cigar retailers “to showcase the essence of specialty tobacco retailing,” said Joshua Habursky, interim executive director for PCA. Here’s to hoping there are plenty of people in attendance to hear the message.
Cigar News
- AJ Fernandez Ships Días de Gloria Brazil
- Cigar Oasis Releases Delta
- Crowned Heads Ships Coroneta Maduro
- Davidoff Adding Zino Nicaragua Short Purito for International Markets
- Davidoff The Year of Collector’s Edition Goes on Sale
- E.P. Carrillo’s Pledge of Allegiance Getting Second Release in Early June
- Liga Privada Year of the Rat Returns
- Luciano’s New Fiat Lux Tenebrus Limited Edition Shipping Next Week
- Palió Veneto Begins Shipping
- Room101 Collaborates With Sir Louis Cigars For Red Rocket
- Village Cigar Co. Gets Tweaked Kristoff Connecticut and Maduro for Its Bootlegger Series
Legislation
Federal
International
- Cook Islands Set to Ban Tobacco Sales to Those Under 21-Years-Old — via NZHerald.co.nz
- Labour Party Says it Would Reintroduce UK Smoking Ban — via Morningstar.co.uk
- Northern Ireland On Course to Join UK in Generational Smoking Ban — via BBC News
Local
- Cumberland, Md. Considers Smoking Ban for Downtown Area — via Times-News.com
- Humboldt County, Calif. Amends Tobacco Ordinance to Allow for Some Coupons — via Times-Standard.com
- Santa Rosa, Calif. Approves Ordinance Banning Flavored Tobacco Sales, Requiring Retailer Licenses — via PressDemocrat.com
Reviews
- Blackbird Superb Robusto Gordo
- CAO Amazon Basin (2024)
- CroMagnon Knuckle Dragger (2024)
- Diesel Vintage Natural Robusto Gordo
- Diplomáticos Leal (ER Cuba 2021)
- Mil Días Maduro Sublime
- SpaceX Starship Torch
Deals From Our Sponsors
- Atlantic Cigar Co.: Purchase a box of the recently re-released Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Series Lancero and Get a Free Torch Lighter.
- Cigars Direct: Get a Free Gift with Purchase of Select Buffalo Trace Cigars
- Corona Cigar Co.: Buy La Gloria Cubana Cigars in May and Get A Free Torch Lighter and Cutter, Plus be Entered to Win a Humidor
- Famous Smoke Shop: Buy Select Perdomo Cigars and Get a Free Father’s Day Lighter & Cutter Gift Set
- Gotham Cigars: Save on the Montecristo White Whiskey Glass Set
- JR Cigars: Get a Free Ashtray and Cutter with Select J.C. Newman Brands
- LM Cigars: Pre-Order the Brand New Onward Dreams Middleweight Champ
- Smokingpipes: Get a Free Torch Lighter by Purchasing $25 of Toscano Cigars