Plus: a new blend of Punch introduced!

Los Angeles, December 6 – It’s almost unimaginable to think that in today’s anti-tobacco climate, a march in favor of smoking could be mounted anywhere.

But don’t tell that to the French.

A march of more than 10,000 people whipped through the streets of Paris in late November to protest the imposition of new rules on January 1 that will prevent smoking in cafes.

According to the Associated Press, the protestors wore Day-Glo vests and marched from the Montparnesse train station to the National Assembly to underscore their demands for modification to the law.

In specific, café owners and others are asking for an amendment so puts off the imposition of the law and to allow smoking to take place in cafes in specially-ventilated rooms. According to the AP report, “Tobacconists fear they will lose clients unable to have a cigarette with their coffee and will lose money on other products typically sold in ‘cafes tabacs’ – cafes where cigarettes can be bought.

“Those opposed to the ban also fear for the survival of cafes in rural areas, often the only community gathering spot for miles around.”

France has a fairly high adult smoking rate at about 30 percent, compared to about 20 percent in the U.S. A smoking ban on most enclosed public places took effect in February of this year, but did not include cafes.

The pro-smoking march was only the latest in a series of public protests on various issues in France, including a paralyzing railway strike, in November. While most of the events have been against reforms proposed by new French President Nikolas Sarkozy – a cigar smoker – the anti-smoking legislation concerning cafes was passed prior to his election.

A new blend of Punch:
Soon after the end of World War II, the already-famous Swiss cigar merchant Zino Davidoff met with a Spanish-Cuban cigar industry delegation, about how Davidoff could help to re-build the European cigar market.

Asked what he wanted, Davidoff is reported to have replied, “I have to have everything the others have as well as some things they don’t.”

That mantra has served many a tobacconist well over the years. Many shops have their own house brands or house blends made only for them. Of late, however, retailers have expanded their desires to special editions of already-famous brands, even at the risk of some confusion on the open market. The leader in this area is certainly J-R Cigars of Whippany, New Jersey, which has dozens of such brands which it sells directly and also wholesales to other stores through its Cigars by Santa Clara division.

The latest to obtain a special version of a well-known marque is Holt’s of Philadelphia, which is now marketing the Punch Vintage line. It’s made in the same factory as the regular Punch lines in Honduras and, to our knowledge, is the first line extension of the Punch brand licensed to a specific distributor rather than for general sale to all retailers.