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Page 1 of 2  The top cigar stories of 2007Los Angeles, December 31 – In an environment which is increasingly intolerant of smokers of all kinds, cigar smokers in the U.S. had a pretty interesting year in 2007. There were and are continuing challenges to anyone who enjoys tobacco, but also plenty of moments worth remembering: Nashville-based boutique cigar maker C.A.O. was sold to the ST Cigar Group, a division of Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni better known as Henri Wintermans, effective January 1. With the election of Daniel Ortega in November 2006 to the presidency of Nicaragua, Philip Wynne closed the section of the Nicaraguan factory which made his Centenario, Felipe Gregorio, Felipe II Fusion, the new Felipe II Reserva and Petrus brands since 1993 and moved that production to the Dominican Republic. The Torano family indicated that it was not as concerned over the political situation in Nicaragua, going ahead with plans to build a giant new factory facility to be called “Esperanza” in Esteli. The Ninth Festival del Habano took place in Havana. The long-awaited Cohiba Maduro 5 line was introduced along with a series of specialty items and new regional edition cigars. Habanos executives said sales in 2006 were up to $370 million, an increase of 8% over 2005. U.S. Food & Drug Administration head Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach told the Associated Press that he did not want his agency to have to regulate tobacco as was being proposed by Congressional Democrats. “We could find ourselves in the conundrum of having made a decision about nicotine only to have made the public health radically worse,” he told the news service in an interview. “And that is not the position FDA is in; we approve products that enhance health, not destroy it.” His concern is that consumers who would recognize that the FDA has authority over tobacco would conclude – wrongly, according to von Eschenbach – that cigarettes were somehow safe, or at least safer than before regulation. It’s a legitimate worry, but one the anti-tobacco forces do not want to hear. Mike’s Cigars of Bay Harbor, Florida became the third different retailer to be ranked no. 1 in our third annual National Retailer Rankings for its pricing on popular brands and breadth of brands available. A large cigar humidor dating from 1900 given to newly-elected Member of Parliament Winston Churchill by the city of Oldham was auctioned in England and drew a stunning final price of $28,324. Newly elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy was seen puffing on a cigar in public during a news conference, a shock to anti-tobacco forces, but adding to his reputation as a maverick. On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Leegin Creative Leather Products vs. PSKS, Inc. and reversed a 1911 precedent, in effect authorizing manufacturers to set and enforce retail prices on goods they make. Numerous cigar brands were immediately impacted and mail-order and on-line discounts disappeared. |
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Did you know?
“After nationalization of the cigar trade, Cuba introduced only one new brand between 1960 and 1990: Cohiba.
