Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars

C.A.O.: FROM BOUTIQUE TO CONGLOMERATE?

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Wintermans sold more than 1.3 billion of its little cigars in 2006 and it rates itself the third-largest cigar seller in the world. It may not be satisfied with that ranking in the future.

Federal Forecast fun, but not especially accurate:
Leonard Seagren said he was surprised by the results of his Federal Forecast and he was right. They bore little relation to the actual results of the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night.

Seagren is the co-owner of Federal Cigar in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and has asked customers to “vote” for their favorite candidates by placing matchbooks inside a manila envelope marked with the candidate’s names. “I do it more for education,” he told the Foster’s Daily Democrat than as an election predictor.

This time, the store poll had Texas Congressman Ron Paul winning the Republican primary with 31 percent, followed by Arizona Senator John McCain (27 percent) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 21 percent. The actual results had McCain winning with 37 percent, followed by ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (32 percent) and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee with 11 percent. Paul received one percent.

On the Democratic side, the Federal Forecast had Illinois Senator Barack Obama (46 percent) ahead of Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (both 17 percent) and New York Senator Hillary Clinton (13 percent). The actual results had Clinton first at 39 percent, followed by Obama (36 percent) and Edwards (17 percent as predicted!). Kucinich got one percent in the primary.

“I think more people have voted as a result of participating in the Federal Forecast,” said Seagren, and that’s the best result of all.

Canadian tobacco sellers screaming “Counterfeit!”
A survey released last year showed that as many as one in five cigarettes purchased in Canada were counterfeit. That’s a lot of tax dollars missed and the Canadian government is doing something about it.

The Canadian Press reported that the Canada Revenue Agency has contracted with Swiss-based SICPA Product Security to produce new tax stamps with hidden security features. The new stamps allow law enforcement (and retailers) to know by scanning a pack whether it came from an authorized source.

The same technology is already in use in California, to identify the origin of cigarette products sold in the state and as it spreads more widely, could be used to help identify the authenticity of high-profile cigars sold to and by retailers.

In a demonstration of the impact of taxation on tobacco products, the CP also reported that Canadian tobacco retailers are just as worried – or more so – about smuggled tobacco, “much of it manufactured on native reserves and sold in plastic bags. It’s clear to buyers that the product is not legitimate. But consumers are drawn to the price – as little as $10, compared to a carton of cigarettes that can cost between $63 and $84 (Canadian) in different provinces.” One company spokesman said these were little more than Ziploc bags filled with 200 cigarettes and sold on the cheap.

That’s not likely to happen with cigars . . . but then again, have you been offered any “genuine” Cohibas for $1 each lately?
~ Rich Perelman

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