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SHOWDOWN ON CAPITOL HILL

Donnybrook over the tobacco buyout and FDA regulation

Los Angeles, October 4 – U.S. House and Senate members of a conference committee will bring the issue of whether the so-called “tobacco buyout” and regulation of tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to a head this week.

The name-calling started loudly on Friday as members of both houses lobbied hard for their versions of the tobacco-related amendments to a tax bill that both sides agree must be passed before October 8. The bill’s main issue, which both sides agree must be resolved whatever the outcome on tobacco, is to repeal a tax break for U.S. exporters which has been ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization and which has resulted in penalty tariffs that have reached 11 percent from the European Union.

The sticking seems to be on tobacco, according to an Associated Press report. The high anxiety over the tobacco issues have led conferees to suggest that the bill could be reported out without any provisions on tobacco, or with part of all of the amendments intact.

Senate conferees including Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) indicated that if the FDA regulatory language is not included, the bill might not pass the Senate. That’s hard to believe and the House hard-liners against FDA control over tobacco include Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who called those provisions an effort to “ban tobacco in America.” He’s pretty close to the mark there.

Steals and Deals:
We continuously update our exclusive “Comparison Shopper” on our CigarWire site to bring you street prices on more than 500 brands from eight of the top national mail-order and on-line retailers. Our newest update included these items of interest:

J-R Cigars:
In addition to the great Royal Jamaica Churchills deal we noted last week, Lew Rothman added:

• Great prices on an entire range of Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte, a tasty blend from Honduras. The four shapes in the line (all boxed in 20s) are priced from $35-50, right at the top for value in our survey and with J-R’s one-box shipping charge of $2, are the best value in this brand.

• Expectant fathers can now offer their friends a classy Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Corona in an “It’s a Boy” or “It’s Girl” packing of 10 cigars for just $45. Pretty good for a cigar of this pedigree.

• Although not on sale this week, a box of 10 Primo del Rey No. 2, a lonsdale-sized cigar (6 1/4 x 42) is offered for just $12.50. This brand is virtually dead now, but the cigars are very good and always an excellent value. A perfect gift, and with $2 shipping, the whole thing will set you back $14.50. Worth trying before they disappear entirely.

Mike’s Cigars:
• A new blend from the always-inventive Tabacalera Perdomo, this time honoring the late Cuban musician Compay Segundo. Their new brand “Compay” is offered in four sizes (naturally, “Buena,” “Vista,” “Social” and “Club”) in boxes of 20, ranging from $53.25 to $62.50 a box. You have a choice of African Cameroon or Nicaraguan-grown maduro wrappers around a Nicaraguan binder and filler.

• The longest brand name of any cigar might be Perdomo’s “La Tradicion Cabinet Series Perdomo Reserve Champagne.” This blend takes the familiar Perdomo Reserve line, normally wrapped in a choice of Cameroon or Nicaraguan shade-grown or maduro wrappers and offers a Connecticut shade-grown wrapper around the Nicaraguan binder and filler for a slightly lighter, spicier taste. They are packed in boxes of 25 ranging from $95.00 to $147.00 over five sizes.

Payless Cigars:
• The underrated original series of the Indian Tabac line is being closed out with four sizes being offered for $54.95-64.95 for boxes of 25, with a second box of any for just $20. A very good offer for the buyer with plenty of space in the humidor.

• Fans of La Gloria Cubana can enjoy the Churchill (7 x 50), Corona Gorda (6 x 52) or Wavell (5 x 50) size in boxes of 10. These are very well priced at $25.95 to $29.95 and you get your choice of either natural or the yummy maduro wrapper in each size.

• A terrific deal, right near the bottom of the price chart, for boxes of 20 Puros Indios Churchill Especials (7 x 53). At $64.95, this is a bargain for these excellent, flavorful, well-constructed cigars made in Honduras.

And the winner is:
It’s a great time to be a collector of cigars and cigar stuff, with some terrific items on eBay this week, including:

• An elegant, sterling-silver Cartier tabletop cigar set with an oil lamp and strikers, matchbox and a V-cutter set on a circular, five-inch tray. The seller believes the set to date from around 1910 and with three days to go had already drawn more than 20 bids and a bid of $450. The item will sell as the reserve price has been met; the auction ends Thursday.

• Those Partagas 150 cigars are up again! The 18-drawer humidor box of 150 sticks is now available with a starting bid of $1,950, but this time with no reserve beyond that. The auction ends on October 12.

A box of 25 Partagas 150 “B” cigars ended yesterday, drew eight bids and finally went for $406 ($16.24 a stick).

• A great week for jarheads with five Montecristo Cigare des Arts porcelain jars and both types of Cuban H. Upmann jars available. Each of the Montecristo jars is heavy porcelain with Michel Delacroix artworks reproduced twice on each jar. The Upmann glass jars are from Havana and include both the more popular 50-count jar and the rarer 25-count version.
~ Rich Perelman

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