Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars - SENATE SET TO PASS CORPORATE TAX BILL WITHOUT FDA CONTROL OF TOBACCO

SENATE SET TO PASS CORPORATE TAX BILL WITHOUT FDA CONTROL OF TOBACCO

SENATE SET TO PASS CORPORATE TAX BILL WITHOUT FDA CONTROL OF TOBACCO

Plus: Steals and Deals from Cigars International and Famous Smoke Shop

Los Angeles, October 11 – Despite some heavy-duty pouting by several United States Senators, including Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), the Senate is set to pass the long-awaited corporate tax bill that will end severe European Union sanctions and end the Federal quota system on tobacco.

Most importantly for cigar smokers, it does not include a provision demanded by Kennedy, Ohio Senator Mike DeWine and others that would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have regulatory control over tobacco products.

An overzealous FDA could, under the regulatory powers originally part of the Senate bill, essentially eliminate tobacco products in this country. The only limits on its power in the original legislation were that it could not actually ban tobacco products or require their nicotine content to be zero.

The House, which championed keeping the FDA out of tobacco regulation, passed the conference report on Friday by a 280-141 vote. Once the Senate passes the measure, it will go to U.S. President George W. Bush for signature and his agreement is expected.

The Senate may also pass an accompanying resolution demanding FDA control of tobacco, but it is expected to be ignored by the House. Observers have suggested that such legislation is probably dead for at least three to four years.

Steals and Deals:
Our CigarWire comparison pricing spreadsheet was updated this weekend with dozens of changes to our listings for Cigars International and Famous Smoke Shop. The highlights are easy to see with changes highlighted in blue for new entries, green for price reductions and red for price increases.

> Cigars International:
• The new Partagas Cifuentes Seasonal Blend is now available in all three sizes, the aptly-named “Septiembre,” “Octubre” and “Noviembre.” Claimed to be a first for the industry and taking the concept of a limited-edition brand in a new direction, this “Fall 2004 Collection” is reminiscent of the way European brewers have long offered seasonal beers, with heartier brews in the fall and winter and lighter ones in the spring and summer.

The Cifuentes Seasonal Blend “Fall 2004 Selection” was created by blenders Daniel Nunez and Benji Menendez with a Honduran-grown wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The blend is designed to offer what is called a “medium-to-full-bodied” flavor.

All three sizes are offered in boxes of 20, ranging from $94.50 to $103.50 the box.

• CI has an unusual offering of old C.A.O. L’Anniversaire cigars, originally part of the Alfred Dunhill inventory. But when Dunhill closed its U.S. stores, these cigars became available and all have more than two years of in-box aging.

Six sizes of the full-bodied eXtreme line are available at prices ranging from $136-162 the box (20s) and the Napoleon size of the Maduro line ($148). If you’re a fan of these sizes, it’s a bonanza.

> Famous Smoke Shop:
• The Arturo Fuente Seleccion d’Oro offers a Connecticut wrapper in place of their favored Cameroon wrap in the Churchill, Corona and Privada No. 1 sizes. Famous has the Churchill on sale this week for $93.95, a savings of $10 from the normal price on a box of 25.

• The C.A.O. eXtreme Churchill – current stock – is 20% off at $104.95 for a box of 20.

• Fans of flavored cigars can enjoy the corona-sized Del Sol shape from Havana Honeys for $49.95 instead of the normal $69.95 for a box of 25.

• A great opportunity for those who have not tried Ernie Perez-Carrillo’s La Gloria Cubana cigars can enjoy a six-cigar sampler for just $19.95, all in a natural-shade wrapper.

• The entire La Vieja Habana line, made in Nicaragua by Drew Estates, is an excellent value and boxes of 16 or 20 are available from $21.95-41.95. There are shapes of every size to tempt you and at less than $3 a cigar – most are just more than $1 – it’s a value not to be missed.

Cigar-rama:
The carefully-made Elogio cigar line from Nicaragua has added a torpedo shape to its two-shape line-up. Made from all-Nicaraguan-grown tobacco, this is a medium-bodied, flavorful blend now offered in both natural and maduro wrappers . . .

A wild auxtion (!) this week on eBay with a Virginia seller offering five boxes of cigars: a box of 29 Fuente Fuente Opus X Perfecxion No. 2 (torpedos), a box of 10 Arturo Fuente Hemingway Masterpieces (9 x 52), a box of 25 Chateau Fuente Royal Salutes (7 5/8 x 54), plus a box of 10 Puros Indios Victrorias – 7 1/4 x 60 perfectos – and a box of 10 Piramide No. 2s (6 1/2 x 46). The minimum bid was just $88.88, but it’s now up to $860, with a “Buy It Now” price of $1,200. This one ends on Thursday!
~ Rich Perelman

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