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DOMINICAN DOMINATION OF U.S. CIGAR TASTES CONTINUES |
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 Plus: Physician predicts Fidel will live to 140!
Los Angeles, October 26 – Now that our rankings of mild, medium and full-bodied cigars has been completed, it was instructive to see how the major cigar-producing countries fared in our review.
As has been the case for nearly 20 years now, the Dominican Republic (flag shown above) is the dominant producer of cigars for U.S. consumption, and it is tops in our composite of rankings for mild, medium and full-bodied cigars.
A total of seven countries produced 69 cigars which earned a ranking in one of our three reviews:
• Dominican Republic, 37 (53.6%);
• Nicaragua, 14 (20.3%);
• Honduras, 13 (18.8%);
• United States, 2 (2.9%)
• Bahamas, Jamaica and Spain, one each (4.4% total).
The top honors in each category were evenly shared: the Dominican-produced Davidoff was tops among mild cigars; Nicaragua’s Cupido was no. 1 among medium-bodied cigars and the Camacho Corojo, produced in Honduras, took honors in the full-bodied category.
The continued emergence of Nicaragua as a producer of highly-regarded cigars was underscored with its second-place finish among all nations which had ranked brands, one ahead of third-place Honduras, 14-13.
The Dominican Republic became the dominant exporter of premium cigars to the U.S. by 1981 and has not given up that distinction since. Some 158.6 million handmade cigars were imported from the Dominican last year and the figures for 2004 project to a total of at least 174.4 million, the most since the last year of the “Cigar Boom”in 1998 when 184.8 million came into the U.S.
Although Nicaraguan brands scored well, Honduras is an easy second in the import race with 77.7 million cigars imported last year to 33.0 million from Nicaragua. Figures for 2004 continue in roughly the same ratio.
Montecristo goes underwater:
Altadis USA offered its support over the weekend to the U.S. Navy as it provided a special edition of its Montecristo White cigars to officers and crew of the newly-commissioned U.S.S. Virginia on Friday in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Virginia is the first of a new class of attack submarines and Montecristo Whites – the white band matching the sailor’s dress uniforms– were distributed at a special Gala to Captain David Kern, commander of the Virginia. Commemorative packs of Montecristo Whites were distributed to the entire crew.
From the Cubador:
Cuban President Fidel Castro’s fall last Wednesday during a speech in Santa Clara has led to much speculation about his mortality, but not among his inner medical circle.
Although he is 78 years old and sustained a broken left kneecap and a hairline fracture of his upper right arm, Castro underwent surgery with only a local anesthetic, retaining consciousness (and power) during a three-plus hour surgical procedure.
However, his doctors are not worried. An Agence France Presse story quoted Castro’s chief physician, Eugenio Selman-Housein Abdo, as calling Castro’s health “formidable” and predicting that he would live until at least 2064!
“He is heading for 140 (years) and I am not exaggerating because now with the scientific progress and the development of embryo stem cells, man will become immortal,” said the doctor, apparently straight-faced and serious when he made the claim.
Another Spanish call for a U.S. withdrawal:
Granma, the Communist Party newspaper in Cuba, reported on Sunday that “hundreds” of demonstrators marched in Barcelona against the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba.
Given Spain’s withdrawal of support for the U.S.-led actions in Iraq, think that item drew much attention at the White House?
Tobacco buyout signed into law
As expected, the corporate tax reform bill which was designed to eliminate some serious tariff issues from the European Union but became a flatbed truck onto which loads of special-interest legislation was dumped, was signed into law by U.S. President George Bush last Friday.
Included in the potpourri of programs in the bill was the so-called “tobacco buyout,”but the bill did not include provisions giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration control over tobacco.
~ Rich Perelman
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