Cigar Industry Report: Volume 4, Number 29 (6/13/15)

The Cigar Industry Report is a one stop place to catch up on the activity here at Cigar Coop and Stogie Geeks. It is a combination of our news reports, cigar reviews, and assessment updates we do throughout the week. We will also recap what happened on our Stogie Geeks show. Finally, each week we will look back at Cigar Coop history. Look for this report every Saturday morning at 8am Eastern time.

Cigar Industry Report: Volume 4, Number 29 (Edition 126 6/13/15)

Feature of the Week: IPCPR 2015 Pre-Game is On

This week was probably the busiest week in cigar news for 2015. A lot of new announcements are coming out on cigar releases that will be showcased at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans. We had a lot of stories, including several “as first heard on Cigar Coop / Stogie Geeks”.

News and Previews

Boutique Blends Cigars: A bunch of offerings being launched at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show was announced. This includes: Aging Room ffortissimo M19, Aging Room F59, La Bohème Encantador, Swag Connecticut
Boveda: The company held a two day sales campaign where they donated 50% Sales to Cigar Rights of America
Davidoff Cigars: The 2015 Golden Band Award nominees were announced. The company opened its latest Flagship Store in Basel Switzerland.
Duran Cigars: Jack Torano was a guest on Episode 144 on Stogie Geeks and discussed Duran Cigars plans going into the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show (much heard first on Stogie Geeks).
El Cedro Cigars: We took a look at the revamped and expanded portfolio the company will be launching at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show (much seen first on Cigar Coop).
Esteban Carreras: We took at look at the Esteban Carreras Black Cross
Foundation Cigar Company: The company named David Sather Vice President of Sales.
Fratello Cigars: The company announced the eight retailers to receive the soft launch of the Fratello Bianco.
La Palina Cigars: After shipping the La Palina Goldie Robusto Extra, details were finally released on the this latest installment of the Goldie. We also took a closer look at the upcoming La Palina Family Series Miami
Legacy Brands: Victor Vitale’s company has released a new limited 7 x 70 cigar called Toxic.
Oscar Valladares Tobacco and Co: We took a look at the “The Woody by Oscar” and “Big Johnny.
Quesada Cigars: The company announced details of the Oktoberfest 2015 release – which includes two new limited edition Nicaraguan puros.
Recluse Cigars: Scott Weeks broke news at the 2015 Southern Cigar Festival on the Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserva.
Tierra Volcan: The brand’s U.S. distribution is moving from RoMa Craft Tobac to Key Enterprises.
Warped Cigars: The company announced that the new Don Reynaldo Regalos will be introduced at the 2015 IPCPR and be a regular production offering. The company also announced an all-new annual limited edition cigar called the Warped Corto.

Legislative News

Senate Bill S. 441: The Senate Bill to gain an exemption from the FDA on premium cigars. No new co-sponsors signed on Senate Bill (S. 441) – the total sponsor count is at 17.
Hosue Bill HR 662: The House Bill to gain an exemption from the FDA on premium cigars. Three new co-sponsors were added – David Roe [R-Tennessee], Chuck Fleischmann [R-Tennessee], and Rep. Jared Polis [D-Colorado] This brings the total number of sponsors to 119.
House Bill 2058: Three new co-sponsors were added for H.R. 2058 (to change the effective date for cigars subject to FDA regulation from 2007 to 21 months following any proposed regulations are put into effect). These new co-sponsors include Kevin Yoder [R-Kansas], Ed Whitfield[R-Kentucky], and Robert Hurt [R-VA] bringing the total remains at 17 sponsors.
Pennsylvania: State representative Thomas Murt is planning on introducing “Murt’s Ammendment” to extend the indoor smoking ban to bars with food sales making up less than 20 percent of total sales, casino gaming floors, hotel rooms, outdoor patio areas at food or drinking establishments and private clubs

Assessments

Feature Stories

Stogie Geeks Episode 144