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 5, Number 6 (Edition 155 1/2/16)

Cigar of the Year Countdown

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This week we wrapped up our 2015 Cigar of the Year Countdown. The Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year for 2015 was the Padron 50th Anniversary Maduro.  Below were the selections for the top six that were revealed this week.

#6: Flor de Selva Maduro Toro by Maya Selva Cigars
#5: Quesada Reserva Privada Robusto
#4: Cubanacan HR Sublime
#3: Matilde Oscura Toro Bravo
#2: Debonaire 33rd Maduro
#1: Padron 50th Anniversary Maduro

The Full 2015 Cigar of the Year Countdown is found here.

We have more post-season coverage including the Factory of the Year, Person of the Year, Best Aged Cigar, Honorable Mentions, and Performance Awards coming up in the next two weeks.

Feature of the Week:  Top 12 Cigar Industry Stories / Themes of 2015

In what has become an annual tradition, this week we unveiled our selections for the Top 12 Cigar Industry News Stories / Themes for 2015. In addition to these selections, there is an associated analysis around these stories as well.

News and Previews 

  • Cubanacan Cigars: Nathan McIntyre, the Eastern Sales Manager has departed the company. He had recently collaborated with him to start his own cigar brand called Percy Ray Cigars. On a Facebook past, McIntyre said “Regarding Percy Ray, the goal of that cigar was met. That is, to give thanks for a wonderful man in my life. Retailers who ordered that cigar will still receive it, and I know you will be pleased. I will be doing select Percy Ray tastings over the next few months, and it is a project of which I will always be proud.”
  • Davidoff: The company has announced its new Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed will be released in March.
  • Rocky Patel Premium Cigars: Cigar King in Scottsdale has received a shop exclusive called Rocky Patel Gold Series II

Legislative News

  • Senate Bill S. 441: S. 441 is the Senate Bill to gain an exemption from the FDA on premium cigars. This week, no new co-sponsors were added. The total sponsor count remains at 20.
  • House Bill HR 662: H.R. 662 is House Bill to gain an exemption from the FDA on premium cigars. This week, no new co-sponsors were added. The total number of sponsors remains  at 153.
  • House Bill 2058:  H.R. 2058 is the House Bill to change the effective date for cigars subject to FDA regulation from 2007 to 21 months following any proposed regulations are put into effect. This week, no new co-sponsors were added. The total number of sponsors remains  at 37.
  • Hawaii: The new law that raised the minimum smoking age to 21 went into effect.

Assessments

Stogie Geeks

Stogie Geeks is pre-empted for the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday.  Episode 169 will return on Thursday January 7th at 8:30pm Eastern.