Micro-brews and handmade cigars, hot delicious food, big screen TVs, live entertainment, door prizes and pretty women – does that sound like something a couple of guys would come up with? Yes, it does, and as a result the third annual Tennessee Cigar and Brew Festival will launch at noon Saturday at the Jackson Fairgrounds pavilion.

Radio personalities Dave Hacker of the TJ Network and Buzz Blackburn of Rock 92.3, working with FredCat Promotions, helped bring the festival to reality as a male-oriented event. It’s for a good cause, too, since “a portion of the proceeds benefit the Exchange Club/Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse,” said Blackburn.

“We each had an idea for an event at the same time. We decided we would work together to do a ‘guy’ event,” Hacker said.

Hacker’s hobby is micro-brewing while Blackburn enjoys fine cigars. The division of labor was clear.

“The craft beer industry is thriving,” Hacker said. “The beer we bring is micro-brewed. There are so many different styles and a wide range of flavors.”

Blackburn, the ‘cigar guru’ of the festival, said, “I enjoy cigars occasionally.” Blackburn said the handmade cigars at the event are meant to be savored for their taste and smell, not inhaled.

The four-hour span of the festival is about right, they say, although at that length it is one of the shorter festivals in the area if not the shortest.

“It’s plenty of time for people to sample beer. It’s not about chugging. It’s a personal choice.”

Taking the approach that “all beer is good beer,” Hacker is a proponent of moderation. “Drinking beer is not about the ‘buzz.’ It involves all the senses. It’s not just slugging it down out of a can. Beer pairs with food better than wine. You can find a beer that will match with any food.”

“There are eight brews that I make. Micro-brewing is a great hobby, and you can give it away to your friends as a gift. Home brewers can’t sell it. And, it’s cheaper than a bass boat,” he said.

He explained that microbrews are about taste and often are served at room temperature or slightly cooler: “Most people think ‘ice cold beer’, but the cold masks the taste.”

ITC Ltd., Asia’s second-largest cigarette maker, reported an increase in second-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates as sales of cigarettes and other consumer products rose. Net income gained 21 percent to 15.1 billion rupees ($303 million) in the three months ended Sept. 30, from 12.5 billion rupees a year earlier, the Kolkata, India-based company said today. Analysts projected 14.7 billion rupees, based on the median of 26 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales climbed 18 percent to 59.7 billion rupees.

“Because they are market leaders, they have pricing power, so their earnings in cigarettes are very steady,” Varun Lohchab, a Mumbai-based analyst at Religare Securities Ltd. with a “buy” rating on ITC, said in a telephone interview. “The other businesses have also been growing well.”

ITC, India’s largest cigarette seller, advanced 1.4 percent to 206.95 rupees at the 3:30 p.m. close in Mumbai. India’s benchmark Sensitive index rose 0.9 percent. The stock has gained 22 percent in the past 12 months, making it the second-best performer on India’s 10-member BSE Fast Moving Consumer Goods Index, trailing Nestle India Ltd.

Second-quarter cigarette revenue from the maker of the Benson & Hedges and Wills brands increased 16 percent to 29.7 billion rupees. Sales of other products such as soaps, shampoos and packaged foods rose 27 percent to 13.4 billion rupees.

ITC raised prices of some cigarettes across India in September to counter a tax increase in some states, Nazeeb Arif, a company spokesman, said on Oct. 14.

The levy of different value-added tax rates by various state governments has led to illegal trade in cigarettes, the company said in an e-mailed statement today. The government needs to take steps to curb unlawful activity, according to the statement.

“The differential rate of VAT on cigarettes across the states only encourages unscrupulous tax arbitrage,” the company said. “The effective and sustainable solution lies in eliminating the tax arbitrage that encourages these activities by ensuring harmonious and moderate tax rates.”

Japan Tobacco Inc. is Asia’s largest cigarette maker by revenue.

POMPEY legend Alan Knight is the face of a new group that hopes to help people kick the smoking habit. The former Portsmouth goalkeeper had been a smoker for the past 30 years. But three weeks ago he decided to stop and now he is urging others to do the same. The 50-year-old said: ‘I started smoking out of boredom and never stopped. ‘It was one of those things I knew I could have, just like alcohol. ‘But then I decided to quit earlier this month because I was getting a lot of chest infections.

‘It’s also an expensive habit – it can cost up to £7 for a packet of cigarettes. That adds up to a lot of money.’

Alan used to smoke around 20 cigarettes a day, but has been smoke-free since using a variety of nicotine replacement therapies.

From Tuesday a new eight-week programme called Kick The Habit with Alan will start.

The group is run by Solent NHS Trust’s PompeyQuit stop smoking service and the Pompey Sports and Education foundation, based in Fratton Park.

The sessions will give smokers the help and advice needed to quit. They will be offered free nicotine replacement products.

‘When I quit drinking it was much better being part of a group,’ added Alan.

‘If you’re talking to other people who are giving up as well, it helps a great deal.

‘I have been drink-free for three years now and the support at the start helped.

‘There are so many products out there to help with quitting – people should not give up on giving up.’

Each session takes place at the Portsmouth Study Centre, on Tuesdays, between 5pm and 6pm.

Alan will be attending the sessions, along with PompeyQuit advisor Sally Northeast.

She said: ‘It’s a well-known fact that you are four times more likely to quit with support.

‘Giving up smoking is the best thing that people can do for their health and it will help make the family budget stretch further.

‘Alan is a local legend who has battled a lot of things in his life.

‘He is now determined to quit smoking and to help the Pompey faithful kick the habit with him.’

Local health enthusiasts and environmentalists were on an all-time high at Hermosa Beach’s City Council meeting this week. At the Oct. 25 meeting, the council conducted four public hearings that all encompassed healthy living and improving the environment. And after five and a half hours of smiles, cheers and thank-yous, the city had banned smoking, polystyrene or Styrofoam, welcomed the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan and accepted the Vitality City’s livability plan.

The meeting began with a standing-room-only crowd jumping at the opportunity to ask the council to adopt the bike plan that will connect seven South Bay cities via bike lanes.

Resident George Schmeltzer said there is no way to avoid this.

“I think it’s absolutely necessary to adopt this resolution, that’s the way the world is moving,” Schmeltzer said. “I think it’s really important you move ahead.”

Gary Parsons, former Hawthorne City Councilman, said he frequently rides his bicycle to Hermosa Beach and would greatly appreciate the safe bike route.

“Let’s keep the cars and bikes separated,” Parsons said.

Resident Julian Katz, a member of the South Bay Bicycle Coalition, said, “We’ve put together what we feel is a very workable plan,” stating that “it’s the Hermosa Beach of tomorrow.”

The council couldn’t have agreed more, unanimously adopting the master plan 5-0.

“This is another step for us to be sustainable,” Tucker said. “This is going to be a very exciting process.”

Then the council moved on to the item of banning Styrofoam food service take-out containers.

Third-grader Max Riley approached the dais, urging the councilmen to ban the product that harms marine life.

“I’m asking you today to ban Styrofoam containers. And don’t get me started on all the plastic bags,” Riley said, after describing how the containers shred apart and enter the ocean.

His mother, Elizabeth Riley, echoed his words.

“Let’s get together and be the green idea city instead of just saying we are,” she said.

Craig Cadwallader of the Surfrider Foundation’s South Bay Chapter said this product is extremely hazardous and needs to be removed from the coast immediately.

“The damage to the environment is real,” Cadwallader said. “Get this out of the environment now.”

The council looked at three options regarding polystyrene, which were to educate restaurant owners about the negative impacts of the product, set specific targets to limit its use and then a ban if they were met, or a full-out citywide ban of polystyrene.

Former mayor George Barks acknowledged his unpopular request, but encouraged the council to go the educational route first.

“I believe in a clean environment. (You) ultimately need to do this (but) you need to do more work to educate the public,” Barks said.

Samantha Martinez of Plastic Food Service Packing Group agreed and asked the council not to ban the product, but to instead work with businesses, saying they “truly want to be part of the solution.”

But Lisa Ryder Moore, who is on the city’s Green Task Force, pushed for the majority of the council to approve the ban.

“Please pass the ban,” she said. “Do the right thing for the community. Do what the community wants. Do what’s right for the ocean.”

“I think we need to take a stand. This is a very good step with our quality of life,” Tucker said, agreeing with her.

Yet councilmen Michael DiVirgilio and Kit Bobko felt it was too forceful to instantly jump to a ban and wanted to give restaurant owners at least six months to distance themselves from Styrofoam use before banning it.

But Mayor Howard Fishman said if there is such a demand to ease the restaurant owners into phasing out Styrofoam, why were none of them at the meeting?

“If it was a problem, where are the restaurant owners? Where are the affected people, meaning the restaurants?” Fishman asked. “We need to ban polystyrene.”

They did, voting 3-2 to ban the product starting in six months.

Then the council jumped to place a ban on another health and environmental issue, outdoor smoking. The smoking ban will encompass Pier Plaza, The Strand, parks, the Greenbelt, public parking lots and all outdoor dining areas.

Holly Maynes of the National Council of Alcohol and Drug Dependence said, “This is not only a health issue, but also an environmental issue.”

Barks vehemently disagreed.

“I just think you’re going way too far,” Barks said. “It’s unbelievable.”

But Tucker challenged that, stating if it was too drastic, the council chambers would still be full.

“The restaurants aren’t here tonight to say it’s a bad idea,” Tucker said. “I don’t have a problem with it. It’s another quality of life (issue). I have no problem voting for this ordinance.”

Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Duclos said this council has consistently made clean air a priority and supported the smoking ban. The vote to outlaw smoking in outdoor dining and other public areas was unanimous.

To wrap up an entire meeting of improving the environment and the health of residents, the council also agreed to accept the Vitality City plan, which advises the city on how to create a more livable community and improve the physical condition of its citizens.

“This is a magical night,” Cadwallader said. “This is just really special. This is really cool. You guys should be proud of what you’ve accomplished tonight.”

Schmeltzer said Vitality City encompasses everything the council voted on tonight.

“We’re really proud of what you’ve done tonight,” said Vitality City Director Joel Spoonheim.

Fishman said his ultimate goal as mayor was to push for a healthier and more environmentally friendly city and to be a part of historical meetings like this one.

“This is indeed a special evening,” Fishman said. “We’ve accomplished a great deal tonight.”

The U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa’s Health Promotion Department, in conjunction with the Occupational Health Clinic, provides a tobacco cessation program to assist service members and their families with their battle against nicotine addiction. The program provides classes every Tuesday morning at the hospital for those who are interested in decreasing their tobacco intake or would like to quit, said Joanne Haynes, a health promotions specialist with the hospital.

The program is important because tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of premature deaths among Americans, said Haynes.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 45.3 million people currently smoke cigarettes, and approximately 443,000 deaths occur annually due to cigarette smoking.

“This is where the tobacco cessation program comes in,” said Shirley Beasley-Posey, a wellness educator with Marine Corps Community Services’ health promotion office. “The program aims to provide the service member with information and a plan on how to become, and remain, successfully tobacco free.”

Individuals may use tobacco products as social habits or coping mechanisms to deal with certain stressors or problematic situations in life.

“Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, making addiction the number one reason why people smoke,” said Beasley-Posey. “Smoking can also be a social habit. When others around you are smoking, you may feel like you should be doing the same. This feeling is known as peer pressure. Most people have a natural tendency to conform, which is an additional reason why people may decide to begin smoking.”

Tobacco use affects service members’ performance because it decreases stamina, conditioning, motor controls, lung capacity and night vision. Tobacco users are also at an increased risk for injuries and slower healing times, which can affect personal and unit readiness.

The tobacco cessation class offers the user information about the harmful effects of tobacco use and methods available to break the addiction. The class works with behavior modification and assists individuals in obtaining any needed medications, patches or gum that they may need to help break their habit.

“This program can benefit service members because we make it easy and convenient by offering walk-in appointments,” said Haynes. “We assist them in every aspect of breaking the addiction.
This program also assists members with the depression and irritability that nicotine withdrawal can often times bring on.”

The program is available as a class or in individual sessions; however, preregistration is recommended for those looking to attend the class.

“We are very flexible in where we offer our classes,” said Beasley-Posey. “We can travel to them, or they are free to come to our location on Camp Foster. We have even held classes in the barracks.”

The third Thursday in November has been designated as The Great American Smokeout Day by the American Cancer Society to encourage users to at least quit for a day, said Haynes. There will be an event held on Camp Lester for the Great American Smokeout for all status of forces agreement personnel Nov. 18.

For more information on tobacco cessation or the Great American Smokeout event, contact U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa’s Health Promotion Department at 643-7906 or walk into any Occupational Health Clinic.

I have a lot of respect for Tabacalera Perdomo. When politicians raised federal taxes on “large” cigars by 700% for SCHIP, the folks at Perdomo responded by dropping their prices and absorbing the tax hike on most of their portfolio. “We’re all in this together in these tough economic times,” said Nick Perdomo, the company’s president. “You should be able to afford great cigars at great price points.” So, in 2009 and 2010, Tabacalera Perdomo made many of their best-selling brands more affordable.

Today, Perdomo creations are, generally speaking, a great value given the quality of the tobacco and the fine craftsmanship.

The Habano Corojo Robusto (5 x 52) is no exception. One of seven sizes in the line (which is also available in Maduro and Connecticut varieties), this smoke retails for $4 to $6 apiece. It comes adorned with ornate double bands, the larger of which honors the three different growing regions of Nicaragua: Estelí, Condeda, and Jalapa. This is, of course, a nod to the fact that the cigar is comprised of Cuban-seed tobacco from each of these regions.

The Robusto has a matte exterior leaf with several light-colored veins. Consistently firm from head to foot, the cap is applied nicely and it clips easily to yield a moderate draw. The pre-light notes are potent and reminiscent of earth, caramel, and peanut.

Once lit, the cigar has a medium-bodied flavor of spice, oak, and a tart taste on the finish. A gentle sweetness is also present that contributes balance. The overall effect isn’t terribly complex, but it’s satisfying and straightforward.

Don’t expect too many changes in flavor along the way, but you can count on the physical properties to be excellent. All three samples I smoked for this review displayed straight burn lines and solid ashes. The draw is tighter than most other 52-ring gauge cigars, but not to the extent that it causes smoking difficulties.

While I don’t foresee seasoned cigar veterans being blown away by the Habano Corojo Robusto, you can’t deny the value this Nick Perdomo creation brings to the table. I always seem to have at least a handful of these in my humidor to fill the need for a solid everyday smoke. That’s ultimately why this Perdomo earns three and a half stogies out of five.

Tobacco companies are now targeting kids with a sweet incentive. New candy-flavored tobacco products are hitting the shelves of area convenience stores and 16-year-old Marisa Santoyo-Solorio says it’s catching the attention of her peers. “You’d be surprised at how many kids use it,” she says. According to the Collier County Health Department, in 2010, nearly 18% of the county’s youth ages 11-17 have tried flavored tobacco.

In Charlotte County, the health department reports that in 2010, 13% of high school students have tried smokeless tobacco.

“These are the starter producers for 90% of youth that start smoking,” says Jennifer Smith of the Collier County Health Department.

Products like Swisher Sweets, Skoal, and a new product, Orbs, are offered in a variety of flavors and eye-catching packages.

“It smells like candy, looks like candy, colorful so it brings your attention,” Marisa says.

The Collier County Health Department says that this is just another way the nicotine industry is targeting the younger generation.

“They know they like candy and sweets so if they can produce the product, the youth will be more susceptible to try those products,” Smith says.

The FDA is looking to regulate flavored tobacco, and Collier County commissioners have actually passed a resolution urging local vendors to stop selling it.

The owners of J.C. Newman Cigar Co. have opened a cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, a project they have kept secret for more than a year. This will be the first time since the 1930s that the Newman family will be making cigars by hand in one of their own factories. The new facility, which opened two weeks ago, is a 55,000 square-foot, one-story building called Puros de Estelí Nicaragua S.A., also known as PENSA.

It was designed for efficiency, as tobacco is delivered on one side in bales and moves throughout the building, exiting on the opposite side as finished cigars at the loading dock. At full capacity, the facility can make well over 20 million cigars in a year.

Most of PENSA’s production will be a $2 cigar called Quorum, a Newman bundle brand made from mixed-filler tobacco that has been doing exceptionally well in recent years. In an exclusive interview with Cigar Aficionado last week in Tampa, J.C. Newman president Eric Newman said the brand had sales of about 8 million units per year, growing at 15 percent annually.

Quorum was previously made at Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA), one of the busiest cigar factories in the world.

“We don’t own that factory. We have too much at risk there,” said Newman. “They’ve been as cooperative as they can be, but they couldn’t produce enough cigars to meet our demand.”

After raiding more than 23 hookah and pool parlours and clubs on Sunday, city cops raided 11 places in different parts of the city on Monday. The cops also picked up 14 persons from two hookah and pool joints at Ambazari. City police chief Ankush Dhanvijay aims to conduct sweeping raids on hookah and pool parlours to check whether illegal activities are being carried out at these joints. Police claim to have received information about nefarious activities in such joints.

A senior officer said customers would be taken to police station and their statements would be recorded. “We would also conduct medical examinations and send blood samples for chemical testing to ascertain presence of contraband or alcoholic substances,” said the officer.

On Monday, police found three hookah parlours at Nandanvan and one at Sadar closed. An officer said there was no one at a hookah parlour in Sadar. “Five more joints were raided at Ambazari,” he said. “Three parlours at Ambazari were found closed but police raised two operating ones. We have sent 14 people for medical examination from Ambazari police station. We would take action against them after their medical report is received,” said the officer.

The Kush Katariya kidnapping and murder case has prompted action against hookah smoking or pool joints. This was the outcome of the revelation that Kush’s killer Ayush Pugliya was addicted to pool parlours.

Dhanvijay said police faced tricky legal issues in taking action against hookah and pool parlours. “The challenge is to understand the applicability of laws regarding these joints and invoke suitable provisions. We had to do a lot of research with our senior officers and legal experts,” he said. “Police provide licence for eating houses. We would serve them notices to repeal their licenses if the restaurants with eating house permits are found allowing hookahs,” said Dhanvijay.

Additional commissioner of police Ravindra Kadam told TOI that action is underway at several joints. “Many joints opted to keep shops closed after the raids on Sunday,” said Kadam. “The owners and customers would be booked under relevant sections after getting reports of blood samples collected from them,” he said.

Dhanvijay has asked officers of deputy commissioners of police rank to supervise the raids.