Years ago, I overheard a gentleman make a wise statement in a cigar shop that has stuck with me ever since. “The best cigar is the cigar you like the best,” he said. What a wonderfully simple (and true) declaration. So many people choose to smoke cigars that are new or expensive because they think those sticks will make them look cool. Others only choose cigars that have received the highest ratings, or those that are made by the trendiest cigar makers. Still others only smoke the biggest, the boldest, the darkest, or the thickest. And others hunt for certain flavor profiles.

But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that the cigar you choose makes you feel great and provides a pleasant experience. There’s no right answer when it comes to picking your cigar or deciding when, where, or how to smoke it. As long as enjoyment is the end result, you’re doing it right. Keep up the good work.

And if you have an all-time favorite cigar, well that’s fine too. I applaud your ability to narrow down the massive field to one supreme smoke, whether you’ve deemed that smoke supreme for its sentimental value or its physical attributes. Just don’t be shocked when I tell you I don’t have a favorite.

I often get asked what my favorite cigar is, and I think people are surprised—and sometimes disappointed—when I don’t have an answer. The truth is, I don’t have a favorite all-time song either. The music I listen to depends on a lot of different variables, not the least of which is my mood. Results can vary across genres that are completely dissimilar. If I could name a favorite song, it would change so often that it would render the act of naming a favorite completely meaningless.

That said, I do have a dozen or so songs that I would consider consistently among my favorites, some because they have sentimental value, some because I just really like the way they sound. The same could be said for cigars. Maybe I should have a “top five” answer prepared for the next time I’m asked what my favorite cigar is. Or maybe it’s enough to say, “I like too many cigars for too many different reasons to pick a favorite.”

No, I don’t think you have to have a favorite cigar. But I won’t hold it against you if you do. If you have a favorite, feel free to share it in the comments below, and feel free to mention why it’s at the top of your all-time best-of list.

Bartow city commissioners said Monday they’re optimistic that the redevelopment of the historic cigar factory could stimulate new development around that building. But they’re also certain that if renovations aren’t under way on the 87-year-old building within three years, the city needs to have an alternate plan for the building that may include walking away from the project. “We can’t just perpetuate this forever,” said Commissioner A. J. Jackson.

City Manager George Long said the city is ready to launch several programs simultaneously to get the ball rolling on redevelopment.

Initially, city administrators will seek proposals from developers wanting to redevelop the historic site, which is among the few remaining factories in the state where employees rolled handmade cigars.

Thompson & Co. opened there in about 1925, and the site at 235 N. Third Ave. continued to house cigar-making operations until the 1960s.

Since that time, the building has passed through a series of uses, from a storage house to a meeting room for civic groups. It fell into the county’s hands, but as surplus property, it’s fallen into disrepair in the past decade.

The county was ready to demolish it last year when a community group convinced the city to take ownership of it.

The city will outline its requirements for anyone seeking to redevelop the site.

At the same time, Long told commissioners Monday night, Bartow administrators will seek to have the site designated as a brownfield area, which means the building or the land beneath it may have been contaminated at some time and must be cleaned up before it can be redevelopment.

Following a recent Maryland study that found teenagers are increasingly reaching for flavored mini-cigars, the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative plans to lobby lawmakers to raise cigar tax rates from 15% to roughly 65%, matching the tax on cigarettes. According to a report in The Capital, teenage cigar use in Maryland has risen by 11% over the past decade, per a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene study released in November. The same study said sales of the mini-cigars have risen 176%, even though teen smoking in general has declined.

You can buy legal cigarettes without taxes, Winston cigarettes, for only 17$ per 10 packs.

Vincent DeMarco, the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative president said state Sens. Jennie M. Forehand, D-Montgomery County, and Verna L. Jones-Rodwell, D-Baltimore, have agreed to sponsor legislation that includes the tax, which is expected to generate about $30 million annually.

The cigar industry has called the push a “misguided” way to shore up government coffers disguised as an anti-smoking campaign.

“There is a fundamental right in this country for the small businessmen and women we represent to sell a legal product at a fair profit without undue government interference,” said Bill Spann, CEO of The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, in a statement.

“There is a similar fundamental right for American citizens of legal age to make an informed, conscious choice to enjoy these fine, artisan products,” Spann said.

He pointed out that teenagers don’t reach for the $6- to $30-a-piece cigars his industry sells.

A cigar-tax boost failed in the state last year, but local sellers expect the pressure to continue again as the state faces an estimated $1 billion deficit, according to The Capital article.

Currently, a pair of bills are being considered in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, S. 1461 and H.R. 1639, the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011, that would spare premium handmade cigars from FDA oversight. Cigar Rights of America, the leading cigar consumer advocacy group, has suggested that if premium handmade cigars fall under the FDA’s control, a slew of changes could hit and devastate the industry.

Among the possible scenarios that CRA suggests could become realities are:.
A ban on walk-in humidors, as found in Canada, as well as banning self-service displays and online or mail-order of cigars.

· Limits on advertising and promotions, including banning cigar sampling/tasting events.

· Banning logoed cigar merchandise such as hats, t-shirts and jackets.

· Banning the use of the word cigar or tobacco.

· Manufacturers having to submit blends to the FDA for ‘testing’ before being allowed to be sold at retail.

· Adverse impacts on flavored tobacco products.

· Defacing of cigar boxes and their often intricate artwork with grotesque, graphic images.

· Price increases due to new fees on manufacturers, as well as ‘user fees’ on consumers to finance FDA regulation.

H.R. 1639 currently has 135 co-sponsors from states across the country, while S. 1461 has received support from four senators, including bipartisan support from Florida’s Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson.

Each of Arizona’s eight U.S. Representatives and both of the state’s U.S. Senators were asked to comment on these two bills and asked whether or not they would be supporting the bill being proposed in their chamber of Congress to exempt premium handmade cigars from FDA oversight and protect cigar smokers’ rights.

Only two of the state’s eight representatives provided responses through their spokespeople.

Adam Sarvana, communications director for Rep. Raul Grijalva, said that “Rep. Grijalva voted for the Tobacco Control Act and feels it’s the best way to handle tobacco sales and marketing. Nothing has changed his mind since that vote.”

Grijalva’s 7th Congressional District is the second largest in the state, covering 22,872 square miles, including a large portion of Tucson, while extending west to the California border and south to the Mexican border.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who represents the southeast corner of Arizona, including a portion of Tucson, in the state’s 8th Congressional District, has not returned to work following the Jan 8, 2011 shooting at a public event that left her fighting for her life. She is currently in Houston working full-time on her therapy and recovery, according to Mark Kimble, Rep. Giffords’ senior press advisor.

Both Giffords and Grijalva were co-sponsors of the Tobacco Control Act of 2009, with Giffords voting for the bill while Grijalva did not vote on it.

Among the other six representatives, spokespeople for two of them acknowledged the request for comment but weren’t able to actually provide one.

Rep. Ed Pastor of Arizona’s 4th Congressional District that covers South and Central Phoenix as well as portions of Glendale and Guadalupe, didn’t provide a comment, though his press secretary, Maura Cordova, said she would “keep trying.” Pastor voted for the Tobacco Control Act in 2009.

Genevieve Rozansky, press secretary for Rep. Jeff Flake, said that “the Congressman is looking into this matter,” but left it at that. Flake represents the 6th Congressional District, which covers parts of Mesa and Chandler, as well as all of Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction, an area home to several cigar stores. Flake opposed the Tobacco Control Act.

Which leaves four U.S. Representatives – Paul Gosar of District 1, Trent Franks of District 2, Ben Quayle of District 3 and David Schweikert of District 5 who failed to supply any comment on the matter – or even an acknowledgment of the request.

Franks was the only representative in office in 2009 when the Tobacco Control Act came up for a vote – he voted no on the proposal. Ann Kirkpatrick and John Shadegg, who represented Districts 1 and 3 respectively, each voted no, while Harry Mitchell, who represented District 5 at the time, voted yes.

Unfortunately for cigar smokers, some of these districts contain a number of cigar stores. District 5 is home to numerous cigars stores in Scottsdale,Tempe and Ahwatukee, while District 3 covers a significant portion of Central Phoenix, Scottsdale and Cave Creek.

As for Arizona’s two U.S. Senators?

Neither Senator John McCain nor Senator Jon Kyl, both Republicans, responded to a request for comment. Neither was a co-sponsor of S. 982, the Senate’s version of the Tobacco Control Act from 2009, though Sen. McCain voted for it while Sen. Kyl voted against it.

Be wary Arizonans – the elected officials who could be representing your cigar rights and freedoms are not only not doing so, several of them can’t be bothered to explain why they don’t care about your freedom to enjoy a perfectly legal product without government interference and regulation.

Concerned cigar smokers who want to protect their freedom to enjoy a cigar are encouraged to contact their elected officials and request that they support S. 1461 and H.R. 1639. While a printed and hand-signed letter sent through the mail is most effective, Cigar Rights of America has made it possible to send an e-mail in a matter of moments, simply by filling out your name and address.

Make no mistake about it – your ability to smoke a cigar in both Arizona and the United States are coming under direct attack, and it will be up to your elected officials to keep the FDA’s hands off your cigars. If you value your freedoms and rights to enjoy a cigar, the time to act is now.

Australia and Cuba: one is a robust democracy with a free-trade agenda and the other is a one-party state where the government sets prices and rations food. But that has not deterred Cuban Ambassador to Australia Pedro Monson Barata from accusing Canberra of ignoring trademark protection and trampling free trade. New tobacco retailing rules that from December 2012 stand to spoil the sales of Cuban cigars in Australia sparked Barata’s tirade. Infinitely more worrisome than a dig from Havana is a High Court challenge to the world-first public health initiative from Philip Morris International Inc, which owns Marlboro and six more of the world’s top 15 cigarette brands.

Philip Morris complains that ‘plain packaging turns tobacco products into a commodity, robbing Philip Morris Ltd of its ability to differentiate its products from competitor brands.’
A year from now tobacco products must come in plain green packets. Logos and other brand imagery will be banished. Covering most of the packet will be graphic warnings of the health hazards of smoking.
The new rules are aimed at cigarette smokers; cigar smokers, a minuscule sector of the market, are set to become collateral damage.
‘I don’t know whether I’ll still be here next year,’ said Ray Battistella of Cigarworld Australia, one of the nation’s biggest cigar importers. ‘I’ve spent half of this year worrying how I’m going to cope with these new regulations.’
Battistella’s emporium in Queensland’s Gold Coast is a sight to behold. The temperature is kept at 18-20 degrees year-round and the humidity at 70-75 per cent. More than 380 brands are on display, not only from Cuba but from Nicaragua and elsewhere.
According to the regulations, the tins, tubes and wooden boxes would have to be covered in plain paper. The bands on individual cigars would have to be snipped off or concealed.
‘What it means is that customers who buy a selection wouldn’t know what they were smoking in a month’s time,’ Battistella said. ‘We’re not going to know what’s what.’
Smoking has been under attack in Australia for nearly 100 years. High taxes, advertising bans and restricted sales have reduced smoking rates to among the lowest in the world.
The industry response to the new rules is being watched by governments in Europe, Canada and New Zealand, where similar legislation could be promulgated.
Melbourne retailer Alexanders Cigar Merchants is trusting that the government will relent and exempt the high-end cigar market from proscriptions intended for cigarettes.
‘I don’t believe we’re going to get to that point,’ said Danny Alexander, predicting that common sense would dictate a waiver for cigars.
‘We’ve dozens, hundreds, of different brands. How are we going to distinguish them?’ he asked. ‘We could repackage them but why would the customer bother?’
The big complaint from cigar sellers is that the new regulations are just one more reason for Australians to circumvent local retailers and order their smokes from overseas websites.
‘They come straight to your door, and there are no warnings on them,’ said Alexander.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg today called on the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the sale of flavored cigars, according to a press release issued by the senator’s office. “Cigars with candy-like flavorings such as strawberry, watermelon, vanilla and chocolate attract kids to smoking and help hook them on this addictive habit,” wrote Lautenberg, who co-authored the letter along with senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

The letter, citing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, said that of the 13 million Americans who smoke cigars, an estimated 1.8 million are high school students and 475,000 are middle school students.
“[A]s youth cigarette use has fallen, cigars have become more popular among adolescents,” the senators wrote.
In 2009, Lautenberg, along with Sen. Robert Menendez, voted to approve a measure that gave the FDA sweeping authority over tobacco products and their flavorings, but the FDA has not yet exercised oversight on cigars, the release said.

Cuba’s cigar factories have been closed to tourist visits. According to Habanos S.A., the exporter of all Cuban cigars, the decision was made by Tabacuba, the governing agency for Cuba’s cigar factories. Previously the Partagás, La Corona and H. Upmann cigar factories were open to tourists who paid a fee of 10 CUC ($10) for a tour.

The policy is being reviewed. There’s no indication the policy will be revised, but Habanos has acknowledged that a Cuban cigar factory is one of the highlights of many casual tourists’ visits to the island. So, expect to see some kind of accommodation in the future.

Those going to Cuba’s Habanos Festival in February, as well as accredited journalists, are still allowed to visit, but such trips are by appointment only and must be arranged in advanced.

Owning a small business today is hard. Owning a boutique shop like Nash Matti’s cigar shop is even harder. As the owner of Smokers Embassy Cigars, Matti, like many other Dacula business owners, continues to adjust to a challenging economy. “Today’s business is hard the way the economy is,” he said. “No matter what kind of business you’re in.” Matti said his clients are also dealing with the effects of the ongoing economic downturn and have reduced spending accordingly.

“Where they used to purchase — for example — a nice box, now they’re bargain hunting and shopping around and I don’t blame them,” he said. “We do the same thing. We watch what our customers do and do the same thing.”

Adjusting to changing conditions and listening to his clientele have allowed Matti to successfully manage his business despite the recession.

“If you can’t manage [your business] the right way, you’ll go under real quick,” he said.

For Matti, managing the right way also involves being smart with a dollar. He describes the dollar as tool — one that if not used correctly is useless. Matti said it is very important for business owners to realize when to spend money and when not to spend it.

“You can’t operate like you used to,” he said.

Though Matti has successfully adjusted his operations, he hopes an economic recovery will happen sooner rather than later.

“It’s hard to predict. It really is,” he said. “I wish tomorrow.”

Until that time, Matti is thankful for the Dacula community and his clientele who have helped him stay in business since first opening his doors in 2004. Matti said his regulars have not only stuck with him, but have also become a part of the shop.

“I’m one of those retailers that loves his clientele. They keep my doors open,” he said. “They’re a blessing. They really are.”

A Palm Coast cigar company has inked a deal to exclusively distribute a Nicaraguan cigar brand. Company officials say they expect to sell $4.5 million worth of the cigars in a year’s time. M. Misti Cigar Co., which has been in Palm Coast for 2 1/2 years, will distribute the Don Duarte cigar line, a recent addition to the cigar industry. That line is a subsidary of a Nicarauga-based tobacco company GBP.

The cigars will sell for $6 to $9 each.

“The brand, since its inception approximately three years ago, is enjoying above average international industry growth,” said Kim Rotunno, chief financial director for M. Misti.

In addition to distributing cigars, M. Misti manufactures its own, under the name Crown Jewel International, in the Dominican Republic and Nicarauga. It sells them in 10 states, including Florida, as well as in Washington, D.C. In July, M. Misti opened its first Crown Jewel Cigar Bar and Lounge at the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast. That cigar bar carries Crown Jewel cigars as well as other cigar brands.

Rotunno said most of M. Misti’s staff work outside of the United States. Independent cigar representatives and brokers handle out-of-state distribution for the company’s products, she said.

Don Duarte cigars are made in the Esteli, a northern region of Nicaragua.

Roger Duarte Rodriguez, founder and CEO of GBP, the manufacturer of Don Duarte cigars, referred questions about the partnership to Rotunno.

Rotunno said in an email that Palm Coast’s close proximity to three international airports — Daytona Beach, Jacksonville and Orlando — as well as its proximity to the ports of Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami make travel to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic by M. Misti staff more cost efficient.

Mark Mistie Jr. is the company’s corporate director for U.S. operations. He and Rotunno both operate out of Palm Coast.

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