(Washington, DC) Today, representatives from PCA, including President Greg Zimmerman, attended oral arguments in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia presented before Judge Amit P. Mehta in the case of Cigar Association of America et al. v. FDA. The case concerns the FDA’s 2016 “Deeming Rule,” which granted the FDA the authority to regulate “tobacco products,” including premium cigars, under the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The question before the court is to decide whether the justifications and reasoning provided by the FDA for regulating premium cigars met the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act.

Ocala, FL – Operation: Cigars For Warriors is proud to announce the
results of the first annual “Stream-A-Thon” in collaboration with the Cigar Talk Podcast and The Leaf of Abilene, Texas. Partnering with the Cigar Talk community and some of the top names in the cigar industry including Carlito Fuente, Al Micallef, and Jonathan Drew, the streamathon exceeded expectations by raising $3836.86 to support our troops.

Dunbarton, NH – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust® (DTT) is announcing it will be temporarily opening New Purveyor Accounts until further notice.

Ocala, FL – Operation: Cigars For Warriors reached a significant milestone on May 12th, 2002 – 10 years in operation as a charity
devoted to deployed military service members. As a Platinum-level
certified charity (verified by GuideStar), CFW operates with the highest ethical standards of transparency and accountability.

(As reported in Cigar Aficionado) An intense and long-lived hailstorm destroyed several acres of cigar tobacco at Chateau de la Fuente in El Caribe, Dominican Republic on May 6. Ice fell from the sky, blasting holes in unpicked tobacco leaves, tearing down cheesecloth shade, damaging curing barns and wrecking seedbeds. In the aftermath, it appeared as if snow had fallen in the tropics, with workers chipping away at piles of ice that had gathered on the collapsed tenting that normally covers the fields. 

The excitement has finally arrived as the 7-20-4 Hustler Five & Dime Series heads to PCA Retailers across the country starting on May 4th.

The “Five & Dime” name was chosen by Kurt Kendall, the owner of 7-20-4 Cigars honoring the history of the 5 and 10 cent cigars manufactured in NH back in 1874.

The Five & Dime is a 6 x 52 Toro in a 10 count box with a Mexican San Andres/Brazilian Habano Wrapper, Sumatra Binder, and PA, Esteli, Jalapa Fillers. Hand-made in Nicaragua at the Jesus Fuego Factory.

The cigar will retail at $12.50 and will begin shipping on May 4th to retailers who made reservations for the new release.

7-20-4 Cigars began taking reservations for the cigar at the PCA show in 2021. Kurt Kendall, president of 7-20-4 Cigars commented “Despite the bottlenecks, we have hit in the cigar industry with production, printing, and shipping cigars, we are grateful for all the patience from everyone and the hard work from everyone participating in rolling out the Five & Dime. Everything in the shipment which arrived in Miami is ready to head to our Brick & Mortar partners. We are truly humbled by its success.”

The 7-20-4 Hustler Five & Dime cigar is a PCA exclusive. The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) is the leading authority and advocate for the premium cigar and pipe retailer industry. The PCA is dedicated to the current and future success of brick and mortar premium tobacconists.

May 3, 2022 — Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the 2^nd release of Hyena: Hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.

HYENA is a Limited Edition that will be shipping to select BLK WKS retailers this month. It will also be available in Belgium and Germany.

“Hyena received a lot of hype in 2021 and this year’s release will be no different.  The 2022 Hyena is bold, spicy, very well balance and a touch more intense than last year’s release. A truly unique cigar that is focused on showcasing a perfect balance between Nicaraguan fillers and the Cameroon wrapper. The profile is spice forward with white pepper & semi-sweet baking spices blended with herbal notes & cedar.

The finish is a blend of bitter cocoa, cream & malt. Hyena is an extremely complex and balanced cigar and is a tribute to my wife’s and my many years of living in Africa,” said James Brown, creator of BLTC & BLK WKS and owner at Fabrica Oveja Negra. 

HYENA
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Africa Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua

Corona Gorda – 5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $12.50
Lonsdale – 6.5×42 (20 count) MSRP $12.50

These cigars are an expression of art showcasing the talent, technique and tobacco of our boutique cigar factory; Fabrica Oveja Negra. BLK WKS cigars are available for purchase through Oveja Negra Brands. For more information visit OvejaNegraCigars.com.

On April 26th at the emblematic restaurant La Única in Polanco, Mexico City, we had a pairing with Chivas Regal whisky, where we enjoyed a four-course dinner paired with Chivas Regal extra (Tequila barrel), 18 years aged, Ultis, and to finish with Chivas 25 years and our famous Cuchillo Parado cigar.

 
Among the attendees were celebrities, influencers, entrepreneurs in the spirits industry, Chivas Regal Mexico ambassador Alex Millán and our Master Blender Manolo Santiago. Undoubtedly a night to remember.

At the beginning of the month, we had presence at one of the most nationally recognized competitions in the world of classic automobiles, the “Concurso de Elegancia”, where the most exquisite collectors of antique cars exhibit their best work in restoration, maintenance and mechanics.

For two days, classic car enthusiasts were able to experience the collections of American and European cars up close, along with an excellent gastronomic atmosphere. 

Our first guests in a our talk show was one of the top-ranked Podcasts in the industry; this was presented as an Instagram Live about what they thought of our cigar Cuchillo Parado.

The renowned Wine Sommelier Grecia Guerrero delighted us with a wonderful interview about her experiences and opinions about the tobacco business in Mexico.

Dunbarton, NH – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust® (DTT) is currently taking pre-orders for “The Bewitched”, its newest addition to it much heralded Muestra de Saka line. The deadline for pre-orders is April 8th, 2022.

UPDATE: Shipping June 9, 2022

Drew Estate has announced the big 2022 return of its popular Barn Smoker Program. This year’s Barn Smoker event will consist of five different events:

• Florida Barn Smoker (Clermont, FL): May 13-15
• Pennsylvania Barn Smoker (Strasburg, PA): July 15-16
• Connecticut Barn Smoker (Ellington, CT ): Aug. 12-14
• Kentucky Barn Smoker (Hopkinsville, KY): Sept. 30-Oct. 1
• Barn Smoker Presents—Savage Feast (Parker, TX): Oct. 21-22

Jake Wyatt Cigar Company is proud to introduce Taylor Ramirez as their newest full-time Account Manager.

[Washington, DC, Feb 8, 2022] The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced today the development and release of its new strategic advocacy plan known as Vision 50: A Decade of Action. The plan focuses on a proactive approach to spearhead policy and legislative advocacy to benefit specialty tobacco retailing and will be synced with the association’s efforts to bolster state associations and retail membership.

More to come.

Ferio Tego, LLC just announced the availability of the Metropolitan Selection brand starting January 19, 2022. 

Dear PCA Members,

Our industry’s greatest argument against overregulation is that we do not fall into the scope of concerns levied against most tobacco or vapor products. Even the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges premium cigars and pipes have a negligible impact on youth tobacco consumption and, according to the latest government studies, adult consumption patterns are not typically consistent with addiction. Furthermore, FDA’s enforcement data shows specialty retail is the most certain way to assure legal adult sales for any type of tobacco product. PCA encourages our members to take the necessary steps to ensure that this record is fortified and promoted to internal and external audiences.

To allow members to have a greater voice in the organization, the Premium Cigar Association has added five manufacturing spots to their board.

January 13, 2022 – Austin, Texas

Southern Draw Cigars is turning to 10,000 of our most loyal consumers, valued retail partners and media members, to select our next new brand. 

In a very traditional industry – premium handmade cigars – the company decided to create a very modern Quick Response (QR) portal, accessed from any mobile device, to allow participants to input valuable information including cigar reviews, ratings and recommendations, the very data that will be used to determine a new brand to be launched by Southern Draw Cigars in 2023, with plans for a similar campaign that will bring a follow up launch in 2024.  For years, our loyal consumers have offered to test our sample blends, and in some cases, they have smoked a few, but we wish to empower them by harnessing the power of the crowd, to heed their collective feedback and to deliver a product chosen by them, meaning cigar blend, size, and format. 

Before I post my list, realize that these were mostly released in 2021.

Here is a list, not in any order other than alphabetical, of the cigars that really impressed me that were released in very late 2020 and 2021. There were many other cigars that did not rate a 95 or better, according to my palate, but if you read my reviews you can count on anything rated 85 or better.

January 5, 2022 — Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the release of INTERGALACTIC; hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.

INTERGALACTIC is a Limited Edition that will begin shipping to select BLK WKS retailers next week. It will also be available in Belgium and Germany later this month.

FEDERAL

2021 was a strong year for the Premium Cigar Association’s advocacy efforts and the support of its membership. Consumers, retailers, and manufacturers all felt the positive effects of a strong PCA advocacy presence at both the federal and state levels. 

Dunbarton, NH – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust® (DTT) has begun shipping its highly anticipated StillWell Star®
handcrafted luxury pipe tobacco cigar to its Purveyors.

Southern Draw Cigars to release exclusive NEW KUDZULUSTRUM at Cigars International Hamburg

Southern Draw Cigars LLC, a family-owned company of Austin, TX emerges from its own “COVID fog” and is excited to announce that we are changing the way we support the great premium cigar communities that have helped us learn and grow as a brand. We believe the best way to connect and share our mission is face to face, over a cigar, and only then can we enlist the power of social media to chronicle and capture the true personal connections.