PCA | October 1, 2024
Could the International Longshoremen Association Strike affect the premium cigar industry?
Yes. The true effects largely depend on how long the strike will last.
What will disruption mean for trade?
The supply chain on the East and Gulf coasts will be disrupted, potentially slowing down the shipments of cargo and consumer goods typically loaded on vessels transported by sea.
Continue reading Global Trade AlertSeptember 24, 2024 — Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) is pleased to announce the release of INTERGALACTIC Event Horizon; hand crafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.
INTERGALACTIC Event Horizon is a new Limited Edition that will begin shipping to select BLK WKS retailers this week. It will also be available in Europe later this month.
Continue reading INTERGALACTIC EVENT HORIZON(MIAMI, FL) – Manny Iriarte Enterprises will launch Fuente The OpusX Society Cigar with a marvelous event at the exclusive Tabacon Cigar Lounge in Miami, Florida on Saturday, October 19, 2024. In true Fuente style, event goers can expect an opulent event fitting of the Fuente OpusX brand. Tabacon Cigar Lounge is at 5241 NW 87th Ave Suite D109, Doral, FL 33178. This exclusive event is limited to only 150 tickets that are being sold worldwide. Dress code: Cocktail / Miami Chic. For tickets and information for the World Premiere Party please visit: World Premiere Party: Fuente The OpusX Society Cigar (ticketspice.com).
Step onto the red carpet and into a world of unparalleled luxury. This is not just a party; it’s the birth of a new legend in the OpusX Cigar Family, and you’re invited to be a part of it.
Continue reading THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FUENTE THE OPUSX SOCIETY CIGAR WILL MAKE ITS OFFICIAL PREMEIRE IN MIAMIDENVER, CO (Thursday, September 19, 2024) —— In a groundbreaking
collaboration, Cigar Dojo and Black Star Line Cigars proudly unveil
their first joint venture: the limited-edition Yasuke cigar. This
collaboration marries Cigar Dojo’s Japanese-inspired ethos with Black
Star Line’s rich heritage as a black-owned cigar company, paying
homage to a remarkable historical figure.
Yasuke, the cigar’s namesake, is believed to be the first black
samurai, serving the Japanese daimyō Oda Nobunaga from 1581 to 1582. His extraordinary journey from Africa to feudal Japan embodies the spirit of cultural exchange and barrier-breaking that this
collaboration represents.
Tampa, FL, Sept. 2024. West Tampa Tobacco Company is proud to continue its global expansion to Canada. Canadian cigar aficionados have something new to celebrate as West Tampa Tobacco Co., a brand known for its meticulously crafted cigars, makes its debut in Canada via a collaboration with Lindal Cigar Importers Inc. The iconic cigars, which have been a staple for connoisseurs in the United States and around the world, are now available in select retailers across the country, marking a significant milestone for the brand’s international expansion.
Continue reading WEST TAMPA TOBACCO COMPANY EXTENDS ITS INTERNATIONAL FOOTPRINT(Tamboril, Dominican Republic) – Artista Cigars announces today that it will redesign packaging for two existing lines, Puro Ambar and Cimarron, and the packaging will be on-display at Intertobac 2024 in Dortmund, Germany. New packaging begins shipping Q1 2025. The package redesign is accompanied by a name change and SKU reduction.
Puro Ambar and Cimarron will now be known at Artista Cimarron and Artista Puro Ambar. The name changes and package redesign are the latest steps in the rebranding process Artista initiated in 2022.
Cigar Rights of America (CRA) applauds Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) for officially signing on as co-sponsors of HJ Res. 99, a vital resolution aimed at permanently exempting premium cigars from burdensome FDA regulation.
Continue reading Congressman Garbarino and Congressman Armstrong Join the Fight to Protect Premium CigarsToday, Dr. Brian King, Director of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), testified before the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee during a hearing titled, “Evaluating FDA Human Foods and Tobacco Programs.” He was joined by Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, to address a range of concerns surrounding tobacco regulations.
Continue reading FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Dr. Brian King Testifies Before U.S. House Subcommittee on FDA Human Foods and Tobacco ProgramsAt Intertabac 2024, the world’s largest tobacco trade show, LAMPERT CIGARS presents its latest release:
KINGPIN
KINGPIN is part of the ORO LINE – besides the DON PATRON, EL GRINGO, and GATSBY. KINGPIN is a small batch production that measures 4 inches long with a 62-ring gauge.
The cigar has a rich brown wrapper. The cold draw is perfect . No discernible flaws.
The opening flavors are cocoa and loam. That shouldn’t be read as chocolate soil. The cocoa notes are light and the loam notes are, for a lack of a better descriptor, rich like potting soil. The burn is even and the ash solid.
Continue reading CAO BX3The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has partnered with Manifatture Sigaro Toscano (Toscano cigars) to bring its members a new PCA release, the Toscano Brenta. The Toscano Brenta is the first Toscano blend to use tobacco that has undergone an air-cured process rather than its traditional fire-cured process. The Toscano Brenta’s blend has tobacco that has been aged 3-5 years. After the cigar has been rolled, it is re-fermented in special rooms and allowed to age for an additional six months.
Continue reading Toscano and PCA Announce Toscano Brenta PCA ExclusiveWESTON, Florida – Quality Importers Trading Company® (QI), the leading accessory supplier to the worldwide premium cigar trade, is excited to reveal a new line of Cigar Caddy® Travel Cases – The
Camouflage Series. Available in Red, Green, or Tan, the 5-count Cigar Caddy® Camouflage Travel Case is designed for those who demand both style and durability.
WESTON, Florida – Quality Importers Trading Company ® (QI) the leading accessory supplier to the worldwide premium cigar trade announces the immediate availability of CONSPIRACY® CIGARS. This
innovative new line of premium cigars, blended by Hall of Fame Master Cigar Maker Ernesto Perez Carrillo Jr. at Casa Carrillo, was launched at PCA 2024 and features SWAGSTORM packaging. The cigars are shipping in three sizes, each available with an Ecuador Connecticut, or San Andres Mexican Maduro wrapper.
What is a retailer to do when there are no trade show distractions to navigate? We don’t have to plan for big buys. We don’t have to scramble for event windows with our favorite brands that are making their show plans and scrambling to ship products for weeks after the show. We don’t have to sweat anything but selling. In the words of Mel Gibson (in a marginal Scottish accent), “FREEDOM!” Here are three ideas to consider when planning your summer:
Continue reading Keep Your Summer ProductiveThis is a medium brown cigar with a rich pre-light draw. I think this is the corona gorda due to the ring. Tonight’s beverage is a Saint Arnold’s Tarnation brown ale.
That said, this is a very solid medium to full profile. And, as I would expect from Luciano, a perfect construction. Go to the store and get some.
The initial flavors are smoked pork and leather. Very light pepper on the palate. Other notes in the flavor profile include earthy loam. So far very good. Ash is holding and the burn is even.

In the first third the flavor is slightly sharper, but not unpleasantly so. The flavor profile remains pepper and loam, but some nutty flavors are emerging. Burn and ash holding.
In the second third, the pepper has dropped from both the draw and the retrohale. Perhaps a bit milder than I prefer, but it is still loaded with flavor and should please the medium-bodied smoker.
Approaching the final inch the flavor profile is still very loamy with earthy and cedar notes. This is a very good choice if you prefer a stable profile. If you prefer shifting profiles, this is not your cigar. It also has a peppery retrohale.
(Miami, FL) July x, 2024–C.L.E. Cigar Company announces that the Asylum 12 2024 is now shipping. The Asylum 12 cigar brand is released yearly, and this 2024 version is housed in new sleekly designed packaging.
The Asylum 12 2024 blend will be different from years past as the binder and filler is composed of tobacco from C.L.E. Cigar Company’s new farm in South America. The wrapper and type of tobacco in the binder and filler will remain undisclosed.
Continue reading C.L.E. CIGAR COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE ASYLUM 12 2024 IS NOW SHIPPING[Washington, D.C.–July 16, 2024] The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has announced the hiring of Shannon Marie as its new Director of Trade Show and Events. Shannon’s first day with the PCA was July 15, 2024. With over a decade of experience in the events industry, she has spent her professional career helping trade associations grow their event offerings. Shannon will work with Lisa Cox, the organization’s Senior Director of Trade Shows and events, effective immediately.
“I am excited to see the PCA’s team expand in a critical area so that we can provide additional program offerings for the trade show and events. I know that Shannon will be able to support Lisa in maintaining a best-in-class trade show and add other experiential elements to our marquee event and beyond,” says Joshua Habursky, PCA’s Executive Director.
Continue reading PCA Hires New Director of Trade Show & EventsDENVER, CO (Tuesday, July 9, 2024) —— Guy Fieri’s fan-favorite Knuckle Sandwich brand expands its footprint in the craft cigar scene with its first-ever collaborative release, combining forces with Cigar Dojo, Espinosa Premium Cigars, and Smoke Inn Cigars. Introducing: the
Knuckle Sandwich Strike Force cigar.
Guy Fieri, the culinary rockstar known for his bold flavors and
larger-than-life personality, is turning up the heat with the latest
creation from his Knuckle Sandwich brand. The Knuckle Sandwich Strike
Force is the ultimate testament to Fieri’s flair for quality and flavor, crafted in cahoots with the cigar maestros at Espinosa Premium
Cigars and Cigar Dojo.
WESTON, Florida – Quality Importers Trading Company ® (QI) the leading accessory supplier to the worldwide premium cigar trade, has officially acquired the Stinky Cigar® brand of cigar accessories. The transaction closed on July 1, 2024. Stinky Cigar® is known worldwide for innovative and functional ashtrays featuring oval leaf-shaped stirrups imprinted with the Stinky Cigar® logo. Quality Importers
has been the exclusive wholesale distributor for Stinky Cigar® since January 2011, stewarding the brand’s growth and promotion for over 13 years.
The Stinky Cigar® ashtray, introduced in 2004, is renowned for its quality and durability, becoming one of the most popular cigar ashtrays in the trade, known simply as “Stinky”. Quality Importers plans to
continue offering all current styles of Stinky Cigar® ashtrays including the World Famous “Original”, Personal, Tall, Old World, Floor Standing, One Piece, and Herf models. We will celebrate the fact that the Stinky Cigar® brand becomes “legal” on its 21st birthday and its joining the QI family of brands during PCA 2025 in New Orleans, LA.
July 8, 2024 — Black Label Trading Company is pleased to announce the shipment of Bishops Blend to select retailers beginning next week. Bishops Blend is hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
“We are very excited about this highly anticipated release. This is the eighth release of Bishops Blend and continues to be one of our most sought-after, limited annual releases. Bishops Blend boasts big bold flavors of anise, pepper, raisins, and a sweet earthiness on the finish. It is very complex and extremely refined. As with the past vintages, the broadleaf fillers shine at the forefront and are perfectly balanced by the Nicaraguan filler tobaccos,” said James Brown, creator of Black Label Trading Co. and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
Continue reading BLTC Bishops Blend Set to ShipWESTON, Florida – Quality Importers Trading Company ® (QI) the leading accessory supplier to the worldwide premium cigar trade, is hosting the inaugural QI Spotlight Tradeshow & Festival. This exclusive buying event, designed specifically for retailers and distributors, is set to take place on September 7, 2024, in Weston, Florida.
This cigar looks great. The wrapper is not as dark as the Broadleaf of the original Umbagog, but smoother and a slightly lighter color. The cigar clipped cleanly with my Cera ceramic blade guillotine. The cold draw was perfect with hints of things to come. Tonight’s beverage is a Mean Old Tom vanilla bean stout from Maine Brewing.
In the first third the pepper notes are already starting build; this is where the Bronzeback starts tasting different; more pepper and not deep Nicaraguan soil. The earthy notes kick in just after the pepper settles. Ash is solid and the burn is very even.
Continue reading Umbagog BronzebackROBUSTO GORDO BOX-PRESSED IS NOW SHIPPING
(MIAMI, FL) July 2, 2024- Plasencia Cigars, a world-leading premium tobacco grower, established in 1865, has announced the Plasencia Alma Del Campo new box-pressed vitola, Guajiro 5 ½ X 54, is on the way to stores across the nation. This box-pressed vitola will eventually replace the existing round Guajiro which will remain available for clients to purchase while supplies last. The highly popular Alma Del Campo line made its debut in 2017.
The Alma Del Campo is a Nicaraguan puro that was an instant hit with consumers. The inspiration behind the blend draws deeply from the Plasencia family’s rich heritage. “Alma Del Campo” (Soul of the Field) signifies the essence and spirit of the fields where premium tobacco is cultivated. This blend is a tribute to the fertile fields, and the meticulous cultivation practices, which have been passed down through generations of the Plasencia family.
Continue reading PLASENCIA CIGARS ANNOUNCES THE ALMA DEL CAMPO GUAJIROWASHINGTON, DC (July 01, 2024) – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States published their decision in Corner Post v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in which they ruled that the six-year statute of limitations to challenge an agency regulation begins when a party is first harmed by the regulation. Prior to this decision, the statute of limitations had begun when the regulation was first published. As a result, a newly formed company appears to have the capacity to challenge any regulation that has an impact on it, regardless of how long ago the regulation was created. The New York Times’ article on Corner Post is available here.
Continue reading SCOTUS Facilitates Challenges to Agency LawEarlier today (6/28/24), the Supreme Court published their decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, a case which significantly curtails the power of federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to interpret ambiguous statutes. The court’s 6-3 ruling struck down a principle known as ‘Chevron Deference,’ a precedent created by the Court in the 1984 case, Chevron v. NRDC. Chevron essentially allowed Agencies wide latitude in interpreting the scope of their own authority in cases where laws passed by Congress were ambiguous, by requiring judges to strongly defer to the agency’s interpretations of vague statutory language.
Continue reading Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Deference
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