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Machine-made or mass-market cigars are the largest segment of the sales. The most cigar smokers prefer the cost-effective machine-made cigars by about 95%.  Cigar sales numbers are strong with about 13 billion cigars sold last year?including almost 12 billion large cigars and just under a billion little cigars.

The number of cigars sold pales in comparison to cigarettes sales, which topped 315 billion for the same period. While cigar sales do not approach those of cigarettes, they can offer convenience stores better margins. Sales of little cigars have been dropping since 2008 when the number of little cigars hit a peak of nearly six billion. Demand for little cigars was strong in the first quarter of 2009, until the federal State Children`s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) tax hit little cigars on April 1. At that time, the tax on little cigars jumped from four cents a pack to .01 on parity with cigarettes. Sales immediately plunged 60% and that trend has continued. But those figures do not tell the whole story.

As defined by the federal government, a little cigar weighs under three pounds per thousand, uses all tobacco (even the homogenized tobacco leaf wrapper) and, instead of the flue-cured tobacco used as filler in cigarettes, the cigar tobacco needs to be air-cured like the larger premium cigars. Many manufacturers of little cigars knew the SCHIP tax would hit them sooner or later, so they began to reblend their products by adding a bit more tobacco to come in above that three-pound limit, making them what the federal government calls large cigars. Most of these transitions were completed by 2009 when the tax hit. The numbers bear this out in that the number of large cigars jumped by three billion from 2009 to 2010.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considering a ban on the sale and distribution of menthol cigarettes in the United States×a measure that could save thousands of lives each year and drastically cut elevated smoking-related health problems experienced by African Americans as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans who often bear the brunt of smoking-related diseases. For so many reasons, this ban is a no-brainer.

In 2009 Congress directed the FDA to ban all other candy-, fruit-, and spice-flavored cigarettes but they fell short of eliminating menthol flavoring×even though it was believed to be the most widely used and highly addictive of all flavored cigarette additives. Instead, they mandated a comprehensive study to assess the impact of menthol smoking on the health of the general public, especially among our nationÒs youth and minorities who smoke menthol cigarettes at the highest rates.

The trouble with little cigars and even the cigarillos is that across the country there is a crazy quilt of patchwork definitions. While the federal definition of little cigars remains primarily based on weight at three pounds per thousand, other states and municipalities do not play by the same rules. Industry insiders say there are more than 50 different sets of rules for the little cigars?some of which can even prevent their sale.

In Montana, for example, the state agrees on the federal weight definition for cigars, but then adds seven other criteria like having a filter or being sold in cartons of 10, which then classifies the product as a cigarette and subjects it to those taxes. It makes life complicated and industry insiders told CSD that the answers they are getting from government officials about little cigars can vary depending upon which official is giving the answer within a state.

Some states have applied cigarette taxes to the little cigars without changing the classification, while others like Pennsylvania and New York, have upped the weight limit on little cigars to four pounds per thousand, and Minnesota is talking about raising it to 4.5 pounds. In addition, Pennsylvania has added an “other tobacco” tax to little cigars. In the past, the state didn’t tax cigars.

Robert Perkins, vice president of marketing for 56 Rutter’s Farm Stores in York, Pa., said sales of little cigars have been hit because of that tax increase. In the Midwest, John Archer, a Shell-branded marketer in Hindsdale, Ill., moved his cigars behind the counter last year and said the decision has impacted his sales.

But not everyone is having those problems. Naser Nayeb, operator of eight Shop and Go stores in Garland, Texas, said that flavored little cigars like Dean’s or Supreme Blend are really moving in his market. As a whole, we are doing extremely well with the little cigars, he said. But the flavored machine-made cigars are doing the biggest numbers, and the original Swisher Sweets is our top seller.

While declining to give specifics, Catherine Huggins of Iowa-based Kum and Go said the company`s 430-plus stores in 11 states are doing very well in the cigar category and plans to focus on flavored products for the balance of 2011.

Tobacco consultant Lou Maiellano, president of TAZ Marketing, is expecting to see solid growth in the flavored market throughout 2011. The wild card remains FDA intervention. However, any FDA legislation of cigars is still viewed as several years away.

In the meantime, Maiellano said, customers are migrating to cigars. A recent study by research company Mintel International shows that about half of cigarette smokers who have not already tried cigars are interested in pursuing that smoking option, which could add more to sales.

Back in 2003, while seeking  legal marijuana alternatives, Pot growers from Northern California’s Mendocino Valley discovered a new blend for hydroponic growing that developed a cross bread strain of marijuana and fruit.  Ever hear of “Crippy” or  ”Orange Crush”? This new strain of hybrid marijuana now dominates street sales with a 5x profit margin and is being sold as the “Real Thing” with no one knowing they are being sold a legal alternative to marijuana.

This Legal Marijuana Substitute started making its way into main stream American streets in early 2005 where it was marketed as a legal substitute for marijuana and was sold in coffee shops, nightclubs and cigar stores throughout California.

By mid-August 2006 this Legal alternative to marijuana had found its way into being used as a “Filler” in the illegal drug trafficking trade. It was discovered in a Los Angeles County drug raid that Hybrid marijuana was being added as filler for illegal marijuana to increase the weight. While a high quality Marijuana can go for as much as ,000.00 a pound, the same weight in the legal marijuana alternative is 0.00.

In October of 2008, a home was raided in Monterey Cal. where 25 pounds of the Hybrid pot was found and being sold as “Grape Crippy” . The alleged drug dealer had a regular clientele of repeat clients, and although he was clearly being dishonest with his customers, he could not be arrested for selling an illegal drug. He did have a civil complaint filed against him by one of his customers for fraud and product misrepresentation, but the case was later dismissed.

In May of 2010 investigators from New Jersey, New York City, and Miami, also reported an increase in mass distribution of the legal marijuana alternative being sold on the streets as the “real deal” and were unable to make any arrests. In one account from a New York investigation, investigators found 8,000.00 dollars in legal marijuana purchases online, and within the same time period, the alleged drug dealer deposited 9,000.00 to his online PayPal account.

Earlier this year, California had a vote on whether to legalize marijuana or not. The vote failed by 60% leading many to wonder why? California has the most open door pot shops in the country where any consumer can walk in the door and purchase as much marijuana as they can carry. Are these shops selling illegal marijuana? Or, are they selling the hybrid legal marijuana version with the seal of approval from the State of California?

Legal Marijuana Alternatives are also seen as the K-2 brand Miley Cyrus was allegedly smoking in her infamous YouTube video. Although, while K-2 is smoked like marijuana, it is by no means the same as the hybrid blends. K-2 contains hallucinogens and other chemicals reported dangerous by the FDA while legal marijuana substitutes are simply cross blends of marijuana with orange, lemon and grape trees.

While this news may be disturbing to long time marijuana users who have been taken advantage of by their drug dealers,, they can take solace in knowing they can simply type in “Buy weed online” and in a matter of days, their postman will deliver the “Crippy”

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Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 11, 2009 -

Is the day coming when you go into a cigar store and can’t buy a single cigar? That day could come sooner than anyone might expect, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

The Washington D. C. Council has scheduled a public hearing on Bill 18-124, called the “Single Sale of Cigar Products Prohibition Amendment Act of 2009.” The open ended Bill would ban the sale of individual cigars or cigar products that might be used to introduce marijuana into the human body. The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on September 29 in the John A. Wilson building at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC 20004.

“There are cigars, and then there are premium cigars. There is a huge difference between them and we necessitate to educate the Council as to what that difference is because this charged, if enacted, would be devastating to all legitimate cigar stores in the area,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

“The bottom line is that this is bad legislation that won’t do what it is intended to do – stop the use of marijuana. The only thing it will do is irreparable harm to owners of cigar stores, their employees and loyal customers who enjoy premium cigars.”

The more than 2,000 members of IPCPR sell or manufacture premium cigars and tobacco, pipes and related accoutrements. McCalla says they are, for the most part, owner-operators of small, family-owned businesses who have employees and pay local, state and federal taxes.

“The premium cigars we hooked are all hand-made from natural tobaccos. Our customers smoke premium cigars similar most people enjoy fine wines. A premium cigar makes average moments particular and special moments extraordinary. To deny anyone that pleasure would be like banning beer because someone uses it as a chaser for, say, a shot of bourbon,” said McCalla

“Legislators keep raising the taxes on premium cigars until they are so expensive people can only buy one or two at a clock and now they want to ban the individual sale of cigars. Ridiculous!”
McCalla urged all D.C. citizens – smokers and non-smokers – to speak against the bill at the hearing on September 29 or call 202/724-8000 in advance to talk to the Council of the District of Columbia . More information about the Council may be found online at http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/.

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Richmond, Virginia (Vocus) October 19, 2007

Swedish Match North America , a subsidiary of Swedish Match AB, today announced the promotion of Gary Poehlmann to the position of Vice President Sales of Other Tobacco Products (OTP)

Poehlmann joined General Cigar Company (GCC) in 1997 and moved to Swedish Match North America as Director of National Accounts following the acquisition of GCC’s mass market cigar business in 1999. He went Senior Director of Field Sales in 2006. “Gary has executed a conspicuous job throughout his tenure with us,” according to Rich Flaherty, Chief Operating Officer for OTP. “I am assured our sales organization will boom under his leadership.”

Poehlmann replaces Dan Carr who has joined Swedish Match’s General Cigar team as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing

About Swedish Match:
Swedish Match is a global Group of companies with a broad assortment of market leading brands in smokeless tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco, matches and lighters. Some of our well cognized brands admit Red Man, Timber Wolf, Longhorn, Macanudo, Partagas, Cohiba and Borkum Riff. Swedish Match North America, headquartered in Richmond, VA, with fabricating facilities in Owensboro, KY, Dothan, ALA, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras. For more information visit the website at www.SwedishMatch.com

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Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) July 15, 2005

The cigar industry could be on the verge of seeing another Cigar Boom similar to the one in the 1990′s. Will another boom be good for the industry? Will it be good for the cigar aficionado?

Stephen Malan, owner of Humidor Vault, LLC, feels that the premium hand rolled cigar industry just might be making a case for another cigar expansion.

The numbers below show the imports of handmade cigars, in thousands of cigars:*

2003: 257,700

2004: 282,100

Percentage Change in 2003-2004: 9.5%

*Information provided by Cigar Insider, April 12, 2005

Despite all the recent smoking bans and higher taxes, an amazing 9.5 percent increase occurred in 2004. The Cigar Association of America just released figures for the first four months of 2005, and the numbers appear to still be climbing at an unprecedented rate. Compared to 2004, the numbers for 2005 are at almost a 10 percent gain, and will surpass the 300 million mark for the first time since 1998 if the trend continues.

How does this affect the consumer? When the market was hitting over 400 million in hand rolled imports during the year 1997, manufacturers were pressed to meet the demands by hiring inexperienced rollers while also using young and rough tobacco. This led to what consumers felt was a decline in quality, even though the prices remained relatively high.

So, will history repeat itself? “Probably not,” reports Malan. The industry has learned quite a bit from the 1990′s boom days. Some cigar leaf growers have added to their land holdings for future planting needs, while manufacturers have also upgraded many of their plants.

“Quality is still superb, and pricing is still reasonable. It doesn’t look like pricing will get out of hand soon, but you never know,” states Malan.

The best strategy for consumers? Buy quality cigars from a reputable dealer and lay them away in your personal humidors. Buying high quality humidors with top-notch humidification systems will keep cigars fresh for an extended period of time. Malan warns, “Don’t buy expensive cigars and throw them in a cut-rate humidor. Look at how a humidor closes; it should not clang shut when the lid is dropped from two to three inches. It should land on a cushion of air. If your humidor doesn’t do that, it’s just a box, and you will ruin your cigars.”

“With the cigar industry enjoying a stable increase in sales, there’s always the possibility that prices will rise if the industry suddenly catches fire again,” states Malan.

Malan’s website offers expert tips for cigar consumers. Cigar fans can learn how to properly store, light and smoke a cigar while enjoying maximum satisfaction. They can also browse through some of the finest brands of hand rolled cigars and humidors.

More information can be found at: http://www.humidorvault.com/

For an interview or more information, please contact Stephen Malan by phone at 702-642-2571 or by email at webmaster@humidorvault.com

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With “51″

Golden Week

Go travel, return of traveling long distance passenger traffic in the leveling off, home appliance store in the popular Golden Week

Sell

The scene has gradually recovered to the normal state of the sale. In people’s choice “51″ out travels

Travel

The boom at the same time, traveling wave has not affected the sales of home appliance stores warm. In the Golden Week, Tianjin

Suning

,

States United States

, Paradise, etc. are the heads of various home appliances stores leap up action, bustling, prosperous one. It is understood that, “51″ 7 days, Tianjin Suning Appliance expects overall sales exceeded sales target of 2.2 billion figure mark, won the first prize in Golden Week sales, with sales during the Golden Week of 2005 increased by 50% year on year .

With

Home appliance chain

Of

Competition

Increased, 3C information appliances also become one of the hot white-hot competition in the market. This year’s “51″ Golden Week competition still as prominent as the wedding golden week

Home improvement

Consumption peak, of course, choose to buy traditional electrical highlight, particularly in

Air conditioning

,

TV

, Refrigerator, washing machine,

Kitchen

, Oil stoves and other electrical products for the sales bright spot. Tianjin TV, according to Su Ning, head of marketing department, this year, “May 1″ Golden Week proportion of flat-panel TV sales accounted for 65% of overall sales, close to the 20 million or so, and flat-panel TV prices are increasingly gaining consumer approved, the price of flat panel TVs has been toward the civilian population of the. Market competition is not just

Price war

, Flat panel TV’s service has been upgraded to become concerned about the hot spots, how to service up and down in the article will be post-holiday sales to new heights Suning key, which is “51″ Flat sales reflected the problem. In the air-conditioning sales, steadily in recent years the concept of fry caused by some of the products prices were inflated, air-conditioning situation, the consumer has returned this year, 51 Reason, the pursuit of “the most appropriate price to buy the most appropriate air-conditioning” and “practical “Shopping became popular standards. In 3C goods segment,

Mobile

Digital products is still the fastest growing,

Computer

Appliance store as the soft underbelly of the “51″ big sales during the upgrade. According to reports, “51″ travel around the heat continued to heat up, go out tourist map is relax and enjoy the scenery, so 3 “equipment” is essential, and that is

MP3

, Mobile phones and

Digital Cameras

. However, the packages of goods for a lot of trouble traveling friend Tim frequency. A friend’s guide provides a point on the experience, not the volume of digital communication products, but “trouble” a lot, go out the door a bunch of charger, link cable, more easily lost, not take less. So many tourists have a new idea, go out with only a

Music phone

, On the bus listening to music, listening to

Broadcasting

To the attractions making characters, making scenery, back to the hotel send multimedia messages, phone calls, visitors say mainly because the music phones small size, full-featured and easy to carry, and now tourists missing “equipment” for the phenomenon was significantly reduced. Overseas visitors to Tianjin also like to buy mobile phones, digital products out tourism as a gift after the memorial.