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TASTING REPORT:PREVIEWS FROM THE DECEMBER 2011 CIGAR AFICIONADO MAGAZINE:n Padrón Family Reserve No. 44 (Natural) [page 2]n Partagás Serie P No. 2 [page 2]n Camacho Corojo Figurado [page 2]n Cohiba Lancero [page 2]n La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel

Gorda [page 3]n La Gloria Cubana Taino [page 3]n Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Exclusivo

Maduro [page 3]n Partagás Serie D No. 4 Tubo [page 3]

VERTICAL BRAND TASTING:n601 La Bomba [page 4]

NEW SIZES:n Padilla Miami 8&11 [page 4]n Tatuaje Monster Series Wolfman [page 4]

CIGAR NEWSn Nicaragua’s Newest Cigar Factory [page 5]

n Limitada 2011 for E.P.C. Cigar Co. [page 6]

n Ten Tobaccos in New Alec Bradley [page 6]

n Insider Q&A: Les Mann of Colibri [page 6]

n New Game for El Tiante [page 8]

n Bill Spann, New Head of IPCPR [page 9]

Padrón Family Reserve No. 44 (Natural) Nicaragua 95

Partagás Serie P No. 2 Cuba 95

Camacho Corojo Figurado Honduras 94

Cohiba Lancero Cuba 94

La Flor Dominicana Dbl. Ligero Chisel Gorda Dom. Rep. 94

La Gloria Cubana Taino Cuba 94

Padrón 1964 Ann. Series Exclusivo Maduro Nicaragua 94

Partagás Serie D No. 4 Tubo Cuba 94

GUIDE TO HAVANAIF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN CUBA, you won't find a more complete guide to its capital city than in the December issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine. Our editors visited every cigar shop, walked through its cigar factories, ate at dozens of restaurants and more. For an exclusive first look at the issue’s top-scoring cigars, see page three.

EXCLUSIVE: BIG FACTORY FOR A BARGAIN CIGARFOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE 1930s, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is going to be making its own handmade cigars. Two principals in the Tampa, Florida, company have opened a new cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, to take over the production of Quorum cigars, an 8 million unit brand owned by J.C. Newman that is growing at some 15 percent a year. Quorum is a mixed-filler brand sold in bundles for about $2 per cigar and was previously made at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA). J.C. Newman was founded in 1895 as a producer of handmade cigars, so in many ways this deal brings the company back full circle to its roots. For the complete story, turn to page five.

PADRÓN FAMILY RESERVE no. 44 (naTuraL)nicaraGua n PRICE: $30.00 n BODY: mediumFor a full tasting, see page two.

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GUIDE TO HAVANAIF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN CUBA, you won't find a more complete guide to its capital city than in the December issue of

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PADRÓN FAMILY RESERVE no. 44 (naTuraL) NICARAGUAA pressed torpedo whose lush draw layers the palate with spices, wood and a profound nuttiness that combines with floral notes for a very complex and flavorful finish. Price: $30.00 Body: Medium

PARTAGáS Serie P no. 2 CUBAA slightly pressed torpedo that loads the palate with flavor from the first puff. Black pepper and coffee bean notes transition into rich leather and a sweet cappuccino finish. Balanced and complex.Box Date: August 2010Price: £18.06 (U.K.) Body: Medium

CAMACHO COROjO FiGurado HONDURASThis large, reddish torpedo smacks of leather and earth throughout, although there are plenty of nougat notes and cocoa flavors that precede a dry, red wine finish. Quite a complex cigar.Price: $7.35 Body: Medium to Full

COHIBA Lancero CUBAThis cigar shows a complex progression of flavors, starting with cinnamon and nutmeg intonations that lead to a robust and profound coffee flavor that continues on the finish. Box Date: January 2011Price: £23.64 (U.K.) Body: Medium

RING GAUGE: 54LENGTH: 6 1/4"FILLER: NicaraguaBINDER: NicaraguaWRAPPER: Nicaragua

RING GAUGE: 52LENGTH: 6 1/8"FILLER: CubaBINDER: CubaWRAPPER: Cuba

RING GAUGE: 54LENGTH: 6"FILLER: HondurasBINDER: HondurasWRAPPER: Honduras


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TASTING REPORT: EXCLUSIVE DECEMBER 2011 CIGAR AFICIONADO PREVIEWS

95-100: Classic n 90-94: Outstanding n 80-89: Very good to excellent n 70-79: Average to good commercial quality

Below 70: Don’t waste your money n N/A: Not Available Note: Prices are manufacturers’ suggested retail, before taxes.





LA FLOR DOMINICANA DOUBLE LIGERO cHiSeL Gorda DOM. REP.Crafted to look like a mini wedge, this dark cigar has a notably firm draw, though each puff is full of pepper and spice. It’s a hearty and leathery smoke that grows more intense as it burns. Impressive power and balance. Price: $7.68 Body: Full

LA GLORIA CUBANA Taino CUBAThe draw on this attractive cigar is firm, but imparts a lot of graham cracker, coffee bean, vanilla and leather flavor to the palate. Medium bodied but very tasty.Box Date: December 2009Price: ¤12.50 (Italy) Body: Medium

PADRÓN 1964 ANNIVERSARY SERIES excLuSiVo maduro NICARAGUAPerfectly box-pressed with a dark, silky wrapper. This starts as a bold, meaty smoke that remains savory, taking on coffee bean notes and an herbal finish. Price: $10.90 Body: Medium to Full

PARTAGáS Serie d no. 4 Tubo CUBAAt first this is a very salty smoke, but the salt settles and is balanced out by earthy flavors, coffee notes and a touch of spice. Very tasty, though it takes a little while to come together. Box Date: July 2010Price: £16.43 (U.K.) Body: Medium

RING GAUGE: 48LENGTH: 5 1/2"FILLER: Dom. Rep.BINDER: Dom. Rep.WRAPPER: Dom. Rep.

RING GAUGE: 47LENGTH: 7"FILLER: CubaBINDER: CubaWRAPPER: Cuba

RING GAUGE: 50LENGTH: 5 1/2"FILLER: NicaraguaBINDER: NicaraguaWRAPPER: Nicaragua


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TASTING REPORT



601 LA BOMBA

NEw RElEASE—vERTICAl BRAND TASTINgCountry: Nicaragua

Maker: My Father Cigars S.A.

Distributor: Rocky Patel Premium Cigars

Filler: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

wrapper: Ecuador

Release Date: June 2011

NUCLEAR91 PoinTS n 6" x 50 n $8.60 n Humidor SelectionA strong cigar with a bold, earthy combination of raw cocoa bean and salty leather. Despite its power and dense smoke, there are hints of chocolate on the finish.Body: Full

ATOM89 PoinTS n 5 1/2" x 46 n $7.95Each puff of this rat-tailed smoke offers a strong palate of coffee, earth and spice. A cigar that has considerable power.Body: Full

NAPALM89 PoinTS n 5" x 52 n $8.45The draw on this pig-tailed cigar is a bit loose and airy, but it burns evenly, combining flavors of leather and spice with a slightly tarry undertone.Body: Full

ATOMIC86 PoinTS n 6" x 60 n $8.75A hefty log of a cigar with a very long pigtail cap and thick, twiggy stems in the cut head. Initial notes of pepper, earth and spice quickly turn bitter.Body: Medium to Full

BRAND SUMMARY: La Bomba is the newest line from 601, and it purports to be the strongest brand in the portfolio. Each cigar comes with an extra long, fuse-like pigtail and a yellow footband.

The inner lid of each 10-count box reads “Warning: Extremely full-bodied cigar. Not recommended for novice smokers.” All of these ballistically themed cigars were indeed full bodied. The most balanced and flavorful was the Nuclear, which scored 91 points.Average Rating: 88.8 points

PADILLA MIAMI 8&11

NEw RElEASECountry: U.S.A.

Maker: El Titan de Bronze

Distributor: Padilla Cigar Co.

Filler: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

wrapper: Nicaragua

Release Date: October 2011

ROBUSTO91 PoinTS n 5" x 50 n $10.00 n Humidor SelectionCovered in a veiny colorado wrapper, this cigar smokes evenly, showing sweet, woody flavors balanced by notes of leather and a wine-like aftertaste.Body: Medium

NEw SIZECountry: Nicaragua

Maker: My Father Cigars S.A.

Distributor: Havana Cellars

Filler: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

wrapper: Ecuador

Release Date: October 2011

TATUAjE MONSTER SERIES

THE WOLFMAN90 PoinTS n 7 1/2" x 52 n $13.00A long, box-pressed pyramid with a bumpy wrapper and exposed filler at the foot. The draw is full and lush, imparting a sweet and spicy smoke with notes of coffee. Body: Medium to Full





EXCLUSIVE: j.C. NEWMAN OPENS CIGAR FACTORY IN NICARAGUAby daVid SaVona

The owners of J.C. Newman Cigar Co. have opened a sprawling, modern cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

This marks the first time since the 1930s that members of 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. The fac-tory has been built to modern specifications: tobacco is delivered on one side in bales, and moves throughout the building, exiting on the opposite side at the loading dock as finished cigars. Operating at full capacity, PENSA can make more than 20 million cigars in a year.

The project has been in the works for more than a year and has been kept secret up until now. Most thought the new construction was an expansion of cigar factories that are already operating in the country.

Eric Newman, the president of J.C. Newman, and his brother Bobby, the company’s executive vice president, own a “large majority” of PENSA.

“It’s a pretty bold move, and it shows the Newman’s commitment to this business,” said Shanda Lee, vice presi-dent of marketing for the company.

Most of PENSA’s production will be a $2 cigar called Quorum. Quorum is a bundle brand made of mixed-filler tobacco (a combination of long and short filler) that was created by Newman in 2004 and has performed excep-tionally during these difficult economic times. “Quorum is doing very well,” said Eric Newman during an interview in his company’s Tampa, Florida, offices. He said the brand

had sales of about 8 million units per year and has been recently growing at a 15 percent rate.

Most of the tobaccos used to make Quorums come from Oliva Tobacco Co. of Tampa, Florida, one of the world’s premier cigar tobacco companies. Principals of Oliva Tobacco own a small interest in PENSA. Oliva Tobacco has been selling tobacco to J.C. Newman since the days when company founder Julius C. Newman ran the company.

“Most of the tobacco [for the factory] will come from them,” Newman said of the Olivas.

Quorum was previously made at Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA), one of the busiest cigar factories in the world. Newman said he became concerned about NACSA’s ability to make as many Quorums as he needed for the future, and he also feared that the factory, which makes many cigars for Altadis U.S.A. Inc., would one day be acquired by Altadis. Nicaragua is the only major cigar pro-ducing country where Altadis does not own a factory.

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

NACSA, which is located only a few hundred yards from PENSA, is owned by a variety of people, including John Oliva Sr. of Oliva Tobacco, who is one of the shareholders of PENSA.

NACSA made some 10 million cigars a year for J.C. Newman, 80 percent of them Quorums.

Newman said the blend of Quorum would remain unchanged with the move, and he noted that the cigar roll-ers who are making the brand now were the same ones who had been previously employed at NACSA making Quorums there.

There is room for future expansion at PENSA, and one day Newman said he might like to make long-filler cigars there, but he stressed that he will not be changing where his top-end Nicaraguan cigars are made. The company has had high scores from Cigar Aficionado and solid customer acceptance of its Brick House and El Baton brands, which are both made at the Fabrica de Tabacos San Rafael S.A. factory in Nicaragua. “We don’t want to screw up a good thing,” said Newman. “We are thrilled with the success of Brick House and El Baton.”

J.C. Newman was founded in 1895 in Cleveland as a one-man operation making cigars by hand and soon rolled such five-cent brands as Brick House and Doctor Nichol. It later relocated to Tampa, Florida, and made cigars by machine. It still makes about 10 million cigars a year there by machine, but contracts out handmade cigar brands to other factories, most notably Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia., which makes its Diamond Crown and Cuesta-Rey brands in the Dominican Republic.

“This whole thing has gone full circle,” said Newman. “We started in 1895 with handmade cigars.” n

CIGAR NEWS





ERNESTO PEREZ-CARRILLO SHIPS 2011 EDICIÓN LIMITADAby daVid SaVona

The E.P. Carrillo Edición Limitada 2011 began to ship this month, slightly later than the September release

the company had intended. The one-size release, the second Edición Limitada from E.P.C. Cigar Co., measures 6 1/2 inches by 56 ring, and has a suggested retail price of $15. Production of this smoke will be limited to 2,000 boxes of 10, for a total run of 20,000 cigars.

The smokes come packed in distinctive wooden boxes, each packed with two rows of five cigars. The dark boxes have a weathered look, with etched tops decorated with a leather patch held in place by four oversized brass tacks that bear the Carrillo name. The size, named Dark Rituals, harkens to the extra dark color of the wrapper, which is Connecticut broadleaf.

A peach-colored, bold-lined secondary band that reads “Edición Limitada 2011” contrasts against the dark brown color of the wrapper.

The binder is Ecuador Sumatra, and the filler blend is entirely Nicaraguan.

The cigars are made at the Taba-calera La Alianza factory in San-

tiago, Dominican Republic, owned by E.P.C Cigar Co.

The E.P. Carrillo Elencos Edición Limitada 2010 scored 94 points and was named No. 8

cigar of 2010 by Cigar Aficionado magazine. n

ALEC BRADLEY'S FINE & RAREby GreGory moTToLa

In August of 2010, a small team of rollers at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras produced a cigar with 10

different tobaccos in the overall blend. They didn’t know it at the time, but it was to be named Alec Bradley Fine & Rare, and this new brand from Alec Bradley Cigar Co. is scheduled to hit retail shelves on November 11.

As far as brand owner Alan Rubin is concerned, this is the only cigar made with a 10-tobacco blend. It consists of a Honduran wrapper from Trojes, two binders (one from Honduras, one from Nicaragua) and a filler blend that he hasn’t disclosed.

One size will be released in November, a 6-inch-by-52 ring toro that is set to retail for $14. Only 1,111 boxes of the Fine & Rare have been produced, each numbered cigar bearing the signatures of Rubin and company vice president Ralph Montero, as well as the project manager, roller and buncher.

“Since we were only able to make 1,111 boxes, we thought it would be fun to release the cigars on 11-11-11,” said Rubin.

One thousand of the boxes contain 10 Toros each, plus there are 100 special 20-count boxes, each with 10 Toros and 10 Torpedos. The remaining 11 boxes, which will be reserved for charity, will each have 30 cigars: 10 Toros, 10 Torpedos and 10 Perfectos.

See an upcoming Cigar Insider for the rating. n

INSIDER INTERVIEW: LES MANN OF COLIBRI

Les Mann, 50, knows his way around lighters and

cigar accessories. He serves as the executive vice president, responsible for sales, prod-uct and new business development at Colibri, the company that invented the single-action lighter back in 1928. Colibri, a leader in lighters and cigar cutters,

has recently expanded into men’s jewelry, writing instru-ments and other items. The Providence, Rhode Island, company has bounced back from a 2009 bankruptcy under new ownership, and recently Mann sat down with managing editor David Savona to talk about the cigar accessory business and the status of Colibri.

SAVONA: Describe the current market for cigar accessories.

MANN: People are buying more accessories. We definitely see an increase in sales, and we see an increase in the aver-age price of our lighters. We think, just as people are buy-ing more boutique cigars, they are buying more boutique lighters to match.

Q: But it’s tougher for a company like yours, isn’t it? When you buy a cigar you burn it up, so you need another, but if you buy a cutter or a lighter it lasts a long time.





A: It’s like a golf club—when a manufacturer comes out with a new driver, you have to step up to that. At the IPCPR [trade show] 2011 we introduced five new prod-ucts. The response to that was very successful. We’ve also taken some of our best-selling lighters, and we’ve put new finishes on them.

Q: Do people use different lighters for different occasions?

A: There’s a formal atmosphere and a casual atmosphere. The best example of that is our new Cut cutter. There are red, orange, yellow, green and blue, but it also has a two-tone, a black and a gold, which is more formal. For years black or black and chrome sold. Now we’re seeing a total turn in consumer demand to colors. It’s like clothing. When’s the last time you walked into a sports store and all you saw was white? We look at our brand as a fashion brand, and you have to stay on top of style.

Q: Let’s talk about technology and lighters. What has changed over the years?

A: What’s very popular today are what we call our single-ignition lighters. With one press of your thumb, not only does the cap open, but it lights right away. So it’s quicker for the cigar smoker and it’s easy, it’s all in one motion. And we’ve also looked at increasing our butane tank size, and we’ve also increased the width of our torch flames.

Q: Is that a reaction to the fatter cigars we see nowadays?

A: Yes, and that’s a good point. They need more flame. There’s a lot of fun behind lighting your cigar.

Q: And a triple flame uses more gas, right?

A: Yes, that’s why we’ve increased the capacity of the butane tank.

Q: What are some mistakes people make with lighters?

A: Easily 95 percent of the returns to our customer service is [due to] bad

butane. You also have to drain your lighter, getting rid of the air in the tank. When we see clogged burner valves, we test, we see what happens, and we know they’re using bad butane, not our bu-tane. Also, we’re now making sure that every lighter we produce has a visible butane window, so you know how much butane you have left.

Q: What about soft flame lighters? What part of the lighter market now is soft flame versus torch?

A: It’s very small. Today, to light a cigar outdoors with a soft flame lighter—good luck. We pride ourselves on that blue, wide, torch flame. The sound of it and how it lights.

Q: What’s the sweet price spot in lighters now?

A: It’s hard to say. You’re almost at $50 for the single flame, $80 for the double flame and $100 for the triple flame. It almost depends on what you like.

Q: Which way are consumers moving?

A: We see them moving up in price, with the new benefits. And guys collect lighters. Twice a year we do Cigar Afi-cionado’s Big Smokes. At the show, people come up and say, “I have this one, I have that one.” We do surveys. The average consumer at a Big Smoke has six lighters. And they have almost as many cutters. And don’t forget, we don’t hand anything out there, but we’re busy all the time. It’s four hours of direct consumer feedback with thousands of cigar smokers.

Q: Let’s talk about Colibri—are you mostly lighters and then cutters?

A: At IPCPR this year we also introduced a line of men’s jewelry again. Our goal is to be a fashion brand for men. Not only did we introduce new lighters and cutters, but we also introduced cufflinks and money clips, writing instru-ments and small leather goods, too.

Q: But lighters are still the biggest seller, aren’t they? If you had to put a number on it?

A: In dollars? Lighters [are our biggest seller]. And we’re selling a lot of cutters.

Q: You’ve been intimately involved in Colibri for some time now.

A: Since 2000. I got involved with Colibri lighters in 2008. Q: The company went bankrupt [in 2009], went away…

A: Went away for three months. The problem was the com-pany went down because of our lady’s jewelry business. Our lighter division was profitable up until that last day. But about 70 percent of our revenues came from the lady’s jewelry business—price of gold, the recession—if you look





back, Colibri was the first jewelry company to go out of busi-ness. In Providence [Rhode Island] and around the coun-try there were a lot of companies that went out. People in the tobacco business didn’t understand—they thought, oh, the lighters didn’t work. That’s not what happened. And Colibri came back [three months later] with a private fam-ily that bought assets, inventory and intellectual prop-erty. In that two-and-a-half-year period, we’ve done a lot of goodwill with our retailers and consumers to work with them, to get the brand back. As we sit here today, in today’s economy, and with everything that’s going on in the tobacco world, what we’ve accomplished in the last two years of gaining back our market share, I’m proud of everybody involved in this mission and that includes our corporate team, our retailers and consumers.

Q: What’s the difference between the way a Colibri product is made today—where it’s made, how it’s made—to how it was made in the older days?

A: Now we have people at our company living in our fac-tories, to make sure our standards are met with our quality. We design from drawing, conception to final product. We don’t buy off-the-shelf product.

Q: Where are the factories located?

A: We deal with probably a half a dozen factories through-out Asia.

Q: How did you get into this business?

A: In 2000 I got a phone call from a regional manager at Colibri, when they represented Dupont. I worked for Cross pens for ten years before that, and Dupont also had a pen business. I went down there, and that’s how I started at Colibri. I was EVP, S.T. Dupont U.S.A. We did the James Bond collection, Fuente Fuente OpusX, LeRoy Neiman, we introduced the Extend lighter. We increased their sales five times. Things like the James Bond and LeRoy Neiman collections gave the S.T. Dupont brand a lot of recogni-tion in the United States that it didn’t have before. You started to appeal to a consumer beyond just a cigar smoker. People came into cigar stores who had never come into cigar stores before. You can look forward to Colibri as well, in the coming years, partnering with well-known brands, like we just did with NASCAR. Giving validity to the brand.

Q: Colibri used to distribute Dupont product. When did the Colibri deal with S.T. Dupont end?

A: That deal went away a year prior to the bankruptcy. When that went away, I took on a larger role in the Colibri lighter business.

Q: Compare Colibri now to Colibri before.

A: That’s easy. We’re so focused on our tobacco business now, because we don’t own ten other brands.

Q: It was born of lighters.

A: Yes.

Q: So you’re back where you started?

A: Yes. n

THE RETURN OF EL TIANTE CIGARSby andrew naGy

After a brief hiatus, legendary Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant is back in the cigar game with a revamped

blend created by fellow Cubans José “Pepin” Garcia and his children Jaime and Janny.

Made in Nicaragua at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory, El Tiante will come in two blends, Habano Oscuro and Habano Rosado. Each version features an Ecuadoran-seed wrapper that covers an all-Nicaraguan binder and filler. The blends come 20 to a box in four sizes. About 32,000 cigars have been rolled and will sell for $6.80 to $8.60.

Some may recognize the name El Tiante (aside from being Tiant’s nickname during his playing days) as the name of the company that father-son team Luis and Daniel Tiant originally started. According to Daniel Tiant, they dissolved the original company and changed the name to Tiant Cigar Group LLC. The bulk of the work is carried out by Daniel, who serves as founder and CEO, and presi-dent Mike Bellody.

“Dad’s still involved,” says Tiant. “He was there when we came up with the blends, and if he didn’t like it, then we didn’t put it out.”

Tiant says he wants the company to develop “a more serious image,” and one that does not necessarily revolve around baseball. The desire for customers to take his cigars seriously was one of the main reasons why Daniel and his father sought out the Garcias.

“Working with Jaime, Janny and the whole My Father staff has just been amazing,” Tiant said. “Lot of mutual respect between my dad and Pepin.”

Tiant acknowledges, though, that baseball will always be somewhere within the company.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to fully get away from it,” he says. In fact, the company’s headquarters is located





© 2011 M. Shanken Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without permission.

Questions about your subscription?Email: [email protected].

Editor and Publisher Marvin R. Shanken

Executive Editor Gordon Mott

Managing Editor David Savona

Director of Research Frank C. Walters

Associate Editor Gregory Mottola

Editorial Assistant Andrew Nagy

Tasting Coordinator/Editorial Assistant G. Clay Whittaker

Art Director Chandra Hira

Senior Designer Jackelyn Navarro

IN THE NEXT CIGAR INSIDER

Coverage of the las vegas Big Smoke, plus break-ing news from around the cigar world and rat-ings on hot new cigars. You'll always read it first in Cigar Insider.

Your Next CIgAR INSIDER Arrives on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

2011 CIGAR AFICIONADO“BIG SMOKE” LINEUP

October 28–30LaS VeGaS • THe VeneTian

SEMINARS SOLD OUT—BIG SMOKE EVENING TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE

November 30new yorK ciTy • Pier 92

TicKeTS are now on SaLe aT

ciGaraFicionado.com

in Fort Myers, Florida, about four miles away from where the Red Sox hold spring training.

While El Tiante is being sold mostly in the Northeast, Tiant plans to establish nationwide distribution soon. n

NEW IPCPR HEAD TARGETS INDUSTRY REGULATIONby G. cLay wHiTTaKer

In the two and a half months since Bill Spann took over

as chief executive officer of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers As-sociation, the nation’s largest trade association for premium tobacco dealers and suppliers, he hasn’t stopped moving. He’s got a lot of people to see, and a large battle to fight.

“Right now our biggest fed-eral issue is H.R. 1639, and

trying to keep the government out of our humidors,” said Spann, 50, in an interview with Cigar Insider. That house resolution seeks to exempt the premium cigar industry from government FDA restriction, which could ultimately ban flavored cigars and prohibit walk-in humidors. “The intent of the congressmen was never to regulate premium cigars and keep adults from enjoying legal products,” he said. “We don’t see a teenager with a $15 Davidoff sticking out of his mouth, standing on a street corner. They don’t smoke our product, they don’t want our product; our prod-uct is out of their price range.”

But the fight is also a local one, and helping the smaller, local organizations understand how to fight these regula-tions is one of Spann’s top priorities. “We’re also organiz-ing states, so when the time comes we’ve got organized groups of retailers in all 50 states who already have rela-tionships with officials,” he said. “In order to be successful at the local level politically, you have to get to know these individuals before you need them.”

Since taking over the office in mid-August (replacing Joe Rowe, who retired), Spann has been traveling, seeing various state smoking organizations as well as local shop owners. “They’re wonderful people. They’re hardworking, regular Americans that are easy to get along with.”

Spann attended Kenyon College, spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy, and worked for Gov. Jeb Bush in Florida during his second term. n



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