Category: Cigars

Quartz and PCA Launch Dubai Cigar Show
Quartz Business Events is partnering with the U.S. Premium Cigar Association (PCA) to launch a premium cigar-focused trade show for the international market. The newly created World Cigar Show will take place in Dubai from Nov. 11-12, 2025.
“We are extremely excited to announce this partnership with the PCA. Perfectly located in Dubai, with the second busiest airport in the world, the World Cigar Show will allow exhibitors to meet a truly global audience,” said Dubai event director Colin Case in a statement.
“Our team will assist Quartz as an advisor with the experience of putting together our annual trade show in the United States and marketing partner to our associate membership manufacturers. This partnership is an example of a win-win where both entities can complement one another’s specialties to create something unique,” said PCA President Scott Regina.
The cigar market in Asia was valued at $2.4 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow by 6.8 percent by 2029.
November 14, 2024
Rafael Targets Cuba’s Tobacco Regions

Image: lavizzara
Cuba’s leading tobacco-producing regions were expected to take a direct hit as Hurricane Rafael slammed into the island’s southwest shore on Nov. 6, packing sustained winds of 185 kph, reports Reuters.
Farmers in Artemisa and Pinar del Rio provinces had moved to protect 8,000 metric tons of tobacco in the area, according to Agriculture Minister Ydael Pérez Brito, as well as ripening fruits and vegetables.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of a “life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding” across much of western Cuba. The region, including Havana, remained under a hurricane warning.
Cuba’s state-run grid operator said the high winds had caused the country’s electrical system to collapse. State-run television reported the entire population of 10 million people was without electricity—the second such incident in less than a month on the island.
The hurricane is the latest blow to the country’s already precarious grid and infrastructure. Cuba’s obsolete oil-fired power plants reached a full crisis this year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled.
November 7, 2024
Habanos Presents 2024 Upmann Magnum Finite LE

The launch of the H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 vitola took place in one of the most iconic locations in the Spanish capital—the arches and inner gates of the Las Ventas bullring, a space filled with charm, history and culture.
Habanos S.A., the distribution arm of Cuban cigars, together with its partner and exclusive distributor for the Spanish market, Tabacalera S.L.U., presented the new vitola at the event organized by the Club Pasion Habanos under the name El ruedo de H. Upmann.
“The H. Upmann Magnum Finite Limited Edition 2024 (53 ring gauge x 130 mm length) stands out not only for its elegance but also for its exclusivity. It is a vitola designed for aficionados seeking a unique and sophisticated experience, combining the heritage and brand’s tradition, its refined Habanos, with a light to medium strength, and the characteristic aging of at least two years for limited editions,” a Habanos release states. “H. Upmann Magnum Finite is the result of a meticulous crafting process, using wrapper, filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo plantations, where the world’s best tobacco is produced, in Pinar del Rio region, Cuba.”
Magnum Finite comes in an exclusive box of 25 units. The flavor is creamy, woody, toasted and earthy with vegetal and mineral hints, ripe fruit, sweetness and light spices, leaving a finish of hay, smoked cedar, damp earth, moss, iodine hints, dried plum, vanilla, nutmeg and molasses.
Its aroma is tobacco, woody, toasted, herbal, ripe fruit, spicy and sweet, smoked cedar, leather, raisin, coffee, cocoa, clove, vanilla and molasses.
October 28, 2024
PCA and Cigar Academy Partner in Education

Photo: PCA/CA
The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and The Cigar Academy announced a strategic partnership to offer comprehensive educational programs and certifications for cigar industry professionals and enthusiasts. This collaboration gives PCA members a new way to learn about the cigar industry and its processes through online modules and in-person workshops.
The Cigar Academy’s educational program has been designed and endorsed by cigar makers and professionals from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico.
“We firmly believe in the power of education to protect and grow the cigar industry. This partnership with The Cigar Academy will bring immense value to our retail members and our newly formed alliance,” said PCA CEO Joshua Habursky in a statement. “This partnership is part of a slate of new programs and partnerships where the association works with existing stakeholders rather than reinventing the wheel.”
Founded by Ricardo Carioni and Thomas Gryson, The Cigar Academy is committed to delivering accessible and rigorous cigar education. “For all cigar lovers seeking authentic knowledge about the cultural heritage and artisanal traditions of the cigar world, The Cigar Academy is the ultimate source,” said Carioni. “Shared and accessible knowledge is power. Through this partnership, we aim to provide education for everyone—from cigar and nontobacco businesses to policymakers and aficionados—while ensuring that the true cigar culture is preserved and protected from misguided regulations.”
“Our mission is to offer everyone direct access to knowledge and expertise through courses crafted together with those who run factories and farms of renowned cigar companies, done with precision and care,” said Gryson. “We are honored to have the endorsement of legendary cigar makers, and our goal is to lead individuals toward formal certification through their knowledge and guidance.”
October 27, 2024
Premium Cigar User Fees Top $100 Million

Photo: diy13
Premium cigar companies have paid more than $100 million to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in user fees, reports Halfwheel, citing a filing sent to an appeals court on Sept. 18.
The filing was sent to clear up points raised at the end of a Sept. 20 hearing before a U.S. appeals court as part of a lawsuit filed by three cigar trade groups that in August 2023 resulted in a ruling vacating the FDA’s 2016 deeming regulations for premium cigars.
The FDA has appealed the ruling.
User fees are fees paid by cigar companies and others to fund the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. The idea is that tobacco companies and their customers, rather than the general public, should bear the costs of regulations.
Cigarettes account for more than 83 percent of user fees in fiscal year 2024, around $148.7 million per quarter. The cigar category—which includes both premium and mass market cigars—is projected to pay $25.5 million per quarter.
While relatively minor on a per cigar basis, the user fees have been a particular annoyance for many premium cigar companies, according to Halfwheel.
September 23, 2024
Habanos Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Habanos of Cuba celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. Founded Sept. 14, 1994, the company has established itself as a benchmark in the worldwide promotion and sales of Habanos, which are considered by many to be the best handmade cigars.
With a presence in over 130 territories across five continents, Habanos boasts a portfolio of 27 premium cigars, including iconic names such as Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagas. Since its creation, the company has tripled its consolidated turnover.
Every year since 1999, the company’s Habano Festival, attracts distributors, aficionados and celebrities from around the world. The event has evolved into a key platform for presenting new products, exchanging ideas and celebrating activities and experiences related to the Habano culture.
Meanwhile, the La Casa del Habano franchise network has expanded to more than 155 boutiques in over 60 countries.
“Over the past 30 years, we have traveled a path filled with tradition, passion and dedication, bringing the Habano to over 130 territories and solidifying our position as leaders in the premium tobacco industry. All of this has allowed us to reach a record revenue figure of $721 million in 2024,” wrote Habanos Copresidents Maritza Carrillo Gonzalez and Luis Sanchez-Harguindey in a joint statement.
“However, beyond the numbers and achievements, what truly defines us are the relationships we have built. Each satisfied customer represents a shared success, and we are grateful for their loyalty and support over the years. Today, we celebrate the past, but we also look to the future with the same entrepreneurial spirit that has guided us here.”
September 21, 2024
Dominican Republic to Build Tobacco School

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
The National Institute for Technical and Professional Training of the Dominican Republic will establish a school to meet the growing demand for skilled labor in the tobacco sector.
Set up in collaboration with the Association of Cigar Producers of the Dominican Republic (ProCigar), the facility will be located in Tamboril, Santiago, a key area for tobacco production. The facility aims to provide formal training and certification for workers, many of whom have previously gained skills through informal means.
According to ProCigar President Litto Gómez, training is key in maintaining the international competitiveness and quality of Dominican tobacco products. Investing in skilled labor, he noted, not only supports the industry’s efficiency but also contributes to the economic development of local communities.
The tobacco industry in Santiago employs more than 110,000 people and generated over $400 million in the first four months of the year, according to the Ministry of Industry.
September 4, 2024
Out of Proportion

A fine cigar is a basic product that is probably as “natural” as any consumer product can be. | Photo: Laurenx
The inclusion of fine cigars in the UK generational ban proposal makes no sense.
By George Gay
On May 22, the then U.K. prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that Parliament was to be dissolved on May 30 and a general election held on July 4.¹ The announcement caught even political commentators by surprise because the election could have been held any time during 2024 or January 2025. Clearly, Sunak had decided that his policies were not going to improve the circumstances of most voters, at least in the short term.
There was certainly a note of desperation in the timing of the announcement because it meant Sunak was abandoning many of what had been referred to as his flagship policies, a move that led The Guardian newspaper to report that his legacy was looking “increasingly threadbare.”
But it’s an ill wind and, from the point of view of certain sections of the tobacco industry, the announcement came as a relief because it meant the tobacco and vapes bill, which was being pushed through Parliament with cross-party support, was holed below the waterline. The bill contained a provision for banning tobacco sales in the U.K. to anybody born from Jan. 1, 2009, onward, a so-called generational ban.
It seemed to say something about Sunak that he chose to scupper this policy while it had the wind in its sails, especially since, notwithstanding the timing of events, it could have been pushed through in the last days of Parliament, and given he had so emphasized his commitment to the health of the next generation. In fact, a BBC interviewer on May 24, apparently incredulous that the policy had been abandoned, asked a minister how this could have been the case, only to be told that Sunak had at least won the argument.
But this was not true because there had been no argument, if “argument” is used to mean a debate during which different ideas are put forward and resolved in a rational manner. Speaking at a Beat the Ban lunch held in London on May 21, Simon Clark, the director of the Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest), had been scathing about the way the bill was being “steamrollered” through Parliament. Following a short public consultation before Christmas, he said, the government had announced that it would not consider any submissions from groups with links to the tobacco industry, which, for instance, included Forest and even retailers. “To the best of my knowledge, that has never happened before,” he added.
But, once again, this speaks to the makeup of Sunak, who apparently does not like to hear counter arguments and becomes tetchy when he does. So it is hardly surprising that, after the bill’s second reading, when it entered its committee stage, 16 of the 17 Members of Parliament appointed to the committee had voted for the bill, and the other was known to support it. And when it came to inviting people to give oral evidence to the committee, witnesses were almost exclusively supporters of the bill.
The August court ruling put the FDA in a position where it could regulate as tobacco products vaping articles that contain no tobacco but not premium cigars that contain only tobacco.
Misplaced Priorities
Sunak’s scuppering of the bill is unlikely to be the end of the matter because it had near-universal parliamentary approval. This means that a tobacco and vapes bill is likely to be refloated in some form, so it is worthwhile looking at some of the thinking behind this initiative. Any number of stories have been written about proposed generational tobacco bans, but here I would like to consider one aspect of it that I think makes no sense: the fact that the proposed U.K. ban, in encompassing all tobacco products, seems to lack any sense of proportion, something that can be demonstrated by citing the case of fine cigars.
At a time when, belatedly, serious health concerns are being raised in public about the consumption of alcohol, processed foods, caffeine and social media, and even about gambling and lack of sleep, why would the government’s attention be focused on something as benign as fine cigars, defined here as those cigars comprising only tobacco, water and vegetable-based gum?
As here defined, a fine cigar is a basic product that is probably as “natural” as any consumer product can be. Fine cigars are not implicated in concerns about flavors, and they cause no problems in relation to filters, batteries and all the other tobacco/nicotine product parts implicated in environmental issues. I would guess that only a tiny minority of the U.K. population smokes fine cigars, that the proportion of such smokers is relatively stable, that fine cigar consumption raises no ethnic or gender issues and that where these products are smoked is already restricted, meaning that certain aspects of concerns about population-level harm must be minimal.
Including an Outlier
To examine this issue a little closer, it is instructive to look across the Atlantic at what happened in relation to fine cigars in the U.S., where they are usually referred to as premium cigars. On August 9, 2023, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Cigar Association of America, the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) and the Premium Cigar Association, Judge Amit P. Mehta, sitting in the District Court for the District of Columbia, vacated the Food and Drug Administration’s 2016-imposed deeming regulations² in so far that they applied to premium cigars. This meant that from that date, the FDA no longer had regulatory authority over premium cigars.
Ironically, this ruling put the FDA in a position where it could regulate as tobacco products vaping articles that contain no tobacco but not premium cigars that contain only tobacco.
Mehta apparently decided that the FDA’s decision to regulate premium cigars was arbitrary and capricious, a damning decision given the FDA claims always to act on scientific evidence. According to Drew Perraut, the CRA’s regulatory affairs expert, speaking during a post-court-decision video conference posted on the CRA’s website, the science the CRA provided and its comment on the deeming rule were instrumental in bringing about the court ruling. The CRA, he said, presented evidence to the FDA that there was no detectable evidence of youth usage of premium cigars, along with scientific evidence from the National Institutes of Health showing there was no appreciable rise in morbidity or mortality associated with smoking premium cigars. Judge Mehta found that the FDA had not considered those scientific issues and had not responded adequately.
It seems to me that even if the FDA does not fully accept the CRA’s evidence that smoking premium cigars does not significantly increase morbidity and mortality levels, that these products do not appeal to young people and that there is no evidence of their addictiveness, it must concede that premium cigars comprise an outlier in these areas. You can work that out on the back of an envelope.
The danger posed by fine cigar smoking is a planetary system away from that caused by cigarette smoking.
The Scent of Spite
But the FDA immediately appealed Mehta’s decision, so the question arises as to why. What is the problem here? Would it not have been more efficient not to prioritize premium cigars but spend the resources of the FDA on dealing with what seems to be an already burdensome workload created by more troublesome products? Would it not have been better to allow an industry that does little harm, creates pleasure and employs a lot of people relative to its size to get on with what it does without undue interference?
The pursuit of premium cigars looks like vindictiveness, as does the pursuit of fine cigars in the U.K. There must be a sense that the people who seek to regulate unduly and ultimately do away with premium/fine cigars cannot understand the pleasure that these products provide and for this “reason” want to get rid of them.
Sailing back across the Atlantic, one might wonder what the U.K. Parliament’s beef with fine cigars is. Surely, even given that many parliamentarians seem in recent times to have become culturally impaired to the point of boorishness, those in government must realize that the appeal of fine cigars is a world away from that of cigarettes. They must realize that the danger posed by fine cigar smoking is a planetary system away from that caused by cigarette smoking. In fact, the world of fine cigars is close to that of fine wines because the consumption of each is not about addiction or even habit but about pleasure, fulfilment and, often, enjoying the company of like-minded people.
A generational ban will have no immediate effect on sales of fine cigars in the U.K. because of the age profile of those who smoke them. But it will mean that, in the future, when those born after the end of 2008 are in their mid-thirties and want to consume a sophisticated product that does not addle their brains, make them fat or deprive them of sleep, they will have the devil of a job finding somebody who is willing to sell them fine cigars.
A ban on the sales of fine cigars makes no sense. And, for similar reasons, it makes no sense when it is applied to pipe tobacco and snus. It is to be hoped that if in the U.K. the prospect of a generational tobacco sales ban is raised again, it is considered carefully and not made the subject of sledgehammer policies.

¹The Conservative government led by Sunak was defeated at the July 4 election and replaced by a Labour government led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
²The FDA was granted regulatory authority over the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products under the Tobacco Control Act of 2009, but, initially, such authority was applied only to cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco. In 2014, as was its right, the FDA started the process of bringing other “tobacco” products under its authority. At first, urged by the premium cigar industry, it considered exempting premium cigars but later decided not to, and all other products were the subject of its 2016 “deeming” regulations.
George Gay is Tobacco Reporter’s European editor, but his territory spans the globe. Based in London, George has covered the tobacco industry since 1982, initially for a U.K.-based publication and since 2004 for Tobacco Reporter. George’s understanding of industry issues, combined with his keen sense of observation and dry wit, have earned him a loyal following among Tobacco Reporter’s readers.

August 1, 2024
North Carolina Tweaks Rules for Cigar Bars
A last-minute addition to a bill related to alcohol sales in North Carolina should expand the number of cigar bars in the state.
Governor Roy Cooper signed S.B. 527, a bill related to the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The bill includes text that critics say will make owning or operating a cigar bar in North Carolina much easier, according to media reports.
While the state already allows for cigar bars—places that allow for cigar smoking and serve liquor—previously, those businesses were required to be the only entity located in standalone buildings. With the rules change, only if a cigar bar serves food must it be located in a standalone building.
This will greatly increase the number of locations where a cigar bar could be located, likely meaning that many existing cigar stores may be eligible to become cigar bars.
The headline change of the bill is that it allows for to-go cocktails.
July 10, 2024
PCA Names Habursky as Executive Director

Photo: PCA
The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has promoted Joshua Habursky to the role of executive director. Habursky’s tenure at PCA includes outside government affairs consultant (2018), Director of Federal Affairs, head of government affairs, and deputy executive director (2019-present). Since May 2024, Habursky has served as interim executive director of the PCA following Scott Pearce’s departure.
“For the past five years we have been able to work effectively with Josh to accomplish the goals of the association related to advocacy. We are confident of his ability to take on the additional responsibility of running the full association moving forward. This internal promotion is a testament to both Josh and the entire PCA staff who have been diligently working with the board to make the association a powerhouse in all departments,” says Scott Regina, president of the PCA board of directors in a statement.
Habursky will continue to serve as the organization’s chief lobbyist but will work with internal staff and consultants to identify new priorities and responsibilities. The PCA will implement a new five-year Strategic Plan and is expected to announce additional positive changes in the coming months, including new hires to support the trade show team.
Habursky has spent over a decade working in government affairs roles in trade and membership associations, including the American Motorcyclist Association, American Diabetes Association, and Independent Community Bankers of America.
June 26, 2024