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  • PCA Announces Advocacy Awards

    PCA Announces Advocacy Awards

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced the recipients of the 2025 Step Up Awards, which recognize outstanding leadership and dedication to premium tobacco advocacy. These awards honor individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond to protect the rights of premium cigar businesses and consumers across the nation.

    The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 13, 2025, immediately following the PCA comedy show at the 2025 PCA Annual Convention and Trade Show. “This special recognition celebrates those who have stepped up in a meaningful way to defend the industry in legislative, regulatory, and grassroots arenas over the past year,” the PCA said.

    This year’s Step Up Award winners include: Jimmy Hargrove, of the Colorado Premium Cigar and Pipe Association, Luke Benson of the Colorado Premium Cigar and Pipe Association, Greg Zimmerman of The Tobacco Company, Cigars for Warriors, and Michael Edney fromHunton Andrews Kurth.

  • El Septimo Celebrates 20Years with New Cigar

    El Septimo Celebrates 20Years with New Cigar

    In celebration of its 20th anniversary, El Septimo announced that “its most daring creation yet,” the Doble Gran Reserva cigar, will debut at the 2025 PCA Show in April. Only 1,000 boxes will be produced, each containing 14 Toro cigars (6 x 52 ). The limited edition will be distributed solely through the top-50 retailers worldwide, priced at $125 per cigar and $1,750 per box.

    The company said it sourced the finest tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica and meticulously aged them between seven and 10 years. The final blend was a collaboration of more than 60 “esteemed cigar connoisseurs, industry officials, and sommeliers [who] lent their discerning palates and expertise to the design, development, and blending process.”

    “With the Doble Gran Reserva, we have harnessed the collective wisdom of global experts and fused it with groundbreaking scientific techniques in the fermentation process to create an experience that transcends tradition,” said Zaya Younan, CEO of El Septimo. “This cigar is a living testament to our passion for innovation and our unwavering commitment to excellence and producing the best cigars in the world.”

  • PCA Auctioning Custom Humidors

    PCA Auctioning Custom Humidors

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has teamed up with HumidifGroup to produce a unique humidor called The Cloakroom, an elegant luxury humidor influenced by the monuments and architecture seen around Washington, D.C. Only 25 were made (one will be kept for display within the PCA’s office) and will be on display and offered for auction during the 2025 Premium Cigar Association trade show in New Orleans, April 11-14. These special humidors will be filled with exclusive premium cigars handcrafted by a leading manufacturer.

    “PCA is proud to partner with HumidifGroup for this unique project that captures the quintessential Washington D.C. style in a subtle way and serves as a functional piece of luxury and rarity,” said Joshua Habursky, executive director of the PCA. “Whether it be premium cigars or accessories, any collaboration with our member companies that bares the PCA logo must exude excellence. Our team had the pleasure to tour the Cigar Box Factory in Estelí to ensure the utmost quality and craftsmanship in this collector’s item.”

    “Cloakroom” refers to a phrase used by members of Congress for a place within the U.S. Capitol where cigars are smoked. This 50-capacity humidor features a pristine white, marble-like, high-gloss lacquer finish with exquisite gold details. The lid is adorned with an embossed PCA logo displayed in gold, while the front center of the humidor showcases vertical grooves that are painted in rich gold, reminiscent of historic columns. The custom metal handles, also in gold, are engraved with “PCA” and add a touch of sophistication to each side. Each humidor includes five trays fitted with gold handles. The humidor also has personalized humidifiers, thermometers, and hinges that all feature the PCA logo. Each humidor is packaged in a protective white box and a velvet/felt bag, both bearing the PCA logo in gold. The PCA logo and HumidifGroup’s NFC authentication technology are displayed on the inner lid. With a tap of a mobile device, the NFC tag will reveal the humidor’s unique serial number.

    Sales of the humidor will support the PCA’s Industry Defense Fund, established to support the organization’s ongoing advocacy efforts to defend the premium tobacco industry.

  • Chalkey to Boost PCA Government Affairs

    Chalkey to Boost PCA Government Affairs

    Credit: Thapana Studio

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has hired Richard Chalkey as its new director of Coalitions and Policy. Chalkey brings over a decade of professional experience from work in government and the private sector, according to an emailed press release.

    “The Premium Cigar Association has worked with Richard since his time in the West Wing of the White House through Congress and we look forward to having him join our team,” stated PCA Deputy Executive Director Joshua Habursky. “It is rare to find someone in Washington who has worked in the House, Senate, and White House –especially someone who worked four years in a White House and in the West Wing. We are glad to have the perspective and network that Richard will bring.”

    Previously, Chalkey served as the associate director of the National Economic Council and as the associate director of the Office of Legislative Affairs in the Trump White House. During his four years of service at the White House, Chalkey managed policy rollouts for the directors of his departments and in coordination with White House Senior Staff and Cabinet Agencies.

    Most recently, Chalkey served as deputy chief of staff for Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina in the 117th and 118th Congress. Prior to the White House, Chalkey also served in the office of former U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and former Congressman Rodney Davis, both of Illinois.

    Chalkey holds a bachelor of science in Management – International Business and a bachelor of science in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a U.S. State Department Gilman Scholar for studying abroad at the University of Hong Kong and currently is a May 2024 expected executive MBA candidate for the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

  • PCA Debuts Advocacy Grant Program

    PCA Debuts Advocacy Grant Program

    Image: Olivier Le Moal

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) of the United States announced a new state advocacy grant program aimed at investing in state associations and their boots-on-the-ground lobbying capacity for the 2024 legislative cycle.

    The resources in the program approved by the PCA board of directors will be spent much like a match grant program where the state association agrees to match funding by the PCA, going toward hiring contract lobbyists to advance positive legislation or fight back against erroneous regulations. State associations must have a basic infrastructure in place and must meet certain criteria to be eligible for funding, including having an incorporated state association and agree to accountability and transparency with the PCA about where the funds will be spent. 

    “This is not only a way for us to support existing state associations and their advocacy capacity, but it also establishes a baseline for starting a brand new state association with the prospective of seed funding. This criterion is a blueprint to get started and to receive funding. Our staff will continue to support individual associations and retailers with strategy and logistics, and this is a new tool to help maximize that effectiveness,” says Scott Pearce, executive director of the PCA.

    Grant criteria include: having an incorporated and active state association; having an elected board of directors; having a designated treasurer with authority over accounts; agreeing to comply with PCA reporting requirements; agreeing to PCA involvement in consulting lobbyist selection process; agreeing to disclose any and all issues for which funds are used and for which lobbyist is engaged; and providing the PCA with the operating budget and amount and source of funds raised by the state association.

    “This year, our team has been extremely effective in the states and is reflective of retailers stepping up to defend their businesses. This state grant program is aimed at spurring this level of activity and, frankly, success moving forward. Each year, our team must evaluate our priority area, and in the past, our Vision 50 strategic plan focused on litigation or international outreach. Make no mistake, this is the year of the states,” says Joshua Habursky, the PCA’s head of government affairs.

    Applications can be submitted to the PCA online portal and will be reviewed by appropriate advocacy staff and the PCA Legislative Affairs Committee. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will reflect legislative/regulatory necessity in the state. 

  • Cigar Group Wants Better Justification for U.S. Flavor Rule

    Cigar Group Wants Better Justification for U.S. Flavor Rule

    Image: razoomanetu

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) testified before the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) as part of the administration’s review of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s draft Final Rule “Tobacco Product Standard for Characterizing Flavors in Cigars.”

    PCA President Scott Regina provided several examples of the impact that the rule would have on specialty tobacco retail, emphasizing that the FDA had not conducted a proper small business impact analysis. The PCA also outlined how the rule would directly affect regulatory matters outside of the FDA’s jurisdiction, including law enforcement, international trade and foreign policy.

    “It’s questionable whether FDA has the authority to issue standards that result in a product ban, especially when they are acknowledging that the regulation does not address a specific risk,” said Regina in a statement.

    “Ultimately, we asked OIRA to consult with a host of affected federal agencies and to remit the draft Final Rule back to FDA for better justification of authority, cost-benefit analysis and small business impact,” said Scott Pearce, executive director of the PCA.

    The OIRA has scheduled meetings with additional stakeholders throughout the month as well as proponents of the characterizing flavor product standard for cigars.

    The PCA published a full list of recommendations on the draft Final Rule.