Cigar Libre

Ooooooooh… This one might hurt if it actually passes.
Washington State legislators are pondering two bills that, if passed, could increase taxes on cigars by whopping 500 percent.

A tobacco state with a smoking ban? Isn’t that some sort of philosophical oxymoron?
Earlier this January, a new North Carolina law that went into effect said the state’s bars, restaurants, and certain “lodging establishments” had to go smoke-free. The new state smoking ban exempts country clubs, nonprofit private clubs, and cigar bars from the ban, [...]

Earlier this month, Washington, D.C.’s Council passed a law that prohibits smoking on sidewalks. The so-called “sidewalk smoking ban“ allows property owners to post “no smoking” signs within 25 feet of their entrances. The bill ⎯ “designed to break up the clusters of smokers who crowd around some doorways,” says the Washington Post ⎯ isn’t [...]

How much do you love the Cohiba? Much like George Costanza, who once said if it were socially acceptable, he’d “ensconce” himself in velvet, now you can ensconce yourself in all things Cohiba, that is, if you ever pass through Depew, New York. That’s where the nation’s very first Cohiba smoking lounge has just opened [...]

Since the 60’s, Cuban-origin cigars sold in America have been produced from tobacco plants grown all over the world, including parts of the U.S., Belgium, Indonesia, and Honduras. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, another major source of tobacco leaf for many U.S. cigars, and more than any other country, they [...]

Times are tough, and people are looking to scrimp and save anywhere possible. If you think you have to buy a fancy, expensive cigar to really get some enjoyment out of it, think again. There are a slew of “bargain cigars” to choose from, according to CigarAficionado.com.
2009 may be a year we’d all like to [...]

If you live in Colorado and go see a play at the theater, that scene-chewing, cigar-smoking actor better be using a prop!
The Colorado Supreme Court recently ruled to keep in place a state ban on smoking ⎯ that applies to theatrical endeavors ⎯ designed to protect the public’s health. Despite a challenge from a group [...]

The tobacco industry is undergoing major changes, “including higher taxes, more regulation and a growing number of public-smoking bans that have made the social use of cigars more rare,” says recent story from the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. But one cigar industry executive is taking it all in stride.
“I think I would rather be a [...]

What did you do for New Year’s Eve? Blogger George Edmonson over at StogieGuys.com thinks you should follow his lead and start a new tradition: give people a cigar to wish them Happy New Year.
“What better way to spread some cheer and happiness than with a cigar? Oh, I’m sure I’ll run into a tobacco [...]