The world of cigars

The organizers of InterTabac Dortmund sign a partnership with the European Cigar Manufacturers Association (ECMA).   The European Cigar Manufacturers Association (ECMA) and Messe Dortmund, organizer of InterTabac, the world’s largest tobacco trade fair, are joining forces to “strengthen the show” and “revitalize the cigar segment.” “Following the show’s expansion to include new nicotine products, strategic adjustments are necessary to

He received the Habanos Award (Production category) in 2014 for his entire career. Photo of Arnaldo Vichot Rojo published on February 19, 2026 on Tabacuba’s Facebook page   Arnaldo Vichot Rojo, former master blender at the Partagás factory, has died, the state-owned Tabacuba group announced. “It is with deep respect and great admiration that we bid farewell to Arnaldo Vichot

The fire, probably caused by a spark, resulted in no injuries. 1,200 square meters of infrastructure were reduced to ashes.   A fire caused nearly $200,000 in losses on Friday, February 13, when it ravaged a drying warehouse belonging to Tabacos de Oriente de Nicaragua, a subsidiary of the Plasencia Cigars Group, one of the world’s largest cigar tobacco producers.

Official confirmation. The Organizing Committee of the Habano Festival announces a “postponement” of the 2026 edition. A new date “will be announced in a timely manner.”   Official confirmation of the information published by L’Amateur earlier today. The 2026 Festival del Habano, initially scheduled for February 23-27, has been postponed “with the aim of preserving the highest standards of quality,

The event was scheduled to take place from February 23 to 27 in Cuba. It will be rescheduled, according to multiple sources. The 2026 Habanos Festival will be postponed, according to concordant sources, although Habanos S.A. has not yet made an official announcement. The event was scheduled to take place from February 23 to 27 in Cuba. However, the island

Importer Hunters & Frankau has declined to comment. A 50% drop in Cuban cigar deliveries since the start of the year. A de facto rationing reported by most UK cigar retailers we contacted over the past few hours, following an article published by Cigar Inspector, a website owned by the Dominique London group, which operates several cigar shops in the

The group led by Dominique Gyselinck and Frederic Dechamps is recruiting the former Managing Director of Maori Tabacs, distributor of Cuban cigars in Andorra.   Dominique London announces the appointment of Miquel Angel Palacios i Moliner as Group Operations Manager. “This strategic appointment further strengthens the group’s global management structure and supports its continued expansion across key international markets,” Dominique

The regional marketing director of the Asian group has resigned. He will leave PCC at the end of June.   Norio Hattori, regional marketing director for The Pacific Cigar Company (PCC), will be leaving the exclusive distributor of Cuban cigars in Asia at the end of June, he announced to L’Amateur de Cigare. The French-Japanese executive joined PCC in 2012

The price increase “due to increase of global inflation and increasing costs from the suppliers” will take effect on February 1st. The Canadian Habanos distributor Havana House, has sent its retailers the annual notice advising them of a price increase on Cuban cigars.  The notice states that the increases “are due to increase of global inflation and increasing costs from their

The prices published in the Official Journal show an average increase of approximately 5%.   The retail prices of Cuban cigars in France will increase by approximately 5% starting February 1, 2026, according to the price list published on January 13 by French Customs. The Partagas D4, one of the best-selling cigars in France and worldwide, will thus increase from

The Cambodian businessman of Chinese origin has been indicted by US authorities for massive cyber fraud.   Chen Zhi, a shareholder of Habanos SA, who was being prosecuted by US authorities for massive cyber fraud, has been arrested in Cambodia and deported to China. Cambodian authorities “arrested three Chinese nationals, Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang, and Shao Ji Hui, and

All tickets for the 26th edition of the Festival del Habano (February 23-27, 2026) have been sold through exclusive distributors.   “Due to the extraordinary demand generated by Cohiba’s 60th anniversary, all tickets have been sold exclusively through the Habanos SA distribution network,” the Havana-based group announced in an email to these distributors two months before the 2026 Festival del

Elite Trading Scandinavia AB, a subsidiary of Habanos SA in Sweden, has until December 10 to prove that it has no connection with Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi, who is being prosecuted by US authorities for cyber fraud.   Wherever he is, Chen Zhi, the Cambodian businessman of Chinese origin, is watching the empire he built in about ten years crumble

Charly Spriet’s company will distribute the Dominican brand from January 1, 2026. Albana Tobacco will take over distribution of the entire Arturo Fuente catalog in France starting January 1, 2026, its manager, Charly Spriet, announced to L’Amateur. The company has already been distributing cigars manufactured by Fuente for the American company Prometheus (God of Fire, Opus X Lost City, etc.)

Embassy officials “buy boxes for $50 and resell them for $1,000 abroad,” says the defecting diplomat.   The North Korean embassy in Havana is home to a cigar smuggling operation, former North Korean diplomat Lee Il-Kyu revealed in an interview with the Spanish news agency EFE. Il-Kyu served in Havana on several occasions between 2011 and 2023, notably as the

The renegotiation of distribution agreements in Europe began after the divorce announced last August between the Dominican brand and Meerapfel Söhne.   The game has begun to reshuffle, just over two months after the break in relations between Arturo Fuente and Meerapfel Söhne. Alexis Aazam Zanganeh has announced that his company, Great O Legacy Distribution & Co (G.O.L.D. & Co),

The Cambodian businessman of Chinese origin is accused by the US authorities of massive fraud. A routine investigation by the Swedish administration confirmed his key role in Habanos SA, via a complex network of offshore companies.   On October 15, Washington and London announced their decision to impose sanctions and freeze certain activities of Chen Zhi, founder of one of

“The production [in prison] is symbolic,” Habanos and Tabacuba assure in an official reaction to the report of the NGO Prisoners Defenders.   Questioned by halfwheel following the report by the NGO Prisoners Defenders, Habanos S.A. confirmed that inmates roll cigars in Cuban prisons. “According to reports from Tabacuba, the organization responsible for the cigar rolling industry, the main objective of