The world of cigars

The Trinidad Vigia Reserva Cosecha 2022 will be launched in Switzerland on September 19.   The Trinidad Vigia Reserva Cosecha 2022 will be the first new release of the 2026–2027 season. It will also mark the first time a Trinidad cigar has been featured in the Reserva series. The Reserva program was established in 2003 to showcase standard-production vitolas made

“The 26th Habano Festival will not be held this year,” writes Habanos S.A., announcing a program of festivities for Cohiba’s 60th anniversary. First step: the launch of the Cohiba Talismán as a regular production cigar in London next October. “The Organizing Committee of the Habano Festival announces that, after evaluating the current situation and with the purpose of preserving the

The iOS and Android app lists smoking lounges around the world. It also details the tobacco laws in force in each country. WorldLounges has released version 2.0, a complete overhaul of its cigar lounge directory. The app is free and available in seven languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. WorldLounges lists over 1,400 locations across 120 countries

More than 33,000 fake Cuban cigars were seized. The counterfeits were being shipped across Europe. The Spanish Civil Guard has arrested three individuals and is investigating four others for counterfeiting Cuban cigars. The suspects face charges of smuggling, intellectual property infringement, membership in a criminal organization, and labor rights violations. A total of 33,840 counterfeit cigars were seized during the

A cigar may be granted the “Dominican cigar” GI if it contains at least 90% Dominican tobacco.   With the creation of the Regulatory Council for the “Dominican Cigar” Geographical Indication (GI), Dominican tobacco is moving closer to obtaining Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. As we reported last April (see L’Amateur English Edition #26), the Dominican Tobacco Institute (INTABACO)

He had been leading Drew Estate since 2016—two years after the group was acquired by the American giant Swisher. Glenn Wolfson, CEO of Drew Estate since 2016, has passed away at the age of 70, the company announced in a statement on Monday, June 29. Last May, he had informed his teams that he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.

The distributor for the Africa-Middle East region cites the disappearance of sea freight from Cuba and the rising cost of air freight.   “A surcharge of 6.5% will be applied to all invoices [for Cuban cigars] to partially offset the increased freight expenses,” Phoenicia announced in an email to its clients. “The current geopolitical situation and the ongoing challenges in

Three measures from the reform package adopted on June 19 directly concern the tobacco industry. We put them to two Cuban economists. 176 economic measures, no less. The reform package adopted on June 19 by the Cuban National Assembly is presented by the regime itself as the most significant turning point since Raúl Castro’s lineamientos in 2011. Among them, three

As in the world of cigars, two rums bearing the same name coexist: one in the United States, the other everywhere else. The legal battle surrounding Havana Club rum has just taken a new turn in the United States. On Tuesday, June 16, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Cuban state-owned company Cubaexport and rejected Bacardi’s

The group’s thirty-third store benefits from the Habanos Specialist label. It is based in Strassen, just outside the capital of the Grand Duchy.   The Dominique London group continues its expansion. Dominique Gyselinck has just opened its 33rd boutique, this time in Luxembourg. A strategic location that also caters to the many Belgian enthusiasts affected by stricter regulations. Located in

Tabacuba aims to finally achieve this goal that was missed last year, thanks in particular to solar-powered irrigation.   Tabacuba hopes to plant 14,000 hectares of tobacco next season in Vuelta Abajo, the country’s main tobacco-growing region, according to a report from the official Cuban news agency ACN. This target for cultivated area is the same as the one set

For several weeks, the cigar world has been in turmoil in Sweden and Northern Europe. At the heart of the matter: a legal case involving Chen Zhi and a Swedish blog that has been publishing a stream of approximations and insinuations about Elite Trading, the exclusive distributor of Cuban cigars in the region. Between amalgams and speculation, L’Amateur de Cigare

Original bands are permitted and the designation of references is relaxed.   While the plain packaging for cigars and cigarillos officially came into effect this Monday, June 1st, in Belgium, the authorities are partially acknowledging the specific nature of these products and relaxing some of the measures stipulated in the initial decree. Since June 1st, 2026, Belgium has applied the

Cigar and cigarillo consumers represent only 2.3% of smokers and are all over 45 years old.   While European authorities are increasingly proposing stricter regulations against tobacco products, a German study serves as a reminder that cigars is a very niche product, consumed primarily by people—often men—over 45. The figures come from the 2025 Mikrozensus (microcensus) conducted by the German

He is temporarily replacing Jorge Perez Martel, who has retired.   Habanos S.A. announces the appointment of Alberto Donar Cruz Rojas as interim Commercial Vice President. In an email to distributors, the Havana-based group states that Alberto Donar “has built a distinguished career within Corporación Habanos, S.A., having held responsabilities as Sales Administration Director of Habanos, S.A., and as Commercial

The area of land used for tobacco cultivation in the country has increased by 50% over the past six years.   The Dominican cigar industry produced more than 196 million hand-rolled cigars last year, most of which are exported to 148 countries, with the United States being the main trading partner, Iván Hernández Guzmán, director of the Dominican Tobacco Institute

“We strongly encourage cigar smokers to make their voices heard,” explains the European Cigar Manufacturers Association.   The European Union has launched a consultation on its tobacco control rules. The consultation is open to all European citizens until midnight on June 15 (Brussels time) ahead of a review of the European tobacco directives. The European Cigar Manufacturers Association (ECMA) has

In the first quarter of 2026, the United States imported 90.9 million premium cigars, a decrease of 3% compared to last year.   The figures for the first quarter of 2026 published by the Cigar Association of America (CAA) are historic. Not because of the slight 3% decrease in volume they reveal, but because with 17.2 million premium cigars exported