Dan with the Gary R. Ellis, President and CFO of Altadis USA, and Salesman John Triano

New Hampshire store

Steve and Bob stop by for a smoke and small talk.

Bob, Donna & Jack enjoying a good cigar!

Juliana and Dad in NH!

 The "Mad Fisherman" and his

Dad at A.B.C. North in North

Hampton, N.H.

How Does Your Cigar Rate?

Appearance:

How does your cigar look?  A great deal of pleasure derived from a cigar is based on expectation.  A stunning appearance can mask many of a cigar’s shortcomings because people place a high value on how a product looks.

Taste:

How does the cigar taste?  Did the character of the smoke change as the cigar was smoked?  Was it spicy?  Was it bland? Was it mild, medium or strong?  These are the things to take into consideration when it comes to taste.  In other words, did you like it !

Construction:

Was the cigar properly made?  If you have difficulty in drawing smoke or difficulty in keeping the cigar lit it takes much of the enjoyment out of the smoking experience.

Quality Average:

This number is the average of the three categories previously discussed.  Bottom line would you buy it again?

Get a group of smokers together and these are some of the things discussed.

More later.

Where are all the flavors going?

Many flavored cigar makers have been concerned that flavored cigars will be banned outright due to the FDS’s broad definition of cigarettes. The law does state that flavored cigarettes are banned except menthol. It is not clear at this point if this ban will include little cigars.

What overall effect is the FDA’s regulation of tobacco going to have on the tobacco industry? This is a new area of regulation by the FDA and they did not have much time to prepare for getting involved in an entirely new area! Hopefully they will make every effort to talk to industry leaders as well as scientists and anti-tobacco people. Only time will tell how intrusive the government will become in attempting to regulate tobacco.

After they have finished the death of the tobacco industry maybe they will move on to another problem – alcohol! These are a few of the various items the “boys” in the back room are discussing.

More Later!

Where has all the common sense gone??

We do not need our government to tell us how to lead our lives and yet one restriction on tobacco follows another. It certainly makes good sense to allow people to eat in a restaurant in a smoke-free environment. However, when they go into a tobacco shop they can expect to be in an environment where people may be smoking. In a recent case, a few friends were smoking in their tobacco store after closing and someone reported them. As a result, the owner was cited by the police for smoking in his shop after hours and required to pay a fine as well as receiving a reprimand from the towns Board of Health. The staff of the Board of Health spent hours looking over the case before rendering their decision, all at the expense of the taxpayer.

 As we said earlier "What ever happened to Common Sense?"

  Summer is here and the boys in the Lounge will be around and about!

  Until later!

 The  "Mad Fisherman" (Charlie Moore) visits his Dad along with his son      Nick.  Watch Charlie's TV shows on Sunday night on NESN.