You know what they say about opinions...

As for packaging, the MCC Art Deco is a nice tin box and again a great cigar at a good price.

Well, regardless, it looks like another promising year for cigar blends. I know there are several I'm already looking forward to.

With so many brick and mortars in my area, there can be three or more events per week at times. Some days, competing B&M's schedule events for the same day and time. In the end, I think they just hurt themselves by forcing the customer to "choose" which event to attend. A little cooperation among the owners might be beneficial to their bottom line.

Michael is just another 'berg' member of Council of Foreign Relations ruining this country in the name Global Government. We should all get together and conduct "Smoke Out" right in front NY City hall' call ourselves the FLEA Party!!

I'm glad to see someone finally call out Scott Smyth. I've been to a lot of local events and the reps have all told me about the constant requests of free cigars and what have you. He's put bloggers in a bad light. Yesterday he even posted that bloggers steal from him and copy his layout and information.

Cigar Events are a great way to try new product and discuss various issues that confront the community but they do come at a great expense to manufacturers. but as long as companies support these events they will continuevto grow. after all a person Tennessee isn't likely to travel to a big smoke in NYC.

Finally contests and toastedfoot.com they guys at that site have become friends in the truest sense of the word. can an argument be made that they run to many contests, yes. However an argument can be made these contests bring attention to new brands. brands I would of missed and looked over. so the contests do serve a purpose and are much cheaper then advertising.

In a couple of your columns you have expressed your strong belief that the CAA does not commit enough energy to fighting battles in the states. In fact, the CAA will spend more than $2.5 million this year in retaining and supporting lobbyists in 46 states. You seem to believe we did not commit enough in New York State. In fact, we have retained two lobbying firms in Albany and just recently committed to spending more than $20,000 for an economic impact study which, among other things, will evaluate different levels of a possible tax cap in that state in order to protect the premium cigar industry and retail smokeships. In the fall, we will present the results of that study to the Division of the Budget, which has expressed an interest in the notion of a tax cap.

We have worked successfully in recent years with tobacco retailers to get and preserve tax caps in Washington State, Wisconsin, Rhode Island and Iowa.

In Florida last year, lobbying by the CAA and its member companies was the key reason why cigars were the only product which was not included in that state’s draconian tax increases on tobacco products. And the fact that Florida-based cigar manufacturers, importers and leaf dealers are allowed to continue smoking in their offices – in spite of that state’s constitutional amendment banning smoking in all workplaces -- was due to CAA efforts. Our efforts in New York City led to smoking ban exemptions in cigar bars, smokeships and the offices of tobacco manufacturers – exemptions which were later included in the state-imposed ban.

Even before this, the CAA was successful in getting retail smokeshops exempt from various state indoor smoking bans. These efforts have set a precedent adopted by other states.

The federal PACT Act enacted this year does not include cigars – the direct result of CAA efforts on the subject dating back to 2004. This means it is still possible to mail cigars through the US Postal Service, and cigars are not subject to the burdensome reporting and tax requirements of the Jenkins Act.

Our statistical reporting programs are the industry source for estimated total sales of premium cigars in the U.S.

The only reason that the SCHIP legislation enacted last year did not include a $3 tax cap on premium cigars is that the CAA and the IPCPR came together in 2008 to agree on a cap of 40 cents.

Our major strength as an association is that we represent all segments of the cigar industry. That is also our major weakness because we cannot be all things to all segments of the industry all the time. We fight on behalf of large cigars and little cigars, premium cigars and popular-price large cigars, flavored cigars and non-flavored cigars.

But another weakness is that we don’t constantly tout our successes. Rather, we continue to work behind the scenes with limited resources in an increasingly hostile environment made worse by the severe budget problems the vast majority of states are facing – a situation which will prevail for at least two more years. We often work with the IPCPR and NATO and, whenever possible, with other tobacco interests. And when these joint efforts are successful, it can truly be said that victory has a thousand fathers.

However, your columns make it apparent the CAA will have to do a better job in the future of touting its successes.