Weekly News (June 8, 2026) | halfwheel Illinois Legislature Passes Budget Bill Containing 75-cent Cigar Tax Cap Some good news: starting Jan. 1, 2027, there’s a new cigar tax cap in Illinois, assuming the governor signs a budget bill passed by the legislature. In short, any cigar with an MSRP of $3.45 or more should see a savings. The higher the price, the more the savings. Illinois is not a
The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) is proud to announce its educational partnership with the Greek Summer Cigar Festival 2026, organized by 2K Cigars and taking place July 3–5 at the Amaronda Resort & Spa in Eretria, Greece. Set on the Aegean Sea in the historic city of Eretria, the festival will bring together premium cigar manufacturers, distributors, retailers, hospitality professionals, sommeliers, and cigar enthusiasts for three days of
The Selected Tobacco Deluxe Edition Collection Set is shipping to retailers. This limited-production offering features the full collection of Selected Tobacco by its founder, Nelson Alfonso. The collection brings together five of the company’s most recognized cigar lines in a presentation-focused format. After its official debut at the 2026 PCA (Premium Cigar Association) Trade Show in New Orleans this year, the collection sets are now shipping to retailers. The
With the 4th of July one month away, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is shipping the America250 Cigar Humidor today. This all-American cigar humidor is handcrafted in the United States by Jason LeGear of Milwaukee Humidor Co. Each humidor contains 50 The American Perfecto cigars, one for each of the 50 states. This is a new 6.25” x 50 size of J.C. Newman’s all-American cigar brand. Both the humidor and the
In 2016, La Aurora released a limited edition named Preferidos 1903 Edition Double Barrel Aged Doble Figurado that was notable because some of the tobaccos used in the blend were aged in rum barrels. However, after a little more than two years, La Aurora discontinued production of the cigar because it wasn’t happy with the tobacco it was receiving at the time. Fast forward to April of this year, when
For Father’s Day 2026, Avowed Cigars will offer its Awakening cigar in a sampler that contains the blend paired with three different wrappers. The new Avowed Awakening Rhapsody includes one each of the following: Awakening (5 1/2 x 52) — 2015 Ecuador (Hybrid) Awakening Black (5 1/2 x 52) — 2021 Ecuador (Corojo) Awakening White (5 1/2 x 52) — 2016 Ecuador (Connecticut-seed) The Black uses the wrapper that the
Viso Horny, the cigar brand from Tyler Jeffery, has announced an upcoming limited edition that will come from a different factory than the ones the brand is known to have worked with. Ligador Fantasma is a new 5 x 50 robusto. It uses corojo and candela wrapper leaves to create a barber pole look. Underneath is a habano binder and the fillers are from Nicaragua and the U.S. All of
On Wednesday, Tobacconist of Greenwich will hold Titans of Tobacco, a unique multi-vendor event featuring principals from six different family-owned cigar companies, each of which is bringing an exclusive cigar to the event. The final cigar, Arturo Fuente’s entry, has been announced as an OpusX 25 Toro, specifically, a soft-pressed 6 x 52 toro. This is neither the first OpusX 25 Toro nor the first one to go to the