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Spring, 2007


TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRY PROMOTIONS

Gurkha Black Dragon Debuts as World's #1 Superpremium Cigar

Hansotia has introduced Black Dragon Edicion Especial, priced astronomically at $115,000 per box of 100 cigars. In addition to being very expensive, they are also extremely limited; Hansotia is only offering 5 boxes with no additional production planned. Black Dragon is hand rolled by the Gurkha factory in Honduras, using African Cameroon, Dominican, and Connecticut tobaccos. They are extra-aged for 12-15 years, for extra smoothness. The richly powerful flavor of these 7-1/2" x 52 dark maduro cigars includes subtle and exquisite spicy notes. According to Hansotia, the presentation box is hand crafted in India from carved camel bone, which takes on a distressed patina with its 80-year age. Solid brass furniture is the final touch of elegance.

While Black Dragon may be too rare and expensive to serve as an "every-day" smoke, Gurkha's are available with a starting MSRP of $12.95

Beach Cigar Group, Miami, Fla., Tel: (305) 593- 2254, Web: www.gurkhacigars.com, E-mail: info@gurkhacigars.com.

Philip Morris Set to Introduce Marlboro Smooth

Tobacco industry analyst Bonnie Herzog of Citigroup, said in a note to investors that industry sources have told her that Philip Morris plans to introduce Marlboro Smooth, which aims to compete with Newport. She added that she anticipates the new brand will be sold at a lower introductory price for the first few months, and "then be aggressively discounted like Marlboro Menthol." The new brand could hit store shelves by February, she wrote.
Gurkha Legend Debuts New Beauty

Beach Cigar Group has added to its Gurkha Legend series with Beauty, the third cigar in the line joining last year's Beast and the original Titan. Beauty measures 61/2x 58 and features five-year-old Dominican filler and binder. Unlike the maduro-wrapped Beast, the new beauty features a seven-year-old tawny-gold Ecuadoran-grown Connecticut shade wrapper. The cigar is described as medium-bodied.

Beauty features an opulent presentation. The partially cedar-sheathed cigars are double-banded with the Gurkha Legend ring and a second Beauty ring, encased in frosted glass tubes sealed with orange caps, and presented vertically in a 25-count boxes with engraved brass plaques inside and out.

Suggested retail price is $770 per box ($30.80 per cigar), and are available in limited numbers: only 500 boxes will be released each year.

Beach Cigar Group; Miami, Fla.,; tel: (305) 593-2254 www.gurkhacigars.com.

Davidoff Primeros-Launch of new Davidoff series

The Davidoff Primeros represent a completely new generation of Davidoff cigars that showcase elements of their classic roots. Although the Petit Panetela format is shorter and has a smaller ring gauge than the classic Panetela format-as with the popular Davidoff No. 2-both cigars stand out with their identical tobacco composition in the filler blend and their fine, aromatic, full-bodied taste. A special feature for the Primeros (in contrast to the No. 2) is the tobacco used for the filler of the Primeros: they contain a blend of high-quality, short tobacco leaf pieces from the No. 2 filler which-hand-rolled by experienced torcedores, of course-ensure a perfect and very even draw despite the small, 34 ring gauge. The homeland of these short but elegant cigars is the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic. In Switzerland, the mild and aromatic cigars will be available in elegant tins of six from authorized tobacco dealers as from May 2007, granting access to Davidoff's world of pleasure for as little as CHF 4.80 per cigar.

Davidoff; Maria de Horna; tel: +41 61 279 36 77; fax: +41 61 279 36 01; e-mail: maria.dehorna@davidoff.ch; www.davidoff.com; www.avo.com.




Distribution International - Spring, 2007
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