DeCicco Markets, a small, six store, suburban supermarket chain in New York has joined what may become a trend that Wegmans started earlier this year. They plan to stop selling tobacco products as soon as their inventory runs out and should be tobacco free by April. I applaud you DeCicco Markets in your decision. (DeCicco Markets was one of my local supermarkets when I lived in the NYC suburbs growing up. I had friends who worked in the Chester Heights store in Bronxville when I was a teen and I shopped there often. They had great butchers and an excellent meat department. One of my best friends, Kevin, worked there and still has the nickname, "BEEF", to this day.)
Personally, as an ex-smoker, I think that tobacco products sales should be controlled more and only sold in stores that specifically sell tobacco products. I feel that smoking tobacco is an adult decision. Children and teens shouldn't be exposed to tobacco in grocery stores, pharmacies, deli's, etc. I know that I would never have started smoking when I was 13 if tobacco hadn't been easily available in vending machines and with packs piled high on the counters of deli's and candy stores. I smoked off and on half my life, I even worked for a year or two in the tobacco business as a cigar and pipe expert, and I am so glad I finally quit. I wouldn't have been able to develop the palate and ability to detect fine tastes that I have today if I still smoked. I remember a few weeks after the final time I quit when all of a sudden I was amazed at how good, and intense dinner was. My taste buds had been rejuvenated and food was like something new again.
So let's see how things shake up. Will this be the start of a supermarket trend for 2008? Are there any other chains out there around the country that are doing the same?
As someone who worked in the tobacco industry for awhile and who smoked for more than a decade before I finally quit, I personally have to applaud Wegmans. They just announced that as of February 10, 2008 they will stop selling all tobacco products. They have already stopped ordering all tobacco and are only selling the inventory that they have on hand.
This has led to many different reactions from their customers. Some are pleased and some feel that their right to make a choice has been denied them. Wegmans feels that they don't want to play a role in this area. "As a company, we respect a person's right to smoke, but we also understand the destructive role smoking plays in health," said Danny Wegman, CEO. Wegmans has already been charging up to 50% more for cigarettes than other stores, primarily since they do not accept promos or advertising from the tobacco companies in their stores. Wegmans operates 71 stores: 49 in New York State, 12 in Pennsylvania, 7 in New Jersey, 2 in Virginia and one in Maryland. Wegmans has $4.1 billion in sales in 2006 and employs over 36,000 people.
Not long ago I wrote about Perique Liqueur de Tabac, a new liqueur that was just released. It is a very rare liqueur with only extremely limited quantities available. As of now you can only get it from the distributors in the UK by mail order. Jade Liqueurs creates and distributes only small amounts of very fine, small batch, hand made liqueurs and spirits; so don't expect it to become more available in the future. A 500ml bottle costs £22, this comes to approximately US$45, but with shipping and handling the total is closer to US$95. I was lucky enough to receive a bottle as a gift not long ago, and I was thrilled to crack it open and try it.
Perique Liqueur de Tabac is a 31% abv. / 62 proof liqueur made for Jade Liqueurs by Distillerie Combier in France from Eau de vie de vin, distillation of Perique tobacco, and is sweetened with sugar. It has no other ingredients and is one of the most unusual, and lovely tasting liqueurs I have had the pleasure to experience. It is elegant, refined, but with a masculine touch.
Perique Liqueur de Tabac, 31% abv / 62 proof for MSR £22.00. The press release says "Following many months of development, Jade Liqueurs finally releases its much anticipated tobacco liqueur, Perique... The unique terroir of the Mississippi River gives Perique the intense spices and aromas that contribute to the delicate balance of this fine liqueur. Perique (liqueur) is entirely artisanal in its construction, and captures the nuances of this ancient tobacco. Perique is best enjoyed in the same manner as one would a fine liqueur or brandy. Due to the difficulty in procuring this rare tobacco, Perique liqueur is available only in limited quantity."
I am very curious about this liqueur, first because it's a unique liqueur, and you know how I love those, and secondly because it's made with Perique tobacco.
Observant pedestrians in the environs of 74th Street and 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, soon notice a common pattern. Abstract red splotches pepper the pavement. They tell the tale of paan chewing and the copious scarlet saliva it generates. The thousand-year-old tradition is alive and well in this bustling neighborhood of sari shops, Bengali kebab houses, greengrocers, paratha factories, and what seems like a blocklong store specializing in ornate Indian bridal jewelry.
Aphrodisiac, blood purifier, breath-freshener, digestive, stimulant ? yes the triangular betel-leaf wrapped bundle that is paan has it all, including the ability to stain your teeth red after years of habitual usage. Paan boasts a rich ceremonial history. Early Sanskrit texts mention its consumption as one of the enjoyments of royal life, which also include incenses, women, clothes, music, bed and food.
After seeing the huge response we had from all of you readers about McDonald's new premium coffee, it is no
surprise that others were curious about it as well as us here at Slashfood. USA Today decided to hold a taste test, pitting four widely
available coffees against each other. Included in the test were the new premium blends from Burger King and McDonald's,
as well as favorites from 7-11, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. Dunkin Donuts is the least available variety of coffee, as
there are very few store locations on the west coast, but the test was held in Manhattan where there appear to be plenty
of all of the above coffee-shop types.
According to the USA Today survey, as of the time I am writing
this, Starbucks was still the most popular based on readers' opinion. And they must have good taste, since Starbucks
also won the taste test. Out of possible scores of "5 slurps," Starbucks ranked at 4 1/2, while McDonald's
followed with 3 1/2 , Burger King with 2 1/2 and Dunkin Donuts and 7-11 with 2 slurps each. While Starbucks was
also the most expensive drink in the test, the "dead-serious brew with an intense bitter chocolate aroma, a silky
texture and a complex, fruity, almost wine-like flavor" made it worth it to the tasters. The other stores' coffees
had flavors that ranged from "watery" to having "tobacco notes."
DeCicco Markets, a small, six store, suburban supermarket chain in New York has joined what may become a trend that Wegmans started earlier this year. They plan to stop selling tobacco products as soon as their inventory runs out and should be tobacco free by April. I applaud you DeCicco Markets in your decision. (DeCicco Markets was one of my local supermarkets when I lived in the NYC suburbs growing up. I had friends who worked in the Chester Heights store in Bronxville when I was a teen and I shopped there often. They had great butchers and an excellent meat department. One of my best friends, Kevin, worked there and still has the nickname, "BEEF", to this day.) 
As someone who worked in the tobacco industry for awhile and who smoked for more than a decade before I finally quit, I personally have to applaud Wegmans. They
Not long ago I wrote about 
The 
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
