"tobacco" news and stories

I think it's so strange that a tobacco company is making a supposedly breath freshening bottled water. That's what a Japanese firm is doing, though.

According to Trends in Japan, Japan Tobacco has come up with this product, which is geared for men (it actually has "for men" printed on the labeling). I guess all the cigarette smoking is causing a nation-wide masculine bad breath crisis. Hmm, I guess Japan Tobacco wants to be the solution as well as the problem.

I guess this situation is not so strange after all. Do know of any other companies with problem/solution products?

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?

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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.

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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.

The Liquor Snob just brought to my attention that there is a new tobacco based liqueur called Perique Liqueur de Tabac .

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.