halfwheel

Weekly News (June 17, 2013)

Editor’s Note: If you are reading this from a mobile platform, you are probably saying “finally.” It’s been a while, but we’ve once again found a solution for mobile users that we liked and one that we think is better than ever before. There are some minor bugs that we know about, including one that [...]

Weekly News (June 10, 2013)

Editor’s Note: We are little more than a month out from the trade show and the most shocking trend in the industry is the growing list of companies with a significantly reduced trade show release roster than year’s past. There are some additional reasons, but more and more it seems manufacturers are realizing there just [...]

Weekly News (June 3, 2013)

Editor’s Note: Over the weekend William Cooper of Cigar Coop posted a defense of big ring gauges. Cooper is a noted fan of the format, an anomaly in cigar media, as well as the industry as a whole. It was something—in my opinion—needed. So often people get caught up in their own personal biases against [...]

Weekly News (May 27, 2013)

Editor’s Note: I’ve never made these columns about my personal life. Many others do it in their blogs—most notably Jerry Cruz, who does it better than I ever could—but for me, it’s only been personal views about this industry. Over the last few months, as I transition in my personal life, I’ve been asked about [...]

Weekly News (April 8, 2013)

Editor’s Note: The following is the letter from the editors from the April newsletter, it’s worth repeating. This isn’t a warning and our policies aren’t changing. This is a plea, a plea for a bit more consideration. We pride ourselves on running a website that can present two sides to a conservation. We do not [...]

Weekly News (March 25, 2013)

Editor’s Note: Yes, for the first time since in almost three years, there was no Weekly News, three times. A combination of technical and human error combined with further misjudgment led to the absence of the Monday fixture, but alas, it’s back. Things are hectic at halfwheel, and the last time this column was published, [...]

Weekly News (February 25, 2013)

Editor’s Note: Altadis U.S.A. is ramping up. It’s noticeable, it’s aggressive and quite frankly—it’s impressive. For the better part of two years, Altadis’ main rival, General Cigar Co., has largely been on the forefront of trends in new markets, brand development and better interacting with the new market. This seems to have changed. Three years [...]

Weekly News (February 18, 2013)

Editor’s Note: The cigar industry has a disclosure problem. It’s nothing new and beginning to be a well-documented complaint as the level of knowledge amongst a minority of consumers increases. At every juncture, the cigar industry collectively seems to get away with not disclosing more than most seem logical: blend changes, tobacco origins, production sizes, [...]

Weekly News (February 11, 2013)

Editor’s Note: For the first time in a while, there’s a week full of news, relatively big news. Swisher, Nicaragua, Sam Leccia, lots of legislation; the January lull is clearly gone and things are picking up. Jalapa Battles Bacteria — Here. Swisher to Enter Premium Cigar Market — Story here. Sam Leccia Nears Return — [...]

Weekly News (February 4, 2013)

 Editor’s Note: Alas, the second edition of The Newsletter is out and finally the Weekly News. It’s going to be a busy week at halfwheel inside and outside and the cigar industry is finally getting into some strides. Of interesting notes, lots of exclusive cigars seem to be heading to the March DC Tweetup. Details [...]