Published by David P. Diaz on January 20, 2009

BACKGROUND: As serious cigar smokers, we want more information about the cigars we enjoy. The wine industry has excelled in providing information to its customers, both on their wine labels and on their websites, which has helped consumers become more educated and more motivated about their hobby.

PETITION: We the undersigned, are asking cigar manufacturers to follow the wine industry's lead, where appropriate, and provide cigar smokers, hobbyists, and collectors with more detailed information so we can better understand and appreciate premium cigars. We are asking all cigar manufacturers to adhere to the following standards for Cigar Information and Website Information.* And, we intend to reward those manufacturers that adhere to these standards by giving their products special preference when we purchase cigars.

SPECIFIC REQUESTS: NOTE: Some of the following information is already given by many manufacturers. What we are hoping is that there will be more consistent and standardized information provided by manufacturers in the future.

Cigar Information: What we'd like to know about the cigars

• List all the tobacco types (varietals) used in the blend (e.g., Piloto Cubano, Cameroon, Corojo, etc.)
• Include the placement of leaves on the tobacco plant when listing tobacco types (i.e., ligero, viso, seco, etc.)
• Provide the Nation of origin and the Region of each of the tobaccos used in the blend
• Provide the harvest date for predominant tobaccos in the blend (especially wrapper)
• Provide the box date (i.e., the date that the finished cigars were packaged in their boxes)
• Update this information when the blend changes or uses tobacco from different harvest years

Web site Information: What we'd like to see on your website

• Provide the Cigar Information (listed above) about ALL the premium cigars you manufacture (under your own brands) on your company website.
• Provide the Cigar Information (listed above) about your new cigars on your web site by the time they are shipping
• Also include information about the climate and weather patterns (where available and appropriate) and how those have affected the crops for that year.

* These standards are only intended for premium and super premium cigars, that typically come packaged in traditional boxes.