More on Premium Cigars and Tariffs

The latest PCA Newsletter includes an article that begins, "To understand the evolution of premium cigar tariffs across the main exporters of cigars to the United States, the U.S. trade policy framework shifted through four distinct legal and administrative phases". The article only covers premium cigar tariffs from 2025, with an obvious focus on premium cigar producing nations. We thought you might be interested in a bit more context, so conducted additional online research. Here is some of what we found.

Federal Reserve branches have extensively researched tariffs and their economic impact. These reports, however, tend to be historical and statistic heavy. We decided not to include them. There does not seem to be much available economic data with a focus on premium cigars - imagine that. We did find several articles examining the history of tariffs in the United States.

As part of their Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on tariffs (11 June 2025), several historians prepared this handout. Very informative, but not much about premium cigars specifically. There is a good article from Forbes (25 June 2025) offering a brief timeline. The article also highlights key issues and terms. It is where we learned that premium cigars are considered consumption imports - final products that are imported and consumed by Americans.

The premium cigar manufacturers and distributors that we deal with have been doing their best to absorb associated cost increases. We have also been doing what we can to provide you with affordable premium cigars. Expect more news about tariffs and inflation and price increases! Please know that we are doing our best to maintain the level of value and quality that our customers have come to expect.

As always, we appreciate your support. Stay informed, and stay smoky!