Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/699960
20 tobaccoasia PRODUCT NEWS 产品新闻 US Artisanal Cigarette Brand Tax stamps on packs Hestia is boxed in a bright- orange package with a Lichtenstein-like design on the front and one of a dozen literary quotes from the likes of Hemingway and O'Hara on the back. (Technically, these cigarettes are actually cigars, since the company refuses to use the all-white fire-retardant papers required to be branded a cigarette.) The ideal Hestia customer is the smoker with discerning tastes, the type who prefers a small-batch whiskey made in Brooklyn to a Bud Light or a handcrafted Etsy phone case to a Chinese-made hunk of plastic. "I'm targeting people who already enjoy tobacco and are looking for a purer alternative," explains product creator David Sley. Hestia products (named for the Greek goddess of the hearth) are made from 100% additive-free all-natural tobacco. His goal, he added, is simply to do for tobacco what small-batch producers of whiskeys and heirloom tomatoes were doing around the country. Sley says pack-a-day smokers find his brand "too strong" and aren't really his market, but those who "just smoke when they drink" are a key demo. Despite their affordability — two packs sell for $10 online — Sley compares his cigarettes to a craft liquor, insisting that he wants to "identify with a higher end market" than the competition. (www.hestiatobacco.com) Tropical Cigar – Best New Product The fresh style and distinctive packaging of Cheyenne Cigars' first limited edition style, Tropical 100s, has earned the product the 2016 Best New Tobacco Product title at the 2016 Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE). Each year a panel of industry buyers judge four categories of new "best" products at TPE: new tobacco product, new non-tobacco product, new vapor product, and new tobacco accesssory. The winners are selected for innovation, unique- ness, and overall product excitement. Cheyenne Limited Edition Tropical Cigar was in the running against a handful of other notable candidates but ultimately came out on top. "Receiving this prestigious accolade is so exciting," said Cheyenne international marketing director, Jessica Fratarcan- gelo. "Cheyenne Cigars have been revolutionizing the cigar category for more than a decade and we are thrilled to add the 'Best New Product' title to our portfolio." Tropical is a tangy, citrus-infused cigar that delivers the exceptional taste, quality, and profit that is expected from the brand. Each cyan-colored 100's pack houses 20 filtered cigars. "The idea of putting this decision in our fans' hands may seem avant-garde," said Fratarcangelo. "But Cheyenne likes to think that the customer always knows best." www.cheyennecigars.com Hestia natural "cigs" Senegal Tax Stamps Showcased Speaking at the World Customs Organization IT Conference and Exhibition in Dakar, Senegal, the Interna- tional Tax Stamp Associa- tion's (ITSA)'s Christine Macqueen described how tax stamps offer a highly secure, standardized, and cost-effec- tive solution to combat the illicit trade in tobacco and other goods. The conference held on June 1-3 provided a platform for bringing together key partners from customs administrations, relevant agencies and ministries, regional economic communities, private sector, international organiza- tions, development partners, and academia. "The event comes as a timely reminder that authorities must ramp-up their investment in added value security solutions if counterfeiting and the trade in illicit goods across the EU, Asia, and in North America, among other global hotspots, is to be checked, let alone stopped," said Macqueen. Over 250 revenue agencies (national and state govern- ments) globally use tax stamps to collect valuable tax duties and excise payments, involving the worldwide production of some 140 billion stamps annually. As well as providing visible proof of tax payment and revenue collection, tax stamps have also taken on product authentication and anti-tampering applications. Australia 'Ugliest Color" for Packs According to an Australian survey, the excrement brown color (Pantone 448C, or "Opaque Couché") is the ugliest color in existence and is to be used on cigarette packs. The agency GfK asked a thousand smokers which color they found most visually offensive, with a view to covering cigarette packets with it, and Pantone 448C came out top. Respondents associated the color with "dirty", "death", and "tar". To deter smoking, Australian officials required Opaque Couché to be the main color on cigarette packages and now the UK is following suit. Apparently, Australian officials first referred to the color as "olive green" but the Australian Olive Association was none-too-pleased. Pantone itself is grumpy about the choice of Opaque Couché. "At the Pantone Color Institute, we consider all colors equally," Pantone's executive director Leatrice Eiseman told The Guardian. "There's no such thing as the ugliest color." Rather, 448C was associated with "deep, rich earth tones", popular on sofas and shoes and other things that might be found in a house. Australia Ugliest Color