Miami, FL, September 08, 2010 — Teka Puro of Istanbul Tobacco has signed a multi-year agreement with Rafael Nodal of Oliveros Cigars to provide consulting services and serve as the exclusive international representative for all Teka products. Teka Puro is the only manufacturer of Tobacco Products in Turkey and originally was a joint venture between the government of Cuba and the government of Turkey. Teka Puro used to produce Fonseca Cigarillos and other Cuban brands using tobacco from Cuba. Teka Puro was created in response to the growing market for cigars in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe and was a project conceived by Cuban President Fidel Castro, who attended the opening of the factory. As a part of the privatization process of Turkish Tobacco monopoly, TEKA Puro was privatized a couple of years ago and it was sold to Azmi Erdogan and tobacco veteran A. Kemal Turk, whom also owns Che Cigar store in Istanbul. During the last few years Teka Puro has been producing mass-market cigars and now, as part of this cooperative agreement, Teka will also produce premium hand made cigars. Teka currently produces CHE cigars, cigarillos and flavored cigarillos and recently introduced Punta Cana, a line of rustic moist cigars.Rafael Nodal is the president and co-founder of Oliveros Cigars, a boutique brand of premium cigars that is sold in the United States of America, Russia and other international markets. Rafael Nodal and his wife Dr. Alina Nodal, a practicing psychiatrist, come from a veteran cigar family from Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Mr. Nodal will serve as Senior Advisor to Teka Puro in the areas of production, product development, general operations, packaging and marketing and will be the exclusive international representative of all Teka tobacco products. Under the terms of the agreement, Plasencia Cigars will be the premier provider of tobacco for Teka Puro. Located in Honduras and Nicaragua, Plasencia Cigars is one of the largest growers of Habano tobacco leaves in the world and manufacturer of Premium Cigars. Plasencia Cigars is headed by Nestor Plasencia, a renown Cuban grower and his son, Nestor Andres Plasencia. Plasencia Cigars is partly owned by Swedish Match, which also owns in the USA, Cigars International and General Cigar, together with the rights to Cuban Cigar Brands in the USA like Cohiba, Bolivar, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Gloria Cubana, Partagas and Punch as well as interest in other tobacco companies like Arnold Andre in Europe.“With the help of Mr. Nodal and the premium tobacco of Plasencia cigars, our company is getting ready for the international market as we improve our product lineup,” said Mr. Erdogan, the shareholder of Teka Puro. “For Alina and me it is a great opportunity to work with such a wonderful group of individuals that are dedicated to produce the best possible cigars at the best possible prices,” said Rafael Nodal. “With our perfect strategic location, the experience of Rafael Nodal and the Tobacco of Plasencia Cigars, we are ready to play an important part in the national, regional and International tobacco market,” said Meltem Cebi from Teka Puro.

For information about Teka Puro of Istanbul Tobacco please contact

Meltem Cebi

meltem.cebi@tekapuro.com

www.TekaPuro.com

PH: 0 216 442 8975

For information about the cooperation agreement or about Oliveros Cigars please contact:

Hank Bischoff, Vice President

Habana Cuba Oliveros

CigarsHank@OliverosCigars.com

www.Oliveroscigars.com

Ph: (305) 557- 6919

Check out this little blurb courtesy of NATO in regards to cigarillos….

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New York Legislature Changes the Definition of Little Cigars

In June, the New York State legislature passed a budget bill that raised the state cigarette tax and the other
tobacco products tax while also taxing little cigars as cigarettes at $4.35 per pack. This month, the New York
State legislature also made another change to the definition of what constituents a little cigar. The new
definition reads: “Little Cigar: Any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco if such product is
wrapped in any substance containing tobacco, other than natural leaf tobacco wrapper, and weighing not
more than four pounds per thousand or with a cellulose acetate or other integrated filter.” The underlined
wording is the new phrase added to the definition of a little cigar.

Let me just say I’ve had the pleasure of smoking quite a few of the Gran Coronas and Gran Toros with Guillermo himself and they are EXQUISITE.  While I prefer the Gran Corona, this cigar no matter what your preference is a winner and a test to the brilliance of La Aurora.  Virtually every new cigar that is debuting at IPCPR right now I’ve had prior to the show and for me the Guillermo León Gran Corona is the best new smoke of 2010.

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La Aurora debuts new Guillermo León line

Also adds new La Aurora Corojo line for retailers

MIAMI FL – Miami Cigar & Company, the exclusive U-S distributor for La Aurora, announces two new additions to the La Aurora lines.  The first is the new Guillermo León line which brings a complex and medium-to-full bodied experience into the La Aurora marque.

La Aurora vice president Guillermo León says, “Obviously, this cigar is personal for me.  It is part of my family’s legacy for the past 107 years. In this cigar, I wanted something with deep complexity yet also a stronger smoke than most of our offerings.  I think this is something that will please today’s smokers.”  Miami Cigar & Company president Nestor Miranda adds, “With the additions of the La Aurora Corojo and the Guillermo León to the La Aurora 107, which debuted earlier this year, we now have more lines directed specifically to the Brick and Mortar stores.  Our goal is to remain committed to the retail operations that are our lifeblood.”

The Guillermo León sports a Habana wrapper grown in Ecuador, over a double binder of both Corojo for strength and Cameroon for sweetness.  The fillers are from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Nicaragua and Brazil.  The Guillermo León will be offered in 4 sizes:  a Corona (5.5 x 42), a Gran Corona (6 x 47), a Belicoso (6.25 x 52) and a Gran Toro (6 x 58).  The MSRP, excluding state taxes,  ranges from $7.60 for the corona to $9.80 for the Gran Toro.

La Aurora Corojo is another new line addition, specifically for Brick and Mortar stores.  The new line will have the same basic flavor profile as our regular La Aurora, except with a touch more strength due to its Corojo wrapper. The rest of the blend is the same as the regular La Aurora with a Dominican binder and Piloto Cubano, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.  Initially there will be 5 sizes – Number 4 (5.25 x 43), Robusto (5 x 50), Belicoso (6.25 x 52), Gran Corona (6.5 x 50) and Double Corona (7.5 x 50).  The suggested retail prices, exclusive of state taxes, will range from $5.60 for the Number 4 to $6.80 for the Belicoso or Double Corona.

About Miami Cigar & Company
Miami Cigar & Company, founded in 1989, is the sole U-S distributor of La Aurora brands, Ducados and worldwide distributor of Tatiana, Don Lino and the Nestor Miranda Special Selection.

Like winemakers’ terroir – with its critical contribution to the unique personality of a wine, the precise region and farm where tobacco is grown will ultimately determine the style and character of a premium cigar.

Toraño Family Cigar Company is introducing the first release in its Single Region Series at this August’s IPCPR 2010. The concept highlights the different characteristics of tobaccos grown on individual farms in various regions in the world’s best tobacco-producing countries. Each Serie will feature a blend that is created entirely from tobaccos grown on one carefully selected finca in one particular region. The blend’s flavor and aroma will reflect the influence of the region’s soil, weather and topography. The Toraños then apply their well-known blending artistry to create an in-depth smoking experience that reveals the character of this historic region’s tobacco.

Bruce M. Lewis, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, explains the birth of the concept: “I have always had an interest in the single region concept and how crucial it is to wine and coffee. In early 2008, I suggested to President Charlie Toraño that we experiment with blends of tobacco from only one farm. We soon realized blending such a cigar was not an easy task. Now, however, I know we have truly captured the characteristics and taste profile of tobacco grown in Jalapa.”

The first release, Serie Jalapa, features a blend of tobacco from the El Estero Farm in Jalapa, Nicaragua. This small farm, located in the country’s northernmost growing province, is irrigated by a centuries-old, natural stream on the property. Its mineral-rich water, together with the sandy, red clay soil, enables this farm to grow some of the finest and most aromatic tobacco in the world. Lewis’ tasting notes indicate Serie Jalapa is, “Incredibly rich, complex, layered and with a great presence of sweetness. The blend exhibits good strength that balances well with the rounded, luscious flavor.”

Charlie Toraño adds, “I am inviting all IPCPR attendees to stop by our pavilion (booths 2501, 2503, 2505, 2600, 2602, 2604) to experience the Serie Jalapa, available exclusively to brick-and-mortar retailers.”

Single Region – Serie Jalapa’s three sizes are: 5″ x 52 Robusto, 6″ x 54 Toro Grande and 7″ x 50 Churchill, with a suggested retail of $6.50-6.95. The cigars will appear on tobacco retailers’ shelves immediately after the August show, alongside the company’s equally revolutionary new blend, Master by Carlos Toraño.

A leader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four-generation company. It enjoys a rich heritage and history in tobacco growing and manufacturing.

MIAMI, July 19 /PRNewswire/ — Camacho Cigars, a key player in the international cigar market, and Bayer CropScience, the world’s leader in crop science and crop protection, have signed a working partnership under the Bayer Food Chain Management program. With this new alliance, Camacho Cigars has become the only tobacco company in history to be in compliance with strict international standards for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). By complying with the practices set forth by Bayer CropScience, Camacho Cigars ensures the responsible management of natural resources, bio-friendly pesticides, industrial safety, and biosecurity. The Food Chain Partnership is the first of many steps in Camacho’s plan for a higher level of social responsibility and it’s furtherance in manufacturing the highest quality cigars in the world.

On June 29, 2010, Camacho Cigars and a team of Bayer executives welcomed select members of international media to visit their tobacco fields at Rancho Jamastran and cigar factory in Danli, Honduras. Following the daylong tour of Camacho’s operations, a press conference was held at Las Lomas where the partnership was officially signed. “It’s an amazing feeling being the world’s first tobacco company to have partnered with Bayer CropScience. After five years of adopting Bayer’s standards for good agricultural and manufacturing practices, the official signing of this collaborative makes all of us very proud. It’s incredible to see the practices that have been implemented so far and the effects it’s had on the culture and day-to-day lives of the people that work for us in Honduras,” said Christian Eiroa, President and CEO of Camacho Cigars.

As the newest member under the Bayer Food Chain Management program, Camacho Cigars joins the likes of companies such as Heinz, Nestle, and KRAFT; all of which, comply with the same standards.

About Camacho Cigars

Founded in 1961 by Simon Camacho, Camacho Cigars was acquired by the Eiroa family in 1995. Now part of the Oettinger Davidoff Group, Camacho Cigars is one of the key players in the international cigar market. The flagship Camacho brand, made at Rancho Jamastran in Danli, Honduras, is comprised of (11) premium and super-premium line extensions: (Super-Premium: Diploma, 10th Anniversary Corojo, Liberty Series, Triple Maduro™, Select)(Premium: Corojo, Connecticut, Coyolar, Havana, SLR and Room101). Camacho Cigars also has (7) core brands, including Baccarat “The Game”, America’s #1 selling premium cigar. www.camachocigars.com

About Bayer CropScience: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 6.4 billion (2008), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of more than 18,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries. http://www.bayercropscience.com

The July 7th issue of the NATO E-News Bulletin reported that two New York City tobacco retailers and two New
York state trade associations along with Lorillard Tobacco Company, Philip Morris USA Inc. and R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company filed a federal lawsuit in June against the New York City Board of Health seeking a
preliminary injunction against enforcement of the resolution requiring tobacco retailers to display graphic anti-smoking signs. A hearing is set on this case for October 14, 2010 in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

This pending lawsuit has caused Massachusetts state legislators to postpone further action on a pending bill that
would require similar graphic anti-smoking signs in retail stores across the State of Massachusetts until after the
October hearing on the New York City sign requirement is held and a decision is issued by the federal judge.

Press Release from the Toraño Family, 15 July 2010:

The Toraño Family, makers of some of the finest cigars in the world, is proud to announce that effective August 1st the family will distribute its own brands. To add to this exciting news, Toraño launches a new company name, a new logo and two retail exclusive cigar brands.

The company name is changing from Toraño Cigars to Toraño Family Cigar Company to truly capture the family legacy and emphasize that this is a family-owned company. The taking over of its distribution is the result of the family’s decision to enhance its personal relationships with the trade and consumers.

“We are energized and excited to be announcing these positive changes,” said Charlie Toraño, the company’s president.

The new logo, which combines a contemporary, yet classic look, is symbolic of the company’s new direction, one which will focus on the introduction of innovative cigar brands, unique blends and building a strong Toraño Family Cigar community.

“We recognize the value of building communication,” Charlie said. “There’s no better way to reach cigar smokers and the trade than through social media, the Internet, the use of viral campaigns and the personal touch and interactions at cigar events that only the family can provide.”

The IPCPR in New Orleans will be the platform for the unveiling of Master by Carlos Toraño and Single Region, two retail exclusive brands. The company is also offering a value priced bundle cigar named Brigade.

“I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming annual trade show and personally showing all of the changes which are taking place,” Charlie said.

A leader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four-generation company currently based in Miami, Florida. It enjoys a rich heritage and history in tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing.

For media inquires and interviews, please contact Bruce M. Lewis at: info@torano.com or via phone at: 305.661.9121.

Summary of FDA Webinar

Yesterday, Dr. Lawrence Deyton, the head of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, was the presenter in a
webinar that reviewed the first year of FDA tobacco regulations and highlighted some of the upcoming
regulations. The FDA had audio problems with the webinar and apparently limited the number of on-line
participants to the first 100 individuals. Accompanying this NATO E-News Bulletin is a set of the
PowerPoint slides that were shown during the webinar. The topics highlighted during the webinar included
the following:

• The FDA’s goals of preventing underage youth tobacco use and reducing adult use rates.

• The decline and now leveling off of adult and underage smoking rates over the past twenty years.

• The ban on the sale of flavored cigarettes.

• The ban on the use of descriptors including “mild”, “light”, or “low” on packages and in advertising

of cigarettes, RYO tobacco and smokeless tobacco.

• The rules regarding the sale of cigarettes, RYO tobacco and smokeless tobacco such as self-service

display restrictions, promotional item bans, etc.

• The upcoming requirement that graphic warning labels be placed on the top 50% of the front and

back of all cigarette packages by October, 2012.

The FDA does plan to hold additional webinars in the future and NATO will advise its members when they
will be held and how to participate.

FDA Stakeholder Discussion Series

The FDA will be holding a series of public meetings with health groups, tobacco control advocates and
tobacco industry organizations called Stakeholder Discussions. In advance of these meetings, the FDA is
interviewing a cross section of these various groups to determine how the meetings should be designed and
what topics should be discussed. NATO President Andrew Kerstein and NATO Executive Director Tom
Briant are being interviewed today to provide input for these public Stakeholder Discussion meetings. These
NATO representatives will reiterate the need for the FDA to consider an advisory group comprised of Center
for Tobacco Products staff, tobacco manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and trade association
representatives to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and expertise to develop reasonable and effective
regulations so that they can be implemented in a practical and workable manner.

State Tobacco Legislative Update

New York: Last week, the New York state legislature passed and Governor Paterson signed into law an
increase in the state cigarette tax rate from $2.75 per pack to $4.35 per pack, an increase in the tax on cigars,
pipe tobacco, RYO tobacco and chewing tobacco from 46% to 75% of the wholesale price, a change to tax
little cigars as cigarettes, and an increase in the tax on moist snuff from $.96 per ounce to $2.00 per ounce.
The cigarette tax takes effect on July 1, 2010 and there is a floor stocks tax on cigarettes. The tax increases
on all of the other tobacco products begins August 1, 2010 and there is no floor stocks tax on OTP products.

Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania legislature and governor agreed on a budget solution this week that does
not include any increase in the state cigarette or tobacco tax rates.
Support the

This article is from today’s New York Times and was written by Nathaniel Brooks.

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ALBANY — New Yorkers who like to smoke will have to dig a little deeper to light up next month, after the Legislature passed a bill on Monday that will give the state the highest cigarette taxes in the country.

The new law, part of an emergency budget measure to keep the government running, adds another $1.60 in state taxes to every cigarette pack sold starting on July 1, pushing the average price of a pack to about $9.20.

The average price in New York City, which imposes its own cigarette taxes, will be even higher, nearly $11 a pack.

Those who prefer other tobacco products will also be forced to pay significantly more.

The tax on smokeless tobacco will more than double, to $2 an ounce from 96 cents an ounce, starting on Aug. 1. And the wholesale tax on cigars, dips and other kinds of tobacco will rise to 75 percent from 46 percent .

And in what may be the legislation’s most controversial provisions, starting on Sept. 1, the state will begin collecting — or try to collect — taxes on cigarettes sold on Indian reservations to off-reservation visitors, an issue that led to violent protests during the early 1990s.

One Indian chief has said that trying to collect taxes would be considered an act of war.

Gov. David A. Paterson had proposed a smaller increase of $1 a pack in his executive budget proposal, saying it would forestall deeper cuts to state health care spending. But with the state budget now nearly three months overdue, Mr. Paterson and leaders of the Legislature agreed to insert the revised proposal into a pair of emergency bills to finance a week’s worth of government operations, putting pressure on lawmakers to support or risk a government shutdown.

The taxes will provide $440 million in revenue for health care programs, including subsidies for AIDS drugs, money for tobacco cessation programs and $71.6 million for the state cancer research center in Buffalo.

In the Senate, where Republicans and many rank-and-file Democrats had opposed the tax increase, the bill including the higher taxes passed narrowly along party lines, with all 32 Democrats voting yes and all 29 Republicans present voting no.

As for the other emergency bill, which included only appropriations, one Republican, Roy J. McDonald, joined the Democrats in voting yes.

The two bills also passed with only a few votes to spare in the Assembly, where Republicans assailed their Democratic colleagues.

“You’ve never met a tax you didn’t like,” Assemblyman Jim Hayes, a Republican from the Buffalo area, said to Democrats. “The governor proposed a buck. You hiked it to a buck-sixty!”

But Democrats said that the bill would provide needed revenue and begin closing a legal loophole that let New Yorkers buy cigarettes tax-free on reservations, undercutting other retailers.

“Because of the step we took in the Senate today, New York State will now have the added muscle it needs to collect this vital source of tax revenue in full and on time,” said Jeffrey D. Klein, a Democrat from Westchester County and the Bronx who had pushed separate legislation enabling the collection of cigarette taxes from reservations.

Higher cigarette taxes have been hailed by health advocates who say they will persuade many smokers to give up their habit. But critics, including tobacco retailers, said they would drive more customers to the black market.

It was the 12th emergency bill approved since the state’s fiscal year began on April 1. Mr. Paterson has pledged that if the Legislature fails to reach a budget agreement by next Monday, when the next emergency bill is due, he will insert the remainder of his budget proposal into that legislation.

The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, told reporters that he remained confident that budget negotiations were progressing. “I think they’re going well — maybe a little slower than I anticipated last week, but I think they’re going well,” he said.

Reflecting the secrecy of the negotiations between Mr. Paterson and the Democratic majorities in the Senate and Assembly, Republican senators repeatedly pressed Democrats during a floor debate to explain how they would make up the rest of the gap — roughly $3.65 billion, according to Senate Democrats. They also accused Democrats of negotiating the budget piecemeal to hide the true cost of their budget priorities and lay the groundwork to claim that only new borrowing or higher income taxes could bring the budget into balance.

“I just don’t see how this process is going to result in anything other than taxes and fees and borrowing,” said John A. DeFrancisco, the Senate Finance Committee’s ranking Republican member. “This is not a way to run state government.”

The Senate also appeared poised on Monday night to approve a series of other budget bills introduced by Mr. Paterson last week and approved by the Assembly on Friday. Those bills involve spending for the criminal justice system, general government operations, the Transportation Department and state economic development efforts.

Officials said those bills closed about $1 billion worth of the state’s budget gap of more than $9 billion for this year, achieved through a mix of cuts, new revenue and consolidations.

One of the largest cuts would result in New York City’s losing its entire allotment of direct state aid, about $302 million. The bills would also close two upstate prisons, while the State Police would delay, for the second year in a row, training a new class of recruits.

The bills also include what are known as “sweeps,” where lawmakers in effect take money out of accounts that aren’t technically part of the state’s budget. For example, the legislation will transfer $65 million from the New York Power Authority into the state’s general fund.