The Certified Consumer Tobacconist Evolution

Any tobacconist worth their salt can tell you about innumerable atrocities committed by ignorant consumers: these include lighting cigars backwards, lighting the cedar sleeve (sometimes including the silk ribbon at the foot), using a torch lighter on a briar pipe, complaining about stems in premium cigar filler, licking an entire cigar then using a shop cutter, sticking a cigar in their nose then returning it to a display box, and many many more!

Furthermore, few people truly understand what priming is, the importance of air curing, the magic of fermentation, the extraordinary skill it takes to blend and roll a cigar, much less the thousands of artisanal steps between seed and ash.   

But the real shame is the lack of activism and pro-activity of luxury cigar and pipe smokers.  After all, luxury tobacco can be a selfish pursuit, in that we enjoy it solely for ourselves.  It can be easy to forget that our beloved products, lifestyle and freedoms are constantly being demonized and  eroded by over-regulation and over-taxation.  No other profession suffers more punishment and threats from local, state, and federal governments.  And of course countless "health" groups, with hundreds of millions of dollars in their budgets, drive their mission to erase us from existence.  

Ultimately, the only way to combat these forces is through education and activism.  That activism can be as simple as sharing your passions with those who don't know any better, educating your peers, and of course supporting Cigar Rights of America so they can provide a political voice in Washington DC and at the state and local level.  

If you really love these products, then you must take a stand and be proactive.  Any loud mouth can pontificate about what they think they know, but only a Tobacconist University (TU) Certified Tobacconist has proven their fundamental knowledge.  The new TU Certified Consumer Tobacconist (CCT) degree is a historic and revolutionary way to prove your knowledge and join the fight for our freedoms at the same time.  The new CCT program can be purchased in the GET CERTIFIED section of the TU website for $100 and comes with a free one year membership to Cigar Rights of America (CRA).  If you are smart enough to pass the test, you will be a Certified Consumer Tobacconist and a member of the CRA.  There is no better representative of this industry than a CCT/CRA member and we encourage you to join our ranks and help us preserve luxury tobacco for generations to come!

THE CCT PROCESS

1. Accept The Consumer Code of Ethics & Standards & Apply for Apprenticeship

- After your $100 payment your apprentice listing will appear on the TU website and the CRA will initiate your annual membership

2. Study the TU Academic Curriculum at your own pace

3. Take the Final Exam* on the TU website

- if you pass you will be awarded your CCT degree and your website listing will be certified

- if you fail, you will be removed from the TU website, but your CRA membership will continue

* The TU Final Exam for CCT is 50 questions, multiple-choice and True/False.  It is the same length and difficulty as the original professional test for certified tobacconists which was used from 1996-2005.

The FDA & Cigars

Here is a letter written to the FDA by several members of Congress.  In it, our representatives ask and implore the FDA to exclude cigars from the regulations which are being imposed on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. 

 

According to Glynn Loope, Executive Director of Cigar Rights of America (CRA), “this is the most over arching issue confronting this industry.”  We must not allow the onerous legislation and taxation to encroach on the premium cigar industry.  Please read the letter and sign up for the CRA Grassroots Email Network.  Its free and imperative that you participate to preserve our extraordinary industry.  

 

 

 

If we fail to act now our industry will surely perish.  Join the CRA! And fight for our rights!

Tobacco Prohibition 2.0: Banning Flavor

Today, the New York City city council voted 46 to 1 to ban/prohibit flavored tobacco products.  The ban does not include Menthol or Mint, like the FDA ‘Protect Your Family from Smokers’ bill, and it does not ban flavored pipe tobaccos - yet.

All of this is happening in the same city where the nanny-minded mayor changed the law so he could stay for a third term in office, banned indoor smoking, and is now trying to ban outdoor smoking in parks and beaches – because ‘children should not have to see smokers’.
 
Where are all of the infuriated people?  Where are Americans who value freedom? Individual Rights?  And not just the rights you use, but all individuals’ rights?

Within thirty minutes of this news breaking, I have witnessed emails, facebook, and twitter messages from industry members and not one of those messages had anything to do with the usurpation of our freedoms.  Topics did include: tonight’s featured bottle of wine to drink at home; something about farmville; a note about splurging on a ribeye steak because it’s ‘hump day’; a bejeweled score; what you are watching on TV or the internet; what you are smoking; what you are wearing for Halloween; what game you are watching tonight; who you are rooting for; and something about a golf tournament.

Sadly, many NYC tobacconists did not find out about the vote until the day before; so some of us are being rail-roaded and disenfranchised by the system.   But, the real problem is our own apathy and lethargy.  Where is the anger?  The vote was 46 to 1!

These prohibitions started with the FDA justifying a ban of cigarettes that have a ‘characterizing’ flavor that ‘can be attractive to children’.  Yet, this is the most bankrupt and illogical justification because IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL TOBACCO TO CHILDREN.  So, that should be the focus – stop sales of tobacco to underage children!  It’s not rocket science; you don’t have to be a genius to figure it out.  The prohibition of products that are ‘attractive to children’ is the most insipid legislative trend I have ever seen in my lifetime; it is as bad as McCarthyism, Racism, anti-Semitism, and any other ‘ism’ which is based on an ideology of hatred and bigotry.

One hundred years ago men congregated in bars, pubs, and clubs to discuss matters of the day… at the time, most of them smoked.  Yet today, we are not allowed to congregate, smoke, and talk in the same place – except for the rare retail tobacconist.  And now the walls are crumbling around us….  The guiding principle behind the founding of America was ‘the individual pursuit of happiness’…. so it was.  What is the guiding principle behind America today?

Unfortunately, the path to freedom is wrought with challenges and sacrifice.  For starters, join the CRA, get Certified, and finally, get your head out of your arse and take half of the time you spend watching TV, sports, or shopping for crap, and start fighting for your freedoms.  Otherwise, all that is worth living for, the simple human pleasures, will be lost.

The Hard Truth

Rostros Anonadado (Bewildered/Stunned Faces) by Eduardo Expósito

 

As a retail tobacconist, I can unequivocally state that the last ten years have been difficult (dramatic understatement).  The challenges we face are unlike any other business persons’ or industry (i.e. FDA, S-CHIP, OTP, smoking-bans, tobacco de-normalization, etc…).  And, if you think the last ten years have been bad… what do you think the next ten will be like?
  
If we don’t make dramatic changes to our industry and culture, our future will be exponentially worse!  This is the hard truth.  While marketers, manufacturers, salespeople, and retailers tell you ‘business is good’, that is either a lie or tunnel vision.  Business people must ’spin’ positivity because negativity does not improve sales.  But, just because you make money this year does not mean ‘business is good’.  A viable industry/business-model needs to be sustainable; we must be able to plan ahead for things like retirements, recessions, childrens’ educations, growth, asset preservation, business sales, etc…

One of the worst trends that has infected our industry and political climate is the ‘grandfathering’ of existing tobacconists and cigar bars without allowing the creation of new ones.  Yet, whenever these laws pass, our industry claims a victory because we preserved a ‘business’.  But we also put a nail in our coffin if no one can open a new business!

Yet another sad sign that we are in trouble is the inconspicuous nature of our customers.  One of my oldest and dearest friends/customers who has a passion for cigars hides this from his own children; he takes a ‘fabreeze’ shower before going home and swears to his kids that he does not ’smoke’.  Partly, this is because children are thoroughly indoctrinated in school that ’smoking kills’ and they do not distinguish between types and frequency of tobacco use.  On a similar note, I am still irate, years after a policeman went to my little sister’s school, in full uniform with a badge and gun, and gave an hour long lecture about how ’smoking kills’ – still no distinguishing between types of smoking and the value of human freedom and personal choice.  Plus, what is a policeman doing lecturing kids about smoking?

So, without writing a book here…. I would like to end on a positive note… since I have devoted myself and resources to the preservation of the luxury tobacco industry and retail tobacconists.  I am not a negativist!  Our path to salvation will not be easy.  First, we must join and support the CRA in order to fight the short term battles and legislative momentum.  Next, we must get Certified, and project our credibility!!!  But, when we say ‘project our credibility’, we do not mean sit around with other cigar/pipe smokers and talk about how good or knowledgeable we are!  Projecting our credibility is about making non-smokers, friends and family, and the society we live in understand and RESPECT our profession, passions and choices!  Make converts out of non-aficionados!  If every cigar and pipe smoker convinced 10 people to respect our rights, then we would still have our rights!
   
Final Note:  Part of the TU Mission is to “research, learn, and teach in order to educate …”  and our Vision is to “build and project the credibility of the luxury tobacco industry in order to gain cultural acceptance around the world…”  With that said, we are not beholden to any person or business.  We are an independent educational institution with a clear mandate to speak the truth: the truth as we see it - not the ‘truth’ as devised or spun by marketers or business people.  We receive no money from the IPCPR or any other industry trade or political organization.  You can rest assured that TU will continue to research, learn, and teach while delivering the truth and working to build the credibility we will need to survive… for generations to come.  Ultimately, we will only be successful if you and the rest of the industry participate.  So, what are you doing to ensure the survival of the luxury tobacco industry?

Our Vision

To build and project the credibility of the luxury tobacco industry in order to gain cultural acceptance around the world – preserving luxury tobacco for generations to come.

    

We have just finished  re-crafting our Vision to better communicate the long-term goals of Tobacconist University.   While our Mission is tailored to serve tobacconists and consumers, our broadest goal is to help preserve our industry for generations to come.  And the last decade has proven how difficult the challenges we face really are.  Legislation, taxation, smoking bans, and tobacco de-normalization have moved forward at an astounding rate because the culture we live in has turned against us.  Clearly, these are not the ‘glory’ years of the mid-1990s when Cigar Aficionado glamorized cigar smoking; those customers are long gone or ‘in the closet’ smokers today.

    

While the IPCPR and CRA battle on the economic and political fronts, there is much more to accomplish in order to sustain our industry.  Cigar and pipe smokers comprise a mere 5% of the population, so we must build and promote our credibility outward, into the society we live in, to survive.   If you don’t believe that, just think of what the last ten years have brought, and then consider the next ten years…

 

  

    

“We now stand upon the brink of a precipice from whence the smallest help plunges us headlong.” – Gen. George Washington

    

TU and our industry need your help to change the culture.  Get Educated!  Get Certified!  And participate with TU in making a substantive difference!

A Real Revolution

 

 

Merriam-Webster defines revolution as ” a sudden, radical, or complete change” … “a fundamental change in political organization” … ” activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation” and a fundamental change in the way of thinking about visualizing something: a change of paradigm”.  All of these definitions can apply to Tobacconist University (TU).  

  

When TU certifies a tobacconist they accept a professional code of ethics and standards and learn the fundamental as well as technical knowledge they will need to be extraordinary professionals.  This foundation of professionalism is important to our customers and our industry.  But, more importantly, as we grow our ranks (140+ today) and forecasted to triple by year end), we will be able to turn our credibility outward and start to carve out a sustainable existence in our society.  Tobacconists and our industry need to move beyond the taxation and legislative nightmare that is currently usurping our freedoms and beating our industry to death.  There is no sustainable future for retail tobacconists or the luxury tobacco industry in the current political, social, and cultural climate.  We desperately need a revolution!  A paradigm shift. 

  

In the short and medium term, the CRA (join now) battles on the legislative and political fronts.  But, we will need to do much more to create a sustainable industry that will be able to thrive for years and generations to come.  The real ‘war’ is global, political, economic, and social in nature and there are no small or easy solutions – it is a culture war. 

  

The most fundamental and first thing we need to do is prove to the world that we are indeed valid and credible professionals* … and that process starts with certification.  If you want to join a real revolution, not just pretend**…. Get Certified!   We are proactively fighting for our survival and we must do everything possible to change public (mis) perceptions and earn respect.

 

*Most people don’t even recognize or know that Tobacconist is a profession… much less one worthy of preservation. 

  

**Marketers throw the word “revolution” into their marketing mix to evoke satisfying emotions/thoughts and motivate you to bond with their products.  Just because you smoke an oddly shaped cigar or chat on a particular forum does not make you a revolutionary.  In fact, the word “revolution” has been diluted and emptied of its true meaning for far too long.  If you really want to be a revolutionary, it will take work, focus, and commitment.  Otherwise, it’s just an empty word propped up with useless actions…. Don’t be a fake revolutionary. 

  

Leave a comment and tell us how TU can make the biggest contribution towards changing public perceptions of tobacco and tobacconists.