Cigar Industry Report (Edition 579) is a one-stop place to catch up on the activity here at Cigar Coop for the past week. It combines the news reports, cigar reviews, and assessment updates we do throughout the week. In addition, each week, we will look back at Cigar Coop history. Look for this report every Saturday at 8am Eastern Time.

Cigar Industry Report: Edition 579 (3/2/24)

The Headlines

Procigar 24 Coverage

For the fourth year in a row, Cigar Coop is on the ground in the Dominican Republic, providing coverage of Procigar 2024. Procigar Festival 2024 is from February 18 through February 23, 2024. This year will feature more coverage for us than ever as we cover the festivities from La Romana and Santiago. Our coverage will wrap up next week with a post-game report.

• Procigar 2024 Coverage Hub
• Procigar Festival 2024 Pre-Game Report
• Welcome to La Romana
• Epic Encounters
• Tabacalera de Garcia
• Casa Carrillo
• Procigar 2024 Charity Auction Items Announced
• Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader Attends Final Gala of Procigar 2024
• Tabacalera Palma
• The Grand Finale

Laudisi Enterprises Acquires Caldwell Cigar Company and Lost & Found

Laudisi Enterprises has acquired Caldwell Cigar Company as well as Lost & Found Cigars. Laudisi Enterprises is best known for its pipe brands, such as Cornell & Diehl and Peterson, and the online outlet Smokingpipes.com. The move now positions Laudisi as a seller of premium cigar brands. We’ve got the details here.

The News

Product Reports

• Casa Cuevas Cigars: We reported on the La Mandarria Oscuro
• Forged Cigar Company: Announced the return of the Room101 Hit & Run. The company also announced the Diesel Vintage Series Natural. Finally, the company also announced the  Los Statos Deluxe Limited Edition
• Black Star Line Cigars: Announced its 5th-anniversary release, the Marun. The company also announced the Black Star Line Cigars, Adding Dark War Witch Perfecto, Finally the company also announced the Lalibela Lancero and Robusto line extensions
• Fratello Cigars: Announced the Fratello Pocahontas
• HVC Cigars: Announced the HVC Selección No. 1 Connecticut
• Kafie 1901 Cigars: Announced the Sweet Tip Liga de la Casa. We also reported on a series of Kafie 1901 Fresh Pack offerings 
• La Aurora Cigars: We reported on the La Aurora Puro Vintage 2014
• Pospiech Cigars: Announced the Powstanie Connecticut Corona Gorda “Justice”
• Selected Tobacco: Announced the second allotment of Atabey Complete Selection Limited Edition Humidor

Other News

• Scandinavian Tobacco Group:  We reported on three new Club Macanudo locations
• Daniel Marshall: We recapped the 8th Annual Daniel Marshall Kitzbühel Campfire
• Fortaleza y Libre Cigars: We reported on the company rebranding from Fuerte y Libre Cigars Inc. Fortaleza y Libre Cigars
• La Aurora Cigars: Announced a price increase across its portfolio
• Lampert Cigars: Announced distribution into Greece

Cigar Reviews

Assessments

• None this week

Agile Cigar Reviews

• None this week

The Smoking Syndicate

• None this week

Features and Blog

Feature Story

• None this week

The Blog

• None this week

Prime Time Podcasts

Our podcasts that aired this week.

Prime Time Show

• Prime Time Episode 298: Media Panel #17 – PCA 2024 Edition

Prime Time Special Edition

• None this week

Prime Time Jukebox

• None this week

Let’s Get Pairing

• Episode 10: Red Meat Lovers Beef Stick

Upcoming Schedule

On This Date…

On this date, Mar 2:

• Mar 2, 2011: We reviewed the newly released Cain Daytona.
• Mar 2, 2012: We reviewed the Liga Privada Unico Serie “A.”
• Mar 2, 2013: We published Cigar Week Wrap: Volume 2, Number 7 (3/2/13).
• Mar 2, 2013: We reported on new bands for the RoMa Craft Intemperance line.
• Mar 2, 2013: We reported on Lou Rodriguez Cigars reblending its Edicion Reserve line
• Mar 2, 2013: We reported on  Primer Mundo Cigars’ Clase Reserva 2013
• Mar 2, 2014: We assessed The Widow’s Son by Battleground Cigars
• Mar 2, 2014: We reported on the launch of VICARIAS by Tre J Cigars
• Mar 2, 2015: We reported on the Perdomo Small Batch Series
• Mar 2, 2016: We reported on the Davidoff Exclusive Indy 500 Edition heading to Blend Cigar Bar
• Mar 2, 2016: We reported on the Drew Estate Herrera Esteli TAA Exclusive
• Mar 2, 2016: We reported on Nat Sherman’s new bands for the Timeless Collection
• Mar 2, 2017: We published the feature story “Bayer CropScience a Daily Best Practice of Eiroa Operations. “
• Mar 2, 2018: We assessed the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generación V
• Mar 2, 2018: We reported on Maya Selva Cigars naming Jean François Poillot Named U.S. Sales Manager
• Mar 2, 2018: We reported on the San Cristóbal de La Habana Prado release as a La Casa del Habano and Habanos Specialists Exclusive
• Mar 2, 2018: We reported on the  Ezra Zion Cigar Company’s partnership with Oak & Eden whiskey
• Mar 2, 2018: We published Prime Time Episode 44: Michael Giannini, Ben Winokur, & Jason Carignan, Ventura Cigar Company
• Mar 2, 2019: We published Editor’s Corner #97: Lessons Learned Part 2
• Mar 2, 2019: We published Cigar Industry Report: Edition 319 (3/2/19)
• Mar 2, 2020: We reported on the Tatuaje Anarchy KAOS
• Mar 2, 2020: We reported on the Romeo y Julieta Linea de Oro
• Mar 2, 2021: We reported on John Miller being promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer at Swisher
• Mar 2, 2021: We reported on Drew Estate skipping TPE 2021
• Mar 2, 2021: We reported on the Nestor Miranda Private Reserve Lancero
• Mar 2, 2022: We reported on the Jake Wyatt Lithium Lancero
• Mar 2, 2022: We reported on the launch of Bellatto Premium Cigars
• Mar 2, 2022: We reported on Crowned Heads The Lost Angel 2022 TAA Exclusive
• Mar 2, 2023: We reported on the Fratello Texan Toro
• Mar 2, 2023: We reported on the Bolívar New Gold Medal
• Mar 2, 2023: We reported on the La Flor Dominicana Golden NFT Lucky No. 7
• Mar 2, 2023: We published The Blog: Five Things Cigar Media Missed from TPE 2023
• Mar 2, 2023: We reported on the Davidoff Millennium Lancero Makes Return