The Face of S.A.G Imports – Manuel Quesada Aside from the big corporate cigar manufacturers like General and Altadis, many of the next tier companies follow what I term the “Donald Trump” model. With Donald Trump, he has become the face of the company – i.e Trump himself is the brand. We see a similar […]
About William Cooper
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Rocky’s Redemption – The Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments IPCPR, Nice to Have, Review, Rocky Patel
Stating this very bluntly – 2009 was not a great year for the Rocky Patel line. Rocky released two sticks – the 1961 and the Patel Brothers. I will be the first to admit, I did not care for these two sticks. But when I visit many cigar shops around the country, I notice that […]
Shoe Estate (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 7)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Drew Estate, IPCPR
The booth at IPCPR that got the most buzz was the Drew Estate booth. The company founded by Jonathan Drew is known for doing things in an innovative way with a sense of style. As mentioned in “Tales” Part 6, the company is a reflection of Drew’s personality. When it comes to the rule […]
The Odd Couple:(Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 6)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Drew Estate, IPCPR, Padron
There were a lot of memories I took back from IPCPR. But perhaps there was no memory that stood out than when I saw a meeting of the minds take place at the Drew Estate Booth. Two giants in the Cigar industry were having a conversation – well maybe more like a summit. The big […]
The Swag at the Oliveros Booth – A Review (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 5)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments IPCPR, Nice to Have, Oliveros, Review
I very much looked forward to the visit to the Oliveros booth. Over the past 18 months, I really feel that Oliveros has really shown their muscle as a player in the cigar industry. Led by President Rafael Nodal, Oliveros has produced some terrific cigars at very competitive price points – $5 – $8.00. My […]
IPCPR Cigar Review #1: Gurkha Viper
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Gurkha, IPCPR, Nice to Have, Review
In 2008, Manuel Quesada revolutionized the cigar industry by creating a premium value-priced cigar in the $5.00 to $7.00 range. That cigar was called the Casa Magna. The cigar was well-received by many and earned Cigar Aficionado’s prestigious “Cigar of the Year” for 2008. In a tight economy, this was good business sense. Since then […]
A Visit to the Gurkha Cigar Lounge – The Challenge (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 4)
William Cooper Uncategorized 1 Comment Gurkha, IPCPR
The second Cigar Lounge I visited at the IPCPR show was the Gurkha Cigars lounge. Gurkha Cigars are known for their unique and extravagant packaging. Upon arriving there, I expected a lounge that would reflect some of the unique packaging on the cigars. What I found was a simple lounge as illustrated by […]
A Visit to the Oliva Cigar Lounge – Classic and Contemporary (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 3)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Cain, IPCPR, Nub, Oliva
The Entrance to the Oliva Cigar Lounge One of the most interesting things about the IPCPR Trade Show is going around in seeing the different booths. For the big companies, these booths start to take on a life of their own. They typically are transformed into a full-fledged cigar lounge. This allows the manufacturers and […]
The Master Professor (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 2)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments IPCPR
Class in Session with the Master Professor – Henke Kelner Arrive in New Orleans and have to deal with the torture of chalk dust collecting on the wall by going to class? Not when your instructor is the master professor himself – Henke Kelmer of Davidoff. Professor Kelmer presented a masterful session on the art […]
Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 1: Worth it for an Iced Coffee?
William Cooper Uncategorized 2 Comments IPCPR
Photo courtesy of Stace Berkland Trek one mile for a cup of coffee in the heat and humidity of New Orleans in the middle of August? A bunch of folks told us about the legend of Cafe Du Monde coffee, but upon touching the ground in New Orleans, we were greeted to a blast of […]