Earlier this year, I paid a visit to General Cigar Company’s operations in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar Company is one of the largest handmade premium cigar companies in the world. It would not only be this author’s first visit to General Cigar’s operations, but also this author’s first visit to the Dominican Republic. The […]
About William Cooper
Posts by William Cooper:
Cigar News: Espinosa Cigars and Pure Aroma Cigars End Distribution Agreement
William Cooper Cigar News 2 Comments D'Crossier, Espinosa, News, Pure Aroma Cigars
Pure Aroma Cigars, makers of the D’Crossier brand and Espinosa Cigars have ended their distribution agreement. The move is effective immediately. “Unfortunately at this moment, we are having difficulties meeting distribution demands. This is a sad day for me, Erik and I started as acquaintances and quickly became like family. However, I have faith that […]
Cigar Review: Jas Sum Kral Crna Nok Toro
William Cooper Reviews 1 Comment 3.0 - The Fiver, 88-90, Jas Sum Kral, JSK, Review
One of the revelations of 2016 was a brand called Jas Sum Kral (JSK) Cigars. The company was founded by cigar enthusiast, Riste Riatevski. After being disappointed with many cigars on the market, Riatevski set out to create his own cigar that would satisfy him. That cigar turned out to be a Habano offering known as the […]
Cigar Industry Report: Volume 6, Number 15 (3/4/17)
William Cooper Cigar Industry Report, Cigar News No Comments Cigar Coop, Cigar Industry Report, Cigar Wrap, News
The Cigar Industry Report is a one stop place to catch up on the activity here at Cigar Coop. It is a combination of our news reports, cigar reviews, and assessment updates we do throughout the week. Finally, each week we will look back at Cigar Coop history. Look for this report every Saturday morning […]
Feature Story: A Visit to A.J. Fernandez’s San Lotano Factory
William Cooper Feature Story 3 Comments AJ Fernandez Cigars, Espinosa, Feature Story
About four years ago, master blender A.J. Fernandez consolidated his factory operations which were scattered across the city of Esteli to the new, massive Tabcaelera Fernandez. Since then, Fernandez has continued to grow and expanded his operation. This led Fernandez to acquire a new factory located about 50 miles north of Esteli just outside the Totogalpa and […]
Feature Story: Bayer CropScience a Daily Best Practice of Eiroa Operations
William Cooper Feature Story No Comments Feature Story, JRE Tobacco Co
In 2007, the Corojo farm owned by the Eiroa family in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras began a program called Bayer CropScience. Developed by the Bayer Corporation, CropScience is a program of best practices for agriculture and manufacturing that promote concepts such as environmental, consumable crop safety, bio-friendly pesticides, industrial safety, and biosecurity. The Eiroas would […]
Cigar News: Rocky Patel Premium Cigars Reintroduces Java by Drew Estate Wafe Sizes
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments 2017 Preview, News, Rocky Patel
Rocky Patel Premium Cigars (RPPC) has announced the return of its Wafe size to its Java by Drew Estate line. The Wafe is a unique extreme trunk-pressed 5 x 46 that is only 5 ring gauge in height. The Wafe is a size that was produced for the Java Maduro and Java Latte lines […]
Cigar News: Santa Clara Begins Wider Distribution of Romeo y Julieta Crafted by A.J. Fernandez
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments 2017 Preview, Altadis, Romeo y Julieta, Santa Clara Cigars, Tabacalera USA
Santa Clara Cigars now has its second collaboration cigar with A.J. Fernandez. Today, Santa Clara formally announced the Romeo y Julieta Crafted by A.J. Fernandez. This is a collaboration done between Tabacalera USA, owners of the Romeo y Julieta brand in the U.S. and master blender A.J. Fernandez. The cigar had previously a limited launch, […]
Cigar News: La Palina Classic Line Revamped and Expanded to Three Blends
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments 2017 Preview, La Palina, News
The La Palina Classic, a value-priced line introduced in 2012 by La Palina Cigars has undergone some big changes. Three new blends, that will be produced by General Cigar Dominicana in the Dominican Republic – La Palina Classic Connecticut, La Palina Classic Rosado, and La Palina Classic Maduro are being introduced. These three blends replace the […]
Editor’s Corner Volume 6, Number 4: Changes and Travels
William Cooper Blog, Editor's Corner Editor's Corner
In my seven years in operation at Cigar Coop, the past 30 days have been perhaps the wildest ever. You have seen some of the announcements during the past month – and there will be one more still to come. First up, we have established strategic partnerships with two major cigar radio outlets – Kiss […]