This past week, a firestorm emerged in the cigar industry following information that came out of the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association’s plans to rebrand itself as the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and subsequent plans to add a consumer component to the Trade Show reportedly called CigarCon. The issue of a consumer component […]
2019 IPCPR Pre-Game Report Part 1: A Look at This Year’s Trade Show and Convention
William Cooper Feature Story, IPCPR 2019 No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR, IPCPR 2019, IPCPR 2019 Pre Game
For the tenth consecutive year, the Cigar Coop brand will be providing coverage of the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show and Convention. We are proud to be a part of a very small group of media to say that. Our four-part series for the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show has you covered whether you […]
Feature Story: Costa Rica – In My Mind’s Eye
William Cooper Feature Story 6 Comments Bombay Tobak, Costa Rica, Feature Story
Over the past few years, cigars produced in Costa Rica have performed extremely well on Cigar Coop as evidenced by the performance ratings over the years. When the opportunity presented itself to visit the Tabacos de Costa Rica factory located in Costa Rica, I was quite intrigued to find out why these cigars were consistently […]
Feature Story: The Battle That Doesn’t Exist Against Tobacco 21
William Cooper Feature Story 1 Comment Feature Story, Tobacco 21
Each year on Cigar Coop, we do an annual review of the Top 12 Stories / Themes related to the cigar industry. One of the stories for 2013 revolved around the City of New York becoming the first major municipality to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21. At the time I noted a potential […]
Feature Story: Observations from The Great Smoke 2019
William Cooper Events, Feature Story No Comments Events, Feature Story, The Great Smoke
President’s Day 2019 saw Smoke Inn put on its 13th annual “The Great Smoke” event. The main event was held on February 16th at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, Florida. This was my sixth Great Smoke event in seven years. Over the years, I have seen this event grow into one of […]
2018 Year in Review: The Composite Value Ratings for 2018
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Feature Story 1 Comment 2018 Cigar of the Year, 2018 Year in Review
The Cigar of the Year Countdown is a quantitative analysis of the best cigars of 2018. Other than the fact the cigar must be a box-worthy cigar to qualify for the list, price is not factored into the Countdown. In this exercise, I take a look at the list from a value standpoint and see […]
Prime Time Awards 2018: Person of the Year – Terence Reilly
William Cooper Feature Story No Comments 2018 Prime Time Awards, 2018 Year in Review, AGANORSA Leaf, Casa Fernandez, Feature Story, Prime Time Awards
The Prime Time Awards are voted on by each of the three members of the Prime Time Podcasts. The awards look at the impact on the cigar industry. Today, we unveil our choice for 2018 Person of the Year. This award looks at the individual who for better or worse had the most significant impact on the cigar […]
Prime Time Awards 2018: Large Company of the Year – Joya de Nicaragua
William Cooper Feature Story No Comments 2018 Prime Time Awards, Feature Story, Joya de Nicaragua, Prime Time Awards
The Prime Time Awards are voted on by each of the three members of the Prime Time Podcasts. The awards look at the impact on the cigar industry. Today, we unveil our choice for 2018 Large Company of the Year. This award factors things such as innovation, ability to continue to deliver quality product, and impact […]
Prime Time Awards 2018: Small Company of the Year – Crowned Heads
William Cooper Feature Story 1 Comment 2018 Prime Time Awards, 2018 Year in Review, Crowned Heads, Feature Story, Prime Time Awards
The Prime Time Awards are voted on by each of the three members of the Prime Time Podcasts. The awards look at the impact on the cigar industry. Today, we unveil our choice for 2018 Small Company of the Year. This award factors things such as innovation, ability to continue to deliver quality product, and impact […]
Prime Time Awards 2018: Large Factory of the Year – Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A.
William Cooper Feature Story 1 Comment 2018 Prime Time Awards, 2018 Year in Review, Joya de Nicaragua, Prime Time Awards
The Prime Time Awards are voted on by each of the three members of the Prime Time Podcasts. The awards look at the impact on the cigar industry. Today, we unveil our choice for 2018 Large Factory of the Year. This award factors in things such as innovation, continued quality, and impact to the industry. Fábrica […]