Topper Cigar Company is a fourth generation U.S.-based cigar company that has been in business since 1896. Each year they are at the IPCPR it’s nice to reconnect with the history of the company. The 2018 IPCPR Trade Show was no exception. Topper Cigars are best known for value-priced short filler cigars that utilize 100% tobacco […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on JRE Tobacco Co at the 2018 IPCPR
For the second year in a row, JRE Tobacco Company had its own booth at the IPCPR Trade Show. The booth was in a very similar place to where it was the year before, located toward the rear and side of the trade show floor. Like the previous year, the location didn’t matter as the […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on AJ Fernandez Cigars at 2018 IPCPR
While AJ Fernandez Cigars made most of its announcements prior to the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show, it didn’t dilute the visit to the booth one bit. Led by the Ramón Allones and Bellas Artes Maduro, it might have offered the best 1-2 punch the company put forward in its existence. In recent years, AJ Fernandez […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Illusione Cigars at the 2018 IPCPR
The retro-theme of Illusione Cigars booth made it one of my personal favorites at the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show. While the retro-theme is nothing new for Illusione Cigars, it was very appropriately this year as owner Dion Giolito revived the OneOff brand. It was the featured cigar for Illusione at this year’s IPCPR. OneOff was […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on La Galera Cigars at the 2018 IPCPR
For many years, Jochy Blanco built his reputation as a highly acclaimed grower and blender. In 2015, he decided to enter the market with his own brand. He would acquire IndianHead Cigars from Bill Bock (who had decided to retire). At the time IndianHead Cigars was mostly focused on value-priced cigars, so concurrently Blanco added […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Southern Draw Cigars at the 2018 IPCPR
The track record for companies who opt to skip an IPCPR Trade Show is not good, but for Southern Draw Cigars they went against all odds. They returned to the IPCPR Trade Show in 2017 and the consensus was they had an excellent IPCPR. The company returned in 2018, and they knocked it out of […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Kristoff Cigars at the 2018 IPCPR
Glen Case and Kristoff Cigars showed up with a Vengeance – literally. For 2018, Kristoff Cigars’ signature release was the Kristoff Vengeance. At one time, Vengeance was a brand produced by Case that did not have the Kristoff name on it. In 2011, the Vengeance line was rebranded as the Kristoff GC Signature Series. However, […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust at 2018 IPCPR
When Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust did their first IPCPR in 2015, the company showed up with no samples of their inaugural cigar, Sobremesa. That didn’t prove to be a problem as the company sold out of the cigar, and it became the hottest cigar that nobody had tried. Since then, it’s […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on SeiBel Distribution (MLB Cigar Ventures and Matilde Cigars)
This past spring, Mike Bellody’s MLB Cigar Ventures and the Seijas family’s Matilde Cigars announced they were ending their distribution agreement with Quesada Cigars to form their own distribution company known as SeiBel Distribution. At this year’s IPCPR Trade Show, the two companies partnered together for booth space to showcase their offerings. While the companies […]
Feature Story: Spotlight on Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co at 2018 IPCPR
This year, Oscar Valladares Tobacco and Company moved into its own booth. This was a booth that was filled with vibrant colors. At the same time, the newer products reflected a combination of Mayan culture and contemporary art. In previous years, Oscar Valladares Tobacco had shared a booth with Jim Robinson of Leaf cigars. The […]