It was exactly two years ago today when an announcement was made that a company called Global Premium Cigars and Gary Griffith’s Emilio Cigars entered into a distribution agreement. At the time, Global Premium Cigars was an unknown Nicaraguan-based manufacturer. Headed by its CEO and founder Enrique Sanchez Icaza, Global Premium Cigars was making a line […]
Feature Story: Don Pepin Garcia Talks About El Rey de los Habanos and More
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized 2 Comments Don Pepin, Feature Story, My Father
Don Pepin Garcia On September 20th 2014, legendary cigar maker Don Jose “Pepin” Garcia was in attendance at The Pipe and Pint in Greensboro, North Carolina for the national launch of the event marking the return of El Rey de los Habanos. This brand is best known for being the first national release made by […]
Feature Story: Analyzing General Cigar Company’s Acquisition of Leccia Tobacco (Editorial)
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, General, Leccia Tobacco, Opinion
For the second week in a row General Cigar Company made headlines with a brand acquisition. Last week the announcement of General Cigar Company’s acquisition of the Torano Family Cigars sent shockwaves into the cigar industry. Earlier today it was announced that General Cigar would be acquiring the brands of Leccia Tobacco, the company headed […]
Feature Story: Toraño – What’s Next?
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, General, Toraño
Yesterday one of the biggest announcements of the year in the cigar industry was announced as General Cigar Company announced it was acquiring the brands of Torano Family Cigars. Over the next few months, the process of assimilation into the General Cigar Company portfolio will take place. Whenever such an acquisition takes place, there are usually more […]
Feature Story: The Historical Significance of the Toraño Acquisition (Editorial)
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, General, Opinion, Toraño
Acquisitions in the cigar industry are nothing new. There have been many in the past, and there will be plenty in the future. However, today’s announcement that General Cigar Company was acquiring the brands of Torano could take on a significance like no other the cigar industry has seen before. It could be a sign of […]
Feature Story: Hirochi Robaina and Cubanacan Cigars at the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Cubanacan, Feature Story, HR, IPCPR 2014, People
Hiroshi Robaina, 2014 IPCPR Trade Show In 2014, Cubanacan Cigars has been undergoing a transformation. Earlier this year, the company streamlined their portfolio around three brands – Cubanacan, Mederos, and Soneros. Meanwhile the company has also embraced its heritage and is looking forward to the future. Prior to the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show, it was […]
Feature Story: Viaje Cigars at the 2014 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2014, Viaje
Prior to the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show, Viaje Cigars made three announcements on new releases: Viaje Collaboration 2014, Viaje Cache, and the Viaje Satori 2014. While these products were on display at the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show, these products were already shipped to retailers just prior to the show. The name Viaje means “journey” and […]
Feature Story: Viva Republica Looks to the Future
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2014, Miami Cigars, Viva Republica
The 2014 IPCPR Trade Show is proving to a be a busy one for Jason Holly and Viva Republica. This is the third IPCPR for Holly and his company, but this year is the first now officially being a part of the Miami Cigar and Company family. At the same time, Holly has launched his […]
Feature Story: Armand Assante Appears at Cigar Event in Chicago
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Events, Legacy Brands, Ora Vivo, People, Victor Vitale
Emmy Award winner, and Golden Globe nominee Armand Assante in person appeared at a cigar event on May 31st hosted by Casa de Puros in Lake Forest, Illinois. Th event featured Assante’s Ora Vivo Cigars as well as food and liquor tastings. A portion of the proceeds went toward the Wounded Warrior Project. The Ora […]
Feature Story: A Look at Old School Cigars by La Sirena
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, La Sirena, Old School Cigars
Yesterday, we covered details of the announcement that La Sirena Cigars was acquiring Old School Cigars. As a result of this acquisition, three cigars from Old School Cigars became the “Old School Cigars by La Sirena” line. Today, we take a look at some of the offerings in this line. Old School Cigars was founded […]