“Holding the line” is a term I use to describe those companies that come into the IPCPR with no new product and no new packaging. It’s the final article of our 2019 IPCPR Coverage – and at times it is the most challenging one to write. Namely, what exactly do you write – that the […]
This year marked the debut of Starky Arias’ new company, Cigar Marketplace. For many years, the cigar industry has known Arias for his work. Arias is best known for his work as a creative director for many cigar brands, and for his tenure at Cigar Rings and Marketing Director for AJ Fernandez Cigars. With Cigar […]
A.C.E. Prime is a new cigar company that had its official launch at the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show. You have to go back to Micallef Cigars in 2017 to see a company that has had a major launch on the level of A.C.E. Prime. The company launched four brands and ten different blends. While much […]
2019 was a very different year for cigar maker James Brown and his team at the IPCPR Trade Show. This year, Brown exhibited a the 2019 IPCPR under the name of Oveja Negra Brands. While Black Label Trading Company was the brand that started it all for James Brown, over the past few years he […]
At the last IPCPR Trade Show, once again the brands of Tatuaje and L’Atelier were under one roof. This year Pete Johnson kept most of what he planned to showcase at IPCPR under wraps until the Trade Show opened. When it did, there was nice assortment of offerings to keep Tatuaje fans quite happy. There […]
As we have noted for the past couple of years, the days of a large number of IPCPR releases by Rocky Patel Premium Cigars appear to be over. 2019 was no exception as this year there were only two new lines and a couple of line extensions. For Rocky Patel, this might have been the […]
If there is one thing we have seen from Illusione Cigars over the years is that owner Dion Giolito will not release a new line for the sake of releasing a new line. In particular, when he does something to be considered a major launch, it is usually quieter the following year. Such was the […]
At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, Tatuaje Cigars showcased a new 4 x 50 line extension to its Tattoo line known as Favoritos. Like the rest of the Tattoo line, the Tattoo Favoritos features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cigar is produced out of Tabacalera Cubana (TACUBA), a factory owned […]
“Island” Jim Robinson’s Leaf by Oscar has become a force in many retailers nationwide. Leaf by Oscar is a brand that was originally started as a house cigar for Robinson’s Leaf and Bean in the Strip retail store that was blended at Oscar Valladares’ factory in Honduras.. The four blend line (consisting of Connecticut, Maduro, […]
The 2019 IPCPR Trade Show was the third for Al Micallef’s cigar venture, Micallef Cigars. The past two trade shows have seen the Texas-based company launch over a dozen lines. This year was not quite as aggressive as previous years, as there were only three line extensions. Micallef is still very much a new player […]
