Oscar Valladares is quietly becoming a power player in the premium cigar industry. Not only does he have his own brand and factory in Honduras, but now he owns several major tobacco farms in Honduras. When it comes to his brand, Valladares is not only creating excellent brands, but he has found a way to […]
PCA 2021 Report: Matilde Cigars
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Matilde Cigars is the company that was founded by the legendary José Seijas and now run by his son Enrique. Over the years, the company has built a solid foundation of four regular production blends. It’s been five years since Matilde has had a new release, and no doubt fans of the brand have been […]
PCA 2021 Report: Gran Habano Cigars
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If you were looking for a slice on A1A in Miami Beach, Florida, the Gran Habano booth was the one for you. It was a new booth for Gran Habano, but it was one of the best laid out ones at the show. With the COVID-19 pandemic still having its impacts, Gran Habano owner George […]
PCA 2021 Report: Room101 Cigars
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It’s always fun visiting Matt Booth at a Trade Show, and the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show is no exception. Room101 Cigars is a cigar company that parallels the lifespan of Cigar Coop. Booth ventured into the world of cigars from the jewelry world in 2009, and I started Cigar Coop in 2010. […]
PCA 2021 Report: CLE Cigar Company
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CLE Cigar Company is home to four main brands: CLE, EIROA, Wynwood Hills, and Asylum. When it comes to the CLE and Eiroa brands, the name of the game is “Cameroon de Jamastran.” This is a Cameroon seed wrapper grown on Julio R. Eiroa’s tobacco farm in the Jamastran Valley in Honduras. Last year, Julio […]
PCA 2021 Report: Asylum Cigars
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As always Asylum Cigars was a part of the CLE Cigar Company’s booth at the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. To say 2021 was a big year at the 2021 PCA Trade Show for Asylum might be somewhat of an understatement. Yes, the brand offered a PCA Exclusive release to those retailers in […]
PCA 2021 Report: Oveja Negra Brands
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At the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Oveja Negra Brands returned with the same booth as it had for the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show. This was especially pleasing because I loved how this booth highlighted the unique nature of each of the four brands – and still puts them under one umbrella. The world […]
PCA 2021 Report: Dissident Cigars
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2021 was the second PCA/IPCPR trade show for Dissident Cigars since Benjamin Holt resurrected the brand back in 2019. Once again, Dissident Cigars was a part of the Oveja Negra Brands booth. In 2020, Holt unveiled three new core offerings in his portfolio: Rant, Rave, and Tirade. Since these cigars did not have an opportunity […]
PCA 2021 Report: MLB Cigar Ventures
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As they have been since 2018, MLB Cigar Ventures and Matilde Cigars were joined at the hip at the PCA/IPCR Trade Show. The difference is that both companies joined the other seven companies that were a part of the Sutliff Tobacco “compound” at the 2021 PCA Trade Show. While MLB Cigar Ventures founder Mike […]
PCA 2021 Report: Global Premium Cigars (1502)
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Global Premium Cigars is the parent company for the 1502 Cigars brand. While there were some new products being showcased by the company, there was something else happening. This year owner Enrique Sanchez Icaza‘s wife, Soleana Venerio has come on board as National Sales Director and is playing a more hands-on role in the company. […]