In previous years, the “Big Board” has served as a guide to what releases companies have planned for the IPCPR/PCA Trade Show. It was meant to be a written walk of the trade show floor to find out what the companies would be showcasing. This year, we have taken the “Big Board” live for our […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Gran Habano Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Feature Story, Gran Habano, Summer of 20
Gran Habano Cigars is no exception to having a monkey wrench thrown into its 2020 releases, but like many the company is adapting and moving forward. This year the company had plans for two releases. First up, the long awaited Gran Habano Persian King La Contra will be hitting the shelves soon. This cigar is […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Fratello Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Feature Story, Fratello Cigars, Summer of 20
Like many companies the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Fratello Cigars. For the past seven years, owner Omar De Frias has taken to “Fratello Road” – a grassroots strategy where he has hit the road visiting with retailers. Concurrent with Fratello Road, De Frias has been working on placing his products in the international market. In […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Joya de Nicaragua
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Feature Story, Joya de Nicaragua, Summer of 20
While much as been made of the “Big Four” pulling out of the 2020 PCA Trade Show (before we knew it would have to be cancelled due to the pandemic), there are some other companies that also decided not to attend. One of those companies was Joya de Nicaragua. Joya de Nicaragua is distributed by […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Drew Estate
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 1 Comment Acid, BOTL, Cigar Dojo, Deadwood Tobacco, Drew Estate, Feature Story, Herrera Esteli, Summer of 20, Tabak Especial, Undercrown
As many know, Drew Estate was not planning to attend the 2020 PCA Trade Show. The company had announced earlier this year that it had pulled out of the Trade Show along with Altadis USA, Davidoff of Geneva, and General Cigar Company. It’s clear from Drew Estate’s 2020 #DESummerTakeover that the company had a strategy […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Epic Cigars/Nat Cicco
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Epic Cigars, Feature Story, Nat Cicco, Summer of 20, Zander-Greg
Zander-Greg is a tobacco distribution company founded in Pasadena, California back in 1995. In 2007, the company acquired Nat Cicco, a brand that has been in existence since 1965. Under the Zander-Greg umbrella, they have invested in the Nat Cicco brand and expanding its portfolio. Last year, Zander-Greg acquired another premium cigar company, Epic Cigars […]
Cigar News: Fratello Sorella Heading to International Market
William Cooper Cigar News, Summer of 20 No Comments 2020 Preview, Fratello Cigars, News, Summer of 20
Last year Fratello Cigars released a sampler called the Fratello Space Pack that contained two unreleased blends in a 6 x 50 format. The intent was to get market research on whether either of these blends should be brought to market. Today Fratello announced that one of the blends, Sorella will be introduced into the […]
Cigar News: ACE Prime to Release Luciano The Dreamer Next Month
William Cooper Cigar News, Summer of 20 No Comments 2020 Preview, ACE Prime, News, Summer of 20
Later this month, ACE Prime will release Luciano The Dreamer. It’s a lancero offering that is named for ACE Prime co-owner co-owner Luciano Meirelles. It’s a follow-up to ACE Prime’s Luciano the Traveller, a 7 x 46 limited edition cigar released last year. Luciano The Dreamer is a traditional 7 1/2 x 38 Lancero that incorporates […]
Cigar News: General Cigar Company Announces Diesel Estelí Puro
William Cooper Cigar News, Summer of 20 No Comments 2020 Preview, Diesel, General, News, Summer of 20
Next month, General Cigar Company’s Diesel brand will introduce a new regular offering known as the Diesel Estelí Puro. As with all Diesel offerings, the cigar is done in collaboration with AJ Fernandez and features 100% Nicaraguan grown tobaccos from AJ’s farms. This includes a wrapper from the La Lilia farm, binder from the San […]
Cigar News: Davidoff Madison 515 Toro to be Next Vault Series Release
William Cooper Cigar News, Summer of 20 No Comments 2020 Preview, Davidoff, News, Summer of 20
Davidoff has released its latest installment in the Davidoff Vault Series, the Davidoff Madison 515 Toro. This was originally an exclusive cigar for Davidoff’s Flagship Store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The cigar itself features Dominican wrapper over a Mexican binder and all Dominican fillers. It comes in one size – a 6 x 54. […]