E.P. Carrillo in the Center, Tony to the right As I mentioned in a previous write-up from Tales From the IPCPR, many of the cigar companies are family owned companies that follow a “Donald Trump model”. With Trump’s company, Trump is the face of the company – and the brand of his company. Many know […]
Way to go Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigars in Orlando, Florida! We must continue to battle the pleasure police. Alert: Red
Matt Booth with Cigar Coop The Camacho Cigars lounge was one of the more interesting visits at the IPCPR. A lot of the lounge had the contemporary flair that the Oliva Lounge had. It was a very pleasant place to spend some time and the decor was outstanding. One interesting twist was the way the […]
The Face of S.A.G Imports – Manuel Quesada Aside from the big corporate cigar manufacturers like General and Altadis, many of the next tier companies follow what I term the “Donald Trump” model. With Donald Trump, he has become the face of the company – i.e Trump himself is the brand. We see a similar […]
Stating this very bluntly – 2009 was not a great year for the Rocky Patel line. Rocky released two sticks – the 1961 and the Patel Brothers. I will be the first to admit, I did not care for these two sticks. But when I visit many cigar shops around the country, I notice that […]
The booth at IPCPR that got the most buzz was the Drew Estate booth. The company founded by Jonathan Drew is known for doing things in an innovative way with a sense of style. As mentioned in “Tales” Part 6, the company is a reflection of Drew’s personality. When it comes to the rule […]
There were a lot of memories I took back from IPCPR. But perhaps there was no memory that stood out than when I saw a meeting of the minds take place at the Drew Estate Booth. Two giants in the Cigar industry were having a conversation – well maybe more like a summit. The big […]
I very much looked forward to the visit to the Oliveros booth. Over the past 18 months, I really feel that Oliveros has really shown their muscle as a player in the cigar industry. Led by President Rafael Nodal, Oliveros has produced some terrific cigars at very competitive price points – $5 – $8.00. My […]
In 2008, Manuel Quesada revolutionized the cigar industry by creating a premium value-priced cigar in the $5.00 to $7.00 range. That cigar was called the Casa Magna. The cigar was well-received by many and earned Cigar Aficionado’s prestigious “Cigar of the Year” for 2008. In a tight economy, this was good business sense. Since then […]
The second Cigar Lounge I visited at the IPCPR show was the Gurkha Cigars lounge. Gurkha Cigars are known for their unique and extravagant packaging. Upon arriving there, I expected a lounge that would reflect some of the unique packaging on the cigars. What I found was a simple lounge as illustrated by […]
