As with many conferences, often various customer dinners are scheduled. With IPCPR this was no different as many of the Cigar Manufacturers scheduled dinners with the retailers. Obviously there are limited lists of how many retailers could receive invites, so for Stace and myself, we were more than thrilled when it was our names put […]
Cigar Review: Old School Cigar Originals – “The Duke”
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized No Comments Indie, Old School Cigars, Review, See What You Think
The Old School Original – The Duke The key to a good Indie (i.e boutique) cigar is getting a memorable smoke. Once such cigar that fits the bill is the “Duke” – part of the Old School Cigars Originals line. This helped immediately make it memorable by name. While it wasn’t a perfect smoke for […]
The Truth about Nicotine and Cigars
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Pleasure Police
Cigar Dave “The General” does a terrific job at explaining Nicotine in Cigars and drawing a difference between Cigarette Smokers and Cigar Enthusiasts. This happens between the 4:30 and 10:50 minute mark. Click here to listen…. (be sure to hit the PLAY button).
A True Artist – A Visit to the Don Pepin Garcia “My Father Cigars” Lounge (Tales From the IPCPR Part 12)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Don Pepin, IPCPR, My Father
Don Pepin Garcia graciously poses for a picture for me In 2009, Outland Cigars in Charlotte hosted cigar legend Don Pepin Garcia at the store for what was Outland’s biggest event ever. Unfortunately, my “other job” had me out of town and I was unable to meet the great Don Pepin. However, the Outlanders in […]
Tales from the IPCPR Part 11: A Review of the 7-20-4 Cigar
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments 7-20-4, Indie, IPCPR
Signage of 7-20-4 Cigars at IPCPR Thus far in the “Tales” series, much of the focus has been on the big cigar lounges. Whether corporate or family owned, most of these visits have been to some of the big names in the cigar industry. IPCPR also has a lot of smaller cigar makers – these […]
Complete Discrimination – Largo, FL Contemplating Ban on Hiring Tobacco Users
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments CRA, Pleasure Police, Yellow Alert
Not only is this an outrage – it is a disgrace. This is a legal product and this is discrimination to the nth degree! I read a post that asked where is the ACLU on this one. I do believe that is a legitimate gripe here. Folks, your ability to now earn […]
Meeting your Superhero – a visit to the E.P Carrillo Lounge (Tales from the IPCPR Part 10)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments E.P. Carrillo, EPC, IPCPR
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 […]
Jeff Borysiewicz responds to Mayor Richard Crotty’s tobacco ban in Orlando.
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments CRA, Pleasure Police, Red Alert
Way to go Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigars in Orlando, Florida! We must continue to battle the pleasure police. Alert: Red
Booth in a booth – A Visit to the Camacho/Room 101 Lounge (Tales from the IPCPR Part 9)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Camacho, IPCPR, Room 101
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 […]
It’s a Family Affair – a visit to the Quesada Booth (Tales From the IPCPR Part 8)
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments IPCPR, Quesada
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 […]