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IPCPR Cigar Review #1: Gurkha Viper

August 18, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 0 Comments Gurkha, IPCPR, Nice to Have, Review

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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 […]

A Visit to the Gurkha Cigar Lounge – The Challenge (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 4)

August 18, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 1 Comment Gurkha, IPCPR

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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 […]

A Visit to the Oliva Cigar Lounge – Classic and Contemporary (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 3)

August 17, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 0 Comments Cain, IPCPR, Nub, Oliva

The Entrance to the Oliva Cigar Lounge One of the most interesting things about the IPCPR Trade Show is going around in seeing the different booths. For the big companies, these booths start to take on a life of their own. They typically are transformed into a full-fledged cigar lounge. This allows the manufacturers and […]

The Master Professor (Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 2)

August 15, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 0 Comments IPCPR

Class in Session with the Master Professor – Henke Kelner Arrive in New Orleans and have to deal with the torture of chalk dust collecting on the wall by going to class? Not when your instructor is the master professor himself – Henke Kelmer of Davidoff. Professor Kelmer presented a masterful session on the art […]

Tales from the IPCPR in New Orleans Part 1: Worth it for an Iced Coffee?

August 15, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 2 Comments IPCPR

Photo courtesy of Stace Berkland Trek one mile for a cup of coffee in the heat and humidity of New Orleans in the middle of August? A bunch of folks told us about the legend of Cafe Du Monde coffee, but upon touching the ground in New Orleans, we were greeted to a blast of […]

Quesada Tributo – Julio Review

July 21, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 0 Comments Nice to Have, Quesada, Review

When it comes to the true innovators and gentlemen of the Cigar industry, Manuel Quesada is truly in the upper echelon. I’ve met Manuel on several occasions and truly have seen his passion and knowledge in action. That is why when the kind folks at Quesada Cigars reached out to me and asked me to […]

Top 20 Cigars for 2009

January 7, 2010 William Cooper Uncategorized 0 Comments 2009

The following were my list for the Top Cigars of 2009. How did I do this list? I selected 20 sticks I really liked. In some cases I got specific on the size. I then decided each day: 1) Which Cigar I would give away because I didn’t want it?; 2) Which Cigar would I […]