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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
