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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
