The month of May was probably as dynamic a month as there has been in a while in the cigar industry. As always, I’ll highlight some noteworthy events that happened in the world of cigars. The main focus will be on the happenings I explored on the Cigar Coop website, but there was plenty […]
Cigar Preview: CAO La Traviata
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Preview, CAO
Things have been pretty quiet on the CAO front for 2011, but today Cigar Aficionado has reported some information around the brand. It’s not huge news, but it’s some news from the brand. Cigar Aficionado mentions two key points made by CAO Senior Brand Manager Ed McKenna. First, all of the vitolas in the La […]
Cigar Review: CAO Maduro L’Anniversaire
William Cooper Reviews, Uncategorized 2 Comments CAO, Nice to Have, Review
If you have been a fan of CAO Cigars over the past few years, you know that the brand has been one of the leaders when it comes to innovative marketing. Cigars such as “Sopranos Edition”, “Brazilia”, and “La Traviata” have truly become iconic labels within the brand. When you look at the brand, one […]
Breaking News: Gary Hyams departs the CAO Brand and General Cigar
William Cooper Cigar News, Uncategorized 1 Comment CAO, People
In a move that was not unexpected, Gary Hyams formerly Chairman of CAO Cigars is leaving General Cigars. This move comes just a little over four years he was named to this position. With the departures of President Tim Ozgener and Lifestyle Marketing Director, Jon Huber over the past three months, this has was not […]
Link to Interview with Jon Huber formerly of CAO
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments CAO, Cigar-ebrity, People
Back in December, the cigar industry was rocked when one of its icons, Jon Huber announced he was leaving the CAO brand. Huber was the Director of Lifestyle Marketing and had a lot to do with the “edge” that CAO brought to the table in their products. I just saw a link to an interview […]
Opinion Page: Cigar Aficionado’s #11-25
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments 2010 Cigar of the Year, Altadis, CAO, Cigar Aficionado, Fuente, My Father, Oliva, Quesada, Rocky Patel, Toraño
While most of the gripes I’ve had with Cigar Aficionado’s Top 10 are still valid, there were some pleasant surprises in the remainder of the Top 25. I was pleased there were at least two of my Top 30 sticks to be mentioned. I didn’t go and comment on every stick, just the ones that […]
Best New Vitola for Existing Brand: Oliveros King Havano Black Knight Mace
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments 2010 Cigar of the Year, Cain, CAO, General, La Gloria Cubana, Nub, Oliva, Oliveros
Best Vitola: Oliveros King Havano Black Knight Mace One thing that I done differently from Cigar Aficionado in ranking cigars for the year is to distinguish ranking the blend from the vitola (size/shape). For my Top 30 list, every cigar represented a new blend (while Cigar Aficionado includes new vitolas in their countdown). However, there were […]
2010 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #6: CAO La Traviata Maduro
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2010 Cigar of the Year, CAO
#6 CAO La Traviata Maduro There are six cigars to go in “30 Cigars in 31 Days” – my review of the Top 30 Cigars for 2010. Today’s installment is the 25th of the series, this leaves the Top 5 to go. As I’ve also mentioned – each of the cigars in the Top 7 […]
More CAO (and other) News….
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments CAO, General
Jon Huber (L) at a CAO Event in Wilmington NC There had been a lot of rumors running rampant for the past couple of weeks. Today a twitter post confirmed – CAO’s Director of Lifestyle Marketing – Jon Huber is leaving CAO Cigars. The twitter post was: caocigars will be saying ‘adios’ L8r but please […]
Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Cigar Buying Guide for 2010
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments Altadis, AVO, Camacho, CAO, Cigar 101, Davidoff, Drew Estate, E.P. Carrillo, EPC, Fuente, General, Gift Buying, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, My Father, Oliveros, Perdomo, Quesada, Rocky Patel
Many people come to me asking me what is the best cigar to buy for a Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s gift. Unfortunately, the first response I give them is what I term the “Standard Consulting Answer” which is “It Depends”… It depends on a few factors. Below I’ve put a table to help […]