Gran Habano Cigars is no exception to having a monkey wrench thrown into its 2020 releases, but like many the company is adapting and moving forward. This year the company had plans for two releases. First up, the long awaited Gran Habano Persian King La Contra will be hitting the shelves soon. This cigar is […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Fratello Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Feature Story, Fratello Cigars, Summer of 20
Like many companies the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Fratello Cigars. For the past seven years, owner Omar De Frias has taken to “Fratello Road” – a grassroots strategy where he has hit the road visiting with retailers. Concurrent with Fratello Road, De Frias has been working on placing his products in the international market. In […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Joya de Nicaragua
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Feature Story, Joya de Nicaragua, Summer of 20
While much as been made of the “Big Four” pulling out of the 2020 PCA Trade Show (before we knew it would have to be cancelled due to the pandemic), there are some other companies that also decided not to attend. One of those companies was Joya de Nicaragua. Joya de Nicaragua is distributed by […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Drew Estate
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 1 Comment Acid, BOTL, Cigar Dojo, Deadwood Tobacco, Drew Estate, Feature Story, Herrera Esteli, Summer of 20, Tabak Especial, Undercrown
As many know, Drew Estate was not planning to attend the 2020 PCA Trade Show. The company had announced earlier this year that it had pulled out of the Trade Show along with Altadis USA, Davidoff of Geneva, and General Cigar Company. It’s clear from Drew Estate’s 2020 #DESummerTakeover that the company had a strategy […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Epic Cigars/Nat Cicco
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Epic Cigars, Feature Story, Nat Cicco, Summer of 20, Zander-Greg
Zander-Greg is a tobacco distribution company founded in Pasadena, California back in 1995. In 2007, the company acquired Nat Cicco, a brand that has been in existence since 1965. Under the Zander-Greg umbrella, they have invested in the Nat Cicco brand and expanding its portfolio. Last year, Zander-Greg acquired another premium cigar company, Epic Cigars […]
Ten Years of Cigar Coop: Part 9 – American Top 40: The Countdown
William Cooper Feature Story No Comments Cigar Coop, Cigar Coop 10 Year Anniversary, Feature Story
“Even before there was a Cigar Coop, I wanted to do a Cigar of the Year list. One day it hit me to do it American Top 40 Casey Kasem-style. The rest was history.” The two things that are the most popular features each year on Cigar Coop are the IPCPR Trade Show Coverage and […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: CLE Cigar Company
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Asylum Cigars, CLE, Feature Story, Summer of 20
CLE Cigar Company has faced its challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic as, like many Honduran-based companies, its factory was closed for several weeks. The company’s factory is now back up and has implemented a series of safety precautions to operate in the pandemic world. CLE Cigar Company owner and founder Christian Eiroa along […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: Crux Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Crux Cigar Company, Feature Story, Summer of 20
Crux Cigars has simply been a superstar performer on Cigar Coop. This is a brand that has garnered four consecutive Top 10 spots on the Cigar Coop Countdown including #1 Cigar of the Year in 2016 (Crux du Connoisseur No. 2) and #2 Cigar of the Year in 2018 (Crux Epicure Robusto). In addition, in […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: JRE Tobacco Co.
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments Aladino, Feature Story, JRE Tobacco Co, Summer of 20
Since 2016, when JRE Tobacco Company was officially formed, the brand that has been the workhorse of the portfolio has been Aladino. With the exception of 2017, JRE Tobacco had used the IPCPR Trade Show to do its major launch of the year – and each has seen an Aladino line make its debut. This […]
Summer of ’20 Spotlight: AJ Fernandez Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story, Summer of 20 No Comments AJ Fernandez Cigars, Feature Story, Summer of 20
2020 was a quieter year for AJ Fernandez Cigars. For the past ten years, AJ Fernandez Cigars had utilized the IPCPR Trade Show to introduce many of its major releases. While AJ Fernandez didn’t introduce a new brand, line, or blend in its portfolio in 2020, the company has rounded out a couple of areas […]