Ortega Premium Cigars President, Eddie Ortega (From Stogie Geeks Episode 76) Eddie Ortega was our special guest on Episode 76 of the Stogie Geeks podcast and discussed what’s been happening at Ortega Premium Cigars. Ortega is planning on finishing work around his Ortega Wild Bunch 2013 series this month with the release of the last […]
Feature Story: Brun del Ré Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story No Comments Brun del Ré, Feature Story
Brun del Re is a cigar company that operates out of Costa Rica. The company has been in business for well over ten years. In addition to making their blends in Costa Rica, they also incorporate Costa Rican tobacco into their multi-national blends. The company is operated by General Manager Carlos Corazza. Over the past […]
Feature Story: Victor Vitale and Legacy Brands at the 2013 IPCPR
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized 2 Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2013, Legacy Brands, Ora Vivo, Tortuga, Victor Vitale
At the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Victor Vitale of Legacy Brands. I have been familiar with Vitale’s work in the cigar industry, and had only communicated with him via email. When I met Vitale in person, I found someone who has […]
Feature Story: XIKAR at 2013 IPCPR Trade Show
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Accessories, Feature Story, IPCPR 2013, Xikar
XIKAR Xi3 B2 Cutter XIKAR’s big announcement came a little over a week before the trade show when the company announced it was selling its HC and Defiance cigar brands to Cigar International. Part of the rationale for this move was to allow the company to focus on its bread and butter – cigar accessories. […]
Feature Story: Kings Cigars
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2013, Kings Cigars
Kings Cigars is a new company that has come on the scene in 2013. The company was present at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show and at the recent Chattanooga Tweet Up and Cigar Festival. The company has plans currently in the process of launchin three cigar blends in the next few weeks, with an additional […]
Feature Story: Señor Solomon Cigars 2013 (2013 IPCPR)
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2013, Senor Solomon
It was about 18 months ago, when I met with Gershon (Gregory) Aizenman at Cuban Crafters in Miami, Florida and learned about his line called Senor Solomon Cigars. Aizenman along with Cuban Crafters’ founder Don “Kiki” Berger are the two principals behind the company. The unique proposition of Senor Solomon Cigars is that the cigars are certified Kosher for Passover. Senor […]
Feature Story: La Palina Cigars – 2013
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized No Comments Feature Story, IPCPR 2013, La Palina
It was nearly three years ago when I first learned about La Palina. I happened to be in Roanoke, Virginia at Milan Tobacconist and a La Palna event was taking place upstairs at Commonwealth Cigar Club. I had not heard of La Palina Cigars, but I came out of that event and realized this was […]
Feature Story: The KILO Project
William Cooper Feature Story, Uncategorized 1 Comment Events, Feature Story, Miami Cigars
The KILO is a cigar project that was blended by Miami Cigar and Company Assistant Director of Marketing Barry Stein. It is currently a cigar he has worked with several focus groups on. Next week, in Chattanooga Tennessee, Stein will be bringing this cigar to the Chattanooga Tweet Up and Cigar Festival. If the […]
Feature Story and Preview: A Look at Camacho’s “Bold Standard” Campaign and their Revamped Blends
William Cooper Uncategorized 1 Comment 2013 Preview, Camacho, Davidoff, Feature Story, IPCPR 2013
Camacho Cigars has announced a huge rebranding effort that will essentially re-launch their core line brand. The brand describes this as “the most brazen move in their nearly 50 year history“. The rebranding effort not only involves a new logo and new packaging to their cigars, but it will consolidate some of their existing lines as […]
2013 IPCPR Trade Show Preview Part 1: The Five Boutiques to Watch
William Cooper Uncategorized No Comments El Primer Mundo, Ezra Zion, Feature Story, Iconic Leaf Cigars, IPCPR 2013, IPCPR 2013 Preview, Reinado, Viva Republica
Welcome to our 2013 IPCPR Trade Show Preview. During the next five weeks, we will provide a preview into the cigar industry’s biggest event – the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show that begins on July 14th. Over the next few weeks, we’ll have a weekly preview from an industry standpoint. In between, expect lots of announcements […]