Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka (Left), Executive VP Nicholas Melillo (Right) When it comes to Broadleaf tobacco, there is a prevailing feeling that Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco is the finest in the world. There is no doubt that Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka and the team from Drew Estate believe this. Recently, we were in Esteli, […]
Feature Story: General Cigar Company Freshness Packaging
General Cigar Freshness Packs General Cigar Company has a foil-lined freshness package that is aimed at several of its larger selling lines. The packaging is meant to lock in humidity and be air tight with the ultimate goal of delivering “fresh from the factory floor flavor“. At the same time it protects a cigar […]
Feature Story: A Discussion on Fire Curing of Tobacco
Tobacco leaves prior to curing (Cigar Coop Photo) Recently, the announcements of the MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured and Leccia Tobacco Black have put a new phrase into many cigar enthusiasts’ lexicon – fire curing. Both of these releases will make use of tobacco that undergoes this process. While fire cured tobacco is not something new, […]
Feature Story: Changes at Joya de Nicaragua
2013 marks the 45th anniversary of Joya de Nicaragua cigars. This is a company rich in tradition and history. Over the past four years, there have been many changes at the Joya de Nicaragua Cigar Company. It is perhaps the past few months that have been the most dynamic in terms of these changes. These […]
Feature Story: Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka Talks Nica Rustica
Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka(Cigar Coop Photo) Nica Rustica is a new line that is currently being planned by Drew Estate. In the 3/2/13 edition of our Cigar Week Wrap, we noted an interview Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka did in which he discussed the project. Recently, we caught up with Saka at the […]
Feature Story: PDR Cigars at 2012 IPCPR
Flores y Rodriguez Habano – on display at the PDR Cigars booth at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show At the 2012 IPCPR, PDR Cigars showcased their new blends at their booth. The new releases from PDR Cigars had been announced before the show, and some had been rolled out to retailers. At the show, I […]
Feature Story: Oliveros/Boutique Blends at the 2012 IPCPR
At the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, Oliveros Cigars hosted a media session for several members of the online media. The session covered two main areas:1) An understanding of some of the company’s restructuring, line consolidations and repackaging; 2) A walk-thru of the new offerings (and existing offerings for those not familiar with […]
Feature Story: Nat Sherman at IPCPR 2012
Michael Herklots in action at the Nat Sherman booth at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. Over the past 15 months, an evolution has surfaced at Nat Sherman Cigars. In particular this was evident at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. I managed to get some time with Michael Herklots at the Nat Sherman booth. My time […]
Feature Story: Illusione at IPCPR 2012
Illusione Ultra OP No. 9 One of the big questions I got from many folks from the IPCPR Trade Show was: “what was new from Illusione?”. Illusione brand founder, Dion Giolito made a decision to not unveil anything new at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. Giolito chose to focus on his recently released brands, the […]
Feature Story: Jonathan Drew Explains Achieving Consistency in the Cigar Production Process
Earlier this month, we officially launched the Cigar Coop Video Channel on You Tube. The intent of this video channel is to supplement the content on this web-site. From time to time, we will include some of the content on this web-site that we feel is relevant to the mission of this web-site. The following […]