Single Region Serie Jalapa (Left) picture with another new release -the Brigade (Right) Back at the 2010 IPCPR, one of my most exciting visits was to the Torano Family Cigar booth. During that visit, I saw a lot of energy and excitement around the recent re-branding of the company and the new releases that were […]
Last year, when I rated the Top 20 Cigars for 2009, I surprised a lot of people by including the Indie Cigar, the Roxor Maduro as my number 7 Cigar of the Year. While this surprised many people that I rated this cigar ahead of the Liga Privada #9 and the Don Pepin My Father, […]
A lot of people who know me know I am a big fan of Esteban Carrera’s Cigars. I would definitely categorize Estaban Carrera’s as one of the Indie Cigar companies. Typically with an Indie Cigar, I look for something unique and special with the line. With this line of cigars, I do believe that […]
La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Magnifico La Aroma de Cuba was introduced as Ashton Cigars’ foray into the value-priced cigar-range (Sticks I categorize in the $5 to $7 price range that I would consider high quality) Over the past year, Ashton worked with the legendary Don Pepin Garcia to re-blend the base La Aroma […]
The Art Deco Gran Toro Nestor Miranda and Don Pepin Garcia are rock stars in the Cigar business. Over the past year, Miranda and Pepin have collaborated on three sticks that are being launched under the Nestor Miranda brand of Miami Cigars – the Nestor Miranda Domincano, the 1989, and the new Nestor Miranda Art […]
The Gurkha Beauty in Action While with recent releases Gurkha has moved to simpler packaging, make no bones about it – packaging is still a big part of the Gurkha marketing plan. One cigar that is been a part of this plan is the Gurkha Beauty. This cigar is the milder fraternal-twin to the Gurkha […]
The La Reloba Sumatra Toro The theme of producing a quality value-priced cigar in the $5.00 – $7.00 range is appealing to both the consumer and the retailer. For the consumer, it’s a terrific opportunity to enjoy a premium stick in today’s tough economy. For the retailer, it means that the cigar isn’t going to […]
As mentioned in Part 11 of Tales from the IPCPR, one key thing I look for in an Indie Cigar maker is to find a cigar that is going to standout and bring something different to the table. For those who follow the Indie Cigar market and have encountered Craig Cunningham’s Esteban Carreras line, they […]
The Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Serie – Toro Double wrapper cigars are nothing new to the cigar business. There have been many successful barber-pole (i.e. Camacho Liberty 2007) and pinstripe (CAO Cigars) cigars that provide a terrific level of complexity. However, 2010 seems to be the year of the combining two different wrappers creating “segments” […]
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 […]
