Live Updates From the IPCPR Trade Show (Day 2)

Patrick S and Jon N will be reporting live this week from the 76th Annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show in Las Vegas. Check back regularly for updates throughout the day.

Patrick S (1:00 AM PDT): The floor opens at 10 AM here in Vegas and we’ll be there when it does. For more information checkout yesterday’s updates and also our preview from last week.

Patrick S (10:40 AM PDT): First stop was the giant Altadis section where Janelle Rosenfeld introduced us to to Altadis’ upcoming releases. On the super premium end is the new Romeo y Julieta Museum Edition, a limited release (retailing for $30 per cigar) that comes in a humidor box with a specially-commissioned painting by the 3D artist Charles Fazzio. Altadis is also releasing the “Mi Dominicana” by Jose Seijas, a Dominican Puro that will be available this month and will go for $7.50-9 per stick. Other exciting new relases from Altadis include a new box-pressed Maduro Montecristo called the “Reserva Negra” plus new cigars from the Turrent family and a maduro H. Upmann.

Jon N (10:55 AM PDT): Patrick and I made sure to take the hotly anticipated Cubao out for a test drive this morning. We sampled some very pretty lanceros in a medium-brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. It’s a rustic, but attractive cigar packaged in an equally rustic cabinet with a cool, weather-worn look. We would describe the smoke as medium to full with earth, wood and pepper flavors and a slightly dry finish. The burn is nice and even, and the cigars handle flawlessly. Given the look, flavor, $7 price tag, and Don Pepin’s name, we expect the Cubao to be a big hit.

Patrick S (12:25 PM PDT): Our next stop was at the Reyes Family booth, where Frank Santos told us about their three new lines: Reyes Premier, Reyes Vintage, and Reyes Classic. At his recommendation, Jon and I tried the Classic, which is a mild-bodied cigar made with a natural Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and filler from four different countries. The cigar was toasty with buttery flavors and the construction was flawless. Santos tells us that the decision to release cigars under the Reyes name is partially a tribute to Rolando Reyes who, while still actively involved in the company, recently handed the reigns to his 31-year-old grandson. He says the company will be focusing on its new lines and that at least in the short term any new releases (none are planed immediately) will likely be extensions of the lines with new sizes.

Patrick S (12:40 PM PDT): We also stopped by to see our friend Kinky Friedman. Kinky is debuting a new size, the Kinky Lady, a 7 inch by 42 ring gauge lonsdale. He also recently introduced a bundled line called “Kinksters.”

Patrick S (3:40 PM PDT): After a quick lunch we jumped back on the trade floor and dropped by the good folks at El Tiante Cigars. We’ve favorably reviewed their cigars in the past and now I’ve gotten my hands on some samples of their new cigar, El Tiante 23 Corojo, which they say is their strongest creation yet. The oily wrapper is similar in color to the Maduro line. I also snapped a quick picture with the Boston pitching legend himself.

Patrick S (4:00 PM PDT): After visiting El Tiante we went to see all the new sticks put out by General Cigar. We covered many of the new releases in yesterday’s post, but it seems the most anticipated is the Macanudo 1968, which is the most full-flavored Macanudo to date. Another interesting trend from General is the production of cigars in the thick 6 inch by 60 ring gauge size. A number of their lines, including the new Cohiba Dominicana, come in the new size. They have also completely re-blended and re-packaged the flavored Havana Honeys line (which was recently acquired by General) with a greater focus on quality and consistency. The Hoyo Excalibur Legend is another new smoke by General that we got a look at. The robust blend appears targeted at smokers who may have got their start with the Hoyo Excalibur line, but have moved towards more full-bodied smokes.

Patrick S (8:00 PM PDT): It was quite a day, but it isn’t over yet. Now I’m off to the CAO/Toraño party at The Palms. We’ll be back on the trade show floor tomorrow, so be sure to let us know in the comments what questions you want asked of the top cigar makers out there and we’ll do our best to get you answers.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Stogie Guys