Weekly Cigar News Sampler: IPCPR Gets Fired Up, Japan Passes First National Smoking Law, New Cigars from CAO and Hoyo, and More

1) The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) 86th Annual Convention & International Trade Show, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, wrapped up on Tuesday. The event, which featured the debut of hundreds of new cigars and cigar-related accessories to over 5,000 attendees (up 3% over 2017), was interrupted by an electrical fire on Sunday morning as a sprinkler system kicked on and impacted the booths of 14 exhibitors. There were no injuries. The trade show floor was scheduled to be open that day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. but, because of the fire, it remained closed until 1 p.m. (and stayed open two hours later). Ironically, the tagline for the event this year was “Get Fired Up.” The 2019 and 2020 IPCPR Trade Shows will take place at the Sands Expo at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The Sands Expo last hosted the event in 2016 and had been considered the de facto IPCPR home for a decade. In the past, other host cities have included New Orleans and Orlando.

2) “Japan on Wednesday approved its first national smoking ban inside public facilities, but the watered-down measure excludes many restaurants and bars and is seen as toothless,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “Japan often has been called a smokers’ paradise. Until now it has had no binding law controlling secondhand smoke… The new national law bans indoor smoking at schools, hospitals and government offices. Smoking will be allowed at existing small eateries, including those with less than 1,076 square feet of customer space, which includes more than half of Japanese establishments.” Patrick A visited Japan a decade ago and wrote about his experience here.

3) CAO this week debuted CAO Nicaragua. While the blend actually uses Honduran Jamastran wrapper and binder leaves, the filler is 100% Nicaraguan with a combination of tobaccos from the country’s three primary growing regions. The blend comes in three sizes (Robusto, Corona, and Toro) all retailing for under $7 per cigar.

4) Hoyo de Monterrey and A.J. Fernandez continue their collaboration with Hoyo La Amistad Black. The third A.J.-made Hoyo uses an Ecuadoran Sumatra Oscuro wrapper, Mexican binder, and Nicaraguan Habano filler leaves. It comes in three sizes: Rothschild (4.5 x 50, $7.29) Toro (6.5 x 52, $8.09), and a box-pressed Gigante (6 x 60, $8.49).

5) Colibri is celebrating its past and present with a 90th Anniversary Set that includes engraved “London 1928” and “New York 2018” custom artwork on both sides of the V-Cut and Rally cutters. The cutters will sell for a suggested retail of $128 for the set, or $59 for the V-Cut and $69 for the Rally.

6) From the Archives: Back in 2013, IPCPR proposed a consumer day at the Trade Show that traditionally has been exclusively for the cigar industry, not consumers. No such consumer day ever actually occurred.

7) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items (think fine bar accessories, shaving kits, workout gear, and more) delivered for just $45. Of note is the Churchill box, which features four exclusive cigars, an ashtray made of reclaimed wood, an odor-eating candle, cedar spills, and a cutter. Once you are signed up, there is no obligation; you can skip or purchase each month. Sign up now to be eligible for the August box.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: IPCPR / General Cigar / Colibri