The Stogie Guys

Last week we provided no less than five articles featuring coverage of the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. We’ve been covering this event for years—whether it has been hosted in Las Vegas, New Orleans or, as was the case this year, Orlando—with live updates from the convention floor. It was our pleasure to continue this tradition in 2012.

While I didn’t personally attend the event this year (Patrick S and George E did), I can clearly recall the experience of my first IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans. It was as overwhelming as it was fun. Away from the show, where it’s easy to keep your cigar selection focused on what’s available at your local shop, you can lose sight of just how huge the cigar industry has grown. But walking the convention floor, seeing booth after booth of new products, you find yourself wondering, “How will I ever find the time to try all of these new cigars?”

True, some of the cigars that were “released” at the convention have been on the market a while. Others won’t be available for another month or more. Either way, this fall many cigar enthusiasts won’t know where to begin as a bevy of new smokes floods the market and competes for their attention and their hard-earned money. As such, I’d like to offer some advice about what I consider to be the proper post-IPCPR mindset. Here are three tips:

Let us do the heavy lifting. Websites like StogieGuys.com and others that make up the online cigar community go out of their way to acquire, sample, and review new cigars as soon as possible. Instead of trying to immediately smoke new products yourself, read as many online reviews as you can over the coming months. Then, based on what you’ve read from who you trust, make a manageable list of five new cigars that you want to try now. This will reduce the chances of you buying duds.

Save money by being patient. I see it every year. New releases hit tobacconist shelves in the fall and command relatively high prices simply because they’re new. Then, in the winter and the following spring, prices on many of these smokes start to drop as the sexiness associated with “new” starts to fade (and as products presumably don’t sell as quickly as once thought). Remember you don’t have to try new cigars as soon as they come out. Waiting will save you money and enable the tobaccos to improve with age.

Don’t forget your favorite smokes. Call me old fashioned, but every IPCPR Trade Show I like to remind StogieGuys.com readers that you shouldn’t abandon your tried and true favorites just to try new things. In my opinion, wise are the cigar enthusiasts who don’t alter their smoking rotations in September or October. While being patient to read reviews, listen for word of mouth, and wait for prices to drop may sound like a chore, that strategy doesn’t sound too demanding when you consider the fact that you can smoke your favorite cigars in the interim.

As always, I’ll be interested to read your thoughts in the comments below.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Viaje, known to my colleague as “the undisputed king of releasing tons of different cigars in difficult-to-find quantities,” introduced the Summerfest, Roman Candle, TNT, and C-4 not too long ago. Each brings unique physical attributes to the table. The C-4’s contribution is a box-press and closed caps on either end of the five-inch smoke. Once lit, the dark Nicaraguan corojo ’99 wrapper combines with the Nicaraguan binder and filler to produce a bold taste of black coffee, pepper, and roasted nuts. The texture is dry yet mouth-coating. I find tons of flavor with hardly any spice, and the construction is good. I’d fully recommend the Viaje C-4 if the price were in the $5-7 range. But for around $11 apiece, I’m not sure I’ll be seeking it out again in the near future.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This week StogieGuys.com is in Orlando covering the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. Check back throughout the day for updates, and keep an eye on Twitter for even more.

Early AM: Yesterday was George E‘s first visit to any IPCPR Trade Show. Although he won’t be on the floor today, before he left for his home in the Tampa area he wrote up his thoughts on his inaugural cigar convention:

My first trip to IPCPR felt something like a cross between a kid in a candy store and a piñata party. Because not only are there more cigar displays than imaginable, there’s so much you’d never expect.

Like a booth for a seller of canes (a comment on the demographic of many cigar smokers?). And more electronic cigar/cigarette booths than I would have thought possible. Leather finger cases and tobacco pouches. Music from The Cigar Station. Hookah pipes, invariably displayed by provocatively dressed young women. Pipes, rows and rows of pipes. China tobacco. Mexico tobacco.

Did I mention cigars?

There’s much more than I’ll ever be able to see and appreciate in my brief one-day visit. But the highlight was unquestionably the people.

One of my first introductions was to Jerry Cruz of Stogie Review. Jerry and I have corresponded over the years but I never had the opportunity to meet him face-to-face. He’s every bit as funny and engaging in person as he is on video. At an after-hours party Patrick S took me to the night before the convention opened, Steve Saka of Drew Estate and Tatuaje’s Pete Johnson were on hand, as was Skip Martin, owner of CroMagnon, who seems to love nothing more than talking cigars.

At the show’s first day, I was able to chat with some industry types I’d met before, like lawyer and brand owner Frank Herrera, who didn’t have a booth, and Eddie Ortega, who did. I got to sample his Ortega Serie D Natural, one of several cigars I had on my must-try-when-I-finally-see-them list. Terrific cigar.

Obviously, I can’t compare this convention to any in the past. I can tell you, though, that I left with good feelings about the future of the industry. The passion and knowledge exuded by so many cigar makers and brand owners was inspiring, while the varied ages and backgrounds of those attending was encouraging.

I think cigars are in good hands. –George E

Saturday Midday: One of my first visits of the morning was to Altadis, whose booth seemed more lively than in past years. The Romeo stick (which has been out a little while) is certainly a focus, as is the new Montecristo Epic. I was particularly interested in the Ovalado, an oval-shaped smoke (box-pressed but with slightly rounded corners) made by the Turrents, the first family of Mexican tobacco, with a San Andres Habano wrapper, a San Andreas corojo binder, and filler from San Andreas and Nicaragua. It’s the first I’ve seen of a Mexican Habano wrapper. Also of note was the Montecristo local series. We reviewed the New York Edition a while ago, and next up is a Montecristo Texas edition.

Afternoon: Gurkha is introducing two main lines at this show, both made at Abe Flores’ factory where he also makes Pinar del Rio. Ghost comes in four sizes (5 x 52, 6 x 54 , 6 x 52, and 6 x 60) and uses a Dominican criollo ’98 binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers surrounded by a dark, oily Brazilian arapiraca wrapper. Also out is the 125th Anniversary, utilizing Habano wrapper and binder with Nicaraguan, Brazilian, and Dominican filler. Oliver Hyams, at Gurkha, notes the 125th anniversary is of the rolling of “gurkha” cigars, not the company. Gurkha has also created the East India Trading Company to house some of its more value-oriented lines that don’t fit into the Gurkha portfolio. Red Witch, a new line, is the second under the East India Trading Company umbrella.

Afternoon: J.C. Newman introduced Perla del Mar at the show. The cigar is made at their Nicaraguan San Rafael factory where Brick House and El Baton are produced. It features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, with Nicaraguan binder and filler and is priced to be affordable at $4.50-5.95 for the four sizes. In addition to a number of sharp-looking new humidors and matching ashtrays, the other highlighted item was the introduction of the Brick House Maduro, which comes only in the “Might Mighty” size (6 x 60).

Late Afternoon: This may be the last update of the day, as reliable internet access seems to be a rare commodity here. But there are many more details that we’ll be sharing in the coming days, including new releases from Alec Bradley, La Flor Dominicana, A.J. Fernandez, Nat Sherman, La Palina, Room 101, and many, many others. Also, keep an eye on the Twitter feed for shorter updates and more photos.

Check back throughout the day today for live updates from the Trade Show floor as we get the skinny on new products. And feel free to leave a comment on this post if you have a question you’d like us to ask a cigar maker. You can read our previous 2012 Trade Show coverage here, here, here, and here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credits: Stogie Guys

This week StogieGuys.com is in Orlando covering the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to showcase their products and debut new creations. Check back throughout the day for updates, and keep an eye on Twitter for even more.

Friday Early Morning: Yesterday, I sat in on the seminars IPCPR holds before the Trade Show officially opens this morning. First up was the CRA/IPCPR Cigar Politics seminar. Unfortunately, attendance was sparse compared to later sessions, in part because it was the first one of the day. I’d estimate 200 people attended. The big news announced there was that Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) would be signing on as a sponsor of Senate Bill 1461 to protect cigars (and the jobs in the cigar industry) from FDA regulation. While it took him a while to get on board with the bill, his support makes plenty of sense given the number of major retailers (Cigars International, Famous Smoke Shop, Holts, etc…) based in the state. At the Cigarnival festival in Easton, Pennsylvania, held just over a month ago, attendees were encouraged to contact Senator Casey. That personal contact from his constituents apparently worked.

Friday AM: In addition to the seminars, yesterday I went on the show floor as setup was taking place. Seeing the booths makes it clear how much time, effort, and money goes into the show. Some of the setups are literally as complicated as building a small house (and can cost just as much). It reminds you that, at the core, manufacturers are here to make sales that justify the extraordinary cost.

Friday Midday: As Chris Edge told us in our recent interview, he is focusing on relaunching Dona Flor into the American market. Still, Alonso Menendez (a cigar we thought very highly of when it first hit the US market seven years ago) is available for those who ask for it. Further, Chris tells us he will soon be releasing a special Alonson Menendez to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the brand.

Friday Midday: Erneto Perez-Carrillo showed us his newest line Inch, featuring large ring gauges and using a high priming Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The blend, he tells us, uses original Dominican piloto cubano seed tobacco that reminds him of some of the stuff he used when he first launched  El Credito in Miami. He also shared with us a new blend he’s working on that so far doesn’t have a name and will come out in October. In addition, a new annual edition is due out in November.

Friday Midday: Sean Williams of El Primer Mundo is focusing on promoting his new line Hermandad, made in the Dominican Republic at Abe Flores’ (Of Pinar Del Rio) factory. The blend uses a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler. Sean also shared with us his new Clase Reserva cigar, which features a San Andreas wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar is made at El Titan de Bronze in Miami and is limited to 1,200 boxes of 12.

Friday Midday: Eddie Ortega of Ortega Cigar Company said he’s been pleased with how his brand has grown so far – based on the feedback on the Series D, which is available in both Maduro and Natural now. He said coming into the show, his cigars are available in around 150 stores nationwide. He also mentioned two new releases he working on. “The Brotherhood” – which Ortega hopes will be ready in the next few months – will be a cigar where a portion of profits are donated to Wounded Warriors. He’s also working on “Ortega’s Dirty Dozen” that will be a series of 12 limited releases each with its own personality, size and blend. I asked him if he’ll be making these with Pepin (like his Series D line and his previous 601 cigars), and he said that he plans to work with others too, to diversify his lines’ flavor profile.

Friday Afternoon: General Cigar was busy as always, with quite a few notable new releases. On the high end is the Cohiba Ediciòn Diamante ($22 and $25 for the two sizes – 5″ x 50 and 6″ x 54 – respectively). The cigar uses a Cameroon wrapper from 1980 (with a Indonesian binder and Dominican Piloto Cubano filler) and comes in boxes of 10, with 2012 boxes of each made. Another new cigar from General is the new Macanudo Vintage 2006, which uses Connecticut Habano and San Augustine double binders, and was described as the strongest Macanudo vintage release to date. It will hit shops in November and will cost $8.40-$9 each.

Friday Afternoon: General Cigar introduced the second CAO line since the company fully joined the General Cigar family. “Concert” is designed to celebrate the brand’s Nashville roots, and the city’s rich music tradition, hence the limited edition working speaker humidors seen in the photo above. The blend is based on the “C” blend from the Last Stick Standing promotion, but Ricky Rodriguez, the “bro” primarily responsible for the CAO blends, tells me there were 15 different variations of that blend before they ended up with the final Concert blend. Interestingly, Concert comes in four sizes that are all 5.5 inches in length, with four different ring gauges (46, 50, 54, and 60). The cigars will launch with a 30-event tour starting in September (where the working amp humidors will be given away), and will sell for $5.75-7.50 per cigar.

Friday Afternoon: Erik Espinosa (formerly the “E” of “EO Brands”) had a booth set up that had some familiar cigars including some new ones. Just three weeks ago, Espinosa finalized a deal to take the 601 and Murcielago lines back, after Rocky Patel bought a 50% share in the company a few years ago. Espinosa is also launching the new “Espinosa”cigar featuring an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler, as well as “La Zona,” a new value-priced stick. The new cigars as well as the 601 brands will all be made at Espinosa’s new La Zona Factory in Estelí (previously, the 601 lines were made at Pepin’s My Father Cigars factory). Erik says he is working to ensure that the 601 blends don’t change, even as they move to the new factory. A maduro version of Espinosa is in the works, but at least a few months off.

Friday Evening: It was a busy first day on the show floor for us, going from booth to booth. We hit far more than just those booths listed above (nearly 20 all told), but since StogieGuys.com is only on the floor Friday and Saturday, a lot of the information we got will have to come tomorrow or later this week in a followup article. Tonight there are a plethora of cigar parties and events taking place. Meanwhile, continue to check our Twitter feed and stop by tomorrow for more coverage, including George E’s impressions from his first Trade Show.

Check back throughout the day today and tomorrow for live updates from the Trade Show floor as we get the skinny on new products. And feel free to leave a comment on this post if you have a question you’d like us to ask a cigar maker. You can read our previous 2012 Trade Show coverage here, here, and here.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credits: Stogie Guys

Last night I arrived in Orlando to attend the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show, where cigar makers gather to debut their new releases. I’ve attended every year since 2008 and, for the first time, I find myself not in either Las Vegas or New Orleans.

Today I’m attending the seminars IPCPR holds before the show officially opens, including one on cigar politics and another on scotch and cigar pairings. Instead of traditional updates, I’ll be updating the StogieGuys.com Twitter feed. So check back often for the latest. Updates will also appear below (along with my latest photos uploaded via Instagram):

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Tomorrow is the official opening of the 80th annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association Trade Show—the convention where cigar makers from around the world come to debut new creations. This year’s event is being hosted in Orlando and StogieGuys.com will be on site to bring you the latest news as it develops.

Leading up to the big show, we’ve been relaying new cigar announcements to you for weeks. And yesterday my colleague gave summaries and his first impressions of new cigars he has already smoked. Today I disclose a few of the notable 2012 cigar releases that we haven’t already written about. We expect these cigars to be formally introduced in Orlando.

Arturo Fuente

In honor of 100 years of business, the Arturo Fuente Cigar Company is producing limited boxes of Destino al Siglo (pictured), a four-cigar sampler that includes an Opus X BBMF, two Opus X Tauros the Bull, and a Don Carlos Anniversary Edition Double Robusto. Each box comes with a travel humidor, a documentary DVD about the Fuente family, and a photo book. The retail price will be $165. Only 2,012 boxes will be made.

CAO

In the brand’s second year under the General Cigar umbrella at the Trade Show, CAO is set to debut Concert, “a new collection that celebrates CAO’s ties to music and harnesses the legendary energy of Music City.” The line will be sold in four sizes that will retail for $5.75-7.50. It will include an Ecuadorian Habano rosado wrapper with a Connecticut broadleaf binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Paul Garmirian

One of our favorite boutique cigar makers, PG, is launching two new sizes of the Symphony 20th blend: Belicoso (6.25 x 52) and Bombones Extra (3.5 x 46). Suggested retail on these sizes will be $450 and $220, respectively, for boxes of 25. Of particular note is the Bombones Extra, an “old Cuban size from the turn of the century that Paul Garmirian came across in his research,” according to PG.

Montecristo

Altadis is expanding the Montecristo portfolio with a new line called Epic. Dubbed “Vintage 2007” and available in three sizes, Epic will feature an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republuic. The Churchill, Toro, and Robusto will sell for $13-15.

Primer Mundo

Sean Williams of the Primer Mundo Cigar Company will be in Orlando to introduce La Hermandad, a Brazilian arapiraca-wrapped blend made by Abe Flores at Abe’s factory in the Dominican Republic. “The cigar delivers a rich full-body smoke with accents of roasted coffee beans and cocoa,” reads a Primer Mundo press release. “La Hermandad is packaged in a wheel of 24 cigars per box and …will be in the $8-$9 range.”

This brief list is by no means exhaustive. Check back at StogieGuys.com during the IPCPR Trade Show, which begins tomorrow, for much more information about the new cigars that will soon be hitting tobacconist shelves near you.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Arturo Fuente

With the trade show just around the corner (it opens on Thursday), announcements about new releases are coming fast and furious. Instead of our traditional preview article (which would be longer than ever this year), I thought I’d cover some of the new cigars debuting at the show that I’ve already smoked.

Room 101 Daruma

The newest Room 101 blend comes in five sizes (4 x 42, 4 x 48, 7 x 38, 7 x 48, and 5 x 60) ranging from $6.25 to $10.25. It’s an interesting blend containing an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Brazilian mata fina binder, and Honduran and Dominican filler (utilizing corojo, criollo, and pelo de oro tobacco).

My Take: I smoked one in the “Papi Chulo” (4 x 42) size. It has a unique edge to it that’s hard to put my finger on, and it’s dominated by lots of charred oak and clove notes. Definitely full-bodied.

A. Flores Serie Privada

Via press release from Pinar del Rio: “A. Flores Serie Privada will be released with a Habano Ecuador wrapper and a Maduro Habano Ecuador wrapper. Both cigars will be comprised of Nicaraguan Habano binders as well as Nicaraguan Habano and Dominican corojo filler.” The cigars come in 24-count boxes featuring three vitolas with MSRPs in the $9.75-12.75 range: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), and Churchill (7 x 58). The Robusto and Toro are box-pressed, while the Churchill is not.

My Take: I smoked one of the Maduro Habano Ecuadors in the Robusto size at Famous Smoke Shop’s Cigarnival event and thoroughly enjoyed it. I remember noting the medium- to full-bodied flavors with excellent balance.

J. Fuego Edición de Familia 2012

Jesus Fuego gave me the details on the Edición de Familia when I saw him at Cigarnival. The cigar features a ten-year-old sun-grown Sumatran wrapper  around Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos. It is the most limited (150 boxes of 10 in each of the three sizes) and expensive cigar Fuego has released. It won’t ship until November. The 2012 is the first of what Jesus plans on becoming an annual release.

My Take: Great balance in this smoke. I’d put it squarely in the medium-bodied range. It features a little spice, and heavy bready flavors.

Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Papas Fritas

A highly anticipated new release, “Papa Fritas” (pictured with the prototype “Black Rat” and “Big Black Rat” bands) is a Liga Privada-based blend that will sell for around $6 each. It’s a mixed-filler cigar (5 x 53) with a twisted cap. It uses the same broadleaf wrapper as the original Liga (using smaller second cuttings) and a Habano binder. Sixty percent of the filler is “picadora” using the cuttings from Liga Privada cigars, while the rest of the filler is split between viso and ligero.

My Take: Based on the one sample I smoked (given to me during my visit to Drew Estate in May), it’s certainly similar to the LP blend, but it doesn’t smoke exactly like one. I’m not sure if that’s due to the short-filler or the blend, but either way it’s a tasty cigar.

My Uzi Weighs A Ton +11

This is the second MUWAT without a 60 ring gauge (the first being the Baitfish). At $8 each, the smoke (5.5 x 52) will come in packages of ten, similar to the original My Uzi. Reportedly, the blend will be a little stronger than the original, but not as much as the Baitfish “EF” blend.

My Take: While not officially confirmed, I’m almost certain I smoked one of these in Nicaragua (given to me by Jonathan Drew while touring the Joya de Nicaragua factory). For me, it’s the perfect combination (in terms of both size and blend) of the original Uzi and amped-up Baitfish blends.

Recluse by Iconic Leaf Cigars

There’s mystery surrounding this new boutique cigar maker. Its website says “Iconic Leaf Cigar was founded by two very well-known and well-respected legends in the cigar industry [that] have chosen to keep their identities private.” The box-pressed cigars, made with the entubaro method, are being released in ten sizes. They feature a unique combination of a Brazilian wrapper, Cameroon binder, and Dominican filler.

My Take: I’ve smoked the Toro and found it to be a very interesting cigar, heavily influenced by the Cameroon binder. It features cinnamon-like spice and leather. With a very oily wrapper, this is a cigar I look forward to smoking more of.

 In addition to these cigars, read our reviews of the following cigars, each of which are being released at the IPCPR Trade Show: Dona Flor Puro Mata Fina Robusto, Santos de Miami Haven Parejo, and Dona Flor Seleção Robusto. Our coverage of the 80th annual IPCPR Trade Show will start Thursday with live updates.

–Patrick S

photo credits: Stogie Guys