Our next stop was Oliva’s booth to get the scoop on the new Gilberto Oliva Reserva, the first new cigar line from Oliva since the Serie V Melanio back in 2012. (It’s hard to believe the Melanio has been out that long.) Two Gilberto Oliva Reserva blends are being released, one with an Indonesian wrapper […]
IPCPR 2017: Adorini
Adorini humidors and cigar accessories never fail to impress. This year Torger Brunken had a number of interesting products to show us. The first was the Chianti Rosewood humidor (MSRP $337) with three drawers and a humidifier that cleverly hides behind the drawers. We also see the the precise and fast-acting synthetic hair hygrometer in […]
IPCPR 2017: Veritas
As we were walking the aisles of the trade show trying to figure out where our next appointment was, Pizza Mike grabbed us and said we needed to have a chat with Chris Weber of Veritas Cigars. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time arguing with a guy dressed head-to-toe in […]
IPCPR 2017: J. Fuego
We always try to make a point to stop by and talk with Jesus Fuego for a while. This year he got started by telling us that everything they produce is now made at the factory they opened up last year. Which includes the reintroduced Gran Reserva, which is the first cigar they ever released, […]
IPCPR 2017: Warped
Up next on our interview marathon through IPCPR 2017 was Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars. I was quick to note that while his beard was still very full bodied, the man-bun of last year had been replaced with a more medium to medium-full haircut. From there we talk a little bit about how long Kyle […]
IPCPR 2017: Padilla and Cuervo y Sobrinos
This year we got started with our long time friend Ernesto Padilla. In recent years, Ernesto has had a fairly modest booth at the IPCPR trade show, with his latest cigars the main focus of the booth. This year he did a 540 with his booth design, a flashy overhead sign replacing the familiar backdrop, […]
CAO Amazon Fuma Em Corda Robusto
CAO released a cigar called the Amazon Basin in 2014 to much fanfare. I was never able to get my hands on one, though and, to be honest, I thought it was a gimmicky cigar. Fast forward to 2016 and I was able to get my hands on the 2016 release of the cigar at […]
Southern Draw Quickdraw Pennsylvania Panatela
The first cigar I ever tried from Southern Draw Cigars was the Kudzu Gordo. As most of you know, I’m not a fan of the big ring gauge cigars, but Robert Holt, owner of Southern Draw Cigars, just asked me to give it a chance. The blend on that cigar was tweaked just for that […]
Coming Soon: IPCPR 2017
Let me ask you a personal question: Do you like free cigars? Odds are you do. My scientific, peer-eschewed research indicates 9.5 out of 10 people prefer their cigars to cost nothing. The other guy? He got so excited he scribbled all over the survey, broke his pencil and then fell out of his chair. […]
Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf Maduro Ilustre
I can’t believe it’s been about six and a half years since I reviewed the original Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf with the sun grown corojo wrapper. I declared it box-worthy back then (also in 2016), and still stand by that verdict. I also stand by my liberal use of the tribal textile in my pictures […]