Kurt Van Keppel had a lot to show us in the Xikar booth at IPCPR 2017. To start off with, there are four new colors of the XO cutter, which debuted at last years trade show. The new colors are Black on Black, Orange, Gunmetal Honeycomb and Red. The Honeycomb finish is an interesting process […]
IPCPR 2017: La Flor Dominicana
We met up with a very optimistic Antonio Gomez in the La Flor Dominicana booth at IPCPR 2017. He was quick to note how much more upbeat the atmosphere of the trade show was this year as compared to last. Of course, by the time we talked to him, they were on their second day […]
IPCPR 2017: Davidoff
In the Davidoff booth at IPCPR 2017 we met up with Charles Awad to take a tour of their latest products. He starts us off with the Winston Churchill The Late Hour. The cigar is a reference to the way Winston Churchill spent his late evenings. Charles tells us in the dark hours of the […]
IPCPR 2017: Royal Agio
The setup for Royal Agio was a little different at IPCPR 2017. When we met up with Boris Wintermans to talk, we did so in their own, dedicated booth. It marks a big change for Agio, this is their first year with their own organization in the U.S., and the beginning of a direct strategy […]
IPCPR 2017: John Drew Brands
While we were making the rounds, we stopped at the bar in the center of the Drew Estate Booth (beneath the new tower) to sample some spirits and talk to Frank Moreno, National Director of Brand Development for John Drew Brands. If it were up to me, I would have been happy to grab a […]
IPCPR 2017: Drew Estate – ACID & Larutan
In the opposite corner of the Drew Estate booth from Pedro we met up with Fabien Ziegler (aka Dirty Fabian) to talk about developments in the ACID department for IPCPR 2017. He revealed his devious plan to rock everyone’s world by introducing a Blue line blend with a candela wrapper leaf. Do not adjust your […]
IPCPR 2017: Drew Estate – Undercrown Sun Grown
We talked to a different personality in each section of the Drew Estate booth we visited at IPCPR 2017. Holding court in Undercrown territory was our old friend Pedro Gomez. After some friendly chatter, Pedro brings our attention to the new Undercrown Sun Grown. This extension to the Undercrown brand features an Ecuadorian Sun Grown […]
IPCPR 2017: Debonaire House
In another section of the Drew Estate booth we talked to Philip Zanghi, founder of Debonaire House about he brought to IPCPR 2017. Because this is his first time talking to us on camera, he starts us off with a quick introduction to the Debonaire House product line. First is Indian Motorcycle, which he describes […]
IPCPR 2017: Joya de Nicaragua
Once again this year, Joya de Nicaragua held court over a sizable section of the massive Drew Estate booth. We caught up with a very busy Juan Martínez to get the IPCPR 2017 scoop. He starts off by telling us that Joya de Nicaragua is turning 50 next year, and they’re very excited about that. […]
IPCPR 2017: Drew Estate – FSG
This is the interview I’ve been looking forward to doing ever since I learned Florida Sun Grown tobacco existed on a Cigar Safari trip years ago. You might know Jeff Borysiewicz as the founder of Corona Cigar Company in Orlando, Florida, or for his involvment with CRA. But today we’re talking to Jeff Borysiewicz, the […]