On the last day of IPCPR 2017 we stopped by to talk to Bill Paley about the latest in the world of La Palina. Based on our conversation with him at last year’s trade show, we weren’t surprised to hear La Palina was bringing a several new lines to the market. The first of the […]
IPCPR 2017: EP Carrillo
We always enjoy talking to Jose Blanco, this year at IPCPR 2017 we caught up with him in the EP Carrillo booth. He tells us Dusk and La Historia are flying off the shelves and the new Short Runs (Nicaragua and 2016) are selling well too. And despite lower attendance, EP Carrillo’s sales numbers are […]
IPCPR 2017: Southern Draw
It was a challenge carving out a little time to speak to Robert Holt of Southern Draw at IPCPR 2017. His uniquely cozy patio-like booth was always full of people either doing business or relaxing. Probably a little of both. We start our chat with the Jacob’s Ladder, Southern Draw’s new double maduro, double ligero […]
IPCPR 2017: Gurkha
Picking up the last leg of our IPCPR 2017 coverage, we stop by the huge Gurkha booth to get the latest from Eddy Guerra. Eddy gets us started by showing us the new tubos for Cellar Reserve 12, Cellar Reserve 15 and Royal Challenge. This development is a response to long time customer demand, and […]
IPCPR 2017: Island Lifestyle Importers (And Giveaway)
We dropped by the Island Lifestyle Importers booth again this year at IPCPR to talk to Ryan Frailing about cigars and the latest Tommy Bahama-themed accessories. He tells us that last year was really a soft launch of their product lines to brick and mortar retail shops around the country. This year it’s game on. […]
IPCPR 2017: Cornelius & Anthony
Picking back up with our IPCPR 2017 coverage after a short intermission last week, we talk to Steven Bailey of Cornelius & Anthony. Since this is our first time talking to him, he gets us started with a little company background. His family has been growing tobacco in southern Virginia since Cornelius Bailey planted his […]
IPCPR 2017: Casa Fernandez
It’s been a while since we talked to the Casa Fernandez people at IPCPR, so we made a point of checking in with Max Fernandez this year. As with years past, Casa Fernandez shared a nicely sized booth with Warped Cigars. And much like Kyle’s side of the booth, their part was looking sharp. Max […]
IPCPR 2017: Micallef
Newcomer to the industry and the IPCPR 2017 trade show, Al Micallef really set out to make a splash with an expansive booth for his eponymous Micallef Cigar company. To start off the interview, Al tells us how he met his partners, the Gomez Sanchez Family about a year ago. He was so impressed with […]
IPCPR 2017: Wild Fire Ladies Cigar Society
You never know who you’ll run into walking the aisles of IPCPR. This year we ran into Brenda Scott of Wild Fire Ladies Cigar Society, and Justin and I thought it’d be fun to have a quick chat her about her group of cigar enthusiasts. They’re based out of the Dallas-Forth Worth area of Texas, […]
IPCPR 2017: Cigar Oasis
The Cigar Oasis booth looked (and sounded) a little different when we met up with Chaim Kohn at IPCPR. That no doubt has to do with this being Cigar Oasis’s 20th year in business. Chaim takes us on a quick product tour, starting with the Cigar Oasis Excel, the product that started it all. Then […]