No trade show coverage is complete without chat with Pete Johnson at his usual place behind the bar in the Tatuaje booth. This year we lucked out and caught Pete on the first day, which was the day following the premier of his passion project, Hand Rolled: A Film About Cigars. So we get started […]
IPCPR 2017: Crowned Heads
We caught up with a slightly tired Jon Huber in the cozy Crowned Heads booth nearing the end of day two at IPCPR this year. He shows us the popular new Four Kicks Maduro, which is the same blend as the original Four Kicks, except with a Connecticut Habano wrapper. Jon mentions another extension to […]
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 […]
Jose Blanco 12/2/16 Interview
Jose Blanco was one of the people we missed at this year’s busy trade show, and that’s something that has been bothering me ever since. So when I heard he was going to be in the area doing a blending seminar, I made a point to grab my handy GoPro and brave Atlanta traffic to […]
IPCPR 2016: Complete Digest
And our IPCPR 2016 coverage is complete. It took us a little longer to get everything posted, due in large part to our decision to switch our gear and software out all at once. But it all worked out in the end. We didn’t talk to everyone we wanted to interview, but we never do. […]
The FDA Update with Frank Herrera – 8/30/16
In the latest episode of The FDA Update with Frank Herrera we talk about the August 16th order issued by the judge in the case Philip Morris brought against the FDA. The opinion rendered applies to the guidance documents the FDA provided with regard to Substantial Equivalence (not the actual deeming regulations), and looks to […]
IPCPR 2016: 26 Minutes With Pete Johnson
No IPCPR is complete without another episode in the growing Minutes With Pete Johnson series. This year we met up with a slender Pete behind the bar in his 2016 Best In Show booth. It seemed more like he was tending bar in his shiny new booth than selling cigars. (He was behind the bar […]
The FDA Update with Frank Herrera
We interrupt our regularly scheduled IPCPR coverage to bring you an update on the legal state of the cigar industry now that the dreaded August 8th effective date has past. If you caught our interview with Frank at IPCPR 2016, you know there was the possibility that this date might be pushed back. And that’s […]
IPCPR 2016: Herrera Esteli
Willy Herrera is always a lot of fun to talk to, and I always look forward to our time hanging out in the IPCPR hallway like problem students skipping class. This year Willy gave us a look at the new Herrera Estelí Miami line extension, which is a new blend that’s being made at El […]
IPCPR 2016: Frank Herrera (aka Cigar Law) on the FDA
In this video we sit down Frank Herrera, a lawyer and long time friend of Stogie Review to discuss what the impact of the FDA’s May 5th deeming regulation announcement on the cigar industry, particularly the boutique portion of it, from manufacturer on down to the consumer. (Spoiler, it’s going to affect everyone.) Along the […]