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 2016: Drew Estate
Jonathan Drew can be a hard guy to track down at IPCPR, and a tour of the all the new products in the Drew Estate booth would be difficult to accomplish without numerous interruptions from customers and fans. Everyone’s looking for a few minutes of Jonathan’s time. So we took the pragmatic approach this year, […]
Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 93
It’s been a little while since I posted a week in smoke. With all the travel and video editing, I really got into the moving picture groove. But today, I feel like talking with my fingers. Before you get that restraining order, I mean by way of typing and some quick picture editing. Good thing […]
IPCPR 2015: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Though samples of his cigars were not ready for IPCPR 2015 and his booth was poorly located, Steve Saka “Catador de Puros” of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust was busy shaking hands and filling orders. It took a few visits, but Ben and I managed to secure a good chunk of time with him at trade […]
IPCPR 2015: Drew Estate & Joya De Nicaragua
We mixed it up this year at the Drew Estate booth and talked to both Jonathan Drew and Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca at the same time using their built-in media stage. Jonathan Drew got us started by talking about the importance of the relationship between Drew Estate and Joya De Nicaragua. From there Dr. Cuenca […]
Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 55
It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), […]
Senorial Corona Gorda No. 5
Jose Blanco, formerly of La Aurora and Joya de Nicaragua, has brought out his own cigar called Senorial. This cigar is the first from his new cigar company, Las Cumbres Tabaco, and was released in June 2014. Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Binder: Esteli, Nicaragua Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Dominican Corojo This cigar was extremely well made and the […]
Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 48
It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), […]
The Box-Worthies: Brian’s Top 10 Cigars of 2013
With 2013 now safely behind us it’s time for a top ten cigar list for 2013. I know what you’re thinking, “Top ten cigars? Whatever can that be?” Here’s how it works: What follows is a list of cigars that I most enjoyed smoking in 2013. I’ve numbered them for your convenience, but get this- […]
Brian’s The Week In Smoke, Issue 36
It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), […]