IPCPR 2010 – Show in review
This year makes it 3 RTDA/IPCPR shows I’ve been lucky enough to attend. Every year I come back with way more knowledge about the industry and a reaffirmation that the cigar reps, owners and other attendees are mi familia. There is a brotherhood and sisterhood that is bound together by cigars that is really special. Every booth I visited was like visiting a family member by the way we were received by cigar companies. Also, this year was especially good because I was able to meet many of my fellow cigar bloggers and other enthusiasts that I talked to almost daily on forums, like CigarWeekly and Cigar Asylum, and Twitter. The Stogie Review guys and @ChiefHava put on an awesome herf called the Twitter Brother of the Leaf Herf that was spectacular. They gave away “Press Kits” to the first people to sign up which was loaded with new cigars from the show from many different retailers. It was one of the highlights of my trip. Another great thing about the show was the ability to sit and talk to several people like Steve Saka, AJ Fernandez, Avo Uvezian, Frankie Santos, Carlos Diez, Matt Booth, Tracie Southern, Bill Paley, Victoria McKee and the General Cigar crew, Rick Rodriguez, Dion Giolito, Pete Johnson, Jonathan Drew, Carolina Phillips, Patrick Vivalo, Robert Villalobos, Nestor Miranda, Jason Wood, Edward Simon, Andre Farkas, Allan, Ian and Josh from Oliva and many others. Just in the 10 minutes I got to spend talking with Drew Estates Steve Saka, I felt like I gained years worth of knowledge. Its exciting to see all the new cigars coming out, at great price points also, for the cigar consumer. I’ve posted several interviews from IPCPR that give you some great information on the new cigars. You will see some of these in upcoming reviews so stay tuned. I created a slide show of the new cigars coming out. Hope you enjoy.
La Flordita Fuerte
Today Brian and I are firing up the La Flordita Fuerte Toro. This cigar is made by Nestor Plasencia for Famous Smoke Shop and becomes the third addition to the La Flordita line of cigars. The La Flordita Fuerte features filler tobacco from both Nicaragua and Honduras and is wrapped in a Habano Viso leaf. We first tried this cigar while at the Famous Cigar Expo and soon after made plans to buy a box. Since then Famous provided us with a few samples which we smoked for this review. Check out the video and find out what we think of the La Flordita Fuerte.
Name: La Flordita Fuerte
Company: Nestor Plasencia for Famous Smoke Shop
Made in: Honduras
Wrapper: Habano Viso
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran Habano
Price: $82.99/box
Comes in: Box of 20
Vitola: Toro (6″ x 50)
Quick Ash: Cabaiguan Petite
Hey folks! Back with a “Quick Ash” review for you this week and today I have the Cabaiguan Petite from Tatuaje. I reach for these sticks when time is limited and I need to get away for a short time. I look for small cigars that carry the full gambit of flavor and complexities of their larger brothers and sisters. Lets see if this Cab Petite meets my desires…
Press Release: LA GLORIA CUBANA SERIE N
Richmond, VA—Team La Gloria Cubana is proud to unveil La Gloria Cubana Serie N®, a wholly new collection custom made for the initiated.
A sister brand to the critically-acclaimed La Gloria Cubana Serie R® collection, La Gloria Cubana Serie N debuts into a lofty position. This new, four-cigar collection delivers in spades by marrying proprietary Nicaraguan tobacco with the brand’s signature Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. Through artisanal blending and by employing specific frontmarks to maximize the unique flavor, this stimulating, full-bodied offering is punctuated by spicy notes and balanced to reveal a refined smoke.
La Gloria Cubana Serie N is the brainchild of Yuri Guillen (General Cigar Dominicana’s production manager of manufacturing) who developed this new collection in concert with Benji Menendez, Michael Giannini and Rick Rodriguez, collectively known as Team La Gloria Cubana.
According to Debo Mukherjee, vice president of cigars for General Cigar, parent company of La Gloria Cubana, “In creating La Gloria Cubana Serie N, our intent was to provide tenured smokers with a flavorful powerhouse of a cigar, one worthy of its pedigree, and I believe we have delivered that in spades. We are confident that consumers will respond to the new taste dimension brought forth by the proprietary Nicaraguan tobacco.â€
La Gloria Cubana Serie N is sure to capture the attention of tenured smokers, for its fire-engine red, hexagonal wooden box, replete with a gold Serie N logo opens to reveal an eye-catching angular configuration of 24 of the handcrafted cigars.
This striking new collection will debut in October with four exciting new frontmarks. The JSB (5 ½†x 54) will be available for a suggested retail price of $6.35 per cigar, while the Rojo frontmark (6 ½†x 46) will sell for $6.20 per cigar. Generoso (5 ¾†x 49) will carry an SRP of $5.95 per cigar, and Glorioso (6 ½†x 58) will sell for $7.00 per cigar.
La Gloria Cubana cigars are produced by General Cigar Co. Inc., which manufactures and markets handcrafted cigars for the premium market. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar also produces Macanudo, Cohiba®, Partagas® Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur®, La Gloria Cubana® and several other leading premium brands. In addition, the company grows its own premium Connecticut Shade wrapper tobacco, as well as natural and candela wrapper in the Dominican Republic. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists nationwide. For more information, please visit www.cigarworld.com.
® La Gloria Cubana Serie N, Serie R, Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.
