Near the end of day one at the 2019 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, I caught up with Radhames ‘Ram’ Rodriguez, President of El Artista Cigars at their booth. El Artista was showcasing two new introduction this year, The Slugger and the Buffalo Ten. In the video below, we talk about the new introductions, the Read more about IPCPR/PCA News – A Cigar Chat with Ram Rodriguez of El Artista Cigars[…]
Ahhhh one of the most debated topics in the online cigar community, Should I order cigars online from big name websites or should I shop local and support my local Brick and Mortar shop? To answer this question we need to look at the benefits of both so that we can compare the reasons many Read more about Cigar 101 – Should I Order Cigars Online or Buy From my Local B&M? – By Mike Holmes[…]
At this years IPCPR/PCA tradeshow an old face reemerged on the floor, Eddie Tarazona. You may remember Tarazona cigars from a few years ago with his 305, 305 Guerrilla, Revolution 305, and XTC cigar lines. Something New After his hiatus, Eddie is back with a vengeance and this year he brought with him some new Read more about IPCPR/PCA News: Tarazona Cigars[…]
About 21 miles Southwest of Manhattan, NY lies the city of Rahway, NJ. The 3.9 square mile city dates back to 1664 when the English purchased a tract of land from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. Tradition states that the city was named after Rahwack, a local tribal chief. The city lays claim to some notable people Read more about Cigar Lounge: Sticks Cigars – Rahway, NJ[…]
Foundation Cigars has just released a short film on the process of going from Seed to Cigar. The film is a time lapsed view into all the hands that are involved in bringing some of the finest premium cigars to market. According to the release: “Foundation Cigar Company is always exploring exciting ways to shake Read more about Cigar News: Foundation Cigars Release a Short Film – “Seed to Cigar”[…]
The 4th stop on my Independence Day weekend Tri-State cigar lounge tour took me back to my home state and the greatest city on earth; NYC. More specifically – Manhattan Island. I truly love going home – yes Boston Jimmie was born in NYC and I have seen the changes over the years. I left Read more about Cigar Lounge – Harlem Cigar Room – NYC[…]
Take a walk back in time with me as I introduce you to the the Suburban Tavern & Restaurant and Cigar Lounge in Reading, PA. The city, is approximately halfway between the state’s most populous city, Philadelphia, and the state capital, Harrisburg (as well as about halfway between Allentown and Lancaster). It was also the home of the now defunct Reading Read more about Cigar Lounge: The Suburban Tavern & Restaurant and Cigar Lounge – Reading, PA[…]
For those that are interested, here are the official attendance count at this years IPCPR/PCA trade show: Total # of Attendees: 5,462 Total # of Retailer Attendees: 2,085 Total # of Retail Accounts Represented: 771 Total # of Retail Stores Represented: 2,017 Total # of Manufacturer Attendees: 3,043 Total # of Manufacturers Represented: 233 The PCA noted that each retailer badge Read more about IPCPR/PCA News: The Numbers![…]
Wednesday, July 17, 2019 — Washington, DC — The largest manufacturers in the premium cigar industry today filed a joint comment with the Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) opposing the agency’s Proposed Substantial Equivalence (“SE”) Rule, which would require manufacturers to submit to an extensive application and testing regime to keep any “non-grandfathered” cigars on the market. Read more about Cigar News: Largest Premium Cigar Manufacturers Challenge Improper FDA Regulation[…]
At the 2019 IPCPR/PCA trade show I got the opportunity to catch up with Luis Cuevas Jr. to sit down and sample one his newest offerings and talk about whats new. I have known Luis for about 4 years now, originally meeting him on a trip to the Dominican Republic with my good friend Ryan Read more about IPCPR/PCA News: Casa Cuevas Cigars[…]
King of Prussia, an interesting name for a township. It is located in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County. A little research shows the community took its name in the 18th century from a local tavern named the King of Prussia Inn, which was named after King Frederick the Great of Prussia. The small but growing township is home to the largest shopping Read more about Cigar Lounge: Cigar Mojo – King of Prussia, PA[…]
As I noted in a previous post, I trekked up to the NY, NJ, and PA tri-state area over the the July 4th weekend to tour and review a number of cigar lounges. The trip actually started with me flying from Orlando to Newark, where I was picked up by my host Daniel Nina, owner Read more about Cigar Lounge: Mr Stogy’s – Morrisville, PA[…]
During this years IPCPR/PCA Trade Show, I got the chance to chat a little with Oscar Valladares about how his company is growing and what new products he has for the market. For a small company that started just a few short years ago with the famed Leaf by Oscar, a collaboration between Island Jim Read more about IPCPR/PCA NEWS: Oscar Valladares Cigars[…]
Last week I accepted an offer to travel up to the tri-state are of NY, NJ, and PA to visit a number of cigar shops over the long Independence Day weekend. I started the trek at 7 AM July 4th and got back home at 9 PM Sunday, July 9th. In all I traveled over Read more about Cigar Lounge: Stogie Press Independence Day Weekend Cigar Lounge Tour[…]