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Old 08-05-2012, 01:07 PM   #1
TommyBB
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Mowee's In Absentia IPCPR Reports.

Since Mowee blogs for JR, now, he can't really post here, as well. So being the nice guy I am, I'll infringe on copyright and post his blog entries here, since I'm not at the IPCPR Show, either.

Quote:
IPCPR Day One by Frank Seltzer


Orlando is simply a wonderful place to be in the summer. Ok not really, but it is the place to be for cigars this weekend as the 80th annual International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association trade show gets underway.



As we noted earlier this week, a record 1361 booths are covering the convention floor. It is a daunting task to try to get to everyone. Over the next few days we’ll try our best…but we will likely miss some people. We did notice many cigar makers are limiting their new items to brick and mortar stores only.



This morning we began the day at SAG Imports/ MATASA, which makes the Fonseca, among others. Their newest entries for retailers is the Quesada Jalapa—which we noted several weeks ago. This is a very tasty spin-off from the Quesada Espana that is sold in Spain primarily hence the name. The blend is the same as the Espana, with the exception of the wrapper that comes from an experimental 2002 crop grown in the Jalapa region of Nicaragua.



The company also is adding to its popular Oktoberfest lines of the Uber (6” x 65) and the Bavarian (5.5” x 52) with the Kaiser Ludwig (6” x 49), Das Boot—a torpedo –(6” x 52) and the Kurz (4” x 50). The company also unveiled its last in the Quesada Q D’Etat series. The line is a symbolic protest against the FDA’s intrusion into the premium cigar arena. The previous releases were the Molotov and the Howitzer…the last entry is the Daga at $9.75 MSRP. Look for them to show up in your favorite local store in the coming months.



Drew Estate is continuing to grow. Newly named CEO Steve Saka says the factory is producing around 90 thousand cigars a day, and needs to expand to be able to do more. From Drew Estate there is the new Corona Viva that we have talked about. The Viva is a 5.625” x 46 corona, which Saka says turns up the Undercrown blend a notch. The flavor is terrific look for this in your local store at about $7.25. Another stronger addition the toe My Uzi Weighs a Ton or MUWAT line is the Baitfish—the 4” x 44 smoke packs a punch and runs $6.35. The other new MUWAT is the +11 that is a 5.5” X 52. Saka’s favorite smoke right now is the new entry to the Liga Privada line – the Papas Fritas – or as Saka says the World’s most expensive fuma. Sold in a 4 pack for just under 6 bucks a cigar, the little 4.5” x 44 sandwich cigar has great flavor. The story behind it is that for years Drew Estate has segregated the clippings from the Liga Privada line and used them in the less expensive mixed filler cigars they made. The trouble was sometimes the blends were great, other times not so much. So now, all of the clippings are sorted by hand, re-cut and then re-blended to deliver a Liga Privada taste in a mixed fill cigar.


Willie Herrera


Willie Herrera, who has been with Drew Estate for about a year now, is coming out with his new cigar for the company called the Herrera Esteli. The cigar looks very Cuban in its presentation. The cigars were only there for show because they are not ready yet. Both Willie and Steve say the cigars might come out in November, or sometime next year. Whenever they are ready, they will be released.



Drew also released the Cuenca Y Blanco cigar line from Joya de Nicaragua named for the president of Joya Dr. Alejandro Martinez Cuenca and Joya Senior VP Jose Blanco. It is the first collaboration between the two and the result is a solid medium plus cigar with a complex character. The debut party will be tonight.



Others with lines for retailers only were AKA- American Kick Ass cigars that come in three primary lines, the Hybrid, Respect and Solace. Hybrid is a medium bodied Honduran; the Respect is a bit full bodied and is named for branches and military traditions of the service with a portion of the profits going to the Wounded Warrior Project. The company introduced its new Connecticut Solace at the show.



Longtime Davidoff cigar maker Hendrik Kelner, Junior –the son of Hendrik Kelner who remains with the company—has gone out on his own. Operating from a small factory in Licey just outside Santiago, Henry has come up with a small production cigar named Smoking Jacket. He is also doing some private label production for Europe and plans to slowly expand next year.



Wholesaler Santa Clara is releasing two new lines for local retailers only called appropriately enough Brick and Mortar. A Honduran made line, the cigars have a blend of both Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos with a Nicaraguan binder. The cigars are finished in either an EMS Habana Criollo or a maduro San Andres Morron wrapper. The come in four sizes from Robusto to Churchill. And the company will soon be releasing a Dominican made cigar using Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos with a Dominican binder and an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper.



Crowned Heads—the company that was born when CAO moved from Nashville to Richmond and founded by Jon Huber and three other CAO veterans—unveiled its newest today, the Headley Grange. Headley Grange was built in 1795 as a poorhouse in Headley, East Hampshire England but is probably best known as a recording studio in the 1960s and 70s. It was here that Led Zeppelin recorded “When the Levee Breaks”. The song was the inspiration for the cigar, asking Ernesto Perez-Carrillo to make them a cigar that is “big, bold and gutsy”. The Headley Grange will be only 1,000 boxes for this year in one size (5.5” x 52) but next Spring four more sizes will be added.



The winner of the tackiest idea for a cigar band goes to APS Distributors.


Tackiest F*(*&(*% Band
They have a stick called Great (fill in the blank) Cigars. It is said to be a premium long fill cigar running about 2 bucks each. But the band is one that may take you a second….then it hits you. Really??? Yup really.

We’re here all week, try the veal. More posts every day on what’s going on at IPCPR.



This entry was posted on Friday, August 3rd, 2012 at 8:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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Last edited by TommyBB; 08-05-2012 at 01:10 PM.
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