IPCPR Day 1

July 19, 2015

Yes my friends, it is the first day of the 2015 International Premium Cigars and Pipe Retailer trade show.  IPCPR is the oldest and largest organization that represents tobacco retailers.  Their tradeshow has been occurring once a year for over 8 decades and has become the ultimate event for tobacco buyers.  This is the time where all of the manufacturers lay out their newest lines for that year.  Think of it as a smoking New York Auto Show. It is like Christmas for members of the cigar industry. Everyone is so excited to see the new products and to show off their new toys, it is a terrific blend of business and pleasure.  One of the greatest characteristics of the show is that it is closed off to ordinary consumers.  It is strictly for retailers and manufacturers.  This makes this event a very coveted occasion and a sort of dream for me for a number of years.  Today was my first day on the floor of the show and I was like a kid in a candy store.  I couldn’t stop from gazing at the amazing setups of some of these cigar giants like Davidoff, Padron, and Fuente.  Some of these booths are extremely luxurious and showy in order to draw in new clients.  However, it takes more than just a flashy booth to make an impression at this event.  You need to have an outstanding product at a good price and that’s available for retailers as soon as possible.  Let’s take a look at some of the new products our buying department has picked up so far.

  • Davidoff Escurio- This cigar is one of the most anticipated releases of the year.  The Davidoff Escurio will join their black labeled cigars such as the Davidoff Nicaraguan, which was the talk of the town last year.  It’s a medium to full bodied cigar and uses a very bold blend of tobaccos.  Its dark oily wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano.  It’s wrapped around a delicious Brazilian criollo seed binder and vintage Dominican and Brazilian long filler.  The name Escurio is meant to evoke the emotion of a night in Rio.  It is the first Davidoff to utilize Brazilian tobacco.  It will be offered in three sizes: A petite Robusto, a Robusto, and a Gran Toro. The MSRP will be $8.50, $15.95, and $17.90 respectively.
  • Caldwell Cigars Blind Man’s Bluff- It has been a huge year for Robert Caldwell.  Since last year’s show, his brand has blossomed into one of the most sought after boutique cigars on the market.  He enters this year with a new line titled Blind Man’s Bluff. What’s unique about this smoke is it was crafted in Honduras at the Agroindustrias Laepe S.A., the same factory as the famed Camacho. They utilize an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Honduran Criollo binder, and a blend of aged Dominican, Criollo, and Honduran ligero long filler.  It will be available in 3 sizes: a Robusto, a toro, and a 6×60.  The MSRP is $7.50, $8.50, and $9.50 respectively.  Coming off of a recent 91 rating in Cigar Aficionado magazine, let’s see how this new smoke holds up.
  • Futuro by Warped and Casa Fernandez– Kyle Gellis is the new young prince of the cigar world.  He debuted at last year’s trade show and has taken the industry by storm.  This year, he is debuting a new project with which he collaborated with Casa Fernandez. It has a Nicaraguan corojo 99 wrapper, a criollo 98 binder and a mix of corojo 99 and 98 long filler.  Expect it to be quite spicy but with that usual smooth floral taste of a Warped.  It is available in 2 sizes: The Seleccion 109 which is a 6 x 52 and the Seleccion Supreme which is a 5 5/8 x 46.  The MSRP is in the $9.00 range.  I am very excited so see the combination of these two great companies.
  • La Imperiosa – By Crowned Heads Get ready for an amazing cigar that’s now in a new package.  The highly successful release of the Las Calaveras EL 2014 from Crowned Heads has made them determined to make that blend into a regular production line.  Enter the La Imperiosa.  It uses the same great Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper and vintage Nicaraguan long filler as its predecessor.  It will be sold in 4 different sizes: Corona Gorda (5 3/4 x 46), Magicos (4 1/2 x 52), Double Robusto (6 3/8 x 50) and Dukes (5 1/2 x 54).  MSRP will be between $8.25 to $9.75.  Its back baby!

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