This year, we decided to give you a tour of the show through the pictures we took while we were there. Some are of new items, and some are just things we thought were interesting. These manufacturers were not sharing booth space, we just combined them into a single slideshow due to the number of pictures we had from each.
"Loved it, perfect way to wind down after a day of screaming kids and dealing with broken cars. I don't drink much so I compare flavors to what would pair well with my drink of choice which is coffee, and let me tell you, this was a perfect match. Only issue I had was, I wanted another. Great smoke, great experience." -Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
In a "strategic alliance agreement," Altadis U.S.A. will begin distributing the products from Boutique Blends Cigars, a company owned by Rafael Nodal, his wife, Alina, and partner Hank Bischoff—and Nodal has accepted a position with Altadis as well. Starting June 5, all orders for brands such as Aging Room, La Bohéme, Oliveros and other cigars by Boutique Blends will be taken and fulfilled through Altadis and its sales team.
Altadis has announced the latest in the Aging Room Quattro line: Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata. From his early classical music studies, Rafael Nodal, Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA, has always been fascinated by famous sonatas. “Beethoven’s Moonlight and other sonatas from Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Rachmaninoff among my favorites,” he says.
2021 Marks the 50th anniversary of JR Cigar, and to celebrate they are releasing the Romeo y Julieta Edicion Limitada...
Altadis U.S.A. released the Trinidad Espiritu in July of 2019. Now, over a year later, they are releasing a followup cigar in a new blend, Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2. The original Espiritu actually had Series No. 1 on the band, but that kind of went under the radar. The original scored a 91 in our blind test.
JR Cigar introduces the second blend of the JR Pure Origin line, Terra de Andes, available from November 1. This unique cigar, crafted with rare tobaccos, tells the story of South America's Andes Mountains.
This was by far my favorite new cigar from IPCPR this year and one of my favorites overall this year. This was so smooth and buttery and the flavors were always balanced and great. It had just the right amount of spice throughout. The flavor profile and aged tobacco flavors I found are usually unique to Cuban cigars. It was full flavored and complex with lots of transitions without being overly powerful. The price is a bit steep, but I will be buying a box of these, no question. I give this a personal score of 96 (Extraordinary).
The award-winning lineup of Aging Room cigars (Altadis U.S.A.) will get some welcome additions at the 2018 IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas. Among these new cigars will be the Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Core Series. This cigar collection is an expression of artistry from Aging Room founder Rafael Nodal. Aging Room cigars are intended to show a commitment to small batch production, and use fine aged tobaccos.
"From beginning to end this cigar performed like a rock star. The transitions in flavors from section to section kept my interest and the flavors were exactly what I look for in a cigar. Cocoa, baking spices, leather, and salted nuts all worked in unison to create a truly enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend this cigar to anyone. Thanks for the chance to smoke it!" -Kevin J. (maninblack77)