Cigar Coop

Let's Get Pairing talks pairings with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo PCA 2024 Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-sDr

The 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show again saw Plasencia Cigars as one of the busiest booths. This is no surprise, as the booth has been one of the most popular ever since Plasencia Cigars launched its brand at the 2017 IPCPR Show. In fact, the booth was named PCA's Best Medium-Sized Booth. In addition, the Cigar Coop team recognized Plasencia's booth as one of the top booths. This year, Plasencia showcased a new line extension to its Plasencia 149 line called Cortez. It's a line that CEO Nestor Andrés Plasencia says not only allows his family to showcase some of the best tobacco but puts the spotlight on Honduras as well. PCA 2024 Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-syp

Chazz Palminteri was at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show with his A Bronx Tale brand. 2023 saw Palminteri team up with Epic Cigars’ Dean Parsons and La Casa Grande’s Paul DiSilvio for the first A Bronx Tale release. The original Bronx Tale release was a limited edition. This year, Palminteri and company are launching a new line at PCA 2024 – A Bronx Tale Calogero. While it’s still being done in conjunction with Parsons and DiSilvo, the big difference is Calogero is a full-time regular production line. PCA 2024 Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-svV

Casa de Sueños would celebrate its 5th anniversary at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Casa de Sueños was formed in 2018 by a group of cigar enthusiasts based in California called the LG Cigar Club. They hooked up with the De Los Reyes factory in the Dominican Republic to produce their brands. The name “Casa de Sueños” translates to House of Dreams, which is appropriate for this group that fulfilled a dream of launching a cigar company. Casa de Sueños was a part of the De Los Reyes booth at PCA 2024 and unveiled a special limited edition cigar to mark the milestone. PCA 2024 Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-svx

Tripp and Denis do a pairing with Arnold Serafin at the 2024 PCA Trade Show! PCA 2024 Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-slO

A video of the Procigar 2024 Charity Auction. Michael Herklots was the auctioneer for the evening. A total of $530,000.00 was raised for Voluntariado Jesús con los Niños, the Sociedad San Vicente de Paul, and the charitable initiative “A Home for my Family,” as well other non-profit organizations that are oriented to improve the quality of life of people in need.

In this video, we take a quick glance at the La Aurora farm in Jacagua, Dominican Republic. Video Courtesy of Jay Davis

In this video, we take a short look at machine made cigars at Tabacalera Palma during our Procigar 2024 visit

The White Dinner is one of the most anticipated gala nights at Procigar. Here is some video from the entrance. It was hellcat

Jochy and José Blanco are greeted by chaveta banging at Tabacalera Palmas' "La Galera' (Rolling room)

At the 2024 Procigar Festival, we were greeted with Dominican music and dancing at Tabacalera Palma

Tony Gomez of La Flor Dominican pops the big question at the Procigar 2024 White Dinner.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader Corona Attends Final Gala of Procigar 2024. Cigar Coop founder William Cooper gets a surprise handshake from the President.

Procigar 2024 Field Day - Video by Jay Davis

Following the trip from La Romana, we arrived in Santiago and were treated to a welcome reception.

On day three of the Procigar 2024 festival, we visited the famed Tabacalera de García factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Upon arrival we were treated to some traditional Dominican dancing.

This is a short video of our catamaran trip to Isla de Catalina from La Romana in the Dominican Republic. This was part of the Procigar Festival for 2024.

The opening reception of Procigar 2024 from La Romana in the Dominican Republic (Video by Jay Davis)

A short video driving a golf kart around the Casa de Campo Resort. Casa de Campo was the host hotel of the La Romana portion of Procigar 2024.

The #4 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Black Label Trading Co Deliverance Porcelain Robusto. Black Label Trading Company and its sister brand Black Works Studio are two brands created by James Brown of Oveja Negra Cigars. James Brown has been known for his dark and full-bodied maduro offerings. In 2018 that would change as Brown would introduce a pair of Connecticut Shade offerings: Black Works Studio Killer Bee Connecticut and Black Label Trading Co Deliverance Porcelain. Both cigars would be hits and would both make their way into becoming regular production offerings: Porcelain would join the regular production lineup of Black Label Trading Co in 2019, and Killer Bee Connecticut would become regular production in 2022. Porcelain was originally released in a Corona Gorda size, but a Robusto was added in 2021 and it's the cigar that lands at #4. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rhs

The #8 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Kristoff Guardrail Robusto. The story behind the Kristoff Guardrail is like no other. Kristoff Guardrail debuted in 2022, but the story’s roots go back a couple of years before that. Kristoff owner Glen Case was in Oklahoma and had rented a motorcycle. He was on the road when his back tire gave way and caused him to crash into a guardrail. The accident was severe enough to land Case in the hospital for weeks, followed by many months of rehabilitation – including spending time in a wheelchair. When Kristoff Guardrail was released a couple of years later, Case was fully recovered. Those around him kept the accident quiet, so many were shocked to hear of the accident. Case felt he was given a second chance at life, and this was the inspiration for the Kristoff Guardrail. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-reD

The #11 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Mi Querida Black SakaKhan by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust would launch its third line under its Mi Querida brand, the Mi Querida Black. The cigar was initially released in one size called SakaKhan, which was a nickname given to Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust founder Steve Saka during his days in the Navy. The Mi Querida Black SakaKhan wasn’t exactly a new cigar. It had been released at the end of 2021 as a part of JR Cigar’s 50th-anniversary series when it was simply called the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Limited Edition EM Maduro. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rdg

The #12 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata Vibrato. While it’s distributed by Altadis U.S.A., Aging Room is a brand owned by Altadis’ Director of Product Capability, Rafael Nodal. Aging Room, and particularly the original Aging Room Quattro line, has seen tremendous success. In 2019, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua garnered critical acclaim, including a Top 20 Cigar on Cigar Coop and a Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado. This past year, Nodal introduced a new line, an offshoot of the Quattro Nicaragua line known as the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata. Like many Aging Room Cigars, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata is inspired by Nodal’s love of music. A Sonata is a classic music composition for an instrumental soloist, often accompanied by piano. After the success of the original Aging Room Nicaragua Quattro, Nodal decided he wanted to compose his own interpretation of a sonata, but in the form of a cigar. https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rc6

The #13 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Micallef Black Toro. If there is one cigar company that has made the best use of its Ambassador group, it would have to be Micallef Cigars. The Micallef Ambassadors group is an integral part of providing input to its products. One piece of feedback that Micallef heard frequently from its Ambassadors group is that it needed a cigar that was fuller in terms of strength and body compared to most of the medium strength and body cigars that existed in the portfolio. For the Micallef Black, Micallef incorporated this feedback and developed a blend to on the fuller side. Micallef Black had a soft launch just prior to the 2023 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show and had a full launch at the Trade Show itself. It's the Toro size of the Micallef Black that landed a spot on this year's countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rbP

The #20 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Manolo Quesada 75th Anniversary by Quesada Cigars. On April 10th 2022, Quesada CigarsFounder and President Manuel “Manolo” Quesada turned 75 years old. Commemorating the occasion, Quesada Cigars released a special limited edition cigar dubbed the Manolo Quesada 75th Anniversary. More recently, Manolo’s daughter Raquel has been playing an increasing role in the operations of Quesada Cigars, but according to Quesada Cigars the Manolo Quesada 75th Anniversary was a project specifically blended by Manolo himself. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r8o