Back From New Orleans
The annual IPCPR trade show is in my rearview mirror. I’m back in the office (along with the rest of the Cigar Aficionado staff), and I’m beginning to sort through my notes from the show.
I hope you followed along on our social media accounts while we were in hot, humid and always exciting New Orleans. We were busy on Twitter (@CigarAficMag, @DavidSavona, @af_nagy) and we did quite a bit on Instagram, our newest social media expression. With cigars being a visual medium, Instagram is a great way to show off the new cigars. (Our Instagram accounts go under the handles @CigarAficMag, @DavidSavona, @af_nagy and @ohwellallright).
I know some in the industry groused about going to New Orleans, but I truly enjoy that city. It’s alive with music and energy, the people who live there are proud of their home, and the food and drinks are hard to beat. I fell in love with a succulent dish of rich cobia collar at Peche Seafood Grill, and a quick sandwich at Cochon Butcher prepared me for a long afternoon and evening of smoking cigars. I stayed at the Hotel Monteleone, a beautiful, old property in the French Quarter. It has a rotating bar with talented bartenders, and I enjoyed the occasional Hemingway Daiquiri and Vieux Carré to end the night.
As I recently marked 20 years at Cigar Aficionado magazine, and had the good fortune of joining the company about a week before my first trade show (which was then called RTDA) this was my 20th year of going to the show. For me, it’s not only about finding out what’s new, it’s catching up with dear friends in the industry, many of whom I have known for the entire 20 years.
The show floor is vast, and people are busy during the IPCPR, so there are always people I miss. I might stop by their booth when they are somewhere else, or I could catch them when they are busy with a customer (they are there, after all, to write orders). I never get to spend as much time with everyone I wish to, and there’s always someone I just never connect with. That’s just the way it is.
There are many, many fine cigars heading your way soon that made their debut at the show. You’ll read all about them here, and in great depth in Cigar Insider, our twice-monthly cigar newsletter. That’s also where you’ll see the first ratings on these new cigars.
So it’s great to be back. Check out our coverage of the new smokes on this website and in our newsletters.
