We can put another IPCPR Trade Show in the books. The 2014 International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailer convention was a huge success, not just for us, but the entire industry as well. There was a lot of discussion on the legislative side of things. Thankfully we have folks like Marvin Samel of Drew Estate and Bobby Newman of JC Newman Cigars willing to take the fight against over regulation to Washington D.C. It seems like more and more folks in our industry get involved with the important work of fighting to keep it alive and that is definitely a good thing.

Now I didn’t fly all the way to Vegas and spend nearly a week there to report to you on the goings and comings of Washington lobbyists. As important as that battle is right now, I am sure you want to hear about all the juicy details of our trip and, of course, the new products we have coming in. As far as everyone in our groups’ behavior on the trip, I can only say that we worked hard during the day and had a good time in the evenings. The cigar business is about relationships, more so than in any other industry. Although everyone may compete against each other for dollars, if we all don’t stand together we will certainly all fall together. Spending time with each manufacturer is very important. The men and women who make these cigars want to know your true feelings, they want to know how they can improve what they do. This requires lots of conversations and cocktails.

As far as the new items we have coming in, I have mentioned most of them in my previous four blogs this week. We have added Ashton Cigars to our humidors. They are an established, big selling power brand that will have a nice representation in our stores. We also added some more boutique brands, such as Kristoff, Christian Eiroa and Room 101. For you folks who love the big ring gauges, just wait until you see the 80 ring gauge we have coming. It is a full inch and a quarter in diameter and should take just under a week to smoke it.

One of our new cigars from Ashton

An 80 ring gauge Ogre coming to an ABC near you

We also added some items with local flair that will initially be placed in the markets in which they are produced. For those in South Florida, we have added the Casa Fernadez Miami. The tobacco is imported here to the states in bulk and the cigars are then rolled in a factory located in Miami, an absolute rarity today. We also added a cigar line from Orlando’s Fred Rewey. Fred is a great local guy who has a passion for creating a quality cigar at a fair price. He absolutely refuses to cut corners and it has resulted in a great product with a rapidly growing cult following. We are proud to get involved with the Nomad Cigar Company and those in the Orlando market along with a few other key ABC locations will soon be able to find his cigars in our humidors.

It was week of great cigars and even better people. I wish we had the room to expand even more but our humidors can only hold a limited number of sticks. We will continue to expand our selection, but if there is something you don’t see in our stores please ask. We did pick up several new items this year based on requests from our guests.

Thanks for following along this week. I can’t wait until next year when the show will be in New Orleans. I guess it is time to put a little hot sauce on the cigars.

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits North Florida regional manager, Certified Tobacconist and Cicerone Beer Server

Follow me on Twitter @abccigarchris.