Cigar Coop Prime Time Show

Cavalier Genève has focused on expanding its portfolio to include new brands such as Inner Circle and Tres Delincuentes for the past few years. Still, at PCA 2025, the focus turned back to the eponymous gold diamond line. This year, Cavalier Genève introduced a new blend featuring a Broadleaf wrapper. In addition, this line features a different concept for how it is being released. In addition, once again, Cavalier Genève has its signature limited edition release. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wtM

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show saw Altadis U.S.A.'s Romeo y Julieta take center stage. Having covered the PCA Trade Show for 15 years, I can honestly say that I have never seen an exhibit quite like the one for Romeo y Julieta. Although Altadis U.S.A. was my "company" going into the Trade Show, I didn't expect to witness something at the level of Romeo y Julieta. Their exhibit was essentially a booth within a booth, showcasing the rich history of this iconic brand. The highlight of the event was the celebration of Romeo y Julieta's 150th anniversary, marked by a special cigar crafted for this significant milestone. This cigar features a unique blend of tobaccos from Altadis and its partners that has never been seen before. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wrt

Toscano Cigars is always one of our favorite booths to visit at the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, and 2025 was no exception. It's not just about seeing what's new, but with Toscano, you get a piece of Italy and, in particular, Italian cigar making. Brand Ambassador Michael Cappellini has a wealth of information, and he reminded us that Toscano has been around for a long time. In fact, Toscano produced cigars through two World Wars - an amazing feat in itself. As in the past, Toscano took a cigar roller to the show. This allowed visitors to see the unique process of making a Toscano cigar, which differs from other companies. Cappellini said this is a snapshot of what occurs in their Lucca, Italy, factory. Of course, Toscano had something new to show - the fifth installment of the Master Aged series. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wro

At the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Miami Cigar & Company introduced a new brand in its portfolio called Outcast Cigars. Miami Cigar currently has the Nestor Miranda, Tatiana, and Don Lino brands. While Miami Cigar is no stranger to contemporary branding, Outcast takes things to a different level with this release. It's a distinct look and a different type of blend. Consequently, Outcast fits with Miami Cigar's mantra of "taking their own route." Company founder Nestor Miranda has always done things his way, and Outcast is another example. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wqb  

For PCA 2025, La Gloria Cubana turned to an old friend for its signature release. For the past couple of years, we have seen La Gloria Cubana work with some experimental tobaccos and a crowd-sourced project. At the same time, La Gloria Cubana has been a brand looking to reconnect with its roots. First, there was the La Gloria Cubana Eighth Street, which saw La Gloria Cubana return to making a cigar in Little Havana for the first time since Ernesto Perez-Carrillo owned the brand. La Gloria Cubana now turns to Ernesto for an all-new regular production line called Los Gloriosos. This cigar was shown off at the Forged Cigar Company booth at PCA 2025. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wq0

Stolen Throne Cigars'  theme at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show was quite simple - Baltimore. Owner Lee Marsh is from the Baltimore area, and his affection for the city is well known. First, Marsh has created a cigar for the 150th edition of the Preakness Stakes. The race is the second leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. The race is held at Pimlico Park, located in Baltimore, Maryland. Second, there is the new Castle 919 cigar that pays homage to the place where Marsh grew up in the Baltimore metro area. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wpk

Although the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show didn't feature as many new releases as Kristoff has in recent years, it was certainly not a quiet year. The 2025 PCA Trade Show would see the grand unveiling of Kristoff's revamped packaging across its portfolio. That was announced in 2023, and while Kristoff already moved a few lines to the new packaging, 2025 would see the lion's share of the portfolio transitioned. In addition, once again, Kristoff would have a PCA Exclusive cigar to offer. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-woX

Montecristo was one of many brands being showcased by Altadis U.S.A. at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. The year 2025 marks the 90th anniversary of the Montecristo brand, a milestone that coincides with the celebrations of its sibling brand, Romeo y Julieta. To avoid overlapping festivities, Altadis U.S.A. has chosen to concentrate on Romeo y Julieta's remarkable 150th anniversary at PCA 2025. Nonetheless, Montecristo will have its moment in the spotlight later in 2025. In the meantime, Montecristo isn't being overlooked. Altadis has recently unveiled its latest prominent release, the Montecristo M, along with a few special editions, including the Montecristo White Series Diadema and the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Heirloom Ceramic Jar. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wos

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show was the second for Nick Fusco and El Mago Cigars. El Mago's story has been well-documented. Fusco created the cigar company as a tribute to his grandparents, Maria and Gonzalo Torre. Both tragically died together on June 24, 2021, in Miami, Florida, when their building, The Champlain Towers, suddenly collapsed in the middle of the night. When he established the company, Nick became the youngest owner of a premium cigar company at age 23. El Mago is a company that has gained a lot of momentum and has landed in several key retailers quite quickly. At this year's PCA,  El Mago added a new core line and is taking on a line of flavored cigars to distribute. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wo3

While La Aurora has long been a staple at the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, the 2025 edition was the third one since La Aurora set up La Aurora USA. La Aurora USA was not only set up to be La Aurora's distribution arm in the U.S. markets, but it was also set up for La Aurora to renew its commitment to the U.S. market. At PCA 2025, this commitment was higher because the two new products reflect that theme. Judging by the booth's bustling activity at PCA 2025, many of La Aurora's customers are also excited about this. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wnw

Diesel was one of several brands being showcased by Forged Cigar Company at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Ever since STG moved Diesel out of the catalogs and made it a brick-and-mortar brand, it has been a brand that has gotten a lot of attention. The brand focuses on bold smokes with a variety of different lifestyle themes. This year, Diesel came into PCA 2025 with two limited cigars to launch. The themes would be the Kentucky Derby and barbecue. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wmo

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show saw HVC Cigars showcase a pair of tenth-anniversary releases. These were not cigars for the company's tenth anniversary, as that release came out in 2023. Instead, Reiner Lorenzo showcased tenth anniversary releases for two of the earliest HVC lines: HVC La Rosa 520 and HVC Edición Especial 2015. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wlm

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show (PCA) saw E.P. Carrillo rebrand its company to Casa Carrillo. The name change is the next step in an overall transformation of rebranding that started in 2024 when the company rebranded its factory from Tabacalera La Alianza to Casa Carrillo. While the company is rebranding, the existing lines of E.P. Carrillo, INCH, and Perez-Carrillo are not changing their packaging. At the same time, Casa Carrillo had two new things to show off - including Lissette Perez-Carrillo's project and the fourth installment to the Essence Series. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wlf

Domain Cigars was one of several companies making their first trade show appearance at PCA 2025. Domain Cigars is a partnership between Esteban Disla and Daniel Lance. Disla is widely known for his tenure at the Nica Sueno factory, while Lance is an entrepreneur from the cigar business’s retail side. Together, they own Domain Cigars and are partners in their Nicaraguan factory, Tabacalera Familia Disla S.A., as well as in Tobacco Brokerage and their farms. This structure allows them to operate as a fully vertically integrated business, managing production from seed to store. Although Domain Cigars did not launch a new product at the show, it was an important opportunity for them to present their offerings to numerous retailers. In addition, the operation is quietly building an all-star team. Recently, the factory has established a “residency,” bringing in two industry veterans to join the team: Kevin Baxter (formerly of Asylum) and Disla’s brother Raul (formerly of NACSA). However, perhaps most importantly, D

The 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show was a very important one for J.C. Newman Cigar Company. This year, the company is celebrating its 130th anniversary in grand style. Therefore, the company showcased five new offerings at the Trade Show. J.C. Newman is very proud of its heritage, and perhaps there is no better storyteller and visionary than Drew Newman, who sat down to talk with our team and go through the lineup of products for 2025. As in previous years, J.C. Newman brought along a replica of its El Reloj factory located in Tampa, Florida. Interestingly, J.C. Newman produces cigars in three countries: the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and the United States. This year, each of these locations unveiled a new release from J.C. Newman, all of which pay tribute to the brand’s rich heritage. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wk1  

For Prime Time Episode 340, we are honored to welcome back Justin Andrews of Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) as our special guest. There is always a lot of activity at STG, and now with the 2025 PCA Trade Show complete we have a lot to talk about. Plus we will have our Alec Bradley Live True, Altadis Ties That Bind, FSG Beef, Espinosa This Day in Sports History and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Industry Deliberation segments.

Partagas was one of several brands being showcased by Forged Cigar Company at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show.  Quietly, Partagas has been emerging as one of the more innovative brands since STG shifted it into the Forged Cigar portfolio in 2021. Since then, we've seen Partagas add its first Connecticut blend, Partagas Cortado, and its first San Andres Maduro, Partagas Valle Verde. More recently, we have witnessed Partagas begin to collaborate with other factories. This started in 2023 with the El Titan de Bronze release on Partagas de Bronce. This year at PCA 2025, Partagas unveiled a new collaboration with Tabacalera William Ventura - Partagas Y Nada Mas Santiago. At the same time, this cigar marks a major change in direction for the Partagas brand. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wiP    

While Plasencia Cigars is always one of the busiest booths at the PCA Trade Show, 2025 took things to another level. This year, Plasencia Cigars had a significant release with Alma del Cielo, and the company hosted a major launch event at their booth. Plasencia Cigars is no stranger to major trade show launches. In 2017, Plasencia hosted a major launch event at IPCPR to introduce its brands. While Plasencia has released many cigars, this is the first launch event since then. Plasencia pulled out all the stops - not only were there presentations by Nestor Andrés Plasencia and Interim CEO Jim Young, but a performance by renowned R&B/Soul artist October London also highlighted the unveiling. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-wiH    

There were quite a few changes at the Global Premium Cigars booth at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. For starters, CEO Enrique Sanchez was joined by his new Chief Growth Officer, Jaime Florez-Estrada, a veteran of the cigar industry. On the cigar front, the 1502 brand is going through a substantial repackaging. Finally, there was a new blend - a Connecticut Shade offering under the Cachitos brand. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-whn

Officially, the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show was the first since Raquel and Patricia Quesada assumed day-to-day leadership of Quesada Cigars. While Raquel has been a face of the company in recent years, Patricia has now returned, and together the sisters are continuing the legacy of the Quesada name. Full PCA Report: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-whd