TPE2021 Overview
Blanco Cigar Company Press Release regarding the appointment of National Sales Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Blanco Cigar Company would like to announce the addition of Mr. Ken Mansfield as the National Sales Director, effective 01 June 2021. “We are excited to add such a dynamic personality and manager to our team and feel Ken will provide immense value to the company, enhancing customer service policies and procedures in addition to developing the sales force throughout the Continental U.S. We would like to welcome him and his family to Blanco Cigars as we look forward to a long and prosperous future together”, says David A. Blanco, President and Founder of Blanco Cigar Company.
Continue reading Blanco Cigar Company Press Release regarding the appointment of National Sales DirectorRocky Patel Interview at TPE21
Single Source at TPE21
TPE Opening Night Party
In case that link doesn’t play due to copyright issues, here is one without music.
United Cigars at TPE21
Stallone Cigars at TPE21
Vorieo at TPE21
Tabac at TPE21
Los Caidos at TPE21
Rockafeller Art of Magic at TPE
John Hays at TPE21
Casa Cuevas Edicion Limitada Mandarria Habano
This looks to be a very well crafted cigar. The smooth Habano wrapper stops about 1/2” from the foot, which has rich aromas of earth and fruit. The cap sports a nice pigtail. The cold draw is perfect. Also, this one has at least two years of humidor time. Today’s beverage is a Yuengling Black & Tan.

The initial flavors are medium bodied and earthy/sweet, only tasting the binder and filler. The ash is mottled grey and the burn is uneven, as you would expect from just binder.
Warped Guardian of the Farm Apollo (6×44)
The Lonsdale is one of my favorite parejos. Tonight’s selection is from Warped Cigars, one of the pre-eminent boutique cigar brands. This specimen has a beautiful medium brown wrapper with a couple of veins showing. The foot has aromas of fruit and honey. Tonight’s beverage is a 903 Java the Hutt rye/coffee stout. The cold draw is a bit tight.

Initially strong, the flavor profile has coffee notes with a cherry sweetness. The retohale is smooth with a light dusting of white pepper. The burn is mostly even. The coffee notes in the ale are medium and complement the coffee in the flavor profile. A very good pairing.
In the first third, the flavor profile continues to have coffee and cherry notes with a loamy base. The retohale loses some but not all of the pepper notes. The ash is mottled grey and fairly solid. The burn is diagonal, almost to the point of canoeing.
Alec Bradley Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro Limited to 1000 Boxes and Exclusively for PCA 2021 Retail Attendees
| Press Release- Alec Bradley to Present Limited Edition Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro at Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show in July Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro Limited to 1000 Boxes and Exclusively for PCA Retail Attendees Fort Lauderdale, FL – May 20, 2021. Alec Bradley Cigar Company announced today that they will be presenting the Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro as an exclusive for retail attendees of the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show at the Sands Convention Center, Las Vegas, July 9-13, 2021. Not only are the Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro cigars exclusive to PCA retail attendees, but they will also be limited to a 1000, twenty-four count box production. According to the company, the Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro line extension is an homage to the original launch of the Magic Toast line. Alec Bradley first presented Magic Toast as a “Mystery Release” ahead of the 2018 International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) trade show, (now PCA). No information about the line was divulged prior to the show, making the much-anticipated release an exciting perk to attendees – Alec Bradley’s way to help incentivize retailers to attend. At the show, tobacconists were introduced to three traditional round sizes of the Magic Toast line: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 52) and Gordo (6 X 60). Alec Bradley would later introduce a fourth round size, the Magic Toast Chunk (4 1/2 X 60) in September of 2019. The upcoming limited edition Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro will be the first square pressed vitola in the line. |
“The Premium Cigar Association and this trade show are very important for the future of our industry,” said Alec Bradley founder, Alan Rubin. “With the Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro, we are presenting something special for the retailers that are in support of our industry and this trade show. Now, more than ever, it is important that we stick together as one unified industry, and the PCA trade show is the best vehicle to achieve this.” The Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro features filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua; a double binder, one Nicaraguan and one Honduran; and a silky smooth dark natural wrapper from Honduras. As the name suggests, the cigar also features a rigid box press, making the cigar square in shape. The 6 x 54 ring gauge limited edition Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro is being presented in a handsome 24-count box, which will feature a “guarantee seal” indicating PCA 2021 attendee exclusivity. MSRP has been set to $11.00 per cigar (before any applicable taxes). Alec Bradley estimates that the cigars will ship to tobacconists in late Q3 of 2021. Sale of the cigars are limited to US retailers. Magic Toast Box Pressed Gran Toro is being rolled at Alec Bradley’s Raices Cubanas Factory in Danli, Honduras. |
Esteban Carreras Unforgiven Corona
This cigar has a dark, oily wrapper. There is an aroma of sweet, rich tobacco from the foot. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a Yuengling Lager.

Dunbarton and company booth at TPE
Drew Estate Unveils Undercrown 10 to Commemorate its “Decade of Dedication”
Drew Estate is commemorating ten years of Undercrown with the global release of Undercrown 10, a bold new ultra-premium addition to Undercrown’s current premium lineup of Maduro, Shade and Sun Grown expressions.
To celebrate the brand’s anniversary in 2021, Drew Estate is getting “All Dekked Out,” a tag line that denotes Undercrown 10’s elegant packaging and reinforces the pride of Undercrown’s ten years of excellence. The new, sophisticated packaging is surpassed only by Undercrown 10’s complex, rich and bold blend of ultra-premium aged tobaccos that includes the highest priming of Mexican San Andres dark wrapper, the very finest Broadleaf binder from the Connecticut River Valley, and a tripa blend of select and rare Nicaraguan tobaccos.
Continue reading Drew Estate Unveils Undercrown 10 to Commemorate its “Decade of Dedication”CAO Mortal Coil Arcana
This is a very attractive cigar with a smooth Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The foot has aromas of very dark cocoa. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a pour of Corralejo Reposado Tequila with a Topo Chico back.

Room 101 Super Strike Corona
This is a very smooth medium colored cigars with a very smooth wrapper. There are very light tobacco notes in the foot. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a Shiner Bock.

Oliva Serie V Melanio Robusto
This cigar has a very smooth dark wrapper. The aromas from the foot are earthy. The cold draw is perfect. Tonight’s beverage is a Yuengling Black and Tan.

TPE educational sessions address cigar legislation

As the TPE International Trade Show approaches, TPE is putting out information about impending tobacco restrictions. They hosted experts from TMG and NATO to speak about their work to lobby the federal and state governments.
They spoke about the health of the industry during a pandemic. Some manufacturers closed shop but sales increased in the second half of 2020 to make it a good year for cigars. Right now, the big issue with sales is back orders but speakers reported that most manufacturers are up and running and are working their way to get back.
BILLS in 2021
Continue reading TPE educational sessions address cigar legislationLounge Review: The Leaf Affair, Killeen, Texas
In a shop that was a little out of the way for us but well worth the trip, The Leaf Affair in Killeen, TX lived up to the hype.
Continue reading Lounge Review: The Leaf Affair, Killeen, TexasLounge Review: Blue Smoke Dallas, Texas
A really cool shop located on Mockingbird lane close to Love Field. This is a great shop to visit.
Continue reading Lounge Review: Blue Smoke Dallas, Texas