Since IPCPR is in full swing (scroll down for the rant), and I have a full physical inventory at work tonight that has been taking up a lot of my time this week, I figure it would be a great time to have a contest. I also was anxious to share some of these Don Juan Calaveras cigars, and I always like sharing my buddy Kevin’s Cigar Props and Lighter Bleed Tools. Now, the Cigar Prop and Lighter Bleed Tool are Cigar Prop’s legacy products! Kevin has been expanding his product offerings with some really unique and different materials lately, but I’m old school and love the traditional materials. Read on for the contest details:
Included (for now, you never know what else I might add), are two each of the Don Juan Calavera in Sumatra and Maduro from Danli Handuras Tabacos. You can read my thoughts on these cigars here. They have recently added an English translation to their website, and Their cigars run $175 a box of 20 and can be bought directly from them by contacting them through their website or Facebook page. So you can check to see if they are definitely 6″x52, I’m including a Herics Cigar Tape measuring tape to use to measure cigars. I reviewed this handy item here. Of course, you’ll want to Give Your Cigars the Props they Deserve© with an original Cigar Prop from CigarProp.com, and you’ll also want to treat your butane lighters right by using the CigarProp Lighter Bleed Tool every time you fill your lighter. I use the Bleed tool all the time, it’s preferable to jamming some foreign object like a screwdriver into the fill valve of your expensive lighter and risking damage to it and ruining your lighter as it’s purpose built to do the job. I can’t fathom not using one of these. I think Kevin would have sent me more stuff to give away if I’d have asked him, maybe for the next giveaway 😉, but I had these here and I don’t like to ask. So, leave a comment on this post for a chance to win, and I’ll select a winner at random next Sunday, July 7, 2019. Muchos Gracias to Danli Honduras Tabacos, Cigar Prop, and Herics for the goodies in this contest!
A Little Rant
I have to do a little IPCPR rant. I relinquished my IPCPR Media membership several years ago for a couple of reasons. I was a member in good standing for five years, which means I paid my dues, which were the same as the dues would be if I owned a retail store. A retail store owner received more benefits for that membership, and the trade show admission is always positioned as free with your membership. Given that there are no real benefits of membership to the media other than trade show admission, this translates to me as an expensive trade show ticket. Travel expenses, time off work, I spent a lot of years busting my ass running around for very little return on investment, and quite a bit of frustration from the organization I was spending time, money and effort trying to promote. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself to some extent, and love spending time with a great many friends I’ve met in the cigar industry, but it wore me down so I no longer felt the desire to spend my vacations covering the IPCPR show. I still receive e-mails from the IPCPR, and the day before the show started I receive an e-mail addressed to “Our Valued Media Members” asking that we (the media) make appointments and limit interviews and try to do interviews outside of the show hours. Basically they are saying that the retail members are there to do business with the manufacturer/distributor members, so we don’t want the media members getting in the way of that. OK, now, if the IPCPR were issuing press passes to the media for free entry to the show (like many other trade organizations), I wouldn’t have a problem with this request, a day before the show is stupid, we’re supposed to make appointments now?. The time for that was months ago, when, by the way, those of us who have done this before had already made our appointments. They are now asking paying members to not do the only business that they are able to do on the show floor. There is zero chance to do interviews after the show floor closes with any but a few cigar people. After a long day on the show floor, the exhibitors just want to go to their rooms and decompress, clean up and get ready for the long night ahead, and maybe get some rest for the long next day. They aren’t looking forward to a group of camera wielding cigar media people swarming the exits ready to pounce TMZ style because they are discouraged from doing the business that they are paying to do on the show floor. I know a few manufacturers who look forward to the show specifically to connect with the media. It’s just one more blatant slap in the face of media by the IPCPR, who hasn’t wanted them there from the get go, and only tolerated those who ponied up the cash, as long as they toed the line. I was a proud member for several years, and fought with them for a lot of privileges, but none of it was worth the aggravation, it seems. It might be just as valuable for me to go to Vegas while the show is underway and hang out at the Circle Bar in the Venetian after show hours, or go to the Tobacco Plus Expo next year. I guess that wasn’t that little of a rant…
That’s all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
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Thanks for the contest
Awesome contest! Those cigars sound fantastic.
Haven’t as yet had these cigars. Thanks for the contest.
Thanks for a chance at another giveaway.
Thanks for the contest. I enjoyed your thoughts on the IPCPR and their treatment of the media.
Cool idea. Thanks for the chance to win!
I’ve always enjoyed your commentary Craig, on the show floor or insight after walking the dog.
This makes zero sense…treat the media like dirt but have a CigarCon next year? If they want the retailers and manufacturers to conduct business and inhibit media coverage having consumers day is counter intuitive. Cannot wait to hear how much of a disappointment next years show will be.
I’ve never been to any of the large cigar events, let alone IPCPR, however one would think the vendors there would have someone on hand (even if it means bringing an extra body along) just to do interviews and deal with the media.
I mean, as a business, I would want as much free advertising as I could get for a product. However I suppose that makes too much sense these days.
One day perhaps I’ll check it out for myself
I keep the travel cigar prop in my wallet. Beats setting my cigar in an ashtray where other cigars have set. Never fails to get comments too. Strangely, have never picked up the original cigar prop. The bleed tool might just be the best thing to hit the cigar world in years. Never worry about damaging an expensive lighter, or even a cheap one. Cheers!
Kevin at Cigar Prop claims that the “C” in the XC (the name of the travel prop you refer to) is for CigarCraig…
GREAT CONTEST! Never had those sticks, so keeping my fingers crossed.Also would luv to get some of Kevin’s swag 😁. Thanks…..😁😁
Haven’t as yet these cigars, but I love to try , thank you for contest !! And stay smokey!!!!
As always, I’m game, looks like a very interesting package, thanks.
Thanks for another great contest! I miss your IPCOR coverage! I always enjoyed it.
I noticed you stepped back on the IPCPR thing. I can definitely appreciate your viewpoint. Surely there must be a way to reconcile these issues. Or do the other press folks just use the show as an opportunity to hang out and party? I think it must be doubly frustrating for you, since this is a sideline, not a full-time paying gig. Well, it’s a loss to all of us.
It would seem that the PCA (IPCPR) management is out of its mind and they may well be, but not likely. When some see change like this happens in an organization the best way to understand the decision making process, unless it’s some kind of power-grab or personal vendetta, is to “follow the money”. This is a “retailers association” so why is a manufacturer delivering the message on why Cigar-Con is good for you? Now it makes sense, Rocky is also a retailer with his Burn lounges… Two words “vertical integration”. Manufactures going around the retailers and directly interacting with the consumer. Are you following the money? Soon it will be flowing around the small retailers. It’s expensive to maintain all these regional sales reps, and travel around for meet-and-greets, etc. In this day and age the way the manufacture-retialier interaction works couldn’t be more inefficient. Don’t get me wrong, it may be required because of the uniqueness of the premium cigar industry, but do wineries do this to promote their products? Follow the money and pay attention to the other hand while you are being distracted with controversial announcements. Something else might be going on here. Watch out for legislation that “pushes things” in this direction. Lots of money and congressional interference, it never turns out good for the little guy.
Thanks for the chance at the giveaway, love me some Cigar Props! Those cigars look awesome!
As far as the IPCPR idk what to think anymore, lol.
Thanks for a great contest. Cant thank you enough for the opportunity to win a great gift like this.
Great contest, good luck to everyone! I agree about the IPCPR. I was able to go to Orlando in 2012 on a retailer pass and enjoyed myself. I would not pay for a membership for all of the reasons you stated.
I’ll stick to meeting people at local events or if they are in town and able to get together.
I’m glad I got the chance to meet you at the show in Orlando, Tom!
Glad to hear the website now has English translation. Thanks for your great articles. Always good info
Thanks Craig!
Thank you for running the contest. I think it’s crazy the way the IPCPR has been conducting business. I do believe I would enjoy a CigarCon type of event I dont think it would be a good idea to combine it with the trade show. I wasn’t aware of the cost of membership and I have a hard time trying to figure out why you would expect media to pay the same as a retailer or manufacturer.
i love your contests and the authenticity in your writing. the rant was good!
Would love to try those cigars… and I could really use the lighter bleed tool… jacked my jet line the other day with a screwdriver…
Sorry to hear your frustration.
But I do enjoy reading your email every chance I get
Great contest and enjoyed reading the rest of the column!
That’s very strange how the media is viewed. I would think in this day and age that they know a lot of consumers are well educated, and dont rely entirely on what their local shop tells them they should smoke. Media telling us what’s available is how we can ask our shops what to stock.
Worthwhile rant, Craig.
I like learning about and using the gadgets/tools associated with smoking cigars.
Thanks for the contest.
It seems to me that the trade organizations would be a little more appreciative of the media as they provide, what is in some part, free advertising and promotional space for the manufacturers and vendors of the products. That said, I’m thinking that this directive must have come about as a result of complaints that too much time was being taken up by interviews taking time away from customer contact. Appointments are one solution. Seems like a tiered price schedule for the various members would be in order – manufacturer, distributor, on line retailer, store front retailer, and media could all have varied membership dues.
Those cigars would look very good, even better if one was burning and in my mouth.
Thank you for what you do.
Life is good
Great contest. Thanks Craig
I don’t know, Craig. It sounds like you have good reason to rant. Thanks for the contest!
Thanks for the contest. Really enjoy the reviews and cigar news. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the contest and for the rant.
Thanks for the contest and the rant is understandable and justified.
Awesome contest, and I would say your rant is well justified. That is a bit ridiculous of them.
Awesome contest man. I haven’t seen you in forever.
Wow, you have to pay the same membership fee but should refrain from doing your job during the show.
Lol, It’s kind of ridiculous that they expect to charge the same fee but to be able to limit the media’s time with the vendors. I understand why it would annoy retailers having to wait for interviews to finish but they are paying the same fee. It’s really up to the vendors to decide how to make time for the media and for retailers.
Thanks for the awesome contest Craig!
Thanks Craig for one more contest. I did enjoy your comments about IPCPR.
Wow, nice contest! Really wanna win!
You would think the IPCPR would want as much media as possible there to cover the event. I myself would love to experience it at least one time. Thank for the contest Craig. Good luck everyone.
Sorry you didn’t make it to the IPCPR this year Craig, it was a lot of fun, I missed last year, and I won’t be back until 2021.
So with your rant……we were still able to do all of our interviews on the floor *cue Judas Priest’s “Break The Law”* but next year they are changing their name & adding a “consumers day” should be interesting,
Anyway, I had a blast……LOTS of work, but lots of fun as well.
I was happy we met at the 2017 show! I honestly don’t know when I’ll make it to another show. The TPE is looking good!