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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS AT THE EPICENTER OF THE CIGAR WORLD |
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 RTDA Convention Notebook
Las Vegas, NV, July 29 – The last full day of the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America (RTDA) trade show concluded with a mostly-satisfied crowd of exhibitors and sellers. Some highlights we saw in the exhibits:
• The introduction of the hilarious Presidential Election 2004 limited edition brand by the Habana Cuba Cigar Company, also the makers of Oliveros. The Presidential Election 2004 cigar itself is a well-made double corona of 7 inches and 50 ring with an Indonesian wrapper and Dominican binder and filler. But you can enjoy it with a Democratic Party band, complete with donkey, or a Republican band replete with an elephant. If you non-partisan, you can get a box of 24 with 12 “winner” cigars and 12 “loser” cigars. They just can’t tell you which is which prior to Election Day!
• A new contender for the title of biggest cigar available, this time from the talented Luis Sanchez of La Tradicion Cubana cigars in Miami. His newest creation is “The Big One,” a billy-club-shaped cigar 12 inches long and measuring 90 for the ring gauge (64 ring equals one inch!). It’s the second fattest cigar made only to the 100-ring Galaxia from Tabacalera Perdomo.
• Three spectacular Romeo y Julieta-themed humidors from Altadis, each resembling a Spanish treasure chest that might have carried tobacco leaves back from the New World to Spain in the 1500s. Brilliantly colored and featuring miniature feet at all four corners, they hold between 170 and 265 cigars depending on shape and will be available for the holidays.
• Altadis also debuted three new premium brands at the show, including Cuban-heritage brands Juan Lopez and Maria Guerrero and the new Royal Jamaica Gold. The Nicaraguan-made Juan Lopez will be available in six sizes and offers a full-bodied taste thanks to its all-Nicaraguan-grown leaves. The Maria Guerrero series is being made in five sizes in Honduras, with a Cameroon wrapper and a medium-to-full body, while the Royal Jamaica Gold is a bit heftier than its namesake and features Jamaican, Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco in the filler along with a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder. The powerful Trinidad blend is also now being offered with a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper for an ultra-luxurious taste.
• The success of this year’s show is a happy conclusion to the career of RTDA Executive Director Bill Fader. A third-generation tobacconist himself for nearly 45 years, he became RTDA chief in 1989 and has continued to lead the organization for the last 15 years. He recalled that in his first RTDA show, there were only about 300 booths compared to this year’s 1,155. The highly-capable Joe Rowe, current Associate Director, will take over as Executive Director in the future, assuring continuity and a high degree of efficiency and care for the entire organization.
~ Rich Perelman
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