Guest post by Tom Johansmeyer of Cigar Reader.

Here’s the latest from Barry, who’s out in New Orleans, working the floor at IPCPR.

The IPCPR show officially kicked off yesterday, and the conversations Barry Stein, of A Cigar Smoker, had with cigar companies indicate that the crowds were a little lighter than usual. Also, the top issue on people’s minds seemed to be the recently increased New York tobacco tax, which has kept many retailers away from the show this year. Aside from De La Concha’s Ron Meledi, the New York contingent was “minimal at best.” The top players, Barry said, made strong showings, with plenty of buzz generated over new lines and line extensions.

For more information on the news from Drew Estate, La Aurora and Pepin Garcia, head over to Cigar Reader.