Intertabac is the European trade show for all things tobacco related. Similar to the PCA Convention & Trade Show (formally named the IPCPR trade show) in Las Vegas, but not quite as large. For us cigar smokers though, it’s a coming together of most of the brands, suppliers, distributors, and various other members of the cigar business and community. Due to Covid, it’s not been on for 2 years, so you could sense everyone was feeling a bit rusty but excited to get into the swing of it again.

After a shaky journey, which included a delayed flight and going the wrong way on a train, we arrived in Dortmund ready to try and squeeze as much into 2 days at the fare as possible. It takes place at the Messe, which is an enormous exhibition centre, and the whole show occupies 8 of the large halls, two of which are dedicated to all things cigars. The queue to enter was long but the check-in method was so slick, everyone just filters through. The morning was spent simply trying to get our heads around the massive space and work out who’s who and where – some major absentees this year included Davidoff and Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Our job was to try and find our customers the best cigars and make sure we get them at the best prices, as well as to try and sniff out some exciting surprises for next year. We’d lined up meetings with all the main suppliers and tastiest brands - from boutique to World famous. Due to the amount of people we wanted to see, and the sheer size of the venue, we were almost running between appointments, stopping to say our quick hellos to the friends in the crowd. The show is very well attended, each booth was teaming with people, spilling out into the hallways. The venue is perfect for it though, as it springs to life like a bustling indoor market, narrow lanes, and street signs between stalls, with people wandering soaking up the atmosphere. During the show smoking inside is permitted, so each stall tries to create a unique experience to lure over the crowds and ensure they look the most popular. Some are styled like smoking lounges, others more formal meeting areas. But big, vibrant brands like Drew Estate have there’s looking like a club or bar – complete with complimentary beers on tap. There are samples from most to smoke while perusing their stand and checking out the exciting new releases, or things to expect in the coming months. So, unlike a regular trade show where you come back with a bag full of pens and flyers, this one gets its marketing done with samples of cigars!

One of the big talking points this year was the issues Cuban cigars have been having, most notably the shortages of even regular production cigars. The general consensus was that this was the chance for World brands to make bigger strides into the international market. Combine this with the new generation of cigar smokers shopping online and in stores seeming to be much more willing to try non-Cuban brands, they’ve grown up drinking wines from other countries than just France, so they find sticking to just one region baffling. This has led to a lot of positivity and excitement for the future from the World brands, and they were willing to discuss any way in which they can maximise this. So, expect a real ramp up in new releases and superb quality World smokes.

The Habanos stand, run by 5^th Avenue – the German Habanos supplier, exhibited some of the new cigars we are to expect in the coming months, but the trend is that they are always delayed, so whether we’ll see them this year, next year, or maybe even in 2024, who knows… There were cigars such as the Cohiba 55^th, and Magnum 52 Chinese New Year release. 5^th Avenue also showcased luxury cigars like the Romeo y Julieta Linea d’Oro line, and even a Cohiba Behike 56 – “Where did they get Behikes from?!” I joked.

A visit to the DH Boutique stand was delightful, Didier is a true master cigar blender. His passion for his cigars exudes out of him but is contrasted by his laid back and relaxed manner. He believes a cigar is all about character and balance, and that the perfect cigar has both. I enjoyed a Nicarao Clasico Anno VI Gordito cigar, which I’d not tried before, and I must say it was very impressive. The flavours were indeed extremely balanced, a definite richness but never overpowering, and complexities from each corner of the flavour wheel. Nicarao cigars certainly compete with some of the absolute best. Didier invited us back the following day to sample some of the Belgium beers he’d brought, “This is not that piss they drink in England, this is proper Belgium beer brewed by monks” *mimes stirring a large barrel*. We of course couldn’t say no to this invite, and paired the wonderful, almost toffee-like, beer with a majestic Furia Tisiphone cigar, a powerful and aromatic smoke, but controlled and balanced, the chocolatey earthy flavour made for the perfect accompaniment to the beer.

The Arturo Fuente stand was lavishly decorated, with branded leather wingback chairs and chesterfield sofas. We stopped by to chat with Jeremiah Meerapfel, the hard-to-miss character behind the exquisite Meerapfel cigar range. He had a secret booth displaying a promo video above on 4 tv screens, we didn’t get a chance to venture inside, but Jeremiah certainly makes a statement, much like the flavours of his cigars.

We had a great chat with JC Newman, who bring the excellent range of the impeccable Brick House brand to the table, among others. We hope to have some exciting news around those cigars soon. We also had a good chat with the guys from Rocky Patel, but unfortunately didn’t actually manage to speak to the man himself as our meeting was first thing in the morning, and Rocky was apparently delayed due to being slightly hungover…

Gurkha had a great display of their cigars, from all their lines. Their sampler packs looked like a great way to introduce yourself to the range, including several of their finest lines. We should be bringing these to you soon, but we had to grab a few for ourselves. Gurkha are a wonderful smoke, and they continue to try to bring exciting new ranges to their many fans, hopefully some exciting news on the way.

I was over the moon to run into some old friends from Tor Imports who were showcasing their range of Lotus cigar accessories. It’s always good to catch up with friends, but even better when you can sit down in a comfy chair inside and have a cigar together. The show is the ideal place to catch up with everyone in the industry, and this is no more obvious than when you are trying to have a quick chat, or even an important meeting, usually there’s almost 20 interruptions per minute…!

One curve ball that I wasn’t expecting was that boxing legend Mike Tyson was attending the show, apparently, he’d been sponsored by a Vape company to be there. We managed to find the stand in what was a very artificially smelling hall, but with a crowd of about 500 people standing around a relatively small booth, we decided to walk on and go hang out at Drew Estate to see if we could grab JD for a quick chat. The Drew Estate was one of the largest, but mostly open space, with a bar on either side and small private booths like in a club but for meetings. It was decorated with their signature graffiti style. We gave JD a nod while he was in another meeting and sat down to enjoy a beer at their complimentary bar – very cool and relaxed. JD was great, although we only had time for a very brief chat, which wandered more onto global current affairs than cigars, so we’ll catch up with him on WhatsApp soon. On to Oliva for our scheduled meeting. Oliva was almost next door to Drew Estate and just as impressive, they were one of the sponsors, so it made sense to see their stand as one of the best. It was suavely decked out and included a bar serving gin and tonics, mocktails and strange tiny 15cl beers, which were very nice… I had two. It’s always good to catch up with Oliva, they’re a phenomenal brand with a cigar in their range for everyone. The new range of Melanio Maduros are superb, I’d be surprised if the Figurado doesn’t claim another gold trophy. Nubs are always one of our most popular brands, so I’m surprise there aren’t more copycats for the vitola.

Other cigars we enjoyed on the trip included a few Cubans we had brought ourselves. I’d been saving a few of the last of the “old band” Cohibas, so a couple of Robustos and Siglo IIs were turned to ash in our evenings before bed. There are plenty of New World cigars on offer, we left with a crammed full goody bag, so we had to sneak in a few Habanos.

All in all it was an amazing trip, and one that we are already looking forward to the next one!