IPCPR 2016: Top 3 Things – Brooks Whittington Edition

As a new feature to this halfwheel’s coverage of the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show this year, we have decided that each member of the staff will put together a list of the top three most interesting, cool or exciting things we saw at the event. As Charlie mentioned in his post, there are no real rules, just whatever managed to catch our eyes in the manic dash around the trade show floor every day.

1. Double Shot Energy Cigar — As I mentioned in my booth post, I was (and still am) intrigued by the idea of adding energy drink components into a cigar in a safe and tasteless manner. Putting aside the concerns about how it looks to the FDA, I was impressed with the amount of work the company said it had to go through in order to get to a final product, and while I am skeptical of how the tobacco blend will actually taste, I am interested to see if the claims of an energy boost turn out to be noticeable.

2. Oliva Virtual Reality Tour — There is a distinct possibility this ends up on all four of our staff member’s lists, and for good reason. It was an amazing idea that was implemented extremely well, with a tour not only of Oliva’s tobacco fields and factory, but also the ability to see José Oliva and Fred Vandermarliere discuss specific cigars that you pick out. I had to come back a few times during the show to find a time when it was open, but the effort was well worth the experience.

3. Daneson Toothpicks — Finally, there are the toothpicks. Yes, those things that you rarely ever think of until you need one, and were fairly ubiquitous in my household as I was growing up, thanks to a father who always seemed to have one in his mouth. Well, Daneson has updated the product significantly, using white birch wood as the base and then infusing them with any number of flavors, including mint, honey or even barrel-aged Islay single malt scotch. The corked glass tube they come packaged in is a nice touch as well.