Sam is back! Sam Leccia again re-enters the cigar arena

[EDIT: Sam will be on this week’s Half Ashed!  I confirmed earlier this week that he will be joining us Friday night (4/12/13) at 9pm EST.  Be sure to join the chatroom if you have questions you’d like to ask him! For full details and how to watch/listen, see the  SHOW SUMMARY]  Those of you who follow Half Ashed will know that Craig and I have watched with a great deal of interest over the past few weeks, waiting to see each new development in the rumblings of Sam Leccia coming back into the world of cigars.  Most know Sam as the former frontman for the Nub and Cain lines of Studio Tobac/Oliva, and will remember the dispute with Oliva over his original plan of entering marketplace with his own cigars back in 2011.  In recent weeks, the news came out that he and Oliva had reached an amicable agreement, and that he would be back with new cigars in the very near future.

We first talked about the story back in February on Episode 002 of Half Ashed, and have touched back on the topic a couple of times since.  More information has begun to seep into public this afternoon, and I thought it worthy of a quick post to pass along what I have gathered thusfar.  Cigar Aficionado published a short article about the impending return with some details about the blends and timing.  Apparently, Sam has arranged for Torano to distribute his new cigars, which will be launching in May.  The initial offering will be of two lines – the Black and the White.  The White will be produced in Nicaragua by an as-yet unnamed manufacturer, while the Black will be rolled in the Dominican Republic.  The thing that intrigues me most about the news today is the announcement that the Black will feature a half leaf of fire-cured tobacco.  This curing method is not unheard of in cigars, but I’m most familiar with it in pipe tobaccos.  I am very interested in how this is going to contribute to a cigar blend.  Both Craig and I love to try new cigars, especially when they showcase something unique or not so run-of-the-mill.  I’ll be waiting for the Black with bated breath.

The new lines will have nothing in common with the Debut (the line originally planned for release in 2011), and Sam has said he started from scratch for Black and White.  The new cigars will be available in the following sizes: 4″X46, 5″X52, 6″X50, and 6″X60, and priced from $7-9 per stick.  Leccia plans on attending IPCPR this summer, but in the meantime you can find more information at the Leccia Tobacco Facebook page, or follow him on Twitter at: @SamLeccia.  You can also view a 30-second Leccia Tobacco video spot posted by Torano earlier today.

More news this morning (4/2/2013), from Sam’s Facebook page:

I will be launching Leccia Tobacco late this month. My first offering will be Leccia Tobacco Black and White.

The White is made in Nicaragua. It is an African Sun Grown wrapper with a habano binder. the filler has Nicaraguan and Dominican legero with seco from my home state of Pennsylvania. Has a lightly sweet dark roasted cashew flavor. it is full bodied in flavor and the strength is on the smooth side of strong.

The Black is made in the Dominican Republic and has a habano wrapper. The binder is Nicaraguan Rosado with Ligero from Esteli, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The filler uses Brazilian Monte Fina and a half leaf of “Dark Fire”. Dark Fire is wood fire cured giving the tobacco a smoked whisky flavor and aroma. Very complex notes of spices and charred oak.

Product will ship in May.