limited edition | Half Ashed

Half Ashed Episode 151: Unbanded 028

October 15, 2016 By Kip Fisher

[generic Unbanded image…not this week’s CotW]

Unbanded 028, from Kevin H.

Tonight, we’re smoking another Unbanded from the generous Kevin Hasselwander – thanks, Kevin! The following are Craig’s notes about it before lighting. Tune in for the grand reveal! A 6-½”x44 heavy in the hand, colorado colored cigar. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that it was a Cuban cigar by the texture & appearance of the (seemingly Habano) wrapper. It’s very firm and has a rustic triple cap. The appearance at the foot looks as if it’s a “book” style of bunching which, partnered with the density & weight, makes me somewhat anxious about how it draws. The unlit draw & aroma please, with the perfect resistance and a slight spicy sweetness in the sensation. We shall see how it progresses!

Cigar News

With all the FDA goings-on, there have been quite a number of concerns about cigar donations that go to American service-folk. A number of manufacturers have made it known that they have ceased their donations for fear of the practice being deemed against the sample restrictions outlined in the new regulations. It remains a gray area, but a couple of legislators have requested specific clarification from the FDA, and are introducing at least one bill that would specifically allow the continuation. It’s certainly NOT against the regs for individuals to donate cigars…but it could be construed as such for retailers and manufacturers. We shall see in the days ahead….

We don’t talk a great deal about Las Cumbres lately, Jose Blanco’s parent of the Señorial line. But, he is launching a few new lines/extensions – a Connecticut version of the Señorial, a maduro Freyha, and the Freyha 12. The first will feature an Ecuadoran CT wrapper over Dominican Piloto Cubano binder and Criollo 98/Piloto Cubano fillers. The maduro Freyha, named the Freyha Nocturnal, will feature a CT broadleaf wrapper over San Andres binder and similar fillers to the Señorial CT. Finally, the Freyha 12 celebrates her 12 years in the industry with a singular 7” x 52 churchill that carries an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper over Dominican corojo, criollo 98 and Piloto Cubano filler.

The popular Two Guys’ “Firecracker” has been announced for 2017. It will be coming from Fratello this time around. The 3.5” x 50 vitola will have the same blend as the Fratello core line (Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, Ecuadoran Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan/Peruvian filler. MSRP is reported to be around $6. This year’s edition was made by RomaCraft, in the CroMagnon series.
Check near the end of the show for Craig’s review of the recently released ScrewPop Ashtray!

What Else We’ve Been Smoking

Craig
- 03 Cohiba Siglo VI
- Casa Trompeta Bahia!

Kip
- Fratello corona
- Quesada España corona
- Caminos

Punch Rare Corojo Returns for 2016

February 17, 2016 By Kip Fisher

2016 Punch Rare Corojo with New Frontmark

General Cigar has announced that the annual return of the Punch Rare Corojo has begun. A new limited frontmark will be added to the lineup, while one of the former sizes is being retired.

This year, an addition comes to the line in the form of the Regalias Perfecto, a 7.25” x 54 perfecto, exclusively available as part of a trade offer. The Regalias Perfecto will come in 10-count wooden boxes and carries a suggested retail price of $7.99 per cigar.

The existing 6.75″ x 48 Double Corona will be retired after this year’s production allotment has been exhausted.

The Rare Corojo line is rolled in Honduras and features an Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. This wrapper leaf is grown in limited quantity, and are attributed with giving the Punch Rare Corojo its uniquely smooth taste. The binder is Connecticut Broadleaf, and the filler blend features Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican tobacco.

Ed McKenna, senior brand manager for General Cigar’s Punch brand said, “The trend of seasonal cigars started with Punch Rare Corojo, and each year, cigar lovers eagerly anticipate the return of this exceptional blend. Given the range of frontmarks and the addition of Regalias Perfecto to this year’s lineup, we are confident that the limited supply of Punch Rare Corojo will be depleted quickly.”

From General Cigar:

Reintroduced in 2001 after a shortage of wrapper leaves caused the product to disappear at retail for several years, Punch Rare Corojo sold out as quickly as it returned that year. Since then, General Cigar has been able to secure a sufficient amount of the rare Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper for a limited annual release of Punch Rare Corojo. This year’s allotment is available in nine sizes, ranging in SRP from $4.19 to $8.29 per cigar.

Half Ashed Episode 131: Bolivar Colosales ER Alemania

December 18, 2015 By Kip Fisher

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Bolivar Colosales ER Alemania

The Bolivar Colosales ER Alemania is a moderately large cigar coming in by direct measurement of 52x 6”. We were intending to review the Libertador from France this week but after each of us smoked them and discovered that they were in a bit of a funk, we punted, and changed over to the other RE we have for this mini vertical review. The Colosales is a regional release from 2006 and a highly anticipated cigar at the time. Both the Colosales and the Libertador were large ring Boli’s but the German variant was a slightly deeper, stronger cigar 9 years ago. Bolivar is known for earthy, tobacco centric flavors and this cigar is akin to that, though more citrusy & sweeter than typical.

The Regional Editions began after the success of two specially commissioned cigars in 2004. The reintroduction of the famous Bolivar Gold Medal and a VR called the Jubelium were released in Germany to critical and market success. Habanos capitalized on this success with three REs in 2005 and exponentially more in the years following.

Cigar News

PDR joins Pro Cigar –

Congrats to Liana Fuente, who is getting married tomorrow.

Proposal by HUD to ban smoking throughout all public housing – citing concern for health dangers from secondhand smoke…would help improve the health of ”more than 760,000 children and help public housing agencies save $153 million every year in healthcare, repairs and preventable fires.” (Washington Post)

The C.Gars Ltd Auction, which we spoke about a bit a couple weeks ago, is scheduled and features a FULL 250-count (!) pre-embargo of RyJ Invencibles (5.5”x33). The auction will take place on Nov. 30th.

Christian Eiroa is celebrating 20 years, kinda. It’s been 20 years since he first began working in the industry, although he did have an almost 4-year hiatus after selling his former company (Caribe Imported Cigars, which included Camacho) in 2008. The “First 20 Years” line will made at his El Aladino factory in Honduras, and come in 4 sizes – a 6”x46, 5”x50 robusto, 6”x54, and 6”x60. It will also be a Honduran puro with all-Jamastran tobacco. Christian’s father Julio reportedly grew the binder & filler from a seed varietal that hasn’t been grown in 50 years and presented the tobacco to Christian for the celebration of his 20 years. MSRP will run $12-14 per stick.

What Else We’ve Been Smoking

Craig

Chogui – Opus Angel Share, anyone?

Partagas Maduro No.1 – Surprisingly good but in no way a formal endorsement. Dark & sweet, thought not overpoweringly so.

Padron Damaso – These really do line up for my take on what a Connie should be.

Diplomatico #4 (1997) – Damn good Montecristo…

J.Fuego Corojo Oscuro – Yum! Great sweet bready flavors & spectacular construction. Thank you!

Kip

Punch Signature Gordo…yes, a 60 ring! And I liked it! I enjoyed the Robusto in this line several months ago when it was introduced. A kind listener sent me one of the Gordo 6×60, and while I don’t typically smoke big ring cigars I gave this one a try. I have to say it did not suck at all. In fact, the 89 score on the robusto would probably have been a point or two higher had I smoked the Gordo. It had the sweet, peppery spice like the robusto – but with more emphasis on the “sweet.” It also had lots of nutty accompaniment throughout its length and occasional flashes of chili-chocolate (also like the robusto). Although it still featured a good bit of strength, I found it more manageable than the robusto even. Loved it, and knowing it can be found for a very reasonable $4.35/stick it’d be hard to beat.

Ashton’s LAdC Mi Amor Reserva…Without smoking them side-by-side, I have difficulty nailing down differences between the Reserva and standard blend in this line. Lots of cocoa, backed up by a healthy but approachable dose of Nicaraguan spice. Very good.

The other Bolivar Colosales ER Alemania….

Miscellaneous

Tonight we have a special topic to kick around for a big part of the show….Fermentation! Craig and I kick around a few thoughts on fermentation, aging, and how the two differ…

Next Episode

In the next episode (132), we will be smoking the Asylum “99 Problems”. So come by Friday night and hang out with us in the chatroom during the show. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us via the Contact Page or the following emails:[email protected] or [email protected] Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

Half Ashed Episode 127: L’Atelier Cote d’Or

October 29, 2015 By Kip Fisher

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L’Atelier Cote d’Or

The L’Atelier Cote d’Or debuted in April ‘15, as a special limited release. It was produced by My Father for the company, and features a small amount of Pelo de Oro, an Ecuadoran Sancti Spiritus wrapper, and an all-Nicaraguan binder/filler combination. Total production for the cigar was limited to about 21,000 cigars, packaged in boxes of ten and retailed for about $16 per stick. It measures 7”x47.

Cigar News

In celebration of Carlos Fuente Sr.’s 80th birthday, Fuente is releasing the famed “Senior Blend” Don Carlos to the public. Previously, it was hard to come by outside of a few events or from a family members’ hand. It is a tweaked version of the regular production Don Carlos blend, and will be available in two vitolas – a 5×50 robusto ($14) and the “Eye of the Shark,” a box pressed belicoso measuring 5.75” x 52 ($11.95). The robusto is all Dominican internally, with a Cameroon wrapper – while the blend details for the Eye of the Shark have not been revealed. Cigar Aficionado has mistakenly reported that this is the 30th anniversary of the Don Carlos line….however, the series came out in 1976 and celebrated with the 30th Anniversary blend in 2006….

Hammer & Sickle, a cigar line with which I’m only vaguely familiar, is releasing a special “Peat-fired” cigar called the Caleanoch 25. I understand some of the leaf is fire cured like others we’ve seen in the past – with one change. Rather than various hardwoods being used, peat will be burned during the curing process. It will feature an Ecuadoran CT wrapper over Dominican corojo binder and Dominican fillers. Initially, the 25 will have about 25% peat-fired leaf in the filler blend – but, subsequent releases will have 50 and 75%, and be renamed respectively. It will be available in a single 6”x50 vitola and retailer for $12.50.

Cubanacan Eastern Sales Manager and friend of Half Ashed Nate McIntyre is launching his own line of cigars, called Percy Ray Cigars. It will be a limited annual release, produced by Cubanacan in their Nicaraguan factory, with the first release coming in a batch of about 800 boxes. The name of the line is a tribute to McIntyre’s grandfather, to whom Nate attributes his work ethic and values.

Chogui, a line currently only available in the DR, is coming to the US. I had the chance to sit down at a Santiago cigar shop with Victor Nicolas last week, and he tells me he’ll soon be shipping several thousand cigars to the states. They will be from his second offering, Dos77 (which has an interesting backstory for that name), and were rolled in August 2014. I am trying to catch up with him at the factory this upcoming week when he returns to Santiago and check out his next project….I have to tell you, though, the Dos77 is probably the most refreshing new cigar I’ve had since moving to the DR.

What Else We’ve Been Smoking

Craig

Reynaldo Corona Gorda 11/14 – Gift from Zedman – An alluring mild/medium cigar. Slightly tannic & tart but with a terrific pseudo-cocoa undertone. It was sweet and difficult to describe. The burn was perfect, even while driving, and smoking time was nearly 90 minutes

Southern Draw Kudzu – AJ Fernandez through and through. Nicaragua sweet spice. Dusty & full bodied. Strength was there but not overpowering. The palate pollution was a bit high but trading swigs of water and puffs kept it at bay. Very very enjoyable if you like the style.

Arturo Fuente Destino al Siglo – Lots here. Not all of it is good.

Kip

Recent production Fuente Shark

Chogui Dos77

Quesada Oktoberfest 2015

Next Episode

In the next episode (128), we will be smoking one of Craig’s selections, the Room101 Serie SA. So come by Friday night and hang out with us in the chatroom during the show. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us via the Contact Page or the following emails: [email protected] or [email protected] Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

Six New Drew Estate Lounge Exclusives Announced

September 14, 2015 By Kip Fisher

Drew Estate Announces New Lounge Exclusives For Corona Cigar

Earlier today, Drew Estate announced plans to release six new exclusive sizes from five different lines for the Drew Estate Lounge at Corona Cigar in Orlando, FL. The cigars will be available this month at the Corona Cigar Sand Lake location, and include vitolas from the Herrera Estelí, Liga Privada No. 9, Undercrown, Natural, and Tabak Especial brands.

All the line extensions are in a 6″ x 50 format, with three of them featuring a soft press and the other three a square box press. Specific details are given below:

Tabak Especial Negra (Soft Press)
Tabak Especial Dulce (Soft Press)
Natural (Soft Press)
Herrera Esteli (Box Press)
Liga Privada No. 9 (Box Press)
Undercrown (Box Press)

When asked about the new cigars, Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Company, stated: “The introduction of the world’s first Drew Estate Lounge has been a rousing success at Corona Cigar. We have a large contingent of diehard Drew Estate fans among our customer base and the addition of the new Drew Estate Lounge has caused quite a bit of excitement around the shop. These exciting new offerings from Drew Estate will add another dimension to the cigar smoking experience in Corona’s Drew Estate Lounge and guaranteed to excite our customers. We can’t wait to receive the first shipment this week!”

Drew Estate President Michael Cellucci commented, “Jeff and Corona Cigar Company have been a long-time ally and business partner with Drew Estate. We’re proud to call Corona Cigar home to the first ever Drew Estate Lounge, and we’re looking forward to Corona Cigar’s consumers trying these exclusive new sizes.”

The new Drew Estate exclusive sizes will only be available at Corona Cigar Company’s Sand Lake, FL location at 7792 W Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32819. To stay up to date on all of Drew Estate’s latest news, follow them @drewestatecigar on Twitter and Instagram.

About Drew Estate

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”TM, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that have attracted new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Natural by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Nirvana, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, and Java by Drew Estate.

Half Ashed Episode 123: Partagas Serie D EL 2010

September 3, 2015 By Kip Fisher

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Partagas Serie D Edicion Limitada 2010

One of the 2010 Edicion Limitada releases from Habanos, the Partagas Serie D Especial is a take on the traditional PSD4, but with ⅝” more in length and a further processed maduro wrapper. It is a Gordito vitola, typically referred to as a Toro (5-½”x50). Its rustic, thick maduro wrapper does not impart a large amount of typical maduro flavors to the mix but certainly does help round out the typical PSD4 profile with a bit more complexity.

Cigar News

Tobacconist University, in partnership with the producer J. Fuego, has shipped the second round of the R&D Series. This batch is being released with a total production of 4,000 Churchills, and 8,000 each of the Robusto and Toro. To go with the cigars, packets of puritos are available for additional purchase (2,000 packs of these). The puritos are comprised of each of the 5 tobaccos involved in the blend: PA Connecticut wrapper, Honduran (Jamastran) habano (binder), and fillers from Nicaraguan (Ometepe) habano criollo 98, NIcaraguan (Estelí) habano criollo 98, and Nicaraguan (Jalapa) habano corojo 99. For about $17-18 you can pick up one of the blended cigars and a packet of the small (~4”x26) puritos. They are available at selected Tobacconist University Certified retailers.

The proposed 40% tax on cigars has reared its head again in Pennsylvania. After being defeated in budget approval earlier this year, governor Tom Wolf’s idea has been resurrected by state democrats in the form of SB13.

A new Blessed Leaf cigar came…and went this week. The “1611,” alluding to the year in which the King James Bible was published, has been available for pre-order for a while. It finally hit the market this week, featuring a San Andres wrapper over Nicaraguan internal components. Unlike their earlier efforts (and associated Ezra Zion products), they were produced at Noel Rojas’ Aroma de Estelí (Guayacan) factory in Estelí. It came in a single 6”x50 toro, in limited quantity of 1,000 cigars. Interestingly, the cigar was sold direct by Ezra Zion – as were very limited runs of a couple other cigars (one of which we will be featuring on the show soon). The cigars went for $6-7 in either 5- or 10-packs, but they’ve all sold…

Cuba News:
Habanos Dismissals Article
US Embassy open Article

What Else We’ve Been Smoking

Craig

La Riqueza – Churchill en cello – Some tie in or connection to the Boris
01 La Gloria Cubana Tainos – Woof!
Asylum Schizo Maduro – Interesting…

Kip

Quesada Seleccion España mini-belicoso
Ashton VSG Tres Mystique
illusione ECCJ 20th

Next Episode

In the next episode (124), Kip will be joined by none other than Will “Cigar Coop” Cooper. So come by Friday night and hang out with us in the chatroom during the show. If you would like to contact us in the meantime, you can reach us via the Contact Page or the following emails: [email protected] or [email protected] Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions you’d like answered, comments to make…or even compliments and complaints. We love to get your emails! Also, remember you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, which can be found in the Half Ashed Archive. You can download this week’s audio directly below (right-click “Download” and save), find us on iTunes, or subscribe with any podcast app at our RSS Feed. Video, as always, will be available at the Half Ashed YouTube Channel.

Viva Republica Releases Limited Edition Culebra

March 12, 2015 By Kip Fisher

VIVA REPUBLICA LIMITED EDITION CULEBRA

Yesterday, Viva Republica™ announced the impending release of a Limited Edition Culebra. Only one thousand (1,000) coffins each containing a traditional three-piece culebra have been produced, shipping in retailer 5-packs (5 coffins per pack). The Culebra is comprised of three differing blends, featuring the Company’s Rapture, Rapture Maduro and Guerrilla Warfare brands.

Each of the cigars that comprise the culebra have a length of 5.75,” and 39-ring gauge. Inside each five piece package is a memo that identifies the three components by wrapper shade and discloses the blend breakdown for each cigar. The details for each cigar are as follows:

Blend Details

Rapture Natural

Wrapper – Ecuadorian HVA
Binder – Dominican Republic
Fillers – Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru

Guerrilla Warfare

Wrapper – Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder – Dominican Republic/Mexico
Fillers – Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua

Rapture Maduro

Wrapper – Mexican San Andres
Binder – Dominican Republic
Fillers – Brazil, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Peru

Further Information

Additional details on the card describe how to diferentiate the blends: “The lightest wrapper is the Rapture Natural. The one featuring a slightly darker colored wrapper is Guerrilla Warefare. The darkest wrapper is the Rapture Maduro blend. We could have color-coded them with more ribbons – but why take the fun out of it?” –Jason Holly

“I’ve always been intrigued by and have enjoyed culebras and wanted to use creating one as an opportunity to feature three of our core lines,” said Jason Holly, owner of Viva Republica.

The cigar(s) will officially launch during the DC Tweet Up on Saturday, March 14 at Tobaccology in Manassas, VA from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The limited run has an MSRP of $18 (excluding applicable local tax).

“Pricing was always a consideration. These are time-consuming to produce. But I wanted to keep value pricing so [more] people would try a culebra,” said Holly. I think their typical cost could be a bit of a consumer barrier.”

Viva Republica is exclusively distributed in the United States by Miami Cigar & Co.

News: United Cigar Celebrates Pi Day with LE

March 5, 2015 By Kip Fisher

United Cigar Group to release Limited Edition Pi Cigar

[Editor: In a press release yesterday, United Cigar Group has announced that they will be releasing a new limited edition cigar for pi Day. Underserved by most outside mathematical circles, the day doesn’t usually garner much attention from the masses….but who wouldn’t want another cigar to try out?]

Pi Day is the unofficial holiday held to celebrate the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, the month/day date format as 3/14; since 3, 1 and 4 are the three most significant digits of pi. March 14 is also the birthday of Albert Einstein so the two events are sometimes celebrated together. This year (2015) is even more significant as 15 is the very next consistent after 3.14

There are a variety of ways of celebrating Pi Day and most of them include eating pie and discussing the relevance of pi. Pi Day is often celebrated with pies, given that pi and pie are homophones. The first Pi Day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies.

Not to be left out and appropriately so, United Cigar is releasing 3,141 Pi Cigars to be sold on 3/14/15 via United Cigar Group retailers.

“The circumference of a cigar is pi and we should not be left out on this one” says David Garofalo of United Cigar, “as the next time this will happen to this level is in 100 years from now and I don’t expect to be around for that one… so it’s now or never”.

The cigars were manufactured at the Leyendas Cubanas cigar factory in the Dominican Republic in 2014 and have been resting for a full year. They feature a Ecuador Connecticut wrapper over Sumatra binder with fillers from Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The suggested retail price before local taxes is $10 per cigar.

UNITED CIGAR GROUP

United Cigar works with top cigar manufacturers throughout the world to create unique cigars built exclusively for the premium cigar retailer. With brands like La Gianna, Garofalo and Fleur de la Reine, United Cigar provides cigar products that are exclusive and were needed, but not found to be available anywhere… so they were created. United Cigar… Finding what is missing in the cigar industry, then creating it. United Cigar is also the exclusive US distributor for Atabey, Byron and Bandolero. They can be found on the web at www.unitedcigargroup.com.

News: Viva Republica Announces Fundraising LE Cigar

November 5, 2014 By Kip Fisher

November 5, 2014 – Premium handmade cigar manufacturer Viva Republica and Operation: Cigars for Warriors, a nonprofit dedicated to serving U.S. military members serving in combat zones, are pleased to announce a Veteran’s Day limited-edition release cigar that will be sold to benefit the charity. The new cigar features a prototype Nicaraguan wrapper with which Jason Holly (owner of Viva Republica) has been working. It will be available in a single 5.125″ x 42 vitola, and retail for $6. It is described as medium-plus, and designed to be bold and flavorful. He further related that “In terms of the blend, it’s a bit different style than the regular production portfolio.” All proceeds from the wholesale of the cigar to authorized retailers will be going directly to Operation: Cigars for Warriors. The limited edition run of 2,000 cigars is the first of its kind for Viva Republica and will ship to stores next week on Veteran’s Day (November 10^th, 2014).

Not only will this special run be a first for Viva Republica, it will be a first for Operation: Cigars for Warriors as well. The proceeds from the sales of the cigars are expected to be the largest single cash donation in the nonprofit’s history.

“For Veteran’s Day this year I wanted to do something for an organization that I truly believe in,” said Holly. “The volunteers of Operation: Cigars for Warriors work tirelessly to get cigars to the men and women fighting for our country.”

“The support of Viva Republica could not have come at a better time,” said Storm Boen, Chairmen of the Board for Operation: Cigars for Warriors. “Every month we have more requests from active duty troops than our all-volunteer organization can fill and the donation from the sale of Viva’s cigars will be used to defray our shipping costs when sending cigars to troops overseas.”

Retailers can order the cigars from Miami Cigar & Co., the exclusive American distributor of Viva Republica.

ABOUT VIVA REPUBLICA

Viva Republica is a boutique premium handmade cigar manufacturer with all of its production being provided by La Aurora, S.A. Miami Cigar Co. serves as exclusive United States distributor. www.vivarepublica.com Contact Jason Holly: [email protected]

ABOUT OPERATION: CIGARS FOR WARRIORS
Operation: Cigars for Warriors is a 501(C)(3) charity that focuses on collecting and dispersing premium cigars and accessories to American service men and women serving in combat zones. www.cigarsforwarriors.org

Cigar News: Córdoba & Morales to extend Clave Cubana

July 7, 2014 By Kip Fisher

Córdoba & Morales to Introduce Clave Cubana Etiqueta Blanca at this Year’s IPCPR

Florida based Córdoba & Morales Cigars will add to the existing Clave Cubana line this summer, with the addition of the limited production Etiqueta Blanca. Total production for this cigar will only be 1,000 boxes of 20 cigars. The Etiqueta Blanca will feature a 5-year-old
San Andrés Maduro wrapper, Jalapa binder and a filler blend from Esteli, Ometepe and Jalapa. According to company co-founder Azarias “Z” Mustafa Córdoba, the second addition to the line has been in the works for quite some time.

“We’ve wanted to work with the aged San Andrés Maduro wrapper since we opened our company, however, it’s in short supply. As soon as we got our hands on it, we painstakingly created the perfect blend of tobaccos to complement and honor this much-sought after wrapper, which we’ve accomplished with the Etiqueta Blanca,” Mustafa Córdoba said.

The line will be available for order at the 82nd Annual IPCPR Convention & International Trade Show, and is expected to ship around August 1st, 2014. It comes in three vitolas: Robusto Extra (5 ½” by 52, MSRP $9.80), Toro (6” x 54, $10.50) and a Toro Gordo (6” x 60, $11.20). The company will offer retailers special promotions on their existing lines during the show, and invites all attending retailers to stop by their booth (Hall C, booth #4530) to learn more about their entire lineup.

About Córdoba & Morales

Established in 2011, Córdoba & Morales is a family owned boutique cigar company that produces 100% hand-rolled cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua. During this year’s 82nd Annual IPCPR Convention & International Trade Show, the company will release its much-anticipated Clave Cubana Etiqueta Blanca, expanding on their current line of popular cigars, including the Front 9, the 19th Hole, Family Reserve, Puro Pinar and Clave Cubana. For more information, please visit www.cnmcigars.com.