New Cigars By Frank Seltzer
Well the annual IPCPR trade show begins on Sunday in Las Vegas and that means a plethora of new cigars will be announced.
Casa Cuba
From the Fuentes, one of the cigars announced at last year’s show but not released was the Casa Cuba. This was supposed to be sent to market during the company’s 100th anniversary but due to a lot of issues, the family decided to mark their 1st year of the new century this year…it was a way of looking ahead not back. The blend was made by Carlos Fuente, Sr., (Don Carlos) about two years ago. The name is an old one the family had and resurrected with the new blend. At last year’s show, Carlos (Carlito) Fuente, Jr., said, “People say this is the best cigar they have ever smoked. I said don’t tell my dad that. He is pissed at me for holding it back. He says,’ I don’t make brands to keep it in the bakery. Ya gotta sell it. ‘ He used to be a baker before he made cigars.” At Pro Cigar in Santiago this year, a few friends went over to the Fuente factory and got to try one. They all raved about it saying it was unlike other Fuentes. This should be a big hit for the family.
The Fuentes are also going to be releasing the Don Arturo Anniversary Destino Siglo which is a high-end cigar much like their Opus X. It is meant to honor Carlito’s grandfather and founder of the company. Also they will be releasing The Angel’s Share, which is also in limited production.
La Flor Dominicana
For Litto Gomez, this year will have new products but he is already looking ahead to NEXT year when La Flor Dominicana turns 20. Gomez has been squirreling away tobacco in tercios (an old process where the bales of tobacco are wrapped in palm tree bark –it is an enclosed bale with no contact with the outside and keeps the moisture in–think of it as a slow cooking, low heat method of fermentation). Litto has enough tobacco for 3 million cigars and wil use that next year. When I last spoke with him, he was still working on wrapping up his new factory expansion. But La Flor will be introducing a new box-pressed Chisel. According to Cigar Aficionado, it will be called La Flor Dominicana Chapter 1 and come in 10 count boxes. It will be a limited edition cigar.
Gomez told Cigar Aficionado the project was the brainchild of his son Tony. “He made it fatter and he flattened it,” Gomez said this morning.
When asked if the cigar was strong, Gomez replied: “Very. I think it’s the strongest Chisel. The broadleaf binder kicks it up.”
Drew Estate
Drew Estate will be adding a new size for ACID. According to Marvin Samel, it is the first new size since Toast which came out about 3 years ago. He wouldn’t say much about it except that it should be great. The company also is launching its Kentucky Fire Cured line extension to My Uzi Weighs a Ton.
The cigars are being made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory just like the usual MUWATs and the blend was the result of a tobacco broker showing the D-E people some Kentucky Fire Cured tobacco leaf which had an amazing flavor. Again according to Marvin, the final blend was still being tweaked in hopes of having them ready for the show. My guess is they will make it but also knowing Drew Estate, if it is not ready, it won’t be there. As for the MUWAT line itself, the company will be adding a 7×70 size.
Nica Rustica is another new brand from Drew. Marvin says, “Nica Rustica uses some binders and filler leaves of which we have an ample supply. It is full bodied and not over powering. Not very finished with a Rustic Look. “
The company also is trying to slowly add more rollers for the Liga Privada and Herrera Esteli lines in order to keep up with demand.
Mundial
Alec Bradley certainly has a bunch of cigars. From the Prensado, which won the best cigar of the year last year, to the often overlooked Black Market, Family Blend, the American Classic blend, Tempus (which should have won over Prensado), and the New York blend. This year owner Alan Rubin is adding yet another line to the family…Mundial. According to Cigar Aficionado, Rubin has been working on the Mundial for the past 5 years, although some of that time it was on the back burner. Mundial means “global” in several languages says the mag.
“For the last few years, every time I went down to Honduras, no matter what I smoked, I always had Mundial on my mind,” said Rubin in an interview with Cigar Aficionado. “I knew what we wanted, but it had to happen organically. It’s finally going to be released.”
More than one year ago, Rubin found the taste he was looking for. “We had eight blends, smoked through the eight, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it. So I sat on it. Ten months ago, I said ‘Let’s revisit that blend.’
Rubin says the cigar will be limited to about 3,000 boxes this year. The cigar will be a Honduran and Nicaraguan blend with prices running from just under $10 to just under $16.
No More HC
For about the last 8 years, Xikar has been in the cigar business in addition to its popular accessories. The HC and Definance blends were ones that attracted some followers but apparently not enough. Last week the company announced that it had sold the brand. According to the press release:
“We have been in the cigar business for eight years, and have concluded that focus on accessories better aligns our resources to our goals. We appreciate the support we have received from retailers and consumers, and commit to rewarding that loyalty through continued innovation and enhanced sales, marketing and customer service behind our leading accessory portfolio. We desire to hold market leadership, and believe a singular focus will enhance the XIKAR brand for the long term,” concluded Mr. Van Keppel.
Retailers who have the brand will be price protected for 90 days, then it most likely will be discounted and there is no guarantee that even the blends will stay the same.
I am sure there will be lots more new cigars at the show and we’ll be there bringing you up to date starting this weekend.
