PUNCH YEAR OF THE DRAGON RELEASE IS INSPIRED BY FIRE

Enter the Dragon!

2024 will be the first Year of the Dragon since 2012 and Punch will mark the momentous moment in the Chinese zodiac on February 1, 2024 when a limited-edition smoke called Dragon Fire ships to retailers.

The new release marks the sixth installment of the brand’s highly successful Chinese New Year Series which has included these highly-rated Punch blends: Spring Roll (2023), Fu Manchu (2022), Kung Pow! (2021), Chop Suey (2020) and Egg Roll (2019).

John Hakim, brand manager of Punch said, “The dragon is the only mythological figure in the Chinese zodiac and that inspired us to bring the fire-breathing totem to life with this year’s release. We had a blast creating the bold and fiery blend, and gave the cigar a flat head in a nod to the wood dragon that will preside over 2024. And in a shout out to the celebrations that will be sparked by the dragon’s arrival, we made the packaging to look like a box of fireworks.”

Handcrafted at the STG Esteli factory in Esteli Nicaragua which is a rarity for the brand, Punch Dragon Fire was made to resemble a firecracker. Extending beyond the cigar’s Nicaraguan Condega binder and Nicaraguan, Dominican and Honduran filler is its Mexican wrapper which is pressed down to replicate the way in which the casing of a firework extends beyond the plug inside. The tobaccos come together to create a smoking experience that brims with the complexity of dark chocolate, pepper, earth, leather and coffee notes.

Punch Dragon Fire cigars come in 20-count boxes and the blend will only be available in this special release.

Punch Dragon Fire

(5” x 60) – SRP per cigar $6.99

MIAMI CIGAR & CO. IS NOW SHIPPING THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NM80

Miami Cigar & Co. announces that the much-awaited NM80 is how shipping. City Cigar Lounge was tapped as the launching pad for the highly anticipated NM80 cigar brand. The NM80 was created to commemorate Nestor Miranda’s 80th birthday. The event is a sit down 5-course dinner by “Certified Angus Beef Chef of the Year” Carla DiLorenzo. Dinner to take place on February 8, 2024, at 7:00 pm. City Cigar Lounge is located at 41 NW 2nd St, Miami, FL 33128.

Argentine open fire cooking has taken the nation by storm. The owner of City Cigar Lounge Tico Gutierrez thought of no better way to honor Nestor Miranda and his penchant for flair and panache than by bringing in a chef that creates experiences as well as amazing cuisine. Chef Carla will bring Argentina to Miami by using a Tagwood open fire grill and cook using wood.

For $250 per seat ticket, guests will experience a 5- course dinner to include tasting of THE Balvenie 14. Guests will also take home a box of the NM80 ($200 value) and a bottle of THE Balvenie 14 ($85 value)

Jason Wood, Vice President of Miami Cigar and Nestor’s son-in-law teamed up with My Father Cigar and created the blend in secret, only recently presenting it to Nestor.

Only 500 boxes of 3 unique sizes were created for the NM80.  The NM80 is a Nicaraguan puro created using material from My Father Cigar’s vast library of tobacco. The tobacco was carefully chosen by the My Father team with Nestor’s palate in mind. The cigar is medium-bodied, elegant and delivers a very refined smoking experience.

Details on the NM80 vitolas are as follows:

Ruky 5 5/8 x 48-52 - MSRP $18

Lancero 7 ½ x 38 – MSRP $19

Danno 7 x 56 - MSRP $20

J.C. Newman’s Cigar Float Parades Through Tampa

Tampa has two century-old traditions: The first cigars were rolled here in 1886.  Beginning in 1904, pirates have invaded Tampa in an annual celebration called Gasparilla.  The Gasparilla Parade of Pirates is reportedly the third largest parade in the USA. Last Saturday, hundreds of floats paraded down Bayshore Boulevard before 300,000 spectators. 

J.C. Newman’s parade float is a replica of its historic, El Reloj cigar factory, which is the last traditional cigar factory still operating in the United States. While the float paraded through Tampa, spectators were able to watch a cigar roller on board hand roll José Gaspar cigars. In addition to longtime J.C. Newman employees, the float also carried the official 2023 Miss Tampa, Lindsey Franxman.   

   

“Cigars and Gasparilla have been essential parts of Tampa’s identity for more than 100 years,” said Drew Newman, fourth generation owner. “We wanted to bring them together by rolling José Gaspar cigars as well as being featured in the Gasparilla parade.”

Although pirates have always smoked cigars along the parade route, cigar floats have been absent from the parade for many decades. The most recent photos of a cigar float in Gasparilla are from the 1960s.

“We hand rolled cigars on our float because we wanted to show all of the paradegoers the art and tradition of premium cigars.”

As long time members of the original Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, Eric and Bobby Newman road J.C. Newman’s parade float in full pirate gear. 

“My hope is that our J.C. Newman cigar float can participate in lots of parades in the years ago, and perhaps even attend the Premium Cigar Association trade show in Las Vegas,” said Newman.

Rocky Patel ALR Second Edition Robusto Grande

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The award-winning Rocky Patel ALR Second Edition is now available in a new size, Robusto Grande (5 1/2” x 54). The size was created exclusively for Casa de Montecristo’s retail stores and lounges and will be available in February.

In 2016, Rocky blended a cigar featuring an exquisite San Andrés wrapper. Deciding that this blend would develop even further with age, he ordered a short production run of 120,000 cigars. The cigars were laid to rest in an aging room and locked away for two years. This process was replicated for the Rocky Patel ALR Second Edition Robusto Grande.

Honored as the #4 Cigar of the Year for 2023 by Cigar Aficionado, the ALR Second Edition Robusto Grande is expertly crafted with warm cocoa notes and hints of cream – a perfect choice to pair with your morning coffee, yet bold enough to match your favorite spirit.

“We at Rocky Patel are thrilled to provide Casa de Montecristo with one of our most exclusive cigars in a special shape,” said Rocky Patel, owner of Rocky Patel Cigar. “This rare Vitola in the ALR2 provides the same beautiful smoke and flavor components one is used to smoking in our Award Winning ALR2. This special shape, however, does lead to an enhanced smoking experience.”

Casa de Montecristo’s CEO Sherri Sieminski summarized the importance of this release.

“Rocky Patel is one of Casa’s most important partners and the ALR2 is a true customer favorite,” Sieminski said. “We continue to seek quality premium products that can only be found at Casa de Montecristo, and we are honored to collaborate on this exclusive offering for our guests.”

The Rocky Patel ALR Second Edition Robusto Grande will be offered in 10-count boxes and priced at an MSRP of $16.00 per cigar. Casa Rewards members will have first access to purchase this cigar when it goes on sale later this week. To sign up for Casa Rewards visit https://www.casademontecristo.com/casa-rewards-how.html.

Size and Frontmark: 54 x 5 ½, Robusto Grande 

Box count: 10 

Price: $16.00 

Factory: TAVICUSA 

Country of Origin: Nicaragua 

Available in Casa de Montecristo Stores: February 2024

Viaje Holiday Blend Candy Cane 2023 (6 x 54)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)

The Viaje Holiday Blend Candy Cane is a barberpole cigar that debuted in 2012 as an offshoot of the Holiday Blend, which dates back to 2009. The company has not yet confirmed the specifics on this year’s blend, but previous editions have been offered in a 6 x 54 toro vitola. The blend has changed over the years, though the company has not disclosed specifics about this year’s blend.

The cigar has a barberpole wrapper and has an average feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were an earthy, lemony citrus, brown sugar, and leather. There is a slight tangy note to the lemony citrus. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2 to 8. 

At the first third (39 minutes) there was a lot of earthiness. There was still lemony citrus and there is also some lemon peel because there is some bitterness. The brown sugar is doing all it can to give the cigar some sweetness. There is still a lot of earthiness and leather. The finish is a touch of citrus and a lot of leather with average lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. The cigar developed a lot of earthiness from the light up to this point. I rated the first third 91.

Moving through the second third (1 hour 16 minutes) the earthiness continues to rise. There is some brown sugar that helps. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is leather with good lingering black pepper. There is some sweetness from brown sugar but there is a lot of earthiness. I rated the second third 88.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 47 minutes. A very good burn time. The earthiness continued to rise and it's now at an extremely high amount. There were light hints of citrus and brown sugar with a tremendous amount of earthiness and leather. The cigar is full bodied. The finish is leather with very good lingering black pepper. The sweetness is almost gone but there's just enough to keep it above the bottom score of 80. I rated the final third 84. This cigar starts ok but quickly gets too earthy.

Overall Score: 87.67

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Rothschild (pre-release review) (4 1/2 x 50)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)

Aganorsa Leaf has announced the Supreme Leaf Rothchild. The Rothschild will be the eighth iteration of Aganorsa Leaf’s Supreme Leaf line.

“The vast majority of the vitolas released in Supreme Leaf have been between five and six inches long and 52-54 ring,” said Terence Reilly, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, in a press release. “This latest vitola is a bit shorter and a bit thinner. A Rothschild is a classic size, and the blend gains a more robust flavor without losing balance in this format.”

The Rothchild measures 4 1/2 x 50. It is packaged in boxes of 20, Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Rothschild will have a run of 2,800 boxes. Pricing is set at $9.99 SRP per cigar. The cigar is produced in Nicaragua at Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A..

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Aganorsa (Nicaragua)

Binder: Aganorsa (Nicaragua)

Filler: Aganorsa (Nicaragua)

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Agricola Ganadera Norteña S.A.

The vitolas in the line and their release dates:

Supreme Leaf Robusto (5 x 52) — March 2020 (No. 8 cigar of 2020) Score: 95.67

Supreme Leaf Toro (6 x 54) — July 2020 (missed cut for Best Cigars of 2022) Score: 93.33

Supreme Leaf Corona Gorda (6 x 46) — February 2021 (No. 10 cigar of 2021) Score: 94.33

Supreme Leaf Torpedo (6 x 54) — August 2021 (not reviewed)

Supreme Leaf Robusto (2022) (5 x 54) — February 2022 (No. 23 cigar of 2022) Score: 93.67

Supreme Leaf Toro (2023) (6 x 52) — February 2023 (No. 4 cigar of 2023) Score: 94.67

Supreme Leaf Perfecto (6 x 54) — December 2023; Score: 91.67

Supreme Leaf Rothschild (4 1/2 x 50) — March 2024

The cigar is nicely made and box pressed and the foot is closed. It has an average feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good considering the foot is closed. The initial flavors at light up were citrus, brown sugar, cinnamon, light toffee, and leather. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2 to 8. There is a very nice sweetness of citrus and brown sugar. The cinnamon is elevated and the leather is light. Nice start.

At the first third (21 minutes) the toffee notes seem to be out a little more. The other notes are there and the black pepper is up to 8. The cigar is medium bodied, leaning toward medium to full. The leather is up a little but it's still in the low category. The finish is citrus and light leather with very good lingering black pepper. This cigar is quite different from the perfecto which I reviewed a few weeks ago. Vitolas matter. This size is working nicely. I rated the first third 95.

As I moved through the second third (43 minutes) the leather made a move up. It's has obviously increased. The cinnamon is still elevated. The sweeter notes suffer a little due to the increased leather. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is leather with very good lingering black pepper. The cigar got a little leathery in the middle section. I rated the second third 93.

The cigar lasted 1 hour. The leather notes dropped back a little allowing the citrus and brown sugar to increase. It's like the cigar got midway between the first and second thirds. I didn't have the toffee any more. The cigar is full bodied. The finish is leather with very good lingering black pepper. The notes are right between the first and second third so I rated the final third 94. This is a good cigar and should be on your list when they are released in March.

Overall Score: 94

Viaje Farmer Bill Hatchet Holiday Edition 2023 (6 x 54 Toro Extra)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)

The Viaje Farmer Bill Hatchet Holiday Edition is a more recent addition to the portfolio, debuting in 2021. Again, specifics about this year’s release have not been announced by the company, but it has previously been a 6 x 54 toro extra, and is offered in 25-count bundles that are presented in four different wrapping paper prints. The company has not disclosed anything about the blend, other than that it is a distinct blend from the other Farmer Bill Hatchet releases, which debuted in 2014 as an offshoot to the company’s Thanksgiving-themed Stuffed Turkey cigars. Since then, the line has grown to include a Zombie Farmer Bill Hatchet and a Mrs. Hatchet release.

The cigar is nicely made and has a nice feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were citrus, brown sugar, a lot of cinnamon, and leather. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. Good basic flavors. Nice start.

At the first third (29 minutes) I had the same notes, citrus (a little tangy), brown sugar, cinnamon, and leather. The leather has increased. In this particular mix it's not hurting the cigar too much. The finish is citrus and leather with very good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied with the feel it might move up. The flavors work pretty well together. I rated the first third 93.

As I moved through the second third (58 minutes) the leather is still creeping up. The same notes are in play but the cinnamon is the one you'll notice along with the leather. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is light citrus and leather with very good lingering black pepper. So, there's a little more leather but the cinnamon is right there with it. Because of this the leather didn't hurt the cigar too bad. I rated the second third 92.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 30 minutes. The leather pulled back to it's first third level allowing the citrus and brown sugar to come back up. The cinnamon is still good and did not decrease throughout. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. I rated the final third 93. For the most part you have nice citrus and brown sugar notes with a lot of cinnamon and leather. The leather moves up and down with the most in the second third. Overall not a bad cigar.

Overall Score: 92.67

Eric Newman Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Last night, the Nicaraguan Chamber of Tobacco / Camara Nicaraguense de Tabacaleros honored Eric Newman with its Lifetime Achievement Award.  This award was presented at the Puro Sabor Festival’s White Dinner, which was held at the J.C. Newman PENSA factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Newman said that he was very surprised and humbled by this honored, and was very grateful to receive it surrounded by so many friends in the cigar industry.

Award Video

Altadis U.S.A. To Unveil Four Sensational Product Introductions at TPE 2024

For cigar retailers, the industry’s upcoming Total Product Expo 2024 (TPE ’24), will provide an exceptional opportunity to be the first to experience Altadis U.S.A.’s latest cigar innovations.

To be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center January 31 to February 2, this premier trade show is a hub for retailers and distributors in the tobacco industry from across the country.

Among Altadis U.S.A.’s latest cigar innovations at Booth #13053 will be:

· Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua, Midnight Twist – An exciting line extension to the popular Reserva Real Nicaragua line, this cigar features an elegantly blended dual-cloak barber pole cigar with Nicaraguan wrappers from AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua. Product will be available for pre-order January 31 and will ship to the trade in March.

· Te Amo, the Original San Andrés Valley Cigar – The iconic 'Cab Driver's Cigar' of the 70s makes a boutique comeback as the original and renowned San Andrés cigar product. It will be available to order and ship to the trade January 31.

· Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar – Built on the success of the 93-rated Saint Luis Rey Carenas, this new expression, Ultramar, embarks on a voyage celebrating the storied legacy of Spanish tobacco trading wrapped in a rich tapestry of Honduran and Nicaraguan craftsmanship. Product will be available for pre-order January 31 and will ship to the trade in late February.

· VegaFina Year of the Dragon – Celebrate this year’s Chinese New Year with this luxurious, collector's edition cigar. Only 500 boxes have been produced for the U.S. market. Product will be available for pre-order January 31 and will ship to the trade in February.

In addition to unveiling these special products, Altadis U.S.A. also will be featuring a Trinidad cantina activation adjacent to their booth. Trade show attendees will get to experience the company’s exciting Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 3, paying tribute to the spirit of Mexico, while participating in a fun and informative photo booth activation and cigar or beer pairing experience.

“We invite TPE ’24 participants to visit the Trinidad Cantina at Booth #13063, an exclusive space dedicated to the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 3,” says Emily Hooker, trade marketing director. “This special feature celebrates the rich flavors and heritage of the Trinidad brand, offering a captivating experience for all visitors.”

CAO FLATHEAD ROLLS OUT ITS BIGGEST FULL-TIME FRONTMARK

Buckle up CAO fans. CAO will release its largest full-time Flathead cigar to date with an 8” x 60 monster smoke named after the hefty component of a car’s exhaust system.

Called “Resonator,” the cigar is handmade in Nicaragua at STG Esteli, with the same, top-rated blend that comprises the rest of the Flathead franchise.

The box-pressed behemoth features a US-grown Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Connecticut Habano binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos and packs a powerful punch with notes of leather and molasses.

The cigars are packed in 24-count boxes engineered with a plasma-cut metal lid that doubles as the ultimate in garage art.

CAO Flathead Resonator will ship to retailers on February 1.

CAO Flathead Resonator (8” x 60); SRP per cigar $12.79.