Category Archives: News
News: Villiger Cigars Launching Villiger Do Brasil at TPE
More news, this time from Villiger. They were the first big company to jump ship, so to speak. If you read ahead, they aren’t “doing” Brazil, but it’s Portuguese for the name of their factory there, Villiger of Brazil. Am I seeing a trend of releases in Maduro and Connecticut for this tradeshow?
VILLIGER CIGARS TO LAUNCH “VILLIGER DO BRASIL” AT THE TPE 2020
Villiger Cigars to release the “Villiger do Brasil” cigar brand at the TPE 2020 taking place this January 29-31 at the Las Vegas Conventions Center. Villiger do Brasil is a Brazilian puro which features two blends, Claro and Maduro, created to celebrate Villiger’s century long history with Brazilian tobacco. Villiger’s new factory in Bahia, Brazil also named “Villiger do Brasil” (Villiger of Brazil, translated from Portuguese) opened its doors in 2018.
The Villiger family’s relationship with Brazilian tobacco dates to Villiger Cigars’ beginnings in 1888, when Jean and his wife Louise Villiger imported Brazilian tobacco, shortly after founding the company. Later in 1979 a Villiger subsidiary company opened Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil. The company was named CHARUTOS TOBAJARA LIMITADA and produced handmade cigars for export to Germany and Switzerland. Later Villiger moved operations to Northern Brazil (Bahia) where the new Villiger do Brazil factory was opened.
The Villiger Do Brasil cigar brands promise a multifaceted journey into the land of passion and it shows in its two versions: CLARO and MADURO. The light Brazil Connecticut Shade wrapper gives the CLARO version a velvety light brown tone, that visually supports its balance and fine aromas. Typical notes of coffee and wood meet a subtle sweetness with hints of cedar and pepper. Arapiraca tobacco gives the darker MADURO version its silky dark brown and a fruity character, which plays around with notes of leather and coffee. Both varieties have a medium taste, whereby the MADURO tastes a shade stronger.
Villiger Chairman of the Board, Heinrich Villiger said:” My family saw the value in Brazilian tobacco when they began Villiger Cigars as very small operation in 1888. Brazilian tobacco is unique, as its structure is very robust, which leads to strong aromas and flavours. Its distinct qualities can only be created in Bahia, Brazil. We look forward to sharing the Villiger do Brasil brand with the United States marketplace.”
The Villiger do Brasil Claro and Maduro are available in 5 count boxes
Vitolas and MSRP
Robusto (5×50) – MSRP: $9.00
Toro (6×50) – MSRP: $9.50
ABOUT VILLIGER SONS LIMITED
Villiger Sons Limited was established in 1888 by Jean Villiger in the small town of Pfeffikon, Switzerland, where Villiger remains headquartered to this day. The company manufactures and sells more than 1.5 billion cigars annually, world-wide. Today, under the leadership of Heinrich Villiger, the company prides itself in its commitment to quality, in all their products made in many countries around the globe.
Villager Cigars North America on social @VilligerCigar #CigarsSince1888
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News: Ventura Cigar Releasing Archetype Master & Pupil Cigars at TPE
Here’s another news piece, this falls into the pre-TPE category. Ventura’s parent company owns the Tobacco Plus Expo, so I will be interested to see if they have any preferential treatment. I have to admit to looking at them a bit of a cynical eye since they made changes to their sales force. There’s enough divisiveness already, I don’t want to go down that road.
To Teach and Be Taught
Ventura Cigar Company to Release New Archetype Cigars at TPE 2020: Master & Pupil
Unveiling new insights in the Archetype story, Ventura Cigar Company is pleased to announce Master and Pupil, two new cigars that examine strength and transitions through rich tobacco blends crafted by Juan Martinez and Doctor Cuenca from Joya de Nicaragua. The industry will get a first look at Master and Pupil at the Tobacco Plus Expo 2020, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1/29/20 – 1/31/20. Customers can expect to see the cigars at fine tobacconists online and across the country soon after.
Inspired by the studies of both Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung, who identified common threads and themes of storytelling that transcend both time and culture, Archetype cigars outline the familiar tale of a hero’s journey, with cigars punctuating each crucial stage. Master and Pupil incorporates the essence of Freud and Jung, teacher and student, and tensions uncovered with the reversal of roles and transition of student to teacher.
Pupil is mild and relaxed in nature, and features an Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan filler, and a Nicaraguan binder. It will be available as a 6 x 52 Toro.
The Master is a bold, confident cigar that’s crafted with a Nicaraguan wrapper, filler, and binder. It will also be available as a 6 x 52 Toro.
“No matter where you are in life, you are a master or a pupil. And then, one day, you are both,” says Michael Giannini, General Manager of Ventura Cigar Company. “We are students first, learning from those who came before. And then we find ourselves as the teachers, imparting our knowledge on others just starting their quest. We are never fully done learning, either, so the roles of teacher and student are fluid, always changing. The Archetype Master and Pupil cigars explore these transitions and tensions through blends that offer strength and nuance throughout the smoke. We’ve worked on these for over a year with the masters at Joya de Nicaragua, of whom we are all students. These cigars are solid. If you’re coming to TPE 2020, come by the Ventura Cigar booth to say hi and check them out. And if you’re not at the show, well, keep an eye out.”
Master and Pupil are the latest releases to Archetype, a line marked by highly rated cigars that include Dreamstate, Sage Advice, Strange Passage, Initiation, and Axis Mundi, in addition to the 2018 3-cigar mini-series Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks. Master and Pupil are scheduled to ship immediately after TPE 2020.
For additional information, please visit venturacigarcompany.com.
About Ventura Cigar Company
Ventura Cigar Company (VCC) is a unique cigar brand born in sunny Southern California that is on a mission to create memorable, complex cigar blends that excite the senses and reward discriminating palates. Their flagship Archetype, Case Study, Project805, and PSyKo SEVEN brands offer multiple award-winning blends that earned 90+ ratings in Cigar Aficionado, Cigar & Spirits, and Cigar Snob. And Archetype’s Axis Mundi won #13 Cigar of the Year for 2017 from Cigar Aficionado. Ventura Cigar Company also distributes Tommy Bahama Luxury Cigar Accessories and the 4th Generation Tobacconist and Comoy’s of London lines of pipe tobacco products, extending its reach and tradition of offering top-quality tobacconist products. Pipes and blends under these brands are cultivated through generations of craftsmanship, making them longtime favorites of pipe tobacco enthusiasts.
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News: Black Label Trading Company Ships Deliverance Nocturne
Here’s some news from James and Angela and the folks at BLTC. I think I’ve smoked previous iterations of the Deliverance Nocturne, but if I haven’t, I certainly want to. I hope one of my local shops is one of the select retailers who will be getting this. I love some PA Broadleaf, and if sources are correct that we’ll be seeing more of it due to shortages of Connecticut Broadleaf, I’m kinda OK with that! This is another company I’m looking forward to catching up with next week at the TPE.
Black Label Trading Company (BLTC) is shipping DELIVERANCE NOCTURNE to select retailers this month. Deliverance Nocturne is handcrafted at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Esteli, Nicaragua.
“This is the 5th release of Deliverance Nocturne. The Nocturne highlights everything I love about PA Broadleaf. The rich, complex and bold earthiness of the wrapper highlights the unique blend of this cigar,” says James Brown, creator of BLTC and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
DELIVERANCE NOCTURNE features a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper with Pennsylvania Ligero and Nicaraguan filler & binder.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua & Pennsylvania
Perfecto – 5 x 56 (20 count) MSRP $10.50
Short Salomon “Snub Nose” – 4 ¾ x 40 x 56 (18 count) MSRP $10.50
Tall Salomon – 6 ¼ x 36 x 56 (12 count) MSRP $12.00
Black Label Trading Company is redefining the standards for cigar making. With a “less is more” philosophy, Black Label Trading Co. creates handcrafted premium cigars of the utmost quality in small batch, limited quantities.
For more information please visit OvejaNegraCigars.com. Consumers may search by zip code for retailers nearest them.
News: Southern Draw Cigars to reveal the CEDRUS Lancero at TPE 2020
Here is some pre-TPE news from Southern Draw Cigars. So far Southern Draw is one of the only appointments I have at the show so far, so I encourage people to reach out to me and make appointments before I get booked up 😊. Seriously, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the show, although it’s looking like it’s falling at a time of great personal change for me! More on that as the situation unfolds. I dig the Southern Draw lanceros, looking forward to the Cedrus in this format.
NO price increases for 2020!
The love of lanceros, those long, thin cigars is nothing new for the Southern Draw Cigars family as they are our true favorite smoking experience. The family never likes to show up empty handed to a trade show or event, so it is excited to share something new with TPE 2020 attendees.
“Southern Draw Cigars has been quietly enjoying this size for several years (in fact I am smoking one as I draft this PR) and plans to reveal the CEDRUS Lancero 7.5×40 in celebration of our first ever attendance at the Tobacco Plus Expo in Las Vegas, NV. From January 29th – 31st. The family and the CEDRUS lancero may be found in a quaint little corner of Booth #4059. We have previously offered a lancero size in each of our core blends including the popular Rose of Sharon, Firethorn, Kudzu and Jacobs Ladder and this new addition will complement the CEDRUS line nicely. Although lanceros reportedly do not make up a large portion of sales for most brands, Southern Draw Cigars has been blessed with solid sales over the previous five years, sales that are on par with our more traditional robusto and toro sizes. We will have a limited number of samples on hand and will be taking pre-orders for April and July 2020 deliveries,” per Robert Holt.
Southern Draw Cigars is also pleased to announce that it has NO plan for a price increase for 2020. Sharon Holt a.k.a. The Rose of Sharon shared the company’s thought process, “We wish to avoid spending too much time on price increase (and justification) discussions with our staff and current valued retailer partners. The family believes this is time that should be spent on value increasing discussions instead. Southern Draw has been blessed by the patience and loyalty of our partners and consumers, which more than warrants this important decision.”
The company would like to share some of the reasons that a 2020 price increase on current products wouldn’t be productive:
- SDC would like to hold on to our retailers and customers during this time of gloom and uncertainty in the industry by providing quality products at fair prices and an incentive for consumers not to turn to bargain or overall cheaper products.
- A price increase would likely increase churn in the essential life blood of brick and mortar shops operating in states with higher than average tobaccos related taxes.
- SDC has been blessed with a growth rate of >100% per year over the last 6 years, a 4% – 5% price increase now won’t really matter over the next 5 – 10 years, however the churn and the loss of referrals and consumer support will adversely impact our growth rate.
- A price increase on current products and with existing partners will take a lot of time and energy away from family, sales representatives and brokers, if sales are soft or growth declines, the opinion will likely be that it was due to the price increase.
- A one-time price increase may solve immediate increased labor, legal and logistical costs but when it is done, it hasn’t fixed any real issues. We need to support the industry more and proactively work together on long term solutions that benefit the industry.
Southern Draw Cigars plans to introduce more expensive product offerings in 2020 and when it has been determined a price increase is necessary, the company will make every effort to telegraph it well in advance and then apply it equally to all products in an attempt to mitigate any issues.
CEDRUS Lancero
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: AJ Fernandez Cigar Co., Estelí, Nicaragua
Wrapper: Besuki, Indonesia
Binder: Habano 2000- Estelí, Nicaragua
Viso: Piloto Cubano – Dominican Republic, Criollo 98 – Estelí, Nicaragua
Seco: Habana 92 – Quilali, Nicaragua
Ligero: Corojo 99 – Jalapa, Nicaragua
Size:
Lancero 7.5×40 (box pressed)
Number of Cigars – 50,000 per size the be released for 2020
Packaging: 20 count boxes (standard SDC boxes) and a limited number of 20 count refill bundles
Price – $10.20 MSRP (same price as the robusto size of all core bend cigars)
Ship Date – April15 & July 15 & October 15, 2020
Soli Deo Gloria –
