El Pulpo From Artesano Del Tobacco Finally Arrives
It was a chilly Tuesday evening in New York City last week, and if you happened to have walked past the Carnegie Club, you would have sworn that Frank Sinatra was singing from beyond the grave. But it wasn’t just the sound of a strangely-good Sinatra cover band spilling out onto the sidewalk. Anyone strolling by was also getting a generous whiff of smoke from about 100 slow-burning El Pulpo cigars. This was the official launch party for the newest brand from Artesano del Tobacco, and after two delayed releases, El Pulpos are finally available. First shipments went out last week.
The original launch date was November. Then, it was pushed to February. Now, these full-bodied Nicaraguan cigars in Mexican wrappers have been sent out to retailers. According to brand owners Billy and Gus Fakih, their entire shipment has sold out, and they await the next delivery from A.J. Fernandez, who makes the cigars for the Fakihs in Nicaragua.
El Pulpo is the second brand from Artesano del Tobacco. The Fakihs, former New York City cigar shop owners, walked away from retail in 2015 and formed Artesano del Tobacco four years later, debuting with Viva La Vida, a brand also made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua. The Fakihs took it up a notch with El Pulpo, a stronger cigar with an aged Mexican wrapper and hearty Nicaraguan blend.
The cigars come in three box-pressed sizes: Robusto Grande, measuring 5 inches by 56 ring gauge, the 6-by-56 Toro Grande and Belicoso Grande at 5 3/4 by 58. Retailing for $15, $16 and $17, respectively, all three sizes are packaged in 10-count boxes.
For a vertical brand tasting on the El Pulpo line, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.
