La Flor Dominicana Puts TAA Exclusive To Vote
For the second straight year, La Flor Dominicana will let retailers determine the size of its annual TAA exclusive cigar. The vote will take place during the 48th Tobacconist Association of America convention, where members will be given the opportunity to cast their vote by placing orders for the size they like best.
The nominees for La Flor's anticipated TAA 48 cigar consists of three straight-sided parejos: one box-pressed cigar, measuring 6 inches by 54 ring gauge, and two non-pressed sizes: one measuring 5 1/2 by 50 and the other a slightly larger 6 1/4 by 60.
Each size offers the same blend of Dominican fillers and Cameroon binder draped in a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. No matter the size, the cigars will retail for $9.40, ship in boxes of 25, and will only be available to registered TAA retailers.
The selection process will be held during the TAA conference, which takes place March 6 to 10 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. During a tasting seminar held by La Flor's vice president of sales Jon Carney, attendees will sample the three sizes and whichever vitola receives the most orders will become the official TAA 48 cigar.
When the cigars arrive at retail in late April, the La Flor sales team will embark on a year-long tour of TAA retailers, hosting a slew of seminars dealing with the growing and blending of tobacco, as well as the history of the TAA. La Flor will offer exclusive maduro versions of the TAA 48 cigar in 10-count collector boxes that will only be available during the retailer events. According to Carney, La Flor hopes to hold events at 80 percent of TAA retail shops.
Although this is the fifth year La Flor has produced a TAA exclusive cigar, 2015 was the first time a vote determined its size. Last year, a 5 1/2 inch by 52 ring gauge blend of Ecuadoran Habano wrapper, Mexican binder and Dominican fillers beat out a 6 by 60 parejo and a 6 1/2 by 54 box-pressed torpedo for the TAA 47 exclusive.
