More Cuban Cigars Coming From Habanos S.A.
In addition to the major releases announced by Cuba’s cigar industry during the Habanos festival, there are even more new cigars coming from Cuba. Some of them are limited editions while others are unexpected line extensions to Cuba’s smaller brands.
This year, Habanos chose the Cohiba Esplendidos as its Gran Reserva release. Reservas and Gran Reservas are typically popular or emblematic sizes within a brand, but made with older tobaccos than usual. In the case of the Cohiba Esplendidos Gran Reserva, Habanos says that all the tobacco used in the cigar has been aged for five years, and is from a 2017 crop. The Gran Reserva measures 7 inches long by 47 ring gauge, just like regular-production Esplendidos, but this special release comes in a 15-count case finished in a glossy black piano finish. Only 5,000 boxes are being produced. No word yet on pricing, but Gran Reservas are always considerably expensive.
The Romeo y Julieta Cupidos is a completely new size in the Cuban portfolio, and it’s a cigar that’s made exclusively for La Casa del Habano franchise shops and Habanos Specialist retailers. At 5 7/8 by 55, the plump torpedo is referred to as a Verona in Cuban cigar factories. Cupidos come in ornately enameled boxes of 20, with secondary bands denoting their exclusivity.
The small, competitively-priced Vegueros line is getting its first new size in four years. The new Centrogordos, an extremely short cigar that measures 4 by 54, is the first addition since the Centrofinos was added in 2019. It will come in 16-count tins, consistent with the rest of the line. Vegueros was completely re-imagined and rebooted in 2013 with new sizes and new packaging. The brand is supposed to be a tribute to Cuba’s tobacco farmers.
Perhaps the most unexpected of all the upcoming releases was the announcement of the La Gloria Cubana Turquinos. It’s slated to be a regular-production size in the very small La Gloria Cubana brand, which has not been expanded in decades. Any new La Glorias that have appeared throughout the years have either been La Casa del Habano exclusives or part of the Regional Edition program. At 5 1/2 by 50, the Turquinos are the same size as the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial.
There’s no word on pricing or release dates. If Habanos stays on its current trend, the cigars will be staggered into the global markets whereby one country will launch the cigar via premier party before its released to the rest of the world.
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