New El Pulpo Squid Size From Artesano del Tobacco
Artesano del Tobacco has added a new cephalopodic cigar to El Pulpo, its full-bodied line of aquatic-themed smokes. This week, The Squid is heading to retailers. With its long, tapered body and splayed pigtail cap, it’s not too hard to see that this shapely Salomon actually resembles the sea-dwelling creature it was named after.
Cigar Aficionado recently met with brothers and brand owners Billy and Geson “Gus” Fakih in New York City to get a look at the new cigar.
“We tried different shapes to showcase and bring out a certain flavor we were looking for,” Billy says, adding that customers also asked him for a unique shape. “This process took us about a year to accomplish. And with A.J. Fernandez’s help, we now have a box-pressed perfecto.”
Like the rest of the El Pulpo line, Squid is made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua and consists of a dark, Mexican San Andrés wrapper and bold Nicaraguan blend. The cigar measures 6 1/2 inches long and tapers out to a 60 ring gauge at the foot. Squids come in boxes of 10 and have a suggested retail price of $20 per cigar.
El Pulpo, which translates to “the octopus” in Spanish, debuted in 2023 and was the second release from Artesano del Tobacco, following its Viva La Vida line. Squid brings the brand to six sizes, including a lancero named The Eel, a short robusto called The Fry (like a fish-fry, get it?) and the Belicoso Grande, which was Cigar Aficionado’s No. 10 cigar of 2023.
Both the squid and the octopus emit clouds of black ink as a way to defend against predators. Is this perhaps a subtle reference to the near-black Mexican wrappers that cover the entire El Pulpo line?
“I agree 100 percent,” Billy says. “It’s all part of the theme.”
For a rating of the new El Pulpo The Squid, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.
