We’re still reeling from attending the International Premium Cigars & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) trade show and taking in all the amazing new releases coming soon. There is no way to feature every new cigar in the normal-sized “In Our Humidor” section, so we decided to expand it. Let’s dive in.
Avanti Cigar Company
We were given a care package of a variety of Avanti cigars at the IPCPR show, and we couldn’t choose just one to tell you about, so here are five. Avanti is the only producer of dry-cured cigars in the United States, and they are made exclusively with handpicked Tennessee and Kentucky tobacco. These are perfect for those days when you need a shorter smoke.
Avanti Anisette
This cigar combines the strong taste of dark fire-cured tobacco with the sweet flavor of anisette for savory and low-intensity smoke.
Avanti Vanilla
Another low-intensity and also smooth smoke with the sweet aromas of vanilla and maple.
Kentucky Cheroot
This cigar is straight-rolled and pays homage to the cigars smoked by Clint Eastwood in his Westerns. We can attest—we did feel an instant kinship with Eastwood while enjoying this toasty, high-intensity smoke.
Parodi Kings
This is their top-selling brand, and it has been manufactured since 1925. Kings uses 100 percent Kentucky tobacco and is quite intense, with a malty and leathery aroma.
Parodi Ammezzati
An inch smaller than the Parodi Kings, these cigars have a slightly sharp, earthy taste with wonderful nutty and herbal aromas.
Shipped to retailers: Previously released
More info: avanticigars.com
M by Macanudo
We’re particularly excited about this release as it is Macanudo’s first flavor-infused cigar. And it’s not just any flavor, it’s one of our favorite cigar pairing beverages: creamy coffee. We tried a couple sticks at the show and loved the subtle hints of java that found their way through notes of cedar and spice. It isn’t overpowering by any means; it’s the perfect infusion balance.
Shipped to retailers: July
More info: macanudo.com
CAO Nicaragua
This is another exciting release because it’s the first Nicaraguan-centric blend from Rick Rodriguez, master blender of CAO Cigars. At the core of this cigar is three Nicaraguan tobaccos: Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa.
“For CAO Nicaragua, the team and I wanted to bring the essence of Nicaraguan tobacco to life in a way that only CAO can do,” Rodriguez says. “So we selected the blend starting with the filler, utilizing leaves representing three distinctive microclimates and three distinctive tastes.”
Shipped to retailers: August
More info: caocigars.com
El Artista’s Cimarron
The Cimarron is being released as three separate blends—two for the U.S. and one for the European market. The two U.S. blends include one in a San Andres wrapper and one in an Ecuadorean Connecticut Shade wrapper. In addition to the superb tastes, we love the price point: $7.
“Cimarron demonstrates El Artista’s commitment to grow and roll the best tobacco and offer it at the best possible price,” says Kevin Newman, national sales director of El Artista.
Shipped to retailers: August
More info: elartista.com
La Flor de Ynclan Lancero by Villiger Cigars
We’ve been longtime fans of the highly rated La Flor De Ynclan, so we were excited when they released this special-edition Lancero. It is a more intense smoking experience in both flavor and smoke, and it is very limited with only 500 boxes of 25 produced yearly. Will you get your hands on one of the 12,500 Lanceros?
“The La Flor De Ynclan cigar has been an ongoing labor of love for us, and we feel that we have further refined the blend with the addition of this special edition Lancero vitola,” says Heinrich Villiger, chairman of Villiger Cigars.
Shipped to retailers: July
More info: villigercigars.com
Balmoral Anejo XO Connecticut
We’ve also been long-time fans of the Balmoral Anejo XO lineup, so we were ecstatic to hear about the release of both Anejo XO Connecticut and Añejo XO Oscuro. We sampled the Connecticut and found it to be exceptionally creamy with notes of vanilla, caramel, and white pepper. These cigars are a direct follow-up to the highly regarded Balmoral Anejo 18 (boasting an 18-year-old Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper).
Shipped to retailers: September
More info: agiocigars.com
Herrera Esteli by Drew Estate
This isn’t a new release, per se, but it’s a brand we adore, and we love the rebranding unveiled at this year’s show. Master blender Willy Herrera explains: “The uniform packaging for the Herrera Esteli line has elements of classic Cuban-inspired branding mixed with modern simplicity. I loved the classic cabinet boxes, but it was time to partner with our retail tobacconists and create a more cohesive space for Herrera fans to find my blends on the shelf.”
Side note: Head over here to read about Drew Estate’s Factory Smokes, a collection of four blends in four different sizes at very reasonable price points.
Shipping to retailers: October (Factory Smokes released in July)
More info: drewestate.com
Micallef Cigars’ Grande Bold Sumatra
In a bold move worthy of its name, Micallef Cigars released five new blends—a total of 22 cigars—to its lineup. We sampled the box-pressed Sumatra that uses a Sumatran wrapper, Honduran binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. It has a full body with wonderful flavors of wood and cocoa. We’re looking forward to trying all five blends.
Shipped to retailers: July
More info: micallefcigars.com
