The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers annual show is right around the corner, and you can expect some new product to be unveiled in New Orleans, this year, as usual. The plans for the year run the spectrum. EO Brands unveiled its new cigar labels, the first visible change following the company's merger with Rocky Patel, and Drew Estate will reveal that it has something big coming out this year. But, why listen to me talk about it? I've had the chance to catch up with a number of cigar industry personalities recently. So, watch the videos below to hear it straight from the source.
Drew Estate
There's always something interesting brewing at the Drew Estate factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and this summer is no different. Marvin Samel, co-founder of the company, hints that something interesting is coming his year.
Another cigar launch at the upcoming RTDA tobacco trade show is the release of the El Rey del Mundo Olividados. The new line is a full-bodied cigar that is made from aged Nicaraguan ligero, Honduran viso and Dominican seco filler tobaccos. The cigars have a dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and come in five sizes from a 5" x 54 Robusto to 7¼" x 54 Double Corona. The cigars will come in a rosewood box. They will be out in October and will sell for $7.99 to $11.99.
Sure aging in casks is good for whisky and other spirits but what about tobacco? Cigar Aficionado reports on the new cigars from Aurora which are made from tobacco aged in barrels. The Aurora Corojo Oscuro Barrel Aged Cigar is aged in old oak barrels that once held Dominican rum. Aurora already barrel-ages the tobacco used inside its Preferidos, 1495 and 100 Años cigars, but now they are aging the wrapper too. The new cigar will come in four sizes and will debut at the RTDA show in a couple weeks.
Cigar makers CAO have released a little video about their latest innovation which will be launched at RTDA later this summer. The CAO Vision is the first Dominican-made CAO cigar, it is composed of aged tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Brazil but assembled in the Dominican Republic. The cigars come in a desktop/travel humidor that is calibrated to deliver 68-70% humidity. The cigars will be available in three sizes. The video doesn't explain the glowing box but it is certainly intriguing too.