Cigar Weekly

Los Angeles - The city of Havana, Cuba was founded in 1515, six years after being sighted by Spanish explorer Sebastian de Ocampo. No one knows this better than Doug Wood, founder of the La Perla Habana cigar line.

And he's doing something about it, introducing a new cigar called Andiamo.

"Andiamo captures the spotlight as the inaugural release in our new line of seven annual releases, named 'Serie 500,' which honors perhaps the most significant events in the cigar world," he said in a statement.

"Andiamo celebrates the 1509 discovery by European explorers, of what became the city of Havana in 1515. The remaining six cigars will be released each year over the time span between the two dates. The parade of releases will culminate in a new La Perla Habana in 2015, the 500-year anniversary of the official establishment of Havana as a city. It derived its name from 'savannah,' a flat grassland in tropical regions. Thus was born what would become the world capital of cigar making."

The Andiamo will be offered in three shapes only: Robusto (4 3/4 inches by 52 ring gauge), Toro (6 x 50) and Torpedo (6 1/4 x 52); all will be presented in chests of 50 with retail pricing in the $6.50-7.50 range.

The cigar will be offered only to select retail shops and is not planned for sale over the Internet or by mail-order. "This cigar should help build traffic in stores," said Wood, "not only for our products, but for others as well."

>> The Carlos Torano Tribute cigar debuted in 2003, designed as a special, limited-production blend that would change annually. A second edition appeared in 2004 and then . . . nothing . . . until now.

The third Tribute blend will debut at the IPCPR show in Las Vegas this week, also a limited-production project of just 1,200 boxes each of three different sizes: Robusto (5 x 50), Churchill (7 x 47) and Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52).

"Only 1,000 to 1,200 boxes of each of the three shapes were offered [in 2003]," said Torano Cigars president Charlie Torano, "and they sold out rapidly, as did the 2004 release of a new blend. "This year, we are offering just 1,200 boxes in each shape. This is due to the scarcity of this extra-select tobacco, and the five years of aging it needed to become what we hoped it would. My father and I only accepted tobacco that would reward smokers with a cigar worthy of my grandfather's name, and then we had to wait until it told us it was ready.

"These limitations make it impossible to create a new Tribute annually, but connoisseurs who recognize its extraordinary character and quality are willing to wait for each release."

The Tribute 2008 salutes Carlos Torano, Charlie's grandfather and the father of Carlos Torano, Jr. The elder Torano pioneered the growing of Cuban-seed tobaccos in the Dominican Republic back in 1962. It features a rich Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper combined with five-year-aged binder and filler leaves grown in Nicaragua. The Brazilian leaf was fermented three times and the finished cigars were aged for six months. The result is a medium-to-full-bodied cigar which is promised to offer perfect balance, along with rich flavors. Each box includes a serial number to assure authenticity.

>> Presentation is one of the hallmarks of the Gurkha brand, but Kaizad Hansotia is exploring new territory with what may be the first-ever "air-conditioned" cigar box.
His wild and crazy Vintage Shaggy line debuted in 2006, featuring a nearly-all-Dominican blend, with just a little Honduran-grown filler inside, and an uncut foot. Each box showcased the cigars sitting on a blend of tobacco scraps and they were an instant hit.

Now, the Vintage Shaggy line will expand, using the same binder and filler leaves, but adding a choice of a Connecticut Shade or maduro wrapper. "Both feature an extra-smooth and refined flavor, thanks to their five-year-old Dominican binder and filler," said Hansotia.

The line will now be offered in four sizes: Churchill (7 x 52), Toro (6 x 50) and Torpedo (6 1/2 x 53) as before, but with the addition of the XO, a 6-inch by 60-ring giant. All are offered in boxes of 25 with retail pricing from $8.50-$10.00 before local taxes.

As always, the box is a special attraction. Hansotia is packing the new Shaggys in tobacco scraps in a solid-wood box bottom as before, but has added a basket-weave-style lid that is not only reminiscent of farm life in the tropics, but also offers the cigars their own breathing space!

>> "My father went to Nicaragua fifteen years ago and started our factory from the ground up. He pioneered our growing operations and prior to his passing on July 2, 2004. He made sure that we controlled every aspect of our manufacturing facility. I have always felt honored and blessed to work alongside my best friend, my Dad."

That's Nick Perdomo on his father, Nicolas Perdomo, Sr., to whom the new Perdomo Patriarch cigar is dedicated. It will be formally introduced at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association show in Las Vegas. Constructed of all-Nicaraguan-grown leaves, it's a medium-to-full-bodied blend offered in both Corojo and Maduro wrappers in six sizes: Corona Extra (5 5/8 x 46), Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50), Churchill (7 x 48) and Torpedo (6 1/2 x 54).

This blend will be instantly recognizable on the shelf as it's double banded with "Perdomo" on the band near the head and "Patriarch" on the footer band. Retail prices will range from $6.00 for the Corona Extra up to $9.00 for the Torpedo.