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TOBACCO BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
a Brazilian, American (Perique) and
Filipino filler. “This cigar is robust and
full-bodied and will add a new bold
cigar profile to the Tabacalera line,” says
Mark Ryan, owner of D&RTobacco.The
introductory release will be in two sizes, a
Torpedo and a Petit Torpedo.
“It’s a pipe smoker’s cigar,” adds Doug
Grove of commercial sales, explaining
that outside of the pipe world, not too
many are familiar with Perique tobacco.
“I think we can pull in a lot of guys who
are pipe smokers and who occasionally
smoke a cigar to become cigar smokers
with this.”
JC Newman Cigar Company
and the “Affordable
American”
Just because economic times aren’t
as grave as they were a couple of years
ago doesn’t mean the value-priced cigar
isn’t still in vogue—it very much is—
and J.C. Newman Cigar Co. is fulfilling
that niche with a new brand. Made in
the last operating cigar factory in Cigar
City (in J.C. Newman’s headquartered
town of Tampa, Florida), El Reloj is said
to incorporate old world tradition and
popular tobacco blends at a value price
(MSRP is $2.99 a stick).
“When it was built in 1910, the El
Reloj factory became the focal point of
the community,” explains Eric Newman,
president. “Most people didn’t own
clocks and watches—they would rise
in the morning, eat, go to school, go to
work, and go to bed—all from the hourly
chime. We wanted to honor our iconic
building with a one-of-a-kind cigar made
in our Tampa factory.”
What also makes it unique is the
“short-aged tobacco that can’t be used
in regular premium cigars; we blend
that with Nicaraguan, Dominican and
Honduran tobacco and put a nice,
flavorful wrapper on it. So for the price,
customers are getting really good, aged
tobacco,” says Shanda Lee, vice president
of marketing.
Legacy Brands by Victor
VitaleandArmandAssante/
Limited Productions
Legacy Brands by Victor Vitale is all
about “ultra-premium boutique” cigars
and limited productions. “There’s been
some controversy on what the definition
of ultra-premium boutique is—to me, it’s
very small production and products that
are handled with scrutiny,” says Vitale.
“I put my name on it, so there’s a lot of
scrutiny and quality control; that’s not
to say they’re any better, but it’s what I
specialize in.The tobacco and the product
[are] very, very limited.”
Vitale’s cigar distribution company
only deals with “appointed merchants,”
that is, “I appoint specific retailers to
become merchants for these products
and by doing that, I have to meet a certain
production,”he explains to
TB
.“And with
cigar smokers, there are passionate people
and consumption people—this is more
about passionate people. I’m trying to
create the right romance for the people
with cigar passion.”
And that’s what passionate cigar
aficionado/film actor Armand Assante
was drawn to when he finally decided
(after years of requests) to attach his name
to a product—the Ora Vivo Armand
Assante cigar by Victor Vitale.
“I was not unfamiliar with [Victor’s]
cigars when we decided to do this,”
Assante explained from the IPCPR show
floor. “But I tested a lot of blends first,
then I was in Serbia last summer testing
more and more tobacco and I smoked
the Tortuga and said ‘this is a great cigar’
and we sealed the deal slowly. I wanted
something a little sweeter than what we
had originally. And that’s what I loved
