TOB Magazine

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J. Grotto’s
Happy Anniversary Boutique Cigar
Paul Joyal’s Ocean State Cigars has debuted a Double Robusto
addition to the J. Grotto Anniversary boutique premium cigar
line. The 5.5x54 cigar is offered in box-pressed configuration,
sought after for its comfort in the mouth and fingers.
The Anniversary line is handmade with 100-percent long-
filler tobacco. The Double Robusto shares the same blend and
construction details as the four original Anniversary shapes.
Its double-capped wrapper is a naturally fermented maduro
Connecticut-grown broadleaf, while the binder is a Dominican-
grown Habano.
The Anniversary line is blended and manufactured by Phil
Zanghi, whose Dominican operation shares factory space with
the Reyes’ family of tobacco producers, which supply 70 per-
cent of all the tobacco used by Dominican cigar makers. One
can expect the Anniversary to use some of these top-quality
tobaccos.
Like all Anniversary shapes, the Double Robusto is a me-
dium-bodied cigar, departing from all other J. Grotto cigars,
which are medium-full- to full-bodied. “Although many cigar
lovers rave about full-bodied cigars, most buy medium-bodied
brands,” notes Joyal. “Make no mistake, Anniversary’s rich fla-
vor is the full equal of highly-touted full-bodied cigars, many of
which actually lack flavor despite their power.
“Anniversary has earned the term ‘succulent,’ with a clas-
sic Connecticut-broadleaf sweetness, plus some subtleties like
cocoa, coffee and nuts,” he adds. “For smooth smoking, all
tobaccos are aged at least three years; the finished cigars [are
aged] another three to four months.”
The high-quality Spanish cedar box holds 10 cigars and
bears artwork that reflects the special nature of the Anniversary
name. The line’s 2014 debut marked a year of wedding anni-
versaries for Joyal’s family: his parents’ 65th , and Joyal and
his wife’s 30th . Gold coins in the box art also bear the ini-
tials of several immediate family members. Joyal describes
Anniversary’s most appealing features as “super-premium
quality and performance at a consumer-friendly price—$8.50.”
Like all J. Grotto cigars, the Anniversary Double Robusto is
only available to brick-and-mortar tobacco shops, not Internet
or mail-order discounters. Ocean State Cigars, West Warwick,
RI, 401-822-0536,
Freshening ACID G-Fresh Cigars
In collaboration with Drew Estate, Swisher is reintroduc-
ing ACID G-Fresh Cigars in innovative G-Fresh foil pouches
that ensure longer lasting shelf life and promise consis-
tent product quality for each individually packaged cigar.
In addition to the updated and improved packaging, ACID
G-Fresh will also feature new blends only available in the
G-Fresh format. The classics, Kuba Kuba and Blondie, will
continue to be offered in their traditional infusions with their
signature blue cigar bands. Additions will include Blondie
Red, a bold infusion with a dark Cameroon wrapper, and
Blondie Morado, a rich and robust ACID in a Maduro wrap-
per. Drew Estate and Swisher continue to work on addi-
tional specialty blends to be added to the G-Fresh lineup
in late 2016. Swisher, 800-874-9720,
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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
JULY/AUGUST 2016