Cuba’s cigar industry announced major releases that will be forthcoming during the Habanos festival, there are even more new cigars coming from Cuba. Some of them are limited editions while others are unexpected line extensions to Cuba’s smaller brands.
The Cohiba Esplendidos was chosen by the Habanos Festival as its Gran Reserva release. A “reserva” has been aged at least three years, with at least one of those in a barrel. “Gran Reserva” means that it was aged at least five years, with a minimum of two years in oak In the case of the Cohiba Esplendidos Gran Reserva, Habanos says that all the tobacco used in the cigar has been aged for five years, and is from a 2017 crop. The Gran Reserva measures 7 inches long by 47 ring gauge, just like normally produced Esplendidos, but this special release comes in a 15-count case finished in a glossy black piano finish. Only 5,000 boxes are being produced. No word yet on pricing, but Gran Reservas are always a bit more pricey.
The Romeo y Julieta Cupidos is a completely new size in the Cuban portfolio, and it’s a cigar that’s made exclusively for La Casa del Habano franchise shops and Habanos Specialist retailers. At 5 7/8 by 55, the plump torpedo is referred to as a Verona in Cuban cigar factories. Cupidos come in ornately enamelled boxes of 20, with secondary bands denoting their exclusivity.
The smaller Vergueros line got its first updated size in over three years. The new Centrogordos, a smaller-sized cigar that only measures 100 mm by 54, is the first addition since the Centrofinos was added in 2019. It will come in 16-count tins, consistent with the rest of the line. Vegueros was completely re-imagined and renewed with new sizes and new packaging. The brand is supposed to be a tribute to Cuba’s tobacco farmers.
Perhaps the most unexpected of all the upcoming releases was the announcement of the La Gloria Cubana Turquinos. It’s slated to be a regular-production size in the very small La Gloria Cubana brand, which has not been expanded in decades. Any recent La Glorias that have appeared throughout the years have either been La Casa del Habano exclusives or part of the regional program. At 5 1/2 by 50, the Turquinos are the same size as the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial.
There’s no word on pricing or release dates. If Habanos stays on its current trend, the cigars will be slowly released into the global market where one country will launch the cigar during an exclusive party before an official release to the rest of the world.