Weekly News (June 18, 2012)

Posted by Charlie Minato on Monday, June 18, 2012 · 3 Comments

Editor’s Note: It will be a busy week at halfwheel and likely busy up until the trade show. I’m not sure if it’s entirely necessary. There’s a chicken and egg problem regarding new releases that runs rampant through the industry. There’s not enough space in most retail humidors because of a flood of new releases, but consumers keep asking for the latest and greatest and so manufacturers keep producing them. For the second year in a row Miami Cigar & Co. seems poised to take the award for most new releases at IPCPR. The majority of the following should be at IPCPR: three sizes of Añoranza, three size of Merlion, five size of Fernando León Reserva Familiar, a few sizes of Nestor Miranda Special Selection Connecticut, Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve 2012, at least one extension to Guillermo León by La Aurora, as well as a packaging change to the rest of the sizes, and the reintroduction of 100 Años. It’s unclear whether the Danno 2012 or new Preferidos sizes, both of which were alluded to earlier in the year will make it to Orlando. If the over/under is at 20 SKUs at IPCPR, you have to take the over.

Christian Eiroa’s Profile Takes Shape — Details here.
Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch IV Oscuro — Shipping later this week, later. Details here.
Perdomo Unveils 20th Anniversary Cigar — Story here.
NHC Selección Limitada Capa Especial 2012 — Here.
Viaje Exclusivo Tower 45th Anniversary To Ship Thursday — Story here on the 2012 version.
Viaje Summer Releases to Include Roman Candle — Story here.
J. Fuego 777 Minutos — Details here.
Gran Habano to add Corona Gorda to S.T.K. Barracuda — Story here.
Gurkha Adds Wicked Indie Little Indies — Story here.
Padrón W. Curtis Draper 125th Emerges — No other details except a debut in July.
Davidoff Yearly Sales Up — Story here.
Draig K by Emilio Cigars — Press release here.
Asylum Cigars Launches — Press release on Christian Eiroa’s newest project, here and here.
Chattanooga Tweet-Up 2012 — Press release here.
CRA/IPCPR Petition Delivered to Vice-President Joe Biden — Press release here.
S.1461 Gains 12th Co-Sponsor — Press release here.
Oliva Opposes National Tobacco Corporation’s Black Cane Registration — Via CigarLaw.
Aficionado Magazine Abandons Mark — After opposition from Cigar Aficionado via CigarLaw.

Filed under Main, News, Weekly News · Tagged with Chattanooga Tweet-Up 2012, Christian Eiroa, Cigar Aficionado, Cigar Rights of America, Davidoff, Draig K, Emilio, Gurkha, Gurkha Wicked Indie, Gurkha Wicked Indie Little Indies, Havana Cellars, IPCPR, J. Fuego 777 Minutos, La Flor Dominicana, Litto Gomez, Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch, Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4, Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 Oscuro, New Havana Cigars, NHC Selección Limitada Capa Especial 2012, Oettinger Davidoff Group, Oliva, Padrón, Padrón W. Curtis Draper 125th Anniversary, Perdomo, Perdomo 20th Anniversary, S. 1461, Tabacaleras Unidas, Tatuaje, Tower Cigars, Viaje, Viaje C-4, Viaje Exclusivo Tower 45th, Viaje Roman Candle, Viaje Summerfest, Viaje TNT, W. Curtis Draper

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Gary Griffith

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I might offer one small caveat to your "chicken and egg" notion. For those of us who are passionate about what we do it is not consumer demand that drives the creation of new releases. It is the fact that there is ever more exquisite tobacco to work with, and thus we are driven to create. It is what we do. Taken to it's rather illogical extreme, your notion would dictate that an artist should paint only when there is a market for his or her paintings, and abandon their passions, dreams, and creative essence when the market forces so dictate. While what we do may be a commodity for you, which you review and comment on, it is my art, and I will have no one who lacks that level of passion and creativity unilaterally decide when I should or should not create.

Charlie Minato moderator

@Gary Griffith My chicken and egg reference was to the more and more common cries from manufacturers that starts with "there are too many (new) cigars." Followed by, "but every time I walk into a shop, all I hear is, 'what's new' — so what am I supposed to do." This situation isn't new, the speech isn't new; a bit more common from my own experiences. As for the artistry — I don't think that's the overwhelming reason for the new releases, at least not in my own dealings. You've made your artistic approach well-known, I see it (much like Dion's origins), but I just don't see it in the majority of the industry.

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News: J.J. Fox Announces 225th Anniversary Padrón | halfwheel says:

September 7, 2012 at 2:45 pm

[...] for Washington D.C.-based W. Curtis Draper’s 125th anniversary, of which a prototype was last seen in June. The two releases follow last year’s release of the Padrón SI-15, made for Florida-based [...]