Stogie Exclusive: Cigar Trade(mark) Secrets Revealed

Just about this time of year manufacturers make a big show of announcing what new products they are releasing. Some put out a press release while others wait to reveal their latest (and we’re told “greatest”) at the annual industry trade show.

But why wait? By meticulously searching through recently filed U.S trademarks (which are public record), we were able to get a sneak peak at what are likely to be some of the yet unannounced new cigars of 2010:

Tatuaje Anarchy — Early this year, this website popped up hinting at a new Tatuaje release in a size “never before seen.” According to the site, the cigar is coming in 2011, and on some chat boards Pete Johnson has indicated that the cigar will be a partnership with a retailer, but he has always been silent on who his partner in crime is. A search of recently registered trademarks reveals that the West Palm Beach-based retailer Smoke Inn (which carries a full assortment of Tatuaje smokes) registered “Anarchy” for use with cigars in February of this year, just before the Tatuaje Anarchy site first appeared. So, it seems, the mysterious anarchist has been revealed.

Sinful X and My Story — These two marks were registered by Fuente in March and May, respectively. We’d venture to guess that Sinful X will be an extension of Fuente’s sought-after Opus X line. Meanwhile, My Story is likely a variation of Fuente’s all-figuardo Cameroon-wrapped Hemingway line.

Undercrown and Razorback — Drew Estate, maker of the popular Liga Privada line, registered these names in April and February of this year. What exactly they’ll use them for is anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see them on anything from an extension of their Acid line or Nostros, or to a new vitola of their Liga Privada line in the vein of the limited release Flying Pig and Dirty Rat.

Burn by Rocky Patel — Rocky Patel has always been prolific when it comes to bringing out new cigars and his recent trademark registrations show it. In addition to Burn, which sounds to us like a new Rocky line, he has  also registered “Cargo,” which could be used for just about anything. Additionally, hinting at a new aromatic (or flavored) line, he has recently registered “RP Aromatics” and “Chai Latte” to be used for a product that, according to the registration, will be “cigars with coffee flavoring.”

Z-Class — Davidoff is always mum on what their new release will be, which is why we were very interested to see that Z-Class was registered in March. Could it be a reference to a new Zino cigar? Possibly, but only time will tell.

Bolivar D’Oro and Man of Distinction — With some of the biggest brands in the cigar industry, including Macanudo, Punch, and La Gloria Cubana, General Cigar always makes a few waves with its new releases at the annual trade show. That’s why we were interested to see these trademarks registered in May and June, respectively. Given the similarity to the highly regarded Cuban Bolivar Gold Medal, we suspect Bolivar D’Oro may be a new extension of General’s Nicaraguan/Dominican Bolivar line. Man of Distinction, on the other hand, could be used for just about anything.

Alec Bradley American Classic — In late May, Alec Bradley cigars registered this trademark. It could just be a clever marketing slogan, but there’s also a good chance it is a new line from Alan Rubin.

Guillermo León by La Aurora — We’ve known for some time that La Aurora President Guillermo León would be the face of a new La Aurora smoke set to debut at the trade show in early August, but it wasn’t until we came across this trademark, registered at the end of January, that we felt confident about what the name would be. When we asked José Blanco of La Aurora a few weeks ago he still wouldn’t confirm the name. But now we know.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys