Stogie Guys Friday Sampler No. 435

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) Tatuaje Anarchy is back. Smoke Inn is reintroducing the retailer exclusive that debuted in 2010 as the first cigar in its Microblend Series. “Tatuaje Anarchy fans spanned the globe and when the one-time run was gone, emails flooded Smoke Inn for more of the product. While demand continued to pour in, timing and available tobaccos prevented re-production of this highly sought-after store exclusive,” reads a Smoke Inn press release. “Last year Smoke Inn approached Pete Johnson in the hopes of remaking the popular Tatuaje Anarchy again. After discussing the project with the Garcia Family, all were convinced the cigar could be reproduced in 2015.” Only 666 15-count boxes will be made, each retailing for $149.85, or $9.99 for a single. The vitola is the familiar cinnamon bun pigtail figurado (6.25 x 48-52). Pre-orders will begin June 29 and ship nationwide on July 13.

2) This week Drew Estate announced the second “Tienda Exclusiva by Willy Herrera,” a “concept cigar” made in “extremely small batches” at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. Each Tienda Exclusiva (Spanish for “store exclusive”) will be crafted for one particular retailer. The second retailer to win this distinction is Riverside Cigars in Jeffersonville, Indiana (the first was Barrister Cigars in Union, New Jersey). The blend includes an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and binder around Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. It will sell in the corona larga format (6.375 x 46) with an MSRP of $13.50 starting on July 11.

3) Inside the Industry: Oettinger Davidoff AG—parent company of Davidoff, Camacho, Avo, Zino, Room 101 and other brands—reports it set new records for revenue and production in 2014 “thanks to strong growth in sales of Davidoff cigars.” The company reports a 12% increase in global revenue and a 13.1% increase in cigar production from 2013 up to 44 million cigars. Davidoff increased staff 4.9%, mainly due to new hires in the Dominican Republic and Honduras where it created created more than 170 new jobs.

4) Deal of the Week: The limited edition L’Atelier Côte d’Or is hitting shelves now and if you want a box ($144) you should probably move quickly. The cigar, only available to TAA retailers, features an Ecuadorian Sancti Spiritus wrapper and a small amount of the rare, and notoriously difficult to grow, Pelo de Oro filler.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Tatuaje Anarchy