At the 2014 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show, WIlly Herrera of Drew Estate mentioned that the Herrera Esteli brand would be expanding to encompass new projects, including store exclusives, unique sizes and unique blends. Today, Drew Estate announced the first of those new projects, Tienda Exclusiva by Willy Herrera.

The line, the name of which translates as store exclusive, is a new project that is described as a concept cigar blended by Willy Herrera and made at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in extremely small batches and specially crafted for one retailer per release, with only a few releases scheduled per year.

Herrera Esteli Tienda Exclusiva Barrister Cigars open box-1800px

The first release is heading to Barrister Cigars in Union, N.J., after owner David Mallow fell in love with a blend that Herrera was working on in 2013. 

“This was one of the blends that I was working on through 2012 and 2013; David smoked it at the Festival and kept coming back for more,” Herrera said via a press release. “Eventually, he smoked every cigar I had brought, which I thought would be enough for the entire week! I knew he loved the blend and it felt right assigning it to him for my first Tienda Exclusiva.”

Jonathan Drew indicated the release will be “one and done.”

“The ‘Tienda Exclusiva by Willy Herrera’ is a truly beautiful project that I am honored to be involved with,” said Mallow. “It’s no secret that Willy is one of the most talented tobacco blenders out there, and we can’t wait to have the cigar in our humidor.”

Drew Estate told halfwheel it will be a 4 7/8 x 46 cigar with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. Other details regarding the blend have not been announced. As for its production, the company indicated that it will not be produced on any sort of yearly basis.

The “Tienda Exclusiva by Willy Herrera” for Barrister Cigars is packed in 10-count boxes and will sell for $12 per cigar, plus applicable state taxes. They will be offered for sale on Sept. 2 from 6-9:00 PM at a Barrister Cigars event in Union, N.J., with Herrera and Drew in attendance.

Barrister Cigars is a Liga Privada Lounge.

Update (Aug. 29, 2014) — Added wrapper info.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.