The El Viajante brand is expanding from social media, video blogs and online retailing to becoming a cigar brand as well, announcing plans for its first cigar to be released around the end of March.

The debut cigar is being called the El Viajante Edición XXXV, a 6 1/2 x 52 toro that uses a barber pole design for the wrapper, made from Ecuadorian habano maduro and Ecuadorian Connecticut shade leaves. They cover a Honduran habano binder and a filler blend of tobaccos from Honduras’ Copan region and Nicaragua’s Estelí region.

As for the name, Kerry Horney of El Viajante said that it “is a significant number and pays homage to special individuals and influencers in my life.”

It is being produced at Tabacalera G. Kafie y Cia in Danlí, Honduras, the factory owned by Dr. Gaby Kafie of Kafie 1901 Cigars. A total of 500 boxes of 10 cigars are being produced for the debut release, with MSRP expected to be approximately $9 per cigar and $90 per box. While Horney will be selling it via the Viajante’s Stogie Road website, it will be otherwise limited to brick-and-mortar retailers.

Horney told halfwheel that he launched Viajante’s Stogie Road approximately two-and-half years ago as a way to chronicle and review the cigar shops he was visiting while traveling for work. After a year, the brand incorporated and he acquired a tobacco retailer license, with the online store focusing on samplers from boutique cigar brands. He said that since launching the site, he has had a vision of creating a cigar that captures the essence of his travels, and feels that the Edición XXXV does just that.

Horney is planning several more cigars under the header of “The Viajante’s Stogie Road Diaries,” telling halfwheel he is planning a total of two to three releases per year.

Shortly after this story was published, additional details were clarified about the blend and have been added above.

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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.