There won’t be any price increases on Gran Habano products this year, according to George A. Rico, but there will be a number of new releases and packaging changes.

One project that has been on the radar for several months is now destined for a spring release, as the George Rico S.T.K. Miami Zulu Zulu Mas Paz Edition should be on store shelves in late March or early April. The line has been talked about since July 2014, was shown off at the 2014 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show and seemed destined for a 2014 release, but is now among the company’s 2015 releases.

It contains the identical Ecuadorian Connecticut and Nicaraguan habano blends but production has been moved to the company’s G.R. Tabacaleras Co. factory in Miami. Both versions use a Nicaraguan habano binder and Nicaraguan filler, with the cigar available in three sizes, a 7 1/2 x 40 lancero, 5 5/8 x 46 corona gorda and 6 x 54 Rolo, with MSRPs between $8.25 and $9.27.

The company’s Gran Reserva line adds a new edition and new packaging, as the Gran Habano Gran Reserva #5 2011 line is also slated for a late March or early April release. Made in Honduras, the cigar features a 2002 Nicaraguan corojo sun grown wrapper and binder and 2005 Costa Rican corojo filler. It will come in five sizes: a 5 5/8 x 46 corona gorda, 6 x 54 gran robusto, 6 x 60 Imperial, 6 x 66 Czar and 7 x 70 Grandioso, each packed in ten-count boxes with single stick MSRPs between $7.50 and $10.

There are a pair of new projects slated for the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, the George Rico S.T.K. Miami and a new line simply called Gran Habano. The former is made at G.R. Tabacalera Co. in Miami and starts with a Nicaraguan wrapper, with the binder and filler still TBA. It will come in three sizes, a 5 5/8 x 46 corona gorda, 6 x 52 toro and 5 1/2 x 42. Pricing is still being finalized.

The Gran Habano line is a Nicaraguan puro coming out of G.R. Tabacaleras Unidas S.A. in Honduras, with both sizes and prices to be announced.

Fans of the Gran Habano Corojo #5 will see a new look for the line in the not-too-distant future, as well as a new 7 x 70 Grandioso size with an MSRP of $8.86.

Finally, the G.A.R. Red line is making a packaging change that will be most applicable to retailers, though consumers might notice it as well, as the line is discontinuing its 100-count trays in favor of 50-counts.

It is expected that the company will release pictures and further details about its new lines and packaging changes in the coming weeks.

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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.