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News: Alec Bradley to Increase Prices April 1

Alec Bradley has begun informing retailers that its prices will Increase April 1. In a move described as “essentially across the board,” Alec Bradley will raise prices on most of its SKUs with the exception of the newly-launched Alec Bradley Connecticut and the soon-to-be-released Alec Bradley Nica Puro. Sam Phillips, vp of marketing, told halfwheel [...]

News: Sam Leccia Nears Return to Cigar Industry

Sam Leccia and the Oliva Family of Cigars have reached an agreement that will pave the way for Leccia’s return to the cigar industry. With the move, the two sides will settle a disagreement that dates back to November 2010 when Leccia, the former face of Cain and NUb, and Oliva parted ways. It’s not [...]

News: CroMagnon Epoch Heads to Riverside Cigar’s Derby Event

As noted by Jeff Mouttet, owner of Riverside Cigar Lounge & Lounge/Match Cigar Bar, in our earlier story about the two newest CroMagnons, RoMa Craft has created an exclusive cigar for the Jeffersonville, Ind.-based store. The CroMagnon Epoch is a 7 x 49 Parejo that uses the same blend as the CroMagnon Slobberkoncker, replacing the [...]

News: Toraño to Distribute Palió & Other BOTL, LLC Brands

After some blatant speculation and a lot of tweets, it’s official—Toraño Family Cigars will be distributing Palió and the rest of the Brother of the Leaf, LLC portfolio. In addition to the company’s popular cutters, Toraño is now responsible for the company’s lighters and cigar lines: Escencia and E. “Marc and I share the same [...]

News: Nicaragua’s Jalapa Region Battles Paratrioza Bacteria, Again

Early last year, Nicaragua’s near flawless rise to the top of the cigar world experienced arguably its largest problem in the last decade and a half. In the northwestern region of Jalapa, the part of the country that borders Honduras—tobacco plants were dying midway through the season with the undersides of the leaves ravaged in [...]

News: Nat Sherman Adding New 1930 Line

Nat Sherman will be adding a new line this summer called the 1930, with plans to have it available before the IPCPR Convention and Trade Show in early July. Michael Herklots, the Executive Director Retail and Brand Development for Nat Sherman, shared the announcement in an exclusive to halfwheel during the Tobacco Plus Expo in Las [...]

News: CAO Right Coast Headed to Southeastern U.S.

General Cigar Co.’s growing list of regional editions has its newest entry, the CAO Right Coast. Following the release of the 6 3/4 x 72 trapezoid-shaped CAO Left Coast, CAO is scheduled to begin shipping an East Coast counterpart to retailers in 10-12 Southeastern states in the coming weeks. The cigar is the same size [...]

News: Liga Privada UF-13 Dark Slated for Late March

The details for Drew Estate’s highly-anticipated Liga Privada Único Serie UF-13 Dark are now finalized. As we noted last September, the UF-13, a stronger Liga Privada previously reserved for events and other special purposes, is on track for a release this spring.  While the cigar itself hasn’t changed since that article, the name now reads, [...]

News: Ashton Prices Set to Increase

Numerous retailers across the country received word that Ashton prices will increase on February 1. In a letter sent to retailers, Ashton Distributors, Inc. indicated it was raising prices for the first time since 2009. A letter signed by Ashton President Robert Levin reads: I am writing to inform you that there will be a [...]

News: La Palina to Release New Goldie

In the coming months, La Palina will be following up their highly successful Goldie Laguito No. 2 with a bigger edition, the 6 x 54 Goldie Laguito No. 5, according to La Pailna’s Director of Sales, Andrew Brennan. The blend is designed to be very similar to the Laguito No. 2, which used an Ecuadoran [...]