I admittedly got to the Ashton booth a bit late. Or very late. That being said, there were a few customers being shown around right as the trade show closed down. And now that I think of it, this is hardly the first time I’ve left the Ashton booth to be covered towards the end of the show. Some of that is coincidence, but there’s also the fact the booth is normally quite busy during the first three days of the show.

As for the booth, it’s the same as it’s been for a while. A large rectangular booth with a wall on each side. Offices are towards the back of the booth, product is displayed down the walls on each side and there are cases set up towards the front to display the newer product.

San Cristobal Ovation Eminence

The latest size for the San Cristobal Ovation line. One thing of note is the company is cutting down the number of retailers that will be able to carry the Ovation and Noblesse lines. It makes sense as this is Ashton’s flagship Nicaraguan brand. The other two sizes return.

  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • San Cristobal Ovation Eminence (5 3/4 x 54) — $14 (Boxes of 22, $308)

Launch Date: Fall 2017

La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse

No new size, but the other high-priced Nicaraguan line is back in the same three sizes as last year. For those that need a reminder, this uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The cigars are rolled at the García family’s My Father Cigars S.A. and use tobacco from the family’s farms.

San Cristobal Quintessence Corona Gorda

The Quintessence, which debuted last year, gets a fifth size. It’s also an Ecuadorian habano over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers made at My Father Cigars S.A., though a regular production offering at a notably more affordable price.

  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • San Cristobal Quintessence Belicoso (5 5/8 x 46) — $8.25 (Boxes of 24, $198)

Launch Date: Fall 2017

San Cristobal Paradise Assortment

It’s the latest in Ashton’s growing stable of samplers and as the name implies, centered around the company’s San Cristobal brand. Five cigars and a lighter for $60.

Launch Date: November 2017

Update — The original version of the San Cristobal Quintessence Corona Gorda originally listed the wrong cigar.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2017 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.