PDR Cigars shared space with Viaje again this year, as the former manufacturers some of the latter’s cigars. It was a very open booth design that invited people in, with towers of products located at the corners of the space.

The company rolled out three new offerings — one new cigar, one expanded launch of an existing cigar, and a new product that is quite interesting.

Devil’s Weed

Abe Flores released a new product called Devil’s Weed, a whole leaf of broadleaf tobacco in either rosado (Red) or oscuro (Dark). Each of the leaves are natural and humidified, which come in humidified pouches and are marketed as unfinished goods. Flores said he selects the leaves for this project based on their length, as they are all at least 25 inches long.

The response was quite good, as Flores told me he had an individual offer to buy his entire first run.

  • Devil’s Weed Dark (oscuro) — $5.99
  • Devil’s Weed Red (rosado) — $5.99

Launch Date: September 2017

PDR El Trovador Maduro

The PDR El Trovador line launched at last year’s show, and this year it gets a maduro version, with what seems to be the hottest leaf of the moment—Mexican San Andrés—selected for the capa. The original El Trovador, which was released last year, uses an Ecuadorian rosado wrapper leaf. Pricing and sizes remain the same as the original release.

  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
  • Binder: Nicaraguan dual binder
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • PDR El Trovador Maduro Corona Gorda (6 x 46) — $8.75 (Boxes of 24, $210)
  • PDR El Trovador Maduro Gran Toro (6 x 54) — $9.20 (Boxes of 24, $220.80)
  • PDR El Trovador Maduro Petite Belicoso (4 1/2 x 50) — $7.75 (Boxes of 24, $186)
  • PDR El Trovador Maduro Robusto (5 x 52) — $8.20 (Boxes of 24, $196.80)

Launch Date: Currently available

El Criolito

El Criolito isn’t new per se, but it will soon be much more readily available. The line debuted in Europe last year, and a limited amount—400 boxes of each size—went to retailers in the U.S. on April 1. Now the line gets a full domestic release.

  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Criollo Rosado
  • Binder: Mexican San Andrés
  • Filler: Dominican Republic Criollo and Nicaraguan Criollo
  • El Criollito Half Corona (3 1/2 x 50) — $4.25
  • El Criollito Robusto (5 x 54) — $5.65
  • El Criollito Double Magnum (6 x 60) — $6.95
  • El Criollito Sentential (7 x 70) — $7.25

Launch Date: April 2017

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