Isabela Cigar Co. has released the second cigar in its PepperHead series, a 6 x 60 gordo.

Officially named the 2021 Isabela PepperHead Gordo, it’s a follow-up to a corona vitola that debuted in 2019, and was blended at the same time as that cigar. Johnny Piette, founder of Isabela Cigar Co. said that he had intended for the gordo to be released shortly after the corona, but due to the large amount of high-priming tobaccos that were used, it necessitated more aging than anticipated. There were a total of 13 different tobaccos used, all of which are from Nicaragua outside of the Ecuadorian desflorada Connecticut stripes used as the accent wrapper; the main wrapper is a Nicaraguan habano “Prieto” varietal. Isabela says the cigars were aged for four years after rolling.

Like its predecessor, the 2021 Isabela PepperHead Gordo is a limited edition, with 250 boxes of 10 cigars being produced. The company says that individual cigars have an MSRP of $10.95, though the company is also selling a collector’s edition box that is priced at $149, though it’s limited to just 10 boxes.

Isabella’s cigars are made its own factory, which doesn’t have a name, outside of Condega.

Images courtesy of Isabela Cigar Co.

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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.