Less than four weeks after the official announcement came that José Blanco would be returning to the cigar business with a new company, Las Cumbres Tabaco, the cigar industry veteran told halfwheel that his debut release, Señorial, has gone into production starting today at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic.

“I would like to thank my cousin Jochy Blanco and nephew Vinicio Cuello for all their support within Tabacalera La Palma, and their dedication for the best tobaccos and production for Señorial,” Blanco said. He added that he and his cousin hand-picked the most talented and experienced rollers for this project.

He also shared more details on the blend of Señorial, which had previously been unreleased. Blanco selected an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper, binder from the Estelí region of Nicaragua and Dominican fillers, a blend of Piloto Cubano and Corojo. “It is a full-flavored and full-bodied cigar, something very different from what I have ever released before in a cigar,” he said, adding that it took six months and 30 blends to getting to a point where he could say “I finally nailed it.” The blend was finalized earlier this week.

He added that the tobaccos being used currently have between two and three years of age on them, and the finished cigars will get 90 days of rest before being shipped out. He said that Señorial will launch in the northeastern United States in early June, a slight delay from his original target of a May release.

Pricing has not been confirmed yet, but Blanco said it will be in the $7 to $11 range. Señorial will debut in five previously announced sizes, a 5 1/2 x 46 corona gorda, a 5 1/4 x 52 robusto, a 6 x 54 toro, a 6 1/4 x 52 figurado and a 6 x 60. Each will come in 24-count boxes, and Blanco said the initial run will be for 100,000 cigars in 2014, with the cigar being a regular production release.

Blanco said he is handling his own distribution through Las Cumbres Tabaco, which will include selling in the United States as well as select markets in Europe and Asia.

 

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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.