Viaje Ships Annual Summer Releases

As was expected, VIaje’s C-4, Summerfest and TNT releases are all returning again this year. Earlier this week the company posted pictures of the three releases on its Facebook page and retailers have begun receiving invoices, indicating the cigars are shipping.

This is the third year C-4 has been released, this time in a 5 x 56 size, once again packaged in boxes of 75. MSRP is set at $10.40 per cigar or $780.00 per box. There are 150 boxes, triple the size of the original 2011 release. Blend remains the same with a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper over Nicaraguan fillers. One other small change is the band, which will now read, “Viaje Demolition Company” on the back.

Viaje’s TNT release will also be returning for the fourth time. It will once again measure 6 1/4 x 54. Pricing remains the same as last year at $10.40 per cigar or $780.00 per box, however there will be an additional 25 boxes over last year’s release bringing the total shipment to 150 boxes.

The 2013 release of Summerfest has a slightly more interesting story. Viaje has confirmed that the size (5 1/2 x 54) was actually chosen by Stace Berkland of Leaf and Grape and William Cooper of Cigar Coop. Cooper posted the following on his site:

The genesis of this cigar release can actually be traced back to a conversation that Leaf and Grape editor Stace Berkland and myself had with Andre Farkas at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. During that conversation, we discussed the original release of the 2010 Viaje Summerfest.  The original plan was for the Summerfest 2010 to be released as a torpedo with a shagged foot.  It turns out that a unshagged robusto vitola was made by mistake.  As a result, 50 boxes of that Summerfest 2010 Robusto were released, but the torpedo was still produced. Both Berkland and I were blown away by that particular blend in a Robusto-size vitola.  Farkas listened to our feedback in terms of the robusto .  He then gave us an opportunity to select the size for the 2013 Summerfest.   After some discussion, we agreed on a 5 1/2 x 54 robusto and this one would feature the Summerfest’s trademark shagged foot.  Farkas wrote it down on an index card.  About six months later, Farkas contacted us and told us that the Summerfest 2013 was a go in the size selected.

This is the fourth year of Summerfest and the second consecutive year of only one size. Pricing is set at $284.00 per box of 30 cigars, making each cigar slightly under $9.50. Viaje will ship 200 boxes of Summerfest this year.

The increase in production sizes should not come as a surprise, Viaje’s releases have gotten steadily larger, particularly in 2013. Last year these three cigars shipped alongside Roman Candle, the company has given no indication that it is in this shipment.

(Images via Facebook/Viaje)

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.