Warzone, the collaborative cigar between General Cigar Co. and Espinosa Premium Cigars, is on its way to retailers.

It’s a notable release for a number of reasons, including that it marks the first time the two companies have worked together on a cigar, and it’s the first time that Erik Espinosa has produced a cigar with a Cameroon wrapper.

Underneath that wrapper, which came from General Cigar Co.’s supply of tobacco, is a Honduran binder and fillers from Colombia and Nicaragua. It’s a blend that was developed by Espinosa along with his son, Erik Jr., and Hector Alfonso, the company’s director of operations—along with Justin Andrews of General Cigar Co. Andrews is the global brand manager for Diesel Cigars, a role in which he developed Diesel Whiskey Row and Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask.

Warzone is offered in two sizes, a Robusto (5 1/2 x 52, $8.49) and Toro (6 x 52, $8.99). Both are sold in boxes of 20 and production is limited to 3,000 boxes. On those boxes is imagery that depicts the Ten Years’ War that saw Cuba fight for its independence from Spain between 1868 and 1878, and the first of three wars that eventually led to the island gaining independence. All of the artwork was done by Cuban artist Edin Gutierrez, who also did the art for the company’s Las 6 Provincias line, which currently has two releases, LHB and MTZ.

While Espinosa is producing the Warzone at the La Zona Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua and the bands bear the company’s logo and name, it is being sold and distributed by General Cigar Co.

The cigar got its first public look in early November at La Zona Palooza 2019, an annual event hosted by Espinosa in Hialeah Gardens, Fla. for some of the company’s biggest fans.

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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.