2017 Habanos S.A. Deletion List Surfaces

A list of cigars that Habanos S.A. plans to delete in 2017 has surfaced and it includes some notable deletions of both individual lines and packaging formats.

Among the most notable cigars scheduled to be deleted in the coming months is the Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro, a 7 3/5 x 49 Double Corona. Its deletion will leave the marca with just two regular production sizes, the Hermosos No.4 (5 x 48) and Pirámides (6 1/10 x 52).

The Bolivar marca is losing a pair of cigars, the Tubos No. 1 (5 3/5 x 42) and Coronas Gigantes (7 x 47), a move that cuts the number of regular production sizes down to six.

Romeo y Julieta will soon no longer have the Cedros de Luxe No.1 (6 1/2 x 42) vitola in its catalog, while two packaging formats of other vitolas are being trimmed. The five-count boxes of Petit Coronas and Petit Julietas are being deleted, leaving both sizes available in standard dress boxes.

The brand is also losing a packaging format known as Los 3 Romeos, a dress box that included a Romeo No.1 (5 1/2 x 40), Romeo No.2 (5 1/10 x 42) and Romeo No.3 (4 3/5 x 40), each in aluminum tubes.

Some smaller cigars are also getting the axe, as H. Upmann will lose the Petit Coronas (5 1/10 x 42), while Hoyo de Monterrey will lose the Le Hoyo du Prince (5 1/10 x 40).

The José L. Piedra brand, which is handmade using short-filler tobacco, will see its Cremas line (5 2/5 x 40) and Petit Cetros (5 x 38) lines removed completely.

The Montecristo marca had the most deletions with five, though all of them are packaging related. The No.1 and No.3 will shed the 10-count box option, leaving both available in 25-count boxes, while the No.3 will also be available in three-count petacas. The Montecristo Petit No.2 and Montecristo Tubos will lose their three-count petaca packaging, leaving both available in boxes of 10 or 25 cigars. Finally, the Montecristo Petit Tubos, which is identical to the No.4 but in a tube, will no longer be available in 10-count boxes. It will still be available in packs of three and five cigars or in 25-count boxes.

Cohiba will see two packaging formats removed: the five-count option in the Siglo V and Coronas Especiales vitolas.

The Punch Punch and Punch Double Coronas are losing the 50-count sliding lid box packaging options, though will remain available in 25-count dress boxes, with the Punch Punch retaining the 10-count dress box of aluminum tubes. Also gone is the three-count packaging for the Partagás Coronas Senior and the five-count packaging of Trinidad Coloniales, Trinidad Reyes and Rafael Gonzalez Perlas.

There is no scheduled timetable for the lines to be deleted other than it is scheduled to occur during 2017, and remaining market supply will dictate how long each of these deletions remains available at retail.

A spokesperson for Habanos S.A. did not return a request for comment.

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, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, 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.