262 Cigars will be releasing a new cigar in 2017 called The Intern, but to get to that point, the company is asking its fans to help pick the blend that will become that release.

The company has narrowed the choices down to four blends that have been dubbed The Search, The Resume, The Interview and The Offer. The first of those cigars, The Search, has gone up for sale on 262 Cigars’ website. Three sizes are available, each in five-count soft packs: a Corona (5 1/2 x 42, $35), Robusto (5 x 50, $35) and Toro (6 x 54, $40). For the Robusto, 55 were produced, while there are 100 of the Toro and 130 of the Corona.

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Inside each pack is a note card where the smoker can jot down notes and a score about the cigar, which can then be submitted online at a yet-to-be-announced website.

The remaining three blends are planned to be released one per quarter according to Clint Aaron, founder of 262 Cigars, who added that those next three releases will likely only be released in one size option. While the factory—or factories—isn’t being disclosed, he did add that all of the cigars are coming from Nicaragua.

As part of the process, 262 Cigars said that the company will be “pulling the curtain back on much of what we do behind the scenes here at 262 HQ; we want to show you how we decide on cigar names, designs, box styles, and a lot more.”

The winning blend is scheduled to be selected at the end of 2016 and then made available to all 262 Cigars accounts as a regular production release in 2017. Aaron added that it will most likely be available in several vitolas, though that part of the process is still to be finalized.

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.