7-20-4 Announces New Factory 57

7-20-4 has announced plans for a new cigar called Factory 57 that is slated to hit retail humidors this October. The cigar features tobacco from five countries, with a high-primed and triple-fermented Nicaraguan Jalapa Habano wrapper leaf, Costa Rican binder leaf from Nestor Plasencia, and a filler blend with Honduran, Nicaraguan, Mexican San Andréas and Colombian tobacco. The tobacco has been aged for three years, with the cigars receiving an additional six months of rest prior to release.

Kurt A. Kendall reached into the history of 7-20-4 Cigars for the name of this project: the name refers to the U.S. government’s official designation of 7-20-4 as a licensed and taxed manufacturer of premium cigars. The tax amounted to 20 cents per box of 20 premium cigars. The original 7-20-4 Cigars opened in 1874 and grew to become the world’s largest supplier of premium cigars, until the Cuban Embargo cut off its supply of Havana leaf, leading to the discontinuation of the mark in 1964. The original factory was located in Manchester, New Hampshire, near Kendall’s present headquarters.

Factory 57 is billed as a medium-to-full-bodied cigar, with Kendall describing the flavor profile as “bold, full, yet very smooth, with distinct creaminess.”

There will be four sizes released at the new line’s debut: a 6 x 46 Corona with an MSRP of $6.75; 5 x 50 Robusto, $7.25; 7 x 50 Churchill, $8.25; and 6 x 60 Gordo, $9.00. All are packed in 20-count, Spanish cedar boxes, with the cigars bunched in the entubado style with a double cap on the head.

Kendall added that the cigar is a small-batch, limited release–for now. “If Factory 57 goes the way its predecessors have, it’ll find its way into our regular catalog of boutique cigars,” he said via a press release.

The cigars are being made at Nestor Plasencia’s Tabacos de Oriente S.A. in Honduras.

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 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.