ACE Prime has announced that it will have an exclusive cigar for retailers who attend the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Convention & Trade Show in July. The company will release Maria Lucia, a limited edition that the company says is inspired by the story of grit, passion and survival of Maria Lucia Meirelles, the mother of Luciano Meirelles, founder and co-owner of ACE Prime.

The Maria Lucia is a 5 1/4 x 54 box-pressed robusto that uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, a double binder of Ecuadorian Sumatra and Ecuadorian HBN 92 leaves, and a filler that contains tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. The blend is described as being medium-full in strength and delivers “an abundance of depth and complexity, where every flavor elicits a double take from its smoker,” according to a press release.

It will be offered in 12-count boxes, with individual cigars having an MSRP of $12.80. The Maria Lucia is made at Tabacalera Pichardo in Nicaragua and is limited to 4,000 boxes.

“It took me many years before I dared to blend something inspired by my mother,” said Meirelles in a press release. “She passed away when I was only 12 years old, and it was only recently that I was able to fully understand and know her complicated life’s story.”

A press release described the late Maria Lucia Meirelles as being as valiant as she was brilliant and as kind as she was unashamedly bold.

“She was the flower that rises from cracked pavement, the beauty that survives brokenness, the redemption that overcomes tragedy. This cigar echoes the life of a complex woman who reminds us that even when all odds are against us, we nevertheless have the capacity to hold onto the light.”

But the cigar has connections to more than just Meirelles’ mother, as the band’s design and artwork comes from his oldest daughter, Deborah, a Paris-based artist and fashion designer. Several years ago, she had a dream of a woman that she did not know, and upon waking drew a sketch of that woman.

“When I saw the drawing next to old photographs of my mother, I saw the similarity immediately,” said Luciano Meirelles, who added that none of his children had ever met their grandmother, or even seen a photograph of her. “It was almost supernatural the way things happened. It’s hard to believe it was only a coincidence… and now years later, when I decided to finally create this cigar, naturally, in a full-circle kind of way, we thought there would be no better idea than to use my daughter’s drawing for the box.”

While ACE Prime is still a fairly new company in the cigar business, the box makes reference to “Since 1957” which honors the year of Maria Lucia’s birth.

Scott Pearce, executive director of the Premium Cigar Association, said via a press release that the PCA is honored to have the cigar released at this year’s trade show, particularly in light of it carrying such a personal and significant meaning to ACE Prime and Meirelles.

Meirelles added that more sizes for the Maria Lucia line are being planned for release in the first quarter of 2023.

Update — Shortly after this article was published, additional details about production numbers, the shipping date, and plans for more sizes was added to the story, along with additional images.

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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.