American Viking Cigar Co. Announces Upcoming Launch

The team behind Cigars Daily, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based retail cigar shop, have announced plans to launch its own cigar company in the first quarter of 2020, dubbed American Viking Cigar Co. The company’s portfolio will include five lines that have been offered as shop exclusives at Cigars Daily in recent years, along with a new line that has yet to be released.

The announcement was made on New Years’ Day by Tim Swanson, who along with his father-in-law, Jim Campbell, operate the retail store and will oversee the operations of the new company. Swanson said that the decision to release the brands to other stores came from a desire to continue to provide value for customers while also following their passion for being a part of the larger legacy of cigars in America.

American Viking Cigar Co.’s portfolio will feature five existing lines:

• The Filthy Viking, which uses a habano wrapper over a Honduran binder and filler, that is priced in the $8-9 range;
• Obrigado, a Nicaraguan puro with an oscuro luz wrapper, priced in the $7-8 range;
• Liga Zebra, which features a barber pole wrapper made from Ecuadorian Connecticut shade and Nicaraguan maduro leaves, with a Honduran binder and fillers from Honduras and the Dominican Republic, priced around $7;
• Box Pressed Rebellion, a Nicaraguan puro with a habano maduro wrapper, priced between $7-8;
• Rico Barato, a value-priced line that uses a Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, it is offered with either a Connecticut shade wrapper for a milder profile or a Dominican-grown maduro leaf, and priced in the $3-4 range.

A sixth line, Dama Valada, is slated for a future release, though a date has not yet been announced. It’s described as a full-bodied Nicaraguan puro with an oscuro maduro wrapper, and will be offered in three sizes, Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 52) and Gordo (6 x 60). Pricing is expected to be around $9 per cigar.

As part of the launch of the company and new distribution of the lines, the company is consolidating production of all of the lines to a single factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, though it is not disclosing which factory. Additionally, the company announced that the prices will largely be staying the same as what is offered currently, other than that the Box Pressed Rebellion will be increasing a bit. Four of the five  lines will also be standardized to 20-count cabinet style boxes, while the Rico Barato will remain a value-oriented bundle line.

There are also plans to complement the cigar lines with an accessories line.

The company is expected to announce additional details, including pricing and shipping dates, in the coming weeks. Campbell said that the company could be ready for distribution of the cigars as early as the end of January.

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.