Antillian Cigar Corp. Brings Back Imperio Cubano Miami
As part of the company’s 50th anniversary this year, Antillian Cigar Corp. is relaunching its Imperio Cubano brand with production heading to Miami and the first batch being released later this month.
“It’s like we are going back to our roots to celebrate our time in the industry,” Arby Sosa told halfwheel. The company’s first factory was opened in Little Havana by Sosa’s grandfather, Arturo, and his father, Juan, in 1965. That factory closed in 1980 and production was moved to the Dominican Republic, until the Imperio Cubano Factory was in operation in Miami from 1995 until 2000, before production moved back the Dominican Republic and Fuente Factory #4. That factory will continue to produce the Imperio Cubano Cameroon for McLean Cigars in Virginia.
Sosa said that he and Santiago Cabana have been working for some six months to replicate the original Imperio Cubano blends, and he believes that not only has the original blend been matched but made better. There are two blends coming out, one with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and the other with a Mexican San Andrés Capa Negra. Both use a Dominican binder and filler from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru, and are being produced at Cabana’s factory in Miami.
It is being released in three sizes, a robusto (5 x 50, $10), toro (6 x 50, $12.20) and torpedo (6 1/2 x 52, $16), all in 20 count boxes. Sosa said that he will be limiting the cigar to between 50 and 75 accounts this year to make sure that he can adequately supply those retailers while maintaining quality.
He also added that a lancero is in the works, but no timeline for its release is in place.
(Images courtesy of Antillian Cigars Corp./Sosa Cigars)
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.
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