Arango to Distribute Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario in the U.S.

The Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario, a limited edition cigar originally destined just for the European market, is now shipping to U.S. retailers thanks to a distribution agreement with Arango Cigar Co.

The cigar was shown off at the InterTabac 2023, an international tobacco trade show that took place in mid-September in Dortmund, Germany. All the details about the cigar remain the same, meaning it is a 7 x 52 Churchill Extra vitola with a blend that uses seven different tobaccos. That blend includes an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Mexican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic.

In the U.S., the Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario is priced at $19.95 per cigar. There were 1,400 boxes of 14 cigars produced at Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera in the Dominican Republic. A representative from Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera told halfwheel that 300 of those boxes are destined for the U.S.

The representative did say that the Diaz and Kopp families had a change of heart about releasing the cigar in the U.S. in light of its importance as a cigar market. The Kopp family operates Kopp Tobaccos GmbH & Co., formerly known as Kohlhase & Kopp, the distributor of the cigar in Europe.

As for the number 70 in the cigar’s name, it references more than just Diaz’s 70th birthday, a milestone he celebrated on May 28. It’s also a play on the number seven. His mother brought a seven-year-old Diaz to a small tobacco factory, which means that 2023 marks 63 years in working with tobacco, with 7 x 9 = 63. Diaz suffered a stroke on Nov. 14, 2016; 14 is a multiple of seven and it has been seven years since the stroke.

Beyond just his work in the cigar industry, Diaz gained notoriety for the birthday cigars he made for himself and which he would share with friends and family. As time went on, the cigars became highly sought-after and he even started putting bands on them, but they were never offered for sale.

 

Diaz’s birthday cigars were also notable for emerging during his long career at Davidoff, where he was the production chief of Davidoff’s Dominican operation, responsible for overseeing the cigarmaking. His birthday cigars would share some traits with typical Davidoff profiles but oftentimes would be a lot stronger. In late 2021, Diaz announced that after more than three decades at Davidoff, he and his family were opening their own factory: Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera.

When the factory was announced, the Diaz family said that it would produce only private-label cigars. While it has done that, it is now branching out into cigars of its own. In addition to the Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario, the company is planning a regular production line that is expected to be sold in U.S. stores before the end of this year.