Robert Caldwell is being a bit secretive with a cigar that will be released this May in celebration of Caldwell Cigar Co.’s first anniversary, saying that for now the project is being referred to as “Nothing You Ever Heard Of.”

That being said, Caldwell sent a press release sent to halfwheel on Tuesday that was titled in Russian, последний царь. The phrase means “the last king,” but Caldwell says that won’t be the name of the project. He did say it will be something along those lines, but not that exact title.

The new release will be made available to “a very select group of retailers” that won’t exceed 49 merchants nationwide. “We are initiating a group called the First 49,” Caldwell said in the release, adding that “this select group will consist of the first 49 retailers that supported and continue to support this venture.” He said that the cigar is only being released to these retailers, though not all of them might not be able to secure some. “We are limiting stores to 10 boxes each; the exception will be the launch partners, who will have access to 30 boxes a piece for the launch events.”

As of now, Caldwell says the plan is to release the cigar twice a year but in a different format. Production is being handled by Tabacalera William Ventura in Tamboril, Dominican Republic.

Caldwell said it will debut in an initial run of 500 10-count boxes, all coming in a 5 x 50 belicoso vitola with an MSRP of $18 per cigar. The only component of the blend that Caldwell is disclosing at this point is a hybrid Connecticut Arapiraca maduro wrapper. He said that the blend is completely unique to anything he has smoked before, describing them as full-bodied, yet very refined. “They are going to be the fullest bodied cigar in the Caldwell Collection, yet palatable for most smokers.”

Caldwell Cigar Co. will be releasing a list of retailers who will be carrying the cigar in the coming weeks. The company was recently named as halfwheel’s 2014 New Company of the Year.

Update (Jan. 23, 2015) Caldwell recently posted the list of retailers that will carry the cigar on the company’s Facebook page. They are:

  • 82nd Ave Tobacco & Pipe LTD, Portland, Ore.
  • Ambassador Fine Cigars, Scottsdale, Ariz.
  • Anthony’s Cigar Emporium, Tucson, Ariz.
  • Belle Meade Premium Cigars, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Berkeley Wine Co. LLC, Berkeley Heights, N.J.
  • Big Sticks, Scottsdale Ariz.
  • Blue Havana II Cigars, Alpharetta, Ga.
  • Blue Smoke of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
  • Broadway Cigars, Camas, Wash.
  • Capital Cigar Company, Lincoln, Neb.
  • Castro’s Back Room III Inc., Manchester, N.H.
  • Cigars & More Magic City Cigars, Hoover, Ala.
  • Cigarz On the Avenue, Winter Park, Fla.
  • Excalibur Cigar Lounge, San Diego, Calif.
  • Fine Ash Cigars, Avondale, Ariz.
  • Fox Tobacco & Liquor, Gilbert, Ariz.
  • Fusion Cigar Lounge, Clearwater, Fla.
  • Gran Crü Cigars, St. Louis, Mo.
  • Havana House, Akron & Niles Ohio
  • Havana Mix, Memphis, Tenn.
  • Havana Phil’s, Grennsboro, N.C.
  • Maxamar Cigars, Orange, Calif.
  • Lighthouse Tobacco & Lounge, Old Saybrook, Conn.
  • Mickey Blakes Cigars, Southington, Conn.
  • Mr. J’s Havana Shop, West Warwick, R.I.
  • Ohlone Cigar Lounge, Fremont, Calif.
  • Riverside Cigar and Lounge, Jeffersonville, Ind.
  • Royal Cigars, Hallandale Beach, Fla.
  • Santa Clara Inc., Burlington, N.C.
  • Smoke on the Water, Weston, Fla.
  • Smokers Abbey, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Smokin Joe’s, Knoxville, Tenn.
  • Stogies World Class Cigars, Houston, Texas
  • Telford’s Pipe and Cigar, Mill Valley, Calif.
  • The Party Source, Bellevue, Ky.
  • Tobacco Rose, Ann Arbor, Mich.
  • Tower Pipe and Cigars, Inc., Sacramento, Calif.
  • Union Cigar Society, Seattle, Wash.
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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.