Casa Caraballo to Debut Don Nelo, Apache and La Tampeña at PCA 2023

Casa Caraballo has announced plans to release three new lines at this summer’s Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Convention & Trade Show.

The Apache line is a regular production line that Mario Caraballo told halfwheel has been in the works from somewhere between 18 months and two years.  It uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, a binder from Sumatra, and fillers from Nicaragua’s Jalapa region. It is made at the Pepito Gomez Tobacco Co. in Estelí, Nicaragua and offered in four vitolas:

• Apache Tradicion (6 1/2 x 58) — $15 (Box of 10, $150)
• Apache Excelencia (7 x 52) — $14 (Box of 10, $140)
• Apache Romance (5 5/8 x 46) — $13.50 (Box of 10, $135)
• Apache Necesario (5 x 52) — $13.25 (Box of 10, $132.50)

The line recently launched in Canada and the United Kingdom, as an exclusive to Havana Castle ahead of its U.S. launch at the trade show.

Next up is the Don Nelo line, which is produced at the Don Nelo Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua and comes offered in three wrapper varietals, a Mexican maduro, an Ecuadorian habano rosado, and an Ecuadorian habano claro. Regardless of the wrapper, the line uses Nicaraguan habano grown in the Jalapa region, while the filler comes from Estelí, Nicaragua. The company calls it a medium-to-plus strength trio of cigars that share an earthy, peppery profile balanced by sweet cream.

Don Nelo is offered in three sizes:

• Don Nelo Toro (6 x 52) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)
• Don Nelo Torpedo (6 1/4 x 54) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)
• Don Nelo Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)

All three sizes are offered in 20-count boxes.

Rounding out the new releases is the La Tampeña, a 6 x 52 toro that honors the women that worked in the Tampa cigar factories of the 1800s. The cigar has been in the works since 2020 when it was first announced, though it was never released commercially. It is a Nicaraguan puro that uses a habano criollo wrapper from the Jalapa region. Pricing is set at $16 per cigar, with production handled by the Pepito Garcia factory and the release limited to 1,000 boxes of 10 cigars per year.

Casa Caraballo will be part of the Boutique Cigar Association of America’s pavilion, an area of the trade show floor that brings together a number of smaller cigar companies. Mario Caraballo said that all three lines will begin shipping to retailers during the PCA Convention & Trade Show. Casa Caraballo is distributed in the United States by Privada Cigar Club.

Images courtesy of Casa Caraballo.

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.