Casa Cuevas Creates Patrimonio Prensado for Little Guy Cigar Shop

Casa Cuevas has created a new, store exclusive vitola of its Patrimonio line for Little Guy Cigar Shop, an online retailer based in Tucson, Ariz. It’s the Patrimonio Prensado, a 6 x 48 box-pressed corona vitola that is limited to just 2,000 cigars that went on sale on Tuesday.

Like the regular production Patrimonio line, the Prensado uses a Honduran corojo wrapper, an Ecuadorian habano binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. However, to be able to achieve the box press, half a leaf of the filler had to be removed, though what specific part of the filler it was hasn’t been disclosed. “With that small change, it creates a totally unique and new smoking experience,” said Michael Wells, owner of Little Guy Cigar Shop. “The flavor profile and notes are more pronounced and defined, and the transition into the final third with a little spice and the strength is cut down without sacrificing any flavor in the experience.”

He noted that it’s the same kind of change that happens in Casa Cuevas’ core line Habano and Maduro Prensado. “The Prensado is like smoking a completely different and new cigar.”

The Patrimonio Prensado comes priced at $11 per cigar, and is offered in two packaging formats, 20-count bundles and a limited run of 50 individually numbered 20-count boxes.

The cigars came about as part of Wells’ involvement with a cigar group called Shadow Smokers Legion, which was established by Tony Wang in 2019. “As a tight-knit group, we love to strive to not only do virtual herfs multiple times weekly but in-person meetings,” Wells told halfwheel, noting that the group has twice held meet-ups in Phoenix, Ariz., one of which was for the original release of the Patrimonio. Wells said that the group has been working on organizing an event in Miami since 2021, and wanted to have a cigar made for that event to show the love and appreciation it has for everyone.

“After conferencing with Tony, I sat down with Luis and Alec Cuevas at TPE 2023 and asked them how they thought a Prensado size would translate in the Patrimonio,” Wells said. “The group loves the Patrimonio as well as the core line Prensados as they are truly a hidden gem, and I felt the Prensado would bring a truly unique profile to that blend.” The Cuevases created some samples of the Patrimonio in the Prensado vitola following TPE, the winter trade show also known as the Total Product Expo, which was held in late February.

“The tests were a hit and we agreed on a 2,000 cigar run so they could logistically make production make sense, and we would have enough for the Legion to buy but also have something that is unique and truly loved to be able to share with everyone through Little Guy Cigar Shop,” Wells said.

The Casa Cuevas Patrimonio line was released in August 2021, and is offered in three regular production sizes:

• Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Toro (6 x 52)
• Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Gordo (6 x 60)
• Casa Cuevas Patrimonio Robusto Gordo (5 x 54)

The line was blended by Luis Cuevas Jr. and his son, Alec Cuevas, as a project they dedicated to Luis Cuevas Sr. and the paternal lineage of the family’s tobacco history, which began over 100 years ago. The lineage traces back to Juan Cuevas, who began growing tobacco in Cuba in the mid-19th century after leaving Spain. The line is produced at the Cuevas family’s Tabacalara Las Lavas S.R.L. factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

“Patrimonio is a project that is extremely near and dear to my son Alec and myself,” said Cuevas Jr. via a press release in 2021. “When my father left Cuba, he left tobacco behind. Years later, after rebuilding in the U.S.A., he was able to revive our family tobacco history by opening his cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. Because of my father’s perseverance, our family legacy continues to live on.”

Images courtesy of Michael Wells/Little Guy Cigar Shop.