Quesada Cigars has announced that its exclusive cigar for retailers that are members of the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) has begun shipping to stores.

That cigar is the Casa Magna Liga F TAA Exclusive 2023, a 6 x 54 box-pressed toro. It uses the same blend as the Liga F blend that debuted in 2021: an Ecuadorian sun grown corojo wrapper over a Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. This is the first Casa Magna Liga F vitola to be box-pressed. The line is made at Quesada’s Tabacos de Exportación factory in Licey, Dominican Republic.

Each cigar has an MSRP of $11.70 per cigar and production is limited to 300 boxes of 10 cigars.

“The Liga F is the first Dominican made Casa Magna and now we are adding a very interesting new size and shape,” said Manuel “Manolo” Quesada Jr., president of Quesada Cigars, in a press release when the cigar was announced in March. “When blending a box press cigar, we have a new experience of smoke with different notes and intensities using the same tobaccos as the original and regular shapes and I personally recommend it as an intense and flavorful box pressed Casa Magna Liga F.”

The TAA is a membership group, which also includes approximately 40 manufacturers, that gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

During the event—which took place March 26-30 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic—the organization holds two selling events, one known as the Dream Machine, where the retailers collectively order to secure larger discounts, while the other is a more traditional trade show. Typically, around a dozen manufacturers release new exclusive cigars for the retail members of the organization under the TAA Exclusive Series Program banner. Those manufacturers agree to give a portion of the proceeds to the organization, a minimum of 50 cents per cigar.

TAA 2023 exclusive cigars from CLE, Espinosa Premium Cigars, Ferio Tego, Joya de Nicaragua and Miami Cigar & Co. have already begun shipping. In addition, Crowned Heads, E.P. Carrillo, Forged Cigar Co., General Cigar Co.Gurkha, J.C. NewmanKristoff, La PalinaMy Father, Plasencia 1865, Rocky Patel, Quality Importers Trading Co., Tatuaje and Villiger Cigars North America have announced their TAA 2023 releases.

Overall Score

Avatar photo

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.