CRA Freedom Sampler 2020 Coming This Winter

There will be a new Cigar Rights of America Freedom Sampler on store shelves before the holiday season, and it will once again feature cigars from ten of the cigar industry’s most recognizable companies, some of which will be new releases.

Among the new cigars in the sampler will be the Tatuaje Great Pumpkin, a 6 x 52 belicoso version of a cigar that has primarily been used for event-only releases. The blend uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binders and fillers, with the cigar produced at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. It is the second new Pumpkin release that Pete Johnson has announced this month, joining the Tatuaje Shrunken Pumpkin, a 4 x 50 vitola that will be used for events beginning at the end of October.

Also coming from the My Father Cigars factory is a new 5 3/4 x 52 box pressed robusto in the My Father Le Bijou 1922 line. Janny Garcia told halfwheel that it features the same blend as the Le Bijou 1922 Box Pressed Torpedo, which is the only full production, box pressed vitola in the Le Bijou 1922 line, meaning a Nicaraguan habano oscuro wrapper over Nicaraguan binders and fillers.

Arturo Fuente Cigar Co. has two cigars planned for the samplers, though each pack will only contain one of the options. Those two cigars are a Fuente Fuente OpusX Angel’s Share Perfecxion X or the Fuente Fuente OpusX 20 Years Believe.

There will also be two options coming from Ashton, as the company will be including either a VSG Torpedo or a San Cristobal Ovation Opulence, depending on the individual sampler.

For its contribution, J.C. Newman is dipping into the aging room of Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. for a selection of aged Diamond Crown MAXIMUS Toro No. 4, which Drew Newman told halfwheel had been set aside for aging for several years.

Also joining the samplers will be the Padrón Black No. 200, a new size that debuted in last year’s sampler. Oliva will include a Serie V Melanio Diadema, Alec Bradley will contribute a Mundial PL #56 Limited, and Rocky Patel is adding its ALR Second Edition Toro to the sampler, according to Nish Patel.

The 10th cigar is still to be announced, but it will be coming from La Flor Dominicana. Last year, the company contributed its Andalusian Bull.

The CRA Freedom Sampler 2020 is scheduled to begin shipping between the end of November and early December, with a total of 6,000 samplers produced. This year, they will be available exclusively through Holt’s Cigar Company. Pricing is still being finalized, though the 2019 version was priced at $150, with money raised from the sale of the samplers helping to fund CRA’s legal defense fund to push back against the regulation of premium cigars.

Images via Pete Johnson/Tatuaje on Instagram.

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.