Steve Saka is adding a new size to his Todo Las Dias line this summer, a 6 x 46 Thick Lonsdale that wears a pigtail head and which he has dubbed “Mas Fuerte,” or stronger.

In a press release, Saka said that the cigar arose out of some confusion between him and Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A., the factory making the cigar.

“When originally blending the Todos Las Dias liga there were two finished core blends comprised of the same tobaccos, but with different proportions,” said Saka in a press release. “Ultimately, I selected the one I felt worked best in the original formats to be released and relegated the other to my blending diary. When it came time to add the Thick Lonsdale to the line, I inadvertently gave them the recipe for the stronger iteration. In their defense, the factory asked me to verify the blend twice, but I managed to still muck it up and authorized them to produce 200 boxes as instructed. I didn’t actually realize my mistake until I was smoking the post production cigars for quality control purposes. Right away I knew something was askew.”

He went onto say that his initial reaction was to destroy the cigars, though as he smoked through some of them, he realized that the variation worked well in this particular vitola. In the end, he decided that his mistake was ultimately a blessing, which led him to bring the cigars to market.

Saka anticipates that the cigars will ship in August, and when they do, will come in 10-count boxes that bear a red “Mas Fuerte” label for easy identification. Pricing is set at $11.95 per cigar and $119.50 per box.

The cigar is scheduled to be on display at next month’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nev.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2018 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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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.